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Go Spotting: Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland

by Roger Schrag On the way to Tacoma for the US Go Congress last month, we stopped for a few days in Portland, OR. Among other places we visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown, claimed to be the most authentic Chinese garden outside of China. I had been here before - in 2008 while attending that year's US Go Congress. A few of the displays had changed in the intervening five years, including this scene in the Scholar's Study. According to the garden's tour, this is a place "where the men of the family studied for civil service exams that would ensure the family's prosperity. It served as a place of comfort for writing poetry, practicing calligraphy, reading and admiring art." Is the position on the go board viable? How strong were the players? You be the judge.