Benthem Tops Chicago Tourney; Zhong Wins Jujo Jiang Youth Cup
Chris Garlock | Published on 3/22/2004
U.S. GO NEWS
BENTHEM TOPS CHICAGO TOURNEY: Jim Benthem 2d took top honors at the March 13 Chicago Spring 2004 tourney. 93We had a record 59 players this time,94 reports organizer Robert Barber. 93At least three of them were there because of Hikaru no Go. Also giving us a big boost was Thomas Watson, bringing in a van of seven from Michigan. And the diligent teaching of our own Professional, Huang Liping, was again proven by three of her students appearing in the list below.94
Full results: 1st Place Dan: BENTHEM, Jim, 2D; 2nd Place Dan: BECK, George, 1D; 1st Place Low Kyu: KATAMAN, George, 3k; 2nd Place Low Kyu: QUIMBY, Thomas, 4k; Tie 1st Place Mid Kyu: HU, Shengxiong, 13k & KIRKLAND, KRIS, 19k; 2nd Place Mid Kyu: BARTH, Douglas 14k; Tie 1st Place High Kyu: KADAKIA, Tania, 20k, ZHANG, Vivian, 28k & LIU, Alex, 30k; 2nd Place High Kyu: BENTHEM, Martin,28k.
ZHONG WINS JUJO JIANG YOUTH CUP: Sichen Zhong, 4d was the top winner in the 8th Jujo Jiang Cup Youth Goe Tournament, held March 7 in Sunnyvale, CA. Full results: http://www.gomast ers.com/ Order photos at http://www.dotpho to.com/GuestViewAlbum.asp?AID3D1405902
Top finishers included: (2D-4D): Zhong, Sichen 4d; Shiah, Sam 3d; Shi, Gina 4d; (1k-1D) Ku, Lawrence 1d; Wang, Benjamin 1d; Luo, Chris 1d; (7k-2k): Guo, Jimmy 2k; Liu, Willis 5k; Hu, Albert 7k; (11k-9k): Lin, Millicent 10k; Chen, Albert 16k; Chu, Tristan 10k; (16k-12k): Lim, James 12k; Chow, Winston 12k; Zhang, Joy 12k; (10k-17k): Hsu, Jonathan 17k; Chao, Eric 20k; Won, Jason 17k; (24k-22k): Chen, Wayne 22k; Huang, Ward 24k; Yeh, Jettin 24k; (26k-25k): Chou, John 26k; Chen, Yale 25k; Lien, Andrew 25k; (29k): Sun, Richard 29k; Chen, James 29k; Luh, Alex 29k; (29k): Kao, Tracy 29k; Su, Sean 29; Chang, Jeffrey 29k.
13x13: A Section: Chang, Alan 29k; Kwan, Isabel 29k; Chu, Thomas 29k; B Section: Lam, Daniel 29k; Lo, LiLian 29K; Huang, Edward 29k; C Section: Cheng, Shawna, 29k; Shieh, Justin, 29k; Jiang, Malina, 29k; D Section: Liu, Lack, 29k; Qin, Tiantong, 29K; Chiu, Vincent, 29k; Xie, Jason, 29k; E Section: Huang, Howard, 29k; Tseng, Robert, 29k; Qin, Tiancheng, 29k.
AGA SUMMER GO CAMP EARLY BIRD SPECIAL EXTENDED: It‘s still not too late to get the Early Bird Special discount for the AGA Summer Go Camp. Postmark your application before 3/26 and receive a $60 discount. Scholarship applicants are also encouraged to apply as soon as possible since it‘s first come, first serve. Only a limited scholarship fund is still available.
GO CLASSIFIED EXPANDED: The Go Classified section has been such a big success that we92re pleased to announce we92re expanding it this week. If you92re looking for books or other go equipment, you92ll find it under 93Books, Equipment, etc94; if you92re either seeking players or a club, you92ll want to check out the 93Go Players Wanted94 section, and if you92re looking for a teacher, you92ll find them under the 93Teachers94 heading. Reach nearly 7,000 Go players worldwide every week at Go Classified! Listings are free and run 4 weeks; send to us at journal@usgo.org
SGF RULES, BUT EJ A DINO? By a wide margin, E-Journal readers prefer sgf files for the attached problems we send out, voting 42-8 in favor of the popular format. 93It makes life so much easier because I
can play through the game and try out variations directly on the machine without having to set out a board,94 wrote Bob Cannard in a typical response. Some readers also sent along interesting comments, such as Paul Matthews92 suggestion that we 93work on getting the e Journal content published on the AGA web site, and then send shorter and more attractive e mail with teasers and links. The current method of sending big e mail messages with a bunch of attachments is a dinosaur.94 What do you think? Vote for either hotlinks or content delivered via email; send us your vote at journal@usgo.org
THE REAL PROBLEM: Last week92s M&M life and death problem was hard enough without the technical glitch that somehow mysteriously stripped out all the white stones; we hope you enjoy the attached solution and thank Yilun Yang for once again coming with a challenging and unique puzzle!
