Chapters 1-4 Summary

Chapter 1 of The Master of Go begins at the end, with the announcement of the death in the Japanese town of Atami of Shusai, the Master of Go. The narrator, Uragami, introduces himself. He was a reporter at the Master's last professional game of go, and had visited with him just two days prior to his death. He was the last to play chess with him. The narrator explains that the Master's last game was played out in fourteen sessions over almost six months, and that he witnessed it and reported on it for a Japanese newspaper.

Chapter 2 describes the events immediately after the end of the match. The Master has just lost his last match against Otake, a highly-ranked young player, and the two men are still sitting at the game table in an inn where they are staying. After...