Gamebooks Books

I've been playing go intermittently for 15 years and am a 3 kyu player. Study and near constant play are the only way to improve at this game. (Indeed, it is said that you need to play a thousand games to breakthrough to Shodan.) Every once in the while I am possessed by the urge to improve and get stronger - and so embark on a go book buying splurge. Personally, putting the effort into solving these puzzles will make you an overall more effective player. Solving life and death problems is important practise to develop board reading and fighting skills. Volume 1 of this book includes 110 puzzles divided into two sections (Elementary and Junior). Each puzzle is given a brief title and a cryptic clue to direct your thinking. The puzzles are printed on an even page and the solutions revealed on the following page. These puzzles are ingenious because they detail situations that you are likely to encounter when playing against a competitor. (Most puzzles are not as natural, usually depicting unusual situations that you simply never encounter.) Technically, I found most of the puzzles in this set to be very tough and time consuming in arriving at a solution. The elementary puzzles seem to be targetted for 5 to 8 kyu players, while the Junior section appears to be aimed at 3 kyu to Shodan ranked players (you will need to be able to read 5 to 10 moves to solve most of these puzzles). The solution page usually includes two or three possibilities - the correct approach and one or two failures, with a short paragraph of commentary on each possible play. I think solving these puzzles is a good investment of time and effort - and I recommend the puzzles for experienced go players only.

This is the first of two volumes of teaching puzzles put together by Yang Yilun, a well-known Chinese 7 dan player. Yang has shown a dedicated interest in the game, both as a player as well as a coach and teacher. After a very strong career in the Shanghai area Yang is now teaching in the United States, with many fortunate students.

The puzzles in the books are arranged into 4 categories - Elementary and Junior in the first volume, and Senior and Advanced in the second. Do not be mislead by the title 'Elementary.' These are all a cut above the typical tesuji style problem, which often asks only for the best move or trick to use next. These puzzles all expect the reader to have an instinct for tesuji already developed, and expect some ability to 'read' the problem and think ahead. Most require that one can lay out a series of moves to exploit a weakness. Each ensuing section demands stronger skills. Volume 1, which is sold here, is aimed at amateurs from 10kyu to 5kyu or better. But even a shodan will find the Advanced puzzles a challenge.

This is as it should be. I have been embarrassed by some of the simple problems and lucky with a few of the more difficult, but, overall, these books give a player a very good way to both assess where he or she is as a player and work on the very skills that will carry them to the next level. The important thing is that one shouldn't treat these as if these as if they were mere brainteasers. Don't worry if you 'get it' on the first try or not. Work the puzzle through either mentally or by play, and aim at grasping the principles involved. Expect to come back time and time again until you feel comfortable that you can recognize a parallel situation and evaluation the options involved.

I like the simple, easy to read format of the books quite a bit. With my eyesight it is a delight to find a book on Go that I do not have to squint about. Many players will find this book and it's sequel just the thing to help them make sure that they play 1000 different games on the way to shodan, instead of the same one, over and over. This should be on any players must have list.

These are two volumes of teaching puzzles put together by Yang Yilun, a well-known Chinese 7 dan player. Yang has shown a dedicated interest in the game, both as a player as well as a coach and teacher. After a very strong career in the Shanghai area Yang is now teaching in the United States, with many fortunate students.

The puzzles in the books are arranged into 4 categories - Elementary and Junior in the first volume, and Senior and Advanced in the second. Do not be mislead by the title 'Elementary.' These are all a cut above the typical tesuji style problem, which often asks only for the best move or trick to use next. These puzzles all expect the reader to have an instinct for tesuji already developed, and expect some ability to 'read' the problem and think ahead. Most require that one can lay out a series of moves to exploit a weakness. Each ensuing section demands stronger skills. Volume 1, which is sold here, is aimed at amateurs from 10kyu to 5kyu or better. But even a shodan will find the Advanced puzzles a challenge.

This is as it should be. I have been embarrassed by some of the simple problems and lucky with a few of the more difficult, but, overall, these books give a player a very good way to both assess where he or she is as a player and work on the very skills that will carry them to the next level. The important thing is that one shouldn't treat these as if these as if they were mere brainteasers. Don't worry if you 'get it' on the first try or not. Work the puzzle through either mentally or by play, and aim at grasping the principles involved. Expect to come back time and time again until you feel comfortable that you can recognize a parallel situation and evaluation the options involved.