THIS WEEK92S PHOTO QUIZ: This week92s Photo Quiz is another caption challenge: check out the photo at http://www.usgo.o rg/ and send us your best caption (limit one per person, please!). at journal@usgo.org As usual, the winner receives a go vendor gift certificate and braggin92 rights.
WORLD GO
HANE STOPS YAMASHITA‘S COMEBACK AND WINS THE 28TH KISEI: On March 18th, challenger Hane Naoki 9p forced title holder, Yamashita Keigo 9p, to resign game seven of the best-of-seven 28th Kisei to win the title and a respectable $390,000 (42 million yen). Hane, who played Black and won after only 155 moves, now holds arguably the most prestigious professional go title in Japan (his first “major†title), and brings to a close one of the most exciting and hard fought title matches in recent years. The match began in Seattle in January after Hane defeated Cho Chikun 9p to win the right to challenge Yamashita. Hane and Yamashita had just finished battling it out for the Tengen late last year--a match Hane finally won. Early on, it looked as if Hane would continue the momentum of his Tengen win and sweep Yamashita easily--after three games, the score was 3:0 and Yamashita faced kadoban in game four. Then, with the determination and skill that made him the Kisei in the first place, Yamashita battled back, each game defying ever increasing odds, to finally bring the overall score to 3:3, and threatening to become only the third player in recent professional go history to battle back from a 3:0 deficit to win the title. But Hane, who is the son of Hane Yasumasa (winner of the Oza and Okan titles), and who set a new record for fastest promotion to 9-dan at the Nihon Ki-in (11 years and 3 months), showed why he is considered one of the strongest players of the young generation. He dominated game seven as evidenced by the forced resignation after such a low number of moves--clearly a deserving Kisei. Both of these great young players should be congratulated for their skill and determination, and for providing the go world with such an exciting match. Game records for all seven games can be found at http://www.go4go. net
- reported by Dennis Hardman
TOP RATED CHINESE AMATEUR DIES AT 29: Winner of the 1996 and 1997 World Go Amateur Championships, the 4th Xinren Wang (a professional tournament), and the Waobao Cup (twice), Liu Jun 7p died late last week due to heart disease at the young age of 29. Jun was perhaps the strongest amateur player in the world. He received professional training as a youngster and played on the Chinese team as a professional 3-dan. Sadly, he had to leave the pro ranks for health reasons in 1992, but continued to be a strong force in the go world. Jun most recently was the team leader of a group of Chinese amateur players who were to play a Korean team on the internet. The professional and amateur go community is saddened by Liu Jun‘s passing.
- reported by Dennis Hardman
HAO BATTLES SLUMP TO WIN 4TH RICOH CUP: Chinese professional, Chang Hao 9p, played Black and forced opponent, Liu Xing 6p to resign after 221 moves in the final match of the 4th Ricoh cup (aka the 4th Liguang Cup). This is Hao‘s first major win in over 15 months. For Xing, this is his second year to take second in this tournament. Hao‘s winnings are about $9,700 (80,000 yuan). Game records can be found at http://www.go4go. net
- reported by Dennis Hardman
TO BE YOUNG AND PLAY GO IN COLOGNE IN THE SPRING: The Ing Foundation, European Go Cultural Center, European Go Federation, and the Deutsche Go-Bund have teamed up to bring the best young players together in Cologne, Germany for the European Youth Go Championship 2004. The Championship, which features playing sections “Kids†(under 12) and “Teens†(under 18), is scheduled from April 29th to May 2nd. The tournament is a six-round McMahon (2 rounds per day) using simplified Ing rules. Last year, 276 children, 83 of whom were under 12 participated in the tournament in Cannes, France. For more information, go to http://www.europe an-go.org
- reported by Dennis Hardman
WORLD AMATEUR GO CHAMPIONSHIP BACK ON TRACK FOR 2004: After being derailed in 2003 due to the SARS epidemic, the 25th World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) is on again and scheduled for June 6 through June 10 in Kurashiki City, Japan. This prestigious amateur go event will feature 65 players from 65 countries and territories including Asia, Near and Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and Central America, South America, and Oceania (Australia, New Zeeland). Last year, the WAGC was “replaced†by the 1st Incheon World Amateur Baduk Championship (which was won by Hiraoka Satoshi). The winner of this year‘s WAGC will receive the winner‘s cup and an amateur 8-dan diploma from the Nihon Ki-in. Since 1979 when the WAGC first began, several now-well-known go professionals have occupied the winner‘s circle including Chinese greats Nie Weiping (1979), Ma Xiaochun (1983), and Chang Hao (1990), and Japanese pro Sakai Hideyuki (2000). The WAGC is sponsored by the Nihon Ki-in and Japan Airlines in cooperation with the Kansai Ki-in, and is organized by the International Go Federation. Go to http://www.world- go.org/wagc2004 for more information.
