New Book: Endgame 4 - Global Move Order

[Robert Jasiek]

My 19th go book Endgame 4 - Global Move Order is available for €26.50
(printed) or €13.25 (PDF). It explains the correct order of moves on
the global scale during the early and late endgame.

Webpage
http://home.snafu.de/jasiek/Endgame.html
Cover
http://home.snafu.de/jasiek/Endgame_4_Cover.png
Sample
http://home.snafu.de/jasiek/Endgame_4_Sample.pdf
Table of Contents
http://home.snafu.de/jasiek/Endgame_4_TOC.pdf
Review by the Author
http://home.snafu.de/jasiek/Endgame_4_Review.html


Endgame 4 - Global Move Order

Review by the Author

General Specification

* Title: Endgame 4 - Global Move Order
* Author: Robert Jasiek
* Publisher: Robert Jasiek
* Edition: 2021
* Language: English
* Price: EUR 26.50 (book), EUR 13.25 (PDF)*
* Contents: endgame
* ISBN: none
* Printing: good
* Layout: good
* Editing: good
* Pages: 268
* Size: 148mm x 210mm
* Diagrams per Page on Average: 4
* Method of Teaching: truths, principles, methods, classification,
examples
* Read when EGF: 8 kyu - 9 pro
* Subjective Rank Improvement: o
* Subjective Topic Coverage: +
* Subjective Aims' Achievement: ++

Preface

Endgame 4 - Global Move Order is a comprehensive study of the global
endgame and invents most of the theory. The book replaces informal
guesses by correct decisions for the order of moves, the timing and
duration of playing locally versus playing elsewhere. The theory
explains and solves many situations by always comparing the right
values.

New Theory

Previously, it has been obvious to play simple gotes without
follow-ups in order of their decreasing move values. I have only seen
one professional player (O Meien) explaining the value of starting in
an environment and error margin in chapter 4. Fragments of the theory
appeared in public live research by Bill Spight and me. Otherwise,
almost all of the revolutionary theory of global endgame evaluation in
this book is newly invented! Endgame 4 - Global Move Order fills this
huge gap in go theory. It achieves for the early and late endgame
before the microendgame what Mathematical Go Endgames has achieved for
the microendgame.

The book presents counter-examples refuting the popular advice of
always a) seeking tedomari (the last large move) or b) simply playing
local endgames with or without follow-ups in their order of decreasing
move values. Such informal go theory has neglected that correct global
move decisions can depend on the local endgame and the environment,
move value and follow-up move value, or resulting counts. Endgame 4 -
Global Move Order enables these decisions by comparing the right
values in exact conditions.

Despite the novelty of the theory, the mathematical theorems proved in
Volume 5 already establish its absolute truth. During the late
endgame, we can stop tactical reading on reaching a generally solved
class of positions. In other positions, the theory greatly simplifies
reading. During the early endgame, the timing approximations are the
best we have. The theory also applies during the opening or middle
game whenever their additional strategic concepts, such as influence
and fights, are irrelevant.

Contents

On the one hand, we consider one local endgame, an ensemble of the
largest local endgames or several local endgames. On the other hand,
we model the positional environment of the remaining local endgames as
a value environment. During the early endgame, we model it by its
largest move value called the temperature indicating the value of
starting in the environment, although we sometimes also consider the
second-largest value. During the late endgame, our model is an
alternating sum of the move vales taken by the player minus those
taken by opponent.

For the considered local endgames, we decide whether to play locally
or in the environment. Sometimes both choices are right. We learn the
first and last moments of playing in sente or reverse sente in every
particular local endgame. We also learn exactly when to interrupt long
successive local play and continue in the environment.

The decisions differ for the early and late endgame. They depend on
the starting player, types of local endgames, their follow-ups, their
calculated local values and the temperature. The early endgame is too
complex to be solved completely while, in principle, we might solve
the late endgame by tactical reading given much time. Instead of Black
versus White, attacker versus defender, or sente player versus reverse
sente player, it is often useful to distinguish the creator, for whom
a follow-up or options are available, from the preventer, for whom
they are unavailable. There are local gotes, ambiguous local endgames,
local sentes, and local endgames with alternative gote and sente
options. A non-iterative local endgame can have one or two simple
follow-ups. We need some of these values: move value, follow-up move
value, gain of a move, net profit of a sequence, its resulting count.
The temperature can be low, medium or high.

Endgame 4 - Global Move Order states the correct decisions for all
basic cases with these aspects for one local endgame with simple
follow-ups in an environment. It also describes some decisions among
several local endgames or, during the late endgame, local endgames
with iterative follow-ups. During the early endgame, the latter do not
have any explicit solution but we may apply the good approximations to
them, too.

The book goes far beyond inventing just some new theory. Instead, the
theory is already fully developed with different methods, such as
comparing two well chosen test sequences, comparing counts, comparing
net profits or applying a principle. Since Volume 5 proves their
equivalence, everybody can choose his preferred method. Although such
decision-making is very much faster than tactical reading, the theory
offers further means of acceleration.

Examples illustrate every case. Finding the rarest examples took up to
four days each. The book also studies how tiny changes greatly affect
the outcome and decisions even in basic examples. Furthermore, the
book explains various aspects of strategy. Besides, there is a brief
history of endgame evaluation.

Presentation

The book contains structured general explanations, principles, a few
detailed reference examples, many commented examples and an index.
Calculations often appear with consistently used symbols, such as M
for move value, and actual numbers. Since this book emphasises global
decisions, local move values are often simply stated so that it is the
reader's exercise to verify them for a local endgame without or with
simple follow-ups. Font attributes assist reading of the text.
Diagrams mark the counted territories and show move values.

The reader can easily choose chapters, sections or paragraphs
according to the level of difficulty (basic, intermediate, advanced,
expert) denoted by diamond symbols. Asterisks indicate many principles
as either mathematically proved truths or obviously correct.

What the Book Is Not

Although the theory applies to the whole board, almost all examples
simplify the global environment as a representative selection of
simple gotes without follow-ups, whose shapes ease understanding of
the theory. Except for 10 problems testing understanding of the
central, basic contents and their answers, this is not a problem book.
Instead of training tactical reading or rarely needed tesujis, the
taught decision-making depends on value considerations. Since the book
only briefly summarises the basics and local evaluation but afterwards
presumes their fluent knowledge, Volumes 2 and 3 can assist its
reader. The book does not explain evaluation of kos other than basic
endgame kos. Except for a few expert hints, theorems and mathematical
proofs only appear in Volume 5. School mathematics is sufficient
because the book avoids all thermographs, cooling and infinitesimals.
The book contains such an overwhelming amount of theory that the rank
improvement after reading the book once is declared as average; it may
be necessary to read the book several times to learn everything.

Conclusion

If you prefer problems or light entertainment, this book is not for
you. Read Endgame 4 - Global Move Order to learn much powerful theory
including new, well researched inventions of global endgame evaluation
and decisions.


* = These are the endconsumer prices in EUR according to UStG §19
(small business exempted from VAT).