I like the simple, easy to read format of the books quite a bit. With my eyesight it is a delight to find a book on Go that I do not have to squint at. Many players will find this book and it's sequel just the thing to help them make sure that they play 1000 different games on the way to shodan, instead of the same one, over and over. This should be on any player's must have list.

Volume 2 begins with puzzle number 111 and ends at 200. As a continuation of volume 1 (see my review of volume 1), volume 2 is subdivided into two additional sections, Senior and Advanced. The clues are much more detailed for section 3 and 4 then in the previous volume, and the puzzles are significantly more difficult. The first 46 puzzles, making up the senior section, are for this 3-kyu ranked player, exceedingly difficult, requiring you to be able to read 10 to 15 moves. And for solutions, instead of getting the answer and two or three possibilities, the reader is now provided with 5 or 6 variations with detailed explanatory notes as to why the variation fails, or is weak as compared to the recommended solution. Regarding the ADVANCED section, these puzzles are, for my skill level, brutally tough. Some detail as many as 10 variations - and none of the solutions are obvious (at least to me). I don't know what your ranking must be to readily solve the last set of puzzles, but I suspect that it must be low dan level, at a minimum. The ingenious aspect of the all the puzzles, as I noted in my review of volume 1, is that they are board situations that you are likely to encounter in an actual game. Highly recommended for experienced players only.

Nice - figuring out the word is almost as tricky as solving the puzzle itself! I like it!

This is a lot more fun than the regular Sudokus! Peter Greene keeps up the quality with this one...how do you even find 100 nine letter word with nine different letters in them? The puzzles are almost of the same difficulty as the ones in 200 Difficult Sudoku Puzzles.

This isn't just Sudoku puzzles with letters instead of numbers, in these puzzles you have to figure out the nine letter word BEFORE you can solve the puzzle. Obviously nine letters can give you several words, so there is a clue to make sure you get the right one. To solve the puzzles after you've found the word is rather difficult, you need to be fairly experienced at solving Sudoku, it's not a book for beginners. More puzzles than in the other similar books.

This book is an extensively researched masterpiece which goes into great depth about the Fifteen Puzzle craze that swept 19th century America. I was shocked to discover that Sam Loyd lied when he claimed he invented the impossible 14-15 Puzzle, and he wasn't even the first to offer a prize for solving it either! That honor goes to dentist Charles Pevey who bizarrely offered a $25. set of teeth. The book contains many more fascinating insights like this and is a must for any puzzle lover.

Whenever you see Jerry Slocum and any of his associates,in this case Dic Sonneveld,involved in something; you can count on it being First Class.
This new book is simply delightful for any puzzle lover. They take one of the most common of all puzzles,The 15 Puzzle,and show that it has a background that arguably makes it the most popular puzzle craze of all time.
The book is a great read,filled with everything about the puzzle; from its creation,and how it took the whole world by storm. Much of what the book covers is unknown to many who love puzzles and have seen this puzzle from the days we first became interested in them. Most of us had never imagined what an intriguing history it has had.
Their search of everything written about the puzzle would take many years for one to attempt on their own; but here in this book,they give it all to us to enjoy.
The book is loaded with excellent and rare photos and illustrations of the people,newspaper clippings,and puzzles from the worlds finest collections. They have run down all the legends and things said about the puzzle over the years and sorted out the fact from fiction; a major puzzle in itself.
They show why the puzzle,with all the tiles in their proper locations,except for 14 and 15 reversed; cannot be solved. This was the problem that created the frenzy in 1880; and made it "The Greatest Puzzle of All Time".
The book also includes several puzzle arrangements to challenge you; along with solutions.
There are excellent references at the back which will be a treasure for anyone who wants to dig further. As much as anyone thinks they know about the 15 Puzzle; this book will be a fascinating eye opener; and it is unlikely they will ever look at this little gem of a puzzle the same way again.
I have been a puzzle fan for over 50 years and have over 500 puzzle books in my library; however,I have no hesitation in saying this will become one of my favorites. I am sure I will pull it out many times to thumb through it in the future.
The highest quality of paper,printing,color and overall construction has gone into its manufacture and it is sure to become a classic among puzzle books.
There is another excellent aspect of this book,that is not at first obvious. Even if someone is not particularly interested in puzzles; they will find it does an excellent job of showing how a "craze" gets started and takes off like a firestorm. We have all seen it with things like Yo-Yos,Hula-Hoops,Pet Rocks.Rubik's Cubes;and the latest,Sudoku Puzzles.
The 15 Puzzle is surely a great example,and even after 125 years,it is still one of the most common of all puzzles.
An excellent treat for yourself or for anyone who likes puzzles.