- reported by Dennis Hardman
OTHER WORLD GO NEWS IN BRIEF
- Japan: Michael Redmond defeated Kiruo Ishigure 9p by two and a half points in a preliminary round of the Honinbo tournament on March 11th.
- Japan: 29th Gosei-sen: O Rissei 9p moves to quarter finals.
- Japan: 51st NHK Cup: Kobayashi Koichi 9p plays Black and defeats Cho Chikun 9p by 3.5 points in the final.
- China: Special Peach Blossom Go Event - Gu Li 7p of China beat Weon Seongjin 5p of Korea in 2004 Peach Blossom Festival hosted at Longquan City, China.
- Taiwan: 5th Chukan Cup - Huang Xiangren 3p and Zhou Junxun 9p both advance to 3rd round.
- Taiwan: 4th CMC TV Cup - Chen Yida to play Lin Shuyang in final on March 28th.
- International: 2nd Toyota & Denso Cup - World Go OZA - Ishida Yoshio 9p advances to first round, Awaji Shuzo 9p advances to second.
- International: 3rd Igo Asian Cup in Okinawa - Korea appears to be leading Japan, China, and Taiwan. First round still underway.
- Switzerland: Zurich Spring Tournament - March 19-21, includes Friday Blitz and five rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
- Italy: 2nd Tortellino Go Tournament - Happens in Bologna, March 27-28. See http://www.tortel linogoclub.org for more information.
- reported by Dennis Hardman
GAME COMMENTARY: Yang vs. Hsiang in Cliffhanger
Today92s game commentary is a recent cliffhanger from the 2004 North American Fujitsu Qualifier, as Huiren Yang, 1P and Thomas Hsiang, 8d face off in the finals. Both players know each other well and are determined to play their own games and Huiren Yang92s thorough analysis provides virtually blow-by-blow commentary.
This week92s lesson from 93Kaz94 Furuyama takes a closer look at the hane on the second line, a basic element in life and death problems.
As a bonus we92re including a problem from 93Get Strong at Joseki 294, by Richard Bozulich and 93Kaz94 Furuyama, published by Kiseido; check out this and other fine go offerings at http://www.kiseid o.com
To view the attached .sgf file(s), simply save the file(s) to your computer and then open using an .sgf reader such as Many Faces of Go or SmartGo. Readers who need .sgf readers can get them for most platforms at Jan van der Steen‘s http://gobase.org /sgfeditors.html
MOMENTS IN GO HISTORY
Go Seigen Almost Becomes Meijin
by William Cobb
After the death of Shusai, the last honorary Meijin, the Nihon Kiin decided to connect the Meijin title with a tournament. So the thirteen top players played a round robin battle, starting in January 1961, that lasted almost two years. In the games, White was given a five point komi and also was declared the winner in the event of a tie. Go Seigen was clearly the dominant player in Japan in those days, but during the tournament he was badly injured when he was hit by a motorcycle. He resumed playing after a brief hospital stay, but suffered bad headaches (which eventually prevented him from playing in serious competition).
