(I have read volume 1 but volume 2 looks conceptually very similarly.) Dozens of example positions ("problems") are discussed in ca. a dozen explanatory diagrams each. Also the move-sequence until the positions and the event parameters are given. The books are for dan players and reading takes quite a while because of a broad scope of the contents.
That the positions are taken from professional games may already promise some quality, however, the choice of examples is impressive. Where the reader expects standard examples he gets a great variety of innovative positions and demanding game continuations. From using aji in the corner to flexibly sacrificing the value of a Takemiya style moyo everything can be found. Additional variations are at a similar playing level and the reader believes the author to have been much more than a label for a ghost writer.
Analysis presents various global strategies, tactical schemes, and flexible goals. Efficiency of squeezing the most out of a place to be reduced or invaded is particularly emphasized while opposing plays maintain resistance. Often the result feels like a half-pointer and you are convinced that only by reducing or invading optimally you keep a chance of staying in the game at all.
Needless to say, the method of teaching by examples is a drawback. Otherwise the books are very well worth reading, especially since the topic at that playing level is particularly neglected in English literature. These books are a requirement for every retailer, who does not want to lose a reputation of encouraging dan players.
Date: 2001-06-12