In the late nineteenth century, the Fifteen Puzzle became an international craze. It is a simple puzzle made of square blocks, labeled with the numbers 1 through 15. They are placed in a flat container with room for 16 squares, which leaves one cell empty. Without lifting a block out of the container, the player is to rearrange the blocks into a different pattern.
The great puzzle master Sam Loyd claimed to have invented the Fifteen Puzzle and that claim has stood largely unchallenged for 115 years. Slocum and Sonneveld have conducted extensive research, exhaustively exhuming every mention of the puzzle that they could find. Loyd did not invent the puzzle, but to learn the name of the inventor, you will have to read the book.
A great deal of the book is devoted to short blurbs from newspapers that mention the Fifteen Puzzle. By themselves, they are not terribly interesting. What I found most interesting were the graphs that display the spread of the puzzle across the United States. The graphs are based on the number of times the Fifteen Puzzle is mentioned in the newspapers of the cities. It started in Boston, Massachusetts and ends in Helena, Montana.
This book is a complete history of the Fifteen Puzzle and several proofs of the conditions that allow for solutions are also included. It also documents how the puzzle started a craze, where so many people worked at it to the exclusion of many other aspects of their lives. If you are interested in puzzles, history, fads or group social behaviors, this is a book that you can read and enjoy.

This book consists of, as the back of the book says, "tricky teasers, verbal vagaries, and mathematical mind manglers." There are also many funny brain vacation jokes. As you can tell from the title, this book has 263 challenging riddles or questions that really make you to think. For ex, one of the questions is: Why didn't Beethoven finish the Unfinished Symphony? The answer is: The Unfinished Symphony was started by Schubert, not Beethoven!! Some of the puns are corny but it's still very enjoyable. It's a good book to read when you want to take a break from work and just laugh. Personally, I liked it a lot and I still take it out sometimes to re-read some of the riddles. I highly recommend it

This book is really neat for those of you trying to boggle yourmind with brain puzzles. One of my favorites is "If King Midassits on gold, who sits on silver?" (You'll have to figure that out on your own) Anyway, it is very funny and makes you laugh at yourself when you see the answers to some!

I love this book! I got it for my third grade class. We break into teams and I'll give them a question. They love trying to come up with a creative answer the other groups don't figure out. These are great "thinking outside the box" kind of questions. By the end of year, the kids no longer look to the obvious answers. It's great!

This book should never let anyone borrow. You will find an endless assortment of useful end game idears.

A.A. Troitzky's "Three Hundred Sixty Brilliant and Instructive End Games" is by far the best book of its kind that I have ever owned. Very subtle, very crafty endgame studies -- many of them very long and complicated, but all of them beautifully constructed and analyzed. Unlike most books of chess puzzles, the positions in this book appear to be reasonably reachable in a real game, but they are all masterfully conceived -- at least, the ones I've had the energy and stamina to follow.

I can't imagine nobody has reviewed this book yet. Once you study the first example, you will be addicted to it! Those studies were best of Troitzky. A lot of studies can be worked out by yourselves. If you work out a example, you will feel like you achieved something great!

this book contains-surprise!-365 checkmate problems. These problems are divided into 5 sections, in order of difficulty. These problems are great to use in De la Maza's 7 circles exercises (400 points in 400 days @ chess cafe). I have enjoyed the benefits gained from this book immensely. I highly recommend it.