In this first Meijin tournament, the contest came down to a race between Fujisawa Hosai, Go Seigen, and Sakata Eio. Fujisawa lost his last game (against Hashimoto Shoji), leaving him with a 9-3 record, and in despair he went off to do some serious drinking. Meanwhile, Go and Sakata were playing the final game of the tournament. It ended up a tie, and Go was declared the winner since he was playing White. This gave Go, who had lost to Fujisawa earlier, a 9-3 record, also, but since a 93tie94 victory was judged inferior to a 93real94 victory, Fujisawa was designated Meijin without a play-off. It took several hours to find Fujisawa to give him the news; he lost the Meijin title the next year to Sakata. Although Go had won the predecessor tournament to the Meijin, the Japan92s Strongest Player title in 1958 and 1961, this was as close as he ever came again to winning a title. Sources: Go Review August 1971, gobase.org, and Sensei‘s Library
GO CLASSIFIED: BOOKS, EQUIPMENT, ETC
AVAILABLE: A few very nice Japanese kaya table gobans(thickness varies from 33mm to 69mm) and one 7 inch japanese kaya goban with legs. Also I have kaya bowls. jade stones, marble stones, agate stones and double convex yunzi best stone in China. photos are available at http://cat.isi.ed u/~ruiwang/gobanpic/ click fullsize for 2048x1536 photos and regularsize for 640x480 photos. Please contact ruiwang@isi.edu (3/22)
WANTED: The Treasure Chest Enigma Noriyuki Nakayama; new or used in very good condition. Contact Shavit at info@go mind.com (3/22)
FOR SALE: the book “Enclosure Josekis†by Masaki Takemiya and published by the Ishi Press. Now out of print, it was purchased years ago by the Canadian Go Association and then forgotten so it is in new, unopened condition. Contact Frank Monks at pmonks@look.ca (3/22)
AVAILABLE: beautiful t-shirts for the Brooklyn Go Club, designed by Michael Samuel and about to be made. $12. Jean Claude Chetrit 718-638-2266 zorglub@brooklyngoclub.org
http://brooklyngo club.org/ (3/15)
WANTED: Someone with a Macintosh computer running system 10.3, Panther, who has successfully downloaded sgf software to read the games in this newsletter who is patient and willing to provide assistance so I can successfully download such software and read the games. Contact Andrew Whitmont at Yakpsyche@yahoo.com Please identify your purpose in the header of the email so I don‘t think its spam. (3/15)
WANTED: Materials showing steps in traditional go stone manufacture. Needed for children‘s classes and outreach programs. Would like a shell and piece of slate with holes from stone blank removal and possibly some unshaped blanks as well. A few sample finished stones would also be appreciated. Willing to compensate. Any leads on proper contacts would be very helpful. Please e-mail johneckelkamp@yahoo.com (3/8/04)
WANTED: Logo for the new Cyprus Go Association: http://cyprus.eur opean-go.org Contact Nicholas Roussos at roussos@alum.rit.edu (3/8/04)
WANTED: Looking for old go trash; old boards, game records, broken equipment, books (any language), newspapers, magazines. If you have anything to sell or give up to a youth player striving to learn more, email samuraipanda5@hotmail.com (2/23)
WANTED: Looking for a portable Go set; email Snyder4410@hotamil.com (2/23)
WANTED: Go Reviews; older complete years, 60‘s & 70‘s. Send info on condition and price to flynp1@comcast.net (2/23)
WANTED: 1993 Ranka Year Book. Contact Clay@Smith.name (2/23)
GO CLASSIFIED: GO PLAYERS WANTED
WANTED: Go players in the south suburbs of Chicago, IL please contact Jeff at tompygo@comcast.net (3/22)
WANTED: Go players within the Asheville, NC area. Email ichliebedeinunderhosen@yahoo.com
(3/22)
WANTED: Go players in Carlsbad, California. mschlee@yahoo.com (3/22)
WANTED: 7-12 grade players in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area to join our Santa Fe Preparatory School Go Club. We are also looking for a strong local player willing to mentor the members from time to time. Contact: James Taylor (jtaylor@sfprep.org). Our club website is http://www.sfprep org/clubs/SFPrepGo/index.htm, and we meet Thursday afternoons from 3:30 to 5:00. (3/15)
WANTED: Go players in Ft. Collins, CO. Our club is currently looking for more members, beginner to dan level. Feel free to contact Steve for more information at liquidpophybrid@aol.com (3/8/04)
WANTED: Go players in the Warren/Detroit area of Michigan. Contact jkolasa@ameritech.net (3/1)
