Gateway To All Marvels

The 1347 Chinese go (weiqi/baduk) classic Xuanxuan Qijing, or Gengen Gokyo by its Japanese name, is the most significant go book ever produced. It has become the foundation for virtually every problem book since. Gateway to All Marvels brings together every problem and every variant from perhaps every subsequent edition, and discusses how the almost 500 problems and their solutions have evolved and varied, and also how even modern professionals often disagree on the correct solutions.

A characteristic feature of the original collection was the addition of titles which provide clues either to remembering the problems or to solving them. John Fairbairn has explained all these allusive titles in detail, which means that the book is also an entertaining romp through Chinese history and culture. The original Chinese characters have been provided and indexed.

Discussion of the problems is also aided by identification of "key techniques", some new, some old, so that, for example, "rooster on one leg" now joins newcomers such as the "caterpillar connection" and the "elbow lock". These techniques are also fully indexed, and also (taking advantage of the Kindle format) presented in a way that means they can be treated as optional further clues to the problems. Hypertext links are provided not just between problems and their solutions but also to many cross-references.

The principal texts in the ancient Chinese edition have also been translated here. They include the complete "Go Classic in Thirteen Chapters" and Liu Zhongfu's "Go Secrets".