There have been a lot of puzzle books published recently. This is the best of the lot, and easily the best collection since the excellent Ultimate Chess Puzzle book by John Emms. Dependable Joe Gallagher has clearly collected many of these checkmate positions from his personal globetrotting as a chess professional, as the personal touch is evident in much of the chat. The checkmates are ranked on five levels, accordingly to difficulty. Great training just before your next tournament.

This book gives you 365 puzzles from very fresh real games (with a few exception). All puzzles are checked by a computer program so all are correct! These puzzles are all about checkmate. However, not all of them force checkmate but all of them gives you a decisive victory, exactly like in your real games! Puzzles are divided into 5 groups depending on their difficulty. And this devision is perfectly done. I mean level 2 is definately more difficult than level 1 and so on. The book has an additional test at the end which can roughly estimate your ELO. This book has both answers and hints. Terribly convenient book!

Well, all above give this book 4 starts or 5 starts. However, there is something outstanding about this book that gives it 6 starts if it would be possible. Every puzzle is commented by Joe Galagher who is an amazing author with very nice sence of humor. Every puzzle diagram is commented by a paragraph or two with a brief history of every game where that position appeared. Even more! Every hint and every solution in this book is commented as well.

Now, I can tell you how difficult the problems are. I have about 1700+ USCF rating and the first level make me sweat but I solved correctly all problems finally (without chessboard). The level 2 was pretty hard and not all puzzles I could solve quickly or correctly. However, after resolution of all level 1, the level 2 was not as difficult. Some problems of the level 3 is not too hard either but some problems I could not solve even after a hint or using a chessboard.

I really improved. Now I play sharper and i believe that my next tournament will be much more successful. Excellent book and outstanding work by Joe Galagher.

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Well, i can tell you that i do not like how this book is printed though. The quality of print is average. Such a great job could be printed a little bit better. However, the quality is acceptable though not the best possible.

Ross Bonander is a GREAT author. I bought this book because I am a DJ on a cruise ship. I make friends with the passengers, and they want to have a good time. This will help me accomplish their desire to have fun. There are several GREAT ideas in this book. I read through it just for contents sake, but I laughed so much! ROSS BONANDER doesn't beat around the bush. He uses vulgar language, and his descriptions paint a vivid picture in your mind. He's very honest about potential to puke, mentions concern for safety several times, and tastefully recommends professional help for those drinkers who are "too good" at these games. A must for every fraternity, and cruise ship DJ!

Don't you just hate it when you go to those parties where only about 6 people showed up and nothing is happening? Everybody is just standing around, drinking their Pabst Blue Ribbon, while a best of the 80's CD is blaring Tainted Love (for the seventh time in a row) in the background. You want to leave, but the host already saw you, so you're trapped. You realize you just wasted your entire Friday night. These parties don't have to be boring anymore thanks to '50 Great College Drinking Games' by Ross Bonander. Bonander has written the quintessential party book. 50 Great College Drinking Games is more than "educational", it's a humorous read. Not only did I discover new games, such as 'Suck the Sock', I also found myself laughing out loud time and time again thanks to Bonander's excellent use of pop culture references. This book encompasses all you need to know about drinking games. Take it along to any party and watch the fun ensue. It's a guaranteed hit.

Hm. A drinking game book that begins with a quote from Wittgenstein and ends with a phantasmic photo invoking UCLA, rock n' roll, pro-hockey and possibly Mithraism - might this really be a philosophical treatsie on the essence of liquid competition, an existential jaunt down a road well travelled, a textual exorcism of collegiate transgressions in disguise? While perhaps only Ross could shed any penetrating light on these depthless questions, the fact that the book is authoritatively stamped "The Official Party Animal Manual" should give immediate pause to the "Three-Man, Thumper, Tupperware Two-Step" timid and the "Speed Quaters, Suck the Sock, Suck and Blow" shy. However, should the reader already be familiar with some drinking games, "50 Great College Drinking Games" is an essential companion to all social gatherings where "fun is in the air."

In addition to an attentive inventory of drinking games and their raucous rules, Ross provides the responsible imbiber with both colorful humor and searing sarcastic wit. And if this weren't enough, his prose is peppered throughout with evocative references to pop-culture. This isn't simply a book detailing the rules of drinking games regaling the reader with reveries of fraternity parties past, but instead is an ironic one that doesn't take itself seriously while at the same time never denying the reader's desire for the rules of the game. Clearly the funniest drinking game book around.