WANTED: Go players in the Ventura County, California area (Ventura/Oxnard/Camario/Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Port Hueneme/etc.) Contact David Whiteside at dewhiteside@earthlink.net (2/23)
WANTED: Go players in Raleigh, NC. The Wolf Go Club is a new registered student organization at NC State University and part of the Triangle Go Group. We meet Thursday nights in the Talley Student Center and welcome both students and non students to join us. For more information contact laroyce@ncsu.edu (2/23)
GO CLASSIFIED: TEACHERS
AVAILABLE: Cornel Burzo, a top European 6dan player is now teaching online on IGS. For details check out http://www.goless ons.com or contact him via email at cornelburzo@yahoo.com (3/1)
AVAILABLE: Anyone is interested in lessons with an IGS 5dan, contact icarii@zoominternet.net to schedule a free evaluation lesson, (2/23)
Got go stuff to sell, swap or want to buy? Do it here and reach nearly 7,000 Go players worldwide every week at Go Classified! Listing are free and run 4 weeks; send to us at journal@usgo.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
March 27: Denver, CO
Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament
Eric Wainwright 303 626 0103 ewainwright@crystalball.com
March 27: Washington, DC
Nova Cherry Blossom 2004 Tournament
Allan Abramson 703 684 7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net
www.nationalcherr yblossomfestival.org
April 3: Raleigh, NC
The Spring Fuseki Tournament
Troy Hurteau 919 515 3318 jthurtea@unity.ncsu.edu
http://people.eng r.ncsu.edu/jthurtea/springtournament/
April 10 & 11: San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Go Club Spring Tournament
Steve Burrall 916 688 2858 sburrall@comcast.net
April 17: Seattle, WA
Seattle Cherry Blossom Tournament
Jon Boley 206 545 1424 jon@seattlegocenter.org
http://www.seattl egocenter.org/
April 18: Seattle, WA
Seattle Cherry Blossom Youth Lightning Tournament
Jon Boley 206 545 1424 jon@seattlegocenter.org
http://www.seattl egocenter.org/
April 17 & 18: Toronto, ON, CANADA
Victoria Education Centre Toronto Open
Frank Monks 416 591 6414 pmonks@look.ca
http://www.go canada.org/
April 17 & 18: College Park, MD
2004 John Groesch Memorial Tournament
Steve Mount 301 405 6934 smount@umd.edu
http://www.wam.um d.edu/~smount/umdmain.html
April 18: Boston, MA
MGA Spring Handicap Tournament
Zack Grossbart 617 497 1232 zack@grossbart.com
April 24: Middlebury, VT
Spring Tournament
Peter Schumer 802 388 3934 schumer@middlebury.edu
April 24th: Fort Wayne, IN
1st Indiana Go Tournament
Jim Kiraly 260-710-3644 jim@fwgc.net
http://www.fwgc.n et/tourn.php
April 25: Menlo Park, CA
First California High School Goe Tournament
Mingjiu Jiang 650 969 2857 mingjiu7p@hotmail.com
http://www.gomast ers.com/
June 3 6: Round Top, NY
Guo Juan Workshop at The Woodlands
Jean Claude Chetrit 718 638 2266 zorglub@brooklyngoclub.org
http://brooklyngo club.org/cgi bin/disp_topic.iphtml?topic_id3D188
June 24 27: Hackensack, NJ
2004 New Jersey Yang 7p Go Workshop
John Stephenson 201 612 0852 jcs@wingsgoclub.org
http://www.wingsg oclub.org/Yangworkshop.asp
For the European Go Calendar see
http://www.europe an-go.org/TOURNAMENTS/TListbyDate.htm
GET LISTED & BOOST TURN OUT! Got an upcoming event? Reach over 6,000 readers every week! List your Go event/news In the E Journal: email details to us at MAILTO:journal@usgo.org
Ratings are on the web! Check the website; http://www.usgo.o rg for the full list.
GET YOUR TOURNAMENT RATED! Send your tournament data to MAILTO:ratings@usgo.org
AGA CONTACT LIST: For a full list of AGA officers, contacts & their email addresses, go to:
http://www.usgo.o rg/org/index.asp#contactinfo
Published by the American Go Association
Text material published in the AMERICAN GO E JOURNAL may be reproduced by any recipient: please credit the AGEJ as the source. PLEASE NOTE that commented game record files MAY NOT BE published, re-distributed, or made available on the web without the explicit written permission of the Editor of the E-Journal. Please direct inquiries to journal@usgo.org
Articles appearing in the E-Journal represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the American Go Association.
To make name or address corrections, notify us at the email address below. Story suggestions, event announcements, Letters to the Editor and other material are welcome, subject to editing for clarity and space, and should be directed to:
Editor: Chris Garlock
mailto:journal@usgo.org