Smart Go Inc.

02/23/2026

Another thousand games added to the pro games collection in SmartGo One, for a total of 137,155 games.

01/25/2026

SmartGo One 2.8 drastically improves Hint: it now highlights bad moves, and lets you see the principal variation expected for each move (just tap to select the move bubble).

Joseki analysis now also shows a scrollable list of choices, not just top 3, a bug with sharing SGF files to SmartGo has been fixed, and more.

12/19/2025

Upgrade your tactics at half price: “Cross-Cut Workshop” and “Key Concepts in Life and Death: Inside Moves and Under the Stones Techniques” by Richard Hunter are on sale until December 27, a steal at just $2.99 each. Learn how to handle the dreaded cross-cut, and start recognizing killable shapes and under-the-stones situations.

https://gobooks.com/

The discounted price is available both when buying directly on the web as well as when buying in-app in SmartGo One or Go Books.

12/10/2025

GoGoD pro games collection in SmartGo One has been updated to 136,011 games, adding more than 1,500 games. Enjoy!

https://smartgo.com

And here’s one of the alternate app icons to remind you that coupon ALPHAGO still gives you 10% off on books bought directly at gobooks.com.

12/08/2025

More on the release of AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 3:

https://usgo.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=454497&item_id=129310&

Two things to note:
* Redmond and Garlock will review game 55 at 7 PM ET on Friday.
* Coupon ALPHAGO gives you a 10% discount, not just on AlphaGo books, but on all books at https://gobooks.com! Valid until 12/15.

12/05/2025

AlphaGo to Zero, vol. 3:
Masterpieces: AlphaGo vs. AlphaGo
by Michael Redmond 9 dan & Chris Garlock

https://gobooks.com

In volume 3 of the AlphaGo to Zero series, Michael Redmond 9p re-examines openings, direction, timing, invasions, and endgame choices through the lens of what we now know about AI play. All 50 AlphaGo vs. AlphaGo games are analyzed in detail, and presented with links to the YouTube video of each game. The result is a newly coherent view of these once-mysterious battles, presented through focused commentary, key-position diagrams, and explanations that illuminate how the moves function.

11/26/2025

SmartGo One now shows which pro games are referenced in go books.

https://smartgo.blog/2025/11/25/linking-pro-games-to-books/

11/25/2025

I added sharing of books as EPUB to SmartGo One three weeks ago, only now getting around to posting about it:

To export your books as EPUB, in the past you had to sync your books to the server (Settings > Go Books Account in SmartGo One), then go to gobooks.com/support.html, enter your email, then tap o…

10/24/2025

Two exciting new books are available in Go Books, one exclusive and one from Kiseido. As always, these are available in the SmartGo One app, and as EPUB directly at https://gobooks.com.

(1) “Mastering Mini Go: A Complete Guide to the 9×9 Go Board” by Mark Tomlinson

From the intro: “The 9×9 board distills Go to its essence—a knife fight in a phone booth where every move counts and games finish in minutes, not hours. Mastering Mini Go is your complete guide to this compact battlefield, transforming it from a beginner’s training ground into a sophisticated tactical arena.”

If you play any 9×9 go, this is a must-read.

(2) “Weird and Wonderful, vol. 2: Unusual Opening Patterns and Techniques through the Eyes of AI” by Kim Ouweleen

While the first volume looked at extraordinary moves by professional go players, this second volume brings together a range of unusual opening patterns, tested against AI. Inside, you will find cherished techniques from the past that AI has overturned, alongside fresh innovations and rare variations now confirmed as sound.

10/02/2025

Pro games collection updated to 134,497 games, adding almost 2,000 games. Would have been an even 134,500 except that there are three 21×21 games in GoGoD that SmartGo One can’t handle. (Data structures are optimized for 19×19, don't want to sacrifice space and speed to accommodate those three games.)

Really interesting opening in the most recent game of Ichiriki Ryo vs Shibano Toramaru (2025-10-01e), big trade in the lower left corner. Check it out.

09/14/2025

Liquid Glass is coming to SmartGo One. Some of it is ready now, more to come.

https://smartgo.blog/2025/09/14/liquid-glass/

08/05/2025

“The 1971 Honinbo Tournament” chronicles Ishida’s first major triumph, analyzing his 7 games in the Honinbo league as well as his 6 games in the title match against Rin Kaiho. Every game is analyzed in great detail (327 figures, 460 diagrams). Written by James Davies based on the commentaries of Iwamoto Kaoru 9-dan; out of print for the last 10 years. Don’t let the “1971” scare you off, this book is still relevant and exciting.

https://gobooks.com