Kweon Kap-yong Problems Books

Kweon Kap-yong is the founder of one of the best baduk academies in Korea. His pupils include players like Yi Se Tol 9p, Choi Cheol Han 9p, Won Seong Jin 7p etc. There is a nice diary of what life is like in the school at Sensei’s Library. If you read the diary, one of the major activities is strengthening go reading skills through life and death problems.

It would seem that over the years, Mr. Kweon and his students have created and refined many interesting problems and subsequently collected them into several series of problem books that are enjoyed by high level amateurs all over. Some of these original Korean problem books have been translated into Chinese and Japanese versions as well.

I present to you below the Mr. Kweon books which I have collected.

Series: Kweon Kap-yong Baduk Academy Series Vol 1-5 (Traditional Chinese version)
權甲龍圍棋道場系列

Title: Vol 1 – Heavenly Dragon Diagrams 1
天龍圖1
ISBN: 986-7518-59-4
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 權甲龍
Publisher: 理藝
Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD480
Content: 500 problems

Title: Vol 2 – Heavenly Dragon Diagrams 2
天龍圖2
ISBN: 986-7518-61-6
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 權甲龍
Publisher: 理藝
Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD480
Content: 500 problems

Title: Vol 3 – Awesome Moves and Transfixing Moves 1
鬼手魔手1
ISBN: 986-7518-66-7
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 權甲龍
Publisher: 理藝
Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD390
Content: 70 problems

Title: Vol 4 – Awesome Moves and Transfixing Moves 2
鬼手魔手2
ISBN: 986-7518-68-3
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 權甲龍
Publisher: 理藝
Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD390
Content: 66 problems

Title: Vol 5 – Brilliant Endgame Plays
精妙收官
ISBN: 986-7518-70-5
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 權甲龍
Publisher: 理藝
Published: 2005
Format: Hardcover
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD390
Content: 40 wholeboard problems played on a 13X13 board

Softcover editions of the above
Vol 1 – ISBN 986-7518-60-8
Vol 2 – ISBN 986-7518-62-4
Vol 3 – ISBN 986-7518-67-5
Vol 4 – ISBN 986-7518-69-1
Vol 5 – ISBN 986-7518-71-3
Publisher Recommended Price: NTD390 each

The pictured set is a Traditional Chinese (Taiwanese) translation of the Korean originals.
I do not have the original Korean editions but they seem to be available through http://www.schaakengo.nl/ Please note that there are no CDs with the current Taiwanese editions.

Selectively quoting Schaak and Go regarding the Korean version of this series.

Problem books for student professionals
High quality, hard cover editions intended to last for many days of study. The writer, Kwon Kam Hyo, is the owner of a top level go academy. Volumes 1 and 2 are not too difficult, 3 and 4 are perhaps the most difficult life and death problems available in the world. Vols 1-4 include a CD.

kp 1 life and death problems
500 problems +answers, 500pages.

kp 2 life and death problems
500 problems +answers, 500pages.

kp 3 life and death reading exercizes
about 70 problems, some with 20 diagrams to explain the solution, 300 pages

kp 4 life and death reading exercizes
about 70 problems, some with 20 diagrams to explain the solution, 300 pages

kp 5 13×13 wholeboard endgame problems

Title: Exercising Patience In Calculation (Set of 3 books)
견디는 수읽기 세트 (전3권)
ISBN: 978-89-88847-87-9 (set)
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 권갑용 權甲龍, Park Hae Jin 박해진 朴海鎭
Publisher: 현현각
Published: 2007
Format: Boxed set with 3 softcover books
Publisher Recommended Price: KRW30000

This is a set of tsumego problem books from Kweon Kap-yong aimed for high dans which came out in 2007. The problems are each given an interesting name just like classical tsumego from ancient go manuscripts. Each volume contains 45 named tsumegos with an index at the back where each tsumego is associated with an ancient Chinese poem.

Series: Kweon Kap-yong Baduk Academy Series Vol. 6-8 (original Korean version)
바둑 도장시리즈

Title: Vol 6 – New Heavenly Dragon Diagrams 1
新 천룡도1 (新 天龍圖1)
ISBN: 9788990079954
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 권갑용
Publisher: Oromedia 오로미디어
Published: 2009
Format: softcover
Publisher Recommended Price: KRW15000
Content: 150 problems

Title: Vol 7 – New Heavenly Dragon Diagrams 2
新 천룡도2 (新 天龍圖2)
ISBN: 9788990079961
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 권갑용
Publisher: Oromedia 오로미디어
Published: 2009
Format: softcover
Publisher Recommended Price: KRW15000
Content: 150 problems

Title: Vol 8 – New Awesome Moves and Transfixing Moves 1
新 귀수마수1 (新 鬼手魔手1)
ISBN: 9788990079978
Author: Kweon Kap-yong 권갑용
Publisher: Oromedia 오로미디어
Published: 2009
Format: softcover
Publisher Recommended Price: KRW15000
Content: 50 problems

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I have recently learned that the Japanese publisher (Tokyo Sogensha 東京創元社) of the Japanese version of Heavenly Dragon Diagrams Vols 1-2 has stopped distribution of the said volumes as they have found that the book contains tsumego composed by the famous Japanese author Kada Katsuji 加田克司. Tokyo Sogensha has issued an official apology for this matter which can be read (in Japanese) at http://www.tsogen.co.jp/news/2010/07/10072210.html