First Kyu, A Novel

by Dr. Sung-Hwa Hong

A compelling, insightful, and haunting tale of love, sacrifice, the search for excellence, and "Go" the world's oldest game.

The tale...

Before we begin ...

Let me tell you a story. An old story, a really old story. Do you know how to play go? You do? First kyu, a player of first rank? Really? Have you ever competed in a professional qualifying tournament? No? Then you are not, I repeat, NOT first kyu.

I know, I know. Nowadays, all sorts of bad players call themselves first kyu. This story is, however, not about those fake first kyus. It's a story of the real first kyus. There is a guy who runs a smoke shop near Niagara Falls. His name is Shin. On rainy days he keeps staring at the Falls and mumbles something like this" "I'm sure they must be all be playing for bangneki stakes happily somewhere..."

Can you even guess what he is talking about? If not, hold on and just listen to what I'm going to tell you. Only about a handful of people know this story. So, listen up. ...