News / Articles

Thomas Y. Hsiang Awarded Okura Prize and Named IGF Honorary Vice-President Posthumously

Published On 3/3/2026

The global Go community continues to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of Thomas Y. Hsiang with two of its highest recognitions.

Seattle to Host 2026 NAGF Pro Qualifier

Published On 3/1/2026

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) has announced that the 2026 Pro Qualification Tournament will be held at the Seattle Go Center from July 1 to 6, 2026.

Published On 3/1/2026

Forty-nine players competed in the 2026 National Go Center (NGC) Lunar New Year Tournament, celebrating the start of the Year of the Horse with a festive day of play and community.

Published On 2/27/2026

Spring Weekly Go Problems and AGHS School Team Tournament return. Also, the launch of AGHS Go Academy lessons.

Published On 2/27/2026

Western Mass Go Club participation is rising again, as players return to in-person Thursday night meetings at UMass Amherst.

Go Warms Up Winter in Columbia, Md.

Published On 2/27/2026

Despite heavy snow, two recent go programs in Columbia, Maryland, proved to be warm successes.

Published On 2/26/2026

The New York Institute of Go will host the 4th New York State Go Championship on April 11–12, 2026, at its Hell’s Kitchen location in Midtown Manhattan. This prestigious tournament invites players of all ages and skill levels to compete for cash prizes and trophies, with a top prize of $1,200.

Published On 2/25/2026

Professional player Ryo Maeda 6p of the Kansai Ki-in will host the 11th annual Osaka Go Camp from July 5 to July 18, 2026, offering international players two weeks of intensive instruction, competitive play, and cultural exchange.

Published On 2/25/2026

Hawaii Go-Baduk Camps, a newly formed nonprofit organization, is preparing to launch an international youth Go camp in Honolulu and is seeking community support to help establish the program.

Published On 2/24/2026

The Houston Go Club introduced dozens of festival-goers to the ancient board game of Go at the Chinese Community Center of Houston’s Lunar New Year Festival on February 14, 2026, welcoming a steady stream of visitors throughout the day-long celebration.

Published On 2/24/2026

The Dallas Go Club hosted the 2026 South Central Go Tournament at the University of Texas at Dallas on February 14–15, drawing approximately 60 players from Texas and neighboring states to compete across multiple divisions.

Published On 2/21/2026

One of the great traditions of the U.S. Go Congress is the opportunity to learn from—and play alongside—professional Go players, and this year’s roster is especially strong.

Published On 2/17/2026

Thomas Y. Hsiang, PhD—one of the most influential figures in the history of American Go and a tireless advocate for the game worldwide—passed away peacefully on February 12, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones. He was 77.

Published On 2/14/2026

The 2026 U.S. Go Congress is introducing a streamlined daily schedule designed to reduce conflicts, make it easier to plan your day, and create more shared experiences across skill levels. By tightening the core schedule and clarifying when tournaments, lectures, and special events take place, the Congress aims to give players more time for learning, play, and community—without the constant tradeoffs that have defined past years.

Published On 2/12/2026

The American Go Association is offering a free, online 1-hour beginner Go workshop designed especially for people who have always been curious about Go but never knew where to start.

Published On 2/9/2026

The 2026 Massachusetts State Go Championship set a new attendance record, drawing 79 players to Boston Latin School over January 31–February 1—up significantly from 2025’s field of 65. The growth reflects both the strength of the New England Go community and the increasing pull of the event as a proving ground ahead of major national tournaments.

Published On 2/8/2026

A new Go platform, PlayGo.gg, officially launches on February 9, positioning itself as an effort to rethink how Go is played, taught, and experienced in the modern digital era.

Published On 2/6/2026

With the 2026 US Go Congress heading to the Boston Marriott Newton from July 25–August 1, 2026, attendees will find themselves ideally situated to enjoy some of the best attractions the Boston area has to offer—both on and off the board.

Published On 2/4/2026

Several members have recently reported receiving phishing emails that appear to come from individuals associated with the American Go Association, including officers or other well-known volunteers. In at least one case, the sender’s name was spoofed while the actual email address was not associated with the AGA.

Published On 2/4/2026

The Iwamoto North American Foundation is seeking candidates for its annual INAF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Published On 2/4/2026

On January 31 and February 1, 2026, the Houston Go Club hosted a pair of workshops led by Go professional Ryan Li 4P of the New York Institute of Go.

Published On 2/4/2026

On February 1, Northern California Ing Cup brought together 83 players spanning five bands, from professional to novice.

Published On 2/1/2026

Registration is open for the 2026 U.S. Go Congress (July 25–August 1 in Boston), and demand is already strong. While onsite rooms at the host hotel are still available, the real urgency is this: Only the first 120 rooms booked in the Congress discounted hotel block qualify for a $100 registration discount.

Published On 1/28/2026

Registration is now open for the 33rd Redmond Cup and 9th AGA Girls Cup, the AGA’s annual premier youth tournaments for North American youth under 18. Players must have an accredited rank of 1 dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 5 kyu or higher (senior division) or 9 kyu or higher (junior division) to participate in the AGA Girls Cup.

Published On 1/24/2026

The Second Eternal Cup Southern California Go Championship was held January 17–18, drawing 85 players from across the United States and featuring one of the strongest Open fields in U.S. regional tournament history.

Phil's Photos: Mexico City Go

Published On 1/24/2026

Roving EJ photog Phil Straus sent us this photo from Mexico City.

Published On 1/23/2026

The first game of the 50th Kisei title series began on Thursday, in Honolulu, Hawaii, marking the opening of the best-of-seven championship. Defending Kisei titleholder Ichiriki Ryo 9-dan is being challenged by Shibano Toramaru 9-dan.

Published On 1/23/2026

The American Go Association Board of Directors has opened the process for selecting the AGA president for the 2026–2028 term and is inviting members of the AGA community to participate, either as candidates or as members of the Presidential Selection Committee.

Published On 1/23/2026

Registration is now open for this year’s U.S. Go Congress, which will take place July 25–August 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. The weeklong gathering brings together players of all levels for tournaments, lectures, professional events, and a full slate of social and cultural activities.

Published On 1/21/2026

Norio Wada, former President of the International Go Federation (IGF), Chairman of the Nihon Kiin (NK), and inaugural President of the Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF), passed away on January 9.

Published On 1/18/2026

Nie Weiping, the Chinese Go master whose victories in the 1980s helped revive Go in China and reestablish the country as a global Go power, died on January 14, 2026, at the age of 73.

Published On 1/18/2026

A snowy Saturday morning in Burlington, Vermont, gave way to intense competition at the 2026 Vermont Winter Go Tournament, held at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center on the Lake Champlain waterfront. The tournament drew 22 players from Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Quebec.

Published On 1/12/2026

Registration is open for the 2026 North American Kyu Championship! This is an online youth tournament that will take place on the KGS Go Server on Saturday, February 21. Registration will close on February 15.

Published On 1/12/2026

Winter season is here, and as always, the AGHS has something exciting to offer. To kick off the holiday season in style, we are pleased to announce the 2026 AGHS Championship Tournament Qualifiers!

The Championship Qualifier will be held over the course of two days (Jan 25th and Feb 1st).

Season 19 of NAOL is open for sign up

Published On 1/8/2026

New season of NAOL is open for sign up for another few days. Hurry up and sign up so you do not miss on a new and once more improved season of NAOL

Published On 1/4/2026

The New York Institute of Go (NYIG) closed out 2025 with the Prologue Open, a December tournament that served as a warm-up and kickoff for the upcoming 2026 season.

Published On 12/22/2025

The Washington State Championship title match came down to a dramatic final round, which Keny Jin won by just one point.

Published On 12/20/2025

The 42nd U.S. Go Congress will take place July 25–August 1, 2026, at the Boston Marriott Newton, a scenic venue located along the historic Lakes District of the Charles River.

Published On 12/18/2025

A new international youth Go event is coming to the islands with the launch of the Hawaii Go Camp, an annual Go camp for young players that will debut in Honolulu in summer 2026.

Six Seasons of Vermont Go Set for 2026

Published On 12/15/2025

The Vermont Go Club has announced Six Seasons of Vermont Go, a new yearlong series of AGA-rated tournaments planned for 2026, offering players six chances throughout the year to compete and connect across the seasons.

Richard Duan 4d Wins NGC Winter Warmer

Published On 12/15/2025

Richard Duan 4d continued his strong run at NGC events, finishing 3–1 to take first place in a 24-player field at the Winter Warmer.

Published On 12/12/2025

The 2026 U.S. Go Congress will take place July 25–August 1 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Published On 12/11/2025

The first game of the 2026 Kisei best-of-seven title match will take place January 22–23 at the Waikiki Prince Hotel. Current Kisei titleholder Ichiriki Ryo (28) will defend against challenger Shibano Toramaru (26). The remaining games in the series will be held in Japan.

Published On 12/11/2025

TUNE IN on this Friday, December 12 at 7PM ET as Michael Redmond and Chris Garlock complete their AlphaGo vs Alpha Go series with a review of Game 55 and discuss Vol. 3. Watch on the AGA’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Published On 12/6/2025

With the long-awaited release of Volume 3 of their AlphaGo to Zero series, Michael Redmond 9P and Chris Garlock continue their definitive chronicle of the AI revolution that reshaped Go forever.

Published On 12/5/2025

AGHS is announcing its first-ever Social Media Video Contest! Do you like video editing, or are you interested in creating your first video? As a participant in AGHS's Social Media Video Contest, you will be asked to create an educational video in the format of an Instagram reel that promotes the game of Go.

Published On 12/3/2025

The Orange County Go Club will host the Second Eternal Cup Southern California Go Championship on January 17–18, 2026, following the success of the inaugural Eternal Cup, which drew nearly 100 players.

Published On 12/3/2025

Registration is now open for the 24th World Students Go Oza Championship North America Qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be invited to Tokyo, Japan to compete as the representative of North America in the 24th World Students Go Oza Championship between February 9-12, 2026. The organizers will cover the local transportation expenses, lodging, breakfast and lunch meals, and 50% of the airfare.

Published On 11/30/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is introducing a brand-new event this December: the Youth–Adult Rengo Tournament, a fun, beginner-friendly competition designed to bring younger and older players together across North America.

Published On 11/30/2025

The 2025 Oregon State Go Tournament, held November 22–23 in Portland, drew 36 players from across Oregon and beyond — from Corvallis, Bend, and Eugene to Tacoma and the Bay Area — for two days of intense, high-level play.

Published On 11/27/2025

Registration is now open for the 2026 Amateur Senko Cup North America Qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be invited to Tokyo, Japan to compete as the representative of North America in the 2026 Senko Cup World Amateur Women's Go Championship between March 12-14, 2026. US, Canadian, or Mexican citizenship is required to participate. The organizers will cover the local transportation expenses, lodging, meals, and 50% of the airfare.

Published On 11/18/2025

Albert Yen's first-hand report from the just-concluded Korean Prime Minister Cup.

Published On 11/16/2025

HOUSTON, TX — It was a full-board battle weekend at Dragon’s Lair North Houston as 32 players ranging from 30-kyu beginners to 6-dan powerhouses faced off in the annual Houston Go Club Fall Tournament, held November 8–9.

Published On 11/16/2025

Dutch go author and artist Kim Ouweleen has released Weird and Wonderful, Volume 2: Unusual Opening Patterns and Techniques through the Eyes of AI, the follow-up to his first volume on the subject.

Published On 11/11/2025

Taebaek City, South Korea — Team USA’s Albert Yen (8D) takes on Korea’s Shin Hyeon-seok tonight at 7 p.m. in a pivotal Round 7 clash at the 20th Korea Prime Minister Cup (KPMC), with second place on the line. Nearly 100 of the world’s top amateur Go players are competing in this year’s tournament, which continues to showcase the global strength of the game. The European Go Federation will stream the match live on Twitch.

Published On 11/10/2025

When Tiberiu “Tibi” Gociu moved from Romania to Belfast in 2005, he didn’t expect to double the number of Go players in Northern Ireland—but that’s exactly what happened. “Together with Ian Davis, we started a club at work, and soon had more players than Galway, Cork, and Dublin combined—about twenty regulars,” Gociu recalls. “It was a great success.”

Published On 11/9/2025

A new release from Go Books takes on a topic rarely covered in depth — the art and strategy of 9×9 go. Mastering Mini Go by attorney and 5-dan amateur Mark Tomlinson transforms the smallest board into a serious tactical arena.

Published On 11/9/2025

The Evanston Go Club’s 2025 Chicago Rapid, held November 1 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Evanston, Illinois, brought together 78 players from across the Midwest for a day of fierce but friendly competition. The lightning-fast, five-round format produced hundreds of games—and one flawless record.

Published On 11/8/2025

The U.S. Youth Team placed 10th at the 2025 Quzhou Lanke Cup International Child-Friendly Weiqi Championship, held in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province October 22-26.

Published On 11/5/2025

Drawn by a shared love of over-the-board play, 58 players spent a rainy Sunday together at the Bridge Club of Atlanta, shattering previous turnout records for the local go tournament scene.

Published On 11/5/2025

Eight American Go Association (AGA) clubs across Texas have joined forces to create a new Discord server, the Texas Go Association, aimed at connecting players statewide.

Published On 11/4/2025

On the final day of the 2025 Latin American Go Congress, amid the buzz of closing rounds and goodbyes, I caught up with Michael Kaiser, a 45-year-old data engineer from Stuart, Florida — one of just two U.S. players in attendance.

Published On 11/4/2025

On the final day of the 2025 Latin American Go Congress, Chicago-based Kevin Lee reflected on his first trip to Quito — and his first experience playing Go in Latin America.

Published On 11/3/2025

Argentine master Fernando Aguilar 7D sits down with the E-Journal to reflect on his long career, his philosophy of the game, and why Go still brings him joy after more than half a century of play.

Published On 11/3/2025

It wasn’t as though Fernando Aguilar’s opponents in the final two rounds lacked opportunities. Twice on Monday, the wily Argentine 7-dan found himself in peril but each time, like Go’s own Houdini, he wriggled free to claim victory and secure the 2025 Latin American Go Congress Championship.

Published On 11/2/2025

The streets of Quito were calm Sunday morning, but inside the Latin American Go Congress, intensity ruled...

Published On 11/2/2025

As play intensified on Day 2 of the Latin American Go Congress in Quito, we sit down with Emil Estuardo García Bustamante, president of both the Ibero American Go Federation and the Mexican Go Association, to talk about Go’s past, present, and future across Latin America.

Published On 11/1/2025

The first full day of the 7th Ibero Latin American Go Congress got underway Saturday morning in Quito, Ecuador, with two rounds of the Ibero American Go Championship and the Latin American Pandanet City League finals.

Published On 10/31/2025

A Washington, DC favorite, the annual Pumpkin Classic was held October 25 with 27 players competing to be 3- or 4-game winners and take home a pumpkin for Halloween.

Published On 10/31/2025

The 7th Ibero Latin American Go Congress kicked off Friday, October 31 with a reception and dinner in Quito, Ecuador, and will run through Monday, November 3, with full coverage in the EJ.

Published On 10/31/2025

El 7º Congreso Ibero Latinoamericano de Go comenzó el viernes 31 de octubre con una recepción y cena en Quito, Ecuador, y se extenderá hasta el lunes 3 de noviembre, con cobertura completa en el EJ.

Published On 10/30/2025

North American Online League has its 18th Season open for Sign up!!

Published On 10/30/2025

Only 10 days remain to register for Season 14 (2025-2026) of the Pandanet-AGA City League. The A League this season is shaping up to be the strongest in history with 10 pros expected to participate. The competition will remain fierce throughout the rest of the leagues, so regardless of your team's level, don't miss the chance to gather fellow Go players from your city and join the action!

Published On 10/28/2025

With bragging rights and hardware on the line, New England’s Go scene packed the house last Saturday as 19 players from four states turned Middlebury into a two-tournament cauldron.

Published On 10/28/2025

The 2025 MacArthur Go Festival & Championship brought players and families to Morris Canal Park for a full day of competitive play and community activities along the Hudson River on September 13.

Published On 10/28/2025

It's fall season, and the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has plenty of amazing events to offer. Get ready, Go Warriors, as our annual Young Lions Tournament is rapidly approaching!

This year, the tournament will fall on two separate dates, November 16th and November 23rd. Two rounds will be held each day, with a total of four rounds.

All players under the age of 18 and currently residing in North America are eligible to participate. The games will be held on KGS, with two rounds on each respective Sunday.

Published On 10/16/2025

Mid-Year 2025 Update #5

Published On 10/15/2025

Mid-Year 2025 Update #4

Published On 10/14/2025

Mid-Year 2025 Update #3

Published On 10/14/2025

Two separate efforts are moving in parallel to create a modern, mass-market home for Go players—each with a distinct strategy for how to get there.

Published On 10/13/2025

Mid-Year 2025 Update #2

Published On 10/12/2025

Here’s legendary go journalist John Power’s mid-year look at Japanese (and international) go—January through July 2025—a stretch that had everything: title streaks, razor-thin comebacks, and even a rules controversy that spilled across borders.

Go for the visually impaired

Published On 10/9/2025

The AGF has replenished their supply of tactile go sets for the visually impaired.

AGF College Scholarship

Published On 10/2/2025

AGF College Scholarship applications now open.

The American Go Foundation is now accepting applications for the AGF College Scholarship. Awardees will receive $1,000 towards their college expenses. The AGF seeks to recognize high school students who are serving as organizers and promoters for the Go community. Students whose enthusiasm and ambition help spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Applicants who have started clubs and strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award is focused more on go promoters and organizers who have substantially contributed during their go career.

Published On 9/30/2025

The AGA has recently received an invitation for two collegiate teams—one from the San Francisco Bay Area and one from New York—to attend and compete in the 3rd University Students Weiqi League in Shenzhen, China between November 21-23. The event, hosted by the Shenzhen People Sports Promotion Center, features a five-round team tournament in addition to an exhibition simul game with a professional player. Players on each team must all be affiliated with the same university, and may consist of either three current students, or two current students plus one alumni or faculty/staff member. The organizing committee will cover accommodations and meals during the event, but players will be responsible for their airfare and other expenses.

Published On 9/28/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce our first NA-UK Youth tournament!

Players under the age of 18 and residing in North America or the United Kingdom are eligible to participate. The tournament will take place on KGS, with 2 rounds on each Sunday, October 12 and October 19. The games will be held at 8am PDT/11am EDT/4pm BST and 11am PDT/2PM EDT/7PM BST on those dates.

AGHS 2025 Weekly Go Problems Are Back!

Published On 9/28/2025

Struggling to find time for regular Go practice while wanting to maintain your skills? The American Go Honor Society is excited to announce the return of our Fall Weekly Go Problems for 2025! Starting October 20th, a weekly form containing 5 different level problems will be sent out in an email every Monday ranging from beginner (15k-10k) to advanced (4d+) levels, with harder problems worth more points. Players are welcome to attempt all five, but only one solution will be graded. Submissions are due each Sunday by 11:59 PM PST, and solutions will be posted weekly on our website.

Published On 9/28/2025

The 3rd Maine State Championships & Open crowned a new state champion on Sept. 21 as Jonathan Green topped a field of eight Maine residents to claim the Maine State Go Championship.

Dongha Lee sweeps NGC Back-to-School

Published On 9/28/2025

Rising youth stars Dongha Lee (3d), 4-0, and Richard Duan (4d), 3-1, won 1st and 2nd in the high dan section of National Go Center’s annual Back-to-School event.

Published On 9/28/2025

On Saturday September 6, 2025, volunteers from the Houston Go Club (HGC) presented a Go Game Workshop for beginners at the Chinese Community Center - Houston (CCC).

Published On 9/25/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS), a youth-run organization that organizes Go events and activities for players in North America, is excited to announce its fourteenth anniversary. This year, we're hosting new tournaments, expanding our outreach, and focusing on creating an engaging environment for players across North America.

Published On 9/24/2025

Registration is now open through November 9th for Season 14 (2025-2026) of the Pandanet-AGA City League. This upcoming season features numerous changes, including an exciting format change to 4 vs 4 matches and the inclusion of an optional remote NA player per team. These changes will make the league more competitive than ever before, and fans can await some of the highest level of Go competition in North America. Each round also will return to a 4-week timespan, and the camera policy will now be optional for D League and below (it is still mandatory for A-C Leagues).

Published On 9/24/2025

Under sunny skies and comfortably warm temps at Umstead State Park on Sept. 20, a 32-player field teed it up for the North Carolina State Go Championship—and young Toby Chen stole the show.

Published On 9/13/2025

The 2025 New Mexico State Championship was played September 6 and 7 in Albuquerque.

Published On 9/9/2025

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) has announced the promotion of Alexander Qi to the rank of professional 3 dan.

Go Spotting: City the Animation

Published On 9/9/2025

First episode of City the Animation features Go.

Published On 9/6/2025

The AGA has recently received an invitation to send a team of 3 amateur youth players (between ages 7-18) and 1 team coach to the 2025 Quzhou International Friendly Children Amateur Weiqi Invitational Tournament organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association and Quzhou Municipal People's Government between 10/22-10/27 in Quzhou, China. The organizers will cover all on-site expenses as well as up to 5,000 RMB per person for travel expenses.

Interested adults who are strong teachers and have experience with coaching young players may email Justin Teng at justin.teng@usgo.org to express interest in the team leader role. The host organizing committee will cover round-trip transportation expenses for the team leader in addition to on-site expenses.

Published On 9/4/2025

NAOL Season 17

Published On 8/25/2025

Alexander Qi of the United States claimed the Under-18 title at the 40th World Youth Go Championship, besting Korea, China and Chinese Taipei.

Published On 8/25/2025

The U.S. Go community is celebrating a historic breakthrough as Alexander Qi, 1P, became the first player representing a non–East Asian country to win the World Youth Go Championship.

Published On 8/24/2025

The 2025 World Pair Go Festival lit up Osaka from August 8–10, bringing together players, professionals, and officials from across the globe for a celebration of Pair Go’s unique blend of competition and camaraderie.

Published On 8/21/2025

An “exhausted” Guanyu Song prevailed over the tenacious Eric Yoder Thursday night at the National Go Center to become the newest professional Go player certified by the North American Go Federation (NAGF).

Published On 8/20/2025

Third time’s the charm for Eric Yoder 6D. After two previous trips to the NAGF ProQual semifinals, Yoder booked his first finals berth on Wednesday, edging 12-year-old Michael Xu 6D in a three-game thriller. He’ll face Guanyu Song 7D, who clinched his spot earlier in the day with a 2–0 sweep of Qiyou Wu 7D.

Final Four set at NAGF ProQual

Published On 8/19/2025

And then there were four. Guanyu Song 7d, Qiyou Wu 7d, Michael Xu 6d and Eric Yoder 6d topped their respective divisions in the NAGF ProQual round-robin and moved on to the semi-finals.

Published On 8/18/2025

Two days and four rounds into the NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament, the semifinal picture is sharpening...

Published On 8/17/2025

After two rounds Sunday, Aug. 17, three players set the pace at the North American Go Federation’s 2025 Pro Qualifier round-robin with perfect 2–0 starts: Guanyu Song 7d, Qiyou Wu 7d, and Daniel Zhou 7d. With three round-robin rounds remaining, the push for semifinal berths is on.

Published On 8/15/2025

Final installment of our series introducing you to the competitors, their backgrounds, and what drives their passion for Go.

Published On 8/14/2025

Second installment of our series introducing you to the competitors, their backgrounds, and what drives their passion for Go.

Published On 8/13/2025

Meet the 2025 NAGF ProQual competitors, their backgrounds, and what drives their passion for Go.

Published On 8/12/2025

The National Go Center in Washington, DC will once again host top-level play starting Sunday, August 17, when the 2025 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament kicks off.

Boston 2026: Volunteers Wanted

Published On 8/5/2025

2026 U.S. Go Congress organizers are seeking volunteers.

Published On 7/28/2025

A striking black lacquered Go board from Baduk Club sparked a spirited bidding war at this year’s U.S. Go Congress banquet in Austin, Texas. The final, winning bid—$2,200—came from Audrey Wang, assistant treasurer of the American Go Foundation (AGF) and co-director of the 2026 Go Congress in Boston.

Published On 7/27/2025

The American Go Association is inviting players and community members to share their thoughts on the recently concluded 2025 U.S. Go Congress, held last week in Austin, Texas. Click here to take the survey.

Published On 7/19/2025

Weibin Jin 7p put on a masterclass performance at the 2025 U.S. Open this week in Austin, Texas, going undefeated at 6-0 to claim the championship in a tightly packed top division.

Published On 7/19/2025

Yuan-Jyun Wang 9p delivered a flawless performance at the 2025 North American Masters Tournament.

2015 US Go Congress: Saturday Streams

Published On 7/19/2025

Drone's-eye view of the Congress; Masters final round.

Published On 7/18/2025

Half a point has vaulted Yuan-Jyun Wang 9P to the lead in the standings in the 2025 North American Masters; that was the margin of his 5th-round win Friday morning over Seonghoon On 9D.

Pair Go Main Event Draws a Full House

Published On 7/18/2025

Over 140 players packed Robertson Gym on Thursday night for the lively and inclusive Pair Go Main Event—one of the week’s most spirited social tournaments. With ranks ranging from 30k to 9p, pros and beginners alike joined forces, making for a uniquely dynamic and welcoming competition.

Published On 7/18/2025

In a thrilling two-day showdown at the 2025 International Pair Go Qualifier at the US Go Congress, top-seeded duo Yinli Wang 6d and Edward Zhang 6d emerged victorious, clinching the championship title with a composed and commanding performance.

Published On 7/18/2025

The Day Off/Die Hard tournament lived up to its name Wednesday, delivering intense, high-stakes Go in both the Dan and Kyu divisions.

Published On 7/18/2025

The 2025 U.S. Go Congress Women’s Tournament wrapped up this week with standout performances in both Dan and Kyu divisions.

Published On 7/18/2025

The 2025 U.S. Go Congress Seniors Tournament featured strong play across all levels, with several players going undefeated in their divisions.

US Go Congress: Friday’s Livestreams

Published On 7/18/2025

Daily Recap Show (shortest yet!), plus Masters Rounds 5 & 6

Published On 7/17/2025

Yuan-Jyun Wang 9p and Seonghoon On 9d sit atop the leaderboard with perfect 4-0 records after four rounds of play in the North American Masters Tournament at the 2025 US Go Congress.

Published On 7/17/2025

After four rounds of play at the 2025 U.S. Open Go Tournament, held during the U.S. Go Congress in Austin, Texas, the Open Division leaderboard is crowded at the top, with six players tied at 3-1 heading into the final weekend.

Published On 7/17/2025

InSeong Hwang 8D brings his trademark humor and metaphors to rapidfire review of Thursday's Masters games. Plus, find out what "yummy points" are!

Published On 7/17/2025

Longtime US Go Congress photographer Phil Straus' shot of the day...

Upsets in the Lightning Playoffs

Published On 7/16/2025

Seven dan table champions and 11 kyu table champions competed Tuesday for the 2025 Lightning Championships in one of the largest fields in recent memories.

Small Boards, Big Wins

Published On 7/15/2025

Yang and Robinson Lead 13x13 Tournament at U.S. Go Congress.

Published On 7/15/2025

Tuesday’s livestreams, featuring Michael Chen 1P, Stephanie Yin 1P, Ryan Li 4P and Cindy Qian

Published On 7/15/2025

Longtime US Go Congress photographer Phil Straus' shot of the day...

Published On 7/14/2025

Longtime US Go Congress photographer Phil Straus' shot of the day...

Published On 7/14/2025

Congress livestreams & tournaments

Published On 7/14/2025

Former AGA president Andy Okun received the Iwamoto North America Foundation for Go’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday night at the US Go Congress.

Published On 7/14/2025

The 2025 U.S. Go Congress Lightning Tournament lived up to its name Monday night, with fast-paced action across all ranks and an impressive number of undefeated players.

Published On 7/13/2025

Trevor Morris, Byron Russell and Jerry Jaffe have won their regional AGA board membership elections.

Published On 7/13/2025

New York City closed out a dominant season with a 3-0 sweep over Vancouver Saturday afternoon at the US Go Congress in the Pandanet-AGA City League’s A League Finals, securing an undefeated run and the $5,000 top prize. Vancouver finishes as runner-up and takes home $2,500.

Published On 7/13/2025

Some quick highlights from the first full day of the 2025 US Go Congress in Austin, Texas...

Published On 7/13/2025

Longtime US Go Congress photographer Phil Straus' shot of the day...

Published On 7/13/2025

The 2025 U.S. Go Congress officially kicked off Saturday just north of Austin, Texas, as hundreds of Go players from across the country and around the world gathered at Southwestern University in Georgetown.

Published On 7/3/2025

We’d like to belatedly thank the game recording team at the World Amateur Go Championship in May...

Published On 7/3/2025

Chen Zijian Shines, Shibano Reaches, plus Awards and prizes for 2024

Published On 7/1/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce officer applications for the 2025-2026 school year.

You can find the form at www.aghs.us

Applications will be due by July 31st via this Google form.

Published On 7/1/2025

Top 2024 prizemoney winner promotions; 2024 International Results

Leo Tan Wins 2025 Canadian Open

Published On 6/30/2025

Leo Tan 6d captured top honors at the 2025 Canadian Open Go Championship, finishing with a perfect 6-0 record. Close behind, Brady Zhang 7d took second place with five wins, followed by Dohyup Kim 8d in third at 4-2. Rounding out the top five were Pei-Chen Hsiung 7d and WeiBin Jin 7d, also with 4 wins each.

Published On 6/29/2025

After four intense rounds at the 48th Canadian Open Go Championship in Halifax, Leo Tan 6d has surged into the lead with a perfect 4-0 record and 108 SOS. Tan has outpaced a strong top group that includes several 7- and 8-dan players and will look to secure the title in the final two rounds on Monday. Tune in starting at 8:30a ET on YouTube or Twitch for livestream coverage by the E-Journal, with commentary by Bill Lin 1P beginning at 1p ET.

Published On 6/29/2025

John Power catches us up on all the major Japanese Go titles of 2024, from Fujisawa’s dominance in women’s tournaments to Ichiriki’s multiple crowns.

Published On 6/28/2025

The 2025 Canadian Open kicked off with two rounds of play Saturday, drawing a field of 92 participants across nine divisions. Early results indicate a highly competitive event, with top seeds showing strong form and several closely contested matches throughout the ranks.

Published On 6/27/2025

Reader letters; email us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/26/2025

The Iwamoto North America Foundation for Go (INAF) has announced Andrew Okun as the recipient of its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his long-standing dedication and impactful leadership in the North American Go community.

AGA Regional Board Candidates Announced

Published On 6/26/2025

The American Go Association has announced the candidates for this year’s regional board elections.

Canadian Open 2025: Four to Watch

Published On 6/26/2025

“We have many top players competing in the Canadian Open this weekend,” writes Canadian Go Association president James Sedgwick. “But to me, four stand out as favorites.” Here’s his analysis.

Published On 6/25/2025

In a recent livestream with Go content creator Benkyo, professional player Michael Chen 1P offers an enthusiastic, insider look at the upcoming 2025 U.S. Go Congress, set for July 13–20 in Denton, Texas. “If you can afford it, it’s absolutely worth it,” Chen said, citing the nonstop activities, deep community vibe, and rare access to top pros.

Published On 6/24/2025

This weekend’s Canadian Go Open – the 48th -- is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in the tournament’s storied history, with the largest champion prize in nearly five decades—over $1,500—and a strong lineup of high-level players already registered.

Published On 6/24/2025

Summer arrived with a fury—and with it, the annual dazzle of Burning Board 2025, held June 16–22 in the natural splendor of Umstead State Park, Raleigh, NC. This unique event is known for its outdoor setting, with many attendees lodging on-site in primitive cabins. One of the signature moments: a ceremonial bonfire in which a custom-crafted Go board is set ablaze.

Published On 6/24/2025

More than 30 players took part in the First Annual San Diego Blitz Go Championship and Go Workshop, held June 13–14 and hosted by the San Diego Go Club (SDGC). The two-day event featured a 13x13 beginners tournament, a 5-round blitz competition, international guests, workshops for all levels, and a friendly U.S.–Japan team challenge.

Published On 6/19/2025

Bart Jacob has been playing Go since 1979, when a grad school friend gave him a set for Christmas. “At first we found the rules were very simple, which they are,” he recalls on a recent episode of This Is My Thing, a podcast from KUT that explores what people do purely for joy. “But the complexity—it was tough to get our arms around what was actually going on in the game.”

Published On 6/17/2025

In a new 45-minute interview with YouTube Go teacher Clossius, longtime tournament director Richard Newman shares the history and heart behind one of the most beloved events at the annual U.S. Go Congress: the Baum Prizes – Go Across the Ages.

Published On 6/16/2025

Looking to refresh your mind and body between rounds? For the first time ever at the U.S. Go Congress, enjoy free beginner yoga and meditation sessions offered daily—morning and afternoon—by the Isha Foundation.

Election reminder

Published On 6/7/2025

Just a reminder that nominations to the AGA board close June 15, 2025.

Published On 6/7/2025

Ruihan Cao and Chengxi Yu captured top honors at the 6th Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament on May 26.

Published On 6/5/2025

Jake Jinhoo Kim has been selected as the American Go Foundation’s Teacher of the Year. At just 17 he is the youngest person to ever receive the award, which wins him a free trip to the US Go Congress.

Published On 5/29/2025

For Seattle-area high school student Zixuan Gao, attending her first U.S. Go Congress last year was a transformative experience. “It actually blew my mind,” she tells Shawn Ray in a new video.

Published On 5/25/2025

Chen, Kim, and Liu Crowned Champions in Coast-to-Coast Memorial Day Go Showdown

Published On 5/24/2025

The E-Journal is providing live coast-to-coast coverage of all three Memorial Day weekend tournaments in Maryland, Chicago and San Diego. Check out the livestream on our Twitch and YouTube channels, starting around 9:30A ET. Saturday’s Youtube stream featured commentary by Paige LeMaster, Jared Nishikawa, Eunkyo Do, Tin Do, Joel Kenny, Laura Wu and Sathya Singh.

Published On 5/23/2025

Go fans are in for a treat this weekend as three major American tournaments hit the boards: the Maryland Open, the Chicago Open, and the San Diego Go Championship will all be streamed live on May 24 and 25.

Published On 5/23/2025

This is the last call for the annual AGHS Pair Go Tournament held on May 31st. The tournament consists of 2 rounds at 1pm and 5pm ET.

Registration Deadline has been extended to 5/27.

Published On 5/22/2025

2025 WAGC livestream playlist posted; Gurujeet Khalsa’s album of player photos posted

Published On 5/21/2025

China’s Tianfang Ma 8d emerged as the 2025 World Amateur Go Champion on Wednesday after a dramatic finish saw three players tie with 7-1 records at the close of the final round.

Published On 5/20/2025

Reports on Rounds 3 & 4

Published On 5/20/2025

After six rounds of intense play at the 2025 World Amateur Go Championship, Japan’s Minoru Ozeki 7d stands alone at the top of the leaderboard with a perfect 6–0 record, defeating New Zealand’s Chahine Soyaume Curpen Koleejan in Round 5 and Korea’s Sawoo Kim 5d in a dramatic Round 6 game between the two 5-0 players.

Published On 5/18/2025

After two rounds of friendly but fierce competition at the 2025 World Amateur Go Championship, a baker’s dozen 13 players remain undefeated at 2–0, setting the stage for pivotal third-round matchups as they battle to go 3–0 and emerge as early favorites in the 8-round competition.

Published On 5/17/2025

The AGA has recently received an invitation to send a pair of youth players (ages 15 or under, one male and one female) to the 2025 World Junior Pair Go Championship held by the Japan Pair Go Association between 8/8-8/10 in Osaka, Japan. If you are interested in attending this event as a US representative, please fill out the Interest Form by 5/29.

Published On 5/17/2025

The 2025 World Amateur Go Championship kicked off Saturday in Vancouver, BC with a day full of celebration, connection, and, of course, Go.

Published On 5/17/2025

Road to WAGC 2025 – Part 4; plus WAGC launch activities

Published On 5/16/2025

Go players from across the region will gather this summer for the 2025 Burning Board Go Festival, set for June 16–22 at Camp Lapihio in Umstead State Park, NC.

Published On 5/15/2025

Road to WAGC 2025 – Part 3

Published On 5/14/2025

Road to WAGC 2025 – Part 2

LA County kids learn go

Published On 5/13/2025

Kids in the South Bay of LA are learning Go at their school thanks to new programs from the American Go Foundation.

Published On 5/13/2025

Road to WAGC 2025 – Part 1

Published On 5/12/2025

The World Amateur Go Championship is heading to North America for the first time ever!

Published On 5/11/2025

Whether you're playing or watching, Memorial Day weekend 2025 promises to be a feast for Go enthusiasts across the country, with three major tournaments set to take place.

Published On 5/11/2025

In a sun-dappled corner of Japantown, as the Cherry Blossom Festival unfurled its pink and white banners across the city, the San Francisco Go Club staged its special tournament—an afternoon where strategy, chance, and human ambition converged over the ancient grid of black and white stones.

Published On 5/10/2025

The Gotham Go Tournament drew a crowd of over 100 players to the NYU Game Center on May 3rd, making it one of the largest Go events in the region this year.

Published On 5/9/2025

Hongkui Zheng 7D swept the Open Division with a perfect 4-0 record to capture the title at the 2025 Tech Time Spring Tournament, held by the Tech Time Go Club on April 20.

Published On 5/8/2025

2025 US Go Congress Early Bird rates extended to May 15.

Published On 5/8/2025

One of the many professionals you will be able to learn from and interact with at the Go Congress is Yoonyoung Kim 8P.

Published On 5/7/2025

North American Online League has its 15th Season open for sign up for just one more week

Published On 5/1/2025

With just one more win needed to lock in a spot in the AGA Pandanet City League A League finals, undefeated Vancouver and New York City remain two games clear of the rest of the field at 5-0. All eyes will be on the Vancouver vs. Chicago clash this round—Chicago, currently in third place, must pull off the upset to keep its Finals hopes alive. Watch the livestream this Sunday, May 4, starting at 3p ET on YouTube and Twitch.

Published On 5/1/2025

Three American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are in play for the Eastern, Western, and Central regions. The current terms of office expire this September. If you know of someone who you believe would offer guidance and service to the AGA, consider making a nomination.

Published On 4/30/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce its annual Pair Go tournament.

Players across the globe of all ages and gender are allowed to participate. The tournament will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, and will consist of 2 rounds held at 1pm and 5pm EST on KGS. The registration deadline is May 24, 2025 at 11:59 PST.

Published On 4/28/2025

The 2025 US Go Congress will feature 13 professional players, organizers announced today. The lineup includes three highly respected 9-dan players: Chun-Hsun Chou, Donghoon Lee, and Yuan-Jyun Wang.

Published On 4/22/2025

Win a free trip to the US Go Congress

AGA Board meeting this Sunday

Published On 4/22/2025

The next AGA board meeting will be this coming Sunday, 2025-04-27 at 8:00 EDT; If you would like to attend, please email trevor.morris@usgo.org

Go Spotting: Assassin's Creed Shadows

Published On 4/20/2025

The 2025 action-adventure game.

Published On 4/18/2025

Registration is open for the 40th World Youth Goe Championship US qualifier on May 3 and May 10 to determine the US Representative who will compete in Malaysia in August later this year.

Published On 4/18/2025

What began as a simple visit to Kyoto’s Daitokuji temple complex became a quarter-century mystery — and, finally, a moment of rediscovery.

Published On 4/17/2025

Registration is now open for the 9th World Collegiate Weiqi Championship US Qualifier. The top male and female winners of the online qualifier will earn an invitation to represent the United States in Singapore between July 26-August 1, 2025. Local transportation, lodging, meals, and up to $800 in airfare will be covered by the organizers.

Published On 4/16/2025

Avik Hardy 2k and Regina Kim 2k topped the 2025 North American Kyu Championships, with Hardy sweeping 4-0 and winning the Junior prize, and Kim squeaking out first place among the Seniors with a 3-1 record.

Published On 4/15/2025

Michael Chen 1P and Alexander Qi 1P represented the North American Go Federation (NAGF) at the inaugural Beihai Xinyi World Go Championships now underway in China, a 64-player international event featuring top talent from around the globe.

Published On 4/14/2025

With four of seven rounds in the books, Vancouver and New York City have broken away from the pack in the Pandanet A League, both sitting undefeated at 4-0. The rest of the field is scrambling for position, with San Diego, Chicago, and Seattle battling in the middle, while Toronto (1-3) looks to climb back into contention.

Published On 4/12/2025

Early Bird rates for the 2025 U.S. Go Congress end on May 1st; "Don’t miss your chance to save big," urge organizers.

Two new blogs!

Published On 4/12/2025

How to use the AI as a go teacher & Evanston Go Club

Published On 4/5/2025

Despite losing his Round 4 game against Alex Qi 1P, Bill Lin 1P maintained his lead Friday in the 2025 North American Pro Tournament with his 3-1 record.

Published On 4/5/2025

On Mar. 22, Kevin Yang 5d was crowned the champion of the inaugural AGHS Championship Tournament, defeating Ryan Huang 2d.

Published On 4/5/2025

You could call it the $10,000 liberty. In Saturday morning’s decisive fifth-round game, Bill Lin 1P secured a massive group—complete with one critical liberty that Henry Yu 2P didn’t have—giving Lin a commanding win (click here for Round 5 game records), the 2025 North American Pro Tournament Champion title, and a cool $10,000 prize.

Published On 4/4/2025

The North American Go Federation (NAGF), in partnership with the San Francisco Go Club, is seeking a strong amateur or professional Go player over the age of 45 to represent North America at the 6th World Baduk Championship, to be held June 2–6, 2025, in Shin-An, South Korea.

Published On 4/3/2025

Undefeated after the first two rounds on Thursday, Bill Lin 1P is leading the 2025 North American Pro Tournament.

Published On 4/2/2025

Player Spotlights – Lin, Qi, and Yu Round Out a Stellar Field

Published On 4/1/2025

Tournament Preview + Player Spotlight: Six of the strongest Go professionals in North America will face off this week in Washington, DC, competing for $20,000 in prizes at the North American Pro Championships.

Published On 3/30/2025

A record 57 Go players skipped the crowds at the Tidal Basin to celebrate peak season at the National Go Center’s annual Cherry Blossom tournament.

Published On 3/28/2025

The North American Pro Tournament is back for its second edition, with the National Go Center (NGC) set to host the prestigious event from April 3 to April 6, 2025.

Published On 3/25/2025

For the 10th straight year, the San Diego Go Club brought strategy, smiles, and stones to the Japanese Friendship Garden’s Cherry Blossom Festival — and the crowds loved it.

Published On 3/25/2025

Go fans, mark your calendars—Canada’s summer Go season is serving up a perfect one-two punch!

Published On 3/22/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce that registration for its much-loved Girls Who Play Go Tournament is open.

Any self-identifying female go player under the age of 19 from any country in the world may participate.

There will be four matches in total, spread across the two days. Games are at 12 p.m. EST (9 a.m. PST) and 4 p.m. EST (1 p.m. PST) on Apr. 13 and 20. They will be held on KGS.

Published On 3/20/2025

In one of the most evenly matched pairings of the week in the Pandanet-AGA City League, 4th-place Seattle (2-1) takes on 5th-place San Diego (1-2) Saturday. Our livestream coverage starts at 5p ET; Watch on our YouTube or Twitch channels.

Published On 3/19/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce the elimination rounds for one of its newest initiatives of the 2024-2025 season, the AGHS Championship. Designed to recognize the best youth Go players in North America, the Championship represents the renewed efforts by the AGHS to energize the North American youth Go community.

Published On 3/17/2025

China's Ma Tianfang 8d scored five straight victories to win the inaugural Nanyang Cup World Amateur Weiqi Invitational Tournament. US representative Jeremy Chiu 7d finished 9th with a 3-2 record.

Published On 3/15/2025

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) will hold the 2025 Pro Qualification Tournament from August 17 to 22, 2025 at the National Go Center (NGC), deadline to apply is April 30.

Published On 3/12/2025

Seowoo Wang 5 dan will be representing the United States at the 2025 World Amateur SENKO Cup in Tokyo, Japan on March 14, 2025. This will be her second consecutive year competing in the World Amateur SENKO Cup after winning the North American qualifier.

Remembering Jeff Shaevel

Published On 3/10/2025

AGA Archivist Karoline Li's fond memories of "the go-to TD"

Published On 3/10/2025

The 10th Osaka Go Camp will be held July 5-18, followed by the fifth Japan Go Congress July 19-21.

Published On 3/5/2025

Latest League update; watch the next round live on Saturday at 4p EDT!

AGA Board to meet March 2

Published On 2/27/2025

The next AGA Board Meeting will be held this Sunday, March 2 at 8:00pm EST.

Published On 2/24/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce that registration for its annual School Team Tournament is open.

Players who are under the age of 19 and reside in North America may participate. Because this is a team tournament, a team is only eligible if all of its students come from the same school or institution. Each team will be composed of three players, with one substitute if desired.

Published On 2/19/2025

DALLAS, TX – The 2025 South Central Go Tournament brought fierce competition and record-breaking participation as players battled for top honors at the University of Texas at Dallas over Presidents’ Day weekend.

Published On 2/16/2025

“The thing I love about our tournaments in New York is the diversity of our players, organizer Juelz Kwan told the excited — and tired — hall full of 120 competitors as the 2025 New York State Championship drew to a close late Sunday afternoon. “Thank you all for coming out and playing so hard.”

3-0 leaders in 2025 NYS Championship

Published On 2/15/2025

The February cold seeped into the New York Go Institute and kept players bundled up but the on-board action was blazing hot in the 2025 New York State Championship’s first three rounds Saturday.

Published On 2/14/2025

Registration is maxed out at 120 players for this weekend’s New York State Championship at the New York Go Institute but Go fans worldwide can follow top-board action on the AGA’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

GO SPOTTING: The Glory

Published On 2/11/2025

Many Asian series feature Go as window dressing but in The Glory (streaming on Netflix) the game is an integral part of the plot.

Published On 2/10/2025

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) has officially opened nominations for its 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth and promotion of Go in North America.

Published On 2/9/2025

The Pandanet-AGA City League action continues this Sunday at 5 PM ET, as Vancouver takes on Denver in a high-stakes battle streamed live on the AGA’s YouTube and Twitch channels. With live commentary from Calvin Sun 1P, fans can expect expert insights as these two teams fight for positioning early in the season.

Published On 2/9/2025

The National Go Center kicked off its 2024 tournament season Saturday with the annual Lunar New Year tournament, drawing a field of 24 players. The top section was won by Yuan Zhou 7D, who prevailed on a tiebreak with Chang Xu 4D; both players were 3-1.

Published On 2/9/2025

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to resume its Weekly Go Problems series for the spring season. The season will run for 10 weeks, starting March 10.

Go Spotting: One Piece

Published On 2/9/2025

Several scenes in episode 3 of the Netflix series One Piece feature a game of Go, along with important life lessons.

Go Spotting: Google

Published On 2/8/2025

Send your Go spottings to journal@usgo.org

A different kind of Go

Published On 2/7/2025

Goperfekt is a different kind of Go program. Very different.

Ancient origins of the QR code

Published On 2/6/2025

“We all know what a QR code is,” writes Kamer Davis. But do you know what inspired the QR code's design?

Go Spotting: Bridge Across The Sky

Published On 2/6/2025

Go plays a big role in Freeman Ng's Bridge Across The Sky, a verse novel based on the Chinese immigration experience through Angel Island in the early 1900's.

Published On 2/6/2025

OK so it’s not quite the Super Bowl, but Go fans have two chances to catch some competition this weekend when the EJ streams games at the National Go Center’s Lunar New Year tournament on Saturday and Pandanet-AGA City League games on Sunday.

Published On 2/5/2025

The American Go Association (AGA) recently emailed a survey to members to gather preferences on possible dates for the 2026 Go Congress in Boston, MA. Some available venue dates may fall outside the usual Congress timeframe.

Go Spotting: Savage Sword of Conan

Published On 2/5/2025

“I recently learned from a comic book that go is a lot older than anyone thought, going all the way back to Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age when Conan the Barbarian roamed the earth."

Go Spotting: Vogue magazine

Published On 2/5/2025

Send your Go spottings to journal@usgo.org

Published On 2/5/2025

“The Theory of Go”, Congress Youth Champ Tony Yang’s collaboration with Han Han 5P is now available in Go Books and Amazon.

Published On 2/4/2025

Selection of articles mentioning Go.

Published On 2/4/2025

The Midwest Open, held on February 1st and 2nd, brought together fierce competitors and an enthusiastic community in a weekend filled with high-stakes matches, excellent hospitality, and top-tier organization.

SmartGo gets smarter

Published On 2/3/2025

If you prefer pro games to show Lee Sedol instead of Yi Se-tol, you can now change that in the latest version of SmartGo.

Join the EJ Stream Team!

Published On 2/3/2025

The American Go E-Journal is expanding its broadcast streaming capabilities this year, thanks to the recent acquisition of electronic game recording boards.

Yilun Yang’s 2025 Tsume-Go Problem

Published On 2/3/2025

Yilun Yang's annual life and death problem.

Published On 2/2/2025

This year’s U.S. Go Congress organizers have now released a brief, fast-paced video providing an overview of the 2025 U.S. Go Congress in multiple languages, including English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese (both traditional and simplified) and Korean. “Please share these widely,” urges Congress Co-Director Jim Conyngham.

Published On 2/1/2025

Here are some photos from longtime Go player and instructor Pete Schumer’s winter term Go course at Middlebury College (Math 1001) which just finished up last Thursday.

米国囲碁大会の日本語版動画が公開

Published On 2/1/2025

今年の米国囲碁大会の主催者は、2025年米国囲碁大会を紹介する短い動画の日本語版を公開しました。この大会は7月12日から20日まで、テキサス州オースティンで開催されます。２０２５年の米国囲碁大会の共同ディレクター、バート

Published On 2/1/2025

The January 11 Colorado 2025 Winter Go Tournament “was a huge success,” reports Solomon Smilack, frawing 36 players, including a small 9x9 tournament for beginners, “which was an exciting mess,” Smilack says.

Published On 2/1/2025

The 2025 Mass Go State Championship brought together 65 skilled players from across the region for five rounds of intense competition over the January 25-26 weekend. “With every game testing players’ strategic depth and composure, the tournament delivered excitement from start to finish,” reports Tournament Director Nick Bonner, who provided the following round-by-round report.

Published On 1/31/2025

Fuzhi (Alvin) Huang will represent North America at the 23rd World Students Go Oza Championship in Tokyo, Japan in February 2025.

Published On 1/27/2025

Guanyu Song 7D won the 2025 Tech Time Winter Tournament on January 19, going 4-0 in an open section of ten top players.

Published On 1/27/2025

Los organizadores del Congreso de Go de Estados Unidos de este año acaban de lanzar la versión en español de un breve y dinámico video que ofrece una visión general del Congreso de Go 2025.

The Traveling Go Board: Aukland NZ

Published On 1/25/2025

While on a visit to Aukland, New Zealand, former AGA president Phil Straus had a game with local Colin Grierson.

2025 Go Congress video posted

Published On 1/25/2025

This year’s U.S. Go Congress organizers have just released a two-minute, fast-paced video providing an overview of the U.S. Go Congress set to music.

Published On 1/24/2025

After narrowly winning the first game against Byun Sungil in the LG Cup, Ke Jie lost both the second and third games – and the title -- because of "outside of lid" capture rule violations. The LG Cup finals battle took place January 20-23.

Published On 1/23/2025

Excitement is building as registration officially opens for the 41st US Go Congress, the premier event for Go enthusiasts across North America.

Published On 1/22/2025

Registration is now open for the 32nd Redmond Cup and 8th AGA Girls Cup, the AGA’s annual premier youth tournaments for North American youth under 18. Players must have an accredited rank of 1-dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 5-kyu or higher to participate in the AGA Girls Cup.

Published On 1/21/2025

In a dominant display, Vancouver, one of the top contenders for the A League finals this season, secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Boston in the first round of the 2025 Pandanet-AGA City League.

Published On 1/21/2025

With registration for this year’s US Go Congress – set for July 12-20 in Austin, TX -- in final testing and almost ready to turn on, here’s a checklist to help you prepare...

Jake Kim, the Johnny Appleseed of Go

Published On 1/20/2025

Jake Kim, a junior at the Bishop School in La Jolla, CA, is like Johnny Appleseed, except he uses Go stones to attract followers.

Published On 1/20/2025

In an exciting development for the youth Go community, the US Go Congress is offering free registration for participants 17 or younger at the congress July 12-20 in Austin, Texas.

Collegiate Go League returns

Published On 1/18/2025

After months of planning, the Collegiate Go League (CGL) is returning, reports the American Collegiate Go Association.

NGC hosts “All The Ways To Go” author

Published On 1/18/2025

A standing-room-only crowd turned out for “All The Ways To Go” author Jessie Janowitz at the National Go Center on January 15.

Published On 1/15/2025

Registration is open for the 2025 North American Kyu Championship! This is an online youth tournament that will take place on the KGS Go Server on Saturday, February 22. Registration will close on February 16.

Published On 1/13/2025

The Pandanet-AGA City League is one week into its 13th season,with a record 39 teams from 26 cities competing across 5 leagues; catch the action this Saturday at 4p ET as Toronto takes on Chicago.

Published On 1/12/2025

“Let me start by saying I'm 72,” writes Pete Suchon. “I live in a retirement community, and I have played Go since the 1970's but never seriously. I read All The Ways to Go after seeing it mentioned in the newsletter (Young Reviewers Sought – “All the Ways to Go” 12/21).

San Diego Go Club finds a new home

Published On 1/12/2025

The San Diego Go Club, which has had only two homes in the last 25-years, moved to a new gathering place last week.

Published On 1/10/2025

The National Go Center will host its first-ever author event next Wednesday, January 15, when All The Ways to Go author Jessie Janowitz gives a reading.

Published On 1/1/2025

Not only will this year’s U.S. Go Congress feature brand-new game clocks, the AGA is making them available to chapters at cost.

Published On 1/1/2025

The American Go Association’s 50-State Championship program is off to a fresh start in 2025, reports newly-appointed coordinator Ted Terpstra. All those interested in running a State Championship in 2025 should register their interest now.

Published On 1/1/2025

Cleveland Go Congress Co-Director Jerry Jaffee has joined our bloggers. “Barnacle stones” is his term to describe a few stones left clinging uselessly to an opponent’s thickness. He shares stories and musings about his travels, friends, family, & other areas of life impacted by 3 decades playing Go.

Book name mystery solved (sort of)

Published On 12/29/2024

Answer to last week’s quiz reveals a deeper mystery…

Published On 12/29/2024

“I liked All The Ways to Go because it made me want to play Go more and I liked it as a story,” writes Bryce Ham.

Published On 12/29/2024

Jeremy Chiu edged Alan Huang by half a point in Round 6 to win the 13th Virginia Go Open, held December 14–15 in Annandale, VA.

Published On 12/27/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to announce its new Championship Tournament. The qualifier for this tournament will take place on Sundays, January 19th and January 26th. All players under the age of 19 and residing in North America are eligible to participate.

Go Quiz/Go Spotting: Name that book

Published On 12/27/2024

“It was an old gray clothbound book that had lost its dust jacket. The cover showed nothing but the title and the author’s name. Rafi had found it on a Sunday on Maxwell Street..."

Published On 12/21/2024

"All the Ways to Go" by Jessie Janowitz is a compelling middle-grade novel that intertwines the journey of self-discovery with the ancient game of Go.

Crazy Go comes to DC

Published On 12/17/2024

The National Go Center in Washington, DC will host a very special evening of Indian food & Crazy Go with longtime Go organizer Terry Benson on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:30p at the NGC.

Published On 12/17/2024

Longtime Go writer and translator (The Treasure Chest Enigma) Richard Dolen is now in a nursing facility but in a recent phone conversation with EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock he sounded sharp and strong.

Published On 12/17/2024

Sixteen-year-old Toby Chen – “a frequent winner with a bright future” -- won the Triangle Go Group’s December tournament on December 14, topping a field of 25 players.

Difei Pan is WA State champion

Published On 12/17/2024

The Seattle AGA Chapter hosted the WA State Championship at the Seattle Go Center recently.

Published On 12/15/2024

The California Intercollegiate Go Tournament (CIGL), a tournament co-hosted by 6 California colleges happening from December 27 - 31, with specific dates and times to be announced. This tournament is opened to all college students currently attending a university in California. Registration deadline: Sunday, December 15 @11:59pm PST.

Note: If you have registered on Leago already, please kindly re-register (also updated within the registration form)

Published On 12/11/2024

Registration is now open for the 2025 Amateur Senko Cup North America Qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be invited to Tokyo, Japan to compete as the representative of North America in the 2025 Senko Cup World Amateur Women's Go Championship between March 13-15, 2025. US or Canadian citizenship is required to participate. The organizers will cover the local transportation expenses, lodging, meals, and 50% of the airfare.

Yoonyoung Kim 8P joins AGA bloggers

Published On 12/9/2024

Yoonyoung Kim 8P joined the AGA community of bloggers with her blog, Yoonyoung’s Go Study Lounge. Follow her first post of war, recollections of her childhood idol, Lee Changho 9P.

Published On 12/5/2024

More than 60 Go players came from around the U.S. to compete in the 2024 California State Go Championship last weekend, November 30-December 1.

NGC clubs yes, but no Winter Warmer

Published On 12/3/2024

The Wednesday and Friday Go clubs will meet at the NGC this week but Saturday’s Winter Warmer is canceled.

Go Spotting: Go socks

Published On 12/3/2024

Spotted at Israel's Tel Aviv Market.

Published On 12/2/2024

The American Go E-Journal is getting a major update in both its daily and weekly editions this week for its 10,000 subscribers.

Published On 12/2/2024

The second Maine State Championship and Open was held on Saturday, November 23rd at The Woodfords Club in Portland. “It was a small but fun tournament,” reports Jonathan Green.

Published On 12/2/2024

Featuring an impressive showcase of talent and determination, the November 30th Tech Time 2024 Fall Tournament attracted a dozen strong players in the Open Division, five of them ranked 6-dan and above, as well as 16 enthusiastic competitors in the Handicap Division.

Published On 12/1/2024

After four days of intense competition, Team Korea secured first place at the 2024 Quzhou International Friendly Children Amateur Weiqi Invitational Tournament with an undefeated record of 6-0. Team Singapore was second, Team China was third and Team USA finished in 8th place.

New Top Player Emerges in Oregon

Published On 12/1/2024

The Japanese Gardens in Portland are known for their peaceful walks, beautifully designed gardens, and idyllic koi pond...a beautiful metaphor for the peaceful silence surrounding the furious battles on the Go board during the annual Peter Freeman Memorial Oregon State Go tournament, held this year November 16-17.

Published On 11/29/2024

This event will consist of 5 back-to-back rounds of blitz games on Dec. 15. All players must be 18 and under in North America. Registration Deadline is Dec. 12.

Published On 11/28/2024

Two great new blogs began this week on our Blogs page. Michael Redmond 9P shares video game commentaries on some of the top current international games and some classic games from Go history. Dr. Daniela Trinks has in-depth coverage of the Asian Go scene.

Upcoming Go Events: Nov 23 & 24

Published On 11/21/2024

2024 Maine State Championship and Open (11/23) & Tech Time Fall Tournament (11/24)

Published On 11/20/2024

Registration for Season 13 of the Pandanet-AGA City League is now open! This season features a host of new changes; please see the Pandanet website for details. Registration closes on December 28, 2024.

NGC Pumpkin Classic game records posted

Published On 11/16/2024

Game records from October 26 Pumpkin Classic at the National Go Center in Washington DC are now posted.

Published On 11/15/2024

Ninety enthusiastic Go players from all over the U.S. spent the beautiful weekend of November 9-10 gathered in the large playing hall of World Journal newspaper HQ building in Monterey Park California to compete in the First Eternal Cup Southern California Go Championship tournament.

Published On 11/15/2024

The Seattle Go Center marked a milestone on October 21 with its 29th Anniversary Tournament, bringing together a lively community of 23 attendees, including 18 fierce competitors. The tournament showcased riveting battles across three divisions, culminating in an electrifying Open final.

Published On 11/12/2024

No tourney/opening this Saturday; Testing electronic recording boards at Wednesday Go Club

Published On 11/12/2024

John Power's best-selling book Invincible: The Games of Shusaku is now available in an updated second edition, both in hard and soft cover.

Go Spotting: Mixed metaphors?

Published On 11/12/2024

“Taiwan at any time may turn from a pawn to a discarded child”, said Ms Zhu Fenglian recently.

AGA Board meeting this Sunday

Published On 11/11/2024

The next AGA Board meeting will be this Sunday, November 17 at 8:00pm EST. Click here for agenda and more info.

Published On 11/1/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to resume its annual Young Lions tournament on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, 2024.

All players aged 18 and under, currently residing in North America, are eligible to participate. The four rounds of games will be held on KGS, with two games each on Sundays, November 10 and November 17. The games will be held at 12 pm EST (9 am PT) and 2 pm EST (11 am PT) on those dates. Players who attend all rounds will receive a special surprise.

Published On 10/28/2024

In the top division (4d-6D) of last weekend’s Pumpkin Classic, Chang Xu 4D swept with a 4-0 record, followed by Qingbo Zhang 5D at 3-1.

Get Paid to Teach Kids

Published On 10/27/2024

The AGF is offering a new teaching program

Published On 10/25/2024

The E-Journal plans to stream the top three boards at the National Go Center’s 2024 Pumpkin Classic on Saturdayiu, using newly-acquired Izis electronic recording boards.

Published On 10/22/2024

Registration is now open for the 23rd World Students Go Oza Championship North America Qualifier. The winner of the qualifier will be invited to Tokyo, Japan to compete as the representative of North America in the 23rd World Students Go Oza Championship between February 10-13, 2025. The organizers will cover the local transportation expenses, lodging, breakfast and lunch meals, and 50% of the airfare.

Published On 10/20/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) will resume its Weekly Go Problems series starting November 3rd The AGHS is proud to offer a consistent source of tsumego problems for Go players in North America.

Published On 10/16/2024

Jim Conyngham, Ken Blake and Bart Jacob visited Southwestern University on Monday to take a deeper dive into the facilities for next summer's US Go Congress in Austin, Texas.

Published On 10/15/2024

The second Maine State Championship and Open is set for Saturday, November 23, at The Woodfords Club in Portland, ME. The top-placing Maine resident will be the new Maine State Champion, and the event offers “Fame, glory, and a chance to meet and challenge Go players in the region,” say organizers.

Published On 10/15/2024

The Nihon Ki-in Winter Go Camp 2024 will take place from December 4 to 11 in Tokyo, Japan, at the Nihon Ki-in headquarters and the Yurakucho Go Center. The event offers a unique opportunity for non-Japanese Go enthusiasts to hone their skills while experiencing the rich culture of Go in Japan.

Published On 10/15/2024

Xinming Simon Guo has been honored with the Fred Flener Award from the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) for his work with the Weiqi/Go game-based learning program. This award recognizes educators who enrich students' learning of mathematics beyond the traditional classroom.

Published On 10/13/2024

The US has been invited to send a team of young players to the second Quzhou International Friendly Children Amateur Weiqi Invitational Tournament, which will be held in Quzhou, Zhejiang Province November 17-22.

In Memoriam: Jeff Shaevel

Published On 10/11/2024

According to his Facebook page, Jeff Shavel has died.

AGA Chapter Head Meetup set for Oct 22

Published On 10/11/2024

The first-ever quarterly AGA Chapter Heads online meetup is set for 8:30pm EDT on Tuesday, October 22 on Zoom.

Published On 10/10/2024

AlphaGo’s Demis Hassabis has won a share of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for "revolutionary" work on proteins, the building blocks of life, using the AlphaFold2 tool.

Published On 10/8/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is thrilled to introduce its new and returning officers for the 2024-2025 year. Be on the lookout for the AGHS’s fall events, which will be launching in mid-October.

The Board We Share: A Story About Us

Published On 10/6/2024

"What do we do with our short time here on earth?" wonders Brian Kirby.

Published On 10/6/2024

The Evanston Go Club opens registration for the 2024 Chicago Rapid, taking place on Nov. 2, 2024, at Immanuel Lutheran Church Evanston. This year’s event features five rounds in a McMahon-style format. All games are AGA-rated.

Published On 10/5/2024

“The SiliValley Go Club is admitting defeat in the face of Long COVID in the household where we used to meet," reports David Doshay.

AGF College Scholarship Applications

Published On 10/3/2024

Apply for the AGF College Scholarship

Published On 10/2/2024

The 2025 US Go Congress will return to Texas from July 12th - 20th, 2025, reports the Austin Go Club and the AGA.

NC floods hit home for Go Community

Published On 10/1/2024

Last week’s floods in Asheville have put the site of two Congresses and the birthplace of the American pro system out of commission.

Published On 10/1/2024

The Silicon Valley Go Club made its competitive debut on Saturday, September 28, 2024, hosting its first-ever tournament.

Redmond drops by Davis-Sac Go Club

Published On 10/1/2024

Michael Redmond 9P dropped by the Davis-Sacramento Go Club on September 18, playing simultaneous games with club members, followed by post-game analysis.

Published On 9/25/2024

The National Go Center has recently acquired a significant collection of Japanese and Chinese go books, thanks to generous donations.

Published On 9/25/2024

For the first time since the tradition began in 1991, there was no Congress coffee mug this year.

Published On 9/24/2024

Enthusiasm filled the air as players and spectators alike gathered in Raleigh, North Carolina, on a perfect mid-September day for the North Carolina State Go Championship.

Published On 9/24/2024

“Your September 19 journal article ‘AGA Rules Win’ brings up something about the passing stones rule that has always vexed me, but hopefully unnecessarily,” writes David Hast from Grand Rapids, MI. “Perhaps you can explain."

Haskell Small remembered

Published On 9/22/2024

The River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation hall was filled with family and friends of longtime Go organizer Haskell Small on Saturday, September 14.

Published On 9/20/2024

The prestigious Eternal Cup Southern California Go Championship is set to make a highly anticipated return this Fall after a four-year break due to the pandemic.

AGA Rules Win

Published On 9/19/2024

A remarkable incident at the New England Go Open held over Labor Day weekend produced a useful lesson – in Go and AGA rules.

Published On 9/18/2024

Registration is now open for the 2024 Oregon State Go Tournament. The tournament will take place November 16-17, at the Portland Japanese Garden’s Yanai Classroom.

Published On 9/18/2024

The San Diego Go Club has released its schedule for fall 2024 Go tournaments...

AGA Board Meeting set for this Sunday

Published On 9/17/2024

The next AGA Board Meeting will be this Sunday, September 22 at 8pm EDT. Click here for the draft agenda. If you'd like to attend, email board chair Trevor Morris at trevor.morris@usgo.org

Published On 9/17/2024

Yan Jin 5D was crowned the 2024 Colorado State Go Champion after an impressive undefeated run at the Southern Colorado Open Go Tournament on September 7th.

Published On 9/17/2024

The seventh annual Great Cincy Go Tournament took place on Saturday, August 24, drawing players from Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Published On 9/13/2024

A celebration of Haskell Small’s life will be held this Saturday, September 14th, 1pm in Bethesda, MD, with a remote option; the National Go Center will host an Open House and Self-Paired Tournament in Hal’s honor later that day starting at 6p.

Published On 9/8/2024

In an intense showdown at the National Go Center’s (NGC) Back-to-School Tournament, Justin Teng 6D emerged as the undisputed champion, finishing with a flawless 4-0 record.

Go tourney triple-stream this weekend!

Published On 9/5/2024

Tune in this weekend for top-board streams from tournaments in DC, Colorado and San Diego.

Published On 9/5/2024

Thirty four Go enthusiasts gathered in Silicon Valley last Sunday, Sept. 1, for a day of intense competition.

Published On 9/5/2024

The third New England Open saw a record turnout with 69 participants, a remarkable achievement for this growing event.

Published On 8/28/2024

Thirty-eight different players in five divisions competed in the recent Coffee Cup Tournament, organized by the Santa Monica Go Club.

Published On 8/27/2024

Nearly 60 players – ranging from 1P to 28K – are registered for the 3rd Go New England Open, taking place this weekend at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford, MA.

Published On 8/21/2024

At a well-attended meeting Sunday, National Go Center board members and community supporters developed plans to significantly expand NGC programs this Fall,.

Published On 8/12/2024

It takes a lot of hard and painstaking work to record, comment and broadcast these streams and reports and we deeply appreciate all the efforts and dedication of the following teams...

New books from BOARD N'STONES

Published On 8/12/2024

BOARD N'STONES, the English-language branch of primarily German-language Go books publisher Brett und Stein Verlag, has released four new titles this year; here’s a rundown.

GO CLUB NEWS: NYC & Salt Lake City

Published On 8/12/2024

Club reports from New York City and Salt Lake City. Got club news? Send it to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 8/4/2024

The Japan Go Federation, encompassing the Nihon Ki-in, Kansai Ki-in, and the Japan Pair Go Association, has initiated a crowdfunding campaign aimed at spreading awareness of both Go and Pair Go.

Published On 8/4/2024

Attendance at the Women's Tournament remained strong throughout the week of the recent US Go Congress, with more than thirty participants on Friday, the fourth and final day of the tournament.

Published On 8/3/2024

The latest ratings for all the Go tournaments held at the recent US Go Congress are now available!

Published On 8/2/2024

A celebration of Haskell Small’s life will be held Saturday, September 14th, 1pm at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda, MD (6301 River Road).

Published On 7/28/2024

Register and pay by August 1 and get a 20% discount at the third Annual Go New England Open, set for Labor Day weekend.

“Month of Go” proclaimed in Hawai’i

Published On 7/28/2024

Hawai’i Governor Josh Green has proclaimed the month of July “The Month of Go.”

Published On 7/28/2024

Updated list with the names of the winners for each of the tournaments held at the 2024 US Go Congress in Portland, OR.

Published On 7/23/2024

After over a year of preparation and countless hours from dozens of volunteers, the 40th annual US Go Congress has officially come to a close. Co-directors Jonas Acres and Stew Towle sat down outside of Smith Memorial Student Union on Sunday for the ceremonial final game of the 2024 Go Congress...

Congress winner photos

Published On 7/21/2024

Click here to see photos of many of the 2024 US Go Congress winners at last night's banquet/closing ceremony.

Published On 7/20/2024

Taegyeom Kim 7d edged out Insu Ryu 7d by a half-point Friday night to put the 2024 US Masters tournament crown up for grabs in the final round Saturday morning.

History repeats at Portland Go Congress

Published On 7/19/2024

Sometimes history does repeat itself.

Crazy Go at the US Go Congress

Published On 7/18/2024

photos/collage by Chris Garlock

AGA Board election results

Published On 7/18/2024

Ted, Daniel, Paul & Michael.

Die Hard, by the numbers

Published On 7/18/2024

One hundred and twenty five players logged nearly 200 games Wednesday in the Die Hard Tournament (192, to be exact).

Ryu, Peng lead in Masters & US Open

Published On 7/18/2024

After four rounds, an undefeated Insu Ryu 7d leads the Masters tournament, while Zuhao Peng 6d is also 4-0 in the U.S. Open.

Maryland wins US Go State Championship

Published On 7/17/2024

Maryland State Champion Michael Chen defeated Virginia's Edward Zhang by 30.5 points on Tuesday to claim the first US Go State Championship.

Published On 7/16/2024

The US Go Congress Women’s Tournament has reached the halfway mark after two days of competition. The event attracted 45 players and 41 matches have already been played.

At the Lightning Tournament

Published On 7/16/2024

Photo from the Lightning Tournament Monday night.

Lightning Tournament winner’s report

Published On 7/16/2024

Ninety four players participated in the Lighting Tournament Monday night; here's who won.

Published On 7/15/2024

Whether you’re at this year’s US Go Congress or following from afar, there are lots of ways to stay on top of all the action this week in Portland, Oregon.

Published On 7/15/2024

The 2024 US Go Congress is the 40th edition of this event; it’s also got a unique quality that puts it in a very small group of US Go Congresses.

Published On 7/14/2024

Fortieth US Go Congress gets underway; the day in snapshots.

Published On 7/14/2024

AGA/AGF organizational meetings at the US Go Congress are accessible via Zoom.

Published On 7/11/2024

The Iwamoto North America Foundation for Go (INAF) has awarded its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award to Sam Zimmerman.

Published On 7/11/2024

Lee Saedol was one of the world’s top Go players, and his shocking loss to an A.I. opponent was a harbinger of a new, unsettling era. “It may not be a happy ending,” he says.

Published On 7/4/2024

The Korean Baduk Association is hosting the 2024 Samsung Cup World Masters, and has opened up registrations for the World Division to strong amateur players from North America.

Published On 7/4/2024

A series of 10 Go teacher workshops have been scheduled for the upcoming U.S. Go Congress, aimed at promoting the game of Go and training new instructors.

Published On 7/2/2024

The E-Journal’s YouTube videos of this year’s North American Go Federation’s Pro Qualifier have all now been collected in a handy playlist, along with links to our complete coverage.

Published On 6/29/2024

The breathtaking view of Mexico City from the 19th floor of the National University of Mexico’s cultural center was appreciated by the 56 attendees of the 8th Mexico Go Congress, but it did not distract them from the fierce competition on the Go boards June 22 to 24th.

New AGA benefit for qualifying seniors

Published On 6/29/2024

In a new blog post, AGA President Gurujeet Khalsa on Friday announced a new benefit for qualified seniors. “The AGA has teamed up with Grouper to get eligible participants paid for engaging in our community, ensuring you stay healthy and connected,” said Khalsa.

Published On 6/29/2024

More than 60 Go enthusiasts and supporters celebrated the third annual Burning Board Go Festival June 17-23 in the woods of North Carolina.

Published On 6/24/2024

Meet a fascinating and dedicated teacher who comes all the way from Hawaii

Published On 6/23/2024

The E-Journal team is once again planning comprehensive coverage of the upcoming U.S. Go Congress, the biggest Go event on the continent, scheduled for July 12-21 in Portland, OR.

Published On 6/23/2024

The Korean Cultural Center in Mexico City has successfully concluded a three-month baduk course.

Published On 6/21/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/21/2024

Bill Lin thought he had “a good chance” to make the semifinals at the 2024 NAGF ProQual tournament. Friday he finished a 9-1 run – including a 2-0 sweep of Sen Zhan in the finals -- to win the event and collect his professional Go certificate.

Published On 6/21/2024

Bill Lin still remembers losing in the second NAGF Pro Qualifier, a decade ago. But he’s not that kid anymore and on Friday he finished the job in style, sweeping Sen Zhan 2-0 to clinch the 2024 edition and become North America’s latest professional Go player.

Published On 6/20/2024

Candidates for this year’s AGA board elections are...

Fun & games at the National War College

Published On 6/20/2024

The National Co Center (NGC) teamed up with the National War College (NWC) on May 31 for a Go teaching event as a fun end-of-term activity.

Published On 6/20/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/20/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/20/2024

Anyone concerned about whether Bill Lin would have enough gas left in his tank for the 2024 ProQual finals after three marathon knife-edge semifinals against Guangyu Song needn’t have worried.

Published On 6/19/2024

Updated with details on tourney prep.

Published On 6/19/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/19/2024

Sen Zhan prevailed in his ProQual semifinal, defeating young Michael Xu 2-0 on Wednesday in a pair of hard-fought-games. He awaits the winner of the third game in the other semifinal, as Bill Lin and Guanyu Song split their matches...

Final four set for ProQual semis

Published On 6/18/2024

Bill Lin was very likely the only one who slept soundly Monday night, his seat in the NAGF semifinals guaranteed by his sweep of the first four rounds. But for the rest of the leading contenders, it must have been a restless night.

ProQual Game Highlights: Day 3

Published On 6/18/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

U.S. Go Congress Pro Spotlight #2

Published On 6/18/2024

Through the start of the 2024 U.S. Go Congress on July 13th, we’re running spotlights on several of the professionals who will be attending. Today’s featured pros are Li Zhe and Michael Chen.

ProQual Game Highlights: Day 2

Published On 6/17/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/17/2024

The competition was fierce on Monday at the 2024 North American Go Federation Pro Qualification Tournament in Montreal, as top Go players from across the continent battled to make the cut for the semi-finals, which begin Wednesday morning.

More 2024 NAGF ProQual Player Profiles

Published On 6/17/2024

The 2024 North American Go Federation Pro Qualification Tournament is being held in Montreal, Canada this week. Live game commentaries start at 10:30a ET daily on the AGA’s YouTube channel. Full event overview, including standings and game records here. Check out photos of the tournament on the AGA’s Facebook and X (@theaga) feeds. Here’s our second batch of player profiles.

Published On 6/17/2024

For over a year, Tony Yang 7D has been taking on any challenger on KGS in the San Diego Go Club Room at 7:00 p.m. PDT on Tuesdays and then analyzing the game with his opponent immediately afterwards. With school ending for the summer, Tuesday, June 18 will be his last "Tuesday with Tony" until the fall.

ProQual Game Highlights: Day 1

Published On 6/16/2024

James Sedgwick reports on some of the exciting games at the 2024 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament.

Published On 6/16/2024

Bill Lin leads the A Division 2-0 in this week’s NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament, while Tianyi Chen and Sen Zhang are co-leaders in the B Division. Round 3 starts at 9:30a ET Monday morning, with all games expected to be relayed on OGS (look for ProQual 2024) and live game commentaries starting at 10:30a ET on the AGA’s YouTube channel.

Published On 6/15/2024

Tune in to the AGA’s YouTube Channel Sunday morning starting at 10a ET for the 2024 North American Go Federation Pro Qualification Tournament, which is being held in Montreal, Canada this week. Here’s our first batch of player profiles.

Published On 6/15/2024

Today’s the last day to save before rates increase for this year’s U.S. Go Congress, set for July 13-21 in Portland, OR; click here to book now. This is the year’s biggest gathering of Go players, with tournaments, professional lectures and workshops and so much more, including lots to do on the traditional mid-week Day Off. Here are some more options…

Published On 6/14/2024

We know Go players love to play Go and it’s hard to drag yourself away from the biggest Go gathering of the year so we’d just like to note that you can play at any/all of the places local organizers are suggesting for the mid-week Day Off at this year’s U.S. Go Congress, set for July 13-21 in Portland, OR; book now before rates increase on June 15.

Published On 6/13/2024

Meet the contestants in the 2024 Pro Qualification Tournament; our live coverage starts this Sunday, June 16.

Published On 6/13/2024

With this year’s U.S. Go Congress just a month away now – July 13-21 in Portland, OR; book now before rates increase on June 15 – it’s a good time to start thinking about options for the mid-week Day Off. Here are a few possibilities…

AGA Board nominations close June 15

Published On 6/10/2024

Nominations for AGA board seats must be made and accepted by this Saturday, June 15.

Burning Board starts next week

Published On 6/10/2024

One of the most unique Go events in the United States is fast approaching.

Published On 6/5/2024

Haskell “Hal” Small, the father of the US Go Congress, passed away on Saturday, June 1st, two days shy of his 77th birthday. He leaves behind his wife Betsy, his two daughters, Sarah and Rachel and a legacy of joy, competition and friendship that will never end.

Published On 6/5/2024

“Register for the 2024 U.S. Go Congress before June 15th to avoid paying higher late registration fees," advises director Stew Towle. "After June 15th, fees will increase to $500 for adults and $250 for youth, as it becomes challenging for us to adjust based on attendance."

In Memoriam: Jim Hlavka

Published On 6/4/2024

Long-time U.S. Go Congress attendee Jim Hlavka passed away at 74 years old on May 2, 2024.

Published On 6/3/2024

Rich Chalmers 1k is the 2024 Vermont State Champion, a title he’s held several times in the past. Chalmers went 3-0 for the win in the Vermont Go Championship, which was held at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT this past Sunday, June 2.

Published On 6/3/2024

Competition was fierce in the fifth Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament’s senior division in Lexington, MA on May 27th.

Published On 5/30/2024

The ten national champions who prevailed in the 2nd Latin American Weiqi Championship Circuit- Quzhou Lanke Cup will compete online this weekend to determine the event’s top champion. Follow the action on OGS on June 1 and 2 and through the FIG Twitch channel.

U.S. Go Congress Pro Spotlight #1

Published On 5/29/2024

Through the start of the 2024 U.S. Go Congress on July 13th, we’ll be running spotlights on several of the professionals who will be attending. Today’s featured pros are Myungwan Kim and Do Eunkyo.

Published On 5/28/2024

Replaying games is a crucial feature of the SmartGo One app, and now this is even easier: just swipe in the empty area below the board to go forward or backward in a game.

Published On 5/26/2024

The 37 players gathered outside of Baltimore for the 48th Maryland Open over the Memorial Day weekend expected to see a showdown between defending champion Michael Chen 1P and Alex Qi 1P. But Ninghan Duan 7 dan upset things...

Published On 5/26/2024

The annual U.S. Go Congress is fast approaching, and organizers are urging enthusiasts to book their reservations soon.

Published On 5/26/2024

Trouble Master Volume 2 from Inseong Hwang, and Vital Endgame, from Janice Kim.

AGA board nominations update

Published On 5/23/2024

Newcomers Adam Anaya and Michael Yixian Zhou have now been nominated for the AGA board's At-Large seat, along with incumbents Paul Celmer (East) and Ted Terpstra (West).

Published On 5/23/2024

Registration is open for the 39th World Youth Goe Championship US qualifier on June 1st to determine the US Representative who will compete in Romania in August later this year.

Published On 5/19/2024

On April 20 and 21, the American Go Honor Society hosted the annual Girls Who Play Go (GWPG) Tournament, where 15 of North America's top young female Go players competed for the coveted championship title.

Last Call: AGA Summer Camp July 5-11

Published On 5/18/2024

Michael Chen 1P and Alex Qi 1P will be teaching cutting-edge Go techniques and winning strategies at this year’s AGA Summer Go Camp July 5-11 at the National Go Center.

Slow start for 2023 board nominations.

Published On 5/16/2024

Nominations have come forward for incumbents Paul Celmer(East) and Ted Terpstra(West). If you know of someone who you believe would offer guidance and service to the AGA, consider making a nomination.

Published On 5/13/2024

In a thrilling display of strategic prowess, Alexander Qi emerged as the undefeated champion at this year's New York State Championship held at the prestigious New York Institute of Go. The title of New York State Champion was claimed by Alan Huang.

Published On 5/12/2024

With summer fast approaching, organizers of the 2024 U.S. Go Congress -- July 13-21, in Portland, OR -- are urging attendees to make sure you have booked your housing.

Congress registration tops 400

Published On 5/7/2024

Attendance for the upcoming U.S. Go Congress in Portland has now passed the 400 mark.

Published On 5/6/2024

The highly anticipated Maryland Open is back for its 48th edition, set to take place just outside Baltimore on Memorial Day weekend, May 25th and 26th. Go enthusiasts from across the region are gearing up to register for this long-running event, hosted by the Baltimore Go Club.

San Diego tourney to feature new format

Published On 5/6/2024

The San Diego Championship tournament, set for Memorial Day weekend, features a new format this year: two separate tournaments.

Published On 5/4/2024

Four American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are in play for the Eastern, Western, Central and At-Large positions.

Published On 5/4/2024

Applications are open for youth players ages 18 and under to attend the Kuksu Mountain International Youth Baduk Festival between August 2-6 in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. On-site costs and accommodations will be covered by the organizers.

Published On 4/25/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has unveiled its 2024 Creative Writing and Art Contest, inviting Go enthusiasts throughout North America to showcase their talents.

Published On 4/25/2024

Syracuse's annual Salt City Tournament drew 23 players last week, all of whom got cake and a new Go book.

Published On 4/25/2024

The Austin Go Club’s early-April Go tournament attracted 40 participants from all over Texas and neighboring states for friendly competition; winners were awarded locally-designed challenge coins.

AGA Board meets Sunday

Published On 4/23/2024

The AGA Board will meet this Sunday, April 28 at 8p EDT; If any members would like to attend, contact Board Chair Trevor Morris at trevor.morris@usgo.org

Published On 4/18/2024

“Despite chilly weather the inaugural East Bay Go Tournament held in Berkeley, CA was a resounding success!” reports Jiaying Wei.

Published On 4/14/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has announced its 2024 Guess the Rank Charity Event, the first of its kind that AGHS has organized.

Published On 4/14/2024

Shin-An World Baduk Masters is a professional tournament in South Korea for players over 45 years old. The North American Go Federation, along with the San Francisco Go Club, will host a qualification tournament to select one player to represent North America in this tournament.

Published On 4/14/2024

The Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament will be held on May 27th int Lexington, MA.

U.S. Go Congress registration hits 300

Published On 4/14/2024

“Our intrepid alliance of AGA old-timers and Portland Go Club up-and-comers has been toiling diligently forward on preparations for the 40th Annual US Go Congress,” reports Stew Towle.

Published On 4/7/2024

Oceanside, CA, resident David Baron 6K emerged victorious at the second annual California Over-65 State Go Championship this Sunday, clinching the title after a series of tie-breakers among the top contenders.

Published On 4/7/2024

The 2024 Utah State Championship will be held on April 13; current AGA membership is required.

Published On 4/7/2024

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is resuming its Weekly Go Problems series.

Published On 4/7/2024

Over the weekend of March 23rd, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) held its eagerly anticipated annual School Team Tournament (STT), showcasing the strategic depth and camaraderie among the nation's most promising young Go players.

Published On 4/7/2024

March 31 marked a momentous day at the Tech Time Go Club as it played host to its inaugural Tech Time Spring Tournament, showcasing an electrifying blend of strategy and skill across two sections of competition.

Gotham Go Tourney set for May 25

Published On 4/7/2024

The Gotham Go Tournament is scheduled for May 25th in downtown Brooklyn, New York.

Published On 4/3/2024

Registration for the American Go Honor Society’s Girls Who Play Go Tournament is now open; registration deadline is April 19 at 11:59 PST.

Published On 4/3/2024

The 48th Maryland Open, the longest-running tournament in the country, will be held May 25 and May 26 in Catonsville Maryland, just outside of the Baltimore Beltway. The 5-round AGA tournament features prizes in all sections and even games for most of the field. Time control is 40 minutes per player, with 30 seconds byoyomi. For more information and registration go to baltimoregoclub.org

Published On 3/31/2024

Eighteen professional Go players have been confirmed for this year’s U.S. Go Congress, “with a strong chance of more to come,” organizers report. The Congress is set for July 13-21 in Portland, Oregon; the earlybird rate deadline has been extended to April 15.

L.A. Open set for April 13

Published On 3/31/2024

The inaugural Los Angeles Open Tournament has been scheduled for April 13th. “This eagerly anticipated event comprises four rounds of intense competition, welcoming players of all skill levels, from seasoned veterans to those new to the game,” reports TD Yixian Michael Zhou

Published On 3/29/2024

In an effort to reduce the financial burden of attending the 2024 U.S. Go Congress, the AGA and local organizers have reduced the base Congress registration fee this year. “In addition,” reports Stewart Towle, “we have decided to extend the Early-Bird, extra-reduced rates through April 15.”

Published On 3/27/2024

Kim Jiseok 9P, ranked #9 in South Korea and the 2014 Samsung Cup champion, is the featured guest at the 2024 Chicago Open, set for May 25-26. CMT Digital is sponsoring the event.

Amy Guo wins first BadukPop Tournament

Published On 3/27/2024

Amy Guo took first place in the Open Division of the 2024 BadukPop Go Tournament held at the San Francisco Go Club on March 23.

Published On 3/27/2024

I spent this past winter in Mexico, which meant the only way I could play Go was by using the computer. Thanks to Dragon Go Server, I had plenty of action, but I found something was definitely missing when playing the game that way.

Published On 3/27/2024

Alez Qi won the third round of the Lanke Cup Qualifier on March 12, defeating Michael Chen to join Ryan Li representing North America at the upcoming Lanke Cup.

Published On 3/24/2024

January to mid-March 2024: Ueno Risa wins Women's Kisei; Ichiriki defends Kisei and wins the NHK Cup and the Shusai Prize; Kobayashi Izumi wins Teikei Women's Legends; Shibano begins defending Judan.

Published On 3/24/2024

The 2024 AGA Summer Go Camp will be held July 5-11 at the National Go Center in Washington, DC, led by Michael Chen 1P and Alexander Qi 1P.

Published On 3/24/2024

Book now to take advantage of early bird rates for this year’s U.S. Go Congress; the deadline is April 1.

Published On 3/12/2024

A four-round tournament sponsored by BadukPop at the San Francisco Go Club will be held March 23.

Mexico City school hosts youth tourney

Published On 3/12/2024

Sixty five elementary school students participated in the Serapio Rendón School’s "School Internal Go Tournament" on February 29 in Mexico City.

Published On 3/11/2024

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) will hold the 2024 Pro Qualification Tournament at College André-Grasset, Montreal, Canada from June 16 to 21, 2024. Deadline for applications is March 31.

Published On 3/5/2024

Win a free trip to the Go Congress

Published On 3/4/2024

Ryan Li 4P swept both Alex Qu 1P and Michael Chen 1P last weekend to clinch the first North American rep slot for the 2nd Quzhou Lanke Cup later this year. A third-round qualifier will be held on March 12 at 7:30p ET to determine the second N.A. rep to the Lanke Cup.

Published On 3/3/2024

Go enthusiasts aged 65 and above are gearing up for the highly anticipated 2024 California State Go Championship, set to take place on Sunday, March 10. Hosted at the residence of former San Diego Go Club president Ted Terpstra, the event promises a day of intense competition and camaraderie. “Come for a fun day of Go with contemporaries and stay for the sunset over the Pacific Ocean,” says Terpstra.

Published On 3/2/2024

Ryan Li 4P will play Michael Chen 1P Sunday at 5p ET for the first North American representative to the Quzhou Lanke Cup World Weiqi Open Tournament. Watch live coverage on Twitch and the AGA’s website.

Published On 3/2/2024

In the heart of Plano, Texas, the 2024 South Central Go Tournament unfolded on the weekend of February 17-18 amid fierce competition. Fifty-one players, split into Open and Handicap sections, battled it out over two intense days of play.

Another online pro match this weekend!

Published On 2/29/2024

Four American pros will compete online again this weekend, this time for the chance to represent North America in the second Quzhou Lanke Cup World Weiqi Open Tournament, an international professional event organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association.

Published On 2/26/2024

The American Collegiate Go Association’s free weekly Go lessons are now available every Saturday from 5 - 7 pm ET via Zoom.

Published On 2/25/2024

China was looking good in the 25th Nongshim Cup on Monday, with four Chinese players remaining, and just one Korean player and one Japanese player still standing. Then Shin Jinseo notched six straight wins to claim the Nongshim for Korea.

Published On 2/25/2024

The 2024 Michigan Go Championship, a one-day five round event, has been set for Saturday, April 27 in Madison Heights, Michigan.

Published On 2/24/2024

Registration is now open for the American Go Honor Society’s annual School Team Tournament is open.

Published On 2/24/2024

The Korea Baduk Association has launched the ‘Let's Go Baduk School’ app, an animated educational program tailored for beginners, with the aim of promoting Baduk (Go) among children globally.

Published On 2/24/2024

Ryo Maeda 6p, who has attended the US Go Congress for the past 19 years, reports that the Kansai Kiin will be organizing the 9th Osaka Go Camp June 30- July 18.

Alex Qi wins N.A. Chunlan Cup qualie

Published On 2/18/2024

Alex Qi 1P won the North American Chunlan Cup Qualifier today after Ryan Li 4P made a misclick that cost him the game.

Published On 2/17/2024

It's either Ryan or Alex for the North American rep to the Chunlan Cup.

Published On 2/16/2024

Tune in on OGS this weekend to see top North American professionals compete in a qualifier to determine who will represent the continent in the prestigious Chunlan Cup. Round 1 will be held Saturday at 2p ET (Ryan Li 4P vs Michael Chen 1P), and 3p (Mingjiu Jiang 7P vs Alex Qi 1P). Round 2 will be Sunday at 5p ET. Each player gets 1 hour basic time and five periods of 60 seconds byoyomi.

Published On 2/10/2024

Registration for this year’s US Go Congress is now open, and “in an effort to make the 40th annual US Go Congress the biggest one yet,” organizers have slashed fees for early bird registrants to $400 for adult participants and $200 for youth. Early bird deadline is April 1.

Published On 2/10/2024

In the last third of 2023: Shibano defended Meijin, Fujisawa defended Women's Honinbo, Ichiriki took the Tengen and secured a Triple Crown, Iyama defended the Oza, women's tournament prize money increased, Nakamura Sumire prepares to transfer to Korea Kiwon, and more.

50 years aGO – February 1974

Published On 2/9/2024

Sakata Eio's defense of the Nihon Ki'in Championship was hanging by a thread, despite picking up a win in game three, he still trailed his young challenger, Katō Masao 8d with one win to two in the five game match. But on February 1-2 he evened the series with a 1.5 point win. And on February 12-13 he completed his come from behind defense with a solid 6.5 point win.

From the 15th to the 17th, the 4th Prague Handicap Tournament was held. The joint winners were J. Holecek 4k and J. Juzek 14k.

Game Records from SmartGoOne, Photo from Game Records of Flames, a collection of Sakata's title games

February AGA board meeting announcement

Published On 2/8/2024

Here's a link to the agenda for the upcoming AGA Board meeting on Sunday, February 18 at 8:00pm EST.

Published On 2/8/2024

The Evanston Go Club will host the 2024 Chicago Open on Memorial Day Weekend May 25-26 at Holiday Inn Chicago North-Evanston. The event features seven rounds over two days, complete with prizes, lectures and a dinner party. All games are AGA-rated. See the website here.

SmartGo: latest new features

Published On 2/4/2024

Some highlights of features recently added to the SmartGo app include...

Published On 2/3/2024

Niklaus Wirth, inventor of Pascal and other programming languages, died on January 1; “His ideas on strong typing, modularity, and reducing complexity stuck with me,” said SmartGo’s Anders Kirulf in a post last month.

Go Tools: ScribeGo app

Published On 2/3/2024

Tony Yang (AGA 7D), a current sophomore in high school, has published his first iOS app "ScribeGo" after three months of development, with the goal of helping players like him improve their skills in the game of Go. Currently, the app is only available on iOS with goal of eventually releasing on Android platforms.

Upcoming Go Events

Published On 2/3/2024

NAOL Season 8 Registration, New York State Championship, South Central Go Tournament

Published On 1/30/2024

Registration is now open for the 31th Redmond Cup and 7th AGA Girls Cup, the AGA’s annual premier youth tournaments for North American youth under 18 and females under 16 respectively. Players must have an accredited rank of 1-dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 9-kyu or higher to participate in the AGA Girls Cup.

ACGA launches free Go lessons

Published On 1/30/2024

The American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) will launch free Go lessons for beginners to 5-Kyu players this Saturday.

Published On 1/29/2024

The Space Coast Area Go Association meets regularly on Saturday around 2pm. The place is the coffee shop at Books-A-Million in Viera, a rapidly growing area just north of Melbourne, Florida. However, Saturday January 27 was an exception.

Published On 1/27/2024

Ten-year old Gunyeoul 'Louis' Yang 5D edged Virginia State Champion Samuel Lee by a single point in the third round of the handicap tournament in the Annandale VA Go club on December 30, 2023. Clearly, his diligent studies with Korean pros have paid off.

Published On 1/27/2024

More than 70 players gathered at the San Francisco Go Club earlier this month for the North American Ing Go Cup. Demonstrating their exceptional skill and strategy, Rui Naiwei and Duan Ninghan shared first place in the Open section, while Jeremy Chiu claimed third place.

Go Review: The Maniac

Published On 1/27/2024

“Lee Sedol, the Strong Stone, 9 dan master of Go, the most creative player of his generation and the only human being who has ever defeated an advanced artificial intelligence system in tournament settings, lost his voice when he turned thirteen.”

Published On 1/22/2024

Updated Congress discount link for Vance Hotel.

Published On 1/19/2024

While registration for this year’s U.S. Go Congress – scheduled for July 13-21 in Portland, Oregon – won’t open for another week or so, you can start looking into booking your hotel rooms now. Dorm rooms at Portland State University (PSU), the Congress site, will be available when registration opens, but “Because of the large expected attendance, we will be asking people who want to book single rooms to think about the hotels first,” say Congress organizers.

Published On 1/17/2024

Registration is open for the 2024 North American Kyu Championship! This is an online youth tournament that will take place on the KGS Go Server on Saturday, February 17. Registration will close on February 11.

50 years aGO – January 1974

Published On 1/14/2024

Over the New Year holiday (Oshōgatsu), a handicap tournament was held in Tōkyō for foreigners. It was won by Donald Potter 2k with a perfect 6-0 record. Mr. Potter authored chapters 2 and 3 of The Go Player's Almanac.
On January 4, James Kerwin arrived in Japan aiming to study go for a few years. The British Go Journal described him as a "promising 27 year old American 4 dan."
On January 8, Katō Masao 8d won the second game of the Nihon Ki'in Championship, taking a 2-0 lead over title holder Sakata Eio in this five-game series.

Published On 1/1/2024

Xingke Sun 7D bested Guanyu Song 7D in the American Collegiate Go Association’s debut event, the ACGA Virtual Pilot Tournament. The December 28 event attracted undergraduates and graduates from over 20 universities across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

2014 Go Congress site goes poof!

Published On 12/30/2023

“Bit by bit, floor by floor, the building that once rose 22 stories over Penn Station is shrinking before the city’s very eyes. The black netting draped over its ever-diminishing brick is like a magician’s handkerchief; once removed, it will reveal — nothing. Behold: The Great Disappearing Act of the Hotel Pennsylvania.”

Published On 12/29/2023

In the heart of Chigasaki, Japan, at the crossroads of passion and destiny, I sat down with Richard Bozulich, the man behind Kiseido Publishing Company, for an intimate reflection on his extraordinary journey in the world of Go.

Published On 12/27/2023

Guanyu Song will represent North America at the 22nd World Students Go Oza Championship in Tokyo, Japan in February 2024.

Published On 12/26/2023

The registration deadline for the American Collegiate Go Association’s inaugural virtual tournament is tomorrow, Wednesday, December 27 at 10a; click here to register.

Published On 12/20/2023

“Do you know if Just Enough Japanese, Volume One: Basic Level Practical Japanese and other books here are available to buy as printed books?” wonders Haskell Small.

50 Years aGO - December 1973

Published On 12/10/2023

On December 19, the first games of the Meijin League occurred. Hashimoto Utarō 9d, age 66, lost his first game to Honda Kunihisa 9d (game record: Honda vs. Hashimoto). On the same day, 71 year old Iwamoto Kaoru 9d defeated Fujisawa Hōsai 9d (game record: Iwamoto vs. Fujisawa).

Sakata Eio 9d began his defense of his Nihon Ki'in Championship on Christmas Day. The 53 year old was challenged by Katō Masao, already 8d at the age of 26. Youth prevailed (game record: Katō vs. Sakata).

50 Years aGO - November 1973

Published On 11/19/2023

This month focuses on the Ōza (Throne) title. The second oldest of the open titles is sponsored by the Nihon Keizai Newspaper. The title holder was veteran Sakata Eio 9d and at this time the title was best of three. The challenger was Rin Kaihō Meijin, fresh off his comeback victory over Ishida Yoshio Hon'inbo.
On November 15, the man with the momentum took the first game. However, Sakata would not go down easily, evening the match on November 21.

Published On 3/29/2022

Commentary: Guo Juan 5P
Game Editor: William Cobb
Published in the March 29, 2022 edition of the American Go Journal

Guo Juan comments on a single-digit kyu game.

Guo Juan 5P is a popular go teacher based in Amsterdam. Check out her online go school. It features short, focused lectures and problems made specifically to practice what you've learned until you remember it in your games. If you haven't used her site before, there is a one month free trial. Check it out at http://internetgoschool.com.

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Published On 2/21/2016

If you missed the February 14 livestream of "Lee Changho 9p vs Cho Chikun 9p, the LEGENDS OF BADUK FINAL ROUND" you can catch it now2016.02.20_LEGENDS OF BADUK FINAL ROUND on the AGA's YouTube Channel. Lee Changho plays Cho Chikun (Chihoon), in the last round of the LEGENDS OF BADUK tournament featuring the greatest Korean players of the '80s and '90s; Myungwan Kim 9P comments, with Andrew Jackson.

Published On 2/21/2016

Slate & Shell is having its annual "Dark of Winter" sale. The following books are available at 50% off through February 29: The Meijin's Retirement Game, Old vs 2016.02.20-dark-of-winterNew Fuseki, All About Joseki, Whole Board Thinking in Joseki, Monkey Jump Workshop, Kamakura, The Chinese Opening, 200 Tesuji Problems, and Master Play: The Style of Lee Sedol.

Beomgeun Cho Wins Jujo Ing Cup

Published On 2/20/2016

Beomgeun Cho 7D (right) won the 2016 Jujo Ing Cup open section and Ary Cheng 4D won the handicap section. The 24th Jujo Ing Cup tournament was 2016.02.20_Jujo-Cup-Beomgeun Choheld February 14 at the Hilton Hotel in Chinatown, San Francisco. Jiang ZhuJiu, Rui NaiWei and Jiang MingJiu were all in attendance. "A great time was had by all, but the main topic of discussion always seemed to revert to AlphaGo," reports organizer and TD Ernest Brown. "Next year's tournament -- the 25th -- promises to be a grand affair and we hope to provide free entry to anyone who has participated over the past 25 years." Click here for complete open section results and handicap section results. photo by Ernest Brown

Go Classified: Go Journals available

Published On 2/20/2016

Go Journals available: Old American Go Journals from 1974 through 1997 and American Go Yearbooks from 2003 through 2009 are offered free, preferably to a go club, school or non-profit organization. Click here for details and contact information if interested.

Published On 2/20/2016

In "Seven Common Misconceptions Concerning the History of Go in Ancient China," go author Peter Shotwell -- inspired by the recent popular 2016.02.20_four-arts-chinese-literati-06_leadingappearance of several errors and misconceptions concerning the history of early go in China -- draws on his previously-published work and adds new material based on recent studies to provide a handy guide for those interested in disseminating the “real story” of the history of go. For example, Shotwell writes that there is "no evidence that Go was ever used for astral divination because this was always done on very dissimilar Shi Ban (“Sky Boards”) and the mysteriously arranged playing surfaces of the dice game Liu Bo (“Six Sticks”)." The January post is available in the the Bob High Memorial Library (click on Appendix IX: Seven Common Misconceptions About Early Go).

Published On 2/20/2016

Forty-three players from five states competed in the South Central Go Tournament, held in Dallas, Texas February 13th and 14th. Fifteen played2016.02.20_dallas-open in the Open Section (right) and 28 in the Handicap Section. “It went so well we are already thinking of doing something similar next year,” said Tournament Director Kevin Hwang. 2016.02.20_dallas-handi In the Open Section, Zelong Dong 7D took first place, Muzhen Ai 5D was second, and Xuyu Xiang 7D took third place. In the Handicap Section (left), Andrew McGowan 1K took first place, Zhiqiang Xiang 1K was second and Billy Maier 4K took third place. "For several players this was a first AGA tournament and for some others marked a return to AGA tournament play after a long interval," reports Bob Gilman, AGA Central Region Director. photos by Bob Gilman

Your Move/Readers Write: "The Warlords"

Published On 2/20/2016

"In the movie 'The Warlords," there are two men playing go and a third discussing it starting at 56:19," writes Austin Harvey. warlords movie poster jet li For more on this, see our May 23, 2010 post.

Redmond Cup Registration Opens

Published On 2/18/2016

0803151542bThe 23rd annual Redmond Cup will begin in April, and registration is due by March 13th. Preliminary games will be played online and the four finalists will be invited to the 2016 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids 12 and under, and the Senior league for 17 and under. Competitors in both leagues must have an AGA or CGA rank of 1 dan or higher. The Junior league has been expanded to include 12 year olds, and both leagues now require a dan rating (kyu players can compete in the North American Kyu Championships instead). Skype will be required this year. Players who complete the tournament will be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, on a first come first served basis, courtesy of the AGF. Competitors from Mexico are also invited to the event. The participants must be members of the American Go Association or the Canadian Go Association and either re

Published On 2/14/2016

This Sunday morning -- February 14 -- at 3a PST (6a EST), Myungwan Kim 9P and Andrew Jackson will comment a game from the "Legends of Baduk" league between Lee Changho 9p and Cho Chikun 9p. Watch on YouTube or TwitchTV. Start your Valentine's Day right!

Mark Lee Teaches at Seattle Go Center

Published On 2/13/2016

Mark Lee Simul Games In addition to winning the Jin Chen Memorial Tournament, Mark Lee taught several sessions at the Seattle Go Center during his visit in January of 2016. He did game analysis for the Monday evening Double Digit Kyu Class, including reviewing a top level game. On January 5, he played simultaneous games during the regular Tuesday weekly gathering. Go Center members found his post-game analysis of their simultaneous games particularly useful. This was the sixth teaching visit by a professional or a national tournament winner to the Seattle Go Center in the last six months. The next workshop is with Yilun Yang 7P on April 9 and 10, 2016. photo/report by Brian Allen

Published On 2/13/2016

InternationalCollegiateTournamentLogo.pngThe Ing Foundation will be hosting the 2016 International Collegiate Go Tournament, at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, in Canada this summer, reports Michael Fodera of the American Collegiate Go Association. The event starts on July 7th and will finish on the 13th, and is open to any current, future, or recently graduated college student (both undergraduate and graduate) who will or has attended school in 2016. All costs related to room, board, tours, and travel during the event will be covered by the Ing foundation. The student is responsible for getting to and from the tournament site (both international and domestic travel costs), and for any personal expenses such as souvenirs, and entertainment during the course of the trip. "This is a truly unique experience as the Shanghai Ing Foundation does not spare any expense during the planning of this event," reports Fodera.

Published On 2/13/2016

The Iwamoto North American Foundation on February 8 announced jointly with the Nihon Kiin the establishment of a Go Teachers’ Workshop, to be held in Tokyo in October this year. The workshop is intended for people with interest in facilitating the implementation of go teaching into school or university curriculum. The sponsors will cover most of the expenses for the attendees. Content of the weeklong workshop includes training sessions on go instruction and organization; visits to Japanese educational institutions that have go established in the curriculum; lectures on Japanese go history and culture; group discussions on implementing go education; and pro teaching games. Click here for more details and application procedure.

Published On 2/13/2016

The Ing Foundation is hosting the 2016 International Collegiate Go Tournament at the University of Toronto, Mississauga, in Canada this2016.02.13_InternationalCollegiateTournamentLogo summer. The event starts on July 7th and will finish on the 13th. This event is open to any current, future, or recently graduated college(both undergraduate and graduate) student, who will or has attended school in the year 2016. All costs related to room, board, tours, and travel during the event will be covered by the Ing foundation. The student is responsible for getting to and from the tournament site(both international and domestic travel costs), and for any personal expenses such as souvenirs, and entertainment during the course of the trip. Click here for complete details. - Michael Fodera

Published On 2/8/2016

Blind Go Online? "A friend of mine recently lost his sight, and I helped him get some go equipment," writes Michael Redmond 9P. "Do you 2016.02.07_stuttererknow of any method for the blind to play go on the internet? Since we can expect a blind person to take some extra time, I think a correspondence system for time such as the one OGS has would be good," Redmond says. "The problem is how to input the moves and check the position, I guess. I know that there are voice- controlled browsers, so I think it should be possible to have the moves voiced as coordinates, but I could be missing something. Surely someone has had this problem before?" Email your suggestions to us at journal@usgo.org Go in Oscar-Nominated Short: "In the film "Stutterer" (UK/Ireland), one of five films nominated in the Short Films category for the Academy Awards this year, there is an extended scene with the protagonist and his father playing go," reports Peter Schumer.

Skyping in to the Go Club

Published On 2/8/2016

2016.02.08_evanston-skypeWhat do you do when you have the flu and can’t make it to the go club? That’s what Skype was invented for, says Evanston Go Club president Mark Rubenstein. “This was Kiren Polara’s idea,” says Rubenstein. “He was at home with the flu, but didn’t want to miss the club meeting. So he suggested we use Skype and KGS to let him attend virtually. It worked out really well; he got to play and watch all night long. It got me thinking about more ways we can use technology to engage more players.” The Evanston Go club has been meeting every week for nearly 20 years. Their next tournament will be March 5. “Sorry, no virtual games at the tournament, you have to attend in person!” said Rubenstein. photo by Mark Rubenstein

Published On 2/7/2016

As the go world -- and indeed much mainstream media -- has continued to buzz in the wake of the recent announcement of AlphaGo's defeat2016.02.07_Fan-Hui-vs-AlphaGo of a professional go player, details of the matchup between AlphaGo and Lee Sedol have been released. The five-game match will take place in Seoul, March 9-15, with a $1 million prize -- and the question of whether man or machine will prevail -- at stake. We'll keep you posted on broadcast coverage plans. Meanwhile, here's a few of the reactions that have come in; we welcome your thoughts at our Facebook page, Twitter or at journal@usgo.org. SmartGo's Kierulf on AlphaGo: "Exciting times with the AlphaGo announcement!" writes SmartGo's Anders Kierulf "If you’re in need of some more analysis and speculation on the Lee Sedol match, I’ve got you covered: Lee Sedol vs AlphaGo." Kierulf has also written a bit about how AlphaGo works, and encouraging people to learn go now.

Published On 2/7/2016

As the third round of the Pandanet AGA City League closes out, some leaders are emerging from the packs. In League A the Greater Washington and Canwa Vancouver 1 teams have always been at the top of the leader boards. Both teams are undefeated in their league. Two-time winner Los Angeles is in third place at this point. Washington DC 2 has come out strong this year, leading with three wins so far. Close behind is Washington DC 1 and San Francisco 1. League C has Atlanta 2 leading with the third round. Their opponents have some catching up to do for the last four rounds. Boston 3 is close behind Atlanta 2.

Click below to watch Hajin Lee 3p review two games from the A League. This round she looked at new 1p Eric Lui’s game against Edward Kim 7d and Bill Lin’s win over AGA professional exam contender Aaron Ye. Learn why joseki is important throughout the game in this video.

--Steve Colburn, TD

https://youtu.be/4qW58PLJZ44

Published On 2/7/2016

Three long-term friends of the American Go Association are among the winners of the 45th Okura Prize. Hisao Taki and Hiroko Taki were 2016.02.07_pair-go-foundershonored for their founding and 27 years of support for pair go, while and Tadaaki Jagawa won for his contributions to supporting go in the United States, Europe, and Brazil. The Okura Prize was established by the Nihon Kiin in 1972 in memory of its founder and first president, Baron Kishichiro Okura. The Prize honors those who have made significant contributions to the development of go. Read more here. photo: Hisao and Hiroko Taki at the 20th annual International Amateur Pair Go Championships in 2009, with IGF Vice President and North American representative Thomas Hsiang (left).

School Team Tourney - Registration Open

Published On 2/5/2016

SchoolTeamTournamentThe 2016 American Go Honor Society School Team Tournament (SST), North America's premier K-12 team go tournament, will be held on the weekend of April 2-3 on KGS. All public or private institutions in the US, Canada and Mexico, from kindergarten to high school, are allowed to form teams of three to compete. Contrary to the previous tradition of hosting the event over two weekends, this year's SST will take place during only one; there will be 2 rounds on each day, with the first starting at 9 AM PST (12 PM EST) and the second at 1 PM PST (4 PM PST). "Great prizes -including full scholarships to the AGA Summer Go Camp - are provided for the top places of each rank division, so don't miss out on the opportunity to play together with your classmates and fight for glory," says AGHS Promotion Head Stephen Hu. Tournament rules are posted on the AGHS website, and the registration form can be found here.

Published On 2/1/2016

unspecifiedOlin Waxler, in go, and Caden Rice, in chess, took top honors at a three school chess and go tourney in Portland, OR on Jan. 16, reports organizer Peter Freedman. Nineteen children participated, 8 playing go and 11 playing chess. Waxler, of Beverly Cleary Elementary, had a 3-0 record - taking first place in go for the third consecutive tournament. In second was Mason Bonner, Irvington, 2-1; Third, Oliver Kuerbis, Irvington, 1 ½ -1 ½ (one game was judged a tie by the tournament director). Caden Rice, Richmond, took the first place trophy in chess, with Dylan Nakaji, Richmond, taking second and Ai Rose, Richmond, taking 3rd. "Richmond continues its dominance in chess, and no one seems able to beat Olin in go. Irvington continues to show well in go," adds Freedman. To add to the festivities, kids received snack packs of black and white mm’s as a door prize. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Peter Freedman.

Published On 1/30/2016

The following is translated by Jennie Shen 2P from a WeiqiTV video: 2016.01.29_Fan-Hui Liuxing 7p: before the games, what were you expecting? FanHui 2p: I was thinking about how to torture/destroy the program, and see how many handicap stones I could give to it. Liuxing 2p: if you play AlphaGo again, do you have confidence?" FanHui 2p: I can't tell you this, it's a secret. but I can tell you how I felt when I was beaten up by AlphaGo. The first game, I wanted to play a peaceful game, but AlphaGo played an endgame tesuji, I found out I didn't have a chance. The second game, I was thinking, maybe AlphaGo is just good at endgame, so I should fight. I got a good result after the avalanche joseki, but screwed up at the lower right corner... So, later, I realized, well, humans have emotions, the emotions will effect the game a lot, but this guy (AlphaGo) doesn't have emotions, nothing affects it, it won't make mistakes.

Published On 1/28/2016

Myungwan Kim 9P will analyze the Fan Hui-AlphaGo games on the AGA YouTube and TwitchTV channels this Friday at 9p EST (6p PST). And for the first time, the broadcast will be simulcast on weiqitv.com in China. Yesterday's news2016.01.28_nature-cover that Google's go-playing AI, AlphaGo, had swept Fan Hui 2P 5-0 rocketed around the world, receiving international coverage including write-ups in the New York Times, Bloomberg News, the BBC, Wall 2016.01.28_myungwan-kimStreet Journal, MIT Technology Review, Wired, NPR and blowing up on the AGA's Facebook and Twitter feeds. "I was shocked at how Alphago played," Kim (left) told the E-Journal. "It played like a human professional. I am sad that this computer program might beat me, but I don't think it can beat Lee Sedol. I will tell you why in my commentary.

Published On 1/27/2016

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AlphaGo1.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/AlphaGo1.sgf" class="alignright"] [/sgf] In a stunning development, the AlphaGo computer program has swept European Go Champion and Chinese professional Fan Hui 2P 5-0, the first time that a go professional has lost such a match. "This signifies a major step forward in one of the great challenges in the development of artificial intelligence - that of game-playing," said the British Go Association, which released the news on January 27, based on findings reported in the scientific journal Nature this week (click here for the video, here for Nature's editorial, Digital intuition and here for Go players react to computer defeat). NOTE: This story was posted at 1p EST on Wednesday, January 27; be sure to get the latest breaking go news by following us on Facebook and Twitter.

U.S. Rep Sought for Bailing Cup

Published On 1/27/2016

Online play-offs to determine the U.S. rep to the 3rd Bailing Cup will take place on the weekend of February 6-7 on KGS. The AGA has received a request to send an amateur player to Beijing, China (China Qiyuan) for the 3rd Bailing Cup in March 11-15th. All expenses (travel, lodging, local transportation, and food) will be afforded by players. Players will compete in one of 48 pools and will qualify for the major competition if they take the top place in their assigned pool.
Eligibility: US/Canadian citizen, must meet AGA/CGA eligibility requirements. Must be able to play in the online tournament* and the major tournament sections if player advances. Interested players should email their names, best form of contact, and KGS IDs to cherry.shen@usgo.org before January, 31st. If there are multiple interested players, an online play-off will be held. Dates for the first, second and third rounds are June 28th to July 2nd.

Published On 1/27/2016

The AGA has received a request to send a professional player to China for the 11th Chunlan Cup Selections March 25-28. Opening ceremony is on March 25th. This is the first section of the tournament and players will participate in the other sections if they advance on a date TBA. Airfare, food and lodging will be covered by the organizers. In addition, the minimum prize, for those who lose in the first round, is $2,000 pre-tax. The online play-offs will take place on the weekend of Feb. 20-21 on KGS. Eligibility: US/Canadian citizen, professional player, must meet AGA/CGA eligibility requirements. Must be able to play in the online tournament. Interested players should respond with their names, best form of contact, and KGS IDs before Feb. 10th. If there are multiple interested players, an online play-off will be held. Please send email responses and questions toÂ cherry.shen@usgo.org

Published On 1/27/2016

Robert Jasiek has released his 12th book, "Positional Judgement 2 - Dynamics." Targeted at players 5 kyu to 5 dan, the book focused on "the 2016.01.27_PositionalJudgement_2_Cover_smalldynamic aspects of the middle game (influence, aji, fights etc.) and the related positional judgement with theory and examples," says Jasiek. "While territory characterises peaceful positions, our assessment of dynamic positions includes reductions, aji, potential, influence, thickness and fights. The general theory applying to these concepts raises the quality of our middle game and enables our very profound positional judgement." 276 pp., EUR 26.50 (book), EUR 13.25 (PDF). Click here for sample pages, a review, and all of Jasiek's books.

Amateur Pair Go report

Published On 1/24/2016

Korean pair Jeon Yujin-Song Hongsuk won the 26th International Amateur Pair Go Champion in Tokyo held December 5-6 at Hotel Metropolitan Edmont. Amy Wang 4D and Danny Ko 7D represented the United States. It was the second time the two had represented the US. "Amy represented in 2013 and I represented in 2014, so we pretty much knew the drill," says Ko. There were 32 teams including 12 Japanese pairs. "We drew a difficult first round match-up and fell to one of the strong Japanese pairs (7 Dan male and 6 Dan female) on Saturday morning (Dec 5).

Published On 1/22/2016

Judan challenger: Iyama or Yo: The new tournament year at the Nihon Ki-in got off to a good start on January 7. Most of the interest focused on the semifinals of the 54th Judan tournament. The Judan is the only top-seven title Iyama Yuta doesn’t hold; if he becomes the challenger, he has a chance of achieving a simultaneous grand slam. In his semifinal, Iyama (B) beat Imamura Toshiya 9P by resignation. His opponent in the play-off to decide the challenger to Ida Atsushi will be Yo Seiki 7P of the Kansai Ki-in.

Published On 1/21/2016

The upcoming South Central Go Tournament in Dallas February 13-14 "aims to bring together players in the south central part of the country to2016.01.21_dallas-tourney enjoy a weekend of competition, and to build a sense of community amongst one another," says organizer Bob Gilman. As of January 18, 22 players have registered, 14 from Texas and 8 from other states. Find more information on Facebook. Note that there is a special rate at the Residence Inn, Plano, Texas for players coming from out of town. This rate is available through January 22. Also, provided there are sufficient registrations, players will get access to video reviews of selected games by prominent teacher In-seong Hwang. Registration for the tournament is open here. For more information comment on Facebook or write Bob Gilman.

City League players in the AGA Pro Exam

Published On 1/19/2016

2016.01.08_lui-ye-finalThree of the eight competitors in the recent 2015 AGA Professional Qualifying tournament are players from the AGA City League. They are tournament winner Eric Lui 1p of the Greater Washington team, Aaron Ye (Bay Area team) and Jeremy Chiu (San Francisco 1 team). Ye (right) gave Eric Lui (left) a tough challenge in the final matches of the tournament. Other professionals who play in the AGA City League are Ryan Li 1p (2014 AGA professional, Canwa Vancouver 1 team), Tim Song 1p (Greater Washington), and Huiren Yang 1p (Boston). - Steve Colburn; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 1/19/2016

0807151354Registrations for the North American Kyu Championship (NAKC) are due by January 26. Any kyu players under the age of 18, from Canada, the United States, or Mexico are welcome to join. Junior (under 13) and Senior (under 18) players will compete with each other, but crystal trophies will be awarded to both the best Junior player and the best Senior player in each bracket – all the way down to double digit kyu. The winner of the top bracket will also be allowed to join the Redmond Cup, a youth tournament traditionally only open to dan players. Thanks to the AGF, any participant who competes in every round, win or lose, will be eligible for the choice of a $400 scholarship to the summer AGA Go Camp or a $200 scholarship to the 2016 Go Congress. All four rounds will be held on KGS on January 30. For more details, visit the NAKC’s official Rules and Format page. To register, click here. -Story and photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth editor.

Mark Lee Wins San Diego Go Championship

Published On 1/18/2016

Mark Lee's year is off to a strong start. In the ultimate game of the 2016 San Diego Go Championship -- held January 10 -- Lee 7d beat UCSD freshman Weihan Huai, a 2016.01.17_SD-collageprofessional from China, in the Open section, to become the first non-UCSD student to win the annual event. Lee's win came just a week after he won the sixth annual Jin Chen Memorial Tournament in Seattle on January 3. With twelve dan-level players in the San Diego Open division, this was the largest and strongest field to play in the five-year-old event.
In the handicap section Sam Tregar 5k, Luke Weatherby 8k and James Acres 1k all had perfect 3-0 records with Tregar winning the title on tie-breaker over the 18 contestants.
Players came from as far as Los Angeles and Phoenix, to enjoy a day of fierce competition. The tournament was co-hosted by the San Diego Go Club and the UCSD Go Club.

Kansai to Host First Japan Go Congress

Published On 1/18/2016

The first Japan Go Congress will be held July 15 through 18 in Takarazuka, Japan, and organised by the Kansai Ki-in. In addition to a main2016.01.17_Japan Go Congress tournament, the Congress -- at which 200-300 participants are expected -- will offer a variety of side events such as lectures, teaching games with professionals, and other traditional Japanese games. Famous for its Grand Theater, Takarazuka is also known as the "city of opera." Situated northwest of Osaka, it is outside of typical urban tension, but still easily accessible. Available accommodations include Daikin Dormitory, the Takarazuka Inn Hotel and the Takarazuka Hotel; click here for details. "The Kansai Ki-in warmly welcomes players from abroad," reports their Go Congress Team.

Published On 1/18/2016

Weiqi Teacher Needed in Maryland: The Hope Chinese School is looking for a go teacher for a Saturday afternoon class, reports Edward Zhang. "It's a great school with several hundred students registered." The class is at Winston Churchill High School, 11300 Gainsborough Road, Potomac, MD 20854. Hourly rate is at least $23; contact Ms. He 703-585-7164. Go Photo: "Young Buddhas playing the game we love," writes Richard Simon. Snapped January 08 on Roosevelt Ave. near Main St., 2016.01.17_simon-go-figuresFlushing, NY in a store window by Felice Simon. Turing, Mrs Morcom and Go: "Not sure if anyone has submitted this one," writes John Hager, "but in the book 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' (chapter 3) it mentions that Turing taught his friend's mother, Mrs. Morcom, to play go. "Also mentioned (is that) not much go (was) played at Princeton when Alan Turing was in residence."

Published On 1/18/2016

Round three of the AGA City League will take place this Sunday, January 24 at 3p EST. Throughout the day you can catch your local and favorite players from around the US and Canada. Check the schedules for each league to see when they are playing: League A, League B, League C.

Round three will have a game review from Hajin Lee 3p. Watch all of the live coverage on Pandanet app on your Windows, OSX, linux 32bit and 64bit, iOS, or android. Games will be played in the ‘AGA City League’ and ‘AGA City League (Manual)’ Rooms. - Steve Colburn

Published On 1/14/2016

2015.01.09_Ryan-Li-DSC_0101In February, a strong North American Go team will head to Huai-An in Eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, for the first ever International Mind Sports Association Elite Mind Games. Mingjiu Jiang 7p and Eric Lui 1p of the US, along with Ryan Li 1p and Sarah Yu 6d of Canada will play from Feb. 24 to March 4 in the city of five million. The three men will play in a men’s team competition against teams from Europe, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan, while Yu, who just competed in Los Angeles as the first woman candidate for AGA pro, will play in a 12-player woman’s individual tournament. Yu and a male player will also take part in a three-round pair go knockout. The IMSA Elite Mind Games are similar in format to the SportAccord World Mind Games, which took place each December from 2011 to 2014 but not in 2015.

Published On 1/13/2016

The second Australian Go Congress kicks off this Friday, January 15 and runs through the 19th at the Sydney Parramatta Novotel in Parramatta,2016.01.13_australian-congress NSW, Australia. The main tournament will be played over five days; in addition there will be other competitions, lessons and opportunities to play simultaneous games against some of the world’s top professional players. There is a substantial prize and gift pool across different divisions. The Congress will be held in the heart of Parramatta, close to the central business district, restaurants and cafés. It is also close to Parramatta’s shopping centre and public transport. It takes just 30 minutes by train to reach Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, Opera House, harbour, casino and more. To assist people on their first visit to Sydney, Congress organizers will also provide a free city tour. Click here for Congress details.

Published On 1/13/2016

Jin Chen with Mark LeeMark Lee won the sixth annual Jin Chen Memorial Tournament, held at the Seattle Go Center on January 3. Lee (in yellow shirt) was visiting from California; readers may remember that he was undefeated in the U.S. Open in 2014. Dong (David) Ma placed 2nd in the Open Section of the Jin Chen, which had eight players. The Handicapped Sections had 20 players. The Dan Handicapped Section was won by Zhihong Yao, with Dengda (Dan) Tang placing 2nd. The SDK section was won by John Johnson, with Eric Backus placing 2nd. The DDK section was won by Elan Ma, with Michael Hixenbaugh placing second. Elan Ma, who was undefeated in her games, also won the Youth Prize. - photo/report by Brian Allen

Published On 1/9/2016

Newly-minted professional Antti Törmänen 1P will play an exhibition match against Hajin Lee 3P on OGS this Saturday, January 9, at 11p EST2016.01.08_ogs-anti-haylee(4a UTC). Lee, a Korean 3P and secretary of the International Go Federation, is well known to western go players for her entertaining and instructional YouTube channel, where she's known as “Haylee.” Antti Törmänen is the first Western player to be granted professional status by the Nihon Ki-in since Hans Pietsch in 1997. He offers paid lessons on OGS and publishes a blog chronicling his go career. Calvin Sun, North American 1P and Stephen Hu, AGA 5 dan (right) will provide live commentary on the game. Click here to see a promotional video for the match on YouTube. To watch the game and commentary, log into OGS and click on the banner links posted at the top right of the page.

Published On 1/9/2016

For Eric Lui, the fourth time was the charm. Lui (left) has played in all four AGA Professional Qualification Tournaments, losing to Ryan Li in last year's final, but on Friday finalafternoon he became the American Go Association's fifth professional, defeating Aaron Ye by resignation to close out a near-flawless performance this week with a 9-1 score, his only loss a half-pointer in the first round. "It's been a long week," Lui told the E-Journal immediately after clinching his win, "but it feels really good. The field was stronger this year." Lui said that he fully intends to pursue a career as a professional.

Published On 1/9/2016

In the final set of games in the AGA Professional Qualification Tournament on Saturday morning, Andrew Lu defeated Daniel Gourdeau and Jeremy Chiu beat Sarah Yu. Lu took third place and a seeded place in the next pro tournament, Gourdeau was fourth, Chiu is fifth and Yu sixth. Thanks to the entire E-Journal team for bringing this week-long event to the world.

Published On 1/8/2016

Thursday morning's session at the AGA Professional Qualification Tournament featured just two games, Ben Lockhart vs Aaron Ye and Sarah Yu vs Andrew Lu, in a battle to move onto the semi-finals. Lockhart had an early lead but then played a couple of slow moves and Ye was able to pull ahead; a huge semeai then developed and Lockhart missed the critical move to win the capturing race (click here to see Myungwan Kim's brief video commentary).

Published On 1/7/2016

"I like the You Tube highlights from the qualifier games," says Bob Gilman. "These analyses of important situations provide insights in a readily 2016.01.07_Round 5 Highlightsdigestible form. Longer game commentaries are good to have also, but they demand a big time commitment to watch, and it’s easy to forget many of the points made. I hope you continue to do features like these." "Just wanted to compliment the short videos," writes Keith Arnold. "While there is some suggestion that they were born of necessity and bad internet connection, I actually think they have been uniformly excellent, informative and just right for busy modern life and short attention spans." The latest batch of pro tourney game highlights includes Sarah Yu (W) vs Manuel Velasco (B), Ben Lockhart (W) vs Aaron Ye (B) and Jeremy Chiu (W) vs Eric Lui (B), all from the fifth round of the round robin.

Published On 1/7/2016

The round-robin section of the AGA Professional Qualification Tournament wrapped up Wednesday morning with few surprises except for 2016.01.07_knock-out-startssecond-seeded Ben Lockhart's 7th-place finish. Eric Lui was first, Aaron Ye second, Daniel Gourdeau third, then Andrew Lu in fourth, Sarah Yu was fifth, Jeremy Chiu sixth, and Manuel Velasco eighth. The knockout section commenced on Wednesday afternoon as Los Angeles enjoyed a second straight day of rain, although of course the eight top-ranked North American go players at the Hotel Normandie were oblivious -- or at least impervious --to the weather. The knockout section is a best-of-three, with the first game having already been played in the round-robin. Eric Lui had beaten Manuel Velasco in the round-robin and had no trouble with him on Wednesday afternoon, knocking Velasco down into the lower bracket. Daniel Gourdeau's win against Jeremy Chiu secured his place in the upper bracket as well.

Published On 1/6/2016

In our latest batch of brief video game highlights focusing on key points in selected games, Norman Tsai 6-dan shows how Jeremy Chiu's 2015.01.05_Round 4 Highlightsattachment to unimportant stones in his third-round game against Andrew Lu causes him to choose the wrong direction of play. In Daniel Gourdeau's third-round game against Aaron Ye, Tsai explores what happens when a forcing move turns out not to be forcing after all. The dangers of gambling on a big kill are the focus of Tsai's review of Ben Lockhart's third-round game against Sarah Yu. And the problem of defending unimportant stones comes up again in Eric Lui's third-round game against Manuel Velasco. Finally, second-seeded Ben Lockhart reviews his fourth-round game against Manuel Velasco. "I like these game extracts as they are wonderful illustrations of when applying basic principles would have made a big difference," comments Dontbtme. "It's illuminating, so thanks a lot."

Published On 1/6/2016

Top seed Eric Lui 7d is one game away from winning the AGA Pro Qualification Tournament's round robin section, with a 5-1 score and and just2016.01.06_Lui-Gourdeau one more round to play before the knock-out section begins. Third-seeded Aaron Ye 7d is in second place, also with five wins, and Andrew Lu and Daniel Gourdeau are next with three wins each. Second-seeded Ben Lockhart has scored just two wins thus far, as have Jeremy Chiu, Sarah Yu and Manuel Velasco. The knock-out section begins Wednesday afternoon; it's a best-of-three match in which the first game was played in the round robin. All the games are being broadcast live each day on KGS, starting at 9:30a PST and 3p PST. The tournament is being held in Los Angeles at the Hotel Normandie. Click here for the tourney crosstab with results and game records. Brief game highlight videos are posted on the AGA’s YouTube channel. - report/photo by Chris Garlock;

Published On 1/6/2016

Ke Jie's defeat of Lee Sedol in the M-Lily Cup is the buzz of Chinese media. The 18-year-old Chinese phenom has been on a stunning run of success, winning2016.01.06_Ke-Jie-2nd-MLily-Cup-Final-300x300 three championships in one year: the Bailing Cup, the Samsung Cup, and then the M-Lily Cup earlier this week. Ke Jie's record in rated games for the year was 58 wins and 16 losses, with an impressive 34-game winning streak when playing with White, which was broken by Lee Sedol. Ke Jie is the youngest person in history to win three major international tournaments, taking the mantle from Lee Sedol, who had accomplished the same feat at 22. “I was going to resign," Ke Jie said in an interview immediately after the M-Lily final. "I still feel like I'm in a dream. I thought I had lost.” Ke Jie's teacher, Nie Weiping, had been commentating on the game and was worried about his student. He mentioned that the game was “just too exciting.” Ke Jie had felt that he hadn't played his best.

Game Recorder's Journal: Everyone wins

Published On 1/6/2016

by Chris Garlock The AGA's professional qualification tournament tests the go skills of its young competitors, but it's also a grueling endurance challenge. With2016.01.06_game-analysis two rounds each day, and each game usually going at least three hours, that's six to eight hours a day for a full week. The concentration these players bring to bear on each game is fierce; every move is considered, and then reconsidered. I've seen players think about a move for twenty minutes, reach into the bowl for a stone, take it out and then put it back and settle in for another ten minutes. Even the most natural, "obvious" move must be fully read out and time, while a factor, seems to be the furthest thing from their minds as they follow the branching trails deep into thickets of strategy and tactics, move and countermove, probe and response. The silence in the playing room is deafening. Traffic swishes by outside and the sounds of a working hotel drift in throughout the day.

Published On 1/5/2016

After four rounds in the AGA Pro Qualification Tournament, Eric Lui 7d, Aaron Ye 7d and Andrew Lu 7d are tied for first place in the round robin2015.01.04_round4-board2 section, each with three wins. Ben Lockhart 7d and Daniel Gourdeau 6d are next with two wins each, and Jeremy Chiu 6d, Sarah Yu 6d and Manuel Velasco 5d each have one win apiece. There are three more rounds in this section, after which the knockout rounds will begin on Wednesday afternoon. All the games are being broadcast live on KGS, starting at 9:30a PST and 3p PST. Click here for the tourney crosstab with results and game records. Brief game highlight videos are being posted on the AGA's YouTube channel. photo: the Round 4 Velasco-Yu game Monday night; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 1/5/2016

Ke Jie 9P edged out Lee Sedol 9P by the narrowest of margins -- a half-point -- to win the MLily Cup Monday night in a dramatic deciding fifth game that drew a record number of viewers to the AGA's 2016.01.04_youtube-screencap2YouTube channel, where Myungwan Kim 9P and Andrew Jackson provided blow-by-blow commentary to a nailbiting audience that hit just over 14,000 at its peak, far surpassing the previous record of 400 viewers. The winner collected not just this year's MLily international title and a purse of over $300,000, but bragging rights in the classic showdown between two go titans, one a seasoned veteran from Korea, the other a young rising star from China.

Published On 1/4/2016

The year is barely a few days old and it's already been an exciting one for the American Go Association. Hundreds tuned in on January 1 to 2015.01.03_aga-pro-day1grpMyungwan Kim 9Ps commentary on our YouTube channel for the third round of the MLily 2016.01.03_MLily Cup Game 3Cup battle between go titans Lee Sedol and Ke Jie.

Published On 1/4/2016

The E-Journal's coverage of the 4th AGA Pro Qualification Tournament -- this week in Los Angeles -- has been expanded to include brief video game highlights focusing 2016.01.04_Sarah Yu-Daniel Gourdeau screencapon key points in selected games. In our first batch, Tyler Oyakawa 5d provides a 2-minute review of the main ways to approach the 3-5 point in the Round 1 game between Sarah Yu and Daniel Gourdeau (right). "Nice comparison," says Dontbtme. In his review of the Round 1 Andrew Lu-Aaron Ye game (4:10), Oyakawa explains how to manage an attack on weak groups, and in the Manuel Velasco-Jeremy Chiu first-round game (5:10), he looks at options for handling your opponent's moyo, including when to reduce and when (and how) to invade. Finally, Oyakawa provides a brief explanation of Ben Lockhart's fast opening moves against Andrew Lu in their Round 2 game (2:00). "Check them out and let us know what you think!" urges EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock.

Published On 1/4/2016

The AGA has received a request to send a young US or Canadian player to Tokyo, Japan for the third GLOBIS Cup U-20 World Go 2016.01.04_globis-cup-logo_imgChampionship, to be held April 21-24, 2016. The event, sponsored by the GLOBIS Corporation and organized by the Nihon Ki-in, will provide meals and accommodations, while the air fare expense will be borne by the player. The player must be under 20 years old as of January 1, 2016, and meet the other AGA or CGA eligibility requirements. Any necessary online play-offs will take place the weekend of January 23-24 on KGS. "This is a great opportunity to compete in an international tournament, explore Tokyo, and represent the AGA," says AGA president Andy Okun. Interested players should respond with their names, best form of contact, and KGS IDs before January 12 to cherry.shen@usgo.org.

Published On 1/4/2016

The American Go Association has received an invitation to send two North American professionals to play in the first round of the 8th Pro Ing Cup Championship, which will be held April 18-25, 2016, in Shanghai, China. The organizer of the prestigious quadrennial tournament will cover round trip tickets plus room and board during the event. Online playoffs will be held on the weekend of January 16-17, with the format of the playoff depending on the number of interested players. Eligibility is professional status, US/Canadian citizenship and residency in the US for 6 of the last 12 months for US players (or equivalent Canadian Go Association international eligibility requirements). Players must be able to play in the online selections. Interested players must email cherry.shen@usgo.org by this Sunday, January 10th.

Published On 1/3/2016

As you may be aware, the AGA website has been down for the last couple of days, due to a DDOS attack on the datacenter that hosts our site. 2015.01.03_aga-pro-day1While this issue has hopefully been resolved, we strongly urge you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we'll be continuing to cover the ongoing AGA Pro Qualifier Tournament live in Los Angeles, CA. Games are being broadcast on KGS starting at 9:30a and 3p PST daily. - report/photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 1/1/2016

Sun Ruoshi has just released "The Celestial Arsenal," his English translation of the late Ming dynasty classic "Xianji Wuku." Originally 2016.01.01_The Celestial Arsenalcompiled around 1629, "The Celestial Arsenal" comprises a collection of hundreds of famous games, corner and side josekis, opening and invasion patterns, and over 400 life-and-death problems. Lu Xuanyu, a famous collector of go manuscripts, carefully selected and edited material from several famous go manuals and game records into eight scrolls: Gold, Rock, Silk, Bamboo, Gourd, Earth, Leather and Wood. This translation, however, is on 500 paper pages. The cover features two problems from the book; White to live on each side of the board. The book is available on Amazon and CreateSpace.

New Go Quiz App Tests Knowledge

Published On 1/1/2016

We can't guarantee it'll make you a stronger player but Stephen Miller's new Go Quiz app is a lot of fun and will definitely improve your 2016.01.01_go-quizknowledge of the game. Available on Quizup (or search for Quizup in the App Store), the quiz now has 289 questions covering a wide range of go information, including history, players and the game itself. "You can play against people you know, or you can play against random players," Miller tells the E-Journal. "Either way, it's a fun way to learn some go facts, history, lore and trivia." Each game has seven rounds and Miller says "The best experience in Quizup is to download the app on your mobile. It's designed more as a mobile game, but you can certainly play online."

Published On 1/1/2016

"With regard to the 'Top US Players to Compete in 4th AGA Pro Tourney January 3-9 in LA' report (12/29)," writes Ted Terpstra, "shouldn't this be 'North American' go players instead of US go players as some of the 8 are from Canada?" Quite right, thanks for the correction. Canada will be represented by Daniel Gourdeau, Manuel Velasco, and Jin (Sarah) Yu. Gourdeau is a returning contender, but for Velasco and Yu it will be their first attempt.

Published On 12/30/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal2015.12.28_Agon Kiriyama Iyama wins Japan-China Agon Kiriyama play-off: The 17th Japan-China Ago 2015.12.28_AgonKiriyama play-off (right) was held at the Shangri-la Hotel Chengdu in the city of Chengdu in China on December 25. Iyama Yuta 9P (left) put an end to a long series of defeats for Japan by beating Huang Yunsong 4P of China. Taking white, Iyama won by resignation. Earlier in the year, Huang won the 2nd Globis Cup; in the final of the Chinese Agon Kiriyama Cup, he beat Chen Yaoye. The game was broadcast live on Chinese TV. After winning the first four play-offs, Japan lost the next twelve, so Iyama’s win was a much-appreciated Xmas present for Japanese fans. First prize is five million yen and second is two million.

Published On 12/29/2015

The AGA' live game commentary on the MLily Cup finals between Lee Sedol 9P and Ke Jie 9P will begin with Game 2 on Wednesday, December 2015.12.29_MLilyShow2TitleCard30, not Tuesday 12/29 as previously announced. Myungwan Kim 9Ps commentary will begin at 9pm PST (midnight EST) on the AGA’s YouTube channel. graphic by xhu

Published On 12/29/2015

Motoki retains lead in Honinbo League: The third round of the 71st Honinbo League was played on December 10 and 17. Motoki Katsuya 7P, the dark horse of the league, continued his good form and retained the sole lead. In contrast, former Honinbo Cho U has made a dismal start, with three losses. Cho’s decision to move to Taiwan to improve his form is not working out yet. (December 10) Motoki (B) beat Kono Rin 9P by resig.; Takao Shinji 9P (W) beat Ichiriki Ryo 7P by 1.5 points; Yo Seiki 7P (B) beat Ida Atsushi Judan by half a point. (December 17) Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Cho U 9P by resig

Published On 12/29/2015

Eight top US go players will gather in Los Angeles next week to determine the next US professional. Play in the 4th AGA Pro Qualification starts2015.12.23_aga-pro-2015-DSC_0026 on Sunday, January 3 and ends on January 9. The games will be broadcast live on KGS from the Hotel Normandie by the E-Journal; morning rounds will begin at 9:30 AM and afternoon rounds will begin at 4:30 PM. The players are Eric Lui 7d, Ben Lockhart 7d, Aaron Ye 7d, Jeremy Chiu 6d, Sarah Yu 6d, Andrew Lu 7d, Daniel Gourdeau 6d and Manuel Velasco 5d. The tournament will be played in two parts, a Round Robin Prelim Sunday through Wednesday, followed by the Championship Thursday and Friday. Myungwan Kim 9P is the tournment referee, Jeff Shaevel is the Tournament Director, AGA President Andy Okun will be on hand and Chris Garlock and Dennis Wheeler will head up the EJ recording team, which will also broadcast game commentaries on the AGA's YouTube stream.

Published On 12/28/2015

The AGA will provide live game commentary this week on the upcoming MLily Cup finals between Lee Sedol 9P and Ke Jie 9P. The first game is tomorrow (2015.11.26_Ke-Jie-Lee-Sedol-MLily-Cup-t-150x150Tuesday), December 29; Myungwan Kim 9Ps commentary will begin at 9pm PST (midnight EST) on the AGA’s YouTube channel. Games 2 and 3 are scheduled for 12/30 and 1/1; if the best-of-five contest goes longer, games are scheduled for January 3 and 4, if necessary.

Published On 12/28/2015

New Meijin League gets under way; Kansai Ki-in moves: The first games in the 41st Meijin League were played on December 3. In a match-up between heavyweights, Takao Shinji 9P (W) beat Yamashita Keigo 9P by resig. Ko Iso 8P (B) beat league newcomer Hirata Tomoya 7P by resig. On December 10, Cho U (W) beat Hane Naoki 9P by resig. On December 17, Murakawa Daisuke (B) beat Uchida Shuhei 7P by resignation, completing the first round. Incidentally, this was one of the last games played at the headquarters of the Kansai Ki-in in the Nihon Bunka Kaikan (Japan Culture Hall). After 47 years at this venue, the Kansai Ki-in is moving to a new address: 4th & 5th Floors, Heiwa Building, Kitahama Itchome, Chuo-ku, Osaka 541-0041.

Published On 12/27/2015

Oregon go player alert: the Portland Go Club is looking for volunteers to help host a table at Mochitsuki at PSU on January 31st and Corvallis 2015.12.25_Mochi-Banner-color-webwill host a workshop with Janice Kim 3P February 13-14. The Portland Go Club will host a table at Mochitsuki at PSU on January 31st, the 20th anniversary of the Japanese American New Year celebration. "Last year was a great success 2015.12.25_JaniceKimand four of us introduced many, many adults and children to go," reports Peter Freedman.

2016 Online Go Sessions Start Up

Published On 12/26/2015

With the New Year fast approaching, online go classes are starting new sessions: Guo Juan's Internet Go School's online group class starts on January 9th. "Meet friends, have fun and learn much from pro teachers," says Go 2015.12.22_guo-juan-logoJuan 5P. Pro teachers include Guo, YoungSun Yoon 8P, Jennie Shen 2P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P. Cost is 135 euros for 8 x 1,5h classes and seven weeks full access to the school's pro lecture site and the training system. 2015.12.22_American Yunguseng dojang Lecture in US Go congress 2015

Yoonyoung Kim 4P visits Seattle

Published On 12/26/2015

yoonyoung at simuls Two baduk teachers visited Seattle in December, courtesy of the Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA). Yoonyoung Kim 4P, a Korean tournament winner, and Hyunwoo Kim, who is completing the Baduk Studies program at Myongji University, taught a weekend workshop, played simultaneous games, and attended the Pair Go Gala. The weekend workshop on Dec. 12-13 was attended mostly by single digit kyu players, and was taught in English. The well prepared teachers led the students through tesuji problem sets, and gave lectures on invasions and reductions. They also reviewed student games and questions, and presented one of Yoonyoung Kim's professional games. Sonny (Sung-Chul) Cho 6d said he "was very much impressed by their sharp analysis of Go games and theory". Not much has been written about Yoonyoung Kim in English, but she is a tournament player to watch for. She became a pro in 2007, and is now 26 years old.

Published On 12/26/2015

Yuan Zhou 7d instructed, enlightened and entertained members of the Triangle Go Group over a warm, sunny North Carolina weekend December 2015.12.25_yuan-zhou-workshop13-14 in Raleigh. In addition to extremely helpful reviews of participants' games, Zhou (right) also 2015.12.25_yuan-zhou-workshop-team2introduced attendees to a new style of play called Team Play. Team Play (left) is competition between groups, rather than individuals, played on a single board maintained by the TD, with each team located in a separate room. In his lectures, Zhou illustrated guidelines for play with examples from the style of Go Seigen, Kabayashi Koichi, Cho Chikun, Lee Changho and others. This year, marking his ninth annual visit to North Carolina, Yuan Zhou treated the attendees to an inspiring deep analysis of the recent Chunlan Cup final game in June between Gu Li and Zhou Rui Yang.

Published On 12/25/2015

The Davis/Sacramento Go Club held its Winter Tournament at the Rancho Cordova Library in Sacramento on December 12. The event drew 16 2015.12.22_Davis-Sac-winnersplayers from San Jose to Grass Valley. There was a tie between Yufei Hu 4d (right) and Matthew Cheng 1d (left), for Division I. Tai-an Cha 4k (center), won Division II. - Willard Haynes

Published On 12/25/2015

Go Books from SmartGo has just added two books for a total of 108 digital go books. “An Encyclopedia of Go Principles” by Richard Bozulich is volume 9 in “Mastering the Basics”. It brings together all the strategic and tactical principles of go. As discussed in Bozulich’s essay “The Interplay of Intuition and Brute-Force Analysis in Go,” these principles combined with knowledge of tesuji are what all go players need to develop their intuitions about go.

Published On 12/25/2015

Shin Jinseo 3p defeated Kim Myounghun 2p, posting a 2-1 record to win the 2015 Let’s Run Park Cup final on December 22, becoming a new 2015.12.25_Shin-Jinseo-Lets-Run-Park-Cup-1-300x200teen champion in Korea. The final featured a battle between two teenagers, the first time such young players had competed since 2003, in the Chunwon (Korean Tengen) final between Choi Cheolhan 9p and Won Seongjin 9p. - excerpted from Younggil An's report on Go Game Guru, which includes game records of all three games plus more photos.

Published On 12/24/2015

Jeremy Chiu 7d won the annual Young Lions Tournament, held November 14-15 on KGS. "A record-setting 54 participants from the US, Canada and Mexico joined the 4-round event," reports American Go Honor Society (AGHS) Promotion Head Stephen Hu. "It feels great knowing that I was able to come out on top of the tournament," said the 13-year-old Chiu, who is pictured at right. "The tournament was larger than I expected, and there were many strong players in the open division. I felt the challenge and thrill of a strong playing field, and there were many good games played throughout. I watched parts of the stream after the tournament, and it was quite entertaining. To be honest, I felt that I was lucky to win the entire tournament, and that it could have gone any direction"

Winners of each of the five divisions received trophies and 2nd/3rd places earned medals.

Published On 12/24/2015

Crystal TrophyThe annual North American Kyu Championship (NAKC) is returning for the third time this coming January. Any kyu players under the age of 18, from Canada, the United States, or Mexico are welcome to play and fight to become 2016’s North American Kyu Champion. Junior (under 13) and Senior (under 18) players will compete with each other, but crystal trophies will be awarded to both the best Junior player and the best Senior player in each bracket - all the way down to double digit kyu. The winner of the top bracket will also be allowed to join the Redmond Cup, a youth tournament traditionally only open to dan players. Thanks to the AGF, any participant who competes in every round, win or lose, will be eligible for the choice of a $400 scholarship to the summer AGA Go Camp or a $200 scholarship to the 2016 Go Congress. All four rounds will be held on KGS on January 30. For more details, visit the NAKC’s official Rules and Format page. To register, click here.

Published On 12/23/2015

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/KPMC_2015_US-EricLui_HK-LiZhuoLiang.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/KPMC_2015_US-EricLui_HK-LiZhuoLiang.sgf" class="alignright"] [/sgf] This week we’re presenting extended coverage of the Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC; click here for our winner’s report on December 8, and here for Eric Lui on Camaraderie and Pure Joy, and here for Keith Arnold interviews Eric Lui). Today we present Eric's 5th round game: White: Li ZhuoLiang (Hong Kong) Black: Eric Lui (USA) Commentary: Eric Lui Published in the December 23, 2015 edition of the American Go E-Journal In this 5th (of 6) round game of the 2015 Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC) against Li ZhuoLiang from Hong Kong, Eric Lui walks us through his thinking process at key points. After staying calm during a big unclear middle game fight, Eric emerges with an attack on Li's weak group.

Pair Go Gala at Seattle Go Center

Published On 12/22/2015

The Third Annual Pair Go Tournament at the Seattle Go Center on December 12 featured cake, raspberries, fancy punch, and friendly competition between 10 pairs of players. Table one winners were Peter Nelson 5d and Lily Berger 17k, besting Brian Allen 9k and Deborah Niedermeyer 10k. The same foursome played last year, but with opposite results. Lily has gotten stronger since last year, according to the other three players. A graduate student at UW, she said that she only started practicing a week before the tournament, by playing a 9x9 game every day with Peter, and then reviewing the game. She is pleased with how much that helped. The table two winners were Tzu Jen Chan 2d and Winnie Gu 22k, who also played last year, while the table three winners were new players Carissa Thornock 25k and Julian Banbury 18k. In the winner's photo, going left to right, the players are Chan & Gu, Thornock & Banbury, Berger & Nelson.

Published On 12/22/2015

"Ke Jie is not undefeated as white this year (Ke Jie Blanks Shi Yue in Samsung to Win Second International Title 12/12 EJ)," writes Lucas Baker. "Please see this page with data provided by go4go. That said, he's still awesome." According the go4go site, Ke Jie, playing white, has lost to both Shin Minjun and Tang Weixing ; thanks for the correction!

Published On 12/22/2015

This week we’re presenting extended coverage of the Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC; click here for our winner’s report on December 8 and here for Eric Lui on Camaraderie and Pure Joy). Here's Keith Arnold's interview with Lui, which took place at last Sunday's meeting of the Baltimore Go Club. The longtime local organizer has known Lui since he first began playing go. photo: Lui reviewing his Round 5 KPMC game with Hong Kong (watch for the review in tomorrow's EJ); photo by Keith Arnold. KA: First of all, Congratulations on the achievement (5-1; played for championship in final round); were you happy with your play 2015.12.22_eric-luioverall? EL: Thank you. There were some good moments in my games, and I played about as well as I expected to, so on the whole I'm not dissatisfied. KA: Can you give us a brief description of the tournament format and venue? EL: The tournament was a 6-round Swiss, with 40 minutes basic time per player and 3 periods of 30 seconds byo yomi.

Published On 12/21/2015

This week we’ll present extended coverage of the Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC; click here for our winner’s report on December 8). Below you’ll find U.S. rep Eric Lui’s delightful reminiscence of the event, where he went undefeated for five rounds, losing only to champion China in the final (Ben Lockhart did the same thing last year, except his final round loss was to Korea). Tomorrow we will have a Q&A with Eric about the event, and finally we will present a brief review of his 5th round game against Hong Kong. by Eric Lui, U.S. representative to the 2015 Korean World Amateur Championships2015.12.20_Eric-Lui-KPMC It's been nine years since I participated in the first Korea Prime Minister's Cup.

Published On 12/21/2015

Park Jeonghwan Defeats Cho Hanseung in Kuksu: The finalists in the 59th Kuksu -- Park Jeonghwan and Cho Hanseung -- are the 2015.12.21_park-jeonghwan-rightsame as last year and defending champion Park is looking to repeat the previous result as well. Park, playing White, forced Cho to resign after 178 moves. “Black had a lot of territory in the beginning, so it didn't look good," Park said in an interview, "but after the middle game White's territory increased significantly, and I was fine.” The second round in the best-of-three match will be next year in January.

Published On 12/21/2015

Pittsburgh-based artist Jesse Kauppila is looking for two "highly skilled go players, hopefully dan-level, who can memorize and reenact a 2015.12.13_Jesse-Kauppilahistoric go game which I can film." An artist in Carnegie Mellon Univeristy's MFA program, Kauppila is working on visualization/film project in which "I will be visualizing a game of go using a 7 axis Robot and 20,000 Legos." The project is an extension of Kauppila's recent public art project, "Checker Brick House." "I am located in Pittsburgh, but I am willing to travel for this project," Kauppila says. Contact him here. Image: Kauppila's "Bitmap Machine"

Published On 12/20/2015

Fifteen dedicated go players decided to test themselves across the goban rather than fight for parking places at the mall or go to the latest 2015.12.20-nova-tourneyinstallment of Star Wars this past Saturday, December 19, in Arlington, VA at the 4-round NOVA Slate and Shell Open. Competition was tough with no 4-0 winners. Kelsey Dyer 1D lead the top division with 3-1. Robert Ehrlich 5K, Sarah Crites 11K, and Amber Boyden 20K won their divisions. Joshua Lee 6D (tie), Edward Zhang 6D (tie), David Reed 6K, and Anderson Barreal 8K placed second. Honorable mentions went to Zhao Zhao 5K and Bob Crites 7K for 2-2 records. All winners received books supplied by our sponsor Slate and Shell, who also provided a small but challenging puzzle book to all entrants. A very big thank you to Slate and Shell!
- report/photo by Garrett Smith, TD; photo: Bob Crites, Sarah Crites (foreground), Anderson Barreal, Amber Boyden (foreground),

Latin American Youth Tourneys Heat Up

Published On 12/14/2015

Chile won the Orion Latin American Online Youth Team Tournament, held November 28 and 29. The event drew 9 three-player teams from 4 different countries, reports organizer Sid Avila. "We contacted Yunxuan Li, President of the American Go Honor Society, about having a friendly match between the division winners in the School Teams Tournament with their Latin American counterparts, and Chile is looking forward to the match," said Avila. The Chilean team included Matias Salinas, Benjamin Mimiza, and Esteban Orellana. The Mexican team took second place, and included Diego A. Luciano, Lilian Zavala, and Omar Zavala. The Venezuelan team took third place, with Abel Pérez, Yenderwin Palomino, and Yendervy Palomino.
Earlier in the year, on July 4 and 5, the Latin American Online Youth Tournament ´Las Tres Águilas´ was held on the Online Go Server. 55 players from 5 countries represented their schools, academies, and go clubs, their ranks ranging from 25 to 6k.

Google and Facebook Race to Solve Go

Published On 12/13/2015

"Inside companies like Google and Facebook, deep learning is proving remarkably adept at recognizing images and grasping spacial patterns—a skill well suited to Go," reported Cade Metz in Wired last week . "As they explore so many other opportunities this technology presents, Google and Facebook are also racing to see whether it can finally crack the ancient game. As Facebook AI researcher Yuandong Tian explains, Go is a classic AI problem—a problem that’s immensely attractive because it’s immensely difficult.

Dwyrin's "25 Days of Go"

Published On 12/13/2015

To celebrate the holiday season, go video blogger Dwyrin is releasing a short new go video each day this month on his channel. The playlist for this specific set of videos can be found here and features go proverbs and short game reviews.

Published On 12/13/2015

“The Narrow Road to the Deep North (11/27 EJ) is actually named after a Japanese classic," writes Michael Redmond 9P. "Quoting from Wikipedia: 'Taking its title from 17th century haiku poet Matsuo Bashō's famous haibun, Oku no Hosomichi, best known in English as The Narrow Road to the Deep North...' The 17th century text is one of the major classics of Japanese literature." graphic: Bashō by Hokusai

2016 US Go Congress Website Launched

Published On 12/13/2015

Whether you're definitely planning to attend the 2016 US Go Congress July 30-August 7 in Boston or just considering it at this early stage, you'll want to sign up for updates from Congress organizers. The site will continue to be updated as 2015.12.14_boston-congressmore details are finalized.

Go Take a Bath this Saturday

Published On 12/11/2015

"There are very few things that beat saunas in the winter," says Boris Bernadsky. "One of them is playing go in the sauna in the winter." That's2015.12.10_go-sauna why he's hosting an unusual go Meet-Up this Saturday at the King's Spa, a Korean style bathhouse in Palisades Park, NJ. Here's a link for a discount entrance fee. "The spa has a space separated by gender where the bathing occurs and a coed area where there are many dry sauna and activity areas, including go boards," says Bernadsky. "I will bring two more just in case." The spa provides clothing for the coed area. There is also a restaurant, and for $10 extra you get a blanket and can spend the night on a lazyboy -- the go event runs from 5p Saturday through 8a Sunday -- although as Berndsky notes, playing all night "is not mandatory. Anyway it will be fun!"

Published On 12/9/2015

China's Yuqing Hu won the 10th Korean Prime Minister's Cup (KPMC), held November 22-27 in Seoul. Hu (left) topped a field of 55 countries. Heesu2015.12.09_kpmc-winners Kim (right) of Korea was second, Christian Pop of Romania took third place, Eric Lui of the U.S. took 4th place with a 5-1 record, and Shinichiro Osawa of Japan was fifth. At 5-0, Lui played for the championship in round 6 against China with both players undefeated, the first time an American has played in the deciding game of an international tournament. This is the second time a Chinese player has won the KPMC; Korea has won seven times and Taiwan has won once. Complete results can be downloaded from the European Go Federation's report.

Published On 12/9/2015

Finland's Antti Törmänen has just been accepted as the newest Nihon Ki-in professional, the first westerner to qualify since the late Hans 2015.12.08_antti-tormanenPietsch, 18 years ago. Törmänen, 26, is a three-time Finnish champion, and a founding member of the Nordic Go Academy. Törmänen started playing go back in spring 2002, has participated in over a hundred European amateur tournaments, and became an insei at the Nihon Ki-in in Fall 2011. Though he did not reach the top two in the most recent Nihon Ki-in pro exam this fall, winning more than half of his games was deemed enough to qualify. His professional debut is scheduled for April 1st, 2016. "I plan to remain in Tokyo and compete in professional tournaments indefinitely," Törmänen said in an interview with the European Go Federation. "Early on my salary will be fairly limited, so I imagine I will also be teaching go both online and offline, and possibly writing some go literature in English."

Published On 12/8/2015

The Hangzhou team defied the odds to win the Jin Li Smartphone Cup on December 6. The Cup is actually a 22-round professional league, the biggest in China, also known as the 17th Chinese Weiqi League A. The Jin Li company sponsors a few other tournaments, including amateur tourneys. The Hangzhou team came in first, with the Wuhan team coming in second and the Zhuhai team in third. The Hangzhou team, not being a famous team or really an elite team, was not necessarily expected to win, but pulled through and was victorious in the end. The player with the best record was Ke Jie with a final score of 16 wins and 5 losses. Following him were Zhou Ruiyang with 16 wins and 6 losses, and Wu Guangya with 15 wins and 7 losses. It has been a hot topic that the Shanghai team, the former marquee team, was demoted to the B league, even with elite players like Chang Hao 9P, Qiu Jun 9P and Hu Yaoyu 8P. The Guangxi team was also demoted.

Published On 12/8/2015

Though frigid temperatures on Thursday closed schools around Boston and coated the Nantasket Beach with frozen surf, the action was hot on the boards at the AGA pro qualification championship.

Published On 12/6/2015

Go players wishing to participate in the 20th Pandanet Cup Internet World Amateur Go Tournament have until next Wednesday, December 9 to register. All games must be played on the Pandanet server. As in previous years, the registrants are divided into three regions, and in each region further divided into several ranking bands. Winners in each band will receive prizes. In the preliminary round, players play with others in the same band and in the same region. Regional winners then move on to play in the international final rounds. This online tournament is supported by International Go Federation and organized by Pandanet. The preliminary rounds will be played December 18 through January 11.

Syracuse Tourney Draws Upstate Crowd

Published On 12/6/2015

Thirty-two players participated in Syracuse Go Club's Fall Self-Paired Tournament on Saturday, November 21, with thirteen driving an hour or 2015.12.06_Syracuse-DSC_5895-hi-rezmore to attend (four from Cornell University's club, two from Rochester's Empty Sky Go Club, two from near Buffalo, one from Utica, two from the Albany area, and two who drove up from Harrisburg, PA). Free refreshments were provided throughout the tournament, and at the end of the day, every player was able to select a nice prize from the new books kindly provided at a discount by Slate and Shell. The club will hold its annual four-round Salt City Tournament on April 16. - report/photo by Richard Moseson; click here for our Facebook album of photos from the tournament.

Published On 12/5/2015

As the second round of the Pandanet AGA City League concludes, a few contenders have risen to the top of the field. Two teams in each league have won their first two rounds; Greater Washington and Canwa Vancouver 1 in League A, Washington DC 1 and 2 in League B, and Boston 3 and Atlanta 2 in League C. The next round will be January 24th. This month bring us a review by Nick Sibicky. He talks about "Seattle's Secret Weapon" in the A League in his first two games of the season. Sibicky adds that "teams are the way to go" when watching go as a spectator. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvLW4OLgtg

Published On 12/5/2015

Myungwan Kim 9P is launching a weekly go class in Pasadena, California. A continuation of the Acadia Go Center Saturday class, the 2015.12.05_MyungwanKimtarget level is players from 7 kyu to 4 dan. Lectures will include participant game reviews, dan level game reviews, pro game analysis, openings and more. The class will be held most Saturdays from 10am to 1pm, at Reiyukai America in Pasadena (Yu Go Club meeting place), 20 N Raymond Ave, Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91103. Fee: $30 per session. Reiyukai membership ($3/month) is required and is not included in the lecture fee. Class size is limited to 10, and monthly members have priority. Reserve your place by emailing bigtory@gmail.com. Just showing up does not guarantee seats. The series began on December 5 and continues on December 12 and 19. The January schedule will be announced soon. You can also check out Kim's live commentaries here.

Published On 12/5/2015

Choi Cheolhan 9P, the third player from Team Korea, defeated China's Wu Guangya 6P (who stopped Ichiriki Ryo’s winning streak at the end of2015.12.05_Gu-Li-Nongshim-Cup-1 Round 1) and Japan’s Ida Atsushi 8P to get the second round of the Nongshim Cup underway November 27 to December 1 in Busan, Korea. Then Choi ran into Gu Li 9P (Team China), who took an early lead and never let go. Gu then beat Japan’s Kono Rin 9P and Korea's Park Junghwan 9P to extend his winning streak to three. The final round will be played in Shanghai, China, where play resumes on March 1, 2016. Thanks to Gu Li’s dominating performance during this round, China still has three players – Gu Li 9P, Lian Xiao 7P and Ke Jie 9P, while Japan has two, Murakawa Daisuke 8P and Iyama Yuta 9P and Lee Sedol is the last man standing for Korea. - Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru which includes game records and more photos.

Published On 12/1/2015

Tonight's Nongshim Cup game -- which will be broadcast on the AGA’s YouTube channel starting at 9:30pm PST -- is Gu Li vs Park Jungwhan. "We were actually the 2nd most watched live show on Youtube Gaming last night in that coveted 12:00am PST/3:00am EST timeslot," reports Andrew Jackson. "That put us on the front page of gaming.youtube.com and got us a lot of random 'foot traffic.' Too bad the show isn't more geared towards beginners!" Note: Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get these updates in real time!

Published On 11/30/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal Iyama regains sextuple crown: The third game of the 41st Tengen title match was held at the Munakata Yurix* in Munakata City, 2015.11.29_41tengen-IyamaFukuoka Prefecture on November 25. Taking black, Iyama Yuta (right) forced Takao Shinji (left, in white shirt) to resign after 147 moves. Iyama took a 2015.11.29_41tengen_02decisive lead in the first large fight of the game and wrapped it up by killing a large group. This win won back the title he lost to Takao on December 19 last year. He also once again held six of the top seven titles; this is his third sextuple crown. Overall, this is his 34th title, and his winning streak is now 24, which puts him in equal second place in modern tournament records with Rin Kaiho, Hon. Tengen. With his twelfth successive win in title matches, he also equals another record, one set by Sakata Eio.

Published On 11/30/2015

How do you know what rank to choose when checking out a new go server? Maybe you visited Sensei's World Wide Rank Comparison, maybe you guessed. "The team at OGS wants to dispel some of this mystery, so we’ve created a quick and easy survey to collect feedback about ranks of popular servers and we’d really appreciate your participation," says Akita Noek. The brief survey takes less than two minutes to complete and you can see the results as soon as you are done. "So far we've garnered about 650 responses, but only 86 data points contain AGA data, which is a little over half of what we have for the EGF (146 responses)," says Noek, "so we'd really like to fill that gap a bit in order to get a good rank mapping to and from AGA ranks for the various servers."

"The results will be used by OGS to further refine our rankings and ratings and bring our system in line with our users’ expectations," says Noek.

Japanese Go Exchange Visits Mexico

Published On 11/29/2015

7"Mexico gladly welcomed the Sociedad Internacional de Intercambio de Go (SIIG) from Japan, for the first three days of October," reports Sid Avila. SIIG is a delegation of players, built mainly by retired business men and women, who travel around the world playing and sharing through go. This is the fourth time SIIG has visited Mexico, and they went to three locations on this trip: Pipiolo art elementary school where Siddhartha Avila teaches a curricular go program; National University, where Emil Garcia leads a team of instructors who teach at open workshops; and Ejoki Buddhist Temple where Ricardo Quintero teaches go on weekends. Ms. Marcela Zepeda, the principal of Pipiolo, introduced the Japanese group to the students on the first day. The children performed traditional dances and Mexican songs, followed by a rengo atari-go game with kindergarden children, and a three round pair-go tournament with 36 pairs of Japanese go players and Mexican school children mixed.

Published On 11/29/2015

The last few games of the current stage of the Nongshim Cup will be broadcast on the AGA's YouTube channel Sunday and Monday nights, 2015.11.28_Ichiriki-Ryo-Nongshim-Cupstarting at 9:30pm PST. The Nongshim Cup is a major international championship with each country fielding a team of five players. The tournament is a "win and continue" format, where the winning player will continue to face opponents from the other countries, alternating, until only one country has any players remaining. This year, for instance, Ichiriki Ryo (right) put Japan off to a great start by winning the first three games (see GoGameGuru's report here) Adding to the complications, the teams get to keep the order of their roster a secret: Gu Li or Choi Cheolhan will play the next player on the Japanese roster -- but Japan won't announce their next player until after Saturday's match. "It's a complicated format to describe, but ultimately each country is bringing their strongest players.

Your Move: Famous Quote Mystery Deepens

Published On 11/28/2015

The mystery deepens about the source of the quote about "if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe, they almost certainly play go”2015.11.27_Brettspiele der Völker ("Who Really Said Famous Go Quote? 11/21 EJ). "I was a friend of Ed Lasker in the latter part of his life (we played chess together - I wasn’t playing go then)," writes Mike Ryan. "Although he told me a fair amount about his involvement with go, and various things he and his cousin Emmanuel did in that respect, he never once mentioned that quoted idea. I tend to think that neither he nor Emmanuel said that."

Published On 11/28/2015

"I just found 'Tokyo Newcomer' on the net," writes Michael Redmond 9P, "but I see that you covered it in the 'Go Spotting' column in 2014. The games in the movie were realistic, and there is a scene about 36 minutes into it that shows pros playing in what looks like elimination rounds for a hayago tournament. In this scene the main character is playing against Matsumoto Takehisa 7P. Takemiya Yoko 5P poses as a TV analyst for a game later."

Published On 11/28/2015

A new consultation game go server, ConGo launched recently and has already attracted nearly 900 players to the Massively Multiplayer 2015.11.28_Go-ConConsultation Go Server. "The idea of this experiment is that we wanted to get as many people as possible to focus on the direction of one game," says creator Jay Chan. "The hope is that we'll create a high quality game that weaker players can learn from, and stronger players can debate on." As of November 10 the game was on move 46 with over 2000 votes cast by about 100 active players. "The server itself is still under constant development, with the last major feature being a chat," Chan tells the E-Journal. "Jiang MingJiu 7P has agreed to review this game."

Published On 11/27/2015

The American Go Association's rank certification program took another step forward when the AGA's Board of Directors approved proposals laying the groundwork for a general rank certification program based on playing results at its November 23 meeting. Work is ongoing to review analytical models to support the program. The AGA's president was directed to develop a policy such that a ranking could affect a player's AGA rating. The president will soon appoint a Rank Certification Coordinator to facilitate the program. Volunteers will be sought to create and send out a large number of certificates. In other updates, volunteers will be sought to work on updating the AGA Tournament Guide, and the board appointed Peter Schumer to be the new AGA secretary. Click here for the complete minutes that have been approved by the board. - Ted Terpstra

Published On 11/27/2015

Registration is now open for the 2016 International Paris Go tournament, which will be held March 26-28 in Neuilly, in the city's western 2015.11.27_Paris go tournamentsuburbs. This is the 44th edition of the event, a 6-round tournament; prize for the winner is 1000€; click here to register. - Alain Cano, Président de la Ligue Ile-de-France

Published On 11/27/2015

Mark Sachon reports that in Richard Flanagan's novel "The Narrow Road to the Deep North," "References to playing go are found on pages 264,2015.11.27_Narrow-Road 2015.11.27_Temptation-of-a-monk269 and 295 in the hardback edition. "Moving deftly from a Japanese POW camp to present-day Australia, from the experiences of Dorrigo Evans and his fellow prisoners to that of the Japanese guards, this savagely beautiful novel tells a story of the many forms of love and death, of war and truth, as one man comes of age, prospers, only to discover all that he has lost." (Amazon). Sachon also found go in the 1993 movie "Temptation of a Monk," (You Seng), noting that "two rivals play weiqi in the first few minutes of the film." Set in 7th century China, the film, directed by Clara Law, stars Joan Chen as a beautiful princess and destructive temptress who wreaks havoc in a young general's life, telling "the epic story of a disgraced man's journey into self-discovery."

Published On 11/26/2015

Lee Sedol 9P (right) defeated Ahn Seongjun 6P and Ke Jie 9P (left) beat Park Younghun 9P in the semifinals of the second MLily Cup, played November 22-25 in Hefei, China. The Ke Jie-Park Younghun showdown -- relayed live on the AGA's YouTube channel with commentary by Myungwan Kim 9P -- was one of the most interesting matches of the year.

European Go News: The Netherlands

Published On 11/26/2015

Geert Groenen Wins Brabants Go Tournament: At the same location as the Pair Go Championships, another tournament took place that weekend. A total of exactly 50 players participated in the main tournament in community center Bellefort. Geert Groenen 6d (right, playing Alexander Eerbeek 5d) took the title, with Frank Janssen 6d trailing in second place. Surprisingly, these two titans did not play each other in the tournament. Rudi Verhagen 4d however played against both, managed to win against Frank Janssen, and took third place. Verhagen has the distinction of having played more go tournaments than any Dutch player ever, with the magic number of 324 tournament appearances so far. Complete of results can be found here.

Published On 11/25/2015

Demis Hassabis, the artificial intelligence savant behind Google DeepMind, hinted recently that his secretive team has cracked go, reports magazine. While DeepMind has has put out a couple papers of its training algorithms beating Atari games it has released little else. Asked in an interview with the Royal Society of London “Maybe you will have a surprise about go?” Hassabis smiled and said “I can’t talk about it yet, but in a few months I think there will be quite a big surprise,” he replied.

Published On 11/25/2015

Zhu Haichen 7d, a New Jersey resident and onetime student in the go school of Chinese champion Nie Weiping 9p, bested a strong field of 722015.11.25_Gotham-go-pair-go players at the 3rd annual Gotham Go Tournament last Saturday. Twelve pairs, meanwhile, played in the Sunday pair go tournament, first of what is hoped to be an annual event. Zhu took top honors in the open section, but the dark horse of the event was Daniel Koch 2d, who went 4-0 to win the 1-3 dan section, beating a 4d and a 5d in succession in his two last rounds. Click here for complete results. In the pair go tournament, run with the support and encouragement of the AGA, twelve pairs vied in four sections, with Stephanie Yin 1p and Rongxin Yu 7D going 3-0 to win the top section. Best dressed honors went to Alexandra Patz and her son Douglas who came dressed as go stones, narrowly beating out tournament organizer Peter Armenia and his wife Gretschen.

Published On 11/25/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal2015.11.24_Married couples final Pair Go tournament for professional couples: The second Professional Married Couples Pair Go Tournament was held at the Nihon Ki-in on Sunday, November 22. If you write the date 11/22 and take the first syllable of the numbers in Japanese, you get the word “ii fufu,” which means “a good married couple,” so this is an apposite date for this tournament. Last year, eight pairs took part; that increased to 13 this year, but the same pairs reached the final (right): Suzuki Ayumi 6P and her husband Rin Kanketsu 7P and the Mimuras, Kaori 3P and Tomoyasu 9P (at left). The latter took their revenge for their loss last year, playing white and securing a resignation after 206 moves. First prize is one million yen and second 400,000. Iyama tops most-wins list: Thanks to his winning streak, Iyama Yuta has worked his way to top place in the most-wins list. After his Oza win, his record for the year is 39-9.

Published On 11/24/2015

Women’s Meijin League: Two important games were played in the 28th Women’s Meijin League last week. On November 16, Fujisawa Rina, Women’s Honinbo, (W) beat Mannami Nao 3P by 6.5 points. Fujisawa had to win this game to keep alive her chances of becoming the challenger. She goes to 3-1, in equal second place with Okuda Aya 3P. Mannami drops to 2-2, so all she can aim at is keeping her place. The tough thing for Fujisawa and Okuda is that they are ranked equal 5th in the league. The leader is Aoki Kikuyo 8P, who is ranked second. In my previous report, I mentioned that Aoki just had to win two of her remaining three games to become the challenger, as she would take precedence in a tie. She played the first of those three games on November 19. Taking black, she beat Suzuki Ayumi 6P by 1.5 points

Published On 11/24/2015

Ke Jie 9P lost Game 2 of the MLily Cup semifinal against Park Younghoon 9P Monday night, setting up a decisive Game 3 showdown that will be2015.11.24_mlily-semifinal broadcast Tuesday night. Myungwan Kim 9P will provide live English commentary on the AGA's Youtube Channel starting at 7P PST (10P EST).

Published On 11/23/2015

Catch more top professional games with live English commentary on the AGA's Youtube Channel Monday, November 23. Myungwan Kim 9P will comment the semifinals of the MLily Cup, between Park Younghoon 9P (#3 in Korea) and Ke Jie 9P (#1 in China). The MLily Cup is one of the major international tournaments, with a grand prize of over a quarter million dollars US. They're playing a best-of-three series, with the first game already in the books -- a win for Ke Jie -- and Game #2 will be broadcast LIVE this Monday at 7pm PST (10p EST). As a bonus, Myungwan Kim will also review game #1 during the player's lunch break.

EuroGoTV May Return, If Enough Support

Published On 11/22/2015

EuroGoTV, which regularly streamed live video of tournament games, posted videos on YouTube and was a reliable source of European go news for the E-Journal -- may return. If at least 300 people pledge to help EuroGoTV financially "we will resume (and upgrade) our services," reports Harry Weerheijm. Click here to take EuroGo TV's poll by November 30. "If EuroGoTV continues, Go-Pro articles, on demand video playback, the complete European Go calendar and the Newsletter will only be available to VIP-members; membership will run 25 Euro for the first year and 20 Euro for the second. Tournament reports will be available to all, including EJ readers, so we urge your support, either a membership or donation pledge. - Chris Garlock, E-Journal Managing Editor

Published On 11/21/2015

2015-Pair-go-Facebook-post-finalSeattle Go Center members are looking forward to the 3rd Annual Pair Go Tournament, set for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. The fun dress-up event features prizes from Japan and fancy cake. Last year's tournament had 12 pairs participating. Tournament details are posted on the Seattle Go Center website. Photo and styling by Anne Thompson/Report by Brian Allen

Published On 11/21/2015

"I am a member of the AGA and enjoy your E-Journal," writes François Lorrain. "I wonder about this often cited quotation: "While the Baroque rules of chess could only have been created by humans, the rules of go are so elegant, organic, and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe, they almost certainly play go." which your go quotes page attributes to Edward Lasker. I have searched far and wide and have never been able to find the source of this quotation. It isn’t from Lasker's Go and Go-Moku; neither is it from Lasker's Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters,"which I read recently. Nor is it in Chess Strategy or in Chess and Checkers: the Way to Mastership. Could the quote be from the other Lasker, Emanuel, also a go-playing chess master? It isn’t in Chess Quotes by Emanuel Lasker, though AZ Quotes attributes the quote to Emanuel Lasker, but without any source. Would anybody you know have any idea about the source of this quote?"

Published On 11/19/2015

Gansheng Shi 1p is heading to Hangzhou, China, to represent North America is the 2015 Li Min Cup World Best Go Star Championship Finals. The tournament takes place from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3 at the Hangzhou Qiyuan building, one of the more impressive go association headquarters in the world, more than 30 stories high with a luxury hotel, go museum and go school included. Eric Lui 7d meanwhile is representing the US in the 10th Korean Prime Minister Cup in Seoul, Korea. There is still an opening for a US team to attend the 2nd Jin Long Chen Cup in Guangzhou, China (click here for details). "I know it is hard to put together a group on short notice, especially with the need for a visa and to pay your own air fare," said AGA President Andy Okun. "I'm confident though that anyone who is able to do it will have a cultural and go experience they will always remember." Guangzhou, Okun noted, is one of the great cities of the world.

Published On 11/19/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal2015.11.18_63oza2 Yuki joins in game review. Iyama left Iyama still on track: Iyama Yuta has become the first player to reach the semifinals of the 54th Judan tournament, so he is still on track to secure an unprecedented septuple crown, though of course he still has some distance to go. In the first of the quarterfinals, played on November 5, Iyama (B) defeated Yuki Satoshi 9P by resignation. His semifinal opponent will be the winner of a game between Ichiriki Ryo 7P and Imamura Toshiya 9P. The pairings in the other quarterfinals are Yo Seiki 7P vs. Takao Shinji Tengen and Kobayashi Satoru 9P vs. Shida Tatsuya 7P

Published On 11/18/2015

The Korea Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) is seeking promising youth players who are interested in participating in its Foreign Promising Baduk Player Invitation and Education Project. While the 2016 project is still the planning stages, it is expected that the thirteen players selected from around the world will receive full airfare, accommodation and lesson cost from KABA. Players will be considered who were born between 1997 and 2009, according to KABA. To be eligible you should be over 7k in strength if you are 7-9 years old, over 5k if 10-12 years old, over 1k if you are 13-15 years old and over 2d if you are 16-19 years old. If you think you are interested in attending, please write to Andy Okun at president@usgo.org as soon as possible but no later than November 23, with your name, AGA number, strength, date of birth, and a paragraph or two summarizing your go career so far and something about your interest in the game.

Published On 11/18/2015

The 20th Pandanet Internet World Amateur Go Tournament (IWAG) is currently accepting registrations. The deadline is December 9. All games must be played on the Pandanet server. As in previous years, the registrants are divided into 2015.11.18_pandanet-iwagthree regions, and in each region further divided into several ranking bands. Winners in each band will receive prizes. In the preliminary round, players play with others in the same band and in the same region. Regional winners then move on to play in the international final rounds. Click here for further details.

Published On 11/18/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal2015.11.18_40th Kisei challenger New members of the Meijin League: Two of the three vacant places in the 41st Meijin League were decided on October 29. Uchida Shuhei 7P (B) beat Kanazawa Makoto 7P by 3.5 points, so the latter failed to regain his place. Uchida will make his second appearance after an absence of three years. Hirata Tomoya 4P (W) beat So Yokoku 9P, also by 3.5 points. The 21-year-old Hirata won his first league place and secured an automatic promotion to 7-dan (as of the following day). So Yokoku was also a member of the previous league. The final vacant seat was decided on November 5. In a clash between Nagoya players, Hane Naoki 9P (W) beat Ida Atsushi Judan by resignation. Hane also immediately regained his league place. At 39 years three months, he will be the oldest member of the league (Takao is two months younger).

Published On 11/13/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal Over-40 Lightning Go Tournament: The term “haya-go” is usually translated as “rapid go,” and a haya-go in the NHK format actually 2015.11.12_O Rissei Haya-gotakes around 90 minutes. In the Over-40 Lightning Go Tournament, which is open to veteran Nihon Ki-in players, the term “lightning” is justified, as the time allowance is ten seconds per move (plus three minutes’ thinking time). This is actually the second term of this unofficial tournament, but I think I missed the first last year. In the original, the name reads “OVER40 Haya-go Tonamento-sen,” but, if the report in Go Weekly is correct, this should be “40 or over.” First, 56 players competed in four preliminary blocks, held on October 27. These were won by O Meien 9P, Nakaonoda Tomomi 9P, Oya Koichi 9P, and O Rissei 9P; they qualified for the main tournament, held on November 7. Cho Sonjin, the winner of the first tournament, lost to Nakaonoda in the final of his block.

Published On 11/13/2015

Another exciting round of games for the Pandanet-AGA City League starts this Sunday. Check the schedule to see who your favorite team is playing. Will Canwa Vancouver, Washington DC 1, and Atlanta 2 keep their leads? We'll see after this round! - Steve Colburn, TD

Young Lions Live Stream Sat. & Sun.

Published On 11/13/2015

The 2015 AGHS Young Lions Tournament, the premier competition for North American youth players, will take place this weekend (November 14-15) on KGS. This year, an unprecedented 54 players have signed up, including 2 from Canada and 8 from Mexico. There will be 5 divisions, including an Open Division for strong dan players with even games; top games will be streamed live by AGHS promotional head Stephen Hu and secretary April Ye on Twitch.

Published On 11/12/2015

The American Go Association (AGA) and Candian Go Association (CGA) are seeking players interested in forming teams and traveling to Guangzhou, China, to compete in the second Jin Long Cheng World Team Go Championship from Dec. 15 to 23. The three players for the US team must be US citizens and be able to pay for their own travel and lodging (550 RMB per day) in Guangzhou; they may also bring a team official. Likewise, the Canadian team must comprise three Canadian citizens able to pay their own way. The tournament will include seeded teams from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, as well as three wild card teams from China, Japan and Korea. According to the China Qiyuan, teams from other countries are welcome as well. If more than nine teams register from the rest of the world including the US and Canada, then there will be a preliminary qualifying round to reduce the number to nine.

Club Report: Portland, OR

Published On 11/12/2015

The Portland (Oregon) Go Club meets almost every day of the week at various locations, but every Tuesday evening the meeting is at Powell's City 2015.11.11_Portland-clubof Books at 10th and Burnside. And every second Tuesday of the month the club hosts a self-paired ratings tournament. Of course, AGA membership is required, but you do not have to be a PGC member to participate -- all are welcome to play whether just passing through or driving in from a neighboring city. The photo shows some of the games in progress on November 10. At the front right is the tournament director, Daniel Wagner. - Roy Schmidt Reports -- and photos -- about local club activities are welcome! Send them to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 11/12/2015

McCallister, Not Boz: "Thanks for the interesting update about Kiseido (Bozulich Brings It All Together in New “Encyclopedia of Go 2015.11.11_einstein_go-goPrinciples” 11/11 EJ)," writes Frank B. "FYI the essay 'Einstein and Go' was not written by Bozulich; it is by Robert A. McCallister." Graphic from the Science is Everywhere 'Einstein a Go Go' radio show in Melbourne, Australia, which -- as far as we know, has nothing to do with the game of go, we just like it and think it works here. More Levels in Go Than Poker: "Notice that I have left the question mark off the subject line," writes Roland Crowl, in response to More Levels in Go Than Poker? (11/8 EJ). "Many (~20-25) years ago I saw a rating of game complexity based a level being distinguished from the next level by one player being able to beat the other 75% of the time. Most games - poker in multiple disguises, backgammon, checkers (draughts for our British friends)

Published On 11/10/2015

Kiseido has just released "Mastering the Basics, Volume Nine, An Encyclopedia of Go Principles," by Richard Bozulich. Bozulich's purpose is 2015.11.09_Boz-encyclopedianothing less than "bring(ing) together all the strategic and tactical principles of go," collecting 100 principles, supplemented with examples. Kiseido has also posted fascinating essays by Bozulich, like "Einstein and Go," the story of Edward Lasker's attempt to interest Albert Einstein in go. While you're at Kiseido's site, check out their go equipment site as well as their "Luxury Go Equipment Bargains".

Published On 11/9/2015

Vagabond Manga: "A favorite coffee barista of mine suggested I read the manga Vagabond, a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by2015.11.09_Vagabond21 Takehiko Inoue," writes Devin Fraze. "It portrays a fictionalized account of the life of Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, based on Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi. In Volume 6, go is being played by the hero's love interest. Unfortunately more of the game play is not shown as her opponent "accidentally" knocks over the board.

Published On 11/8/2015

No free massages or tacos (a la the Cotsen Open) but next weekend's 18th “Go to Innovation” tournament in Berlin does offer free draught beer SONY DSCin the cafeteria starting at noon on Saturday. Ting Li 1P, Pavol Lisy 1P and Ilya Shikshin are among the players slated to compete for over 3,000€ in prizes including a 500€ Omikron Data Quality GmbH-Prize for the best female gamer and a 500€ Jackpot for 8 wins. - photo from the 15th Go to Innovation; Jaromir Sir

Published On 11/8/2015

Facebook's Go Study Not Deep Enough: "Only good moves? Did anyone tell Facebook that they will lose their first 1000 games?" wonders Chris Uzal (Facebook Tackles Go With “Deep Learning” AI 11/7 EJ) "This is what happens when you think the world can function great with only a "like" button but the sky is full of frowny faces if you have a "dislike" button. I don't think Facebook is psychologically equipped to play go2015.11.08_WSJ-poker let alone research the game. In their world, missclicks and undos are part of the game. The only people who lose are not friends with their friends. They would possibly learn more by studying moral hazard." More Levels in Go Than Poker? "Christopher F. Chabris, whom I know from chess, has written an article for the WSJ (Could an Amateur Win the World Series of Poker?) in which he writes 'In the Asian game of Go, there may be even more levels.' I thought he should have written '...there are even more levels,' in lieu of 'may be.'

Published On 11/8/2015

Ke Jie 9p will face Shi Yue 9p in the 2015 Samsung Cup finals. As previously reported (Ke Jie Wins Samsung Cup Semifinal 11/3 EJ), Ke -- the2015.11.08_Ke-Jie-Shi-Yue-2015-Samsung-Cupnew #1 in China and ranked #2 in the world in Dr Bai Taeil’s rating system -- defeated Lee Sedol 9p 2-0 in the semi-finals last week. Shi Yue 9p -- #2 in China -- lost the first game in his semi against Tang Weixing 9p but came back to win the next two games. Click here for GoGameGuru's complete report, including comments by Younggil An 8P, game records and photos. - photo: Ke Jie 9p (left) and Shi Yue 9p

Gotham Go Tourney Filling Up Fast

Published On 11/8/2015

With less than a week to go, there are less than two dozen places left in the upcoming Gotham Go Tournament this Saturday, November 14 in2015.11.08_GothamGo-logo New York City. There are cash prizes in all sections and an open section for strong dan players; click here to register. On Sunday there's a Pair Go tournament, with $500 in cash prizes from the AGA; click here to register.

Lei Xu Wins in Austin; Pizza for All

Published On 11/8/2015

Players traveled from as far away as Houston and Dallas to play in the Austin Go Club's tournament on Saturday, November 7 in Austin, Texas. 2015..11.08_austin-winnersLei Xu 3k, with a 4-0 record, was the overall winner, topping a field of 17. Six other players went 3-1 including John Zhang 4d, Matthew Machado 1d, Stephen Walker 3k, Tracey Su 4k, Ray Heitmann 5k and John Ruder 6k. "We were able to take advantage of the AGA Chapter Rewards Program and supply a pizza lunch to all participants," reports organizer Bart Jacob. photo: (l-r) Tracey Su, John Ruder, Ray Heitmann, John Zhang, Matthew Machado, Lei Xu and Stephen Walker; photo by Bart Jacob

Published On 11/7/2015

With go growing more and more popular in Russia, game organizers held a press conference October 22 in Moscow on the eve of the 21st edition2015.11.07_Moscow-press-conf of the Cup of the Ambassador of Japan, the oldest go tournament in the country. New clubs are opening up, the number of players is increasing and notable international competitions are taking place, the organizers reported. Russia will host the 60th Polymetal European Go Congress next year in Saint-Petersburg. In another major development, the National non-Olympic Sports Committee and the Russian Go Federation signed an official contract assuring the Committee’s support for developing this intellectual sport in Russia. Moreover, go is officially included in the list of sports by the Ministry of Sports of Russian Federation. "The number of Russian athletes taking part in international go competitions grew by 70% since 2012,

AGA's YouTube Channel Takes Off

Published On 11/7/2015

If you missed Myungwan Kim 9P's livestream commentaries earlier this week on the two semi-final Samsung Cup games between Lee Sedol and2015.11.07_Official AGA Youtube Channel Ke Jie, you can now watch them at your leisure on the AGA's YouTube Channel. With nearly 2,000 subscribers, the channel has really taken off this year, broadcasting live from the US Go Congress, the Chang Qi Cup and the Cotsen Open, attracting thousands of viewers who either watched live or later at their convenience. The channel has also become the place to find go players on YouTube, from gamer Dwyrin -- whose videos have been viewed more than 5 million times -- to Haylee (professional Hajin Lee), Nick Sibicky, Shawn Ray, Andrew Jackson and more, each of whom have been developing their own styles and attracting fans and subscribers. "I love your extremely positive personality!" one viewer told Haylee. "It makes your videos really enjoyable. Thank you for these amazing videos."

Published On 11/7/2015

Researchers at Facebook are now tackling go with an increasingly important form of artificial intelligence known as deep learning, Wired 2015.11.07_Wired_logomagazine reported earlier this week. 2015.11.07_Facebook_logo"Facebook is using similar technology to recognize a promising Go move—to visually understand whether it will be successful, kind of like a human would," writes Cade Metz. "Researchers are feeding images of Go moves into a deep learning neural network so that it can learn what a successful move looks like," as opposed to using brute computing power to analyze the many possible outcomes of every possible move. Though this system is only about two or three months old, Facebook CTO Mike “Schrep” Schroepfer told reporters at Facebook’s California headquarters last week, it can already beat systems built solely with more traditional AI techniques.

Published On 11/7/2015

The American Go Association will hold online playoffs for a North American rep to the 2015 Li Min Cup. The playoffs will be held the weekend of November 14-15; the Li Min Cup will be held from November 27th to December 3rd in Hangzhou, China. The American Go Association is looking for one player to represent North America. The Li Min tournament will be a single-knockout format; food and accommodation will be provided and players will also be provided with 10,000 RMB as travel allowance. Online playoff eligibility: Players must be born after January 1, 1992 and have US or Canadian citizenship. US players must have 1 year continuous membership in AGA and have been resident in the US for 6 of the last 12 months. Players must be able to play in the online selection games. Due to the last minute nature of this invitation, players must either have China visa already or be able to obtain one in time to play in the tournament on November 27. Interested players must email cherry.shen@usgo.org

Published On 11/4/2015

The French Team Championships took place October 24-25 in Lans-en Vercors, near Grenoble, France. Would the defending champions, Grenoble 1,2015.11.03_Lyon-Team maintain their title by defeating the 13 challengers? Grenoble 1 had added Motoki Noguchi -- who was unavailable last year -- to their squad as a replacement for Denis Karadaban, who is studying in Korea. Logically they were in an excellent position to keep their title, their mean rank of 6 dan being three ranks above their nearest rivals. We note however, the increase in the number of teams with a mean rank of 2 to 3 dan, presented serious challengers for the podium places in Rennes, Lyon, Jussieu, Grenoble 2 and 3.
The first round passed without surprise for the strongest teams. In the closest matches Lyon bested La Rochelle and Toulouse beat Antony. In the second round, the surprises began. Suddenly, Grenoble 1 lost on boards 3 and 4, Toru Imamura-Cornuejols (4d) and Simon Billouet (4d) lost respectively to Louis Meckes

Published On 11/4/2015

Screen Shot 2015-11-03 at 5.59.59 PMThe registration deadline for the Young Lions Tournament is this Saturday, Nov. 7th. "All youth under age 18 are encouraged to play," says AGHS President Yunxuan Li, "Young Lions is one of the longest running youth tournaments in the US, and draws many strong players each year." There will be 4 rounds in the tournament. The first round starts at 1pm EST, and the second at 4pm EST on November 14th. The third and fourth rounds will follow the same schedule on November 15. "Great cash prizes and trophies will be awarded to the top finishers of each division. This year, we will also be live broadcasting some of the Young Lions game on Twitch and YouTube. The deadline to sign up is right around the corner, so stop waiting and sign up now,' adds Li. To register, click here.

Published On 11/4/2015

Ichiriki Ryo 7p, the first player from team Japan, won three games in the first round of the 17th Nongshim Cup, played October 20-23 in 2015.11.03_Ichiriki-Ryo-Nongshim-CupChongqing, China. Ichiriki Ryo defeated Baek Chanhee 1p, Fan Yunruo 4p and Min Sangyoun 4p consecutively, an impressive performance and hopeful news for team Japan. Even though Ichiriki (right) lost to Wu Guangya 6p in the fourth game, he’s already done very well for Japan. Ichiriki was also the first player to step up to the plate at the 16th Nongshim Cup in 2014, where he defeated Byun Sangil 4p and lost to Tuo Jiaxi 9p. Over the last decade or so, Team Japan sometimes struggled in the Nongshim Cup. However, they’re off to an excellent start this year, due to Ichiriki’s excellent performance. - Go Game Guru; click here for their complete report.

Ke Jie Wins Samsung Cup Semifinal

Published On 11/4/2015

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015.11.03_Samsung_semifinals_2-LeeSedol-KeJie.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015.11.03_Samsung_semifinals_2-LeeSedol-KeJie.sgf" class="alignright"] [/sgf] Ke Jie 9p beat Lee Sedol 9p by resignation, a second win in two days to win the 2015 Samsung Cup semifinal. The much anticipated contest between the young Chinese star, #2 in the world, and Korean great Lee, secures for Ke a spot in the Samsung final match with its prize of approximately $300,000 first prize. The match was the subject of a live streaming commentary Tuesday night by Myungwan Kim 9p. Kim's in-depth analysis of the game, anchored by E-Journal broadcaster Andrew Jackson 4d, was followed by nearly 150 players on the AGA's YouTube channel despite extending beyond midnight on the East Coast. "I love the sound the commentary makes as it sails way over my head," said Cement12293.

Published On 11/3/2015

Myungwan Kim 9p will provide live streaming commentary again Tuesday night for the second round in the Samsung Cup semifinal match 2015.11.02_Ke Jie-Lee Sedol-Samsung-YouTubebetween Ke Jie and Lee Sedol. Along with E-Journal broadcaster Andrew Jackson, Kim commented Game 1 on Monday night, attracting an engaged and enthusiastic online audience. Tuesday night's stream will be on the AGA's official YouTube channel and official Twitch channel, as well as on KGS, beginning at 7:30PM PST (10:30p EST). SGF record for game 1 of Ke Jie v. Lee Sedol

Pumpkins, Pizza, and Points

Published On 11/2/2015

When the NOVA Go Club held its annual Pumpkin Classic Tourney this year the pumpkins given out as prizes before Halloween were paid for 2015.10.26_NOVA-pumpkinwith Chapter Rewards points. In the same time period, the Space Coast Area Go Association and the San Diego Go Club both enjoyed pizza after their tourneys. New and renewing memberships and rated games earn rewards points for chapters and the points earned can be found here. Points can be used for lots more than pumpkins and pizza including annual chapter dues. Check out the details here on how points are earned and how to redeem them with a simple email. - Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 11/2/2015

The Empty Sky Go Club was host to 24 players for the 11th Greg Lefler Memorial IMG_3178Tournament on October 24th. Players from 8d to 28k competed in four rounds. There were three divisions of winners. Dan Section: 1) Tang Zhenbokang; 2) Thomas Hsiang. Single Digit Kyu Section: 1) Jim Gonnella; 2) Luk Yan-Yeung. Double Digit Kyu Section: 1) Nakaya Hiroaki; 2) Joe Bauser. All first place winners went 4-0 and second place were 3-1. Full tournament crosstabs have been rated on the AGAGD. Photos: (left) 24 players from Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Utica play a morning round. (Right) Tang Zhenbokang (white shirt) and others watch on as Thomas Hsiang plays one of his games.

Published On 11/2/2015

xhu-pandanetTwo weeks ago the latest Pandanet AGA City League started. One of the changes this year is the addition of video commentary for the rounds. In the first round xhu98 goes over some of the C League matches. The games were reviewed live on Twitch and later posted to YouTube. Click on the image on the right to watch two hours of reviews from these matches. In two weeks Nick Sibicky or Andrew Jackson will cover the next round. - Steve Colburn

Liu Wins Last Game in Sankei Prelim

Published On 11/2/2015

Andy Liu 1p defeated Ha Yoniru 6p by 2.5 points Monday afternoon in Osaka in the third and final round of the professional preliminary of the 2015.11.02_liu-final-match-300x168Kansai Kiin's 12th Sankei Cup (see below for game record). Liu defeated Imayi Kazuhiro 6p by resignation in his first game and won against Takashima Yougo 1p by a half point in his second game. The EJ will provide details about the main tournament as soon as possible. Fellow AGA pro Gansheng Shi 1p of Canada lost in his first round, as did two European Go Federation pros, Mateusz Surma 1p and Ali Jabarin 1p. Liu and Shi also played an exchange match with young Kansai Kiin pros, with Liu winning his game against Shintani Yousuki 1p, for an overall 4-0 record for this trip. "I am overjoyed at Andy's wins and very proud of both our players for their gallant representation of the US and Canadian go communities in Japan," said AGA President Andy Okun. All the games were broadcast on Pandanet. liu (b) v ha (w) 1-

Published On 11/1/2015

Aaron Morris 16k topped the October 17 Louisville Go Club tournament with a 4-0 record. Twelve players -- including players from Cincinnati, 2015.11.01_Aaron-MorrisColumbus, and Bloomington -- showed up for the club's third annual tournament. Morris is a member of the Louisville Go Club in Louisville, KY. - Asha Nagaiya

Published On 11/1/2015

The Orange County Go Club was the top winner in the club competition at the recent Cotsen Open, winning $1,000. In second place ($300) was the 2015.11.01_Cotsen-club-winner-IMG_1146Santa Monica club and Arizona ($200) took third place. Yilun Yang awarded special prizes to Cotsen Tournament Director Chris Sira and James Chen for his many contributions to the early years of the Cotsen Open. The 2015 Cotsen crosstab has now been posted. The Cotsen livestream videos have also been posted now, including a very brief one in which Mark Lee reviews key points in his Round 3 game against Aaron Ye. Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis thanked Assistant Tournament Organizer Wenguang Wu, Tournament Assistant Katie Dicus, Webmaster Laura Mayer-Sommer, Photographer Brian "Ferrari" Peregrina and many volunteers, including Sighris Sargon, Paru Maheta-Sargon and Chris Kirschner. E-Journal team leader Chris Garlock's crack recording/broadcast team included Andrew Jackson (YouTube live-streaming), Dennis

Published On 11/1/2015

The upcoming Samsung Cup semifinal match between Ke Jie and Lee Sedol has the go world buzzing. Ke Jie (right), regarded as the strongest player in2015.11.01_Ke Jie-Lee Sedol-samsung-semi China today and currently rated #2 in the world, will face Lee Sedol (left), #3 worldwide, Monday in their best-of-three match. The two players have never before met in tournament play, and the Samsung Cup is one of the most prestigious international titles, with a grand prize of over $250,000 USD. Myungwan Kim 9p will provide live commentary for English-speaking players via the AGA's official YouTube channel and official Twitch channel. Kim says hundreds of thousands will watch the event in Korea alone, and a large audience is expected in China as well. "These could be the best games of the year," he says. The games are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2, Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Wednesday, Nov. 4 (if necessary). Video commentary will begin at 7:30PM PST (10:30p EST) each day. - Andrew Jackson

Published On 11/1/2015

Andy Liu 1p and Gansheng Shi 1p played in an exchange match with Kansai Kiin pros on Friday in Osaka, with Liu (top right) winning his match against 2015.10.31_Sankei Cup-collageSinntani Yousuki 1p (top left) and Shi (bottom left) losing to Yinaba Karinn 1p (bottom right). Liu, who won two initial rounds of the 12th Sankei Cup pro preliminary, will play a final preliminary round on Monday at 2:30 p.m. Japanese time, or 12:30 a.m. Monday Eastern time (9:30 p.m. Sunday night Pacific time). According to the Kansai Kiin, Ha Yoniru 6p and Arakaki Shiyun 9p will play each other Monday morning and the winner of that match will play Monday afternoon against Liu. The matches will be broadcast on Pandanet; the E-Journal will provide information about the Sankei Cup main tournament when available. See below for game records. - photos courtesy of Kansai Kiin. Gansheng Shi (b) vs Mine Yasuhiro

Published On 10/29/2015

"Considering we were novice organizers and pulled it together in under two months, the Philadelphia Fall Open went smoothly," reports 2015.10.28_Philly-CollageBenjamin Sauerhaft Coplon, Penn Go Society Treasurer and Chief Tournament Organizer. Twelve players participated in the October 25 tournament, ranging from from 6 dan to 17 kyu. "The winners all happened to be new AGA members," Coplon adds. They shared $100 in prizes: First place, Summer (Yuting) Yue, Second place, Amber Jain, Third place, John Deming. Full results available here. "Thank you to all the players for making this event a success, and having patience with our minor difficulties," says Coplon. "Thank you to Evan Zou for remaining calm under pressure as TD. Thank you to Matt Bengtson, our club president, for providing his expertise and keeping the Penn Go Society running. And finally, thank you to Redcap's Corner, Gaming Emporium which hosted us for free." With renewed momentum from the tournament, "The Penn Go Society

Published On 10/29/2015

Just over three dozen players players from eight countries competed in the 17th Ibero-American Championship tournament held at the Cuban Go Academy in Havana from October 9 to 11. Hisao Uyama 7d (Brazil) won first place; Fernando Aguilar 7d (Argentina) finished second and Santiago Alvarez 5d (Cuba) was third. "It was a nice occasion to foster international friendship through go," Aguilar told the E-Journal.

Published On 10/29/2015

The exchange match between Kansai Kiin young professionals and American and European reps takes place in Osaka, Japan, during the day Friday, late Thursday or the middle of the night Friday US time. Andy Liu's (below, right) game will be at 10a Japanese time (9p Thursday East Coast US time), against Sinntani Yousuki 1p. Gansheng Shi (below, center and left) will play at 2p (1a Friday East Coast US time), against Yinaba Karinn 1p. The games should be broadcast on Pandanet. - photos courtesy of Kansai Kiin

Why We Play: Edward Zhang 6d

Published On 10/28/2015

Age: 362015.10.28_Edward Zhang-self Years playing go: 26 Lives in: McLean, VA Home club: Capital Go Club Life is unpredictable: could be great, could go south. Playing go for nearly three decades has taught me strategies that have benefited me tremendously in my current career in financial planning. Reading out the variations helps me understand which is a manageable trade and which is an unfavorable battle. It’s also important to keep a couple byo-yomi periods for the uncertainties at the end. That said, it’s still impossible to predict a go game or life, but we can always plan to avoid the unnecessary pains, taking only the calculable risks. Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

Published On 10/27/2015

American professional Andy Liu 1p has won his way into the final round of the Kansai Kiin's 12th Sankei Cup pro preliminary in Osaka, Japan.2015.10.28_Andy-Liu Liu defeated Imayi Kazuhiro 6p by resignation in his first game and won against Takashima Yougo 1p by a half-point in the second round. He plays Ha Yonnyiru 6p on Monday, Nov. 2 at 2:30 p.m. Japanese time. Fellow AGA pro Gansheng Shi lost in the first round to Mine Yasuhiro 3p, and the two EGF pros, Mateusz Surma 1p and Ali Jabarin 1p lost their matches as well. Shi and Liu will also play in an exchange match with young Kansai pros on Friday, Oct. 30, Liu at 10 a.m. Japanese time against Sinntani Yousuki 1p and Shi at 2 p.m. against Yinaba Karinn 1p. All matches will be broadcast on Pandanet. The EJ will update with photos and game records as soon as they are available. - Andy Okun; 2014 photo of Liu by Phil Straus

Published On 10/26/2015

Mark Lee fended off a last-round challenge to clinch the 2015 Cotsen Open with a perfect 5-0 record. Lee uncharacteristically misread in a 2015.10.25_cotsen-okun-lee-gross-P1000244capturing race against Ho Son 7D of Seattle but fought back and then pulled ahead decisively in the endgame to win by more than 20 points. Large audiences watched the top-board matches, broadcast by the E-Journal team on both KGS and the AGA's YouTube channel -- where Myungwan Kim 9P and Jennie Shen 2P commented the games live -- and Lee's sharp focus throughout the tournament was impressive. "I was the runner-up last year and really wanted to win this year," he told the E-Journal. "The games were tough but when I got ahead I tried to stay ahead and when things got complicated I just focused on the immediate problem."

Published On 10/26/2015

The recent 20th anniversary celebration at the Seattle Go Center attracted over 100 people, including two professionals from Japan, Hiroshi Yamashiro 9P, vice president of the Nihon Ki-in, and Yuma 6P, who is also known as Kuma-sensei in Seattle. The October 3 evening reception and concert featured a short speech from Consul General Masahiro Omura from the Seattle Japanese Consulate, who noted that Kaoru Iwamoto's purchase of the Go Center building for use by the U.S. go community was a good symbol of the continuing reconciliation between Japan and the United States since WWII. Go Center Board President Lee Anne Bowie reported that the late Iwamoto-sensei’s vision to extend go internationally and promote mutual understanding and friendship through the game of go has been upheld at the Seattle Go Center.

Fujita Harvests NOVA Pumpkin Field

Published On 10/26/2015

Saki Fujita 5D was undefeated in four rounds against a field of 29 at the October 24 NOVA Pumpkin Classic in Arlington, VA. Other division 2015.10.26_NOVA-pumpkinwinners include Quinn Baranoski 1K (undefeated), Patrick Sun 6K, Jeff Martyn 10K, Sara Crites 11K, and Kurt Haldeman 15K. Second place winners include Josh Lee 6D, Victor Kang 3D, Zhao Zhao 5K, Garrett Smith 9K, Deirdre Golash 11k (tie), Robert Cole 12K (tie), and Amber Boyden 20K.
While the go was very serious, the prizes were fun. All first and second places with a better than even record won a pumpkin. Gurujeet Khalsa was the TD.Photo by Garrett Smith; champion Saki Fujita is in the front, second from the right.

Published On 10/26/2015

Space is limited at the upcoming Gotham Go Tournament, so register soon. The November 14-15th event is really two tournaments, a one-day, 4-2015.10.26_Gotham2013-DSC_6943round AGA-rated tournament on Saturday, November 14, followed by a Pair Go tournament on Sunday, November 15. Both events will be held at the Hostelling International New York, at 891 Amsterdam Ave (btw 103rd & 104th), which can only handle 84 players. "Breakfast, snacks, coffee and goodies both days!" promises organizer Peter Armenia, "And a Gotham Go surprise for all who participate!" photo: January 2013 Gotham Tournament; photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 10/26/2015

AGF-logo-smallApplications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community . To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. Applications are due Nov. 14th this year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 10/24/2015

Andy Liu 1p and Gansheng Shi 1p will play in a Kansai Kiin pro tournament this coming week; their games will be broadcast on Pandanet. The game will take place starting at 10 a.m. on Oct. 26, Japanese time, or 9P EST in the US. Liu will play against Imayi Kazuhiro 6p and Shi will play against Mine Yasuhiro 3p. The Sankei tournament is a Kansai Kiin knock-out tournament, created in 2005, with 16 pros and 16 amateurs competing in two separate preliminaries. The current title holder is Daisuke Murakawa Oza 8p. This year, in addition to the two AGA pros, two European Go Federation pros will play, Mateusz Surma 1p of Poland against Kurahashi Masayuki 9p and Ali Jabarin of Israel against Yo Seiki 7p. There is also an exchange match scheduled for Oct. 30th, with Liu playing Sinntani Yousuke 1p at 10 a.m and Shi playing Yinaba Karinn 1p at 2 p.m. Japanese time.

Published On 10/24/2015

Mark Lee 7D (left) stormed through the first three rounds of the 2015 Cotsen Open on Saturday as he tried to capture his first Cotsen title. Only young 2015.10.24_cotsen-umbrella-P1000116Aaron Ye even came close to upsetting the former Korean insei, in a third-round slugfest in which Ye managed to gain a slight advantage in the middle game, only to see his position collapse in the endgame under time pressure and an exquisite tesuji by Lee. Top boards in the final two rounds will be broadcast again live on KGS Sunday starting at 10a PST, with live-streaming of Board 1 on the AGA's YouTube channel. Yilun Yang 7P will play another Chinese professional starting at 8a on KGS. Click here for a crosstab of results through Round 3

Young Lions Nov. 14 & 15

Published On 10/23/2015

6a00d8341c630a53ef01116887fc30970c-800wiThe American Go Honor Society (AGHS) will be hosting the 2015 Young Lions Tournament in November. "This is the premier competition for North American youth under 18, and has been one of our longest running tournaments," says AGHS Promotion Head Stephen Hu. "There will be 4 rounds in the tournament. The first round starts at 1pm EST, and the second at 4pm EST on November 14th. The third and fourth rounds rounds will follow the same schedule on November 15. There will be great prizes, as well as trophies and medals for the top three places in each rank division," adds Hu. The tournament will be held on KGS, with games broadcast on Twitch. The registration form is here, the deadline will be Saturday, November 7, so sign up today. -Paul Barchilon, E- J Youth Editor

Published On 10/21/2015

Pre-registration for this weekend's Cotsen Open has ended -- 143 pre-registered! -- but organizers report that "you can still register at the door" 2015.10.21_cotsen-yang-review-DSC_0039on Saturday morning. Registration will open at 8a on Saturday at the LA Center Studios, 1201 W. 5th Street, Ste. T-100 (450 S. Bixel Street will get you to the correct gate to enter) and closes at 9a sharp; anyone registering after 9a will not be able to play in the first round (click here for the complete schedule). "Even if you pre-registered, you must still sign in Saturday morning," notes Tournament Director Chris Sira. The Cotsen offers a free food truck lunch on both days and the entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event. The E-Journal will broadcast top-board games on KGS.

Published On 10/21/2015

East Coast go players who can't make the Cotsen Open in Los Angeles this weekend can still get their dose of go competition by attending tournaments in Arlington, Virginia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or Rochester, New York. The NOVA Pumpkin Classic will be held Saturday, October 24 in Arlington, the 11th Annual Greg Lefler Memorial Tournament in Rochester will also be held Saturday and the Philadelphia Fall Open -- the first AGA-rated tournament organized by The Penn Go Society in many years -- will be held Sunday, October 25th in Philadelphia. Anyone attending two of the tournaments should email photos to us at journal@usgo.org!

Published On 10/21/2015

Jonathan Fisher 4D topped a field of 18 at the 2015 Cocoa Go Tournament on October 17. The Space Coast Area Go Association hosted 2015.10.21_Cocoa Go Tournament-collageplayers from West Palm Beach, Sarasota, Orlando, and the local area which is near the Kennedy Space Center. The top division included three 4 dan players while the lower kyu division included the three youngest players rated at 13K, 15K and 26K.
"Due to the generosity of Slate and Shell, Yellow Mountain Imports and our club President, George Lebovitz, there were prizes for all," reports tournament director Bart Lipofsky. Top winner Jonathan Fisher 4D, who swept all three of his games, took home the 24 inch oil canvas of go stones from Yellow Mountain Imports. Aaron Otero 8K was also undefeated to take first place in the mid kyu division. Heather Crawford 13K had 2 wins, 1 loss, for first place in the lower kyu division.

Obama Played Go in College

Published On 10/20/2015

President Barack Obama learned go in college, reports American Go Association President Andy Okun. In a brief conversation in the meet-and-greet line at a recent 2015.10.19-ObamaBoardbyPeterArmeniafundraiser in California, Okun says he mentioned his position with the AGA and Obama responded, "I learned to play go in college from a guy named Tim" adding that "Tim was a go master." He asked a nearby aide if the aide had ever played go (he hadn't), noting that "It's a very complicated game ... non-linear." As quickly as it started, the discussion ended and staff moved Okun and his son out of the room. Obama presented then-Chinese President Hu Jintao with an American-made go board and glass bowls (also American-made) during a visit in 2010 (Go Community To Attend White House Event Welcoming Chinese President 1/17/2011). photo of go board made by Frank Salantrie by Salantrie

Published On 10/20/2015

Registration for this weekend's Cotsen Open has topped 120, organizers report. Coming up October 24-25 at the LA Center Studios in Los 2015.10.19_cotsen2014-DSC_0057Angeles, CA, the popular tournament features a free food truck lunch on both days: Komodo Food on Saturday and Kogi BBQ on Sunday. The $20 entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event.

Volunteers are needed to help set up on Friday and record top-board games during the tournament. To help set up (free pizza!), email CotsenOpen@gmail.com; if interested in recording/broadcasting for the E-Journal (free EJ caps!); email journal@usgo.org.

photo: top board at the 2014 Cotsen; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 10/19/2015

The 19th Israeli Go Championship took place in a quiet residence area in Ramat Gan, Israel. During an extended weekend October 15-17, the 6-2015.10.19_amir-fragmanround tournament brought strong and young players from all over the country. The calm atmosphere outside was in great contrast to the fierce fights on the board. Amir Fragman 5D (right) defeated defending champion Jonathan Lidor and a veteran champion Leonid Entin with five straight wins to secure the title. Second was Ofer Zivony and third Reem Ben-David. Half the participants were dan level players. Click here for full results and more photos. - report by Shavit Fragman

Chess and Go in Portland and Beyond

Published On 10/19/2015

Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 3.32.36 PMLast month, a new Chess and Go in the Schools program was launched in Portland, Oregon. Over 100 children signed up in 3 different elementary schools, and 10 more children were placed on a waiting list. All children will learn both chess (from Fritz Balwit) and Go (from Peter Freedman), and then play either, or both games. The program's first tournament for the year is scheduled for October 24th. "The program's continued success has sparked an effort by the AGF, with assistance from the SF Ing Foundation, as well as funds from a private donor, in hopes of spreading interest in chess and go to other schools," says Freedman. "Start up funds will help organizers get off the ground, but the program is self-supporting, generating revenue to pay teachers, buy club T shirts, run tournaments with trophies, provide snacks, and purchase equipment. Projects in two cities are currently underway, with a possible third in the works.

Published On 10/18/2015

The fifth annual Fall Go Soiree at the home of San Diego Go Club president Ted Terpstra drew over 35 go players. Players from the SD Go Club, 2015.10.18_San-Diego-1UCSD Go Club, SDSU Go Club, Carlsbad Coastal Go Club and even the Santa Monica Go Club came together for a day of self-paired games on Saturday, October 10. After five hours of playing go, the crowd took a pizza break (funded by the AGA rewards program) and then continued into the night with more games and analysis.
A new group of UCSD freshmen, including Weihan Huai, a 2P from China, provided challenges for the old-timers. Every flat service in the house was covered by go boards and bowls as more and more players arrived. Players ranged in age for 10 to 70 and in ratings from 30K to 2P with a large contingent of dan players. - photo by Jenna Jansen

Published On 10/18/2015

Go Book Found: In response to a recent query, Richard Bozulich writes that "The book this gentleman is most likely saw was The Go Player's 2015.10.18_go-players-almanacAlmanac 2001, published by Kiseido. E-Journal Archives: "Are old ejournal email attachments available in an archival area?" wonders Richard Solberg. "I am interested in looking at some of these in my studies." The general EJ archives are in two locations: the 2008-2015 archive is here, while older E-Journals -- 2004-2008 -- are here. Neither archive includes member's edition content.

Published On 10/17/2015

This year, the French Pair Go Championship took place in Strasbourg on the weekend of the 10th and 11th of October. Fourteen pairs were2015.10.17_French-Pair-champs present. Would the pair of Nyoshi Cao and Antoine Fenech, reigning national champions for the past two years, be able to add to their tally? Many pairs were hoping to claim their title: Monique Berreby and Olivier Clergue, Marie-Claire Chaine and Farid Ben Malek, and Zhao Pei and Baptiste Noir. After a fierce competition, Cao-Fenech met Pei-Noir in the grand final (right). After a difficult opening, Nyoshi and Antoine headed into a thunderous endgame and ate a big group to clinch as 3-time champions. In second place, there was a tie between Zhao Pei-Baptiste Noir, Laura Lebastard-Jérôme Salignon and Charlotte Vielfaure-Thomas Debarre. This year, Dominique Cornuejols and Denis Karadaban will represent France at the International Amateur Pair Go Championship.

Sundays are for Football and Go

Published On 10/17/2015

This Sunday, October 18th starts the fourth year of the Pandanet AGA City League. Make sure to follow your local and favorite teams throughout the year. We've already had one game early this week and it was exciting to start off the year. For those who have followed in the past we have expanded the leagues and there are now eight teams for the A and B leagues. Also starting this year is video reviews from online commentators like Hajin Lee and Andrew Jackson. The first round will be commented by Xiaocheng-Stephen Hu/xhu98. Worried you're going to miss football while watching the games? Download the Android and iOS app for Pandanet. Look in the AGA City League and AGA City League (Manual) rooms. - Steve Colburn, League Coordinator

Published On 10/14/2015

In this rather sad elegiac 2002 film -- directed by Yojiro Takita -- about the end of the Samurai age, at 46:03 minutes we see a goban (floor 2015.09.13_When the Last Sword is Drawnboard) with two bowls of stones on top of the board, in the background of the scene. At 48:51 we see the local lord playing go on a floor board. - Duncan Brown

Published On 10/13/2015

by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal2014.10.13_WomHon1 Rina right Fujisawa Rina makes good start in title defense: The first game of the 34th Women’s Honinbo title match was held at the Kashoen inn in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture on October 8. It matches the 17-year-old titleholder Fujisawa Rina (right) against Xie Yimin, who held this title for six years in a row. This is the first title match between the two, and it gives us some insight into what the next five years will look like. If Xie can win, the age of Xie, who now holds two titles, may continue. If Fujisawa wins, she may displace Xie from the top position. At the party on the eve of the game, Fujisawa commented that playing a match with Xie had been one of her goals. Perhaps she didn’t expect to play her first match with her as the defending champion. Xie, who will be 26 on November 16, commented that this was her first match with a younger player.

Published On 10/13/2015

Over 90 players have already pre-registered for this year's Cotsen Open, coming up October 24-25 at the LA Center Studios in Los Angeles, CA.2015.10.13_Komodo Truck The popular tournament features a free food truck lunch on both days: Komodo Food on Saturday and Kogi BBQ on Sunday. The $20 entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds. Volunteers are wanted to help set up on Friday and record top-board games during the tournament. "Free pizza for helping set up the tournament space on Friday, October 23," promises Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis. Email her at CotsenOpen@gmail.com If interested in recording/broadcasting for the E-Journal (free EJ caps!); email journal@usgo.org

Published On 10/13/2015

Combined images from 20th AnniversaryThe Seattle Go Center held a large tournament to celebrate their 20th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 3. It was the largest fall tournament they have had in many years, with 48 players participating. The well organized TD’s, Bill Chiles and Dan Top, kept the event on schedule despite the large crowd. The players were smoothly distributed in terms of strength, so that most of the handicapped games used small handicaps. (88% of the handicapped games used two stones or less.) The next day, Kuma Sensei 6P from the Nihon Ki-in gave a lecture reviewing tournament games. The Open Section had 8 players and was won by longtime Northwest champion Edward Kim 7d. Edward bested Chanseok Oh, Jeremiah Donley, and Peter Nelson in his three games. Peter Nelson placed 2nd in the Open Section. Chris Kirschner won all his games in the Dan Handicapped Section, winning that section. Chris is one of the founders of the Go Center, and one of its most active volunteers.

Published On 10/13/2015

Iyama defends Meijin title: The fourth game of the 40th Meijin title match was held at the Kashikojima Hojoen, a traditional inn in Shima City in Mie Prefecture, on October 5 and 6. Playing black, , Iyama Yuta (right) forced a resignation after 227 moves and so defended his Meijin title with four straight wins. This is his third Meijin title in a row and his fifth overall. The game started with Iyama playing a little too aggressively. Takao (left) swallowed up an important black stone, but Iyama kept 2015.10.12_40meijin4 a disappointed Takaofighting relentlessly, so he didn’t get a chance to take the lead. The game developed into an enormous fight, but Takao missed his best chance to attack. Iyama increased the pressure in a fight among a number of eyeless groups and eventually came out on top. Takao was unable to improve on his score in his challenge to Iyama for the 35th Meijin title. At the moment, Iyama seems unstoppable.

Published On 10/8/2015

Three U.S. players will participate in the 17th Ibero-American Championship Tournament October 9-11 in Cuba, where leading Latin American2015.10.04_Rafael-Torres-Miranda-and-Lazaro-Bueno-Perez players will compete to determine a champion. Last year in Quito, Ecuador there were 47 players of all levels from eleven countries. Besides Latin America, players also came from Korea, the United Kingdom and the U.S. “Havana is a city rich in history all the way from the 16th century to modern times,” says attendee Bob Gilman, who's organized several US-Cuba exchanges. “I am eagerly looking forward to playing and extending my relationships with Latin American players.” There is information about the tournament here, and Gilman says people wanting to learn more are welcome to write him at bobgilman.aga@gmail.com. photo: Cuban Go Federation Rafael Torres Miranda (left) and Cuban go organizer Lazaro Bueno Perez at the 2015 US Go Congress; photo by Phil Straus

Published On 10/8/2015

The latest edition of the American Go Association Tournament Regulations have been posted on the AGA's Tournament Resources page, where you'll find everything local organizers need to run a tournament. "The essence of go is competition, and tournament play takes that rivalry to its highest level," says the AGA. "Running a tournament will strengthen your club. You will get to know new players from your area, and you may even build your club's treasury!" Organizing a tournament is probably easier than you think, especially if you can put some of local club members to work. Size doesn't matter. A "tournament" can be held with as few as two players, and there are several interesting formats for as few as four players. Tournament game results can be submitted for AGA rating, a major attraction many tournament players.

Cotsen Open Deadline Approaching

Published On 10/7/2015

With the October 20 deadline approaching, over 65 players have already pre-registered for this year's Cotsen Open, October 24-25 at the LA 2015.10.06_cotsen-yang-DSC_0066Center Studios (note new location). In addition to one of the largest and strongest fields on the West Coast, the tournament features free food truck lunch on both days, a full refund of the $20 entry fee if you play in all five rounds and the hallmark of the Cotsen, free massages for all players. Davis adds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event.
As an added bonus, "We will be printing new 'Cotsen Open' branded products, including never before seen playmat travel go boards with original art," reports Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis. photo: Yilun Yang 7P plays pro-pro game at the 2014 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock

Junfu Dai Wins French Championship

Published On 10/6/2015

Junfu Dai 8D (Paris) won the French Championship on October 3-4 in Lyon, topping the field of right of the strongest active amateur French 2015.10.06_FrenchChampFinalplayers and becoming the French representative to the next World Amateur Go Championship. Thomas DeBarre 6D (Strasbourg) and Alban Granger 4D (Rennes) took second and third places. Click here for complete details.
Meanwhile, the tournament of Lyon, with about 80 players, was won by Motoki Noguchi 7D (Grenoble), ahead of Florent Labouret 3D (Lyon) and Florent Rioland 3D (Marseille).
- Laurent Coquelet, FFG secretary and French Correspondent for the E-Journal; photo: Dai, at left, in the final, playing Thomas DeBarre

Published On 10/6/2015

With five straights victories, Tom Chen 5D of Sydney swept the 2015 Australian Digital Championship. Open to players from Australia and New Zealand, the tournament was the first from either country held on the internet (KGS and OGS), and took place during the month of September. The reserve champion in second place was Ken Xie of New Zealand 5D with four victories, beating out third place Xin Lei 3D of UNSW by half a point of SOS. Kudos to the pack of players on four victories, including also Steven Yang of Sydney and Graeme Parmenter of Otago, and thanks to the other 18 survivors who competed through to the end of the tournament. Click here for final results, including SGF game records. In the second division (handicap stronger than 4k) there was again one player with five victories, the Australian Digital Handicap Champion, Stephen Yang 4D. Second place was Rhys Davies 1D with four victories (except where he went up against Stephen Yang).

World Students Go Oza Seeks Entrants

Published On 10/4/2015

University/college students under the age of 30 are invited to participate in an online preliminary competition for the 14th World Students Go 2015.10.04_student-oza-13thOza Championship. Click here for details and here for the entry form. Application deadline is October 19. Note that students living in China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei cannot participate in the online preliminary round. The World Students Go Oza Championship will be held February 22-26, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan, where 16 students from around the world will compete to determine the world’s number one student player.

Published On 10/4/2015

Head teacher Will Lockhart 5-dan will lead the Brooklyn Go Club's annual 'Woodlands Go Workshop' in the Catskills next weekend, October 9-12. There's room for up to 15 kyu players at the Woodlands house -- a converted inn in Roundtop, NY co-owned by Brooklyn Go Club founder Jean-Claude Chetrit -- for an intensive workshop to bring their game to the next level. "In this temporary go commune, we'll play games, review, do puzzles, eat home-cooked meals and talk politics and philosophy, and play some more," says Lockhart.
The workshop cost is $225 ($75/room, $75/food & $75/instruction). Students should plan to arrive Friday evening or Saturday morning.
To join or inquire, write to both Will Lockhart willockhart@gmail.com and Jean-Claude Chetrit jc.chetrit@gmail.com.

Published On 9/30/2015

The Seattle Go Center will have a grand 20th Anniversary Party on Saturday, Oct. 3. with food, refreshments, short speeches and music by three different groups. Hiroshi Yamashiro 9P and Shiung Feng 6P ("Kuma-Sensei") will be coming 2015.09.30_seattle-party-collagefrom the Nihon Ki-in in Japan, as well as the Manager of the European Go Center in Holland, Harry van der Krogt. The Japanese Consul for Seattle, Consul General Masahiro Omura, and the President of the American Go Association, Andy Okun, will also be attending. The performers will be Songs of Hope (Fumi Tagata - soprano, and Shiho Kurauchi - koto); Okinawan Mushic by Mako & Noriko (Mako Willet - sanshin/vocal, and Noriko Inafuku - taiko); and the Sound Singers (Mixed chorus group with 15 singers). The Sound Singers include long time Go Center volunteers Frank (Kohya) Fukuda, and Hikojiro Katsuhisa. All friends of the Seattle Go Center are welcome to attend.

2015 French Open Championship

Published On 9/30/2015

The French Open Championship took place on the 21st to the 23rd of August. Motoki Noguchi, of the Grenoble club, gave a brilliant2015.09.29_french-open performance to win the title. 26 players were present to compete for the title. Amongst them, Motoki Noguchi(7d) was the big favourite, but two pretenders to watch were Tanguy Le Calvé(6d) and Benjamin Dréan-Guénaizia(6d). As is normal in a Swiss System, the results from the first 2 rounds on Friday were mostly as expected. Then on Saturday, more crucial games for the title took place. We note in round 4, the victory of Motoki against Jérôme Salignon(5d), in a game filled with fighting. At the same time, in the battle of the 6 dans, it was Benjamin Dréan-Guénaizia who dominated Tanguy Le Calvé. In round 5, what was essentially the final took place between the 2 so-far unbeaten players, Motoki and Benjamin. But Benjamin wilted under the pressure of the day, and ended up resigning rather quickly.

Published On 9/29/2015

Qiu Jun 9P and Lian Xiao 7P won their Chang Qi Cup semifinal third-round decider matches Monday to advance to the tournament's final 2015.09.28_Qiu-Lian-collagerounds later this year. The games followed the pattern of the first two matches, with Lian Xiao (right) defeating Li Qincheng 1P in just 161 moves, while Qiu Jun (left) prevailed over Tuo Jiaxi 9P in yet another marathon match -- this one 331 moves -- in which he used a ko threat to cleverly bring a group of dead stones back to life, forcing a resignation for the first time in the series. Game records: Rd3 QiuJun v. TuoJiaxi, Rd3 LianXiao v. LiQinCheng (also available on KGS, look under ChangQi1 and ChangQi2); special thanks to the Chinese recording team, who generously broadcast the games on KGS as well as on their Chinese servers. Special bonus: click here to see the video of E-Journal's Steve Colburn demonstrating the custom-built Ing table with built-in go board and stones, shot by Andrew Jackson.

Published On 9/28/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Aoki makes good start in Women’s Meijin League: The last game of the third round of the 28th Women’s Meijin League was played on September 24. Taking black, Aoki Kikuyo 8P beat Chinen Kaori 4P by resig. Aoki is now 2-0 (she had a bye in the second round), so she shares the provisional lead with Fujisawa Rina, also on 2-0 (she has a bye in this round). Awaji scores 1000th win: A win in Preliminary B of the 64th Oza tournament on September 24 was Awaji Shuzo 9P’s 1000th official win.2015.09.28_Awaji Shuzo Awaji (right) is the 17th player at the Nihon Ki-in to reach this landmark. His record is 592 losses, 3 jigo, and 1 no-result, a winning percentage of 62.6. Awaji was born on August 13, 1948 in Tokyo. He became a disciple of Ito Tomoe 7P, made 1-dan in 1968 and reached 9-dan in 1984. He also graduated from the College of Law (note that this is not the same as a law school in the US) of Aoyama Gakuin University.

Published On 9/28/2015

A chess player discovers go: "I was a chess player my whole life," writes David Coffin. "I'm 31 years old and just starting out in the game of 2015.09.28_Cambodian_Chess_with_Western_setiGo. I call the game iGo cause I heard the Japanese call it iGo. I am amazed by the depth of the tactics in this game. It's this tactical thinking and the great tradition of the game that keep me coming back. I've read a couple of the Janice Kim books and plan on finishing her series. I get the American Go eJournal every day and read about the game. Thanks for your commitment to this board game." We love to hear from readers! Write us at journal@usgo.org Searching for a go book: "I discovered go in a local bookstore in Cleveland, where I also found a board and pieces, in a classic games book for kids," writes Sharon Cenna. "The shelf also contained a wonderful, hard -back, oversized volume, with history of go in Asia, including many interesting art reproductions.It was quite large, with many pages.

Published On 9/28/2015

Thirty-six eager third through fifth graders came to school an hour early last Tuesday to begin their second year of go instruction at Neabsco Elementary School in Woodbridge, VA, reports club organizer Carolyn Dyer. "We plan to hold the Go Club every Tuesday morning as the children are much more alert first thing."
The club got started when Kelsey Dyer 1d posted on her Facebook page that her mother wanted to start a school go club. "I had only known Carolyn as Kelsey's Mom as she had brought Kelsey to NOVA Go Club tournaments for years", says go club "expert" Gary Smith 9k. "When I found out that her school was only 10 minutes from my house, I knew I had to help out!"
Last year, the club started off with a four week introductory class after school. This was well received, and the club continued as a weekly after-school activity. Last year's roster of 12 students has grown to 36 today.

Published On 9/27/2015

Qiu Jun 9P and Li Qincheng 1p evened their Chang Qi Cup semifinal matches Sunday, defeating Tuo Jiaxi 9P (left, below right) and Lian Xiao 7P, respectively, to 2015.09.27-qiuforce third-game deciders on Monday (these should be broadcast live on KGS, IMG_7597starting at 9:30a EST).

Published On 9/27/2015

The Chang Qi Cup Round 2 semifinal games are underway now and being broadcast live on KGS and YouTube. Qiu Jun 9P and Li Qincheng 1p2015.09.27_Chang Qi Cup Day 2 - YouTube are battling to force deciding matches; both lost their first-round matches yesterday, to Tuo Jiaxi 9P and Lian Xiao 7P, respectively. The matches are being played live at the Student Organization Center at Hilles, Harvard University, in Cambridge, MA. Area go players are welcome to stop by and check out the action, including the Chang Qi amateur tournament also underway, sponsored by the American Collegiate Go Association and the Shanghai Ing-Changki Weiqi Education Foundation in conjunction with the Chinese Chang Qi Cup and the American Go Association. - Chris Garlock

Can Giraffe Crack Go?

Published On 9/27/2015

An artificial intelligence machine called Giraffe that has taught itself to play chess by evaluating positions much more like humans and in an 2015.09.27_computer-chessentirely different way to conventional chess engines may well be the future of AI, according 2015.09.27_MatthewLaito a recent report in the MIT Technology Review.

Published On 9/27/2015

The third game of the 40th Meijin title match was held at the Tokiwa Hotel in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture on September 24 and 25. Playing2015.09.27_Iyama wins game 3 white, Iyama Yuta Meijin beat Takao Shinji Tengen by resignation after 148 moves.

Published On 9/26/2015

In a nice bit of timing, the semi-finals of China's Chang Qi Cup were held on US soil on Saturday, the day after Chinese President Xi Jinping2015.09.26_ChangQiTopBoardCollage capped his first U.S. visit with a meeting with President Obama and a black-tie state dinner at the White House. Four of the world's strongest go players competed for the coveted title; Qiu Jun 9P, Lian Xiao 7P, Li Qincheng 1P and Tuo Jiaxi 9P. Lian Xiao 7P, playing black, won his game against Li Qincheng in 161 moves, shortly after the lunch break. One of the rising stars of the go world, Lian is ranked #11 in China (as of March 2015), has already won several domestic titles and continues to climb the rankings. This would be the biggest title of his career so far. Just after 4pm, Tuo Jiaxi 9P, playing white, edged out Qiu Jun 9P by a single point

Student Pair Go Qualifier This Weekend

Published On 9/24/2015

The 2nd World Students Pair Go Championship is coming up in December, and the United States is searching for a male and female representative through a pair go qualifying tournament.

The online pair go qualifying tournament will be held this weekend with a possible extension to Monday if needed. The winners of the qualifiers will get 50 percent of the round-trip airfare cost, and the meals will be covered from Friday evening to Tuesday morning. The championship will be held in Tokyo, Japan from December 4th to the 8th, and this will be a 4-round Swiss system with a 45 minute sudden death time limit.

To be eligible for the tournament and the championship, you must have been an AGA member for at least one year, an amateur player, an undergraduate or graduate student of a University/College, under the age of 30, a US citizen, and you must have lived in the US for at least six years in the last twelve years

Boston Buzzes on Eve of Chang Qi Cup

Published On 9/24/2015

East Coast go players -- especially those in the Boston area -- are counting down the hours to this weekend's first 2015.09.24_Chang-Qi-dinnerAmerican Chang Qi tournament. The tournament is being held September 26-27 in conjunction with the semi-finals of the 2015 Chang Qi Cup, at which four top pros from China will compete for a berth in the Chang Qi Cup finals. The weekend promises a go bonanza for both players and observers, who will be able to compete in the amateur tournament as well as watch the pro games; for those who can't make it in-person, there will be full coverage of the entire weekend’s events on the AGA’s live broadcast channel (starting at 9a EST on Saturday), on KGS and in the E-Journal. Online registration (free) is continuing, but there will be on-site registration from 8:30 to 9:30 on Saturday. Visit the ACGA’s website for more details.

Why We Play: Michael Albert 8k

Published On 9/23/2015

Age: 212015.09.24_Michael-Albert Years playing go: 7 Lives in: Richfield, Minnesota Home Club: Twin Cities Go Club "Before I started playing go, I was constantly bullied and abused. Once I discovered Hikaru No Go, I have not looked back. Since I started playing go my life has changed. I play not only to better myself as a human being but to communicate with others who do not speak my language. It is because of go I now have friends from all over the world: China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, just to name a few. I play go because it saved my life. I play go because it lets me be me." Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

Published On 9/23/2015

The Triangle Go Group of central North Carolina hosted the 15th Triangle Memorial Tournament at its traditional outdoor setting in Umstead 2015.09.23_Triangle-tournamentState Park in Cary NC on September 19. The sensation of this year’s tournament was 18-year-old Andy Zalesak 2D, who defeated the top four rated players to capture Section A, his second 4-0 sweep of a North Carolina tournament this year. Sharing second place at 3-1 were Dalan Robertson and John Moore. Other section winners were Kerianne Squitire and Bob Bacon, 3-1 in Section B (6-7k); Vincent DiMattia, Alvin Chen, and Dale Blann, all 3-1 in Section C (9-11k); and Alex Kuang 16k with a perfect 4-0 in Section D. Following tradition, lunch was provided for the players and all entry fees, plus an additional donation from the club, were returned to the players in prizes.

Published On 9/22/2015

Responding to popular demand, Slate and Shell has just published a second volume of "Deep Thought: Extremely Thoroughly Commented Pro 2015.09.13_DeepThought-coverGames," by popular author Yuan Zhou. It contains three games with virtually every move explained and almost every diagram showing only one new move. "Unlike normal problem books, the 'problems' here are not limited to local situations," says Slate and Shell publisher Bill Cobb. "You must always keep in mind the whole board. Read this way, the books provide an excellent study of opening, middle game, life and death, and endgame problems, considered in terms of what is going on elsewhere in the game." Sample pages can be seen on the web site. Available now at a special introductory price.

Published On 9/22/2015

Iyama to challenge for two more titles: At present, Iyama (right) has four titles -- Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo, and Gosei -- but he is making a determined effort to retrieve the glory days of his sextuple crown. All he has to do is to win back the two titles he lost towards the end of last year. His campaign is running smoothly and last week he won the play-offs to decide the Oza and Tengen challengers.

Published On 9/22/2015

Kyo Kagen wins two junior titles: Kyo Kagen 3-dan (right) is continuing his impressive form and has won two titles in the last week. On September 13, the semifinals and final of the 2nd Yucho Cup Youth Championship/Nakano Koji Memorial were held at the Nihon Ki-in. In the semifinals, which started at noon, Kyo (W) beat Yo Seiki 7P by resig. and Motoki Katsuya 7P (W) beat Son Makoto 3P, also by resig. The final started at 3 o’clock, and Kyo (B) beat Motoki by resig. after 143 moves. This is an unofficial title sponsored by the post office bank (Yucho) for players under 21 and under 8-dan. Kyo also won the 10th term of the Nakano Cup, the predecessor of this tournament.

Published On 9/21/2015

A touchscreen go board built in the middle of a pedestrian shopping street in Vienna won this year's World Wide Iwamoto Award from the European Go Center. Second place was taken by Will Lockhart and Cole Pruitt for their feature length documentary about go, "The Surrounding Game."

Published On 9/19/2015

The first International Mind Sports Association Elite Mind Games (IEMG) will be held January 5-12, 2016 in Huai-An City, Jiangsu Province, China. The North American team will comprise three male players and one female player. All participants will have travel, accommodation, and visa application expenses paid for. Players will all receive prize money, a minimum of €1,000, which, after IGF surcharge, will be around $1,000. Online playoffs will be held on the weekend of October 3-4 with tie-breakers on Oct. 10-11 (if needed). Players will need to budget the entire weekend as the online selections will likely begin at 9:00am PST / 12:00pm EST and end in the late afternoon/evening. Eligibility: US/Canadian Citizenship. US players must have had continuous AGA membership for a year and have been resident in the US for six of the last 12 months. Interested players must email cherry.shen@usgo.org by Sunday, September 27th.

Published On 9/18/2015

2015.09.02_Haylee The third of Haylee's (Hajin Lee 3p) live stream demonstration matches with AGA pros is set for this Saturday evening at 7 p.m. Eastern time on YouTube. Haylee is 1-1 so far, having won against Calvin Sun 1p but lost against Gansheng (William) Shi 1p. In each episode, Haylee does a short interview about the life and go career of the player, plays a game online while thinking out loud, and then reviews the game with the player. Tomorrow night's game is against Ryan Li 1p.

Published On 9/18/2015

"Quite unexpectedly I found an interesting reference to go in a non-fiction book that I am currently reading, 'The Broken Seal,' by Ladislas Fargo," writes Erwin Gerstorfer. "This book, first published in 1967, deals with the hidden war between American and Japanese code breakers from WW1 to Pearl Harbour. In discussing Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (left), the "brain" behind the attack on Pearl Harbour, Fargo mentions that Yamamoto was considered one of the strongest go players in the Japanese Navy (he enjoyed other games too, like Shōgi, Bridge and Poker).

Why We Play: Devin Fraze 3K

Published On 9/16/2015

Years playing go: 3 Lives in: Columbus, Ohio Home club: Columbus Igo Club "I love to travel. In the past, I always sought out swing dancing events as I traveled. Now, I often search for local go clubs or tournaments. Thanks to go, I've made friends all over the world. I've trained in the mountains of Costa Rica, played in the back alleys of Korea, competed in China and Ecuador, and hitch-hiked and cycled from New York to California visiting every club along the way. My opponent and I may not always speak the same language, but when I sit down across a board from them our hands begin to talk. Through grunts, sighs, and bursts of laughter we engage in a deep and meaningful conversation and by the end, I've made a new friend." Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

Published On 9/16/2015

"Here is an example of another kind of verse, a famous kyoka (mad poem) attributed to Sansa, the first Honinbo and founder of that line," writes Keith Arnold in response to Paul Celmer's recent query (Searching for a literary go reference 9/9 EJ). "He is said to have composed it on his deathbed, which would date it at 1623. As a demonstration, perhaps, of mu-shin, and not without a touch of grim humor, he makes his own imminent death the subject." Go narabaya ko ni mo tatete iku beki wo shinuru michi ni wa te hitotsu mo nashi If this were go I'd start a ko fight and surely live, but on the road to death there's no move left at all. "This is from an article, Some Senryu about Go, by William Pinckard who often contributed to Go World. I found it on the Kiseido site, but I suspect it was originally published in Go World 15 and in the second edition of the Go Almanac." (Thanks also to Peter Schumer, who also sent in this poem)

Published On 9/16/2015

Myungwan Kim 9p fields questions on September 2 from students at Pippiolo in Mexico City, where instructor Siddhartha Avila (to his left) teaches as part of a very successful curriculum for preschool and elementary school children. One asked Kim who his strongest three opponents have been, and when he answered Lee Changho, Lee Sedol and Cho Hoon Hyun, the kid immediately said "Have you played Gu Li?!" - report/photo by Steven Burrall

Published On 9/15/2015

Despite my well-known penchant for pompous, florid, and illiterate writing for comedic effect, it is literally true that I declared email bankruptcy several years ago. For the most part I let the bulk of all communication go by, reserving only ever-changing email addresses and phone numbers for specific day-to-day purposes, like I think I'm Tom Cruise who thinks he's a super spy.

Published On 9/15/2015

Matthew Burrall 7d and Steve Burrall 3d topped the Davis/Sacramento Go Club Fall Tournament, tying for first place after tie-breakers. The tournament was held September 5th at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. "We had 16 players, our largest number in a few years," reports organizer Willard Haynes. "It was also the strongest field that we have ever had." There were five dan level players ranging from 1 dan to 7 dan. "One player, Jeremy Cook 9k, came all the way from Los Angeles," Haynes adds. The lower division was won by Cordell Newmiller, 8k by tie breaker. Laura Holeman 12k, played in her first AGA tournament.

Published On 9/15/2015

The selection process for the 2016 World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) will begin at the upcoming American Chang Qi Cup in Cambridge, MA, on September 26 – 28, says AGA President Andy Okun. Although plans have not been formally announced, it is expected that the 2016 WMSG will be held in Macau, China. Prior WMSG competitions (2008 in Beijing, and 2012 in Lille France) invited large teams for both women and men. “That means that some players will have a chance to make the team with lower ratings than usual for our international events,” said Okun. “The existing qualification points system is being modified to include the lower ranks, and will be used for selection of both the men's and women's teams.” Other tournaments intended to be used as qualifiers include the Cotsen in Los Angeles, the New Jersey Open, The Maryland Open and at least two online tournaments; other tournaments that meet certain criteria may also be designated as qualifiers.

Published On 9/13/2015

There's still time to sign up for Guo Juan 5P's online group class, which starts on September 19. The 135 euro fee cover eight 90-minute classes and seven weeks of full access to Guo's pro lecture site and training system. "Meet friends, have fun and learn from pro teachers," says Guo. In addition to Guo, teachers include YoungSun Yoon 8P, Jennie Shen 2P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P.

Published On 9/13/2015

Registration is speeding up as the Chang Qi Cup approaches. At this point, less than two weeks remain before the Cup kicks off at Harvard University. The unprecedented event will include professional commentary on the Chinese semifinals, an amateur tournament with more than $10,000 in total cash prizes, and multiple other special events. There will be a lot of professional go players on hand: Chang Hao 9P, Yu Bin 9P, Mingming Yin 1P, Andy Liu 1P, Gansheng Shi 1P, Calvin Sun 1P, and Ryan Li 1P have all confirmed they'll be in attendance.

Because there are less than two weeks left, organizers highly recommend that anyone who wants to make travel plans do so soon. Information about hotels and transportation, as well as general information and registration, is all available on the ACGA’s website. -Julian Erville. Photo: Student Organization Center at Hilles, Harvard University.

Last Week for AGHS Applications

Published On 9/12/2015

Officer applications for the American Go Honor Society are due by September 19. The organization runs multiple events every year including the School Team Tournament and the Young Lions, and is run entirely by high school students. The open positions include Vice President, Promotion Head, Webmaster, Tournament Organizer, Secretary, and Treasurer. To apply, download the application form on the AGHS’s website and send it in to AGHSpresident@gmail.com by September 19.

Published On 9/11/2015

Registration has started for the new year for the Pandanet AGA City League. "We're looking for your teams from local areas to compete for the best city across the US and Canada," says organizer Steve Colburn. Check here for rules for team makeup and other information. Registration continues through Sept 27th. Contact steve.colburn@usgo.org for registration.
"We're running a special this year only for new and existing teams," Colburn adds. For the 2015-2016 year the AGA has partnered with Pandanet to offer a deal to teams who play. If the following two conditions are met, each team member will receive $50 off of their Go Congress registration: All games are played throughout the year and player bio and photos are included with team registration.

Published On 9/10/2015

Last week, as Tokyo correspondent for the American Go E-Journal, I was invited to attend some special events held in connection with the Nihon Ki-in Summer Camp and the Meijin title match (at right). Here is my report.

Published On 9/9/2015

Searching for a literary go reference: Some time ago I read a go haiku or short poem in which the aging speaker wished he could start a ko and thus postpone the impending end of his life. If anyone has the poem or similar ones, I would really appreciate getting the reference! This has been bugging me for a long time..... Paul Celmer pcelmer@earthlink.net

Published On 9/9/2015

Women’s Meijin League: The final game in the first round of the new league was played on August 28. Aoki Kikuyo 8P (W, at right) beat Okuda Aya 3P by 7.5 points. On September 3, Okuda recovered from her bad start, beating Suzuki Ayumi 6P (B) by 5.5 points. On the same day, Mannami Nao 3P (W) improved her score to 2-0 by beating Kato Keiko 6P by 6.5 points.

Published On 9/8/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Yi Sedol repeats in TV Asia Cup: Our previous report took this tournament as far as the first semifinal, in which Park Junghwan 9P (B)2015.09.07_Lee-Sedol-27th-Asian-TV-Cup-300x418 of Korea beat his compatriot Lee Donghun 5P by resig. In the second semifinal, played on August 27, Lee Sedol 9P of Korea, made his first appearance; as the previous winner, he was seeded. Lee (B) beat Yang Dingxin 3P of China by resig. In the final, Lee (B) beat Park by resig., winning this title for the second year in a row and the fourth time overall. This matches the record of Takemiya Masaki, who won the first four titles. By my count, this is Lee's 17th international title, not counting his jubango win. Though he is rated the world’s number one, Park has been unable to win this tournament in five appearances. For more on this tournament, click here for Go Game Guru's report, with more photos and game records.

Published On 9/8/2015

Yamashita Keigo wins S League: Three important games in the 40th Kisei S League were played recently. The results were: (August 27) Murakawa Daisuke Oza (B) beat Kobayashi Satoru 9P by resig. (September 3) Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Yoda Norimoto 9P by 2.5 points; Murakawa (W) beat Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P by resig. Yamashita (right) finished the league with 4-1, securing first place and a seat in the final play-off to decide the challenger. Since he will start this play-off with a one-win advantage, there’s a good chance we will see the third successive Kisei title match between him and Iyama. Thanks to his win, Murakawa, who ended on 3-2, earned a seat in the knock-out tournament -- he goes directly into the semifinal.

Published On 9/6/2015

On July 25th, the French team won the final of the Pandanet Go European Championship, just behind the Ukrainian team. The French team 2015.09.06_Fan-Huiwas composed by Fan Hui 2p, Thomas DeBarre 6d, Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia 6d and Tanguy le Calve 6d. Click here for more info.
Fan Hui (right) also prevailed at the recent European Go Congress main tournament, making this his third European championship. Click here for all the results, and here for Congress photos.
In the French Open Championship on August 23rd, at Claira, near Narbonne, France, Motoki Noguchi (Japan, 7d) won all his games; Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia(6d) was second, and Jérôme Salignon was third. Click here for complete results.- Laurent Coquelet, French Go Federation Secretary and the French Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 9/6/2015

There’s limited space for international competitors at the 2016 Australian Go Congress, set for January 15-19 at Novotel Sydney Parramatta in2015.09.06_aussie-congress Sydney, Australia. There’s an early bird rate for those who book and pay prior to November 26. Apart from the go, Sydney and Australia are two of the world’s best tourism destinations, notes organizer Sang-Dae Hahn. The Congress will provide free tours and guides to participants.

"I hope that those of you who have always wanted to visit Australia but have never had a good enough excuse will take the opportunity to join us for what will be an outstanding event," says Sang-Dae Hahn. "I look forward to seeing you in Sydney! For registration info, email ozgocongress@gmail.com. Click here to see photos and more from the 2015 Australian Go Congress.

Sang-Dae Hahn(韓相大) sdhahn@gmail.com

Why We Play: Kevin Hwang 3D

Published On 9/4/2015

Age: 322015.09.03_Kevin-Hwang Years playing go: 12 Lives in: Dallas, Texas “Go is possibly one of the last things in this world that involves long-form communication. In a society of five-second videos and messages, go is one of the few opportunities you have to sit down with someone and do something for at least 30 minutes. That chance to interact, to discuss, and to mutually change one another, is what I like most about go.” photo by Phil Straus First in a series; if you’d like to participate, tell us your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go and where you live, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

Published On 9/3/2015

Hajin Lee 3p, popular for her YouTube broadcasts under the name Haylee, has announced she will host a series of exhibition games with the 2015.09.02_HayleeAGA-certified professionals on her YouTube channel. Each episode will include a short interview with the guest, the exhibition game and a game review. The schedule of games: Sep. 5 : Calvin Sun 1P; Sep. 12: William Gansheng Shi 1P; Sep. 19: Ryan Li 1P; Oct. 3 : Andy Liu 1P. Broadcast time will be US Eastern Time 7PM. Lee, a frequent attendee at both US and European go congresses, is also secretary general of the International Go Federation. "My thanks to Hajin and our pros for putting on these broadcasts, which I very much look forward to watching," said AGA President Andy Okun.

Zunick Tops First Cincinnati Tournament

Published On 9/2/2015

2015.09.02_cincinnati-tourney-grpPeter Zunick 1d went 3-1 to top the dan level division in the Mason Go Tournament, held August 22 in Mason, Ohio. Sponsored by the Miami University Confucius Institute, the tournament attracted 18 go players from Mason, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Columbus. The youngest player was Yeming You 20K, an 8-year-old go class student at the Mason Huaxia Chinese School. Mason, Ohio has had the enrichment class for over eight years, and they just started a go club at Mason Public Library. This year, reports club organizer Frank Luo, “Go class students got very excited when the AGA Summer Go Camp was held at Camp Kern, 20 minutes away from Mason.” The class was able to send six students to the Go Camp, which inspired Luo to hold the first go tournament in this mid-west area. With support from the Confucius Institute of Miami University and the local library, the tournament went very well, Luo says.

Coloquio de Go Mexicano Wraps Up

Published On 9/2/2015

The third and final day of the Mexican Go Congress began on Monday with round 5 of the Mexican Open, then during lunch Myungwan Kim 9P2015.09.01_mexico-congress lectured on manipulating the surrounding board situation to prepare for crosscuts.

Published On 9/2/2015

by Myron Souris2015.08.30_POTW-archive
E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock recently said to me, "Myron, you've been doing the Problem Of The Week for quite a while, why don't you send me some details for an E-Journal article. Oh, and make it interesting." Chris's last sentence scared me. The American Medical Association uses me as a treatment-of-last-resort for insomnia patients. As if that weren't bad enough, I'm in the half of go players who make the top half possible (You're welcome, dan players). But as a result, I probably have a good view of what makes a go problem interesting for most players. I volunteered in April 2004, when I noticed that no one was updating usgo.org's Problem Of The Week (POTW). In a classic case of "Be careful what you ask for," I'm still doing the POTW after 11 years and 590 weekly problems. And no one seems willing to let me out of my volunteer contract.

Li Named AGHS President; Seeks Officers

Published On 9/1/2015

phto for AGHS The American Go Honor Society’s outgoing leadership has selected Yunxuan Li 7d as this year’s President. The organization runs multiple events every year: the School Team Tournament and the Young Lions are some of the most popular, and draw students nationwide. Li is excited to lead this year’s cohort of high school student organizers: “I am very glad to take the responsibility of AGHS this year. I hope through the effort we all put in together, we can spread go to a wider audience in North America.” He can’t do it alone, though - Li is calling on interested high school students to apply to be officers this year. The open positions include Vice President, Promotion Head, Webmaster, Tournament Organizer, Secretary, and Treasurer. To apply, download the application form on the AGHS’s website and send it in to AGHSpresident@gmail.com by September 19. -Julian Erville, E-J Youth Correspondent

Published On 9/1/2015

28th Women’s Meijin League starts: The first two games in the 28th Women’s Meijin League were played on August 20. The main interest this year is the debut of Fujisawa Rina (right) in the league. The sixteen-year-old lived up to expectations, defeating Kato Keiko 6P in her opening game. Taking black, Fujisawa forced a resignation. In the other game, Mannami Nao 3P (W) beat Chinen Kaori 4P by resignation. Xie Yimin has held this title for nine years in a row.

Published On 8/31/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal2015.08.30_Yo Seiki Young players make Agon Kiriyama Cup semifinals: The remaining two quarterfinals of the 22nd Agon Kiriyama Cup were played recently. On August 10, Kyo Kagen 3P (B) (aged 15) beat Shuto Shun 7P by resignation. On August 13, Yo Seiki 7P (B) (aged 20) beat Matsumoto Takehisa 7P by resignation. Kyo and Yo will play each other in one semifinal; the other matches Iyama Yuta (aged 26) and Son Makoto 3P (aged 19). As you can see from the ages, all four are young players, though Iyama is already a veteran in experience. The recent results of the Taiwanese players Yo and Kyo show that they both have exceptional promise; they will probably be titleholders before too much longer.

Iyama reaches Oza final: The first semifinal in the 63rd Oza tournament was played on August 17. Iyama Yuta (B) beat Yuki Satoshi by resignation. The other semifinal pits Ko Iso 8P against Yo Seiki 7P.

Published On 8/31/2015

"It would be great if there was a system in place to help people who want to play in the pair-go but don't have a partner to find one"..."Live 2015.08.30_US-Go-Congress-Feng-Yun-DSC_0086broadcasting was good, but I'd rather see live pro comments on a large room with many go players"..."Include the topics discussed on the pro lecture schedule board"...These are just a few of the many suggestions submitted on the US Go Congress Survey. Whether you’ve attended a Go Congress or not, Congress organizers are interested in your opinions on a few basic questions so that they can make future Congresses even better. Click here by midnight this Wednesday to take the brief survey; participants are eligible for go prizes! photo: Feng Yun 9P plays in a simul at the 2015 US Go Congress; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/31/2015

The second day of the Mexican Go Congress kicked off on Sunday with a children's 13 x 13 tournament (right), and Mexican Open rounds 3 and 4 occupied the late morning and early afternoon, followed a lecture by Myungwan Kim 9P on 2015.08.31_Mexico-Congress-KIDS13X132015.08.31_Mexico-Congress-Kimhandling crosscuts (left). Kim showed two recent games of Lee Changho's in which Lee lost early due to not handling crosscuts as well as his younger opponents. Kim explained that the new generation of professionals receives much more in-depth training in reading out long and complicated sequences than was the case 15 years ago. Kim said that this was the most important single lecture topic for two reasons: handling a crosscut correctly may often mean the difference between establishing a superior position or completely collapsing, and learning to handle them requires practice of the reading skills that one should be applying constantly other aspects of the game.

Published On 8/30/2015

Forty two go players signed up for the Mexican Open, a three-day, six-round tournament this weekend which is the main event of the second 2015.08.30_Mexico-Congress-viewColoquio de Go, or Go Congress, in Mexico City.

Published On 8/28/2015

The Mexican Go Association is holding its second Go Congress this weekend, August 29-31 at Centro Cultural Tlatelolco in Mexico City. The main event in the Congress is the second Mexican Go Open Tournament with total cash prizes of 9,000 Mexican pesos. Go and Origami workshops along with a 13 x13 blitz tournament and Hikaru No Go screening will take place for youngsters and the Myungwan Kim 9p will provide lectures, game reviews and simultaneous games, said MGA President Emil Garcia. USA and Europe are making great efforts to develop go in their regions, with Congresses and pro qualification, said Garcia. “Mexico and Latin America shouldn't lag behind.” Click here for the Congress site; during the Mexican Open, players can follow top-board games on KGS through the GoMex1 and GoMex2 accounts.

Published On 8/27/2015

Yutopian Offers Extra 10% Discount: Buy two go books at Yutopian and, in addition to existing discounts, get an extra 10% off with free U.S. shipping (offer only good for shipping to US addresses). Yutopian has an extensive 2015.08.22_yutopian-yangcollection of go books, from Nie Weiping on Go, Art of Capturing Stones, Yilun Yang's Ingenious Life & Death Puzzles (Volumes 1 & 2) and more.
Two New Bozulich Essays at Kiseido: Kiseido has just uploaded two new essays on go by Richard Bozulich. The first essay, "Increasing your Concentration and Powers of Analysis through Visualization" explains how solving life-and-death problems by memorizing the position, then solving the problem in your head, is an efficient way to improve your analytical abilities. The second essay, "Microgo," introduces a variant of the go rules that makes play on boards with grids as small as 2x2 possible.

Chang Qi Cup Registration Breaks 100

Published On 8/25/2015

Chang Qi Cup Logo The inaugural American Chang Qi Cup, scheduled for September 26-28 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, is shaping up to be an exciting event, and over 100 players have already registered. The 2015 Chang Qi Cup is the first time that the semi-finals of an international professional tournament will be held in North America. Four top pros from China will compete for a berth in the Chang Qi Cup finals. This event will also include the inaugural American Chang Qi Tournament, an AGA-rated tournament with significant cash prizes. The American tournament features a top prize of $4,000 for the open section, and generous prizes for all division winners. Hosted by the American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) and the Shanghai Ing Foundation, special activities are planned, including the Tsumego Challenge, in which competitors solve rapid-fire go problems for small prizes.

Published On 8/25/2015

Kudos for Swift Ratings: "I've complained before about the timeliness of ratings updates, so let me be the first to compliment those responsible for getting it done swiftly this year," writes Brady Daniels. The following US Go Congress tournaments have now been rated: US Open, US Open Masters, Congress Self-Paired, Congress DieHard and Congress U16 AGA Girls' Championship. Click here for latest ratings.

Published On 8/24/2015

“Meeting all the other people who love to play go as much as I do”…”Pro game review is the single most important activity at the Congress” …” I have attended only two US Go Congresses in the past ten years, but follow them avidly each year2015.08.24_pro-lecture-DSC_0056 and attempt to visit each year.” These are just a few of the more than 100 responses thus far to the US Go Congress Survey. So far, the US Open and pro lectures rank highest in popularity, while the 9x9 and 13x13 tournaments rank lowest. Whether you’ve attended a Congress or not, Congress organizers would like your opinions on a few basic questions so that they can make future Congresses even better. “One of the best things is simply meeting people who love the game and playing go.” Click here to take the brief survey; participants are eligible for go prizes!

Published On 8/23/2015

"Fist of Legend": "Just noticed a go board being used for gomoku in the 1994 Jet Li film 'Fist of Legend,'" writes an E-Journal reader. " The 2015.08.22_Fist-of-Legend-movie-posterscene is about 1 hour 16 minutes into the film." Podcast Picks Kageyama's "Fundamentals": "At the end of the 'Keeping Libraries and Utilities Small and Simple' podcast, Michel Martens picks "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go," writes John Hager. "Lessons" is Toshiro Kageyama's classic book for anyone just picking up the game. "Ten Nights of Dreams": In the 2006 movie "Ten Nights of Dreams," based on the short story collection by Natsume Soseki, the ninth dream has several scenes with go stones, reports David Matson. "No bowls, goban or mention of the game, but it is an enjoyable experience. If Kurosawa and Fellini had ten children together, then something like this would be the result."

Published On 8/23/2015

Take Go Congress Survey, Win Prizes: The US Go Congress is the single biggest go event in North America each year, drawing hundreds of go players from across the country for a week of go events. Whether you've attended a Congress or not, Congress organizers would like your opinions on a few basic questions so that they can make future Congresses even better. Click here to take a brief survey; participants will be eligible for go prizes! Got US Open Games? Make sure your US Open games are part of the tournament's permanent record: send in your US Open game records and we’ll add them to 2015.08.15_US-Open-DSC_0035the official crosstab (thanks to everyone who’s already done so!) Email them to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 8/21/2015

AGF-logo-smallThe American Go Foundation is looking for someone who wants to make part of their living teaching go to children. Start up funds are available for a demonstration project that would include building a program around chess and go in the schools, based on the work of Peter Freedman and Fritz Balwit in Portland, OR. The goal is to create similar programs in any US cities that can find teachers willing to run a program. Click here for: go in the schools job description, a project overview is here: go in the schools, and a sample budget is here: go in the schools budget. Please send a letter of interest describing your background and qualifications to mail@agfgo.org.

Brugo Joseki App Returns

Published On 8/20/2015

Brugo is back. After being down for some months, the joseki app -- for iPad only -- has returned to the appstore; click here for a direct link.2015.08.01_brugo
Brugo provides a collection of more than 10,000 joseki moves from the Brugo joseki website.

Published On 8/19/2015

by Janice Kim 3P2012.02.21-janiceKim Let me start off by alienating the half of the audience that may not be alienated after reading this, by giving away the title of my next installment, Why Go Is Better Than Chess, Really (From the Non-Chess-Playing Perspective). For those of you who aren't having a bad day and easily saw past that ruse, may I offer some unvarnished truths, in the form of the real answers to questions that I cavalierly and annoyingly dismissed when asked earnestly by those to whom I was only too happy to present myself as knowledgeable in the past. This is in opposition to talking around the subject, which I never do despite the difficulty in following my convoluted English, which I've used to actually talk myself out of traffic tickets, thanks very much. I'm never not honed in like a hawk eyeing a field mouse when I'm answering a question someone asked me five years ago.

Your Move/Readers Write: Where Was Ben?

Published On 8/19/2015

Where Was Ben? "I enjoyed reading your story about Lockhart's win," writes Ted Terpstra. "But the story failed to say where the competition 2015.08.18_ben-lockhartwas held and where the next round will be. It is always interesting to read where our American players are playing."
The prelim was in Seoul, Korea; the next stage starts on 9/7 in Beijing, China.

2015 E-Journal Congress Team Credits

Published On 8/19/2015

by Chris Garlock, Managing Editor, American Go E-Journal2015.08.15_EJ-team The American Go E-Journal's coverage of the 2015 US Go Congress in St Paul, MN was truly wall-to-wall this year, with more than 60 games broadcast live on KGS, 23 live video feeds on our YouTube channel, well over a dozen live pro game commentaries and nearly two dozen reports in the E-Journal, as well as numerous posts to the AGA's Facebook page and Twitter feed. None of that would have been possible without a talented and committed team of volunteers, some of them veterans of previous congresses and some newbies, but every one richly deserving of a hearty round of applause and appreciation. Click here to see our Facebook album of team photos. First and foremost are Assistant Manager Todd Heidenreich, Tech/IT Manager Steve Colburn and Lead Game Recorder Dennis Wheeler; their titles don't begin to do justice to the many key roles these three play in ensuring our smooth operation.

Published On 8/15/2015

Benjamin Lockhart 7d prevailed over fellow American Ricky Zhao 7d in the finals of the Samsung Cup World Baduk Masters World Division in Seoul, Korea and2015.08.15_ben-lockhart-close-up 2015.08.15_ben-lockhartwill play next month in the round of 32 of the top international event in Beijing. The World Division was established three years ago as a way of encouraging players from the rest of the world to excel at go; Americans have won all three years. Lockhart was in the final last year but lost to Eric Lui 7d. This year the division was expanded from eight to 12 players, with four from Europe, three from North America, one from Latin America, and four from Asia excluding the major go countries. Click here to see more photos.

Published On 8/15/2015

2015 Congress Ratings Update: As of Friday, August 14th, the results of four Congress tournaments have been submitted, reports Jonathan2015.08.14_US-Open-DSC_0054 Bresler. “The four tournaments are the U.S. Open, the U.S. Open Masters, the DieHard and the Girls 16 and Under. The DieHard and Girls have been rated.” Self-Paired results are expected to be submitted Monday. Click here for AGA ratings. (8/16 Update/Clarification: the U.S. Open and U.S. Open Masters results were just submitted on August 14 and have not yet been rated) Winner Reports Posted: Complete Congress tournament winner reports are now posted online. Got Game Records? Send in your US Open game records and we’ll add them to the official crosstab (thanks to everyone who’s already done so!) Email them to us at journal@usgo.org Congress Coverage Going Viral: The EJ’s Congress posts on Twitter and Facebook have been generating lots of traffic and likes, and the videos on our YouTube page have been getting tons of views.

Published On 8/15/2015

The 2015 Canadian Open will be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from September 4-7. Click here for complete details or check out the event's 2015.08.15_montreal-bannerFacebook page. The 6-round event also features professional go players who will teach, analyze games and lecture. Sohyun Park 3p from Korea has been confirmed as attending, and will be joining forces with Stephanie Yin 1p to teach go during the event. The event is sponsored by Caisse populaire Desjardins du Mont-Royal, Huawei Technologies and Salon de thé et de Go Senthé, "The perfect place to play go in Montréal."

Kevin Chao Wins AGF Board Auction

Published On 8/15/2015

The Orange County Go Club's Kevin Chao 6D (right) prevailed in a spirited bidding war at the annual go board auction at the 2015 U.S. Go Congress 2015.08.15-board-winner-kevin-chaobanquet August 8. For much of the auction, conducted by E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and American Go Foundation president Terry Benson, it was a 3-man duel between Brady Daniels, Congress Director Josh Larson and an increasingly hoarse banquet MC Andrew Jackson.

Published On 8/11/2015

2013.08.02_PandanetLogoIn the new season for the Pandanet AGA City League, the A and B League will enlarged to eight teams each. The teams in last place for the A League and the winners of the B League will be demoted and promoted as normal. The other teams in the B League will be promoted until there are 8 teams in play. The B League will be the same way with the C League until there are 8 teams. "Start gathering your team for the fourth season of this exciting league," says League coordinator Steve CColburn. The new season include some revised rules to make the seasons longer and more challenging games. Check the rules for a special registration deal for the teams. "Does your team have what it takes to defeat our winners from last year?" Colburn asks. Registration is open until September 20th. Email steve.colburn@usgo.org for more information or to register your team.

Published On 8/11/2015

Jeffery Deaver's 2014 book of short crime stories "Trouble in Mind" has a story "The Competitors" set at the Beijing Olympics, reports Tony 2015.08.01_troubleinmindAtkins. "In it, the Chinese head of security out-thinks terrorists as he is a go player," says Atkins, who's Vice-President of the British Go Association. "He explains to the US and Russian officers 'It's our version of Chess. Only better, of course.'" The head of security "I look forward when I play the game. You must always look forward to beat your opponent at go. You must see beyond the board." Atkins has added this book to the exhaustive round-up of "Novels and Other Books Featuring Go" on the BGA website.

AGA Board meeting highlights

Published On 8/9/2015

At the AGA Board meeting held August 4, in Minneapolis, MN at the U.S. Go Congress, Chris Kirschner , Martin Lebl and Diego Pierrottet were congratulated for winning election to the AGA Board; they'll serve September 1, 2015 to September 1, 2017. The 2014 Go Congress in New York City had a very healthy surplus. The 2016 Congress will be held in Boston, almost certainly at Boston University, near Fenway Park and across the river from MIT. There was a discussion on how to award qualifying North American Masters points for the next year. The points will be used to help select the team for the 2016 World Mind Sports Games and eligibility for the Open Masters section as well as its North American prize. A committee will have a proposal circulated before the next board meeting. At the end of 2014, the AGA had 96 chapters and 2012 members. These numbers have been steady over the last couple of years.

Published On 8/9/2015

Shida qualifies for Samsung: The General Preliminary Tournament for the 20th Samsung Cup was held in Seoul from August 1 to 5. This is a massive tournament and the preliminary is held on a proportionate scale, with additional qualifying sections for women and senior players besides the open section. Five Japanese representatives took part in the open section, of whom one was successful. Shida Tatsuya 7P (at left) won a place in the main tournament by defeating Pak Seung-hwa 6P of Korea in the final. Oya Koichi 9P and Goto Shungo 9P competed in the senior section but without success. The opening rounds of the main tournament will be held in Beijing on September 8 and 10. Nineteen qualifiers through the preliminary will join 13 seeded players. The seeded players for Japan are Ida Atsushi 8P and Yoda Norimoto 9P.

Published On 8/8/2015

Yulin Tong Takes Lead in US Open Masters: Yulin Tong is now the leading contender for 2015 US Open Masters champion, defeating 2015.08.07_big-game-DSC_0196Beomgeun (Evan) Cho for a 7-1 record going into the final round Saturday morning. Other contenders include Zexiang Sui, who's 6-2, and Chen Wang, also 6-2. Defending champion Mark Lee lost to Sui to drop to 5-3, taking him out of contention. Click here for complete results through Round 8. Albert Yen Leads in US Open: Albert Yen 7D, undefeated going into the final round of the US Open on Saturday, is the favorite to win this year's Open. Other 5-0 players: Xiaocheng Hu 4D; Yifan Zhang 3D; Gilbert Feng 2D; Brian Kirby 1D; Kelly Liu 1D; Mark Fraser 7K; Sherrie Echols 9K; Ryan Kim 21K. Click here for complete results through Round 5. Saturday Broadcast Schedule: Catch the US Open Masters Board 1 game live on KGS -- with video streaming on the AGA's YouTube channel -- starting at 9a CST. Board 2 will also be broadcast on KGS.

Published On 8/8/2015

Yulin Tong 4P defeated Zexiang Sui 7D in just 126 moves (click here to see the game) Saturday morning to lock up his 2015 U.S. Open Masters2015.08.08_tong-analysis-DSC_0097Tournament championship, losing just one game, to defending champion Mark Lee, on his way to an 8-1 record. Click here for complete results and to see the professional review by Cho Hye-yeon 9P and Myungwan Kim 9P on the AGA’s YouTube page. Albert Yen won the U.S. Open; click here for complete results. photo: Tong (second from left) reviews the Round 9, Board 2 game with Chen Wang 7D and Qun Wang 8P, as Yongfe Ge 7D, Ryan Li 1P and Eric Lui 7D watch; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/8/2015

Rafael Torres Miranda had a problem. The automotive importer had just discovered the game of go in 1990 but had no one to teach him and, worse yet, no one to play with. Twenty five years later, he's attending the U.S. Go Congress as President of the Cuban Go Federation, the first time a delegation of Cuban go players has ever participated.2015.08.07_cuban-interview "The high level of play and the variety -- as well as sheer quantity -- of go activities is very impressive," Miranda (at right, in white shirt) told the E-Journal. The other member of the delegation is Dr. Lazaro Bueno Perez (far left), a professor of chess and go at the University of Camaguey, and both said that they "will be bringing much back to Cuba from the Go Congress." Miranda says that there are some 2,000 go players in Cuba, ranging in strength from 5-dan to double-digit kyu players. "We've come a long way in a very short time," he said.

Published On 8/7/2015

Friday Night "Big Broadcast" Set: Top-board US Open Masters games will be broadcast live with professional commentary on KGS and streamed on YouTube; Congress attendees can watch in person in the main playing area. The broadcast starts at 7p CST. Fierce Battle for '15 US Open Masters Title: Unlike last year, when Mark Lee plowed through the field at the U.S. Open Masters, it's safe to say that after six rounds, this year's competition is wide open. With three rounds still to play, there are four 5-game winners: defending champion Mark Lee, Zirui Song, Yulin Tong and Chen Wang. Lee lost to Youyin Cao in the fourth round; Zirui Song lost to Yulin Tong in the 2015.08.06_crazygo-bensonfourth round; Yulin Tong lost to Mark Lee in the 6th round, and Chen Wang lost to Mark Lee in the third round. Click here for complete results -- and top-board game records through Round 6.

Published On 8/7/2015

As of Thursday night, 96 games have been reported in the Self Paired Tournament at the US Go Congress. Jeff Horn (right) seems to be making a pretty 2015.08.07_Jeff-Horn-DSC_0051serious run at sweeping a number of the categories, leading in four of the seven categories, while Miyoka Miyama is leading or tied in two. Many other players are only one or two games behind the leaders, reports TD John Hogan. All game results must be turned in by 12 noon on Saturday. Current leaders, with the number of games in parentheses are:
Champion (most wins over losses): tie between Steffen Kurz and Miyoko Miyama (4)
Hurricane (greatest number of wins): Jeff Horn (9)
Giant Killer (most wins against dan players by kyu player): Miyoko Miyama (4)
Keith Arnold/Kyu Killer (most wins against kyu players by dan player): Jeff Horn (8)

Published On 8/7/2015

Melissa Zhang 3d won the inaugural 2015 AGA U16 Girls' Championship on Thursday, defeating Kelly Liu 1d. The tournament was held during 2015.08.07_girls-champ_DSC_00292015.08.07_girls-tourney-playersthe US Go Congress in St Paul, Minnesota. Although Ms. Liu won a tense ko fight to save a large group in the middle of the board, Ms. Zhang emerged with insurmountable advantage to win the game and the $100 first prize. In the consolation game, Melissa Cao 1d took third place by defeating Amy Wang 5d. - Ted Terpstra: photo (l-r): Melissa Cao, 3rd; Amy Wang, 4th; Kelly Liu, 2nd; Melissa Zhang, 1st. photo at right: Zhang and Liu playing final. photos by Ted Terpstra (left) and Chris Garlock (right).

Published On 8/7/2015

Amy Wang 5d and her partner Daehyuk (Daniel) Ko won first place in the 2015 North American Pair Go Championship Thursday night at the OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAU.S. Go Congress. "U.S. Pair Go fans should watch for Amy and Daniel to be competing in the upcoming World Amateur Pair Go Championships in Tokyo," said TD Todd Heidenreich. The Championships will be held the first weekend in December. Forty eight pairs participated in the popular event, including nine professional players. Six of the eight players on boards 3 and 4 were professionals, drawing a lot of interest from spectators. "Special thanks to Dennis Wheeler, Steve Colburn, Susanna Pfeffer, and Garrett Smith for their assistance," Heidenreich added.

Yen and Cheng Sweep Redmond Finals

Published On 8/7/2015

Albert Yen 7d and Ary Cheng 3d swept their divisions in the Redmond Cup finals at the US Go Congress. The preliminary rounds were held online (see E-J 7/8/15) and saw both boys emerge on top, 15-year-old Yen with a perfect record, and 9-year-old Cheng winning 5 out of 6 games. The Senior Division (under 18) pitted Yunxuan Li 6d, age 17, with 5 wins, against Yen in a best 2 out of 3 final. In the Junior (under 13), Raymond Feng 3d, age 11, was the other finalist. Cheng and Feng both were AGA rated at 1 dan during the qualifiers, but defeated higher ranked opponents throughout the event. Both boys are playing at 3 dan in the US Open, and doing quite well, proving once again that it is very hard to pin serious kids down to a given rank as they often improve at lightning speed.

Congress Videos Posted, Drawing Viewers

Published On 8/7/2015

Nearly twenty videos from the US Go Congress have been posted so far on the AGA's YouTube channel as part of the E-Journal's expanded coverage this year. They include Crazy Go2015.08.07_Youtube-videos, Lightning Tournament, US Open Masters Rd6: Tong Yulin 4p vs Mark Lee 7d, US Open Masters Rd 5: Cao Youyin 3p vs Tong Yulin 4p live commentary by Cho Hyeyeon 9p, and USGC 2015 - Wang Chen 7d interviewed by Kevin Hwang. The videos have been extremely popular, usually with well over 100 viewers for the live streams and some of the videos have now been viewed over 2,000 times.

Published On 8/7/2015

Curious to see how go might be played without a center point, John Goodell didn't just theorize about it; he produced 3,000 go sets sans center 2015.08.07_goodellpoint. They didn't catch on, but Goodell's lifetime of promoting the game earned him the American Go Association's first Edward Lasker Distinguished Service Award in 2002; he died in 2004 at the age of 94. A longtime St Paul resident, he's been honored this week at the US Go Congress with a prominent display of memorabilia celebrating his life as a go player and promoter. Goodell (second from right) learned the game in the mid-1950's while doing customer research for a department store. His idea was to see if board games would help elicit more reliable information from customers. Although that didn't work, he became deeply involved with go, leading the US team to the second World Amateur Go Championships in Japan in 1964, as well as serving as president of the AGA from 1962 to 1964.

Aaron Ye 6d Wins Diehard Tournament

Published On 8/6/2015

Aaron Ye 6d won the Diehard Tournament on Wednesday, the event traditionally held on the Congress day off. 76 players participated and seven 2015.08.06_Diehardhad perfect 4-0 records: Aaron Ye 6d (Overall winner); Daniel Puzan 1d; David Frankel 1k; Steve Wishnousky 3k; Vincent Tam 5k; Aaron Pearson 7k and Chris Ramsumair 8k. - report by Andy Olsen, TD; photo by Garrett Smith

Published On 8/6/2015

In American Go Association Board of Director election results, incumbents Martin Lebl and Chris Kirschner retained their seats in the Central and Western regions respectively, while Diego F. Pierrottet defeated George Lebovitz for the Eastern seat. Kirschner received 18 votes (85%) while Andrew Jackson got 3 write in votes. Lebl got 19 votes. Pierrottet received 17 votes (60%) while Lebovitz got 7 votes (25%); there were 4 abstentions. AGA President Andy Okun welcomed Pierrottet, congratulated Lebl and Kirschner and spoke warmly of Celmer. "Paul has been on the board since before I first joined in 2008 and has been thoughtful, positive and productive as a board member," said Okun. "That's on top of everything else he's done for the go community including co-running two successful US Go Congresses. I'll miss him in our meetings, but look forward
to seeing him at go events around the country."

Jiang and Zheng Top Youth Adult Pair Go

Published On 8/5/2015

Xinyiang Jiang 7d and Xiangnan Zheng 7d took first place at the top table at Youth-Adult Pair Go at the Go Congress on Aug. 4th. Often a warm up for the official Pair Go Tournament on Thursday night, the more casual event gives many teams their first chance to play pair go in a tournament setting. 18 pairs competed for prizes and fun, with pros Hajin Lee 3P and Calvin Sun 1P both getting in on the action as well. Rengo pair Yunxuan Li 6d and Ashish Varma 4d took first place at table two, while Andrew Zhang 7k and Nqua Xiong 3k won at table three, Steve Zhang 17k and Collette Bezio 11k won at table four. 0804151538a

Published On 8/5/2015

Yulin Tong Takes Lead in US Open Masters: The lead in the Open Masters changed not once but twice on Tuesday. First, Youyin Cao 3P Tong-YuLin beat defending champion Mark Lee in the morning round. Cao is a Champion Team member of the 2014 Huang Long Shi Shuang Deng Cup Ring Contest. Then in the fifth round on Tuesday night, Yulin Tong 4P (right) defeated Cao in just 107 moves. Click here for the latest results. Three rounds have been played in the US Open; click here for the latest results. (update: this post has been updated; Cao beat Lee by resignation, not by half a point)

Published On 8/5/2015

Both the AGA Teacher Certification and the Tournament Director Workshops kicked off Monday afternoon. This is the third year for the Teacher2015.08.04_go-volunteer-DSC_0040-001 Certification, consisting of four 2-hour sessions, which have been a great success. Nearly two dozen participants showed up for the first session Monday afternoon, which was about learning to teach go to an absolute beginner. Later sessions will focus on teaching DDK, SDK players, and one-on-one teaching. Chris Kirschner conscripted a volunteer from the campus staff at St Thomas University, where the Congress is being held. Interested but somewhat mystified, Diane Kruger, Associate Dean of Finance and operations, College of Education, Leadership and Counseling, stood at the demo board while Kirschner demonstrated how to teach someone to play go for the very first time.

Published On 8/4/2015

Mark Lee, Zirui Song & Youyin Cao Leading in US Masters: Defending Masters champion Mark Lee scored his third successive win on Monday, defeating Chen Wang, but his 3-0 record has company, with both Zirui Song and Youyin Cao also undefeated so far. Click here for the tourney crosstab. Click here for results through Round 2 in the US Open. 2015 US Open Masters -- The Players: An album of EJ photographer Phil Straus' portraits of all 26 players in the US Open Masters tournament has been posted on the AGA's Facebook page.

Published On 8/4/2015

In the semifinals of the first-ever AGA Girls' Under-16 Championship held Monday at the Twin Cities US Go Congress, Kelly Liu 1d upset Amy Wang 5d in a hard-fought match. In the other semifinal, Melissa Zhang 3d beat Melissa Cao 1d when she chased a one-eyed group across the board and denied it a second, life-giving eye. Ms. Liu will now play Ms. Zhang for the championship and a $100 first-place prize on Thursday at 1 p.m., while Ms. Wang will play Ms. Cao for third place. - Ted Terpstra, TD Update: the headline has been updated; Liu did not win the Championship but will play Zhang on Thursday in the final.

Published On 8/4/2015

Japanese representatives eliminated from Mlily Cup: The first two rounds of the 2nd Mlily Cup, a Chinese-sponsored international tournament, were held in Beijing on July 7 and 9. The three Japanese players, Ida Atsushi 8P, Yuki Satoshi 9P, and Ichiriki Ryo 7P, were all eliminated in the opening round. photo: Li Qincheng 1P (l), Yuki Satoshi 9P (r) Yoda keeps lead in Kisei S League: Yoda Norimoto 9P has maintained his undefeated record in the top league, the S League, of the 40th Kisei tournament. In a game played on July 9, Yoda (B) beat Takao Shinji 9P by half a point. Yoda is now 3-0. On July 16, Kobayashi Satoru 9P (B) beat Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P by resignation to pick up his first win (to two losses). Yamashiro has the same score. In another game, played on July 23, Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Murakawa Daisuke Oza by resig.

Published On 8/4/2015

In the City of Angels vs. The Beltway Boys, Los Angeles prevailed over Greater Washington in the 2015 Pandanet AGA City League finals last 2015.08.03_city-league-winners-DSC_0008Saturday afternoon at the US Go Congress in St Paul, MN. The top two boards split, with LA winning the Mark Lee (LA) vs Zirui (Tim) Song (GW) game on Board 1 and Eric Lui (GW) defeating Evan Cho (LA) on Board 2 (both on time), making the Danny Ko-Yuan Zhou game the decider. The exciting showdown got even more so when a clock problem on Board 3 forced a game replay on Saturday night. Danny Ko won that game on time, sealing the win for Los Angeles. Go to the Pandanet web site for all the game records from the rest of the season.
Full results:
A League: 1st - Los Angeles; 2nd - Greater Washington; 3rd - Boston; 4th - Seattle 1
B League: 1st - Princeton; 2nd - Bay Area
C League: 1st - Berkeley; 2nd - Boston 2
Click here for some photos and a short video of the players playing the finals.

Published On 8/4/2015

13x13 Table Winners: Justin Teng 6D, Melissa Zhang 3D, Julian Erville 1D, Peter Schumer 2K, Xiong Nqua 3K, Sherrie Echols 9K, Mathias2015.08.03_okun-playing-DSC_0064 Kramm 7K, Steve Zhang 17K. - Jim Hlavka, Director Self-Paired Update: There have been 46 games played so far. This rated tournament is open to anyone who wants to play; see page 12 in the Congress handbook for details/rules. - John Hogan, TD; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/3/2015

"There's no real answer to the question of 'Where's the best move,'" Japanese professional Maeda Ryo 6P told a room full of rapt go players2015.08.03_maeda-DSC_0002-001 2015.08.03_maeda-closeup-DSC_0005Monday afternoon at the US Go Congress in St Paul, MN. "Ask two different professionals and you'll get two different answers." One option, Maeda suggested, is to "find the move with the least wrong with it." Maeda also posed the following go conundrum: "On the one hand, you want to make territory; on the other, you don't want to make territory. It's one of the things that makes go so hard to understand." Fortunately, Maeda revealed, go is actually quite simple: "There are only two options: fighting or not fighting." - report/photos by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/3/2015

The first day of this year's US Go Congress on Sunday featured the first round of the US Open -- in which 253 players participated -- and Rounds 1 and 2 of 2015.08.02_us-open-round1the US Open Masters, in which 26 top players, including nine professionals this year, are playing for over $7,000 in cash prizes. Click here for the Masters crosstab. Defending Masters champion Mark Lee is off to a good start, notching successive wins over Calvin Sun and Michael Chen. Go players also had plenty of other activities to choose from during the day, including lectures and simuls with professional go players like Mingjiu Jiang 7P, who was operating on just a few hours of sleep after arriving late Saturday night and then playing in the first round of the Masters Sunday morning (and would go on to play in the second round after lecturing all afternoon).

US Go Congress Launches in St Paul

Published On 8/2/2015

Hundreds of go players from around the world -- including the first-ever delegation from Cuba -- gathered Saturday on the campus of the 2015.08.01_birds-eye-viewUniversity of St. Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota for the 31st annual US Go Congress. Old friends reunited and new ones were made across the go boards that spilled out of the main playing room into the student center's atrium (photo). The US Open/Masters tournament begins on Sunday; play is scheduled to begin at 9a (CST); top boards will be broadcast live on KGS (look for usgo accounts) and pro commentary by Jennie Shen will begin at 10a. Other highlights of the Sunday schedule include a live Haylee go match; click here for the complete schedule. Keep up with all the E-Journal's Congress reports this week on the AGA website, on Facebook -- "American Go Association" -- and Twitter -- @theaga. New this year: live video broadcasts of games; watch on our YouTube channel (usgoweb). - report/photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/29/2015

Alistair Wall Wins at 27th Milton Keynes Go Tournament: 35 players gathered in the sunny Open University Sports Pavilion for the 27th Milton Keynes Go Tournament on June 27. First place went to Alistair Wall 2d and second place to Ngoc-Trang (Nyoshi) Cao 2d.
Ngoc-Trang Cao wins the Welsh Open: The 23rd Welsh Open was held at the Min-Y-Mor Hotel in Barmouth and organised by Martin and Helen Harvey. Over the two days, 26 players took part. Ngoc-Trang (Nyoshi) Cao 2d and Mingcan Xu 3d Cardiff finished on 5 wins, but Cao won by tiebreak. Prizes for 4 wins went to Richard Hunter 2d, Roger Huyshe 3k, and David Horan 7k.

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Published On 7/29/2015

Uncovering the link between go and education Go is a game, a hobby, a profession. It's a competition, it's a communication tool and it's a way of life. But what happens when go enters home and school as an educational tool? Xinming Simon2015.07.28_simon-guo Guo, founder of the Go and Math Academy in Chicago, Illinois, will explore go's impact in his keynote remarks at this year's US Go Congress opening ceremonies this Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota. "Imagine an era in which every student has opportunities to learn math through go and fall in love with both of them," says Guo.

Published On 7/29/2015

090623-chunlan-000This September, the American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) will be hosting a Chinese professional tournament on US soil for the first time ever, at Harvard University. While four of the strongest Chinese professionals play the semifinals of the Chang Qi Cup, the ACGA will also be holding a 4-round AGA-rated tournament for amateurs. Thanks to the Ing Foundation’s generous sponsorship, there is more than $10,000 available in cash prizes across the divisions, including a 16-player open section, and registrants will receive free catered lunches. Live commentary, pro simuls, and game reviews are also planned, and the entire event is absolutely free. Register early here for a free goodie bag, and a chance to participate in a simul against Chang Hao 9P. -Julian Erville. Photo: Chang Hao winning the Chunlan Cup.

US Go Congress Handbook Released

Published On 7/29/2015

With this year’s US Go Congress just a few short days away, organizers have released the Congress Handbook so that attendees can begin planning to make the most of their time at the biggest go event of the year.2015.07.29_CongressHandbook-graphic The Handbook provides information about the Congress venue – including maps – and the many events that make of the Go Congress, including rated tournaments like the US Open, Die Hard, and Self-Paired, and unrated events like the Lightning Tournament, 13x13 and 9x9 tournaments. In all, ten tournaments are scheduled, along with events with professionals – including simuls and lectures – and youth activities and tournaments. Also covered in the Handbook are Day Off options, transportation, nearby restaurants and official go rules and guidelines, as well as bios and photos of all the visiting professional players.

Published On 7/28/2015

pandanetThe US Go Congress starts this Saturday August 1, and so do the games. Tune in on Pandanet at 3PM in the AGA City League room. We'll be showing all three games LIVE for Los Angeles vs Greater Washington. The lineup will be: Board 1: Mark Lee vs Tim Song Board 2: Evan Cho vs Eric Lui Board 3: Daniel Ko vs Yuan Zhou The winner of this tournament will collect $5000, runner up will win $2500. Look out soon for news for the next year's City League registration! - Steve Colburn

Go Congress Visitors Coming to Seattle

Published On 7/25/2015

Ryo Maeda 6P at the Seattle Go Center in 2014[/caption] Seattle will benefit from the upcoming U.S. Go Congress in St. Paul, even though it is 1700 miles away, as visitors stop by before and after the August 1-9 event. Ryo Maeda 6P and Koyo Hoshikawa 3P from the Kansai Ki-in of Japan will visit the Seattle Go Center on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 28 and 29. They will play simultaneous games on Tuesday, and Maeda Sensei will give one of his famous lectures for kyu players on Wednesday evening. The weekend after the Go Congress, August 15 and 16, Myungwan Kim 9P will conduct a workshop for strong players. He will be assisted by Mark Lee, winner of the U.S. Open in 2014. The workshop will feature simultaneous games with the two teachers, game analysis of student games, analysis of top games from the U.S. Go Congress, and lessons on the Korean style opening. The next weekend, August 22 and 23, Inseong Hwang of the on-line Go school the "American Yunguseng Dojang"

Published On 7/25/2015

EJ photographer Phil Straus spotted this unusual go board recently at an airport Marriott in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Go Spotting: Patterson’s NYPD Red 2

Published On 7/24/2015

Patterson’s NYPD Red 2: In James Patterson's "NYPD Red 2," one of the NYPD’s detectives is searching for witnesses to an abduction near a park in a Chinese community, reports AGA Life Member David Kent. “The detective, a Caucasian, 2015.07.21_nypd2-bookapproaches a go game being played in the park, and challenges the local champion to a game, betting $100. After a hard-fought hour the detective intentionally makes a mistake, throwing the game, which only the champion, an old man, recognizes,” says Kent. “This soon pays off with the old man coming to the aid of the detectives, leading to a witness. The detective plans to give the old man a kaya board from a 700 year old tree instead of the hand-made plywood board he has been using.”

"PopPop" Gets Ready for the Go Congress

Published On 7/24/2015

NOVA Go Club organizer, Garrett Smith (left), also known as PopPop, reports that he is engaged in extensive preparation for the 2015 U.S. Go Congress next month. He hopes to see a big turnout August 1-9 in St. Paul, MN. If you're going to the Go 2015.07.24_NoVA-GarrettSmithCongress too -- and some 350 are already signed up -- let us know how you're preparing for the biggest go event in the country! Email your reports and/or photos to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 7/23/2015

Go in John Green’s Crash Course World History: "Hey, I was watching John Green's Crash Course World History 2 series and spotted both a depiction of and mention of go," writes Evan Hale of the Columbus Tesuji Go Club. "In the episode, Green covers the Heian 2015.07.21_Go Spotting - Crash Course World History 227Period of Japan and mentions go when talking about how the elite, upper class spent their leisure time. The mention is a little bit after 7:00 in the video." China’s News Silk Road Strategy & Go: In Weiqi Versus Chess (Huffington Post 4/3/2015), David Gosset says that "China's New Silk Road strategy certainly integrates the importance of Eurasia but it also neutralizes the US pivot to Asia by enveloping it in a move which is broader both in space and in time: an approach inspired by the intelligence of Weiqi has outwitted the calculation of a chess player.

Published On 7/22/2015

Go author and blogger Jonathan Hop has launched a project to translate videos of professional games with commentary into English. “It's all free and available on YouTube for all to see,” he tells the E-Journal.

Published On 7/21/2015

The US Open Master's Division will again be a 9-round event with a top prize of $5,000. This section is open to all professionals and 7 Dan players. Additionally, players below 7-dan who earned points in AGA qualifier tournaments will be 2015.07.21_2014-masters-DSC_0087 eligible to compete in this section. As was done last year, the top three North American finishers in this section will get prizes with a top award of $2,000. The regular 6-round event will continue as before, open to everyone. Players who qualify for the Master's Division but do not wish to play 9 games can sign up for the 6-round Open event instead. However, there is no crossover between sections once play begins, and players in the Master's Division are expected to commit to play the full 9 rounds. Jon Boley is the Tournament Director for the Master's Division this year. photo: top-board action at the 2014 US Open Masters Division; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/21/2015

The American Go E-Journal has a few openings on its US Go Congress team. Anyone interested in helping record/broadcast top-board games at the US Open should email journal@usgo.org. Prior experience is useful but not absolutely 2015.07.21_2014Masters-DSC_0084necessary. You must be available either mornings (Sun-Sat) or evenings (Sunday, Tuesday, or Friday). “This is a terrific opportunity to get an up—close look at top-board games at a major tournament and be a part of the team bringing this event to the world,” says E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock. "Plus, it'll improve your own go!" Tennis Alert: Tennis players be sure to pack your racquets, as there are courts available at this year’s Congress site and E-Journal editor Chris Garlock will be organizing games throughout the week. Email journal@usgo.org if interested in participating. photo: The EJ's Dennis Wheeler records a 2014 US Open Masters game; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/18/2015

Hajin Lee 3P and her European Go Federation pair-go partner Fabien will play Andrew Jackson 4D and fellow Seattle Go Center teacher Nick Sibicky 4D in a pair go game on the AGA Youtube channel tonight, July 18, starting at 11p PST (2a Sunday EST).
"The AGA's official Youtube channel has been revamped in advance of the upcoming 2015 US Go Congress, and we'd like to re-introduce it to members with a pair go match between a few well known YouTube go players" says Jackson, the American Go Association's VP of Operations. "Hajin will also be recording her comments for her 100th video on her channel, so this should be quite a celebratory evening"
The game will be broadcast live on the AGA Youtube channel, and "all the video content from the 2015 US Go Congress will be posted there, so please subscribe!" urges Jackson. More details on the format can be found in Jackson's announcement video.

Published On 7/18/2015

hsi Word comes to the E-Journal of two last minute changes in the ranks of the professionals visiting the US Go Congress in Minneapolis-St. Paul. One is that the Korea Amate031216-chohy01[1]ur Baduk Association will be sending Cho Hyeyeon 9p, a star player and active promoter of the game. Cho, who also attended the 2008 Congress in Portland, works, teaches and plays tirelessly, among other ventures running a go club at the US Army base at Yongsan in Seoul. Meanwhile, difficulties of making last minute travel arrangements have caused the Taiwan Chiyuan to substitute Ms. Tang Hsi Yun 2p, also known as Debbie Tang, for the earlier announced Wang Yuanjun 7p. Like Cho, Tang speaks English. She has been pro since 2004 and taught at the European Go Congress in 2012. Update (7/21): The spelling of Ms. Tang's name has been corrected.

Published On 7/15/2015

With the 2015 US Go Congress less than a month away, it is on track to be a great event with over 350 attendees, says Congress Director Josh Larson. For players of all levels a major draw to attend the Congress is the chance to meet, play and learn from professional players from all over the world. So far, 21 pros are expected at this year’s Congress! The pros are involved in many activities through the week. You can attend professional lectures during the afternoon and evening, play against a professional during one of the many simultaneous games in the afternoon after the US Open rounds, have your game reviewed in a small group session or hang around and chat with pros at mealtime. A few have been known to turn up at late night card games. Pros will also be involved in special events, like commenting on a key final game or, new this year, playing a demonstration game against an amateur. A highlight for players of all levels is the review of your tournament games by a professional.

RFP for East Coast Go Center

Published On 7/15/2015

At its June 7th board meeting, the Iwamoto North American Foundation for Go approved a request for proposals for the establishment of a Go Center on the East Coast. The foundation is seeking proposals by December 1, 2015. The RFP can be found on the foundation’s web page: http://www.inaf-go.org/. Please direct any questions to board members Thomas Hsiang (thsiang@UR.Rochester.edu), Andy Okun (andy@okun.name), or Dave Weimer (weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu).

The Janice Kim Files - Game On

Published On 7/13/2015

(or what I learned during my two-year vacation from playing games) by Janice Kim 3P PastedGraphic-1For me go and poker are the same. As they are like two sides of my same coin, I find the optimal strategy in go is to know everything, and in poker, to be random. Humans are not randomizers, they require computers, or cards, and even those require perfect input for true randomization. A good watch with a sweeping second hand can take care of a lot in poker. If you develop the strategy of eyes going to your watch, as if you're the smartest Princess Bride in the world poisoning a cup, basing your actions entirely on the position of a watch hand on the dial, you will be about as random as humans get. I look pretty much like Lee Chang-ho would playing poker, a Stone Buddha in a skirt and heels, a non-sentient target no more than a table's-length away, which is why it is oh-so-perfect.

Garlock Wales Walk Closing in on Goal

Published On 7/13/2015

imageWith less than 50 miles to go to complete his 200-mile walk along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales, E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock reports "there's just $139 left to go to raise $2,500 for the fabulous work of the American Go Foundation!" Click here to support the AGF, and check out Garlock's Facebook page (Christopher Garlock) for daily posts about the walk. "It's been a great adventure made even better knowing so many folks are helping grow go in the U.S.," says Garlock. "Thanks so much!" Garlock braving the Welsh rain on the Path late last week; photo by Lisa Garlock

Published On 7/12/2015

taiwan proTop pro Yuan-Jun Wang 7p will visit and teach at the US Go Congress as part of the first delegation in many years from the Taiwan Chiyuan, the organization of Taiwanese professional players, AGA president Andy Okun told the E-Journal. The 19-year-old star has been a pro since 2007, winning a number of titles over the years including the Haifeng Cup Professional Championship , the East Steel Cup and the Guests Cup. He has also been runner-up in the Acer Cup and Siyuan Cup and represented Taiwan in the SportAccord World Mind Games three times. Also visiting will be Taiwan Chiyuan Secretary General, Yi-Ching Lu. Ms. Lu is, coincidentally, Mr. Wang's mother. "Taiwanese players have been growing in stature and the Taiwan go scene, amateur and pro, is active and vibrant," Okun said. "This will be a good chance for our go enthusiasts to establish links with another important part of the go world."

Published On 7/11/2015

The Nihon Ki-In is inviting participants of their summer go camp to the first game of the 40th Meijin title match, which will be held in Tokyo on September 3rd. The defending title holder is Iyama Yuta. The participants will visit the venue, a five-star luxury hotel, and will be able to enter the room and watch the first couple of moves, up close by the players. Special prizes will be given to the top three players of the league tournament at the go camp, in both dan and kyu brackets, including the Complete Works of Honinbo Shusai, which is out print and would be worth at least 500 USD. The game collection includes Honinbo Shuei (Meijin), Karigane Junichi and Go Seigen.

Go Spotting - Gosset on Weiqi vs. Chess

Published On 7/10/2015

David Gosset, Director of the Academia Sinica Europaea, published an in-depth look at go in The World Post, on April 3rd. "For centuries, literati have been fascinated by the contrast between the extreme simplicity of the rules and the almost infinite combinations allowed by their execution," writes Gosset. To read the full article, click here. -Thanks to Teddy Joe for the link.

Published On 7/10/2015

2012.12.08_MyungwanKim_DSC_0373 This Sunday in Los Angeles, Myungwan Kim 9p will give the first of what are planned to be monthly teaching events at Gunho Choi's LA Go Club on Western Avenue, aimed at bringing together players from LA's large Korean community and from the wider go community. From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., he will give a lecture in English for dan and high-kyu strength players. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., he will play simuls with up to 10 players, with free play from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The fee is $20 for those who take part in the simuls, free for others. Please sign up beforehand by e-mail to bigtory@gmail.com if you want to play a simul. LA Go Club, 1144 S. Western Ave., #208, Los Angeles, CA 90006.

Published On 7/10/2015

Huang of China Wins Globis Cup: Huang Yunsong (at right in photo) of China has defeated Na Hyun of Korea to win his first international tournament. Aged 18, he can now claim to be the strongest teenager in the world and his next ambition is to win an open international title. His play in this year’s Globis Cup was so impressive that no one will be betting against him.
On Sunday, May 10, the third day of the tournament, the semifinals were held in the morning and the final and play-off for third place in the afternoon. All four matches were China-Korea pairings, as the Japanese players had been eliminated in the quarterfinals. In the first semifinal, Huang 3P (W) of China beat Lee Donghun 5P of Korea by resignation. This game featured a spectacular fight in which Huang killed a large enemy group. O Meien 9P, who gave a public commentary on the final, praised Huang’s play in the semifinal very highly.

Go Spotting: STEAM Training

Published On 7/9/2015

CIWdqhPUEAAufRQSTEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) curricula training by Georgette Yakman brings her into schools across the country, where she introduces go as part of her plans. "This admin and these teachers were excited by go, and tweeted about me teaching it to them recently," says Yakman, "We hope to try and put it in all 8 middle school programs in Tuscaloosa County Schools this coming year." Check out the tweet, with pics, here.

UK Go Updates: Glasgow Results

Published On 7/9/2015

Tongzhou Cai wins Scottish in Glasgow: The third consecutive Scottish Open in Glasgow, and the second sponsored by the local Confucius Institute, saw 23 different players converge on Glasgow University. credit-n.ru http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html
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Published On 7/8/2015

Albert Yen 7d (at left) and Ary Cheng 1d (at right) lead the Redmond Cup’s Senior and Junior standings after completing the preliminary rounds, held online, over the last few months. The Senior division, with a field of nineteen players, was especially hard-fought: the three top-seeded players, Yen, Jeremy Chiu 6d, and four-time Junior champion Aaron Ye 6d, were all still undefeated after the third round. By the end, it was still close, with four players holding 4-2 records or better. Although the Senior division was competitive, the fifteen-year-old Yen was dominant, winning all six rounds. “Some luck was needed to pull me through undefeated," Yen told the Journal, "Yunxuan Li is a respectable opponent in the finals, and I must be very careful as his fighting is quite strong.”

Yunxuan Li 6d, age 17, claimed second place in the Senior division by going 5-1.

Korean Youth Tourneys

Published On 7/7/2015

The Korean Baduk Association is inviting any interested youth to two different events. Airfare is not covered, but accommodations, meals, and all local transport is. The World Youth Baduk Festival will be held in Inje, Gangwon, from August 1-4. Students from Elementary school up through College are all invited. The 2nd Kuksu Mountain Cup will be held August 7-12 in Jeolla South Province, the age limit is under 15, but slightly older is also acceptable. All levels of players are welcome. Contact youth@usgo.org if you are interested in attending any of these events.

Published On 7/6/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal 70honinbo5 moment of victoryFour-way tie in Meijin League: With only one round to go, four players share the lead in the 40th Meijin League, so there is a strong possibility of the league ending in a tie. The four players are Kono Rin 9P, Yamashita Keigo 9P, Takao Shinji Tengen, and Ko Iso 8P, who are all on 5-2 (I overlooked Yamashita in my previous report when I wrote there were three players with two losses). Recent games: (June 25) Kono Rin (B) beat Murakawa Daisuke Oza by resig.; Cho U 9P (W) beat Hane Naoki 9P by resig. (July 2) Takao Shinji (B) beat Kanazawa Makoto 7P by half a point. (July 3) Yamashita Keigo (B) beat So Yokoku 9P by resig.

In the final round, to be played on July 30, Kono plays Cho U, Yamashita plays Ko Iso, Takao plays Murakawa, Hane plays Kanazawa, and So has a bye. Only Yamashita or Ko Iso has a chance of winning the league outright; there could also be a two-way or three-way tie. If Ko is part of a th

Go Spotting: New York

Published On 7/3/2015

1455892_10205587223336295_1169984074605248569_n"I went to New York for a vacation, and when I went to the American Museum of Natural History, at the Japanese Hall, I saw a board of go and stones. I was surprised of the size, because I had never seen a Goban for real," writes Mateo Nava, of Mexico City.

Published On 7/2/2015

When I was young I liked to read, and to watch TV, and didn't go out much, except alone to explore arroyos, watch movies, or go jogging very early in the morning, when the light was still gray. Going out jogging, it's right on the surface of my memory how the air tasted, like an apple, and the way the sidewalk curbs looked in that light, gray on gray, appearing out of the mist like phantom tracks. If it had been raining, there'd be sounds, the splish-gerr-splish of some unseen tires driving through a puddle. Back at home we still have an old pinon tree that you could climb up, and then on to the roof. On weekend afternoons my activity was to ride my bike to the store, and rent a movie to watch at home. My favorites were "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with James Mason, and "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad" with the old Ray Harryhausen monsters. Later the grocery store put a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game in the back storeroom.

Lin Wins Happy Cup

Published On 6/29/2015

IMG_2917Fifth-grader Ethan Lin took first place in the 8th annual Happy Cup Tournament, winning all four of his games, on June 7. "The tournament was hosted by the Santa Clara Youth Go Club at Sunflower Chinese School, where thirty-seven young players competed for trophies and cool prizes," reports organizer Wenguang Wang, "the players and their parents also got to enjoy an ice cream party after the tournament. I decided to organize this tournament so that more and more children could play go, I wanted to make the tournament as fun as possible so the players would enjoy playing go more.” -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Xiao Xie: First place winner Ethan Lin is at far right in the blue shirt.

Congress Price Goes up July 1

Published On 6/29/2015

"Register now for the Go Congress and save $100," says Congress Director Josh Larsen, "with events such as the US Open, Lectures, Simuls, Reviews of top matches, the annual lightning tournament and crazy go - this 8 day go event is not to be missed. Check out our new digital schedule online or from your smartphone." Register and pay by June 30th to avoid the extra charge. Players can sign up here.

Guo Named AGF Teacher of the Year

Published On 6/28/2015

11209379_770514846401471_999873868351024353_nXinming Simon Guo 1d, of Chicago, Illinois, has been named the AGF Teacher of the Year, winning a free trip to the 2015 U.S. Go Congress in St. Paul, Minnesota. Guo has been active in youth go promotion for years, first partnering with the Confucius Institute in Chicago in the fall of 2012 to offer go instruction to Chinese language classrooms. “This program has been very successful,” Guo told the Journal. “Some schools requested more instructional hours, and some schools added go to their after-school program. More teachers joined this program in 2014 and 2015. One school started a tournament after my introduction courses. Meanwhile, I have started to train teachers to meet the increasing demand for go in Chicago’s schools.” In 2012, Guo founded the GoAndMath Academy, whose mission is “to use go to help develop students’ math ability, especially number sense.”

Published On 6/27/2015

This is the last week to save on US Go Congress registration; the Congress price goes up July 1. 2015.06.25_hoshikawa-koyo The latest list of professional go players attending this year's US Go Congress includes Myungwan Kim, Yilun Yang, Hajin Lee, Feng Yun, Jennie Shen, Wang Qun, Cao Youyin, Ryo Maeda, Koyo Hoshikawa (right), Xuefen (Shirley) Lin and Mingjiu Jiang. Inseong Hwang 8d, a longtime go teacher in Europe, has also just confirmed he'll be attending this year's US Go Congress. The top four AGA-rated under-16 girls (as of August 1, 2015) who enter at the Congress will compete in the first-ever Girl's Tournament. Tennis-playing go players can bring their racquets; the Congress site has courts and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock will take on all comers.

RFPs Wanted for East Coast Go Center

Published On 6/26/2015

At its June 7th board meeting, the Iwamoto North American Foundation for Go approved a request for proposals for the establishment of a Go Center on the East Coast. The foundation is seeking proposals by December 1, 2015. The RFP can be found on the foundation’s web page. Please direct any questions to board members Thomas Hsiang (thsiang@UR.Rochester.edu), Andy Okun (andy@okun.name), or Dave Weimer (weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu).

Published On 6/26/2015

Ishi Press Archives recently announced the release of a second group of four out-of-print Ishi Press go books. The reprints are available through2015.06.25_great-joseki-debates Amazon and include The Great Joseki Debates by Honda Kunihisa, The 3-3 point: Modern Opening Theory by by Cho Chikun, All About Life and Death Vol. 1 by Cho Chikun and All About Life and Death Vol. 2 by Cho Chikun.

Vendors Donate for Go Camp

Published On 6/25/2015

"The AGA Go Camp would like to extend a hearty thanks to Kiseido, Slate & Shell, and Yellow Mountain Imports for their generous donations to the 2015 camp," says camp director Amanda Miller, “in addition to go lessons and outdoor activities, we also run small tournaments and other go-related activities every night. These activities include 13x13, pair go, and team tournaments, and we plan to use these items as prizes in those events. We’ve received some especially generous donations this year, and we have more than enough to go around, so every camper should receive at least one prize!” Donations include books, travel go sets, and other go-related merchandise.

For anyone between the ages of 8 and 18 who wants to join in the fun, there’s still time to register. This year’s camp will take place from July 18th to July 25th at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio.

Published On 6/22/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Lead changes again in Meijin League: Things were shaken up again in the sixth round of the 40th Meijin League and Ko resurfaced with the provisional lead. Three games were played on June 4. Ko Iso 8P (W) beat Kono Rin 9P by resig.; Cho U 9P (W) beat Kanazawa Makoto 7P by 2.5 points; and So Yokoku 8P (W) beat Takao Shinji by resignation. That left three players on two losses: Ko (5-2), Kono (4-2), and Takao (4-2). Kono has the advantage of being the top-ranked player in the league, but Ko has the advantage of having won an extra game. He gets a bye in the next round, then plays Takao in the final round. Incidentally, the above-mentioned loss cost Kanazawa his place in the league.

Mimura Kaori Promoted: With 40 wins in the cumulative-win system, Mimura Kaori earned promotion to 3-dan on June 11 (though the promotion officially took effect on the following day). Mimura was born on July 31, 1981; she is married to Mimura Tomoyasu 9P.

Published On 6/22/2015

Congress Airport Shuttle: For those finalizing their US Go Congress travel plans, Congress organizers have coordinated with SuperShuttle to provide a quick and easy way for attendees to get from the MSP airport to the University of St. Thomas. Click here to arrange a shuttle that will be ready when your plane lands and takes you directly to St. Thomas. $15 one-way or $26 round trip. EJ Adds Video Streaming: In addition to the E-Journal’s usual comprehensive coverage of the annual US Go Congress, including daily top-board broadcasts on KGS, updates on the website, Twitter and Facebook and daily E-Journal reports, we’ll also be testing some live-streaming video of top-board games this year. “We’re excited to expand our coverage and hope to develop some innovative approaches,” says Andrew Jackson, who’s coordinating the effort for the E-Journal. "We'll be streaming the Hajin/Sibicky game as well."

Published On 6/22/2015

The Davis/Sacramento Go Club held its Summer Tournament on June 20 at the Arden-Dimick Library in Sacramento, CA. Seven players from 2015.06.22_Davis-Sac-winnersthe Bay Area to the foothills attended. The upper division was won by Yufei Hu 3d (right), and Tai-An Cha 5k (left), won the lower division. Both had 4-0 records.
- Willard Haynes

Published On 6/18/2015

If you’re considering attending this year’s US Go Congress, register before July 1 and save $50. That’s when the late registration fee goes up to $100. This year’s Congress runs August 1-9 in St Paul, Minneapolis. In addition to lots of go -- tournaments, lectures, pro simuls and more -- the Go Congress offers exciting options for the traditional day off on Wednesday. “The votes from our online survey are in: the riverboat ride in Stillwater, MN and spending time in the Uptown region of Minneapolis generated the most interest for day off activities,” reports Aaron Broege.

More Go Players Streaming

Published On 6/18/2015

More go players and teachers are starting to stream their games on Twitch, the world's leading video platform and community for gamers. More than 45 million gamers gather every month on Twitch to broadcast, watch and chat about gaming. Several go players are getting in on the action, including Shawn Ray 4d, who reviews games and holds lectures; Battousai 5d, who teaches and has lectures using different go servers;

Published On 6/18/2015

The Baltimore Go Club was the first to take advantage of paying their annual chapter dues with AGA chapter rewards points. "It was simple. I just sent an email to rewards@usgo.org requesting to renew with points," club President Keith Arnold said. "They checked that we had the necessary 35,000 points and that was it." All point totals earned through April can be found here. - Gurujeet Khalsa

Slate fixed for 2015 Board Elections

Published On 6/17/2015

Incumbents Chris Kirschner and Martin Lebl are running unopposed to retain their seats in the Western and Central regions, respectively while newcomers Diego F. Pierrottet and George Lebovitz will be contesting the Eastern region. “Chapter reps, please take time to insure your contact information is correct for the both the AGA chapters list and the chapter membership/contact information,” says Arnold Eudell. “You should have already received your preliminary voting rights report. Any further information about the election will come through these sources.” Contact Elections@usgo.org with any questions.

Published On 6/17/2015

A go-playing President of the United States would probably be a better president. That's according to David Z. Hambrick, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University who wrote recently in Scientific American that "my colleague Brooke Macnamara and I found that fluid intelligence—the general ability to reason and think logically—was a strong positive predictor of skill in the board game GO, as measured by a laboratory task that was specially designed to measure a GO player’s ability to evaluate game situations and select optimal moves. In turn, performance in this task was strongly related to a player’s tournament GO rating.” Hambrick adds that while IQ isn’t the only predictor of presidential success, “what science tells us is that a high level of intellectual ability translates into a measureable advantage in the Oval Office.” Thanks to Mark A. Brown for passing this along. Photo credit: Sam Boulton Sr. via Wikimedia Commons

Published On 6/16/2015

Symmetry Plus, a magazine for young mathematicians in the UK, published an article about Hikaru no Go and math01 in its latest issue. Calin Galeriu, a professor at Becker College, writes that go is a “board game with an incredible amount of mathematical content.” Young people reading Hikaru learn about area, the coordinate plane, deductive and inductive reasoning, and more. The problem solving techniques Hikaru and his friends use for go problems are similar to those used when solving mathematical problems.

Published On 6/16/2015

No Japanese Pros? “I see the E-Journal is reporting the pros coming to the Go Congress (Top Pros Confirm for US Go Congress 6/8)” writes Bill Chiles. “I'm a bit shocked there are no Japanese pros coming. Why is that?! Maeda Sensei is almost always there at the very least.” We should have specified that this was a preliminary list; the Nihon Kiin and Kansai Kiin in Japan and KBA in Korea have not yet provided the names of their pros who will be in attendance.
About the Liebniz piece: "Most of this information about Leibniz's acquaintance with go (Go Spotting: Leibniz calls go “ingenious and quite difficult” 6/11) can be found in The Go Player's Almanac (2001) in Jaap K. Blom's essay, Go in the West in the 18th Century, pages 38 to 42," writes Richard Bozulich from Kiseido.

Gotham Go Group's Steph Oppenheim Dies

Published On 6/14/2015

Gotham Go Group member Steph Oppenheim died Wednesday, reports Peter Armenia. Oppenheim (right) had been fighting cancer for over two years2015.06.14_Steph Oppenheim "He was always one of our most enthusiastic players and promoters of the game," says Armenia. "He was always willing to teach beginners, and he spent a good deal of time helping teach go to students in local schools. He will be missed, but we are happy to have watched him beat the predictions of his doctors by over a year. And he made the most of that year."
There will be a funeral at 11:15 on Monday, June 15 at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W 76 St, with refreshments and food afterwards.

Published On 6/14/2015

Saki Fujita 5D and Yizhi Wang 5D tied to top the 2015 NOVA Congress Tuneup tournament on Saturday, June 13 at George Mason Law School in Arlington VA. Twenty-six players participated. "In an unusual situation in the top band, three players finished 3-1, each losing once to one of the others," reports organizer Allan Abramson. SOS tie-break showed that two tied for first place, with the third alone in second. "In another unusual situation, there were no players at 2,3, or 4 kyu, resulting in a greater number of higher handicap games than normally is the case," Abramson noted.
Gurujeet Khalsa bade a fond farewell to Ning-Yuan Ernest Wang, saying "We first met him a year ago when he showed up at a NOVA tournament with a band of fellow go players from the revitalized go scene at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. His cheerful presence at go events this past year has been wonderful and we wish him a warm sendoff as he heads back to his native Taiwan."

Garlock’s Wales Walk Going for $3K

Published On 6/14/2015

Thanks to the generous contributions of many go players, E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock’s upcoming Wales Walk has already 2015.06.14_garlock-walksurpassed its original goal and is now going for raising $3,000 to support the American Go Foundation. “Wow!” said AGF president Terry Benson, “Go’s path is long – and so is Chris and Lisa's – and the more support we receive, the farther we can go.” The AGF is dedicated to promoting go in the U.S. and has enabled thousands of American children to learn go in hundreds of schools, libraries and community centers across the country. “We also provide scholarships and resources for youth who play go, and we support go in institutional settings such as prisons, and senior centers,” Benson adds. The Garlock’s walk starts at the end of June; click here to contribute to the Walk and support the AGF. photo: Garlock on a recent training walk; photo by Lisa Garlock

Go Events Hopping Down Under

Published On 6/12/2015

December is a long way off but anyone considering the Southern climes for the winter will want to mark their calendars for this year's Australian National Go Championships in St Lucia, Brisbane, on December 5-6. And the second Australian Go Congress is being planned for Sydney, January 15-18, 2016 and may include Pair Go; if you're a pair go player, contact committee@australiango.asn.au. - Horatio Davis, EJ Correspondent for Australia

Published On 6/11/2015

Changhun Kim 6d (right) of Korea has won the 36th World Amateur Go Championship, held this year for the first time in Thailand. In second was 2015.06.10_Changhun KimAohua Hu 6d of China, and third place was taken by 12-year-old Jyun-Fu Lai 7d from Chinese Taipei. The remainder of the top-ten finishers: [4] Chi-hin Chan (Hong Kong), [5] Satoshi Hiraoka (Japan), [6] Cornel Burzo (Romania), [7] Artem Kachanovskyi (Ukraine), [8] Juyong Koh (Canada), [9] Pal Balogh (Hungary) and [10] Daniel Ko (United States). Click here for the full tournament results and the final-round report. Other reports include Round 6: Hungary vs Belgium; Korea Storms Ahead on Third Day of WAGC & Round 4: China vs Korea. - Ranka Online

Published On 6/11/2015

"I easily believe that the magnitude of the Board and the quantity of pieces render this game quite ingenious and quite difficult," wrote the German polymath and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz about go in 1710. Leibniz, in "Miscellanea Berolinensia" goes on to note "the singular principle" of go is not "the death of the enemy, but only to push him to the limits of the Table," which, while not perhaps technically accurate, certainly gets at the heart of the game, though he goes on to draw the questionable conclusion that the game's inventor "abhorrent of murder, wished to obtain a victory not soiled by blood." Leibniz learned about go from the book "Christian Expedition among the Chinese," by Nicolas Trigault, a missionary to China in 1600s. graphic: from Miscellanea Berolinensia; thanks to Simon Guo for passing this along.

Published On 6/10/2015

Aizu Central Hospital Cup: Xie Yimin (right), Women’s Meijin, will meet O Keii 2P (left), the daughter of O Rissei 9P, in the final of the 2nd Aizu Central Hospital Cup. In the semifinals, played on June 7, Xie (W) beat the previous winner Fujisawa Rina 2P by resignation and O (B) beat Kato Keiko 6P by 4.5 points. The final, the only two-day game in women’s go, will be held on July 2 and 3.

Published On 6/9/2015

While esports have becomes hugely popular in recent years, garnering large audiences, broadcast on ESPN and major sponsorships, they may 2015.06.07_esportsstill have something to learn from the ancient game of go. That's the premise of "Go: The First Generation of Competitive Games," an article published recently in "1337," major e-sports trade magazine. "Despite similarities, go and esports are worlds apart in terms of perception," writes Michael Cohen. "While go is intertwined with some national cultures, esports faces the stigmatization of video games as a whole." Noting that go is "accepted by all generations as a legitimate game of mental strength and strategy, as well as a tool for teaching life values to children and adults alike," Cohen suggests that go "may also be a predictor of what esports can hope to become throughout everyday life."

Published On 6/9/2015

Twelve-year-old Jyun-Fu Lai 7d of Chinese Taipei (right) and Korea's Changhun Kim 6d were the only two undefeated players at the end of the2015.06.08_WAGC_Jyun-Fu-Lai second day of the 2015 World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) in Bangkok, Thailand on June 8. Indonesia’s 12-year-old Rafif Fitrah 4d had notched a surprise victory over Ondrej Silt 6d (Czech Republic) in the only major upset of the first day of the WAGC on June 7, as both Rounds 1 and 2 concluded with few surprises. Danny Ko (US) is 3-1, defeating Germany, Israel and Indonesia and losing to Chinese Taipei in the second round. Canada's Juyong Koh is also 3-1, beating Poland, Russia and and Colombia and losing to Korea in the 3rd round. Click here for latest results. The festivities kicked off on Saturday morning with a friendship event and the Annual General Meeting of the International Go Federation (IGF) was held that afternoon (click here for full report).

Top Pros Confirm for US Go Congress

Published On 6/9/2015

Myungwan Kim 9P, Feng Yun 9P (r) and six other professional go players have now been confirmed for this year's US Go Congress. The pro roster thus far includes Chinese professionals Wang Qun 8P and Cao Youyin 3P, Korean pro Hajin Lee 3P, Secretary General of the International Go Federation, as well as American professionals Yilun Yang 7P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P and Jennie Shen 2P. The chance to attend lectures by professionals and play in simultaneous games with them is one of the major attractions of the annual Congress for many attendees. This year's Congress runs August 1-9 in St Paul, MN. Click here for details and to register. photo: Feng Yun 9P at the 2014 US Go Congress; photo by Chris Garlock Update (6/11): updated to clarify which country each professional represents.

Published On 6/9/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal China wins 4th Mt. Tiantai Nongshang Bank Cup: The 4th Mt. Tiantai Nongshang Bank Cup World Women’s Team Championship was held in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province in China from May 8 to 10. Three-player teams from China, Korea, Japan, and Chinese Taipei competed. The teams finished in the order just given. Representing Japan were Fujisawa Rina 2P, Xie Yimin 6P, and Kaneko Maki 1P. Results are given below. (Round 1) China beat Japan 3-1; Korea beat Chinese Taipei 3-0. (Round 2) Japan beat Chinese Taipei 3-0; China beat Korea 2-1. (Round 3) Korea beat Japan 3-0; China beat Chinese Taipei 3-0. So Yokoku 9P accompanied the Japanese team as coach. A conversation he had with the top board for China, Yu Zhiying 5P, gives an idea of what goes into becoming a top player. As a member of the national team, Yu studies at the Chinese Qiyuan from 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. At night, she plays Net games, with her norm being 3.5 games a night.

Published On 6/9/2015

Iyama takes 3-0 lead in Honinbo title match: In the 70th Honinbo title match, Yamashita Keigo is seeking to regain the title that he lost to Iyama Yuta in 2012. He is also seeking revenge for his loss to Iyama in this year’s Kisei title match. As defending champion, Iyama is hoping to maintain his quadruple crown; after losing two titles at the end of last year, he will be anxious to avoid any further reductions to his swag. Also, if he defends his title, it will be his fourth in a row, so he will draw near to qualifying for the title of Honorary Honinbo. Just as in the Kisei title match, Iyama has made a great start, sweeping the first three games. In the Kisei, Yamashita staged a recovery, winning three games in a row himself. Will he be able to do it again? The first game was played in the Fugetsuro pavilion in Shizuoka City on May 13 and 14.

Published On 6/7/2015

In the upcoming elections for the American Go Association Board of Directors, incumbents Chris Kirschner and Martin Lebl are running to retain their seats in the Western and Central regions, respectively, and newcomers Diego F. Pierrottet and George Lebovitz will be contesting the Eastern region. Chapter reps should receive their preliminary vote count by June 11 via the agachapters list. Nominations, including self-nominations may be made by full members for the region in which the member resides and must be received by June 15, 2015. Nominations and questions must be emailed to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications. - Arnold Eudell UPDATE: There are some issues to be clarified regarding Shawn Ray's candidacy.

Published On 6/6/2015

The AGA is selecting three players to represent North America in the 2015 Samsung Cup World Baduk Masters World Division. The 12-player World Division will be played August 2nd - 5th in Seoul, Korea. Interested players should be available to play in the online selection tournament on the third and fourth weekend of June. Eligibility: AGA/CGA member and US/Canada citizenship, AGA 6.0 minimum rating required, amateur or certified professional by the AGA; US players must meet the AGA overseas eligibility criteria. The selection tournament will be held on KGS Go Server. Interested players should send their names, AGA number and rating and country of citizenship to cherry.shen@usgo.org by midnight, Sunday, June 14th. Note that the format of the tournament is single elimination so players may be out earlier than August 5.

Published On 6/6/2015

Players from six continents and assorted islands will gather at the Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok for this year’s World Amateur Go Championship June 7-10. The Asian contingent will be young, including 12-year-old contestants from Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, and Malaysia and teenagers from China, Hong Kong, Korea, Macau, Singapore, and host country Thailand. Japan will field a two-time former world champion, and Europe will field several players who have placed high in past years. Danny Ko represents the US and Juyong Koh is playing for Canada. Click here for video self-introductions by sixteen of the fifty-eight players. Click here for the list of players and the event schedule. The events main sponsors are CP All, The Siam Commercial Bank, and Red Bull. Seven games each round will be broadcast on Pandanet. Ranka Online will carry reports of the entire event. - Ranka Online

Published On 6/5/2015

The local chapter of the American Go Association met at the Seattle Go Center on Tuesday, May 26, and unanimously Peter Nelson headshotelected Peter Nelson 5d (right) as the new Chapter Representative. They also changed the name of their chapter to "Seattle AGA Chapter" from "Seattle Go Center". The Seattle AGA Chapter is organizationally distinct from the nonprofit that runs the Seattle Go Center, although many local players are members of both groups. The name change was intended to reduce confusion between the two groups. The Seattle AGA Chapter sponsored the Tacoma Go Congress in 2013. Nelson will be attending the U.S. Go Congress in Minnesota this August, and the Annual Meeting of Chapter Representatives. He has been a regular at the Go Center since moving to Seattle from Minnesota in 2014. He has given many teaching games at the Go Center, and he also teaches online as longstridebaduk.

Apply for Free Pro Lessons by June 15th

Published On 6/5/2015

There is still time for AGA members to apply for free lessons, with Andy Liu 1P or Calvin Sun 1P. "Thanks to a generous donor, the AGF is making lessons available to High School and College students as a thank you for their efforts promoting go," reports AGF Board Member Keith Arnold. Candidates will be selected based on their efforts for the community at large. "We are looking for a brief statement describing your efforts running a school go club, as well as any other contributions to the go community," says Arnold, "we know this is exam time - this will not be graded - we simply want the facts, your submission should be less than a page." The winners will receive six lessons online, from one of the AGA's new pros. To apply for the lessons, fill out the form here, by June 15th. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photos: Calvin Sun 1P (l); Andy Liu 1P (r).

Published On 6/4/2015

The AGA, together with the American Go Foundation (AGF), will bring two Cuban players to the US Go Congress in St. Paul this August and is raising funds to support the effort . “Cuba has a very active go community,” says AGA Director Bob Gilman, who has taken the lead in organizing this visit, “Bringing these Cubans to the Go Congress will help build links with players in the United States and is very timely as relationships between the US and Cuban governments continue to improve.” The players are Rafael Torres Miranda, President of the Academia Cubana de Go, Cuban 2 dan, and Professor Lazaro Bueno Perez from the province of Camaguey, Cuban 8 kyu. Professor Bueno has been active in teaching the game in his home province. Because the Cuban players cannot afford the trip on their own, the AGF is conducting an independent fund-raising campaign to bring them to the Congress. For more on how to support the effort, see the additional information here.

Published On 6/4/2015

The Academia Cubana de Go has announced that it will host the 17th Ibero-American Championship tournament in Havana October 9-11. US players are very welcome, organizers say. “I had a great time,” says Bob Gilman, who was one of four US players at last year’s Ibero-American Championship in Quito, Ecuador in 2014 The relaxation of restrictions on travel to Cuba by US citizens should make it easier for US players to travel to Havana for this tournament, says Gilman, who visited Havana in 2013 with a group of US players. “Travel for a competition is now permissible under a ‘general license.’” While prior government approval is not necessary, travelers must maintain documentation for five years that this travel meets the specifications in the Treasury Department regulations. “I am doubtful whether a trip extending much before or after the tournament would meet the regulatory standards for travel for a competition,” says Gilman. “Another possibility would be a ‘people to people’ group trip

Published On 6/4/2015

Note: this is a translation from the French Go Review, with which the E-Journal is now exchanging reports. It’s a bit longer than our usual reports but we wanted to give you a sense of their style. You can find the original report here. The village of Guitte, hidden in the countryside half an hour outside the Breton capital welcomed anew the Rennes Tournament during Easter weekend. Irene, the manager of the Ker Al Lann holiday camp still doesn’t know the rules of go, but she understands one thing very well, that the regulars who descend there every year to put stones on a board require only a few things: a room to play quietly and repose until nightfall and some good meals to reset their clocks to zero.2015.06.02_rennes1

Published On 6/4/2015

Thanks to a new reciprocal agreement between the American Go E-Journal and the French Go Review, readers of both publications will benefit. The FGR is translating longtime go journalist John Power’s reports for the E-Journal into French and publishing them on the Revue Française de Go blog (three have been published so far ; click here for the most recent one). In return, they will be providing English translations of selected reports on the FGR blog for publication in the E-Journal. "Go is a global game and we’re tremendously excited to launch this cooperative publishing venture with our colleagues in France," said E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock.

EuroGoTV Shuts Down After 8 Years

Published On 6/3/2015

After eight years, EuroGoTV has shut down. “We started just as a place where the go-player could watch instruction videos and video reports, but soon EuroGoTV changed to a real go-news site with live video streaming,” writes founder Harry Weerheijm in the final edition of EuroGo TV’s email newsletter on May 27.2015.06.02_Harry Weerheijm Nearly 3,000 tournament reports were published on the EuroGoTV website, including tens of thousands of photos of go events across Europe. EuroGoTV regularly streamed live video of tournament games and posted “over 900 videos” on YouTube, according to Weerheijm (right). EuroGoTV’s newsletter was widely ready by go players throughout Europe and was a reliable source of European go news for the E-Journal.

GoClubsOnline Adds PayPal Option

Published On 6/3/2015

With the latest release of GoClubsOnline attendees can now pay their tournament or event fees via PayPal. Look for payments due and PayPal 2015.06.02_GCOL-paypalprompts during online registration for a tournament or event to see if this convenient option is offered by organizers. When PayPal is offered by the hosting club and payments are due, attendees can pay either via PayPal or with a credit card. GoClubsOnline (GCOL) doesn't handle any of these funds and organizers can manage their PayPal account completely independently. “Organizers can set whatever fees they wish to charge, especially if they want to supplement a prize pool!” says GCOL’s Robert Cordingley. “Club organizers can separately and simply set up a club PayPal account, then include the account name in the Payment Method section of a tournament or event profile and it's good to go.”

Published On 6/1/2015

The first American Chang Qi tournament will be held this fall in conjunction with the semi-finals of the 2015 Chang Qi Cup, which will be held in the US in September, the first time a professional go tournament semi-final will be held in North America. A major Chinese go tournament, the Chang Qi Cup semis will feature four of the world’s top go professionals, live review and commentary from the legendary Chang Hao 9P and a major American amateur tournament, all held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, September 26-28.2015.05.26_10thChangQiCup_GoGameGuru “This tournament is a great opportunity to see top pros battling it out in person,” says local organizer Cole Pruitt. “We expect to draw many of the strongest players in North America to compete” in the inaugural American Chang Qi tournament which will offer a total prize pool of at least $15,000 distributed across several divisions. “Every part of the event is free for the public and online registration is coming soon!”

Published On 6/1/2015

Youwhan Kim 7d, former Korean insei and winner of last year’s Cotsen Open (10/26 EJ), will be sipping his coffee from the 9th annual Santa 2015.06.01_Youwhan Kim2015.06_Okun-Kim-Oliver WilliamsMonica Coffee Cup. Kim (right) took top honors by going 3-0 in the one-day tournament, beating fellow Korean visitor Seunghee Ryu 7d in the final. Ryu and Kim were the strongest of a strong “Espresso” section; eight of the 48 competitors were 5d or stronger. Other 3-0 winners were Tyler Oyakawa 3d in the Java Section, Jeff McLellan 4k in the Mocha Section, Greg Kulevich 8k in the Latte Section and Jeremy Cook 17k and Ryan Kim 23k in the Decaf section. In addition to hand-painted mugs and tiles for first through fourth place, winners and placers got bags of organic Peruvian light-roast coffee ground and packed by owner Pam Stollings of the UnUrban Coffeehouse. Players with no wins received a portable go board courtesy of the Korean Baduk Association as a consolation prize.

UK Go Updates: British Youth Postponed

Published On 5/30/2015

British Youth Postponed: Originally planned for May 31, the British Youth Go Championship has been pushed to the fall of 2015. The UK Go Challenge Finals (13x13 boards) is going ahead though on Saturday 18th July in Letchworth Garden City. All young players are welcome to attend. Challengers' League: This year's Challengers' League, played between the top 8 available players coming out of the Candidates' Tournament, took place at the Goddard Arms in Swindon on May 23-26. Andrew Kay (the reigning British Champion) won all of his games to lead the field, followed by Andrew Simons who won all of his games except for his game against Andrew Kay. Charles Hibbert, playing in his first Challengers' League, finished with 4 wins in third place. Andrew Kay and Andrew Simons will now go on to play for this year's British Championship title. credit-n.ru http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html
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Published On 5/30/2015

"There's still time to take advantage of the early registration discount for this year's US Go Congress," says Congress Director Josh Larson. "Prices go up June 1st, so sign up and pay to take advantage of the discount." Click here for details on the biggest annual US go event, which runs August 1-9 in St Paul, Minnesota. "We've got a great Congress planned this year!"

Published On 5/27/2015

The three American Go Association (AGA) regional Board of Director seats are up for election and with just over two weeks to go, no candidates have been nominated. The current terms of office expire this September. Nominations, including self-nominations may be made by full members for the region in which the member resides and must be received by June 15, 2015. Nominations and questions must be emailed to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Mexico Bests Portland in School Match

Published On 5/26/2015

Mexico City triumphed over Portland, OR in a friendly children’s tourney held May 16th on KGS, reports organizer Peter Freedman. Each city fielded a team of six children, ranked from 10-21k. They participated in a three-round tournament using 19x19 boards and KGS handicaps. “Luke Helprin’s parents hosted the Portland team at their house, and his dad Ted graciously provided snacks and helped with Spanish,” said Freedman. Portland got off to a good start in round one by winning 4 out of 6 games. Round two was a tie with each team winning 3 matches, setting the stage for a decisive showdown. In the third round, Mexico City came up from behind by winning 5 out of 6 matches. -Austin Freeman with Paul Barchilon. Photo by Siddhartha Avila: Members of the Mexican team Skyping with Portland. Winners Report: Overall Wins: Mexico 10, Portland 8; 3 game winner: Luke Helprin 20k;

Published On 5/26/2015

Sweden: The Swedish Championships 2015, played from 5/15-17 in Gothenburg, Sweden, were won by Fredrik Blomback 6d (left). Second came Charlie Aakerblom 5d and third was Yang Huang 5d. Result table. France: In France several national championships took place in the commune of Cachan, in the weekend of 5/9-5/10.2015.05.25_French Under 16 final

Go Classified: Go World Mags for Sale

Published On 5/26/2015

Nearly Complete Set of Go World Magazine For Sale: All issues of Go World, except #13 and #23. #5 is missing its cover and #129 (last issue) is still in the unopened envelope as mailed from Japan. There are also some extras that could be used to trade. Conditions are generally near perfect, though some of the earlier ones show some wear. Will entertain offers (including, perhaps, donation to a non-profit of some sort). Located in western Colorado, could possibly be delivered to Denver area. Fairly heavy (roughly 45lbs) so shipping will be somewhat pricey. Contact jake@edge2.net for more information. Go classifieds are free; send yours to journal@usgo.org

Published On 5/26/2015

The 42nd annual Maryland Open, which was played last Saturday and Sunday, was entered into the ratings system the next day and ratings2015.05.25_md-open-keith updated before the players returned to work Tuesday morning, report American Go Association staff. “Our compliments to organizer Keith Arnold, TD Todd Heidenreich and the other volunteers who manage the event every year,” said AGA president Andy Okun. “We received an error-free ratings report on Sunday night and quickly confirmed that all the players had memberships. You can’t ask for better than that. We should all take inspiration from their example.” photo: Arnold (right) at the MD Open; photo by Steve Colburn

Published On 5/26/2015

Lee Hajin 3p, popularly known on YouTube as Haylee, will record one of her signature play-and-explain games at the US Go Congress, the AGA announced. Though the exact format is still to be determined, her opposition will include fellow YouTube broadcaster Nick Sibicky, possibly as part of a team, said AGA VP of Operations Andrew Jackson. “The idea is we stream Hajin in one room telling us about her game while the 2015.05.26_HajinLee-Hayleeopponents are debating their fate in another room, probably also recorded. We’ll edit the two videos together later to put on YouTube.” This year’s Congress runs August 1-9 in St Paul, MN. In her videos, Hajin records as she plays a random player on Tygem, explaining her moves and thinking as she goes along.

Eric Lui Wins Maryland Open

Published On 5/25/2015

Eric Lui topped a field of 58 players to win the Maryland Open on Memorial Day weekend in Baltimore. Keith Arnold was the event organizer and the Tournament Director was Todd Heidenreich. photos by Steve Colburn

Published On 5/25/2015

Lead changes in 40th Meijin League: A game in the 40th Meijin League was played on a Monday, May 4, instead of the usual Thursday. Cho U 9P (B) beat Murakawa Daisuke Oza by 2.5 points, thus scoring what was only his second win in five games. Murakawa dropped to 3-3 and will probably have to focus on keeping his league place rather than on becoming the challenger. An important game was played on May 7 between the two players who were close on the heels of the provisional leader of the league, Ko Iso 8P. Kono Rin 9P (B) beat Yamashita Keigo 9P by resig. Kono (right) improved his score to 4-1 and shares the lead with Ko. Yamashita dropped to 3-2. On May 21, Takao (W) beat Ko Iso by resig. This completed the sixth round. The lead is now shared by Kono and Takao, who are both on 4-1. For the first time since the league began, Ko Iso has dropped out the lead or a share of it, but on 4-2 he is well placed if the above two falter;

Published On 5/25/2015

John F. Nash Jr., a mathematician who shared a Nobel Prize in 1994 for work that greatly extended the reach and power of modern economic 2015.05.24_25NASH1-obit-master675theory and whose long descent into severe mental illness and eventual recovery were the subject of a book and a film, both titled “A Beautiful Mind,” was killed, along with his wife, in a car crash on Saturday in New Jersey. He was 86.

Women’s Go Training League Launched

Published On 5/25/2015

The Celerity Go League is a brand-new women's go training league hosted on the KGS Go Server . Founder Peggy Yang had “a light-bulb 2015.05.25_celerity-league-peggyandwhitneymoment” at the recent San Diego Go Championship when it occurred to her that female go players “should all get together to play more games, encourage each other, and spend more time together!” On the first of each month, members will be paired together, encouraged to study go and assigned a mentor teacher for that month. Members and teachers will then gather together at the end of the month to discuss their methods of study, share what they have learned, and talk about how to grow further. Membership is free and female players of all ranks are welcome. “Let's all have fun and improve together!” says Yang. Celerity, by the way, means "swiftness of movement." Find the club under Social Rooms on KGS and on Facebook. photo: Yang (left), with her friend Whitney Cotter 25k

"Divine Move" Comes to Netflix

Published On 5/24/2015

"The Divine Move," last year's Korean action movie about go (Korean Action Go Movie Opens in US & Canada 7/23/2014 EJ), is now on Netflix under its Korean name, Sin-ui Hansu, reports Matthew Hershberger. Click here.

Published On 5/24/2015

2nd Globis Cup final: Huang vs. Na
White: Huang Yunsong 3P (China)
Black: Na Hyun 6P (Korea)
Played on May 10, 2015 See: The Power Report: Huang of China Wins Globis Cup 5/10 EJ Click here for the SGF.
Venue: Graduate School of Management, Globis University
Commentary by O Meien 9P, translated by John Power, Japan E-Journal correspondent

It was no surprise that Na Hyun made the final of this tournament for players under 20, as he is one of the top young players in Korea. Among the Chinese players, one might have expected Yang Dingshin, rated 18th in the world, or Li Qincheng, who won the CCTV Cup, a TV tournament like Japan’s NHK Cup, last year, but Huang proved to be a dark horse. Actually, at 18 he is two years older than the other two Chinese representatives, so you could say he pulled rank. The following commentary is an amplified version of the report in Go Weekly of the public commentary conducted by O Meien, with Mannami Nao 3P acting as his assistant.

Published On 5/24/2015

Portable Go Board? "What kind of goban are the kids in your Chicago tournament story (Chicago Kids Compete in First Tourney 5/21 EJ) using?" writes Chris Uzal. "Who makes it? And how did they make stones for it? It looks perfect. Right size for a backpack and a place for your fingers if you have to move the board. We need more of these in the United States and Europe. The traditional board size is due for a break in tradition." Small magnetic sets like that are readily available in the US. Yellow Mountain and Yutopian both carry them.

Published On 5/23/2015

After a seven-year hiatus, the Reiyukai America/Yu Go Club’s Traffic Cup returned on Saturday, May 16, when go players representing the Yu Go Club (by Reiyukai America in Pasadena), and the Santa Monica Go Club visited the Atari Go Club in Arcadia for a team tournament. Each team played two games against other teams. Atari Go Club tied against the Yu Go Club, and defeated Santa Monica, Yu Go tied against both Atari and Santa Monica, while Santa Monica lost to Atari. As a result, the new holder of the Traffic Cup, a traveling trophy plaque, is now in the hands of Atari Go Club members. “I remember playing the first Traffic Cup against Yu Go Club and can’t believe it’s been seven years since then,” said Andy Okun, President of the American Go Association, who played on the Atari Go Club team.

Assistant Youth Editor Wanted

Published On 5/23/2015

We are looking for an assistant to help write youth related stories for the E-Journal. An interest in reporting on youth activities, and helping spread go among kids and teens, is required. Duties would include editing submissions, and reporting on youth events. Some experience writing is preferred, but not essential. We will pay $10 per published article. If interested, contact E-J Youth Editor Paul Barchilon at youth@usgo.org.

Published On 5/23/2015

Italy: The Trofeo Milano 2015 quarta tappa, played on the 9th of May in Milano, Italy, was won by Gionata Soletti 4k. Second place was for Andrea Failli 8k. Slovakia: In the village of Liptovský Ján, Slovakia, two national championships took place from 5/6-5/10. The 24th Slovak Championship was won by Maros Kral 4d, with Xaver Gubas 3d taking second place and Miroslav Poliak 1d ending third. Result table. The Slovak Female Championship was won by Zuzana Kralikova 8k, with Viera Smolarikova 17k as second and Renata Truchanova 19k on third place. Result table. Lithuania: The Vilniaus Taure 2015, played from 5/8-5/9 in Vilnius, Lithuania, was won by Andrius Petrauskas 3d. Second came Ernestas Romeika 2d and third was Vladas Zaleskas 2d. Result table. Croatia: The 500th (!) Velika Gorica weekend tournament, played on the 9th of May in Velika Gorica, Croatia, was won by Matej Zakanj 4d. Second came Lovro Furjanic 2d and third was Zoran Mutabzija 2d.Result table.

Published On 5/23/2015

The Netherlands: The 44th edition of the Amsterdam International Go Tournament took place from May 14-17 in the European Go Cultural2015.05.22_Amsterdam Tournament Director Roel van Kollem handing out the prizes to the 3 winners Centre in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. The three top winners were Csaba Mero 6d (left) from Hungary in first place, Tanguy Le Calvé 6d from France in second and Yaqi Fu 6d from China in third. The tournament drew 101 participants and featured culinary bites between rounds by tournament director – and chef -- Roel van Kollem. Evening activities included lectures by Guo Juan 5p on 'Common Mistakes' and a live Go-Quiz by Peter Brouwer 6d and Kim Ouweleen 4d of BadukMovies. Besides the 6-round main tournament, a Rapid tournament was played on Friday at Games-Centre/Cafe Ludo in IJburg, a fancy new residential area of Amsterdam, an artificial island situated in the IJ-lake.

Chicago Kids Compete in First Tourney

Published On 5/21/2015

IMG_0015Students from Andrew Jackson Language Academy(AJLA), in Chicago, just finished their first go tournament for kids in the Chinese program, reports organizer Xinming Simon Guo. "Students first played with opponents in the same grade, and then the winners in each grade competed for the school championship, which was won by Winston from, the 7th grade," said Guo. A year ago, few students at AJLA had ever heard of go (weiqi in Chinese). “We started to introduce this game to our students in March of 2014. The kids loved this game. I still remember that they were chanting ‘Weiqi Weiqi’ while waiting outside of the classroom after the first lesson”, said Christina Xu, the Chinese language teacher at the school, who also ran the tournament. The weiqi class is part of the Chinese Artists-In-Residency Program, co-sponsored by the Confucius Institute in Chicago and Guo's own GoAndMath Academy.

Published On 5/20/2015

At the 36th World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) this year, Pandanet will broadcast up to seven games live each round. The venue this year is at the Montien Riverside Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. The games will be broadcast from June 7 through 10. Click here for detailed schedule and tournament and player information. Note that the Thailand time zone is US EST +11. - Thomas Hsiang

AGF Offers Free Pro Lessons for Youth

Published On 5/18/2015

Free lessons, with Andy Liu 1P or Calvin Sun 1P, will soon be available for a few lucky young players. "Thanks to a generous donor, the AGF is making lessons available to High School and College students as a thank you for their efforts promoting go," reports AGF Board Member Keith Arnold. Candidates will be selected based on their efforts for the community at large. "We are looking for a brief statement describing your efforts running a school go club, as well as any other contributions to the go community," says Arnold, "we know this is exam time - this will not be graded - we simply want the facts, your submission should be less than a page." The winners will receive six lessons online, from one of the AGA's new pros. To apply for the lessons, fill out the form here, by June 15th. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photos: Calvin Sun 1P (l); Andy Liu 1P (r).

Published On 5/17/2015

The Evanston Go Club taught scores of enthusiastic beginners at Anime Central over the weekend. “This event is a blast!” said EGC president Mark Rubenstein. “We taught for 11 hours Friday and 11 hours Saturday. We probably taught a hundred people to play go. Some people stayed and played for hours at a time. One of the most challenging aspects of teaching beginners is trying to explain when the game ends, especially when they insist of creating quadruple kos, like the one pictured!”

Published On 5/17/2015

“I question whether it's a good sign when one of the greatest go players of all time is making commercials for Candy Crush soda,” (Go Spotting: Cho Hunhyun Crushes It 5/15 EJ) writes Terry Benson. “It's amusing and well shot. (Cho Hunhyun) may have done it as a fun ‘why not?’ or because he knows the president of the company, but think Placido Domingo for Halls lozenges or an aging football great selling Depends. I'm sure he was well compensated."

Published On 5/17/2015

Among the professionals teaching at this year's US Go Go Congress in St. Paul, MN, are long-time favorites Myungwan Kim 9P, Yang Yilun 7P 2015.05.17_Cao Youyinand Jennie Shen 2P, according to Congress organizers. Although the Japanese and Korean visitors have not been decided yet, the delegation from the China Qiyuan will be Wang Qun 8P, who came to the 2011 Congress in Santa Barbara, and Cao Youyin 3P (right), who according to GoGameWorld.com was second in the National Women Go Individual in 2003 and won the Women Xinren Wang championship in 2007. Also on the attendance list are Ryan Li 1P, the AGA's newest in-house certified pro, and Lee Hajin 3P, popular for her "Haylee" game videos on Youtube, in her role as Secretary General of the International Go Federation. - Andy Okun

AGA Go Camp a Favorite with Kids

Published On 5/16/2015

“When people ask me, ‘how was your summer,’ I tell them it was wonderful, because of the AGA Go Camp,” writes 14-year-old Elan, “I had an amazing time playing go and hanging out with other kids, learning from our teacher, and enjoying fun summer camp activities.” Go Camp strives to provide young go players a unique experience, allowing them to foster their love of the game in a traditional summer camp setting. "Camp does involve a lot of go," says Director Amanda Miller, "and campers spend both their mornings, and part of their afternoons, studying, but these lessons include a creative mix of lectures, life and death problems, games, and game reviews to kep things interesting."

Published On 5/16/2015

American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and his wife Lisa are walking 200 miles along the coast of Wales this July to celebrate 2015.05.16 Garlock Rock Creek walktheir 32nd wedding anniversary and raise funds for the American Go Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting go in the U.S. With the AGF's support, thousands of American children have learned go in hundreds of schools, libraries and community centers across the country, as well as at the annual Go Camp (AGA Go Camp a Favorite with Kids 5/16 EJ). The AGF also provide scholarships and resources for youth who play go, and supports go in institutional settings such as prisons, and senior centers. Click here to donate what you can: .25/mile = $50; .50/mi = $100; $1/mi = $200; or whatever amount you like, it'll go to help promote go across the United States. "Chris likes sitting still a long time and also walking a long way," says AGF President Terry Benson.

Fishing for Discounts at US Go Congress

Published On 5/15/2015

"Minnesota, home of the 2015 US Go Congress, celebrated its’ annual fishing opener over the weekend,” reports Congress Director Josh Larson. A guided fishing tour is among the traditional day-off options for this year's Go Congress. Discounted Go Congress registrations will expire June 1st. Click here to register and pay now to take advantage of early bird rates “and while you're there, vote for your favorite day-off activities,” Larson urges. photo courtesy Pioneer Press Archives

Jasiek Releases “Tactical Reading”

Published On 5/15/2015

“Reading is the process of imagining tactical sequences of well-chosen moves,” says Robert Jasiek. “Besides strategy, reading determines a player's skill.” “Tactical Reading,” Jasiek’s latest book – his 11th-- uses the holistic approach of general theory applicable to all tactical problems. “Powerful principles develop every essential aspect of the theory of tactical reading,” Jasiek says. “Various kinds of simplifications and techniques reduce a large and unmanageable set of choices to the smallest possible number of necessary variations.” The book explains in detail a general method which Jasiek says will lead to “correct and efficient reading.” Application of the theory to 100 problems and their exhaustive answers demonstrates “the best way to distinguish inferior from the interesting moves.” Click here to order from Jasiek or go to Goshop Keima.

Ishi Press Archives Issues 5 Reprints

Published On 5/15/2015

Ishi Press Archives is reprinting five long out-of-print Ishi Press go books. The reprints include Breakthrough to Shodan by Naoki Miyamoto 9-dan, Enclosure Josekis by Masaki Takemiya 9-dan, Kato's Attack and Kill by Masao Kato 9-dan, The Power of the Star-Point, The Sanren-Sei Opening by Shukaku Takagawa 9-dan and All About Thickness, Understanding Moyo and Influence, by Yoshio Ishida 9-dan.

Go Spotting: Cho Hunhyun Crushes It

Published On 5/15/2015

Korean 9-dan professional go player Cho Hunhyun crushes it in this amusing short video. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Cho reached professional level in Korea in 1962. Since then, Cho has amassed 150 professional titles, more than any player in the world.

Published On 5/12/2015

pandanetThe Pandanet AGA City League has come down to one more match. At the US Go Congress in St Paul, MN, Los Angeles will face off against Greater Washington. Playing for the Los Angeles team (left) will be Mark Lee, Evan Cho, and Daniel Ko. Playing for Greater Washington (right) will be Tim Song, Eric Lui, Yuan Zhou, and Jie Li. These players will face off on Saturday August 1st. Come watch live in person or on Pandanet-IGS.

New Girls Tourney at Congress

Published On 5/11/2015

A new girls tournament is planned for the 2015 Go Congress in St. Paul. Since this is the first year, the tournament will be open to the four girls who have the highest AGA ratings and wish to participate, they must still be 15 on August 1 in order to qualify. Registration will be done at the check-in for the Congress. The format will be two rounds, tentatively set for semifinals on Sunday afternoon with the winners meeting on Thursday afternoon for the finals and the losers playing for third and fourth places. Cash prizes will be awarded to the players ($100, $75, $50 and $25) as well as the title of 2015 AGA Under 16 Girls' Champion for the winner. "The intent of the tournament is to inspire younger girls to get out to tournaments and play rated games," says organizer Ted Terpstra. For more details, contact Terpstra by e-mail. Photo by Peggy Yang: Two girls trying to raise their ratings at the 2015 San Diego Go Championship.

Published On 5/10/2015

Andrew Simons wins Candidates' Tournament: Andrew Simons won all his games to win the first stage of the British Championship. The Candidates' Tournament was held this year at The Fulbourn Centre with 24 participants total. The qualifiers for the Challengers' League are Andrew Simons 4d, Charles Hibbert 3d, Desmond Cann 3d, Tim Hunt 2d, Richard Hunter 2d, James Hutchinson 1d, and Francis Roads 1d. However, Desmond Cann is this year's UK rep for the World Amateur, so his qualification for the Challengers' League is deferred for one year. His place is taken by the next placed person: Toby Manning 1d. Another German Winner for Bar-Low: The winner this year was German 3 kyu Tobias Ungerer from Cambridge University, who won 4 out of 5 games. His only loss was to Bogdan Ghica who came second on tie break.The event was held at the Junior Parlour in Whewell's Court, Trinity Street. credit-n.ru http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html

Published On 5/10/2015

The Netherlands: The 18th edition of the Apeldoorn tournament, which never sees a dull moment since the playing times are always 30 minutes absolute per player (no byo-yomi), was played on the 3rd of May in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. It was won by endgame master Rudi Verhagen 4d. Second place was conquered by young dog Ruben Cornelissen 3d and in third place trailed the ever friendly Siu Hong Chung 3d. Result table.

Published On 5/10/2015

The British Go Association (BGA) will sharing its enthusiasm for the game of go at the debut of FestivalAsia, London’s largest indoor festival about all things Asian, which incorporates everything from food, fashion and music to yoga, martial arts and language lessons. The three-day spectacular at Tobacco Dock, which starts this Friday, May 15th and runs through Sunday, May 17th, boasts over 150 exhibitors and a main performance stage along with a cultural room, a spiritual room and children’s entertainment. FestivalAsia embraces the diversity of Asian arts and cultures from many of the 29 countries making up this intriguing continent. The BGA, which represents all players in Britain, was formed in 1953 and is volunteer-led. At FestivalAsia the BGA will deliver a presentation on the place of go in Eastern culture and give a brief demonstration of the game. "The British Go Association is delighted to bring the Eastern martial art of the mind to the attent

Published On 5/9/2015

Globis Cup Update: China and Korea share semifinal places: Play in the second Globis Cup got off to a start on Friday, May 8, with the first two games of the first round being played in the four groups (click here for photos of all the players on the Nihon Kiin's japanese-language site). For four players, two games were enough, as successive wins secured them places in the quarterfinals. Two of them, Huang Yunsong and Li Qincheng, are from China, and the other two, Lee Donghun and Na Hyun, are from Korea. (Previously I called Huang Kuang, but Huang is correct.) The six Japanese players all scored 1-1, which meant that their fate would be decided by the third game in the first round, played on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, the non-Far Eastern players, Pavol Lisy of Slovakia, Lionel Zhang of the USA, and Krit Jamkachornkiat of Thailand, were eliminated on Friday. There’s another correction: the program lists Krit as amateur 7-dan, but 2015.05.09_globis-playershe is actually 4-dan.

Published On 5/8/2015

Screen Shot 2015-05-07 at 5.39.17 PMThree children from North America are being invited to Japan, for international friendship matches. The sponsors of the trip are paying all expenses, including airfare, from the west coast of the US to Osaka, Japan. Forty Two children under the age of 13, and at least single digit kyu, are being invited from nine countries: Japan, China, Korea, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Thailand, Canada, and the US. The kids will stay at the Maisima Lodge, in Osaka Bay, and will have opportunities for cultural exchanges as well as for playing go. The AGA will select three kids, two from the US and one from Canada, based on participation points earned from attending various AGA events. The matches will be held July 20th-23rd, and AGA Youth Coordinator Paul Barchilon will lead the team. All expenses are paid for the kids, but parents who wish to come will need to pay their own travel and lodging expenses.

Published On 5/8/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal2015.05.04_globis-cup-logo_img The opening party for the second Globis Cup was held at the Globis University in Kojimachi, Tokyo on Thursday, May 7. The university consists of a graduate school in business and offers an MBA, which must make it unique among sponsors of professional go tournaments. It is located just a few blocks from the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya, a seven- or eight-minute walk up the hill toward Kojimachi; very convenient for the Nihon Ki-in players and staff attending. The party started with some energetic wadaiko or Japanese drumming. The sound could have filled a stadium, so it was overwhelming in the reception hall. In his welcome speech, Hori Yoshito, the President of Globis University, welcomed the participants from around the world and reaffirmed his intention of keeping the tournament going for 30 years.

Choi Cheolhan Wins Maxim Cup

Published On 5/8/2015

Choi Cheolhan 9p won the 16th Maxim Cup on May 5, defeating Hong Seongji 9p with a 2-1 score. The Maxim Cup is a 9 dan only invitational tournament in Korea, which was established in the year 2000. Hong Seongji won game 1, but Choi 2015.05.07_Hong-Seongji-Choi-Cheolhan-16th-Maxim-CupCheolhan won the next two games to take the best of three match. This was Choi Cheolhan’s 3rd Maxim Cup title. He won the 10th Maxim Cup, defeating Park Younghun 9p, in 2009 and he defeated Kong Dongyun 9p in the following year. Choi defeated Choi Gyubyeong 9p, Lee Sedol 9p and Kim Jiseok9p en route to the final, and he defeated Hong Seongji in the final... - from a longer report on Go Game Guru, which includes more photos and game records.

AGA Tournament Listings Expanded

Published On 5/7/2015

In response to recent requests by some tournament directors and local organizers, the E-Journal is expanding its weekly go event calendar to include events two weeks ahead. The weekly listings already include a link to the online calendar of events (click here to make sure your event is listed), enabling those interested to easily see what’s coming up. The E-Journal also routinely promotes major events -- such as the May 23-24 Maryland Open or US Go Congress August 1-9 -- farther ahead of time, especially when early registration is required, and will continue to do so. Another key to effective promotion is making sure that as many local go players as possible are E-Journal subscribers, either as AGA members or non-members. Please encourage go players you know to either join here or sign up for the non-member EJ here.

Austin Hosts "'May' You Win" Tourney

Published On 5/4/2015

On May 2nd, the Austin Go Club held it's " 'May' you win " tournament. Sixteen players participated and were observed by Yi Kou, a former pro 2015.04.03_austinfrom China currently living in Austin, who provided post game discussions.
Two players shared top honors with 4-0 records. They were Banwan Lee 4k and Kelly Braun 9k). Four other players recording 3-1 records were Andy Olsen 3D, Lei Xu 3k, Nathan Hess 14k and Ray Heitmann 5k.
Awards included gift certificates from Great Hall Games, a local game store stocking a variety of go books and equipment and which hosts the Austin Go Club. Also, Clay Smith generously contributed several items including boards, stones and artwork that were awarded to the winning players.

Published On 5/4/2015

school pic 5There is still time to apply for the American Go Foundation’s Teacher of the Year award. Presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress, the award recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the US Go Congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week (during the school year) for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by May 15th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Go Cheerleaders, from Joshua Frye's middle school in Florida. Frye was Teacher of the Year in 2009.

Published On 5/4/2015

IMG_3524The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth scholarships to this year’s US Go Congress. Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty-five scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Five scholarships are available to residents of Canada or Mexico. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships awarded at random from qualifying essays. The scholarships are available for US youth who are under 18. For more information, and to apply, click here. - Story and photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Youth Adult Pair Go is one of the many activities in the Youth Room at Congress.

Published On 5/4/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Ejournal to cover Globis Cup: The Nihon Ki-in has invited the E-Journal to cover the 2nd Globis Cup, so I will be presenting detailed reports this week on this new international tournament for young players. Below is a preview. 2015.05.04_globis-cup-logo_imgThe Globis Cup was founded last year. The official name is the Globis Cup World Igo U-20. It is organized by the Nihon Ki-in and the main sponsor is the Globis Corporation, with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and Kitami Hakka Tsusho Inc. act2015.05.04_globising as supporting sponsors. Globis is a venture-capital company that also provides educational services in business and management. The venue of the tournament is a university run by the company, the Graduate School of Management, Globis University. The co-sponsor Kitami Hakka Tsusho specializes in peppermint products of various kinds (food, cosmetics, etc.). It is based in the city of Kitami in northeastern Hokkaido.

Maryland Open Registration Opens

Published On 5/3/2015

Online registration is now open for the 42nd Maryland Open, scheduled for May 23-24 in Catonsville, Maryland. One of the biggest East Coast 2015.05.02_2012-md-open-DSC_6431tournaments, it will be held at “the same great location, the Catonsville Senior Center,” reports organizer Keith Arnold. Click here to register. photo: at the 2012 Maryland Open; photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 5/3/2015

Otake awarded decoration: The go world has been honored with the award of a decoration in the spring honors list to Otake Hideo 9P. The decoration is the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. (that’s the Wikipedia translation; the Japanese name is just five characters and reads kyokujitsu-chuu-jushou.) Otake is the 23rd go player to be honored (it’s actually his second decoration). His award, which is the sixth-highest, is the same one given to Takagawa Shukaku, Go Seigen, and Fujisawa Shuko. Besides winning 48 titles, including four Meijin titles and the Fujitsu Cup, Otake served as chairman of the board of directors of the Nihon Ki-in from December 2008 to June 2012. He is now a counselor to the Nihon Ki-in.

Published On 5/3/2015

The three American Go Association (AGA) regional Board of Director seats are up for election this year. The current terms of office expire this September. Nominations, including self-nominations may be made by full members for the region in which the member resides and must be received by June 15, 2015. Nominations and questions must be emailed to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Published On 5/3/2015

Speed Ratings: "I stopped by the Hopkins Go Tournament on April 17, and I checked my rating a few days later and found that the tournament had already been rated!" writes Keith Arnold. "I am not sure who to praise on the AGA end, but good job by the first time tournament organizers in getting their data in so quickly. Makes me wish I had played." photo (left) by Ning-Yuan Ernest Wang Next Generation: "Thanks for all the work you put in to publishing the E-Journal every day," writes Steve Schmeiser. "I recently showed my son my goban and stones and he had a lot of fun placing the stones on the board and hearing them 'thunk.' He is also a great kibitzer! I thought the other members might enjoy this photo of the next generation of go players."

Euro Go Congress Registration Tops 600

Published On 5/3/2015

Registration has topped 600 for the European Go Congress, scheduled for July 25-August 8 in Liberec, Czech Republic. The Congress will be held at Babylon, a hotel and entertainment complex, consisting of 4-star hotel, large conference halls, 10 restaurants and bars, a famous aquapark and many other facilities; click here for a cool promo video and find out more about the 2-week event on Facebook.

Published On 5/3/2015

Nearly two dozen players ranging in age from single digits to the 70's attended Jennie Shen's weekend workshop in Portland, OR the weekend of April 18-19, including four children, a high schooler, three college students, and Haskell Small all the way from Washington, DC. Small, who organized the first US Go Congress, was in town for the opening performance of one of his compositions in Portland. Thanks to Bill Corry, food, Glen Peters, equipment beast of burden, Peter Drake for hosting us at Lewis and Clark College, and most of all, Jennie Shen our excellent teacher and good friend.

Published On 5/2/2015

Go Barely Mentioned in “Full” History of Board Games Post: “Go is mentioned twice in The Full History of Board Games,” writes reader Uri Feigin. “I would expect it to be detailed much more but...”

Published On 5/2/2015

Ireland: The 6th Galway tournament, played 4/25-4/26 in Galway, Ireland, was won by Philippe Renaut 2d. In second place trailed Geoffrey Crespino 3k and third was Piotr Gawron 6k. Result table. Turkey:The 2nd Cukurova University Go Tournament, played 4/25-4/26 in Adana, in booming go country Turkey, was won by Eren Kurter 2d. Second came Hakki Burak Guner 1d and third was Ilyas Tanguler 1d. In total 57 players participated. Result table. Norway: The Oslo Open, played from 4/25-4/26 in Oslo, Norway, was won by Paal Sannes 3d. In second place finished Oystein Vestgaarden 3d and third was Severin Hanevik 2d.

Published On 5/2/2015

The Hopkins Go Club resumed its annual tournament on April 19, after a several-year hiatus. Now called the Blue Jay Spring Cup, the tournament drew 16 participants for the 3-round event, which was topped by Eric Lui 8d, who was undefeated. The other three-game winner was Ning-Yuan Ernest Wang 11k. photo: Eric Lui (left), playing Saki Fujita 5d; photo by Ning-Yuan Ernest Wang

Published On 5/2/2015

The University of Maryland has won the Collegiate Go League championship, with UCLA coming in second. The University of Minnesota came in third. Click here for complete results. Gansheng Shi 1p commentated the top board from several of the matches, and the reviews are available on the ACGA blog. - Brian Lee

AGA Membership Go World Bonus

Published On 4/29/2015

Join the AGA for the first time, or renew your membership, and get free issues of Go World magazine, courtesy of the American Go Foundation (click here to take advantage of this offer). The more years you choose, the more issues you get. One year gets you two issues, two years gets five, three gets ten, four gets fifteen, and five years or more gives you twenty issues, and access to the rare issues that we have only limited supplies of. With analysis of important games by top pros, instructional material for all levels, news and other features Go World Magazine is the ultimate resource for the serious player.

Published On 4/27/2015

Ida wins Judan title: The final game of the 53rd Judan title match was held at the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya, Tokyo, on April 22. The challenger, Ida Atsushi 8P, had taken the lead in the match by winning the second and third games, but Takao Shinji 9P, the title-holder, evened the score in the fourth game. The nigiri to decide the colors was held again, and Ida drew black. The lead in the game switched back and forth, with both players having winning chances. Late in the game, a large group of Black’s came under attack, but instead of just making two eyes Ida countered by setting up a capturing race that he won. Takao resigned after 217 moves. This gave Ida the match by a 3-2 margin.This is Ida’s first title. At 21 years one month, he is the youngest player to win the Judan title and the third-youngest player to win a top-seven title. Ida became a professional in April of 2009, so it has taken him exactly six years to win his first title.

Published On 4/27/2015

Cary Chinese School won the team competition and Eric Zhang 5d (right) topped the individual competition in the 2015 Carolina Spring Go Tournament. The 12th annual tournament Carolina Spring Go Tournament, held in Raleigh on April 19th, co-organized by the Chinese American Friendship Association of North Carolina (CAFA), Confucius Institute at NC State, and the Cary Go Club, attracted 28 go players with a wide range of ages and go experience but with an equal amount of love for go.

Published On 4/26/2015

For the fourth year in a row, the San Diego Go Championship went to a UC San Diego student. This year, it was Leran Zou 7d who won the Open section with the only undefeated record of 3-0. Tying for second place were Paul Chen, Seth Cardew and Jerry Cheng, president of the UCSD Go Club. Twenty-nine players showed up on Sunday, April 19 at UCSD to compete for the 2015 San Diego Go Championship. The event was organized by the combined efforts of the UCSD Go Club, the SDSU Go Club and the San Diego Go Club. The tournament Director was Evan Cho, 9-dan who runs the go school in Arcadia and also the new Atari Go club. In the Kyu section, Paul Margetts, 3-kyu visiting from England, won with a 3-0 record. The only other undefeated player in the kyu section was Stephen Zhu, 22-kyu, at 2-0. There were four members of the Margetts family in the kyu section, all playing under a family membership in the British Go Association.

Joshua Lee Sweeps Orlando Go Tournament

Published On 4/26/2015

Joshua Lee 6d (at right, front) swept the ninth annual Orlando Go Tournament, held April 18-19 in Orlando, FL. The event was well attended, with 37 players, ranks 20k-6d, arranged into four divisions. Winner's Report: Division 1 (4d and up): 1st: Joshua Lee (6d), 2nd: Jonathan Fisher (3d), 3rd: Karsten Henckell (4d) Division 2 (4k-2d): 1st: Steve Barberi (1k), 2nd: Harold Lloyd (2d), 3rd: Raphael Schreiber (4k) Division 3 (8k-5k): 1st: Cabe Unger (7k), 2nd: Tony Yon (6k), 3rd: Jonathan Heckathorne (6k) Division 4 (9k-30k): 1st: Heather Crawford (13k), 2nd: George Lebovitz (10k), 3rd: Aaron Otero (8k) Report/photo by Paul Wiegand

Published On 4/23/2015

The San Diego Go Club was the first to redeem Chapter Rewards points, getting reimbursed $34.50 for pizza at their Winter Soiree. "The new AGA club rewards program helped pay for pizzas for the 30 plus players who came to our go party," Ted Terpstra reports from San Diego. "The San Diego Go Club earned points through club members playing rated games and signing up for or renewing AGA memberships. The pizzas provided a pleasant social hour after the games were completed." Click here to see the totals for rewards points earned through February. Click here for details on how the new program works. Address any questions to rewards@usgo.org. photo: Mr. Na, 7P, playing a simultaneous exhibition against club players at the San Diego Winter Soiree; photo courtesy Ted Terpstra

SmartGo Books Releases 3 New Titles

Published On 4/23/2015

SmartGo's Go Books for iOS and Macintosh has released three new books. The Go Books app for iPad, iPhone, and Macintosh now offers a total2015.04.19_Elephant-slices of 102 interactive books about go, including the three newest ones, two of which are available exclusively on Go Books. Iwamoto Kaoru 9 dan's “Reductions” is a companion volume to “Invasions,” teaching how to reduce many common formations. It's also available in print from Slate & Shell. “Just Enough Japanese, Vol. 1” by Richard Hunter provides the most relevant kanji for understanding Japanese go books and is exclusively available in Go Books. In Thomas Redecker's “Igo Hatsuyōron 120: An Elephant in Slices,” the most difficult go problem is split into 120 simpler problems. Only available in Go Books.

Published On 4/23/2015

Members of the Brooklyn Go Club will be teaching go from 1:00–5:00p this Saturday and Sunday in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Osborn Garden at this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, or Sakura Matsuri. They'll be joined by the Gotham Go Group and anyone interested is welcome to join; check out the event posting on Facebook. And check out the 2014 festival video here.

Published On 4/23/2015

A record 38 players, including 16 students high school age or younger, participated in this year's Salt City Tournament in Syracuse, New York held on Saturday, April 11. In the A division, Yeunggeul Lee 2d (at right in photo) and Scott Jankowski 1k both finished with 3-1 records and split the top prize money, and Jared Beck 3d (at left) took the cash prize for 3rd place

Published On 4/21/2015

Who will go on to the finals of the Pandanet City League championship at the US Go Congress? In the A League, Boston won their match in the last round making the race for the top very tight. Los Angeles, Greater Washington, and Boston each have 6 points each, but LA and Gr Washington both are outscoring with 9 board points. In this last match up none of the top teams will face each other. Which team will come out on top and travel to the Twin Cities in their last head-to-head match up? The B League will have a tough fight for second place as it stands now. NC Raleigh and Bay Area are two board points behind Princeton. In the final round Raleigh faces off against the undefeated Princeton for the B League championship. Will Princeton come out on top or will Raleigh and Bay Area kick their games into high gear and make it a tight race? The C League is also fighting for its second place winner.

Published On 4/21/2015

Players Wanted in Monterey Bay, CA: We hope to find both a North and South County venue for evenings of go play once or twice a month. 2015.04.19_demo-board-classifiedClick here for details. Full-size Demonstration boards available: Board dimension 36"x36"; professionally printed/mounted/framed; includes a full set of magnetic stones. Board and stones $500 USD (easel not included) + shipping and handling. Only 6 boards left. Email marinicj@hotmail.com for details.

Published On 4/20/2015

Alistair Wall Takes Early Lead in Grand Prix: Alistair Wall made an early start in the new season of the Stacey Grand Prix by winning the 2015 Welwyn Garden City Tournament. Coming first at this four round event, held at the Red Lion in Hatfield, Wall appears to have a good chance of retaining the trophy from the previous 2014-2015 season. British Team Wins Again in C-League: The BGA team beat Cyprus by three boards to one to stay top of the C-League. Rivals Bulgaria lost four-nil to third place South Africa, who move up to second three points behind us. With just two matches left, against Iceland and Kazakhstan, they hope that they can maintain their place at the top of the league. Game records and additional information on the Pandanet Go European Team Championship can be found on the BGA website.

Myungwan Kim 9P to Teach at Go Camp

Published On 4/20/2015

The AGA East Coast Go Camp has announced Myungwan Kim as the teacher for this year's camp. Kim is a 9-dan professional, and the only player dispatched to the United States by the Korean Baduk Association since 2008. Kim has more than 10 years of teaching experience, and his students include several US Youth representatives, such as Aaron Ye, Andrew Lu, and Brandon Zhou. He is also three-time US Go Congress Open division winner and currently holds the highest player ranking in the AGA.

Camp directors Amanda Miller and Nano Rivera welcome all campers to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. "If you're a go player between the ages of 8 and 18 and would like an opportunity to study go for a week with a professional teacher, then the AGA Go Camp is for you," says Miller.

Published On 4/20/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal2015.04.19_judan Takao evens score in Judan: The fourth game of the 53rd Judan title match was played at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo on April 15. Playing black, Takao Shinji Judan forced a resignation after 167 moves and drew level with the challenger, Ida Atsushi 8P. Ida made a dubious move in the opening (move 46), creating a weak group and letting Takao take the lead. He kept up the pressure and shut Ida out of the game. The deciding game will be played at the same venue on April 22. Meijin League: One game was played in the 40th Meijin League on April 16. Yamashita Keigo 9P (B) beat Kanazawa Makoto 7P by 10.5 points. Yamashita improved his score to 3-1, just behind Ko Iso 8P on 4-1. On 1-4, Kanazawa is in bottom place and his chances of keeping his seat don’t look good.

Published On 4/20/2015

The AGA is selecting two players to represent North America in the prestigious Mlily Meng Baihe Cup World Go Tournament in China. This is one of the biggest go tournaments, attended by top professionals from each country. Eligibility: AGA/CGA member and US/Canada citizenship, AGA 6.5 minimum rating required. Interested players will need to be able to play in Beijing, the the first session May 22-26 and the second session July 7th and 9th if they advance; travel to Beijing and accommodation must be arranged by players themselves. Depending on the number of interested players, the top eight players will compete in an online double-elimination tournament in late April/early May (exact dates TBA). Interested players should send their names, AGA number, AGA ratings, and country of citizenship to cherry.shen@usgo.org by midnight, Saturday April 25th.

Beta SmartGo for Mac Now Available

Published On 4/20/2015

An early beta of SmartGo for the Macintosh is now available. "It’s taken a while," says author Anders Kierulf, who's written up the whole history2015.04.19_smartgo-screen-mac-lib1 here. "While this is very much work in progress, I think many go players will already be able to enjoy the GoGoD game collection, joseki and fuseki matching, and SGF editing including the tree view from SmartGo Kifu." For current users of SmartGo for Windows, this is a free upgrade. For new users, there’s a 15-day free trial, and $39 to buy a license for both Macintosh and Windows version.

DC Cherry Blossom Festival

Published On 4/14/2015

One of the DC Cherry Blossom princesses checks out go at the DC Cherry Blossom Festival last Saturday in the nation's capital; check out more of Gurujeet Khalsa's great photos on his Facebook page.

Published On 4/12/2015

Pandanet will host the first internet 13x13 go world championship. Registration is free. Click here for details. Two different classes will be set up, for players above and below 2 kyu in strength respectively, each offering generous prizes. The games will be played without handicap stones, but with a komi system that compensates for the rank differences. For example, a half rank difference equals a komi of 3.5 points; 2 rank difference equals a reverse komi of –5.5 points; 4 rank difference equals a reverse komi of -17.5 points, etc. Registration ends May 16, 2015

Published On 4/11/2015

pandalogo-4885cf7392ac5bc75a68d553b7287b04The Pandanet AGA City League has been going strong for four rounds now. With a couple more games and one more round to go, at least one league is cutting the top positions close. In the A League, Greater Washington and Boston are in the lead with 6 points each. As they faced off this past round GW got the better of Boston but they're holding on from previous wins. Hot on their tails is LA and Seattle 1. LA still has one game left to play and they will most likely be in playoff contention. The B and C Leagues have pull-away leaders in Princeton and Berkeley. Both teams are new this year with strong players behind them. They lead their leagues with 8 points each. The next team is currently at 4 points each.

Published On 4/11/2015

Sakura Con 2015 overall shotThe Seattle Go Center had their own room at Sakura-Con, Seattle’s big festival of Japanese anime, manga and games, which was held last weekend, April 3-5, in the Washington State Convention Center. One volunteer, John Richards, put in 32 hours of teaching, and several volunteers provided more than 20 hours of instruction. At peak times, more than 10 volunteers were teaching at once. The students ranged from complete beginners to single digit kyu players who come by each year to get more instruction. I enjoyed the observation that Solomon Choe 6d made while playing one of the students on a 19x19: "You know, playing go is like making kimchi. That group is kind of dead. [And I don't want to add more stones to it right now.] But I want to preserve it. I want to put it in a pot underground and see if something magical happens." Report/photo by Brian Allen

Teacher of the Year Nominations Sought

Published On 4/11/2015

irv-team-vs-mexico-city-1-12-bNominations for the American Go Foundation’s Teacher of the Year award are now open. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week (during the school year) for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by May 15th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Last year’s winner Peter Freedman, working with kids in Portland.

Published On 4/11/2015

Ilia Shikshin 1p (right) of Russia is the 2015 Grand Slam Champion, after defeating Mateusz Surma 1p (left) of Poland in the Grand Slam Berlin tournament, 2015.04.11_Berlin-grand-slam-finalheld earlier this week at the Chinese Cultural Center in Berlin, Germany. Ali Jabarin was third, Cristian Pop took fourth and Pavol Lisy was fifth. More reports and photos here and click here for complete results. - EuroGoTV

Published On 4/7/2015

Iyama wins second Tournament of Champions: This is a tournament for all the title-winners of the previous year, plus one player 2015.04.06_Iyama-Yutaselected by the votes of fans. The winner is awarded the Prime Minister’s Cup and the Minister of Education’s Prize (actually a shield). The format is the same as the NHK Cup, that is, ten minutes per player plus ten minutes of thinking time to be used in one-minute units. The first two rounds are played on the Net, and the semifinals and final are played in person at the Nihon Ki-in. The final is a public game, being played on stage before an audience with a commentary being given simultaneously on stage. (In the tournament list given in Go Weekly, this is only tournament with no cash prize mentioned. Perhaps the players play just for the glory.) This year, the first two rounds were played on January 26. Listing the results will serve as a review of 2014 tournament go.

Published On 4/7/2015

44th Amsterdam International Go Tournament Coming Up in May: Preparations for this year's edition of the Amsterdam Go 2015.04.05_Roel van Kollem chefTournament – coming up May 15-17 -- are in full swing. For almost half a century this has been one of the main go tournaments in Europe, and with Roel van Kollem as the fresh and enthusiastic new chairman of the Amsterdam go club there’s promise of a new atmosphere to the tournament. A special addition to the tournament this year will be Guo Juan 5P, who has been living in Amsterdam for many years and who will be giving lessons and seminars onsite. As an extra bonus, each participant will receive one gift voucher for three lessons on Guo’s website. An added attraction for food lovers is that van Kollem, who’s also a chef (right), will be preparing some exciting food for the Rapid tournament which is held besides the main tournament on Friday.

Published On 4/6/2015

In-seong Hwang 8D’s American Yunguseng Dojang still has spaces available for students for the online go school’s next session, which starts2015.04.05_In-seong Hwang 8D April 20. Last session there were 40 participants in six leagues, ranging from 12 kyu to 4 dan. A well-known top player in Europe, In-seong Hwang 8D will teach at this year’s U.S Congress. “His enthusiasm is infectious,” says one student, “his energy and his dedication show why he is such a strong go player.” Click here for In-seong Hwang ‘s recent post in Life in 19x19.

Published On 4/6/2015

A Call for Papers has just been issued for the 3rd Hangzhou International Go Culture Conference. The conference, sponsored by the Hangzhou Branch of the China Qi-Yuan (Qi, or Go department) will be held in October 2015 in Hangzhou, China. The conference will invite famous go players, specialists in go culture, principals of go organizations “and people of insight from all walks of life” who will discuss go culture to enrich go’s cultural resources and promote the development of go culture. Click here for details on the conference topics and submission guidelines (scroll down the page for the English version). Proposals for papers must be submitted by April 30th, and the full paper must be submitted by August 1st, 2015.

Chapter News: Western MA

Published On 4/6/2015

Eric Osman sent in this snapshot from a recent meeting of the Western Massachusetts Go Club. The club meets Thursdays at 7:00 pm at Rao's 2015.04.06_Western-MA-clubCoffeehouse in Amherst, MA. "All ages are welcome!" says Osman.

Nash Shares 2015 Abel Prize

Published On 4/6/2015

The Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters has decided to award the Abel Prize for 2015 to the American mathematicians John F. Nash Jr.2015.04.05_beautiful-mind-go (left) 2015.04.05_Two_Mathematical_Giants_Share_2015_Abel_Prize_mland Louis Nirenberg “for striking and seminal contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its applications to geometric analysis.” Outside mathematics, Nash is best known for a paper he wrote about game theory, the mathematics of decision-making, which ultimately won him the 1994 Nobel Prize for economics, and which features prominently in the 2001 film about him, A Beautiful Mind. That film included a scene of Nash -- played by Russell Crowe (left, in photo at right) -- playing go at Princeton that sparked interest in the game after the film's release. - Scientific Computing

Published On 4/5/2015

Players at the March 28 Boston Spring Open were greeted by a beautiful spring day: bright sun, birds chirping, warm breezes… wait, is that 2015.04.05_Boston-game-snowsnow I see outside? So, players at the Boston Spring Open braved another harsh Boston spring to compete at the Microsoft NERD center overlooking a frozen Charles River. However, the atmosphere inside heated up quickly, as participants battled through four rounds to top their division. The Boston Open is the first in a new series of tournaments that introduces a new format: players are split into divisions about five ranks wide and play all even games, except for the 6k - 15k range who play with handicap. This led to many competitive games and a few upsets, although this time the highest ranked players won their divisions. Full results are below. Special thanks to Andrew Hall, who willed the tournament into existence, and Chun Sun, who arranged for space at the NERD center and dealt with much of the logistics.

Published On 4/5/2015

Mok Jinseok 9p (left) won the 20th Caltex Cup on April 2 in Seoul, Korea, defeating Choi Cheolhan 9p with a 3-1 score. This was Mok Jinseok’s 2015.04.05_Mok-Jinseok-20th-GS-Caltex-Cup-1-300x200second career title, and his first in 15 years: he won the KBS Cup in 2000, defeating Lee Changho 9p. Choi Cheolhan won game 1 of the Caltex, but Mok won the next three games to take the best-of-five match. Mok’s nickname is “Boy Wonder” because he defeated Nie Weiping in the 1995 China Korea Lotte Cup when he was just 15 years old, and many Korean baduk fans thought that he would take the torch from Lee Changho. But after winning the KBS Cup when he was 20, Mok never took another title, until now. When the last game was over, Mok burst into tears as his emotions got the better of him, and it took him some time to calm down and give a post-game interview.

Published On 4/5/2015

The deadline to apply for the 2015 Collegiate Go Tournament being held in Taiwan this summer has been extended to May 1st. This event is openOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAto any current, future, or recently graduated college(both undergraduate and graduate) student, who will or has attended school in the year 2015. All costs related to room, board, tours, and travel during the event will be covered by the Ing foundation. Organizer Mike Fodera says that the event is meant for students of any playing strength to participate, and will have four divisions so that everyone will be able to play someone around their rank. Find out more information about the tournament -- and the forms to register -- on the ACGA's website.

Published On 4/5/2015

Junnun Jiang Wins the British Open: The British Open was part of the British Go Congress and it was held this year in the Prince Rupert Hotel in Shrewsbury. The Open was played on Saturday and Sunday, with the BGA AGM held on the Saturday evening in between. 68 players took part. The winner was Junnan Jiang 4d with 6 wins and the runner-up was Alex Kent 3d with 5 wins.
Go to Feature at FestivalAsia in London: Go is featuring at FestivalAsia, a unique three-day spectacular at Tobacco Dock in London, from Friday 15th May to Sunday 17th May. The BGA will be demonstrating and lecturing on the game, with a number of volunteers headed by Roger Huyshe. The press release can be found here.

Alistair Wall Misses Record by Half Point: Alistair Wall 2d scored a massive 45 points to win the Stacey Grand Prix, the grand prix for most games won in the top group at a year's tournaments. The record of 45.5 points was set in 1996 by Francis Roads.

Josh Lee Tops NOVA Cherry Blossom 15

Published On 4/5/2015

Josh Lee 5D topped the March 28 NOVA Cherry Blossom 15 tournament, held at the George Mason University Law School in Arlington VA. Twenty five players participated.The winners were:
First place: Josh Lee, 5D, 4-0; Quinn Baranoski, 2K, 4-0; Neel Brown, 6K, 3-1; Tonhy Blagrove, 10K, 3-1; and Deirdre Golash, 11K, 2-2
Second place: Keith Arnold, 4D, 2-1; Frederick Bao, 1D, 3-1; Gurujeet Khalsa, 6K, 2-2; Louise Ingram, 9K, 3-0; and Sarah Crites, 13K, tied with Antonia Perez-Lopez, 21K, 2-2.

Published On 4/3/2015

With 20,000 Euros at stake, Europe’s first Grand Slam tournament launches on Friday in Berlin. Grand Slam Berlin features a dozen top players,2015.04.03_EGF_2_mono including six professionals, competing in Europe’s biggest-prize tournament. All games will be played live on EuroGoTV and KGS; look for EuroGoTV accounts 1-4. Schedule (in CET): Friday 3rd April: 10:15 Preliminary round; Saturday 4th April: 9:30 Quarter-final; Sunday 5th April: 9:30 semi finals; Monday 6th April: 9:30 Final. - EuroGoTV

Published On 3/30/2015

Su Guangyue, a fourth-year law student who had been runner-up in 2013, won the 13th World Students Go Oza Championship, held February 2015.03.29_World Students Oza winner24-25 at the Ginza Internet Forum in Tokyo. The contestants were sixteen university students: ten from the Far East, three from Europe, two from the Americas, and one from Oceania. For the eighth time, the winner was Chinese. The event was organized by the All-Japan Students Go Association, Nikkei Inc., and Pandanet, with the cooperation of the Nihon Kiin and the International Go Federation. - based on James Davies report in Ranka; photo courtesy of the Nihon-Kin

Pelrine Tops Denver Tourney

Published On 3/30/2015

05-DSC01681Kellin Pelrine 6d took top honors at the Colorado All-State Go tournament, held March 21st, in Denver. "The inaugural tournament conducted by the Littleton Go Club was a huge success," said TD Stuart Horowitz. "Thirty players participated in the event, which was sponsored by the Confucius Institute, who graciously provided a lovely venue along with a catered Chinese lunch." Winner's report: Dan Section: 1st place Kellin Pelrine (4-0); 2nd place Eric Wainwright (3-1); Upper Kyu Section: 1st place Stanisslav Irisov (4-0); 2nd place tie Kent Evenson (3-1), Christopher Annanie (3-1); Mid/Lower Kyu Section: 1st place Tae Kim (3-0); 2nd place tie Rich Newman (3-1), Akron Amanov (3-1). All winners received go books. -Paul Barchilon. Photo by Laurie Linz.

Published On 3/29/2015

Chess Grandmaster Tiger Hillarp has become a dan go player on KGS, according to a recent post on Hillarp’s blog, Chess at the Bag of Cats. "It 2015.03.28_Hillarp_Perssonmight seem like a rather small step for mankind, but it felt quite big to me and merited a rather bouncy and ungraceful dance around the livingroom," wrote Hillarp, who also includes two game commentaries. We were alerted to this news by a post by Michael Bacon on his Armchair Warrior blog, which includes GM Peter Heine Nielsen’s comment about “The tradition of the best Japanese board game players to be interested in a game other than their 'main' one." Bacon has been learning go and writes that "Having playing chess most of my adult life, Go is like entering a portal into a completely new and different universe."

Published On 3/29/2015

EYGC: The UK had six players representing it at the European Youth Go Championships held on March 12-15 in Zandvoort am Zee in the Netherlands. The team ended with a score of 14 points out of 36. 5 members played in the Under 16 section, and 1 in the Under 12 section. Photos and results can be found at the official 2015 European Youth Go Championship website. Pandanet Go European Team Championship: On March 17, Britain dropped their first point of the season with a draw against Portugal. Bulgaria drew with Croatia and South Africa beat Greece to claim third place. The British team remains at the top of the C League. credit-n.ru http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html
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Published On 3/29/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent Ida fights back in Judan: Ida Atsushi 8P suffered some setbacks recently but he also won his first open title, as detailed in our last report, 2015.03.29_Takao-Shinji-9pand he seems to be taking his cue from the latter. In the second game of the 53rd Judan title, Ida (W) defeated Takao Shinji Judan (left) by resignation after 220 moves, so he has evened the score in the match at 1-1. Takao fell behind when he missed the best move in a fight: he read a variation out correctly for 17 moves but hallucinated about the result. The game was played on March 26 at the Old Tanaka Family Residence in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. This is a three-story Western-style brick house built during the Taisho period (1912-26), with a Japanese-style building, tea house and garden being added later. The whole complex was designated a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Asset in 2006. The game was played in the teahouse. The third game will be played on April 9.

Published On 3/28/2015

Students under the age of 25 who register for the Nihon Ki-in Summer Go Camp before May 31 will get 10% off the program fee. The intensive2015.03.28_NHK-camp-group training program for non-Japanese go players who want to raise their level and improve their go skills will receive “excellent lectures and workshops every day by highly-selected and richly-experienced professionals of the Nihon Ki-in.” The camp runs August 21 through September 3 at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo. In includes a special training program on August 27 at 'Sugi no yado' where the legendary Fujisawa Shuko hosted his famous 'Shuko training camp' each year with promising young professionals.

Spring Sale at Kiseido

Published On 3/28/2015

Through May 31, Kiseido is having a sale of all English-language go books; order 3 or 4 books and get free shipping; order 5 books or more and2015.03.28_kiseido-goban get 10% off the listed price with free shipping. Kiseido has also obtained two kaya go boards with legs, one with tenchimasa grain and the other with tenmasa grain. Also, Chess and Go: A Comparison, the second in a series of essays by Richard Bozulich, is now available.

Published On 3/28/2015

Trigantius Tournament: On March 7, the Trigantius Tournament was held in the Cambridge University Social Club. Taking the Trigantius Trophy, and his second title since taking up tournament Go at the start of 2015, was London's Charles Hibbert (3d) with three straight wins. Other three game winners include Alison Bexfield, Yuji Tanaka, Martin Harvey , Philip Smith, Richard Mullens, Fred Zhu, and Ben Murphy. 52 players participated in all.

Kids Win Big in Portland

Published On 3/27/2015

Twenty-seven children, ranging from preschool to 4th grade, played in a chess and go tournament at Taborspace in Portland, OR, on Sunday, March 15th, reports Peter Freedman. "This winds up the tournament season for players from the three schools where Fritz Balwit and I teach afterschool chess and go clubs. Kahlial Lofquist is pictured holding the school Mind Sports Championship trophy, awarded to the school with the highest win/loss percentage for chess and go combined, which went to Irvington Elementary." Go winners: 1st: Tommy Boyd, 4-0, Beverly Cleary; 2nd: Kahlial Lofquist 3 1/2 -0 (one bye), Irvington; 3rd: Olin Waxler, 3-1, Beverly Cleary. Also finishing at 3-1, but playing weaker opponents: Emmet Mayer and Mason Bonner. Chess winners: 1st: Leo Frankunas, Irvington; 2nd: Dylan Nakaji, Richmond; 3rd: Edwin Chen, Ainsworth . Mind Sports records: First: Irvington, 24-20; 2nd: Beverly Cleary, 13-12; 3rd: Richmond, 9-9. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 3/26/2015

Karoline Burrall (right) has exchanged her role as AGA Tournament Coordinator for work as a Congress correspondent for the AGA E-Journal. "We 2015.03.23_Karoline-Burrall-Liowe Karoline a huge debt for the tireless work she put in and the extremely professional and skilled job she did in the tournament coordinator position," said AGA President Andy Okun.

Published On 3/26/2015

Ida surrenders lead in Honinbo league to Yamashita: Ida Atsushi 8P (right) held the sole lead after the first four rounds in the 70th Honinbo League and seemed to be headed for a rematch with Iyama Yuta Honinbo. However, he has stumbled badly in the latter part of the league, with successive losses. As reported previously, he lost his fifth-round game with Kono Rin 9P in February. In his sixth-round game with Takao Shinji Tengen, played on March 12, Ida (W) lost by resignation. This follows on his loss to Takao in the first game of the Judan title match. Takao already had no chance of retaining his league place, so, as the Japanese idiom has it, Ida was “kicked by a dead horse.” Go Weekly conjectured that Takao perhaps wanted to make sure Ida didn’t get into the habit of winning against him. On 4-1, Yamashita Keigo finds himself in similar position to last year, that is, in the sole lead after five rounds, with the difference that he has already got his game with Ida out of the way.

Published On 3/25/2015

WorkbooksAfter-school go club teachers in Seattle have often used handouts with go problems, but this year they have started giving each student their own workbook with their name on it. The results were surprising: the beginners really liked the books, sometimes more than playing. One student told me he was going to sign up for the spring session just so that he could finish his workbook! The go clubs are in local elementary schools, and most of the students are in grades 1-3. The Center is mostly using English translations of the "Level Up" books by Lee Jae-Hwan, with some of the "Speed Baduk" workbooks by Kim Sung-Rae as well. The workbooks have been an education for the teachers as well. The books use a lot of repetition, and progress much more slowly than the typical introductory class at the Seattle Go Center. "Level Up" doesn't introduce the concept of "two eyes" until the end of the 2nd volume.

Published On 3/25/2015

Li Keqiang’s Go Metaphor: In a departure from previous years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang did not cite any traditional Chinese sayings or 2015.03.23_Li Keqiangpoems at a recent news conference after the annual National People's Congress. Instead, he used a go metaphor to convey his message. "In weiqi - a chessboard game invented by the Chinese - one has to both plan the big picture and also get the key moves right," he said, explaining his strategy in managing China's economy. - Based on a report in the South China Morning Post; thanks to Melanie Manion and Dave Weimer for passing it along. More on Legal Go Positions: “A colleague of mine 30 years ago offered a very clever way of accurately estimating the number of legal go positions, (Number of Legal 18×18 Go Positions Computed 3/17)” writes Eric Osman. “His name is Peter Sichel and his clever way was this: generate random board arrangements, and see what percentage of those are legal. If you want more accuracy, generate some more!

Published On 3/23/2015

Players from the University of Tokyo edged out players from UCLA in an online friendship match on Saturday, February 14. The University of Tokyo team defeated the UCLA team with a 3-2 record. Players from both teams are active members of their university go clubs. On the top board, Chaohao Pan, the UCLA team captain, yielded to Kentaro Tsutsumi after he lost a 2015.03.23_univ-tokyo-logostring of key stones when trying to capture Tsutsumi’s invading white dragon. On the second board,2015.03.23_ucla-logo Norman Tsai from UCLA lost to Hikaru Ishikawa in a game that was peaceful and balanced until the eightieth move, when Ishikawa fatally punished an overplay by Tsai. Leo Zhang scored UCLA’s first victory with a win on the fifth board against Takaya Matsuura, whose mistake in the early endgame cost him the life of a huge group.

Published On 3/23/2015

Julie Burrall 1d topped the Davis/Sacramento Go Club’s Spring Tournament at the Rancho Cordova library on March 14. There were 10 players. 2015.03.23_Davis-Sac-teachingBurrall won the upper division, and Tai-An Cha, 5k, won the lower division. The library co-sponsored the event and advertised it at the library. “In addition to the tournament, we set up an area to teach beginners about go,” reports Willard Haynes. “We introduced the game to five people. We also celebrated Pi Day with a chocolate cream pie.” photo: John Patterson teaching.

School Teams Deadline Extended to 3-25

Published On 3/23/2015

The School Teams Tournament has extended their registration deadline to this Wednesday, to catch any last minute teams that didn't have time to sign up. The tourney starts this Saturday. All matches will be played online, and schools from Canada, the US, and Mexico are all invited. Scholarship and cash prizes will both be distributed. To register, fill out the form here, by March 25. More information may be found on the AGHS website.

AGA Go Camp Set for July

Published On 3/23/2015

Go Camp 2014 (150) copyThe AGA Go Camp will take place from July 18th through July 25th at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio (just 40 minutes from Cincinatti). Directors Amanda Miller and Nano Rivera return to organize the event, and they invite campers of all skill levels, between the ages of 8 and 18, to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. More information regarding the camp will be available soon, and registration should open within the next two weeks, keep your eyes out for future announcements in the E-J. Potential campers who participated in the NAKC or Redmond Cup are eligible for a $400 scholarship, and need-based scholarships will also be available. Any questions can be e-mailed to Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. -Story and Photo by Amanda Miller.

Published On 3/17/2015

Number of Legal 18x18 Go Positions Computed; 19x19 On The Horizon: “It took about 50,000 CPU hours and 4PB of disk IO, but now we know the exact number of legal 18x18 Go positions,” johntromp wrote in a recent post on slashdot. “Seeking computing power for the ultimate 19x19 count,” the post continues. "Thanks to the Chinese Remainder Theorem, the work of computing L(19,19) can be split up into 9 jobs that each compute 64 bits of the 566-bit result. Allowing for some redundancy, we need from 10 to 13 servers, each with at least 8 cores, 512GB RAM, and ample disk space (10-15TB), running for about 5-9 months." Thanks to Steve Colburn for passing this along. Latest XKCD Go Comic: In a possibly related development, here's the latest go comic from xkcd, "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language."

Published On 3/16/2015

Hungarian Schoolkids Championship: The Hungarian Schoolkids Championship, a class C tournament, played on 3/7/2015 in Budapest, Hungary, was won by Dominik Boviz 4d (photo), second came Viktor Toth 13k and third was Barnabas Kollner 8k. Result table. Trigantius: The Trigantius, a class A tournament, played on 3/7/2015 in Cambridge, United Kingdom, was won by Charles Hibbert 3d, second came Andrew Simons 4d ( photo ) and third was Alex Rix 3d. Result table. In-seong's Spring Go Camp: Set for April 16-19 near Freiburg, Germany. Info/registration here.

Published On 3/16/2015

China Beats Japan in Agon-Kiriyama Play-off: The 16th Agon Kiriyama Cup Japan-China Play-off was held at the Kyoto headquarters of the Agon sect of Buddhism on March 14. Representing China, the 17-year old Ke Jie (right), winner of the Chinese version of this title, beat Iyama Yuta of Japan, so China won this title for the 12th time in a row. Holding white, Ke secured a resignation after 146 moves. Iyama seems to be in the worst slump of his career. Besides this defeat, he lost the two title matches he played at the end of last year and he has just lost three games in a row in the Kisei title match. The seventh Kisei game is going to be extremely important for him.

Published On 3/15/2015

The Manhattan Go Club and Seattle Go Center top the first month of the new AGA Chapter Rewards program, earning 150,000 and 125,000 points, respectively. AGA chapters earn points when they get new or renewing members or when their members play rated games. Small and medium clubs get an extra multiplier to earn points faster. “We got off to a great start in January with new and renewing memberships” says Rewards Coordinator Gurujeet Khalsa. Seventy one chapters earned a total of 2,412,500 points, “almost $2,500 that chapters can get reimbursement for expenses related to go promotion.” Click here to see chapter-by-chapter results for January, and details on how points are calculated. Activity by members unaffiliated with a chapter still earn points in an AGA pool (see instructions here on how to affiliate with a chapter). To redeem points, take a picture of a receipt with a smartphone and email it to rewards@usgo.org.

Published On 3/14/2015

Yamashita Draws Level in Kisei, Forcing Decisive Game 7: The sixth game of the 39th Kisei title match was held at the Gyokushoen Arai inn in Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on March 11 and 12. Taking black, Yamashita Keigo 9P (right) defeated Iyama Yuta 9P by resignation after 189 moves. Yamashita has now won three games in a row, so the title match goes down to the wire. The final game will be played on March 19 and 20.

Published On 3/14/2015

Former Korean insei Mark Lee took home the $700 first-place prize at the 2015 Southern California Go Championship, held the weekend of February 28-March 1 in Monterey Park, California. Seventy two players from Southern California and as far away as the San Francisco Bay area, Arizona, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia participated in the tournament, which featured a total prize purse of $3,000 and was organized and directed by Kevin Chao. Thanks to sponsorship by the World Journal and American Asia Culture Exchange Association, the event took place at the spacious headquarters of the Los Angeles division of the World Journal (http://www.worldjournal.com/page-about_us-e/).

Published On 3/14/2015

San Diego Go Club members taught go to all interested and played exhibition games at the Tenth Annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park in San Diego on March 7 & 8. Thousands came out to the garden in 70 degree weather to see the bursting cherry blossoms on over 150 trees. A new $3,000,000 expansion of the garden, including a tea house next to a water fall and koi pond, is almost compete. Club volunteers were kept busy both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., teaching go to eager parties ranging in age from 5 to 85. So many people were eager to learn go that they had to queue up for lessons. Many copies of "The Way to Go," donated by the American Go Foundation, were given to those who showed interest in learning the game.

Published On 3/14/2015

Europe’s newest professional go players are Mateusz Surma (left) from Poland and Ilya Shikshin from Russia. Surma took first place in the European Pro Qualification tournament, held March 6-8 in Pisa; Shiksin was second. They join Pavol Lisy and Ali Jabarin, who were the EGF’s first pros last year. Click here for details on the 2015 tournament, including links to some of the tournament games. The four EGF professionals are now qualified for the Grand Slam Tournament in Berlin coming up April 3-6. - Martin Stiassny, EGF President

Published On 3/14/2015

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal2015.04.13_Judan-Shinji Takao Ida takes lead in Judan: The second game of the 53rd Judan title match was held at the Kuroyon Royal Hotel in the city of Omachi in Nagano Prefecture on April 9. Omachi has become closely linked with the Judan tournament: this is the 22nd year in a row that a game from the title match game has been staged here. Omachi is a gateway to the Northern Alps and it has sought to establish itself as “the Alps go village.” Four years ago, Ida Atsushi was the game recorder for the Judan game held here and now he was playing in the title match, challenging Takao Shinji (right).
The game started with fierce fighting, and the first notable move was a move by Ida, playing black, that defied a go proverb by letting the opponent drive a wedge through some neighbouring stones (the proverb is, “don’t let yourself be split into two”).

Published On 3/9/2015

Tuo Wins New Year’s Cup: The CCTV New Year’s Cup is a TV tournament held to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Last year it was upgraded to an international tournament, with a player each being invited from Japan and Korea. Last year it was won by Shi Yue 9P of China. Murakawa Daisuke 7P, who participated because the original invitee from Japan, Iyama Yuta, was too busy with the Kisei title match, took second place after scoring a win over Yi Sedol. Murakawa took part again this year. In the first round, he lost to Tuo Jiaxi 9P (right) of China by half a point. In this irregular knock-out tournament, Tuo advanced to the final, and Murakawa played Kim Jiseok 9P of Korea, who drew a bye in the first round.

Published On 3/9/2015

Korea Makes Good Start In Women’s Tournament: The first round of the 5th Huanglong Shuangdeng Cup World Women’s Team Championship was held in the city of Meiyan in Jiangsu Province. It is run along similar lines to the Nong Shim Cup, but is split up into just two stages. Korea made a great start when O Jonga 2P won the first five games, but China won the final two games. The second round starts on April 5. Results are: Game 1 (March 1). O Jonga (Korea) (W) beat Okuda Aya 3P (Japan) by resig. Game 2 (March 2). O (B) beat Li He 5P (China) by resig. Game 3 (March 3). O (W) beat Kibe Natsuki 1P (Japan) by resig. Game 4 (March 4). O (W) beat Wang Chenxing 5P (China) by resig. Game 5 (March 5). O (W) beat Fujisawa Rina 2P (Japan) by resig. (photo) Game 6 (March 6). Song Ronghui 5P (China) beat O by 2.5 points. Game 7 (March 7). Song (B) beat Hoshiai Shiho 1P (Japan) by resig.

Published On 3/7/2015

China Wins Nongshim Cup: Lian Xiao (left) defeated Kim Jiseok in the final round of the 16th Nongshim Cup on March 5. With this victory, Team China takes the Cup back home for another year. Captain Iyama Yuta, who was the last man standing for Team Japan, played against Mi Yuting in the first game of the final round... - Go Game Guru New Osaka Camp Website: Maeda Ryo 6P’s 3-week intensive go camp in Osaka, Japan has a new website http://www.osakago.com/; the camp runs June through July 18. CGA League Registration Deadline Tuesday: Registration for the second session of the Canadian Go Association’s online league play is now open, and will close Tuesday, March 10. Click here for more details and click the "league" tab.

Redmond Cup and School Teams Deadlines

Published On 3/6/2015

There is still time to sign up for two of the major youth events of the year: the Redmond Cup and the School Teams Tournament. Registration for the Redmond is due by March 15th, School Teams by March 20th.In the Redmond, preliminary games will be played online and the four finalists will be invited to the 2015 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids 12 and under, and the Senior league for 17 and under. Competitors in both leagues must have an AGA or CGA rank of 1 dan or higher. Players who complete the tournament will be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, on a first come first served basis, courtesy of the AGF. For more information on the event, read the rules document here. To register click here. The 2015 School Team Tournament (STT) will be held March 28 and April 4.

Published On 3/5/2015

Britain Go Clear Top of European C League: On February 24th, the UK team won against the Hungarian team, the only other team in the Pandanet Go European Team Championship with six wins. Congratulations to the team for winning all four games to take the top place in the league. - compiled/edited by Amy Su, based on reports on the BGA website

Published On 3/5/2015

The second European Pro Qualification tournament will be held this weekend in Pisa, Italy. Two games each round will be broadcast on KGS starting March 6 and running through March 8; look for EGFPro1 and EGFPro2. Top European players will compete; click here for the player field and bios. Last year’s first tournament resulted in the EGF’s two first home grown pros, Ali Jabarin and Pavol Lisy. The tournament is organized by the European Go Federation and supported by CEGO and the Ge Yuhong Go Academy in Beijing. Simultaneously, an open tournament will be held in Pisa; click here for details.

Sharon Go Club Blitzes Panda Express

Published On 3/5/2015

The Sharon Go Club, which usually meets Monday nights at the Barnes and Noble in Walpole, Massachusetts, met this week at the Panda Express, where local organizer William Luff 4D works. “We had a nice small gathering,” says Luff. Shai Simonson 3D, Julian Sirkin 6K and Joe Chaves 6K joined Luff, and Chun Sun 5D made a surprise appearance as well. “A few games were played and good conversations were shared,” says Luff. “I was working so I could only play a quick blitz game during my 30 minute break. But I was happy to host the club. Everyone enjoyed the food.”

Published On 3/5/2015

Germany: The Harburger Mausefalle, played 2/28-3/1 in Hamburg, Germany, was won by Marlon Welter 4d, in second was Malte Gerhold 3d (left) and third was Jonas Welticke 4d. Result table Turkey: The Istanbul City Tournament, played on 2/28 in Istanbul, Turkey, was won by Ertug Akkol 1d, in second was Gozde Taskin 5k and third was Ozgur Degirmenci 3d. Result table . - edited from reports on EuroGoTV. The EJ is seeking a volunteer EuroGo news editor; if interested email journal@usgo.org.

Andy Liu Wins New Jersey Open

Published On 3/3/2015

Andy Liu 1P won the 2015 New Jersey Open last weekend, with Mengchen Zhang 7d taking 2nd place, Michael Zhaonian Chen 7d in 3rd and 2015.03.02_NJO-Bd1-Rd5Eric Lui 7d in 4th. First place prize was $700, second $500, and third and fourth $200 each. Click here for complete results and rating and pairing details. Although some of the players pre-registered for Sunday didn't show up, “probably due to weather concerns,” tournament organizer Rick Mott reports that the final turnout for the 2-day tournament was 170, “still about 40 players above our previous record.” Five game winners ($90 prize) are Meng Zhiyong (5d), Adam Connell (2k), Kasidet Hiranniramol (3k), Monsoon Shrestha (4k), Wan Shen (5k), Richard Cronin (8k) and Eric Swain (16k). photo: Liu (r) and Zhang review their Round 5 game; photo by Rick Mott. For more photos check out Yingzhi Qian's album on Facebook.

Published On 3/3/2015

Daniel Chou 6D took top honors at the NOVA Chinese Lunar New Year tournament held on Saturday, February 28, at George Mason Law School in Arlington VA. Twenty-nine players participated in the eighth edition of this annual event. “As usual, the Chinese community provided trophies and prizes for all winners,” reports organizer Allan Abramson. “Ching-Sung Chin, Yeena Liu, and Hank Chau were thanked for their outstanding support of this event.” The winners were: First place: Daniel Chou, 6D, 3-1; Yunlong Zhang, 1D, 4-0; Zhao Zhao, 5K, 3-1; Gary Smith, 9K, 3-1; Marion Edey, 10K, 3-0; Sean Lin, 23K, 4-0. Second place: Yuan Wang, 3D, 2-2; Mohan Sud, 1D, 2-2; Zongying Qiu, 3K, 3-1; Mike Lash, 6K, 3-1; Steven Manning, 10K, 2-2; Ethan Tung, 30K, 2-2.

Published On 3/2/2015

The Ing Foundation will be hosting the second annual International Collegiate Go Tournament this summer in Taiwan, according to the 2015.02.28_ACGA-tourney2015.02.28_ACGA-2013intl_tourneyAmerican Collegiate Go Association. The event will begin on July 7th and will conclude on the 13th. “I was lucky enough to attend last year’s event in Hong Kong as a guest and saw that the kids who were there playing had an amazing time,” said AGA president Andy Okun. The event is open to any current, future, or recently graduated college student, either undergraduate or graduate, who will attend or has attended school in the year 2015. All costs related to room, board, tours, and travel during the event will be covered by the Ing Foundation. “Players of all skills levels are welcome to participate and there will be separate divisions this year for high dan, low dan, single digit kyu and double digit kyu,” said ACGA’s Mike Fodera.

Published On 3/2/2015

The Nihon Ki-in Summer Go Camp will run August 21 through September 3 at the The Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo. The camp features pro lectures and 2015.02.28_nihon-kiin-camp2015.02.28_Sugino Yadoworkshops, pro teaching games and reviews, and, this year, a special 2-day training program. “You will stay overnight at a Ryokan, ‘Sugino Yado’ (left) on August 27-28 and will be trained for a full day from morning to night: pro teaching games, lectures, in-depth commentaries, quiz and problems” says the Nihon Ki-in’s Tom Urasoe. The legendary Fujisawa hosted a go camp at Sugino Yado every year attended by promising young pros.“We want many American players to participate in our go camp this year!” Urasoe adds. Participants can choose a full term camp, semi-full or a one week course. Register before April 1 and get a 10% discount.

Go Spotting: Popular Science

Published On 3/2/2015

A photo of the robot dog Aibo playing go illustrates In Japan, A Funeral For Robot Dogs, a February 28 Popular Science report. "Robot 2015.03.01_aibo-gocompanions are big in Japan, where they can return hugs, gently smack snorers in the face, perform in plays, and greet Presidents." And, apparently, play go as well. - thanks to Jon Stewart-Taylor for passing this along. The EJ has several volunteer editor positions open for go players who want to be part of the team producing the largest English-language publication in the world; email journal@usgo.org if interested.

Tigersmouth Tourneys for Youth

Published On 3/1/2015

Screen Shot 2015-02-28 at 5.07.43 PMMonthly tournaments are being held in the Tiger's Mouth room on KGS, with prizes awarded in three categories. The next tourney will be Saturday, March 14th, at 10 am Pacific (1pm East Coast). Sections will vary depending on registration, but they are roughly 9 kyu + (SDK+Dan), 10-19 kyu (DDK), 20-30k (beginner). The latest tournament thread is here You must be a registered Tiger's Mouth member to play. Post in the current thread to register. All ages may play, but prizes will only be awarded to those who are under 18 (or 18, but still in high school). Prizes include a complete 23 volume set of the Hikaru no Go manga, Your choice of any book in the Heart of Go series, or the Anime Prize pack. Players must complete all rounds to be eligible for prizes. - Paul Barchilon E-J Youth Editor

Published On 3/1/2015

With a registered total of 177 players, turnout at this year’s New Jersey Open “exceeded the previous record by 50!” reports Rick Mott. Here are 2015.02.28_NJO1a 2015.02.28_NJO2couple photos from the first day of the event, held this weekend at Princeton University in Princeton, NJ. photos

Published On 3/1/2015

Where to Watch Go? “I have been playing go since ~2003, when I started playing in college for fun,” writes Ben Scheyer. “As I've gotten older, I have less time to play on places like KGS, but I would still like to do things like watch games while eating or on my phone. Unfortunately, I can't find anywhere with a collection of games to watch online! Your YouTube channel has only a few computer games from a year ago, and it's very difficult to search for. There must be dozens of go games going on in the world, and I can find hundreds of hours of games like Starcraft II and League of Legends online. If you have any advice for where I can find games that would allow me to watch online on a consistent basis, I would appreciate it.”2015.03.01_US-Westerns Email your suggestions to us at journal@usgo.org More on That Old Go Photo

Published On 3/1/2015

Kiseido has just released two new books and launched an online series of essays by Richard Bozulich. In The 2014 Ten-Game Match between Gu2015.03.01_Kiseido-Ten-Game Match Li and Lee Sedol Part Two, Michael Redmond 9P and Rob van Zeijst is the second volume of the historic match between two rivals who have dominated go in the first decade of the 21st century.

Published On 3/1/2015

Smyrna Go Tournament: Hataycan Ozgur 1d won the 3rd Smyrna Go Tournament, held Feb 21-22 in Izmir, Turkey. In second was Tugkan2015.03.01_smyrna-ozgur 2015.03.01_dutch-championEren 2d and third was Deniz Ekim Aydin 1d. (photo at right: Gozde Taskin 5k, 17th place) Kido Cup: The Kido Cup, held 2/21-22 in Moscow, Russia, was won by Andrej Cheburakhov 5d, second was Andrej Kashaev 5d and third was Yoshiteru Matsumura 5d. Kuin Defends Dutch Championship: Merlijn Kuin 6d won the decisive third game in the playoffs of the Dutch Championship, a best of 3 match was held between defending champion Kuin (at right in photo at left) and Peter Brouwer 6d. The first two rounds were held on Feb 21. Kuin won the first and Brouwer won the second; the deciding game was played Saturday, February 28. - edited from reports on EuroGoTV. The EJ is seeking a volunteer EuroGo news editor; if interested email journal@usgo.org.

Pandanet City League Round 3 Results

Published On 3/1/2015

A League: Boston def San Francisco (2-1), Seattle 1 def Canwa Vancouver (2-1), Los Angeles def Greater Washington (2-1). LA currently leading with 6 points. Greater Washington and Boston just behind them with 4 points each.

B League: Princeton def Bay Area (2-1). Still ongoing: NC Raleigh vs Canwa Vancouver 2, Katy TX 1 vs Washington DC 2

Princeton leading with 6 points, Bay Area trailing with 4 points. Games still ongoing.

C League: Boston 2 def Atlanta (2-1), DC Team 3 def New Orleans (2-1), SF Bay Area/Berkeley def Atlanta 1 (2-1). Berkeley leads with 6 points. DC Team 3 in second place with 4 points. - Steve Colburn

Yilun Yang Visits Sunny Seattle

Published On 2/27/2015

Yang Workshop with StevenYilun Yang came to the Seattle Go Center for his yearly workshop last weekend, Feb. 21 and 22. There were 13 participants, ranging from 12 kyu to 2 dan; a mixture of new students and old friends. Mr. Yang has been teaching these workshops in Seattle since 2001, and he has fine-tuned his mixture of lectures on theory, reviews of games played by students, and go problems. He recommends that kyu players do go problems to improve, rather than studying professional games. This year, students worked on his go problems throughout the workshop, but still there were very few perfect scores at the end of Sunday. We had beautiful sunny spring weather during the workshop, with early flowers in full bloom, and we were glad to show Mr. Yang that Seattle is not always cloudy in February. Photo caption: Now that the young man is playing white, it is harder to make territory. - - photo/report by Brian Allen

Published On 2/27/2015

One of the biggest go tournaments on the East Coast is taking place this weekend. The New Jersey Open will be held in Princeton, NJ Saturday 2015.02.26_NJO-2014-DSC_0360February 28 and Sunday March 1st. Registration run from 9-10a at the Frist Campus Center, Princeton University, located at the corner of Washington Road and Ivy Lane. You must be there by 10a to be paired in the first round. $38 for full tournament; $28 youth rate under age 23; $25 Sat. only / $20 Sun. only ($20/$15 under-23). Free to Princeton University students with ID. Cell phones don't work at the site, but if you're lost or late, call 609-851-6351 during the last half hour of registration. Info: rickmott@princetongoclub.org. photo: TD Paul Matthews at the 2014 NJO; photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 2/27/2015

This weekend’s 2015 Southern California Go Championship will boast support from the largest Chinese language newspaper in the US as 2015.02.27_SoCal-Tourneywell as a cultural non-profit, it was announced at a press conference Tuesday. “The promotion of go is in line with goals of the World Journal,” said World Journal President James J. L. Guo. “We want to support Chinese culture, and also promote a game that stimulates the potential of children and sustains the character of adults. As Chinese media in North America, we are happy to see the growth of the go community here.” The 2015.02.27_SoCal-Tourney-Okun-Lintournament is being held in a spacious room in the World Journal’s Monterey Park offices, according to tournament organizer Kevin Chao of the host chapter, Orange County Go Club.

Published On 2/25/2015

Ida loses sole lead in Honinbo League: Ida Atsushi 8P (right) seemed to be heading inexorably for a rematch with Iyama Yuta Honinbo, but he finally stumbled in the fifth round of the 70th Honinbo League. In a game played on February 19, Kono Rin 9P (W) beat him by resignation. Ida’s loss means that Yamashita Keigo 9P pulls even with him on 4-1; we might see another play-off between these two. Cho U 9P and Kono, both on 3-2, are also in contention. In another game played on the same day, Yo Seiki 7P picked up his second win when he beat Ryu Shikun 9P; playing white, he forced a resignation. Yo improves to 2-3 and has an outside chance of keeping his league place. Ryu and Takao Shinji 9P, both on 1-4, have lost their places.

Published On 2/25/2015

“Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab are trying to turn chess into a spectator sport like American football or poker,” reports the BBC. “The group wants to make the game more accessible to the uninitiated, by presenting complex information on matches in a simple, visually appealing way and give an expert insight into the state of a game.” “Can't we do this as well?” wonders EJ reader David Matson, who sent this along.

Published On 2/25/2015

Life-Lessons of Go: "If life is a game of go. I wish I (could) place my first move again." (Go Spotting: “Go Stone” Tweet 2/22 EJ) “And that is the life-lesson of go,” writes Terry Benson. “We don't get to play our first stone again. As in sports, we have to ‘suck it up’ and look for the next best move with our mistakes glaringly in full view. Go ‘is’ life.”

Go Spotting: Dynasty Warriors 8

Published On 2/25/2015

Go is mentioned while developing a friendship with the character named Yu Jin in the game "Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends, Complete 8Edition," reports Tyler Keithley.

Published On 2/24/2015

“When I was reading the book ‘Chess Secrets I learned from the Masters,’ Edward Lasker’s semi-autobiographical book, I found that weiqi/go is mentioned in the introduction and in the middle of the book,” writes Xinming Simon Guo. “To my surprise, his go story covers two and half pages in the 6-page introduction.” Lasker and a friend had learned go’s rules from a magazine. “To our amusement, the game was called a ‘competitor’ of chess,” Lasker writes. “But on closer examination we found the statement was well-founded, and we played Go at the slightest provocation.”

Published On 2/24/2015

The 2014 American Go Foundation College Scholarship winners are Amy Su of Bridgewater, New Jersey and Leon Lei of Bardonia, New York, AGF President Terry Benson announced. “We had nine applicants this year, more than ever, and all of them worthy candidates,” Benson said. “For the first time, students included school-related assignments as part of their applications; one winner’s paper was favorably received at a regional competition. Another applicant tried to measure the impact of go instruction on school performance.

Iwamoto Awards Go Global

Published On 2/24/2015

The 2015 edition of the Iwamoto Awards has gone global. “Thanks to internet and social media, the world has become smaller, so we think it is time to invite people on a global scale to submit go promotion projects,” says Harry van der Krogt of the European Go Centre, which organizes the awards, supported by the European Go Federation and the Nihon Ki-in. "So many people are trying so many things these days," says AGA president Andy Okun, who's serving on the awards jury.

Hinoki Press Founder Chris Greene Dies

Published On 2/23/2015

Hinoki Press founder Chris Greene died last Friday. Greene, who had cancer, died at home in Libertyville, Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Vicky, and his daughters, Melissa and Elizabeth. “I was lucky enough to work with Chris doing a little copy editing on some of Hinoki’s books, and found him to be a gentleman and a friend to the go community,” said AGA president Andy Okun. “The books he published represent a lasting contribution to the game and its enjoyment.”

Published On 2/22/2015

Register by February 28 and you'll save 5000 yen (about $40) on Maeda Ryo 6P’s 3-week intensive go camp in Osaka, which runs June 28 through July 18. Osaka Go Camp activities include intensive training by Kansai Kiin professionals, the opportunity to play go at the Kiin with professionals, play against top amateurs and former inseis, as well as sightseeing, cultural trips and making new go friends. The camp is sponsored by Kansai Kiin and the Osaka University of Commerce. Email Osaka.go.2015@gmail.com for more info or to reserve your space.

Published On 2/22/2015

Tim Kington, a software engineer at Fog Creek Software and 2-dan amateur go player, talks about go, Artificial Intelligence and attempts to computer programs that can beat human players in “Go and Artificial Intelligence – Tech Talk,” produced for his Fog Creek colleagues. Kington gives an overview of go, explains how to play it and why go AI is hard. He finishes by describing the progress so far with go AI programs and what the future is likely to hold. The post includes a handy guide to the talk’s content and timing so viewers can jump to the area of interest, as well as a written transcript.

Published On 2/22/2015

“On your site, you've posted a poem about go by Jorge Luis Borges, and asked about his connection to the game (Go Spotting: Jorge Luis Borges on “the astrological game of Go” 10/1/2012 EJ),” writes Scott Enderle. “I am not currently aware of any direct connection, but I think it's worth mentioning that Borges' writings explored the idea of combinatorial explosion more deeply than perhaps any literary writer before or since. His story The Library of Babel is a particularly notable example -- there's a fairly recent book about the mathematics behind it, William Goldbloom Bloch’s The Unimaginable Mathematics of Borges' Library of Babel (click here for a review).

European Go News Editor Wanted

Published On 2/22/2015

The E-Journal is seeking a new European go news editor. Current European go news editor Annalia Linnan is taking a well-deserved break after two years of consistently excellent work. The volunteer position is responsible for editing reports from EuroGoTV and other sources; editing experience is helpful but not required. Those interested may email journal@usgo.org.

Evanston Go Club Bounces Back

Published On 2/22/2015

After a long period of low attendance, things are looking up for the Evanston Go Club. "The new location has sparked a lot of interest" says club president Mark Rubenstein. "We started meeting at the new Starbucks in downtown Evanston (IL), and the response has been fantastic. Customers are showing an interest in the game, and we're teaching more beginners than ever! This week I was setting up a board and stones at an empty table. I went to get my opponent, and when I returned I saw that two college students had sat down at the board and started playing Go Moku. They didn't even know about the club!" Check out the club's website for more information. photo by Mark Rubenstein

Go Spotting: "Go Stone" Tweet

Published On 2/22/2015

The Go Blog @thegoblognet recently tweeted some stills from the Korean go film "The Stone" (Go Spotting: New Korean Movie “The Stone” 11/28/2013 EJ). #baduk #weiqi #igo #囲碁 #바둑 #围棋 #gogame 2015.02.16_go-blog-tweet#moviestills ift.tt/1C98g3g .

Chess and Go Tourney Pays in Candy

Published On 2/21/2015

Screen Shot 2015-02-25 at 4.32.22 PMKids in Portland, OR, competed for candy in a Chess and Go Tourney, held at Taborspace, on Feb. 22nd, reports Peter Freedman. Four elementary schools, Roseland Heights, Richmond, Irvington, and Beverly Cleary, sent a total of 24 kids. Tommy Boyd Flynn, of Beverly Cleary took the first place trophy in the Go tournament, winning all four games. In a play-off for second place, Olin Waxler, also from Beverly Cleary, defeated Kieran Cronin, of Irvington. Both had 3-1 records. Fourth place was taken by Emmett Mayer with a 3-1 record, one of his wins being a bye. Games were played on 13x13 boards. "All the children were either unranked or double digit kyu players,' adds Freedman, "kudos to Elsa Warner, the only female go player, and to Ai Rose Solomon, the only female chess player."

Published On 2/20/2015

1st US Go Congress, Not: "The group photo said to be of the 1st Go Congress in 1985 is not (Go Filmmakers Looking for US Go Congress Photos, Videos 2/16)," writes Michael Bull. "That photo predates the Congress and was taken in San Francisco, CA at one of the last of the East Coast/West Coast championships. The long time manager of the SF Go Club Shinji Dote is seated in the front and he never attended a US Go Congress, (he was unable to attend the 1999 Congress in SF because of poor health). The photo was taken by a SF Go Club regular known only as St. Clair."

Published On 2/19/2015

The American Go Honor Society has announced the 2015 School Team Tournament (STT) will be held March 28 and April 4. "The STT is our annual flagship tournament, played in the classic Hikaru no Go team style where each school sends three representatives to compete against other schools," said AGHS Co-President Hugh Zhang. All matches will be played online, and schools from Canada, the US, and Mexico are all invited. As a new top prize this year, the American Go Foundation is offering full scholarships (tuition + room/board) to the AGA Summer Go Camp. All three members of the top dan and top kyu team will win the scholarships. Prizes will also be awarded in the other divisions, including $75 cash for first place, $50 for 2nd, and $25 for 3rd, as well as medals, and the stylish new AGHS T-Shirt pictured at right. This year's tournament will be held on March 28 and April 4. To register, fill out the form here, by March 20.

Published On 2/18/2015

The third round of the Pandanet-AGA City League is this Sunday, February 22. Watch the action live starting at 3pm ET/12pm PT. The games are heating up between all of the teams. The schedules for A League, B League, and C League can be found on the Pandanet site.

Published On 2/18/2015

Iyama close to defending Kisei title: The third game of the 39th Kisei title match was held at the Bella Vista Sakaigahama Hotel in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, on February 5 and 6. Yamashita Keigo 9P (right) held his own in the fighting and in fact finished the middle game with a slight edge over the titleholder, but he slipped up in the endgame. Playing black, Iyama Yuta Kisei secured a win by 1.5 points. This was his third successive win, so Yamashita will face his first kadoban in the fourth game. Fortunately for him, there is a two-week break, so he has time to recover mentally from his bad start. The game will be played on February 19 and 20.

Upcoming European Tournament: EYGC 2015

Published On 2/17/2015

The European Go Cultural Centre (EGCC) and the Dutch Go Association will host the 2015 European Youth Go Championship on March 12 through March 15 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. It will be split into three categories: under 12, under 16, and under 20 age. Each group can qualify for either the World Youth Go Championship (under 12, under 16) or the Globis Cup in Japan (under 20). Nikon will sponsor prizes including a quality camera for the top player in each group. To register or for more information including rules, a full schedule, and accommodations, please visit the EYGC 2015 official website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 2/17/2015

Russia: The Chinese Consulate General Cup finished on February 2 in Sankt-Peterburg with Zhen Wang 7d in first, Jung-hyeop Kim 7d in second, and Ilja Shikshin 7d in third. Ireland: Also on February 8, Young-Sam Kim 7d bested Chi-Min Oh 7d at the 2015 Irish Confucius Cup Go Tournament in Gresham while Cristian Pop 7d placed third. Czech Republic: Adriana Tomsu 3k (left) took the Czech Youth Go Championship in Praha. Behind her were Samuel Havelka 3k in second and Tereza Salajkova 10k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

UK Go Updates: Irish Go Congress

Published On 2/17/2015

Irish Go Congress: On February 6 to 8, the Irish Go Congress took place in Gresham Hotel, Dublin. For the first time, it featured a Chinese Chess tournament alongside the traditional Confucius Cup (Irish Open) and Irish Rapid Play. Chinese guests from the Go and Chinese Chess organisations attended, including 7p Go professionals Hua Xueming and Huang Yizhong. The winner of the main event, the Confucius Cup, was Kim Young-Sam, and the Friday night Irish Rapid was won by Oh Chi-Min 7d. Alistair Wall Wins Largest Cheshire Tournament: Alistair Wall 2d beat the previous winner, Mark Elliot (1d Manchester), in the last round of the Cheshire Tournament, thus winning first place. Tony Pitchford and Tony Atkins organized the event. 34 people attended in total

Go Spotting: Goishicha Tea

Published On 2/17/2015

"The rare, post-fermented tea called Goishicha is made in the town of Ōtoyo in the mountains of central Kochi Prefecture on the island of Shikoku," according to the Yunomi tea website. "The name, goishicha (碁石茶), is taken from the Japanese game Igo because the tea is reminiscent of the stones used in the game." "I haven't tasted this," says Richard Simon, who passed this along. "It may not be everyone's cup of tea."

Published On 2/16/2015

"The Surrounding Game" filmmakers are looking for old photos of the annual U.S. Go Congress. "The story of American go is a central element 2015.02.16_US-Go-Congress-surrounding-gameof the film," co-director Cole Pruitt tells the E-Journal. "We've accumulated archival photos from the AGA archives, courtesy of David Doshay, but we want to petition the American go community to send us old media -- physical photos, digitized photos, videos and cassettes -- from any of the Congresses. The best stuff would be wide shots of playing halls or crowds, or top AGA officials in attendance at the Congress." The filmmakers are on the final stretch of editing and are "on track to complete narrative editing by the end of the summer, followed by film festival submissions starting in the fall," says Pruitt.

Published On 2/16/2015

Cambodian Go Contact: "Sensei's Library has a listing for Cambodia; contact ghislain on KGS," writes Edward Cherlin in response to the February 6 Your Move/Readers Write: Cambodian Go Wanted posting. "I do not know whether that is a current connection," adds Cherlin, a long-time go player who's an adviser to the Cambodian Mathematical Society. Dalsoo Kim, secretary of the Asian Go Federation, also wrote in to ask that "If you find any connection in Cambodia, just let me know for my promotion in that area." Reach him at aaatechm@daum.net.

Go Spotting: NYT Koreatown Video

Published On 2/16/2015

"36 Hours in Koreatown, Los Angeles," the video accompanying the February 11 New York Times What to Do in Koreatown, Los Angeles article, starts with two men playing go. Also featured is the Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles, which hosts the annual Cotsen Open. Thanks to David Matson for passing this along.

Published On 2/16/2015

Registration has just launched for the 2015 US Go Congress, the biggest go event of the year. The Go Congress will take place August 1-9 at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota in the Anderson Student Center. “St. Thomas is nestled along the Mississippi River, with easy access to both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul,” reports Congress Co-Organizer Aaron Broege. “At St. Thomas, you’ll be just two blocks away from over 100 miles of bike and running paths that run along the river, through the cities, and around the region’s urban lakes, which are bustling with activity during the summer.”

Published On 2/16/2015

Maui HI: Players wanted for the Maui Go Club. We meet Thursday evenings every two weeks. Contact Danny at Maui.Go.Club@gmail.com wit 2015.02.12_maui-go-clubquestions and our current meeting time and location. You can also get time and location information at our website or on our Facebook page, Maui Go Club.

Published On 2/16/2015

The Tacoma Go Club promoted go at the 17th Annual Asia Pacific Cultural Center’s New Year’s Celebration of the Year of the Ram, on Saturday, February 14. "The table was on a high traffic corner past which walked hundreds of people observing various activities such as Korean, Japanese, and Chinese martial arts," reported TGC president Gordon Castanza (wearing hat in photo). "Many stopped by the table to inquire about the game." Castanza said the event "was a successful opportunity for demonstrating go to hundreds of people" and adds that the club generated a dozen or more sign-ups. photo by Lin Young.

Redmond Cup Registration Opens

Published On 2/13/2015

The 22nd annual Redmond Cup will begin in April, and registration is due by March 15th. Preliminary games will be played online and the four finalists will be invited to the 2015 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids 12 and under, and the Senior league for 17 and under. Competitors in both leagues must have an AGA or CGA rank of 1 dan or higher. The Junior league has been expanded to include 12 year olds, and both leagues now require a dan rating (kyu players can compete in the North American Kyu Championships instead). Players who complete the tournament will be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, on a first come first served basis, courtesy of the AGF. Competitors from Mexico are also invited to the event.

Published On 2/12/2015

“The Academia Cubana de Go is organizing a tournament in Havana at the beginning of April and is encouraging US players who want to compete to come," Bob Gilman writes. "Under President Obama’s new Cuba policies, travel restrictions for US citizens going to Cuba have been liberalized." Write bobgilman.aga@gmail.com if you want more information about this tournament and travel possibilities.

Published On 2/12/2015

Canada's WAGC Player TBA: "The AGA web page says 'North America will be represented by Danny Ko' (at the WAGC), but of course Canada also sends a player," James Sedgwick writes. "Who Canada will send is still up in the air, as our selected rep Ryan Li is no longer eligible due to his now pro status."

Go Spotting: SyFy's "12 Monkeys"

Published On 2/12/2015

SyFy's "12 Monkeys": The latest episode of SyFy’s “12 Monkeys” is titled “Atari.” “A character describes a dire post-apocalyptic predicament as 2015.02.12_12monkeysposterbeing ‘in atari,’” reports Steve Berthiaume. “The character describes go (and) how he used to play it.” Adds Jeffrey McLellan, “He and his friend are in rather desperate straits and he tells his friend that they are in atari. They only have one more move or they are finished. 'Being in atari is bad.'” Click here to watch the episode.

Published On 2/12/2015

Park Junghwan 9p has defeated Kim Jiseok 9p to win the 19th LG Cup 2-1. This was Park’s first LG Cup title, and only his second international title since winning the 24th Fujitsu Cup in 2011. Though Park is currently ranked #1 in the world according to the rating system used by the Korean Baduk Association, in recent years many go fans doubted his ranking, because Park hadn’t won any international titles since 2011. The LG Cup final was held on February 9, 10 and 12 in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, Korea. - based on Youngil An’s longer report on Go Game Guru

Ho and Cheng Top Youth Kyu Tourney

Published On 2/11/2015

Brandon Ho 2k, age 13, and Matthew Cheng 2k, age 8, won the top division of the North American Kyu Championships, held Feb. 7th, on KGS. 41 kids and teens, including 8 from Mexico, and one from Canada, joined in the event. First place winners, in all brackets down to 25 kyu, will be receiving engraved crystal trophies, in both Junior (under 13) and Senior (under 18) brackets, and everyone who entered becomes eligible for AGF scholarships to either the AGA Go Camp, or the US Go Congress. Dan players will get their chance to shine in the upcoming Redmond Cup, which will open registration later this week. For full tournament results click here. - Paul Barchilon, AGA Youth Editor

Go Spotting: The Math Book

Published On 2/6/2015

Phil Straus found this reference to go in "The Math Book," Clifford Pickover’s 2009 book, subtitled "From Pythagoras to the 57th Dimension, 250 Milestones in the History of Mathematics." The book provides "a veritable history of mathematics by focusing on its greatest theorems and the geniuses who discovered them,” said Martin Gardner in a review. “Topics are chronological, starting with the calculating abilities of ants 150 million years B.C. and ending with Max Tegmark's recent conjecture that our universe is not just described by math, it is mathematics. Dr. Pickover's vast love of math, and his awe before its mysteries, permeates every page of this beautiful volume. The illustrations alone are worth the book's price."

Published On 2/6/2015

Cambodian Go Wanted: "One of San Diego go club's members is now in Cambodia, and would like to find other go players there," writes Ted Terpstra. "I have arranged to play him on KGS, but as we all know, sitting across the board from an opponent is much more fun." Send your Cambodian go tips to us at journal@usgo.org. Suggestions? "Looking through the extensive collection of documentaries available on HULU I noticed the movie 'Word Wars' about competitive Scrabble players, but saw nothing about our game," writes David Matson. "It reminded me of the many times that I and others have written to the AGA E-Journal when we notice productive techniques used by communities similar to the AGA for raising funds and/or public awareness. Is there a person working with the AGA or the E-Journal to whom these little suggestions should be directed?

Published On 2/6/2015

European Youth Go Team Championship: In round four of the European Youth Go Team Championship, the UK’s youth team narrowly lost to Czechia 2-3. They currently rank 11th out of 13 teams. - edited by Amy Su from reports on the BGA website

Published On 2/5/2015

Ukraine: Svitlana Tarasenko 5k took the Open Championship of Rivine on January 31 while Yaroslav Malko 8k placed second; Andrii Pylypchuk 3k came in third. France: Manuel Frangi 1d bested Guillaume Attia 3d at the 19th Orsay tournament on January 25 while Mathieu Daguenet 3d placed third. Turkey: The 1st Istanbul City Handicap Go Championship Finals finished on January 31 with Ertug Akkol 1d (left) in first, Dogac Kose 1d in second, and Hande Olgar 14k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 2/5/2015

Iyama Extends Lead in Kisei Title Match: The second game of the 39th Kisei title match was held at the Hachinohe Park Hotel in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture, on January 29 and 30. Playing white, Iyama Yuta (right) won by resignation after 228 moves. This gives him a 2-0 lead over the challenger, Yamashita Keigo 9P. The third game, scheduled for February 5 and 6, is close to being a must-win affair for Yamashita if he is going to stop Iyama from winning the title for the third year in a row. The game got off to an interesting start, with Yamashita coming up with a new variation in an old joseki. Iyama showed his flexibility, however, by playing a bad-shape move that actually worked well for him. Early in the middle game, Iyama went on the offensive, and Yamashita found himself forced into playing a territorial strategy that didn’t suit his style. Having fallen behind a little, he did his best to catch up by attacking aggressively, but Iyama countered with the st

Check Your Chapter Affiliation

Published On 2/5/2015

January was the first month of the AGA Chapter Rewards program (AGA Institutes New Chapter Rewards Program 12/31 EJ) in which AGA chapters can earn rewards points from new or renewing memberships or members playing rated games. The points will credit to a chapter only if the member has set that as their affiliated chapter in their member profile. Don't know your chapter or want to change it? Here’s how: In the menu on the left of the AGA home page select Member/Chapter Login under the Membership and Chapters section. This will take you to the login page where you can login by email address or AGA number. There are links there if you either forgot your password or never set one. Log in and you’ll get to the home page for the Members/Chapters area. From there, click on the link to view or update your membership info. Once you reach that page, scroll down to the section titled Other Info.

Macworld Reviews Go Apps

Published On 2/5/2015

Macworld senior contributor Kirk McElhearn provides a terrific overview of go apps on his January 31 Improve your game of Go (or just keep playing) with this collection of apps column. "If you want to play Go, or want to improve your game, there are a number of excellent iOS apps that can help you learn how to play and try to master the game. Here are the best ones," writes McElhearn. McElhearn writes The Ask the iTunes Guy column and writes about Macs, music and more on his blog Kirkville.

Published On 2/5/2015

Six top European players are currently studying in Beijing, China under a program sponsored by CEGO China. The Chinese Go magazine Qi-Shi recently published an interview with five of the players: Pavol Lisy (Slovakia), Ali Jabarin (Israel), Lukas Podpera (Czech Republic), Jan Simara (Czech Republic), Dusan Mitic (Serbia). Andrii Kravets of the Ukraine was not available. Lisy and Jabarin are two new European pros. The report was translated by Jennie Shen and Kevin Huang and edited by Chris Garlock.

2015 WAGC Set for Bangkok in June

Published On 2/5/2015

The 36th World Amateur Go Championship will be held in Bangkok, Thailand June 5-12. North America will be represented by Danny Ko. More details will be forthcoming soon.

US-Cuba Thaw Rekindles Hope for Visit

Published On 2/5/2015

The recent resumption of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba has renewed hope that a Cuban delegation will be able to attend this year’s US Go Congress. An effort last year stalled because of problems getting visas from the US State Department. “We are quite hopeful of better success this year,” says Bob Gilman, AGA Director for the Central Region. “We have learned some things from the 2014 effort, and the recent thaw in US – Cuban relations can only be helpful.” The AGA has invited three Cuban players to the 2015 Go Congress in St. Paul, MN, including Rafael Torres Miranda 2d, President of the Academia Cubana de Go, Roylan de la Torre Marrero 5d and Orlando Mederos Trujillo 5d. The invitation builds on 2013 visit by US players to Havana, where a friendly competition between US and Cuban players was a great success.

Published On 1/31/2015

Pandanet has begun posting E-Journal articles on their site, translated into Japanese. The first one is the EJ’s recent report on the AGA pro tournament. “We’re tremendously pleased that EJ reporting is now available in Japanese,” said E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock. Pandanet plans to post a translated EJ article each week.

Go Spotting: JAG

Published On 1/31/2015

Go drives the plotline in a second-season episode of JAG entitled "The Game of Go." "Harm and a Colombian drug lord play a high-stakes game of go, with the prize being a Marine who was left behind during a covert mission, as Webb and the JAG team once again butt heads,“ reports Dave Holland. "My recollection of the episode is that several moves were spread out over the unfolding of the plot with closeups of the contested part of the board. It represented middle game fighting. A little far-fetched for a US Navy lawyer and a drug kingpin to be such accomplished players but good exposure for the game nevertheless.“ Note that the moves are played inside the board squares rather than on the intersections. "I enjoy the EJ’s 'Go Spotting' column as go has a way of showing up in unexpected places," says Holland.

Published On 1/29/2015

Peter Freedman (at far right), Hikaru Saito, Glenn Peters, Jessie Jenkins and Jessie's friend, Austin, taught at least 50 people to play go at Portland's Mochitsuki Festival on Sunday January 25th. Held at Portland State University from 10 to 4 , thousands came to celebrate the new year, eat traditional food and experience traditional Japanese culture. -Photo and story courtesy Peter Freedman

Published On 1/28/2015

The Open Section of the Jin Chen Memorial Tournament at the Seattle Go Center drew twelve players, including two 7 dans and three 6 dans.

Published On 1/27/2015

Ukraine: Oleksandr Hiliazov 1d bested Anton Boreiko 4k at the Kharkiv Championship on January 25 while Leonid Shumakov 5k placed third. United Kingdom: The Maidenhead finished on January 24 with Charles Hibbert 2d in first, Alistair Wall 1d in second, and Jitka Bartova 1d (left) in third. Russia: Mikhail Dobricyn 3k took the Russian Championship Under 12 in Cheljabinsk on January 18. Behind him were Egor Arsentjev 2k in second and Savva Mezin 6k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 1/27/2015

Maidenhead-Hitachi Tournament: On January 24th, Charles Hibbert 2 dan went on to win all three of his games, claiming the Maidenhead title. Coincidentally, it was also his first-ever tournament. Second and third place were claimed by Alistair Wall and Jitka Bartova. All players winning three or two games received a prize. 55 players took part in the event. - edited by Amy Su from reports on the BGA website.

Published On 1/27/2015

Phoenixville, PA: Players wanted for the Phoenixville Go Club. We meet Sunday afternoons and Wednesday nights at Artisan's Cafe in downtown Phoenixville. Free mug of coffee for each first time visitor! Contact Craig at scorelessdraw@gmail.com with questions. Join the American Go Association and get two months of Baduk TV English for free: Want to try Baduk TV English for free? From now until the end of January, you can get two months of free access to Baduk TV English (valued at $40) when you join the American Go Association...click here to read more.

Published On 1/27/2015

Xie Makes Good Start in Women’s Kisei Defense: The first game of the 18th DoCoMo Cup Women’s Kisei title match, a best-of-three, Kazuko was played at the Hotel Sunlife Garden in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, on January 22. Konishi Kazuko 8P (right) of the Kansai Ki-in is making her first appearance in a title match (she has reached the finals of three knock-out titles but lost each time). Xie has held this title for four of the the last five years. In the nigiri to decide colors, Xie drew white. Konishi played positively in the opening and seized the initiative, but Xie managed to set up the kind of confused fight in which she excels. Konishi failed to find the best move in the crucial middle-game fight, and this gave Xie a chance to upset her lead. Konishi resigned after 136 moves. The second game will be played on January 29. It’s a must-win game for Konishi if she is to take the match to a deciding game on February 2.

Kyu Tourney Deadline Feb. 3

Published On 1/26/2015

The deadline for young kyu players who want to compete in the North American Kyu Championships is Feb. 3rd, with the tourney itself held Feb. 7th, on KGS. Kids and teens (under the age of 18) who are members of the AGA, CGA, Gimnasio de Go, or MGA, may all enter in the event. With thousands of dollars in scholarships available, to both the AGA Go Camp, and US Go Congress, kyu players of any rank should enter. Prizes will be awarded roughly every five ranks, starting at 25 kyu, and working up to 1 kyu. The registration form is here, more information is available here.

Published On 1/24/2015

BGC Bullseye: "Although I left Brooklyn behind several years ago, the description of the Brooklyn Go Club (Go in NYC: An Insider’s Guide 1/21 EJ) is disturbingly accurate," writes Solomon Smilack. "Thank you for the laugh." More on Studying Pro Games: “This is a widely debated and discussed topic (Your Move/Readers Write: How Do You Study Pro Games? 1/20 EJ),” writes Dennis Wheeler, “and one can find numerous discussion threads on this very topic in the Life in 19x19 discussion forum. There also may not be just one answer, as I believe the answers can be as varied and personal as the people who give them. And I too would love to hear opinions from EJournal readers who are professional players themselves.” Wheeler goes on to suggest that “Professional games show us how the game should be played, as opposed to the jumbled misguided (yet fun) mess we often play. Why not try to learn from the best? Or just simply enjoy the beauty of a well played game.”

Published On 1/24/2015

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2015, the Atlanta Go Club and the Atlanta Chinese Go Association organized a hike up Stone Mountain, in memory of Dr. King, who referred to the mountain in his I Have a Dream speech — “Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.” Feijun (Frank) Luo 7d, led young kids to play go at both the shelter in the middle of the mountain, and the pavilion on the top of the mountain. “The kids greatly enjoyed mountain climbing, playing go during the trip, and the spectacular view on top of Stone Mountain,” said Luo. Brandon Zhou 4d, who won the Ing Foundation’s World Youth Goe Qualifier in the U.S. junior division in 2014, was among the participants. “Playing go on Stone Mountain is a good way to pay tribute to Dr. King,” said Luo, “go is a board game that best displays equality and freedom — it represents equality because every stone has an equal value by itself, and it expresses freedom because playing styles are unrestricted and free.”

Go in NYC: An Insider’s Guide

Published On 1/21/2015

Just because the Gotham Go Group at the Hungarian Pastry Shop on Tuesday evenings 7-11p - 1030 Amsterdam Ave - between 110th and 111th – “is the hottest go scene in New York City does not mean it's the only option,” reports local organizer Peter Armenia. Here are four other places to play go in the Big Apple, along with Armenia’s pithy descriptions: Go at Pie by the Pound - Wednesday evenings 6:00 - 124 4th Avenue between 12th and 13th St. “The healthy alternative.” Go at the Fat Cat - Sunday afternoons 12:30 - 75 Christopher St, at 7th Ave. “The jazzy afternoon bar option.” Brooklyn Go Club - Intermittent Fridays (email Jean-Claude Chetrit (jc.chetrit@gmail.com) for time and location. “The social club of NYC go lore in someone's home. Good food, good conversation, and maybe even some go.” Korea Baduk Club - Daily 11AM-12 Midnight - 36-18 Union Street (Flushing) - Call Sammy Park (718-353-4646) for more info.

Published On 1/21/2015

Pandanet Go European Team Championship: On January 13th, the UK secured a win against the South African team with a score of 3 wins to 1 loss, making it their fifth win in the league. A commentary by Andrew Simons of his own game against Victor Chow 7d can be found in the news article on the BGA website. The UK team currently ranks second to Bulgaria in their league. The two teams will play on February 24th. - edited by Amy Su from reports on the BGA website.

Published On 1/21/2015

How Do You Study Pro Games? “We often hear ‘study professional games to help you improve,’” writes Eric Osman. “But how do you actually do that in practice?” Osman says he plays through pro games on his phone. “At each move, I think for a few seconds about what move I’d make next, then I click to see what the professional did. If the professional’s move differs from mine, I try to see if I can think of a reason the professional’s choice was better than mine.” Osman is a KGS 2k/AGA 2d living in Amherst, MA who’s been playing go since 1976. Send your suggestions/comments to journal@usgo.org

Published On 1/20/2015

White plays in every circle. Published in the January 20, 2015 edition of the American Go E-Journal. To commemorate the olympic-like competition of the recent 2014 SportAccord World Mind Games, Michael Redmond 9P created this ingenious 5 ring tsumego problem, which is really 5 separate tsumego, each with surprisingly different solution themes. (Note: to view this tsumego set in an SGF viewer, download this SGF.) Michael Redmond 9P shares with the E-Journal some of his own tsumego compositions. For these more challenging problems, dan players can test their reading speed and accuracy, while kyu players can play through the solutions to learn ideas and techniques. The solution will appear a week after the problem publication.

Published On 1/20/2015

Robert Jasiek, German 5D and author of eight go books aiming to clarify various aspects of the game for kyu players, has released his ninth and tenth instructional books. With Endgame 1 – Fundamentals Jasiek begins a study of the last phase of the game, where “most moves of a scored game belong,” he writes. Most endgame instruction focuses on calculating the value of each remaining sequence. Jasiek takes a more strategic approach. Have you ever wondered how to avoid premature or worthless endgame moves? How can you prepare for the end earlier in the game? Jasiek looks at these considerations while also delving into other strategic factors such as forcing moves, timing, sente/gote and importance of reading. These principles are reinforced with 229 problems. Click to view the table of contents or some sample pages. Volume Two will address how to calculate the value of endgame plays.

Published On 1/19/2015

Online EGF Academy to Launch in March: In “another very important milestone for European go,” European Go Federation (EGF) President Martin Stiassny reports that the new online EGF Academy will launch March 23. “The EGF Academy will offer online-playing, analyzing and teaching in different groups for more than 30 players,” says Stiassny. The Academy is a result of an agreement Ge Yuhong, owner of the go school in Beijing where EGF students are now studying, and Luo Gang, chief manager of CEGO. The General Manager for the project will be Viktor Lin, the vice-president of the Austrian Go Association. EGF Seeks Young Players for Beijing Go Academy: The EGF is looking for young European go players interested in studying in Beijing under theEGF-CEGO cooperation agreement ((European Go Federation Inks Deal With Chinese to Promote Go in Europe 7/5/2013 EJ). “Our goal is to find players in Europe younger than 18, maybe 16 years old, best case 14 years old,” says Stiassny

Published On 1/19/2015

“Want to see some incredible go stones?” writes Peter Freedman. “Check out this link.” Exotic Go Stones offers “Semi-precious Go Stones for the Serious Collector,” made out of everything from black and white onyx to Botswana Agate, Carnelian, Turquoise, Malachite (right), Jasper and more.

Published On 1/19/2015

The 2015 Osaka Go Camp is set for June 28 - July 18, supported by the Kansai Kiin and the Osaka University of Commerce. The camp offers 2015.01.18_okasa-group_photointensive training by Kansai-Kiin pros, the opportunity to play go inside the Kiin with pros, play against top amateur players, former inseis, sightseeing to major historical cities like Kyoto and Nara. A discount of 5.000 JPY is available for students who pay the deposit before February 28. Email osaka.go.2015@gmail.com for more info or reservations. photo: 2014 Osaka Go Camp participants

Published On 1/19/2015

“I taught one of my best lessons ever this morning,” wrote Stephen Brivati recently on the violinist.com blog. “When this nice thing happens, I try to figure out why. When playing Go, the greatest intellectual challenge in my life after the cat, one has to do things in the correct order or get slaughtered. Both teaching and practicing the violin are the same: you have to make real-time decisions about what to work on that is appropriate for that time and place and student. Get the wrong order, and the value of the lesson or practice diminishes significantly.” - Thanks to Justin Teng for sending this in, his dad plays violin and follows this blog.

Published On 1/19/2015

Sweden: The Jusandan 2015 finished on January 18 in Stockholm with Yaqi Fu 6d (left) in first, Charlie Aakerblom 4d in second, and Fredrik Blowback 6d in third. Czech Republic: Also on January 18, Martin Jurek 5d took the 5th Decin Open Tournament. Behind him were Ondrej Kachyna 2d in second and Tadeas Berkman 1k in third. Turkey: Ertug Akkol 1d bested Mustafa Morca 2k at the 2nd Istanbul City Championship Finals on January 17 while Barkin Celebican 2k placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Wonciewicz Tops Chess & Go Tourney

Published On 1/19/2015

Ten children played go and 15 chess in a four round Swiss-McMahon tournament, at Taborspace, in Portland, OR, Jan. 18th, reports organizer Peter Freedman. "All the children were in the chess and Go clubs at Irvington, Richmond and Beverly Cleary schools. Sam Wonciewicz, of Irvington, took first place in go with a perfect record of 4-0. Tied at 3-1, Grant McFeeters-Krone and Luke Helprin, both from Irvington, had a play-off match to determine 2nd and 3rd place. Grant won in a tightly contested game that featured a possible seki which would have led to the death of a neighboring group, and his defeat. Four children finished with 2-2 records, two with 1-3 records, and 1 with a 0-4 record," said Freedman. Leo Frankunas, Irvington, topped the chess tournament with a 4-0 record, followed in second place by Mason Buchanan, Irvington at 3 ½, and third place, Benjamin Cicilian, Richmond, at 3-1. Trophies were award for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for both chess and go.

Pandanet City League this Sunday!

Published On 1/19/2015

This Sunday is the second round of the Pandanet-AGA City League. Watch heavyweights from the A League including professionals like Ximeng Yu and Ryan Li, the AGA's newest pro. "Don't discount our B and C Leagues; they will be duking it out with the other teams," says Steve Colburn. Check the schedules for your local team.

Published On 1/18/2015

17-Year-Old Ke Wins Bailing Cup: The best-of-five final of the 2nd Bailing Cup was fought between two Chinese players, the 17-year-old Ke Jie 4P (left) and the 32-year-old Qiu Jun 9P. After splitting the first two games last year, the players resumed the match on January 11. Playing white, Qiu won the third game by resignation, but Ke won the fourth (Jan. 13) and fifth games (Jan 15), both by resignation and holding white, to take the match 3-2. The games were played in Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province. First prize is 1,800,000 yuan (about $293,000). This win earned Ke promotion to 9-dan. photo courtesy GoGameGuru

Published On 1/18/2015

Enjoying Inseong Hwang’s School: “I signed up for January for Inseong Hwang’s school on KGS, the Yunguseng Dojang, and am much enjoying it,” Bob Gilman writes. “Inseong Hwang, Korean 8D, is an excellent teacher with a gift for explaining ideas and game situations clearly. There are now six leagues of six players each in the American section with strengths ranging from 4d to double digit kyu. I highly recommend this for players with a serious interest in developing their skills and enjoyment of the game.” Correction: this post has been updated to reflect that Inseong Hwang is an 8-dan amateur, not 8P.

Mexico Hosts First-Ever Go Congress

Published On 1/18/2015

The first-ever Mexican Go Congress was held November 15-17, 2014 at the Tlatelolco Cultural Center in Mexico City, Mexico. The 3-day Congress hosted several events, including the first Mexican Open Tournament, a 13x13 tournament for kids, and go and origami workshops. Hajin Lee 3P and Kim Sooyong 4P -- both sent by the Korean Baduk Association – provided game reviews, lectures and simultaneous game exhibitions.

Published On 1/16/2015

Where are the AGA Pro Game Records? “Isn't it great having these Qualification tournaments?” writes Jean de Maiffe. “I love seeing our2015.01.15_pro-game-grid young go players battling it out for the honors and opportunities these tournaments provide. One disappointment, though: the text says ‘Click here for results and game records’ but clicking there only provides results. The results are thrilling and all that, and I wouldn't want to miss them, but I am yearning for the game records.” To see the games on the tournament results page, just click on the underlined result (e.g. "B+7.5" under Eric Lui) and an sgf viewer will open up with the game record.

Members Ask: 2014 American Go Yearbook

Published On 1/16/2015

“Thanks for adding the zip file to the 2014 game index!” writes Joe Maia, who suggested it to us a couple weeks back. “Where do I go to download the Yearbook and sgf archive?” asks Willard Haynes. "You mention a single zip file is available in (the EJ), but I can't find it on the AGA website. Direct link please?" adds Matt Lecin. Click here for the 2014 American Go Yearbook: Member’s Edition Collection of Games, Commentaries & More and look for “NEW THIS YEAR: All 2014 sgf files in a handy downloadable zip file.”

AGA Pro Tourney Team Credits

Published On 1/16/2015

The players in last week’s AGA Pro Qualification Tournament were of course the stars of the event – click here for the final results and game records -- but there was an entire team of volunteers who made it possible for the tournament to happen and for it to be broadcast around the world. AGA President Andy Okun coordinated with local Boston-area organizers including David Kahn of the Massachusetts Go Association to put on the event at the Nantasket Beach Resort.

Go Books Now Available on Mac

Published On 1/16/2015

SmartGo’s Go Books is no longer limited to the iPad and iPhone: you can now also read your books on the Mac. “And more importantly, the infrastructure is in place for a future Android version,” says SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf. You can continue to buy books using in-app purchase on iOS, “or you can buy books directly, avoiding Apple's 30% cut, thus leaving more money for go writers and publishers.” Go Books on the Mac can also open SGF files and display them in book view. You can then save and edit the resulting gobook file to create your own annotated games. Click here to download the Mac version of Go Books. Two more books will be added soon, for a total of 99 books: “Invasions” by Iwamoto Kaoru 9 dan, and “Honinbo Tournament — The Early Years” by John Fairbairn. “Invincible is a treat on the iPad, but full-screen on your Mac takes it to a new level. Enjoy!” says Kierulf.

Published On 1/14/2015

Chunlan Cup Semifinals: In our last report, we gave the results in the quarterfinals of the 10th Chunlan Cup. The semifinals were held two days later, on Tuesday 27th. Zhou Ruiyang 9P (China) (W) beat Chen Yaoye 9P (China) by resig. and Gu Li 9P (W) beat Kim Ji-seok 9P [“Je-seok” in my previous report was a mistake] by resig. That gives an all-Chinese final. It’s good to see that Gu Li (right) seems to have recovered from his loss in the 10-game match with Lee Se-dol.

Kyu Championships Deadline Feb. 3rd

Published On 1/14/2015

Young players, in the US, Canada, and Mexico have until Feb. 3rd to register for the North American Kyu Championships (NAKC). The tourney will be held on KGS, on Saturday Feb. 7th. Brackets in the NAKC will be divided by rank, with a new bracket formed approximately every 5 ranks or so depending on the range of participants. Within brackets, all games will be played even. Dan level players will be able to compete in the Redmond Cup (including players from Canada and Mexico). Youth who compete in either event will also be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, on a first come first served basis. Registration is now open for both the NAKC and the Redmond Cup, and more information can be found on the AGA webpage for youth events. The deadline for the NAKC is Feb. 3rd to register, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 1/14/2015

The San Diego Go Club started out the New Year with more than 30 players gathering on January 3 at its Winter Go Soiree at club president Ted Terpstra's home. The event featured an 8-player simultaneous exhibition with Jong-Hoon Na, a 7-dan professional from the Korean Baduk Association. “Those not fortunate enough to get to play the pro played AGA-rated games,” Terpstra reports. Pizza and beverages were served after the simul for those interested in socializing. “It was a wonderful mix of players from beginners to 5-dans, from 10-year-olds to 70+-year-old, all enjoying the world's oldest continuously played game,” said Terpstra. This was one of the first events to occur under the new AGA chapter rewards program (AGA Institutes New Chapter Rewards Program 12/31/14), in which chapters will be rewarded with points for new members and rated games played. photo by Ted Terpstra

Published On 1/14/2015

The Central London Go Club A team -- Franciso Divers, Michael Webster and Chuck Fisher -- won the 2014 season of the online league and reclaimed the GoGoD shield from Edinburgh. The second division was won by the Cornish Rogues, who will be moving up to the first division next year. The next season of the online league is scheduled to start promptly in April. - edited by Amy Su from a report on the BGA website. credit-n.ru http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-

Published On 1/12/2015

Germany: Matthias Terwey 4d (left) took the Essen 2015 on January 11. Behind him were Barbara Knauf 3d and Bernd Radmacher 4d. Poland: Also on January 11, the Polish Youth Championship - U16 playoff finished in Ozarow Mazowiecki with Stanislaw Frejlak 4d in first, Maksym Walaszewski 1k in second, and Julia Bednarska 18k in third. Netherlands: Frank Janssen 6d bested Rene Aaij 4d at the wintergo_2014 in Overasselt while Dick Riedeman 3d came third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 1/12/2015

The special offer of two months of free access to BadukTV English has just been extended through January 31. Anyone who joins, renews or extends their membership with the AGA between now and then will receive two months of free access to BadukTV English thanks to a joint effort of the AGA, GoGameGuru and BadukTV. Baduk TV English takes the best of the 24-hour Korean cable channel Baduk TV, with lessons, game commentary and problems analyzed by professionals, and adds English subtitles. There are several hundred hours of material in the library already and new material all the time. After joining or renewing, click here to take advantage of the offer.

Go and Math Workshop for Educators

Published On 1/9/2015

Xinming Simon Guo, a licensed Math teacher in Illinois and founder of Go and Math Academy, will organize an educational workshop at the 2015 Conference of MMC (Metropolitan Mathematics Club) of Chicago. The workshop will be Saturday, January 24, at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL. Guo has been advocating go and math in the educational world for many years. Math teachers, math educators, school administrators and even go amateurs are welcome to attend. Details are available at http://mmc2015conference.com.

Published On 1/9/2015

In two dramatic cliffhangers, Ryan Li beat Eric Lui in back-to-back games Friday to sweep the AGA Pro Qualification Tournament finals, becoming the American Go Association's fourth professional. Li had won their game in the round-robin section earlier in the week, so Friday’s wins gave him a 3-0 sweep of the best-of-five finals (he only dropped one game in the entire tournament, against Matthew Burrall).

Published On 1/7/2015

After winning both rounds on Tuesday, Ryan Li 7d and Eric Lui 7d – both 6-0 – have locked up the top-seed positions for the final stage of the AGA Pro Qualification Tournament (APQF). They’ll meet Wednesday morning (9:30a on KGS) for the round-robin’s final game; in the event that they meet again in the finals, the result of this game will count towards the final result. The APQF Championship section begins Wednesday afternoon (4p on KGS) to determine this year’s AGA professional. In the modified single-elimination tournament, one player will emerge with the designation of Professional and two runners-up will be named as seeds for next year's tournament.

Published On 1/7/2015

The American Go Yearbook 2014 Member’s Edition Collection has just been released. The annual compilation is one of the benefits of membership in the American Go Association, collecting the content of the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal, the largest English language go publication in the world. “We appreciate member support of the AGA and hope that our members will find this collection a valuable and useful resource,” said EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock. Click here for details on AGA membership.

Published On 1/6/2015

Ryan Li and Eric Lui, undefeated after four rounds, are leading the race for the 2015 AGA Pro Qualification Tournament finals later this week. Ben Lockhart is close behind at 3-1. Click here for latest results and game records. Rounds 5 and 6 will be broadcast live on KGS at 9:30a and 4:00p Tuesday. 2015.01.05_pro-player-collage

Published On 1/5/2015

Students from Mexico City won top honors in the ORION-Latin American Youth Go Team Tournament, held Nov 29-30th on the OGS Go Server, reports Siddhartha Avila. The Gimnasio de Go team, led by Mexican siblings Lillian and Omar Zavala, both 9k, and joined by Diego Luciano 25k, won all four matches. Chile's Colegio Luterano team came in second, while Ecuador's Academia de Go came in third. A total of 36 kids and teens competed, with three players per team. Schools from México, Venezuela, Ecuador and Chile all participated. The winning team also played a one round team match against students from Dongjak Academy in Korea, which included Jihyuk Yoon, 3k, age 8, Doohyun Kim, 5k , age 6, and Sungjae Cho 6k, age 7, the Koreans won all three matches. Full results are here, while pictures and reports (in Spanish) can be found here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Students in Chile competing on OGS.

Published On 1/5/2015

Ryan Li, Eric Lui and Ben Lockhart won their first- and second-round games Sunday at the AGA Pro Qualification Tournament to take an early lead in the 7-round round-robin section of the two-part tournament.

Published On 1/1/2015

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook 2014 Member’s Edition Collection! One of the benefits of your membership in the American Go Association is the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal, the largest English language go publication in the world. Once selected, game records or PDFs open up quickly and easily for your review or download. We appreciate your support of the AGA and hope that you will find this collection a valuable and useful resource; comments and suggestions are welcome at journal@usgo.org - Chris Garlock, Managing Editor

Published On 12/31/2014

41st London Open Go Congress: Chi-Min Oh 7d won the 2014 London Open, which ran December 28-31. Chi-Min Oh 7d had seven wins; prizes were also awarded to Young Sam Kim 7d in second, Mateusz Surma 7d in third, and Xiao Ma 7d in fourth. The first David Ward Cup was awarded in memory of long-standing UK player David Ward, who passed away in 2013. It was donated by his widow, Helen Ward, and presented by Korean professional -- and IGF Secretary General -- Hajin Lee to Matthew Cocke, who was the highest-placed UK player in the tournament.

Published On 12/31/2014

Saying that “Our chapters are the foundation of the AGA,” American Go Association Board Chair Gurujeet Khalsa today announced the start of a new rewards program for AGA chapters. Similar to an airline or credit card rewards program, AGA chapters can now accumulate points when they get new or renewing members or when their members play AGA-rated games. Points can then be used to get reimbursed for expenses incurred in activities that promote American go. “We want to support chapter activities that grow American go and do it in a way that encourages new ideas and sharing of best practices,” said Khalsa. Click here for details on how the new program works.

Published On 12/30/2014

Russia: Andrej Cheburakhov 5d (left) bested Anton Chernykh 3d at the Cup of Moscow on December 21 while Andrej Kashaev 5d placed third. Austria: Also on December 21, Viktor Lin 6d took the Austrian Championship Finals in Vienna. Behind him were Schayan Hamrah 5d second and Lothar Spiegel 5d in third. Serbia: The Serbian Women's Championship finished on December 21 in Belgrade with Natasa Bosnjak 2k in first, Ivana Stojanovik 3k in second, and Marta Jorgacevic 2k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 12/30/2014

Takao Takes Tengen Title From Iyama: The second game of the 40th Tengen title match was held at the Keio Plaza Hotel Sapporo in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, on November 11. Playing white, Takao Shinji 9P (right) beat Iyama Yuta Tengen (left) by resignation after 164 moves. The game was the reverse of the first game: this time Takao held the initiative throughout. Iyama played unreasonably in an attempt to catch up and had to resign when he lost two groups.

Published On 12/29/2014

China Leads In Nong Shim Cup: The second round of the Nong Shim Cup, held in Busan, Korea, was dominated by Wang Xi 9P of China, who won four games in a row, but both Korea and Japan have hung on, each getting one player into the final round. (Nov. 28) Wang Xi 9P (China) (B) beat Kang Tong-yun 9P (Korea) by resig. (Nov. 29) Wang (W) beat Murakawa Daisuke 7P (Japan) by resig. (Nov. 30) Wang (W) beat An Song-jun 5P (Korea) resig. (Dec. 1) Wang (B) beat Kono Rin 9P (Japan) by resig. (Dec. 2) Pak Jung-hwan 9P (Korea) (W) beat Wang by resig. (Dec. 3) Iyama Yuta 9P (Japan) (B) beat Pak by resig

Published On 12/28/2014

Eight top US go players will gather just outside Boston next week to determine the next US professional. Play in the 3rd AGA Pro Qualification 2014.12.28_Calvin-Sun-Wins-2013-pro-tourneyFinals starts on Sunday, January 4 and ends on January 10. The games will be broadcast live on KGS from the Nantasket Beach Resort by the E-Journal; morning rounds will begin at 9:30 AM and afternoon rounds will begin at 4:30 PM. The players are Eric Lui 7d, Ryan Li 7d, Yuan Zhou 7d, Jeremy Chiu 6d, Daniel Gourdeau 7d, Ricky Zhao 7d, Ben Lockhart 7d, and Matthew Burrall 6d. The tournament will be played in two parts, a Round Robin Prelim Sunday through Wednesday, followed by the Championship Thursday and Friday. Jeff Shaevel is the Tournament Director, AGA President Andy Okun will be on hand and Chris Garlock and Andrew Jackson will head up the EJ recording team. photo: Calvin Sun, winner of the 2nd AGA pro tourney in January 2013; photo by Dennis Wheeler.

Published On 12/28/2014

Suzuki Leads Women’s Meijin League: Two games were played in the Women’s Meijin League in November. On the 13th, Suzuki Ayumi 6P (W) beat Mukai Chiaki 5P by 1.5 points. On the 20th, Mannami Nao 3P (B) beat Chinen Kaori 4P by resignation. On December 4, Chinen Kaori 4P (B) beat Mukai Chiaki 5P by resignation. Two more games were played on December 11. Kato Keiko 6P (W) beat Aoki Kikuyo 8P by 4.5 points and Suzuki Ayumi 6P (B) beat Mannami Nao 3P by resignation. On 4-1, Suzuki holds the sole lead -- every other player has at least two losses.

Published On 12/27/2014

Ichiriki Wins Ibero-Japan Cup: This is a new tournament founded to encourage young players. It is open to players under 18, including inseis (professional trainees), and games are played on the Net. In the final, played on November 11, Ichiriki Ryo 7P (right), taking white, beat Kyo Kagen 2P by 6.5 points.

Youth Kyu Championship Feb. 7

Published On 12/27/2014

The North American Kyu Championships (NAKC) returns this year, and will be held on KGS, on Saturday Feb. 7th. The NAKC will welcome kids who live in both Canada and Mexico to compete with their counterparts in the US. Dan level players will be able to compete in the Redmond Cup (including players from Canada and Mexico). Youth who compete in either event will also be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, on a first come first served basis.

Published On 12/27/2014

Return of The Hedgehog: “The French movie ‘The Hedgehog’ has a mention of go and a scene showing the game,” writes Bart Lipofsky. “It’s based on the book ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ by Muriel Barbery, which mentions the game at a dinner table discussion.

Published On 12/25/2014

In-seong Hwang 8D’s online go school starts its fourth American season – and 11th European season – next month and is accepting new students now. Click here for details on the American Yunguseng Dojang and here for the European Yunguseng Dojang. A well-known top player in Europe, Hwang Inseong 8D trained at the Korean Yunguseng Academy, studied Go in Myong-ji University and worked for a baduk TV channel as commentator. The program consists of interactive online lectures, student league-play and game reviews on KGS. Students have access to all past lectures and reviews -- more than 100 lectures and over 2,000 game review videos -- as well as “personal go reports” to help students assess the progress they are making and the areas which need most work. “After just one year, the American league already has the biggest number of players, thanks to the members who bring their friends,” says Hwang. “Since we have more members, the next season league will be much more

Published On 12/25/2014

Former AGA Board Chair David Weimer tipped us off about a forthcoming book with a go-themed cover. International Relations Theory, The 2014.12.23_Int-relations-book-coverGame-Theoretic Approach is by Andrew H. Kydd, a colleague of Weimer’s in the Political Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, WI. “Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this is the first textbook on international relations theory to take a specifically game theoretic approach to the subject,” according to the book’s description on the Cambridge University Press website. “International relations theory is presented and analysed using simple games, which allow students to grasp the concepts and mechanisms involved with the rationalist approach without the distraction of complicated math.” The book is due out in March.

EuroGoTV: Romania, Ukraine, Serbia

Published On 12/23/2014

Romania: Liviu Oprisan 4d bested George Chirila 1d (left) at the 6th Radu Baciu Grand Prix in CSRB on December 14 while Mihai Lita 2d came in third. Ukraine: Also on December 14, the Tournament of 50 parallel finished in Kharkiv with Oleksandr Hiliazov 1d in first, Anton Parafilo 8k in second, and Leonid Shumakov 5k in third. Serbia: Lazar Manojlovic 5d took the 39th Serbian Championship on December 14 in Kragujevac. Mijodrag Stankovic 5d placed second and Dragan Mitic 4d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 12/23/2014

The 2015 European Go Congress will be held in Liberec, the Czech Republic, from July 25th to August 8th. “I´d like to invite American go players2014.12.22_EGC-video to join us,” says Vladimir Danek, chief of the EGC 2015 Organizing Committee and president of the Czech Go Association. “The motto of this Go Congress is ‘Go, Fun and Relaxation’“ says Danek. “We want to make the Congress attractive for everybody.” Click here to check out their cool video. Liberec is 100 km north of Prague, “very close to Germany and Poland,” Danek adds. The Congress site is the Babylon Center, which, in addition to conference halls, hotel and restaurants, has attractions including the Aquapark, iQpark, bowling, golf simulator and other activities. “The large open terrace on the roof of Babylon will be a great place for meeting friends and playing friendly games,” Danek promises.

Published On 12/23/2014

UK Youth Team Fights Hard, But Loses To Israel: The BGA UK Youth team lost 1-4 to Israel on Sat, 13 Dec 2014, in the European Youth Go Team Championship. They currently rank 10th place overall out of the 13 teams, with 2 rounds left to play.The next round, Czechia vs. United Kingdom, will take place on Saturday, January 17th, 2015. Joe Cai Sparkles at Christmas in Edinburgh: The Edinburgh Christmas tournament saw a total of 25 players. Tongzhou (Joe) Cai (3d Glasgow) won all four of his games and co-organiser Boris Mitrovic, Alistair Wall, Niall Paterson, Baron Hasslinger, and Greg Cox each took home a prize for three wins. - compiled/edited by Amy Su, based on reports on the BGA website

Published On 12/23/2014

Stop & Go: "While not really a spotting of a game of go, this photo (at right) does remind a player to STOP by the local club," says Ted Terpstra.

Published On 12/20/2014

A new go school in Singapore welcomes students from the United States. The Go Academy offers a wide range of classes, from 1-day introduction to kyu and dan intensive camps, reports Director Daniel Chan. More info available on Facebook.

Published On 12/20/2014

“It's interesting to read about the work of University of Edinburgh to use machine learning to improve the level of playing in computers, (Scottish Neural Network Takes Computer Go to Next Level 12/16/2014 EJ)” writes Nin Lei, Distinguished Engineer and CTO, Analytics and Big Data, STG IBM Systems and Technology Group. “However, the title in their article creates an impression that their research is creating a program that can beat the best human players. If their probability of guessing their next move is only 44%, then their chance of guessing it wrong is 56%. In a sequence of 10 moves, the chance of getting the complete sequence correctly is 0.44 ** 10, which is a very small number.”

Published On 12/20/2014

In a surprise victory, Murakawa Daisuke 8P defeated Iyama Yuta 9P on December 16 to win the 62nd Oza. The Oza is Murakawa’s first major title. This is the first time a player from the Kansai Kiin has won the Oza since Hashimoto Shoji 9P did so 33 years ago in 1981. The final game was played in Toba, Mie Prefecture, Japan. The upset attracted a lot of attention in Japan, because former Oza Iyama Yuta currently dominates the domestic Japanese go scene. - excerpted from Go Game Guru; click here for the full report, including game records.

Baduk TV releases More Classic Go Books

Published On 12/19/2014

Another series of classic go books has just been released by BadukTV, reports Shawn Ray (Clossius). The first set of four books 2014.12.18_art-of-closingwas "The Profound and Mysterious," a life-and-death exercise book written between 1347 and 1349, during the Yuan dynasty. The second and just-released series is “The Art of Closing," a 6-book set filled with ancient problems put together by previous masters and translated by Cho Hye-yeon. “It is a level below that of ‘The Profound and Mysterious’ so players 5-kyu and stronger should be able to benefit greatly from it,” Ray tells the E-Journal. “Though I think anyone can take a lesson or two from it.” Click here to buy both as a bundle of all 10 of the books. For more info e-mail Ray at Clossius.ShawnRay@gmail.com

Published On 12/18/2014

China won the SportAccord World Mind Games Pair Go Event to complete their sweep of gold medals in the 4th annual event, which wrapped up on December 17 in Beijing, China. Russia emerged as the SAWMG's big winners overall this year, as their players took home a total of six gold, five silver and one bronze medal. In total, 150 players from 37 countries took part in the 2014 World Mind Games. There were 14 disciplines across five sports, with 24 medal rounds contested. Click here for full results. More Gold for China (Ranka Pair Go report) Pair Go Begins (Ranka) Pair Go Game Records photo: China's Pair Go Team, Yu and Mi

BIBA’s Winter Camp in Hawaii

Published On 12/18/2014

Blackie’s International Baduk Academy (BIBA) has just announced their Winter BIBA Camp in Hawaii. The camp runs January 2014.12.18_hawai-pool29 through February 4 on Kauai Island and will be led by Kim Seung-jun (Blackie) 9P and Koszegi Diana 1P. The cost is 1800 for 6 nights and 7 days, and includes accommodation, meals, renting cars, basic sightseeing programs and study fee. Email blackies.academy@gmail.com for details or to register.

Published On 12/17/2014

"One of the last bastions of human mastery over computers is about to fall to the relentless onslaught of machine learning algorithms," according to a December 15 report in the MIT Technology review. Why Neural Networks Look Set to Thrash the Best Human Go Players for the First Time reviews the work of Christopher Clark and Amos Storkey at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, who "have applied the same machine learning techniques that have transformed face recognition algorithms to the problem of finding the next move in a game of Go." "The question that these guys have trained a deep convolutional neural network to answer is: given a snapshot of a game between two Go experts, is it possible to predict the next move in the game?...

Published On 12/16/2014

China has swept the SportAccord 2014 World Mind Games go competition, winning gold in the men’s team and women’s individual events. Tuo Jiaxi, Mi Yuting and Shi Yue (right) easily dispatched the US team in the final match to clinch their gold medals. More SAWMG coverage: Of love of Go, wine and Hollywood (Interview with France's Fan Hui 2P) Final Rounds: Gold Medals for China (Ranka) Women’s Final: Yu Zhiying vs Kim Chaeyoung (Ranka) Pair Go Begins (Ranka) Mind Sports at Beijing Schools (Ranka) Game Records-Men (Pandanet) Game Records-Women (Pandanet) Game Records-Pair (Pandanet)

Published On 12/15/2014

As noted in yesterday’s report, the US team beat Europe in the SportAccord World Mind Games Round 3 team match on December 13; click here for Ranka’s details on that match, and here for the interview with Danny Ko, one of the victorious American players. Round 4 action on December 14 began with two games that would draw the line between the medal winners and non-winners in the women’s section. Both players from Chinese Taipei came up short: Joanne Missingham lost in just 111 moves to Kim Chaeyoung (Korea), while Cathy Chang narrowly lost to famed veteran Rui Naiwei of China; click here for the game commentary.

Jian Xiao 4D sweeps NOVA Slate & Shell

Published On 12/15/2014

Jian Xiao 4D (left) took the annual NOVA Slate & Shell Open on December 13 with a 4-0 record in a field of 18 players. “Bill Cobb of Slate & Shell generously donated 2014.12.14_Bill-Cobbbooks as prizes for the event,” reports TD Gurujeet Khalsa. Other undefeated players were Gurujeet Khalsa 6K at 3-0 and Deirdre Golash 12K with a 4-0 score. photo at right: Bill Cobb, with S&S prizes; photos courtesy Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 12/15/2014

Andrew Kay Top Teacher in South London: The second South London kyu players' teaching day and tournament took place at the Croydon Quaker Meeting House, where nineteen students were taught in the morning by Andrew Kay, Alex Rix, Tim Hunt and Alison Bexfield. In the afternoon there was a three round tournament. Kay won the teachers' tournament with three wins. UK Stays Second in C-League: UK remains second behind Bulgaria in the C-League. Bulgaria has won two more boards than the UK. The match against Ireland ended 3:1 and links to the games can be found on the main PGETC page. - compiled/edited by Amy Su, based on reports on the BGA website

Go Spotting: Netflix’ Borgia

Published On 12/15/2014

Go makes an appearance in the Netflix series "Borgia," which is not to be confused with the similar series "The Borgias." In the 29th minute of the third episode ("1497") of the third season, Cesare Borgia , the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492-1503), uses "the game of strategy from the Orient, go," to give a plan for his conquest of northern Italian states. He uses a thick go board with legs and colored glass beads to demonstrate his point. "The goal is to add as few men as possible; out-thinking your opponent rather than out-fighting him." The winner does not eradicate his opponent, but rather entices him to surrender. - Ted Terpstra, based on a tip from Mark Gilston

Published On 12/14/2014

by James Davies, Ranka Online Update: The US team beat Europe in the team match on December 13; see report and links below for details. The morning event on the second day of the SportAccord World Mind Games on December 12 was the second round of the women’s double knockout. The outcome was victory for both Chinese and both Koreans. Choi Jeong needed less than two hours to defeat Natalia Kovaleva by a wide margin. In a somewhat closer game China’s rookie King Yu Zhiying defeated Japan’s Women’s Honinbo Fujisawa Rina. Japan’s Okuda Aya then bowed in resignation to China’s Rui Naiwei after a long ko fight, and Joanne Missingham (right), trailing by a fraction of a stone with only two one-point moves left to play, resigned to Kim Chaeyoung.

Published On 12/13/2014

The first round of go competition at the 4th SportAccord World Mind Games on December 11 featured an epic encounter between the Korean and Japanese men’s teams, and a historic victory for a Russian woman. The Japan-Korea men’s match was close on all three boards.

Published On 12/13/2014

China's defending champion Tang Weixing 9p faced off against Korea's secret weapon Kim Jiseok 9p (left) at the 2014 Samsung Cup finals on December 9 and 10 in Xi'an. Though Tang had a previous win and the home field advantage, Kim's individual performance this year in international tournaments has been almost flawless with 15 wins and only 1 defeat. The result? Kim delighted Korean fans by defeating Tang 2-0 and giving Korea its first major international title since Lee Sedol 9p won the Samsung Cup in 2012. For more information about this year's tournament including photos, game records, and preliminary commentary by An Younggil 8d, please visit Go Game Guru. --Younggil An, from a longer article on Go Game Guru; photo courtesy Go Game Guru. Edited by Annalia Linnan.

Published On 12/13/2014

Russia: The Championship of Karelia finished on December 7 in Petrozavodsk with Vladimir Shvecov 3d in first, Dimitrij Kornev 4d in second, and Dmitrij Konovalov 2d in third. Romania: Mircea Nitu 11k (left) took the 2nd VolGo Cup on December 6 in Voluntary. Behind him were Sebastian State 11k in second and George Gigoi 14k in third. Lithuania: Also on December 7, Giedrius Tumelis 2d bested Andrius Petrauskas 3d at the Lithuanian Go Championship in Vilnius while Ernestas Romeika 1d came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 12/11/2014

The fourth SportAccord World Mind Games officially opened at an evening ceremony held on December 10 in the banquet hall of2014.12.11_SAWMG_drawing the V-Continent Beijing Parkview Wuzhou hotel near the Beijing International Conference Center, which is the competition venue. Thirty go players representing the best of China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, North America, Japan, and Korea will compete with each other December 11-17, rubbing shoulders with some of the world’s best bridge, chess, draughts, and xiangqi players. Counting all five disciplines, there are 150 contestants, drawn from nearly forty countries and territories on six continents. Click here for Ranka Online’s reports on the SAWMG’s Opening ceremony and draw and Players Converge on Beijing for the 4th SportAccord WorldMind Games.

Published On 12/10/2014

“I just received a request from the American Go Foundation for a contribution towards their work,” writes Portland Go Chapter Organizer Peter Freedman. “I will again this year donate $100, and urge everyone who reads this to donate something. While about 130 donors are listed on this year's request, there's no reason why we cannot double that number this year! There are lots of you out there, and, what go player does not appreciate the AGF's efforts to bring go to children? Please celebrate the holidays this year with a gift to the AGF...and while you are at it, thank the AGF people for all their efforts to bring go to children and youth.”

Published On 12/10/2014

Andrew Kay Holds British Championship: November 29, Andrew Kay defeated Alex Kent to retain the British Championship by three games to nil. The game will be made available shortly, with commentary from Matthew Macfadyen.

Published On 12/9/2014

The inventor of a physical go board that records moves and enables online play on an actual board is looking for North American partners to market it in the West. According to Sihong Zhou, the board, which lights up to show where your opponent has played, is compatible with some go servers, like Tygem/eWeiqi or Sina. Additional features, Zhou says, include joseki and tesuji training, games against a computer program up to 4d, and a built-in game clock. More details are available, in Chinese, on the RuiQi Tech website. Those interested may email Zhou in Shenzhen China at 1838349552@qq.com.

Published On 12/9/2014

Anyone who joins, renews or extends their membership with the AGA between now and New Year's Day will receive two months of free access to2014.12.02_Watch-Baduk-TV-in-English BadukTV English, AGA President Andy Okun announced. "We're grateful to GoGameGuru, David Ormerod and the folks at BadukTV for this generous offer," Okun said. People who are already BadukTV English subscribers can opt instead for a free go book (US shipping address only, limited choice of titles). AGA life members who request it can take advantage of the two months without doing anything, as it would be tricky to extend their memberships, Okun said. Baduk TV English takes the best of the 24-hour Korean cable channel Baduk TV, with lessons, game commentary and problems analyzed by professionals, and adds English subtitles. There are several hundred hours of material in the library already and new material all the time. After joining or renewing, click here to take advantage of the offer.

Horn & Cha Top Davis-Sac Winter Tourney

Published On 12/8/2014

The Davis/Sacramento Go Club held its Winter Tournament on December 6th at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. There were 14 players, including three who were playing in their first AGA tournament: Clete Reader, Laura Sparks, and Barry Stiefel. Jeff Horn 1D (left) won the upper division and Tai-An Cha 5k (right) won the lower division, both with 3-1 scores. - Willard Haynes

Published On 12/8/2014

The 4th SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) will be held in Beijing December 11-17. Contestants will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in five areas: go, chess, contract bridge, draughts and xiangqi (Chinese chess). The go competition will follow the same format as last year: 18 men representing China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea, and North America will compete in a three-man team round-robin; 12 women from the same areas will compete in an individual double knockout; and 16 of these contestants will also compete in a single knockout mixed pair tournament. The Chinese team this year is comprised of 5 professionals, four 9 dans and a 5 dan.

Published On 12/5/2014

Ukraine: Yevhen Kolodin 4k took the Vitalii Trost Memorial on November 30 in Odesa. Serhii Stupachenko 9k placed second and Oleksandr Viter 7k was third. Turkey: Also on November 30, the Turkish Go Championship finished in Istanbul with Ozgur Degirmenci 3d in first, Kerem Karaerkek 2d in second, and Hayri Kilic 1d in third. Russia: Anton Zantonskikh 6d bested Andrej Arkharov 2d at the Championship of Khabarovsk District on November 23. Sergej Kastorin 4d came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 12/5/2014

"Do you have any info on Washington DC or Northern VA Go association?" asks Jonathan Kim. Click on a state here to see a list of AGA chapters and other clubs and meeting places for go players in that state. Official chapters of the American Go Association are indicated by the AGA logo. Click on a chapter or club name to visit their webpage, if available.

Published On 12/4/2014

Players met from November 28 to December 3 in Busan, Korea for the 2nd round of the Nongshim Cup. China's performance was especially stunning with Wang Xi 9p winning four games in a row before he was defeated by Korea's top player Park Junghwan 9p. Pressure was on Japan in game ten when Park faced Japan's top player Iyama Yuta 9p (right). However, Iyama came through and secured a place for Japan in the Nongshim Cup Finals for the first time since the 12th Nongshim Cup in 2010-2011. Shanghai will host the final round of the 16th Nongshim Cup in March 2015. Kim Jiseok 9p will represent Korea while China has Shi Yue 9p, Mi Yuting 9p, and Lian Xiao 7p on its roster. Historically, the Nongshim Cup has been dominated by Korean players (11 wins) while Japan has only won once. For more information on this year's Nongshim Cup including photos, game records, and commentary, please visit Go Game Guru. --Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

Published On 12/4/2014

The AGA has just received a request to send a young North American (US or Canadian) player to Hangzhou, China, for the new Li Min Cup 2014.12.04-Hangzhou-Tianyuan-Tower-DSC_8259-199x300World Best Go Star Championship Finals from December 18 to 24, AGA President Andy Okun reports to the EJ. The player, who can be a citizen or permanent resident, should meet the AGA’s eligibility requirements and must have been born after Jan. 1, 1991. Food and lodging are being provided by the organizers along with travel expenses of up to 10,000 RMB (about $1,600). “While this is a last-minute thing, I have been to Hangzhou and this is a trip worth making if at all possible,” Okun said. The venue of the tournament, Hangzhou Qiyuan’s Tianyuan Tower, is a 34-floor go-themed luxury hotel with a major go school and library and a go museum in the lobby (THE TRAVELING GO BOARD: HANGZHOU’S TOWER OF GO 5/27/2010 EJ).

Chess and Go Tourney in Portland

Published On 12/3/2014

Three Portland schools competed in a chess and go tournament, on Nov. 30th, reports organizer Peter Freedman. Four go players and four chess players from each school participated. Go was played on 13x13 boards. Irvington edged out Beverly Cleary to take the go trophy, and also edged out Richmond to take the chess trophy. Chess results: Irvington 9 wins, Richmond 6 wins and Beverly Cleary 3 wins. Go results: Irvington 8 wins, Beverly Cleary 7 wins, and Richmond 3 wins. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

AGA City League Off to a Good Start

Published On 12/2/2014

Most of the games for the first round of the 2014-2015 AGA City League have been played already "and they were spectacular," says TD Steve Colburn. "With many of the strong AGA and CGA players playing we have seen some exciting games."

Results: A League: Boston def Canwa Vancouver 1 (2-1), Greater Washington def San Francisco 1 (2-1), Los Angeles def Seattle 1 (3-0)

B League: Bay Area def Washington DC 2 (2-1), Princeton def Canwa Vancouver 2 (2-1) Still ongoing: NC Raleigh vs Katy TX 1 (1-1), last game to be played Dec 18 9:30ET

C League: DC Team 3 def Boston 2 (3-0), SF Bay Area/Berkley def Atlanta 2 (2-1) Still ongoing: Atlanta 1 vs New Orleans, times TBA

Published On 12/2/2014

The Iwamoto North America Foundation (INAF) has taken another step toward establishing a new East Coast Go Center, releasing an Announcement of Intended Request for Proposals. INAF “seeks proposals from interested parties for the establishment of a center that would help promote Go in the center’s local area, serve as a resource for east coast go activities, and contribute to a more vibrant Go community nationally.” A formal request for proposals is expected to be released in July 2015 with proposals due in November 2015 and an award made in January 2016. Interested groups should contact INAF for discussions on how to proceed.

"Great Master" Go Seigen Dead at 100

Published On 12/1/2014

Go Seigen, regarded by many as the greatest go player ever, passed away at 1:11 am on November 30 in Japan. Go Seigen had celebrated his 2014.11.30_go-seigen-young100th birthday earlier this year, joined by go players around the world. "We mourn the passing of a truly great master and celebrate his life and the deep understanding of the game he left us with," said American Go Association President Andy Okun. 2014.11.30_Go-Seigen-oldBorn in China on June 12, 1914, Go Seigen (Wu Qingyuan in Chinese) did not start learning the game of go until he was nine, a relatively late age for a professional.

Published On 11/30/2014

Dropped in on the Gotham Go Club last Tuesday night during a visit to New York City to see longtime friend and go colleague Roy Laird. Despite IMG_1108Thanksgiving being just two days away, the club was bustling with activity, as it reportedly is each week. Had a fun time watching games and a quick pick-up game with a young student from China; it's a great club well worth the visit if you're in town!
- Chris Garlock, Managing Editor, American Go E-Journal. Check our Facebook page for more photos. Got go travel tales -- or photos -- of your own? Send 'em to us at journal@usgo.org!

Published On 11/29/2014

Sweden: The Gothenburg Open finished on November 23 with Charlie Aakerblom 4d in first, John Karlsson 4d in second, and Erik Ouchterlony 4d in third. Romania: Also on November 23, Ionel Santa 2d took the Romanian Cup Semifinal in Bucuresti. Pierre Boulestreau 1d came in second and George Chirila 1d was third. Finland: Jaakko Virtanen 2d (left) bested Jesse Savo 4d at the Turku Championship on November 23 while Tuukka Muroke 2d placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 11/29/2014

The Shanghai Ing Chang-ki Wei-ch'i (Go) Educational Foundation, will be holding the semifinals of 12th Annual Chinese Professional Chang Qi Cup Invitational Tournament in Cambridge, MA, next fall, along with two new side tournaments intended for the North American go community, the EJ has learned. The Chang Qi Cup, jointly hosted by the Ing Foundation and the China Go Association, now one of the most prestigious of the domestic Chinese go tournaments, was started in 2004 in memory of Taiwanese businessman and go benefactor Ing Chang-ki. Past winners have included greats such as Gu Li 9p, Kong Jie 9p and Chen Yaoye 9p. According to AGA President Andy Okun and Michael Fodera of the American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA), the Ing Foundation and Mr. Ing's son, Ying Ming-haw, have decided to take advantage of the 2015 semis to provide a promotional event for American players and to strengthen ties between the North American and Chinese go communities.

Go Spotting: Go TED Talk

Published On 11/26/2014

In his 2013 “A New Equation For Intelligence” TED Talk, Alex Wissner-Gross uses go to demonstrate his thesis that there is a single equation 2014.11.25_TED-talkfor intelligence. Drawing on the fact that computer game playing has improved to the point that in 1997 the computer beat the world chess champion and in the last decade computers have made significant progress in playing go, Wissner-Gross postulates that intelligence is a "physical force that resists future confinement." - Ted Terpstra, with thanks to Arnold Eudell and Joshua Guarino. We also covered this in a February 8, 2014 post.

Published On 11/26/2014

Nihon Kiin Chairman Wada Norio on November 25 announced a donation of $2M to serve as the seed fund for the new Iwamoto North America 2014.11.26_Iwamoto-OCT_1970Foundation for Go (INAF). INAF was founded earlier this year (Iwamoto North America Foundation for Go Takes Next Step 8/11/2014 EJ) to support the promotion of go in North America according to the vision and wishes of the late Japanese go master, Iwamoto Kaoru (at right in October, 1970).

Students Swell Syracuse Turnout

Published On 11/25/2014

A record 35 players participated in the Syracuse Go Club's Fall Self-Paired Tournament on November 22, “the high count due in no small part to the twelve primary and secondary students who came to play,” reports organizer and TD Richard Moseson. Eight players drove in from outside of Syracuse, including three from the Utica club, three from Cornell University's club, and two from Rochester. A wide assortment of free refreshments, some homemade, were available throughout the day, and every player was able to choose a prize to take home at the end of the day. Prizes included new books provided at a discount by Slate and Shell and boxed anime donated by the American Go Foundation. photo (far left): 8th grader Rachel Liu 19k, playing in her first tournament. photos by Richard Moseson [gallery ids="197524,197525,197523"]

"Kuma Sensei" Visits Seattle

Published On 11/25/2014

Kuma by Thane WilliamsOn November 15th and 16th, the Seattle Go Center welcomed Yu Hou 6 P from the Nihon Ki-in for a workshop event. "Kuma Sensei" provided instruction on a variety of basic go techniques to a group of eager students. As the participants learned about go, Kuma Sensei had the opportunity to practice English, giving everyone a chance to study. For both days, the workshop followed the same routine, with the morning schedule starting at 9:00am. Kuma Sensei began by holding a lecture, followed by review of participant games, and then with everyone going to eat lunch. In the afternoon, after playing simultaneous teaching match with the participants, Kuma Sensei reviewed the games. Saturday's lecture on about the Double Approach was truly great, captivating the attention of all of the students. Even though the lecture covered basic techniques, not only beginners, but also dan players thought it was a very interesting lecture.

Chimin Oh Wins 15th "Go to Innovation"

Published On 11/25/2014

Chimin Oh 7D, a former go instructor from Korea who now lives in England, won the €1000 first place prize in the November 14-16 “Go to SONY DSCInnovation” tournament which drew fifty-five players from around the world to Berlin, Germany. Viktor Lin (5-dan, Austria) came in second and won €500 and Zebin Du (6-dan, China) won €250 for third place. Rita Pocsai (4-dan, Hungary) won €500 from Omikron Data Quality GmbH, for best performance by a female player. She also won the €100 prize for her 10th place finish. No one won the jackpot prize for winning eight games. In fact no one managed to win seven games. Click here for complete results and a photo gallery. There were eight rounds and the Hahn Pointing system, developed by Professor Sang-Dae Hahn of Myongji University, was used to determine tournament winners. Instead of assigning 1 or 0 for a win or loss , the Hahn system awards points from 0 to 100 based on the difference in game counts.

Published On 11/22/2014

Gerry Gavigan Takes Second Place in Cork: Gerry Gavigan 13k from South London took second place in the 2014 UCC Tournament, held in the Mardyke Pavillion of University College Cork. President Closes Out the Spanish Inquisition: In the Pandanet Go European Team Championship, the UK's match against Spain on 18th November was split 1-1, so Board 1 was played a day later, with BGA President Jon Diamond winning to give the UK it's third win of the season and second place in the C-League behind Bulgaria. 12 Tapped for European Youth Online Team Tourney: A dozen young players have been selected to represent the UK at the first 2014.11.22_UK-letchworthEuropean Youth Go Team Tournament on KGS. They played their first match against Romania on 15th November, posting a 1-4 loss. The second match is against Italy on 29th November. Fun and Games at Letchworth Rapid Play: 26 players attended the first Letchworth Rapid Play event held at the Central Methodist Church in Letchworth Garden City.

Published On 11/21/2014

19th LG Cup 2014Four of China and Korea's best faced off at the 19th LG Cup quarter and semifinals on November 17 through November 19 in Gangwon, Korea. Though they performed poorly last year, team Korea (left) dominated this year's tournament with each player knocking out their Chinese counterpart including Kim Jiseok 9p's win against defending champion Tuo Jiaxi 9p. Kim will play good friend Park Junghwan 9p in the finals from February 9 through February 12 at Seoul National University. For more information about the 19th LG Cup including photos, game records, and commentary by An Younggil 8p, please visit Go Game Guru. --Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Published On 11/21/2014

Lothar Spiegel 5dItaly: Andriy Zakharzhevskyy 1d bested Carlo Metta 2d at the Torneo del Gladiatore on November 16 in Rome while Andrea Mori 1k came in third. Hungary: Also on November 16, Dominik Boviz took the PaGoda Go Cup in Budapest. Gabor Szabics 5d was second and Gyorgy Csizmadia 4d placed third. Austria: The Salzburg 2014 finished on November 9 in HausDerNatur with Lothar Spiegel 5d (left) in first, Schayan Hamrah 5d in second, and Dominik Boviz 4d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Portland Grade Schoolers Shine

Published On 11/21/2014

20141102_132802Eleven children from four different schools attended the first New Stars Youth Go Tournament, in Portland, OR on Nov. 2nd, reports organizer Peter Freedman. In the round robin upper division three kyu ranked players competed, with adult Bill Corry participating to make the number of players four. Hikaru Sato won first prize, a traveling Go set, with a 2-1 record. Eight children competed in the unranked division, with one child having a rank of KGS 22kyu. The $25 first prize was won by 2nd grader Olin Waxler, with a record of 3-0. Second place was split between Tommy Flynn, 2-0, and Emmett Mayer, 3-1, winning $12.50 each. "The tournament had a special structure, used last year, that is particularly favorable to new young players," says Freedman. "Players had to play at least either 4 9x9 games, 3 13x13 games, 2 19x19 games, or any combination of the above."

Published On 11/21/2014

Head shot of Frank smallThe Nihon Ki-in recently celebrated its 90th anniversary in Japan. As part of the celebration, they sent Frank (Kohya) Fukuda, Director Emeritus of the Seattle Go Center, an "Appreciation Diploma", signed by their President Norio Wada. The text stated in Japanese, "Residing outside of Japan, you have been working hard for introducing and popularizing the game of Go, and you have contributed greatly to make Go prosper in your area. Through your activity, the success of international friendship was achieved." Frank Fukuda is one of the founders of the Seattle Go Center, and he has been helping the Go Center ever since it opened in 1995. Report and photo by Brian Allen

Go Spotting: Go On His Mind

Published On 11/19/2014

San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra has been seeing go everywhere lately. On senet, an Egyptian board game that’s older than go by 3,000 years,2014.11.17_terpstra-collage but lost for millennia before being reborn, “‘GO’ can be seen in a couple of places on the side of the board,” he writes. A recent New Yorker cover “that at first glance seemed to have many white go stones scattered in it,” turned out to be raindrops on a taxi window as it approaches the Empire State Building, which Terpstra points out “is near the 2014 Go Congress site.” The UCSD Go Club combined with the San Diego Go Club to sponsor Go Night at UCSD on Saturday, November 8. Japanese language students turned out to learn go at a Study Abroad event. Twenty student showed up for the beginners class and although it was supposed to end at 8:30 p.m., “the students kept playing until they were thrown out at 10 p.m.,” says Terpstra.

Published On 11/18/2014

Watch your local team play this Sunday in the AGA City League. Games start at 3PM EST Sunday. Make sure to check out the latest GoPanda2 client as well; it has been updated recently and has new features.

Young Lions Tourney Deadline Wednesday

Published On 11/18/2014

Just a few days left to sign up for the Young Lions Tournament, players must register by Wednesday Nov. 19th. The matches will take place on November 22 and 23 in the AGHS Tournaments Room on KGS. The first round will begin at 1 pm EST, and the second round at 4 pm EST. The second day will follow the same schedule. “This tournament is one of the biggest youth go events in America,” says AGHS Promotion Head Amy Su, “young go players will fight tooth and claw to emerge on top, will you be the one to lead the pride this year?” Anyone 18 or under may participate, and there will be prizes for the winners in multiple categories. Visit the official Young Lions website for more information, to register fill out this form. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Daniel Chou Tops UMBC Tourney

Published On 11/18/2014

Daniel Chou 6D (below, left) took top honors 3-0 at the UMBC tourney last Sunday. “Some 34 players turned out to enjoy a day of go, friendship, and free pizza,” reports Gurujeet Khalsa. Hosted by the UMBC club there was also a strong showing from neighboring AGA collegiate clubs from Johns Hopkins University and the University of MD, College Park. Other 3-0 winners were: Zhangqi Luo (2D), Julian Erville (1D), Kasidet Hiranniramoi (5K), Brendan Berger (5K) and Hyungwook Lee (13K). photos: (left) UMBC Club President Nathan Epstein congratulates Daniel Chou; (right) playing scene at the Skylight room UMBC Commons. Photos by Gurujeet Khalsa, TD

Go Spotting: Cat Go

Published On 11/18/2014

The Internet is filled with cats, so Steve Colburn wasn’t too surprised to come across this piece by Tango that combines cats and go. “The tumblr2014.11.17_cats-go this came off of has a lot of fun images for simple perspective and jokes,” Colburn adds.

Published On 11/17/2014

Learn How to Run a Tournament: Steve Colburn is well-known as a key member of the E-Journal's Congress team and as the AGA’s sysadmin extraordinaire, but he's also the chapter head of the Empty Sky Go Club in Rochester, NY. Colburn has now released a few videos on how to administer an AGA chapter, including how to run a tournament with OpenGotha, and how to update a chapter's details with the AGA Membership Manager. Click here for his videos. Questions about how to update your information, sign up, or use the AGA website? Send them to operations@usgo.org and we'll make more tutorial videos with your questions.

Published On 11/16/2014

November 26 Deadline for Australian Go Congress Early Bird Rate: There’s limited space for international competitors at the first-ever Australian Go Congress, set for January 25-31, 2015 in Sydney (First Australian Go Congress set for 2015 in Sydney 7/13/2014 EJ). There’s an early bird rate for those who book and pay prior to November 26.

SmartGo Pro: End of the Line

Published On 11/14/2014

SmartGo Kifu and the upgrade package are on sale for one week. For the next week, the go apps' upgrade bundle will be $16 — if you bought Pro at $13, 2014.11.13_smartgo-kifu-heroyou can upgrade for just $3. And SmartGo Kifu (right) will be on sale for $15 (25% off). “Grab this chance before it’s gone,” says SmartGo author Anders Kierulf. “This is a rare opportunity, as SmartGo Kifu has only ever been on sale once before in its 4.5 years.” Kierulf revived the iPhone-only SmartGo Pro earlier this year to get users up-to-date, “and as soon as Apple allowed it, I added an upgrade package to give users a way to upgrade from Pro to Kifu. However, the numbers are in, and having multiple versions of essentially the same app is proving to be too confusing.” After next week, Kierulf will remove SmartGo Pro from the App Store; “SmartGo Kifu, which works on both iPad and iPhone, is the way forward,” he says. Read more about it here.

Published On 11/12/2014

Go Game Guru has bought Hinoki Press from founder Chris Greene, who started the go book publishing company in 2006 and has since published 18 go books. A long-time go player, Greene started Hinoki after retiring from his career as a programmer “because he wanted to give something back to the go community,” says GGG’s David Ormerod. “Chris’ contribution to the body of English-language go books is immense… Hinoki’s efforts made a lot of thought provoking material available in English for the first time.” Because of his health, Greene no longer wants to continue running Hinoki. “It’s important to all of us that go books stay in print wherever possible and we bought Hinoki with the express purpose of keeping all 18 of its books in print,” says Ormerod.

Published On 11/12/2014

So last week the BIBA students went to watch the semi-finals of the Samsung Cup being played in Korea. It was a lot of fun and the students, including myself, got to study with the national Korean baduk team. These players are the top young professional players here in Korea, and we were able to make new friends and learn new strategies with them. Check out this photo of the national team, BIBA students and Kim Ji-Seok who joined in the review after finishing his game. We also had a lot of fun playing Ping Pong and Choku (Foot-VollyBall) with our teachers and other professional players. It was definitely an amazing experience to be able to study with young Korean professionals and play some sports with them. It was also exciting to see the Samsung Cup semi-finals being played and explained to you by half a dozen other pros. I think the funniest thing I heard was when I asked who was winning in a certain game, and a pro friend of mine said “White, by a lot.”

UMBC Fall Tourney Returns This Sunday

Published On 11/11/2014

After a several-year hiatus the UMBC Fall tournament returns this Sunday, sponsored by the University of Maryland Baltimore County Go Club. Registration starts at 10 AM on Sunday 11/16. There will be three rounds in sections of eight players. Free pizza and cash prizes. The tournament will be in the Skylight room at the top of the Commons building on the UMBC campus, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Catonsville,MD. Free to UMBC students and faculty. Pre-register with Tournament Director, Gurujeet Khalsa, by email at gurujeet@live.com or RSVP on the Meetup event or call 703-626-0777.

Published On 11/10/2014

Inter Districts Tournament: The preliminaries for the Dutch Championships 2015, called INDIS, were recently held in October...click 2014.11.09_amsterdam-tourneyhere for more on this and the reports below. Badukmovies Goes to Japan: Badukmovies.com creators Peter Brouwer 6d and Kim Ouweleen 4d recently traveled to Japan for the Nihon Ki-in’s Summer Go Camp... Oromedia Books on Sale at Het Paard: Amsterdam-based Go Shop Het Paard http://www.goshop-keima.com/ has put all remaining Oromedia books on sale...

Published On 11/9/2014

Kim Jiseok 9pThe 2014 Samsung Cup semifinals finished on November 7 in Daejeon, Korea with Korea's number two player Kim Jiseok 9p (left) to face defending champion Tang Weixing 9p. Kim's rise to the top included solid wins against the top Chinese player Shi Yue 9p. Meanwhile, Tang was forced to play three intense games as himself and Korea's top player Park Junghwan 9p trapped each other in many complicated territory battles. Though Kim and Tang have played four other games together (Kim in the lead at 3-1), the 2014 Samsung Cup finals will be Kim's first appearance in an international final. The match will take place on December 9 through December 11 in Xian, China. For more information about the semifinals including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru. --Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

Published On 11/9/2014

Jonas Welticke 5dUkraine: The Kharkiv Championship 2014 finished on November 2 with Oleksandr Hiliazov 1d in first, Anton Boreiko 4k in second, and Lenid Shumakov 5k in third. Germany: Also on November 2, Jonas Welticke 5d (left) took the NRW-Meisterschaft 2004 in Duesseldorf while Barbara Knauf 3d came in second and Bernd Radmacher 5d placed third. Finland: Juri Kuronen 6d bested Jusso Nyyssonen 5d at the Finnish Championship League in Helsinki on November 2. Javier-Aleksi Savolainen 5d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 11/9/2014

Pair Go Celebrates 25th Anniversary: One of the biggest developments in go in recent decades has been the rise of Pair Go to worldwide2014_11.09_Pair-Go_winners-Kim-Sooyoung_Jeon-Junhak popularity. The holding of the 25th International Amateur Pair Go Championship at the end of October also marked the 25th anniversary of the birth of Pair Go...click here to read more on this and all the following reports. Korea Takes Lead in Nong Shim Cup: In the three-way team tournament, Korea ended this round with two wins to one each for Japan and China...

Published On 11/9/2014

Out of print go books from OroMedia are available at steep discounts but they’re going fast. Go Game Guru is currently selling out of print go2014.11.09_train-like-a-pro-1-300x442books from OroMedia at discounts of more than 50% off. OroMedia, based in Korea, was the publisher of more than 20 go books in English, as well as other Korean language books and magazines. The company went out of business in 2013, and Go Game Guru has purchased their remaining stock. "Because we were able to buy these books at a discounted price, we can offer much lower prices to customers than usual," says Go Game Guru's David Ormerod. The majority of the books are priced at $10 or less, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Seven of the books are already out of stock; click here for an up-to-date list of all the books on sale.

Washington Post Plugs Go

Published On 11/8/2014

gameofgo1The Washington Post included an article on go on November 4th, reporting on a tourney held in Arlington, VA. "Frederick Bao studies the yellow board that sits on the table between him and Sarah Crites," wrote Jennifer Huget in her article. "Clasping a white 'stone' between the pad of his middle finger and the nail of his index finger, he makes his move, tapping the stone onto the board. Then he quickly slaps the palm of his hand on one end of a clock that also sits on the table." The full article is here. NOVA Go Club member Gary Smith notes "while Sarah Crites, 13k and Frederick Bao,1d did not meet in the tournament, the photo in the Post was of a practice game during registration." -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo and quotes courtesy of The Washington Post.

Pie in the Empty Sky

Published On 11/7/2014

The Empty Sky Go Club got in just under the wire on the AGA's free pizza offer with a party on October 30th. "Thanks to the AGA for this 2014.11.06_empty-sky-pizzaawesome offer for October!" says Steve Colburn of the Rochester, NY club.

Published On 11/7/2014

Students, parents and educators from across Chicago gathered on November 1 to celebrate the Chicago Public Schools Seal of Bi-literacy 2014.11.06_Chicago-Biliteracyprogram, designed to help students to learn and understand more than one language, culture and art. Volunteers from the local community, the Go and Math Academy and the Confucius Institute in Chicago participated to promote Chinese language and arts. Visitors, especially young kids, were attracted by go, known as weiqi in China. “Some kids stayed at our booth and played weiqi for more than an hour,” reports Xinming “Simon” Guo. “They even called their friends over to learn the game together. Photographers and news video camera crew also circled around our booth and the weiqi board. The event organizer told us that our booth, with the weiqi game introduction and Chinese characters Tattoos activity, was the most popular one among all exhibitors.” photos courtesy Simon Guo; click here for more photos.

Published On 11/6/2014

Nearly 100 Pair Go Promotion Partners and other guests gathered in Tokyo, Japan on October 24 to kick off a weekend-long celebration of OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAthe 25th International Amateur Pair Go Championships. Hisao and Hiroko Taki hosted a fabulous dinner at the Hotel Okura to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Japan Pair Go Association and the Pair Go tournament. Mr. Taki is the inventor of Pair Go and the founder of the Japan Pair Go Association of which Mrs. Taki (right) is the current managing director. They held the formal dinner to thank everyone for their continuing efforts to promote Pair Go around the world. The Hotel Okura is a hotel established by and named for Kishichiro Okura, one of the founding patrons of the Nihon Ki-in. Tournament action got started on Saturday morning at the Hotel Metropolitan Edmont with the drawing of the opening round pairings for the 32 pairs representing 21 countries and territories.

Published On 11/4/2014

This oil painting depicting a go game between a young Korean girl and an older western man is featured in an October 31 ArtNet News 2014.11.02_KimHyonMyongConfrontation-oilnorthkoreareport about North Korea's Mansudae Art Studio. Perhaps the world's biggest art factory, "It employs around 4,000 laborers of which under a quarter are artists who mostly graduated from the Pyongyang University of Fine Arts. The studio churns out propaganda for the Kim family leadership, producing everything from trinkets to murals and gigantic Soviet-style monuments." This piece, entitled “Confrontation” is by Kim Hyon Myong. Thanks to David Fruchtenicht for passing this along.

Published On 11/4/2014

Iulian Lungu 1d Romania: The 8th Shodan Trophy finished on October 25 in Bucuresti with Iulian Lungu 1d (left) in first, Tiberiu Barbu 2k in second, and Francisc Budai 2k in third. Switzerland: Lorenz Trippel 2d took the Coupe Patrice Gosteli in La Chaux-de-Fonds on October 26 while Dominik Mueller 3k came in second and Felicien Mazille 1d placed third. Belgium: Also on October 26, Vladimir Danek 5d bested Kim Ouweleen 4d at The Brussels 2014. Olivier Drouot 3d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Young Lions Nov. 22-23

Published On 11/4/2014

lionThe Young Lions Tournament, hosted by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), will take place on November 22 and 23 in the AGHS Tournaments Room on KGS. The first round will begin at 1 pm EST, and the second round at 4 pm EST. The second day will follow the same schedule. "This tournament is one of the biggest youth go events in America," says AGHS Promotion Head Amy Su, "young go players will fight tooth and claw to emerge on top, will you be the one to lead the pride this year?" Anyone 18 or under may participate, and there will be prizes for the winners in multiple categories. Visit the official Young Lions website for more information, to register fill out this form. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Go Spotting: Destinyâ€™s Go Gauntlets

Published On 11/3/2014

In the game Destiny once you hit Level 5 you can buy "Snakeline 4.5 gauntlets," which are â€œtough, menacing, and I swear- make you unbeatable 2014.11.02_gauntletsat Go." Thanks to Michael Albert for passing this along, though he doesnâ€™t say whether the gauntlets have actually made his go invincible.

Published On 11/2/2014

Students at the Feng Yun Go School got a special treat last month when Kwon Kapyong 8P paid a visit. “Among other accomplishments, Mr. 2014.011.02_Kwon-Kapyong-visitKwon was Lee Sedol's teacher,” reports Paul Matthews on the school’s website. “In fact, almost 20% of all Korean professional players were taught in his school.” Matthews reports 32014.011.02_Kwon-Kapyong-visit2that Feng Yun 9P “had a long talk with Mr. Kwon, and offered to help in his efforts to promote go in the United States.” They also discussed differences between teaching young students in Korea and in the United States. Parents in east Asian countries are willing to support their child in putting a lot of time into go study because there are more professional career opportunities there, American parents want to use go as an educational tool to train critical and logical thinking, problem solving, concentration, and good learning habits.

Published On 11/2/2014

Once again, go is providing insights into US/China diplomacy. In the recent US policy of "rebalancing toward Asia," Michael Spangler, writing 2014.11.02_war-college-quarterlyin the Summer 2014 issue of Parameters, the US Army War College quarterly, suggests that “Another way to look at this is to imagine a Chinese game of weiqi, the popular Asian game of black-and-white pieces in which two opposing players strive to surround the other. China’s July 2012 establishment of Sansha City on Paracel Island seized by force from Vietnam in 1974 was the precursor of its new weiqi games with the Philippines and Japan.” In "Rebalancing the Rebalance," Spangler, a visiting fellow at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA, adds that "It is key that Manila's talks not give Beijing any preponderant advantage by isolating or leveraging the Philippines against other disputants.

Published On 11/2/2014

The Long Island Go Club on October 12 hosted a pizza party (more photos on our Facebook page) thanks to the AGA's special October free pizza 2014.10.12 LIGC pizza party3AGA Chapter Offer. AGA chapters in San Diego and the Twin Cities also hosted AGA pizza parties.

Basaman & Yang Win in Wisonet

Published On 11/1/2014

Michael Basaman and Eric Yang topped a field of 11 at the October 25 Wisonet tournament. The one-day tournament held in the Quakerbridge Learning Center at Lawrenceville, New Jersey and included both “rated and non-rated games, multis, 9x9 and 13x13 games for the youths,” reports assistant director Shen Wan. “Everyone enjoyed the games and the pizza, thanks to AGA’s initiative for free pizza in October,” adds Shen. Basaman was 3-0 in the dan section and Eric Yang was 4-0 in the kyu section.

Published On 11/1/2014

Members of the Davis/Sacramento Go Club were featured on the October 19th edition of the local CBS affiliate's weekend morning show, Good Day. Willard Haynes (far left) gave host Cody Stark a quick tutorial on the game and Steve (at right) and Matthew Burrall were shown playing, as were club members Julie Burrall, Jeffrey Horn, Laura Holeman and Cameron Yu. Click here to see the 2:46m clip.

“Cartography” Puts Go on the Map

Published On 11/1/2014

Cartography is a new map-making, territory claiming, strategy game based on the game of go. Developed by Jon Adams, the game’s map is made up of interlocking triangular tiles, with walls that divide the map, allowing territory to be defended or captured. Players create and claim territory, and capture opponents, in an effort to control the map, which, like go, changes as you play. “Strategy is key and chance doesn't determine the winner,” says Adams. Like go, “Cartography is easy to learn and challenging to master!” Adams has already raised over $14,000 of his $15,000 Kickstarter campaign to launch the game. Thanks to Jeff Diamond for passing this along.

Published On 10/31/2014

With little competition so far for the two open slots, interested university and college students in the Americas have a good shot at getting to compete in the preliminary for the next World Students Go Oza Championship. Application deadline is Nov 16 and applicants must be under the age of 30. Click here for the entry form. Click here to read more (Registration Open for World Students Go Oza Championship 10/22 EJ).

Published On 10/28/2014

Forty-two players participated in the Massachusetts Go Tournament held in Davis Square, Somerville on October 19, so the tournament was divided into two independent sections with two sets of prizes. There were twenty players in section A 4 kyu and stronger, twenty-two in section B ranging from 5 kyu to 20 kyu.

Published On 10/28/2014

The October 18 Twin Cities Go Club’s Fall 2014 rated games day took place on the University of Minnesota campus, in a building that sits right on the edge of the Mississippi river. “It was a picturesque autumn day – clear skies and a slightly crisp feeling in the air - the trees at the peak of their color, with bright yellow leaves carpeting streets and walkways around campus,” reports Aaron Broege. The event began at 9am and lasted until 4 pm. Fifteen AGA members, ranging from 21k to 4d, participated in the rated games day.

Justin Chiang Tops Austin Fall Classic

Published On 10/28/2014

Justin Chiang topped the Austin Fall Classic Go Tournament on Saturday, October 25th at Great Hall Games in Austin, Tx. Fourteen players participated in the 4 round, handicap tournament, with prizes going to the following players: Justin Chiang 9K (4-0); Yue (John) Zhyang 4D (3-1), Cye Stoner 2K (3-1).
photo: (l-r): John Zhang, Cye Stoner, Justin Chiang

- report by TD Bart Jacob

Published On 10/28/2014

At the annual NOVA Pumpkin Classic, players usually compete for prize pumpkins. At this year’s Classic, on Saturday, October 25, 31 players vied “not to lose a pumpkin,” a result of a surfeit of squash due to what Tournament Allan Abramson admitted was “A massive lack of 2014.10.25-NOVA-pumpkincommunication” between him and NOVA Club President Gary Smith that found them both turning up with armfuls of pumpkins. In the end, every attendee, including visitors, left the George Mason Law School in Arlington VA with a grand pumpkin. Top section winner Josh Lee upped his game to finish 4-0. New visitor Saki Fujita 5 Dan from Japan, now studying at Johns Hopkins, promises to be a tough addition to the local scene. The winners were: First Place: Josh Lee, 5D, 4-0; Frederick Bao, 1D, 3-1; Quinn Baranoski, 3K, 3-1; Bob Crites, 7K, 4-0, tied with Gary Smith, 9K, 4-0; and Dierdre Golash, 13K, 4-0

Youwhan Kim Wins 2014 Cotsen Open

Published On 10/27/2014

Dark horse Youwhan Kim 7D, a former Korean insei, won the 2014 Cotsen Open, upsetting 2014 Masters champion Mark Lee in the second round and going on to sweep the rest of the tournament, 5-0. Kim’s play was consistently sharp and tough and he was unfazed by the speedy 20-second overtime, which added pressure to some of his opponents. Tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen congratulated the new tournament champion, saying "I like change. Anything that shakes things up at the top, that works for me."

Published On 10/26/2014

Click here for top-board game records and complete results. Additional photos are on the AGA’s Facebook page. Special Awards: Richard Dolen (top right) and Larry Gross received special awards from tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen for their longtime support and promotion of the game of go. Open 1. Youwhan Kim 7d 2. Calvin Sun 8d* 3. Mark Lee 7d* 4. Qipeng Luo 7d* 5. Beomgeun Cho 9d* * Sun & Lee were tied for 2nd; Sun was awarded 2nd place by default when Lee missed the award ceremony; Luo and Cho were tied for 4th place and Luo won 4th place in a rock-paper-scissors shoot-out conducted by Eric Cotsen.

Published On 10/26/2014

Mark Lee 7D (right), the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Cotsen Open, was upset in the second round on Saturday by Youwhan Kim 7D in a edge-of-the-seat 299-move thriller. The former Korean insei swept the US Masters 9-0 last August and has been2014.10.25_Cotsen-Mark-Lee visiting Myungwan Kim 9P in LA since then, where he’s also been teaching go and studying English.

Eric Cotsen, Happy Warrior

Published On 10/26/2014

You can tell how some go players feel about their game by the expression on their face, nervous if they’re losing or cheerful if they’re winning. But not Eric Cotsen. He always looks happy and excited to be playing, no matter what the situation is on the board.2014.10.25_Cotsen-Yang-DSC_0040 “It’s just the way I am, I guess,” Cotsen told the E-Journal in an interview Saturday morning at the Los Angeles Korean Cultural Center as players registered for the Cotsen Open, which he’s been sponsoring for “about 25 years now.” Cotsen’s proud of the tournament’s “different vibe,” pointing out the free lunches and team of masseuses for players, the refundable entry fee for players who attend both days, and the club team prizes. “I wanted it to be something out of the ordinary,” he says.

Published On 10/25/2014

For the past few years, the Twin Cities Go Club has been involved at an annual Chinese culture event in April hosted at the Mall of America. 2014.10.25 TCGO little girl DSC_0749Three years ago at this event we met the organization, Families with Children from Asia-Midwest, a group dedicated to bringing together families with children adopted from Asia. “Part of their goal is to educate the children on various aspects of Chinese culture, to help 2014.10.25 TCGO family weekend DSC_0743them feel more connected to their cultural heritage,” says TCGO’s Aaron Broege.

Published On 10/24/2014

Netherlands: Zeno van Ditzhuijzen 5d took the Indis (Inter-District) Tournament in Amstelveen on October 19. Behind him were Rudi Verhagen 4d in second and Rene Aaij 4d in third. Russia: Also on October 19, the Cup of Japan Ambassador finished in Moscow with Grigorij Fionin 6d in first, Natalie Kovaleva 5d (left) in second, and Dmytro Yatsenko 5d in third. Portugal: Cristovao Neto 1d bested Pedro Carmona 2k at the Open Porto in Lisboa on October 19 while Pedro Pereira 1k came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 10/24/2014

Murakawa Eliminated From Samsung Cup: The second round of the Samsung Cup was held in Taejon City in Korea on October 14. Tang Weixing 9P (right) of China, the previous winner of the tournament, beat Murakawa Daisuke 7P (W), Japan’s sole remaining player, by resig. The semifinalists are Kim chi-seok 9-dan and Pak Jung-hwan of Korea and Shi Yue and Tang of China. photo: Tang at the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games; photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images AsiaPac

Published On 10/23/2014

If you like go, tea and gardens – and are in the Portland, Oregon area – you’ll want to stop by the fifth annual Tea & Arts in the 2014.10.05_Tea-ArtsGarden celebration at the Teahouse & Lan Su Chinese Garden this Sunday, October 26 from 11a to 4p. “We'll spend Sunday drinking great tea and introducing go to people wandering in the garden and stopping at the tea house,” says the Portland Go Club’s Peter Freedman.

Published On 10/23/2014

Czech Republic: Ondrej Kachyna 2d bested Petr Cipra 3d at the Mikulov Tournament on October 18 while Ondrej Krumi 5d came in third. Poland: Also on October 18, the Turniej o Puchar Burmistrza finished in Ozarow Mazowiecki with Jan Fraczak 1k in first, Pawel Fraczak 2k in second, and Kamil Konieczny 5k in third. Slovenia: Dusan Milavec 5k took the Tenuki 2014 in Fiesa on October 4. Rado Pintar 1d placed second and Anna Marconi 11k (left) was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 10/23/2014

Murakawa Wins Kisei B League: All the fifth-round games of the 39th Kisei Leagues were played on October 2. In the B League, Murakawa Daisuke 7-dan (right) of the Kansai Ki-in had stumbled in the fourth round, but he made no mistake in the fifth: taking black, he beat Cho Chikun, 25th Honinbo, by 3.5 points and secured first place. His only remaining rival, Yoda Norimoto 9P, also won his final game, so he ended up with the same score, 4-1, as Murakawa, but the latter’s number one rank in the league gave him priority. In the A League, Yamashita Keigo made a clean sweep.

Published On 10/22/2014

Pre-registration for the Cotsen Open will be closing at midnight on Thursday night. After that, players will have to register at the door on Saturday morning. The 2-day tournament will be held on October 25-26 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los2014.10.17_Cotsen-2013 Angeles. "We will also be printing hats with the Cyclops Killer logo on them," reports organizer Samantha Davis. "They will be for sale at the tournament." Organizers are still looking for more volunteers for setup on Friday from 11am-5pm. "All volunteers will get a free hat and a pizza lunch," says Davis. Email her at cotsenopen@gmail.com. Sponsored by Eric Cotsen, the tournament is one of the biggest on the annual U.S. go calendar and features thousands of dollars in prizes, an Open Division, live KGS commentary on top board games, free masseuses for players, and free food truck lunches to all those who pre-register for both days of the tournament.

Published On 10/22/2014

The 2014 Samsung Cup semifinals took place in Daejeon, Korea on October 14. Because the "elite eight" consisted of four Chinese players and four Korean players, the sponsor arranged the draw so there would be four “China vs Korea” matches. Though Korea might have had the advantage with its top four players in the semifinals, the Chinese players had high rankings as well, with Shi Yue and Zhou Ruiyang as number one and number two.

Published On 10/22/2014

Eighteen players entered the September 18 Cocoa Go Tournament in Cocoa, Florida, with ranks from 4-dan to 25-kyu and ages that spanned more than 60 years. The two youngest players are shown below (top left) facing off in Round 2. Eddie Crawford 25k is on the left and Yuliang Huang 15k is on the right. Lu Mueller-Kaul 16k and Lewis Hyman 14k are [gallery columns="2" ids="197155,197157,197158,197156"] at the back of the table. The event was a one-day Swiss with three rounds and three categories, hosted by the Space Coast Area Go Association. First place winners were Steve Barberi 1k, Tony Vick 6k, and Heather Crawford 14k. Prizes were donated by Slate and Shell and Yellow Mountain Imports and were awarded to the first three places in each category. Cocoa is located in Brevard County on the east central coast of Florida, near the Kennedy Space Center. The Central Brevard Library provided a free meeting room for the event.

Published On 10/22/2014

The 16th Ibero-American Championship was held in Quito, Ecuador, from October 10 to 12. Forty-seven players from 11 countries participated: 2014.10.22_quito-tourneyArgentina (4), Brazil (5), Columbia (2), Ecuador (23), Guatemala (1), Mexico (1), Korea (1), Peru (2), the United Kingdom (1), USA (4), and Venezuela (3). Players ranged in strength from 6d to 10k. Fernando Aguilar (6d) of Argentina won the championship with a 7-0 score. Click here for complete results.
“I had a great time,” said Bob Gilman, one of the US players. The other US players were John Harriman 2D, Devin Fraze 3k and Tania Kadakia 5k. “The games were good ones; the players friendly; and the event well organized. Quito is a lively and interesting city. I was able to get along well despite my poor Spanish.”

AGA Rules at Portland Tournament

Published On 10/22/2014

Two unusual occurrences highlighted details of the AGA rules at the Portland Go Tournament last weekend. One game involved a seki with points: two black groups, each with one eye, separated by a white group with none. The white group shared one liberty with each black group, which neither player wanted to fill. The Japanese rules give no points in seki, but the AGA rules make no such special exception; black's eyes are territory. These two points did not affect the outcome of that game.2014.10.22_portland-tourney

Published On 10/22/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent2014.10.17_nihon-kiin-celebration Nihon Ki-In Celebrates 90th Anniversary: The Nihon Ki-in held a party on October 3 at the Grand Hill Ichigaya hotel to celebrate its 90th anniversary with about 350 people in attendance. The Nihon Ki-in was founded in 1924 under the leadership of Baron Okura Kishichiro. It started out with 40 members and now has 320. There are a large number of domestic tournaments, some with very impressive prize money. The Nihon Ki-in has also played a major role in realizing Baron Okura’s dream of spreading go around the world. All the top professionals were in attendance and introduced on the stage, but the first to appear was Yo Seiki 7-dan of the Kansai Ki-in, who had won a tournament final played earlier this day (see item below).

Published On 10/22/2014

University and college students under the age of 30 are invited to compete in the preliminary for the next World Students Go Oza 2014.10.12_world_youthChampionship. The 13th World Students Go Oza Championship will be held February 23-27, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan, where 16 students from around the world will compete to decide the world’s number one student player. To select the 16 students, an online preliminary round will be held on Pandanet. Click here for the entry form. The application deadline is Nov 16. Note: students living in China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei cannot participate in the online preliminary round. photo from 2014 World Students Go Oza Championship by Nikkei Asia Review

2014 US Open Ratings Released

Published On 10/22/2014

The 2014 US Open has now been rated. Click here for the AGA ratings page where you can search by name or AGA membership number. You can also see the final wall list here.

Published On 10/18/2014

The San Diego Go Club became the first AGA chapter to take advantage of the free pizza offer (AGA Chapter Offer: Play Go, Get Free Pizza! 10/3 2014.10.17_SanDiego-Pizza-partyEJ) when it held a go party on October 12 at the home of the chapter’s president. Twenty people turned out for the noon-5 p.m. event and seven new members were signed up for the AGA. While many self-paired games were played, only three AGA rated games were played. “At 5 p.m., everyone enjoyed pizza,” reports club president Ted Terpstra. Chapters that meet in October, play at least one rated game, order pizza and send in a photo of the festivities — and the receipt– will have the cost of the pizza reimbursed. This offer only valid for AGA chapters; if your club is not a chapter, click here to sign up as a chapter today. Send your receipts to operations@usgo.org.

Lantz Keynote Speech Posted Online

Published On 10/18/2014

New York University Game Center Director Frank Lantz’ keynote speech at this year’s US Go Congress (Game Theorist Frank Lantz on why go 2014.10.17_FrankLantz-videoshould be “A little less Tang Dynasty and a little more NASCAR” 8/13 EJ) is now available online. Click here for a video of the talk, here for a Powerpoint version and here for a PDF. Lantz says he’s interested in “continu(ing) to be involved in helping grow and promote go worldwide.”

Published On 10/14/2014

“Thousands of students, parents, and residents from the Chicago area visited a 4-hour Chinese Cultural Festival on Sept. 27th,” reports organizer Xinming Simon Guo. “This fun and educational event is held to promote Chinese culture and art, and also to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Confucius Institute Day. It is organized by the Confucius Institute in Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and the Confucius Institute at Valparaiso University. Weiqi/go is one of the most popular booths among 20 different Chinese cultural and art activity booths.

Published On 10/13/2014

The American Go Association’s Twitter account is about to cross the 1,000-follower mark. Those following @theaga are the first to get the 2014.10.13_aga-twitterAGA’s go news, like Monday’s posting that the 2014 US Open ratings had been released or the Cotsen Open’s request for “Volunteers Needed to help with setup on Friday,October 24, 11am -5pm. Pizza lunch provided.Please contact Samantha at CotsenOpen@gmail.com” Please follow us now @theaga and retweet widely.

Published On 10/13/2014

Go Club Tango and the Slovak go association will host the 2014 Winter Solstice Bratislava on December 27 and 28 at Hotel Viktor. The 13 EU fee must be paid-on site but organizer Julius Masarovic requests that all players register online before December 10. Players who wish to stay at Hotel Viktor for the duration of the tournament will enjoy a discount. Cash and material prizes will be available for top players. To register or for more information, please visit the Klub Taogo website.

Published On 10/12/2014

Ukraine: The Ukrainian Championship finished on October 5 in Kyiv with Valerii Krushelnytskyi 3d in first, Dmytro Yatsenko 5d in second, and Vasyl Skochko 4d in third. Russia: Also on October 5, Georgij Pimenov 16k bested Dmitrij Arkhipov 11k at the Korean Council Cup in Sankt-Peterburg while Dmitrij Shpigel 15k placed third. France: Viktor Lin 6d (left) took the European Student Go Championship in Toulouse on September 28. Behind him were Mihai Valentin Serban 5d in second and Johannes Obenaus 5d in third.

– Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Australian Tournaments Coming Up

Published On 10/12/2014

It’s Spring in Australia and tournaments are popping up all over. The Australian tournaments all attract selection points towards qualification for the Australian teams at the various world championships. Here’s a quick rundown: • 1st Sydney Spring Tournament, Sunday 19th October, Surry Hills, New South Wales (see sydney.baduk.org.au) • 4th Gold Coast Classic, Sunday 26th October, Helensvale, Queensland (rsvp to horatio@go.org.au) • 2014 Wellington Open, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. • 37th Australian Championships, Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th December, Sydney City Go Club, Surry Hills (Sydney), New South Wales • 35th Queensland Championships, Saturday 28th February to Sunday 1st March, University of Queensland (Brisbane), Queensland Click here for all current Australian go tournament info.

Published On 10/12/2014

“This is a call to all the metro DC area go players,” writes Nick Jhirad. “There are two excellent Kiwons in the Annandale area which I've been attending recently: The Korean-American Baduk Association of Washington ($15 per day)2014.10.12_DC-korean-club 7535 Little River Turnpike G 100-A Annandale VA (entrance inside the parking garage) This one has a monitor broadcasting BadukTV, study material, complimentary drinks, and nonsmoking indoors.

Published On 10/11/2014

Kiseido has released a new series of go books for the kyu-level player. "The Road Map to Shodan" by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulichis is a 2014.10.11_The Road Map to Shodannew series of go books “whose aim is to provide the kyu-level player with the strategic principles and tactical skills needed to rise to the level of an expert player,” says Kiseido. The series includes "Handicap-Go Strategy and the Sanrensei Opening," "The Basic Principles of the Opening and the Middle Game," "The Basic Life and Death Position" and "A Survey of the Basic Tesujis." Other volumes are in preparation. Click here for further information and to order.

Published On 10/11/2014

Go-Verband Berlin and fm-one Management Services GmbH will host the 17th annual “Go To Innovation” Tournament in Berlin from November 14 through November 16 at the “Manfred von Ardenne - Gewerbezentrum.” Cash prizes will be available for the top 10 players, the best female player, and for players with 8 wins; book prizes will be available for players 11-20 and as consolation. Players who register before November 11 will receive a 10 EU discount. A steep discount is also available for youth players under age 16. To register or for more information, please visit the official 17th “Go To Innovation” website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Huang on AGF Scholarship

Published On 10/10/2014

1973896_10152289249797206_782768458_oAndrew Huang 7d was honored at the US Go Congress as the recipient of the 2013 AGF College Scholarship. Applications are due November first for this years award, and can be downloaded on the AGF Scholarship page. Here is a look at the essay that won Huang the scholarship: “I stepped innocently into the go world and in turn the go community welcomed me with open arms,” wrote Huang. “Once I committed my life to go, I was flooded with amazing opportunities and experiences. Over the past ten years, I’ve had the privilege of studying with Mingjiu Jiang 7p, Feng Yun 9p, Yilun Yang 7p, Yin Kuo 3p, and Sun Yuan 3p. I’ve had the honor of representing Canada at the World Youth Go Championships and World Mind Sports Games, and playing in (and losing) a Redmond Cup Final. I’ve had the opportunity to meet people of all shapes and sizes from all over the world. Simply put, I would not be half the person I am today without go in my life.”

Published On 10/9/2014

The.Originals.S02E01.Image.3The CW Network's The Originals, a spin off from the popular Vampire Diaries, featured a go game between two characters in a key scene this week. Perhaps after MTV's stylish use of go in repeated episodes of Teen Wolf last year, the CW thought they would get in on the action as well. Original vampire Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan), the vampire who made almost all other vampires, is seen playing go with Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), a vampire he sired in the 1800's who then became his enemy in later years. The game represents a kind of detente between the two characters, in their ongoing fight to control New Orleans, and prevent the witches, the werewolves, and the humans from getting the upper hand. E-J reader Xinming Simon Guo says the game featured is a famous one, and challenges readers to see if they can identify it. The entire episode can be streamed on the CW website here, the go game is about 21 minutes in. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 10/7/2014

Just a few weeks after the conclusion of the historic jubango between Gu Li 9P and Lee Sedol 9P, Kiseido is releasing its latest book, which 2014.10.05_ModernMasterGames-Jubangoprovides an in-depth analysis of the first five games of the historic ‘Death Match’ between two of the strongest go players of the modern era. Having been rivals for many years, with an almost even score of games won against each other in international tournaments, the ten-game match between Korea’s Lee Sedol 9p and China’s Gu Li 9p would definitively decide the ‘best player’ amongst these titans. “Modern Master Games Volume 2: The 2014 Ten-Game Match Between Gu Li and Lee Sedol Part 1: Games One to Five” is compiled and written by Rob van Zeijst, and co-edited by Michael Redmond 9P. Both players are famous for their severe attacks and their fighting skills. Gu has a thick style accompanied by an exquisite feeling for the opening, while Lee plays a fast, profit-oriented game, leaving behind thin positions.

Published On 10/7/2014

The Tacoma Go Club held its final event for the recent “Learn Go Week” on September 20 at the Agape Senior Center in Tacoma, Washington. “A great 2014.10.05_Tacoma-Steuernagle-Cruver-Castanza2014.10.05_Tacoma-Mowery-Warinersunny fall afternoon in the Pacific Northwest was enjoyed by newcomers to the newly opened senior center,” reports Tacoma Go Club president Gordon Castanza. After learning the basic rules of go on a 9 x 9 board, some of the fine points of the “Capture Game” were explained on a 19 x 19 demo board. photo (l-r): Gordon Castanza, Ren Steuernagle , and Tom Cruver. At the end of the event, Reiko Mowery, President Agape Senior Group, and Rina Wariner, Executive Director Agape Senior Group treated the participants to tea and pastries.

Published On 10/7/2014

Jitka Bartova 1dSpain: Juan Sampedro 3k bested Antonio-Eloy Martin 6k at the VI Open Cadiz on September 27 while Juan-Domingo Martin 10k placed third. United Kingdom: Jitka Bartova 1d (left) took The Swindon on September 28. Behind her were Richard Hunter 2d in second and Toby Manning 2d in third. Austria: Also on September 28, The Seewinkel Go tournament finished in Apetlon with Ondrej Kruml 5d in first, Dominik Boviz 4d in second, and Michael Forstenlehner 1k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Wax and Murg Win in the West

Published On 10/7/2014

westSeth Wax 5d and Aaron Murg 15k won the West American Student Go Championship, held Sept. 27th at the University of California Riverside. Twelve college students competed, in dan and kyu sections. After three intense rounds of playing, Wax, a student at UC Irvine, topped the dan division with a 2-1 score. Murg, from San Diego, won the kyu division with the same record. “It was surprising to see people coming from places so far away to participate in this tournament," said organizer Yunxuan Li. "Most of the participants came from Santa Monica, and San Diego. Everyone had a lot of fun communicating through go and we want to continue this tournament next year." - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: From left to right: Yunxuan Li 6d, Seth Wax 5d, Aaron Murg 15k, and Clement Wong 2k

Chapter News: Picturing Your Chapter

Published On 10/5/2014

“An idea for the E-Journal,” writes Eric Osman. “Encourage AGA regular chapter go club meetings to send in pictures 2014.10.05_western-mass-clubfrom their meetings, and then link to them in the E-Journal. For example, here’s a team game played last night at Western Mass Go’s weekly Rao’s coffee house meeting in Amherst, Massachusetts. They beat us by 14 points despite the 7.0 komi. Yes, it was 7.0, so we could maybe have a tie!” Great idea! Send chapter meeting photos to us at journal@usgo.org and you could be featured in our next report!

Published On 10/3/2014

To encourage chapters of the American Go Association to keep the momentum from "Learn Go" week going, the AGA is offering a special deal 2014.10.03_pizzaduring the month of October. Chapters that meet in October, play at least one rated game, order pizza and send in a photo of the festivities -- and the receipt-- and you'll have the cost of the pizza reimbursed. "We appreciate the great work our chapters are doing and this is a fun way for them to reach their members" says Andrew Jackson, AGA VP of Operations. This offer only valid for AGA chapters; if your club is not a chapter, click here to sign up as a chapter today. Send your receipts to operations@usgo.org.

Tacoma Go Club "Back in Business"

Published On 10/3/2014

The Tacoma Go Club is getting back into the go business after "a little hiatus, reports club president Gordon Castanza. The TGC sponsored three2014.09.22_TGC's Learn Go Week at Bluebeards events during Learn Go Week" last week and is meeting at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center, 4851 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, WA 98409 every Monday from 3 - 6p. The club also meets at Bluebeard's Café, 2201 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98403 (by prior arrangement. Call or e-mail Gordon or Tom), and Starbuck's, 34024 Hoyt Rd. SW (340th and Hoyt next to Walgreen's), Federal Way, WA 98023 (by prior arrangement. Call or e-mail Gordon or Tom). During the Tacoma Go Club’s third “Learn Go Week” event last Saturday, "two new players appeared at the Bluebeard Coffee Shop in Tacoma to learn the fine points of both high handicap games and the subtleties of the territory-destroying 'monkey jump,'” says Castanza.

Published On 10/3/2014

Two French scientists have decided to apply network science to the game of go, according to a 2012 report on the Wired blog we just came 2014.09.14_wired-mag-network-goacross. "They constructed their networks in a simple way," Samuel Arbesman reported in Network Science of the Game of Go (4/20/2012). "If one board position can lead to another, they are connected. Using a dataset of about 1,000 professional games and 4,000 amateur games, they began to construct these networks." Arbesman says the network analyses in the paper "are a bit odd, though they find many classic graph structures, such as a heavy-tailed link distribution and high amounts of clustering." And though the networks constructed from amateur and professional games were distinct, Arbesman said that "while I know that network pictures are usually inscrutable hairballs, I was disappointed that networks weren’t visualized at all."

Published On 10/3/2014

The mysterious death of John Bender, the Philadelphia go player who died under suspicious circumstances in 2010 (In Memoriam 10/10/2013)2014.10.02_John-Bender was the subject of the September 27 edition of “48 Hours,” reports Phil Straus, who taught Bender to play go in the mid-1980’s. In "Paradise Lost" correspondent Susan Spencer investigates “How did a Wall Street millionaire end up shot dead in his bedroom?” Bender’s go-playing is not mentioned, although his prowess at poker is. photo: John Bender, lecturing on the importance of plans and ideas, and how unimportant details and final results are, at the 1987 US Go Congress, Mt. Holyoke College, Massachusetts. photo by Phil Straus

Published On 10/2/2014

The Seattle Go Center is celebrating its 19th anniversary with a tournament this Sunday, Oct. 5. Titled "19x19x19", the AGA event will have an open section and several handicapped sections. Registration is from 10:00- 10:30 at the Go Center, and the total purse for prizes will be $500. Last year they had 24 players, with six players who were 5 dan or stronger. Anniv TournMore information is available at the Go Center website. Photo: Dong Ma 6d plays Edward Kim 7d at the 17th Anniversary Tournament in 2012, with Dennis Wheeler recording the game. Photo/Report by Brian Allen.

Published On 9/30/2014

The 2014 US Open Masters tournament has now been rated, and the other Congress tournaments are expected to follow suit soon. "We are2014.09.29_US-Open-2014-DSC_0095 cleaning up the last few membership issues and glitches in the data," said AGA President Andy Okun. "I hope to have the games from the US Open rated within the coming week, with the Die Hard, Self-Paired and Midnight Madness very close behind. I am grateful for everyone's patience." Okun said that the kinds of issues that sometimes delay ratings "...errant digits in AGA ids, getting everyone's renewals and new memberships processed, handling overseas guests and the like..." are amplified in a tournament with more than 300 players like the US Open. Watch the EJ for news about Congress ratings. photo of the 2014 US Open main playing area by Chris Garlock

Published On 9/30/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Kisei Leagues: One game was played in the 39th Kisei A League on September 11. Takao Shinji 9P (B) beat Kono Rin 9P by resignation. 2014.09.29_Murakawa DaisukeBoth players are now on 2-2 and will be fighting to keep their places in the league in the final round. