A few years ago, I added a static EPUB variant to improve compatibility with more e-readers: it removed the ability to replay moves in the EPUB, but was still using SVG for crisp diagrams at any size. I’ve now gone one step further: the static versions of the EPUBs now use JPEG images for all diagrams. Yes, this increases file size, and the diagrams can be slightly fuzzy, but it makes the go books compatible with pretty much any e-reader. You can now read “Invincible” and “Essential Go Proverbs” on your Kindle, and it even works (albeit slowly) on the tiny Xteink 3 device.

All the EPUBs have been regenerated; you can go to https://gobooks.com/support.html and enter your email to download the newest versions. You can also share your books as EPUB from SmartGo One, and that offers all three variants: interactive, static with SVG, and static with JPEG.

Better book layout

The user interface changed a lot for version 3 of SmartGo One (see https://smartgo.blog/2026/05/21/smartgo-one-three/). Since then, I’ve made adjustments and fixed bugs, and the latest update focuses on improved layout in books. You should see fewer unnecessary breaks between columns, a diagram and its caption should always stay together, and the text explaining a diagram is more likely to be on the same page as the diagram.

Book categories / tags

Each book is tagged with a number of categories: level, main content, special topics, etc. In SmartGo One, go to All Books, swipe down to expose the search bar, then tap on the filter button to see the different categories.

Please let me know if you think any of the books are mis-categorized or should be included in other categories. You can see the list of all tags in appendix 1 of the gobook format description (https://smartgo.com/pdf/gobookformat.pdf).

Staying connected

Any questions or suggestions, please reach out with an email to support@smartgo.com. And you can follow me on Mastodon: @smartgo@mastodon.social

I wish you a nice summer with time to read go books at the beach. And say hello if you’re at the US Go Congress in Boston!

Anders Kierulf