Izhar Cohen's ABC Discovery! is a large format (approximately 12"x9") book of picture puzzles based on the letters of the alphabet. Each letter receives a two-page spread. On the right-hand page a full-page illustration appears, while on the left a giant, artfully-drawn uppercase letter is displayed next to large upper- and lower-case letters and a list of 3-40 vocabulary words that start with that letter to be found in the drawing (along with an additional hidden upper- and lower-case version of the letter). So, the "K" vignette portrays a knight and a king wielding a knife, riding a kangaroo, holding a kettle, with a key chain in its pouch, a kitten on its head, and a koala clutching its tail. Most words are familiar objects (e.g., water, wand, whale) that are not too difficult to locate on the adjacent page, though some exotic words (e.g., ibis, Inuit) will challenge older children and expand their vocabularies. With the juxtaposition of many unrelated objects, the watercolor illustrations are appealingly crowded and surreal, forming a visual puzzle. Framed in boxed panels, items from the illustration playfully stretch outside the frame. Included at the end of the book are additional games to be played with the pictures, including finding objects that end with "t," creatures with four legs, and the object that has "blades but not for cutting"; an index to aid with the additional games as well as a list of answers are also included. Children who are accomplished readers will hone their powers of observation and expand their vocabularies.

Dear readers,

I am really excited by the prospect of being the first "official" reviewer of a book, in this case the ABC Discovery by Izhar Cohen. However, in all fairness, I cannot claim this very special honour since the real brains behind my comments are my two children: Roberto and Francesca, respectevely 7 and 5. They loved the very imaginative illustrations as well as the formative process of discovering new images and names. On a personal note, I would like to thank the author, Mr Izhar Cohen for giving me the opportunity to spend some wonderful quality time with my children.

This book is a cross between an "I Spy" book and an alphabet book. All my kids have enjoyed this book. It is perfect for preschool and kindergarteners who are learning the alphabet and letter sounds. The book consists of a list of words that start with each letter of the alphabet on the left page and a picture with includes those things on the right. There are some words that are new to the kids (i.e. winch) which gives them a chance to learn, but most are familiar objects which are not too difficult to locate on the adjacent page.

There are a lot of Su Doku book on the market but most of them are aimed at the beginner and novice. I have had a hard time finding harder puzzles. This book has some.

Most of this book is taken up with the familiar 9X9 grid su doku puzzles but there are two other types of puzzles as well. Second is a puzzle called bridges. Numbered circles represent islands and the number is the number of bridges that connect tit to surrounding island. Like su doku, a simple set of rules drives the logic for finding the unique solution. The final puzzle is slitherlink. A matrix has numbers that represent how many of the sides of its cell will be filled in. The object is to satisfy all of the numbers and complete a continuous loop.

A good book if you are looking for something a little different or just want puzzles that are a little more challenging than what most of the other books are offering.

This book is for serious sudoku-ers only! The puzzles are more difficult than those you'd expect from the sudoku books already on the market, but definitely as much, if not more, fun!

If you're looking for a gift for your favorite puzzle fan, grab this book. It's pretty new, so chances are, they won't have it.

This book will keep you entertained for days! Besides the Sudoku puzzles, you will greatly enjoy the Bridges (also known as Hashi) and Slitherlink. I've been searching everywhere for more Slitherlink puzzles because they are fantastic! Buy this book, you will not be dissapointed!

Gayle Mitchell has written an informative guide to the sometimes overwhelming world of BVS (Bonus Video Slots). The number and variations on this new technology often leads to confusion on the casino floor and confusion translates into losing money. In clear language, Gayle leads us through the ins and outs of these multiline machines.

In All Slots Made Easier #2, the author untangles the 'Jungle of Bonus Video Slots' for readers by explaining, rating and reviewing over 80 versions in a concise guide. I have chosen several from the author's recommendations and now enjoy my casino visits and profits. My hat is off to Ms. Mitchell.

This book is another winner in the Casino Gambling Made Easier Series by Gayle Mitchell.
The 'how-to' and 'what' versions of play, re: new bonus slots is revealed.
Three of my favorites are Little Green Men, Easy Street and Slingo--what fun.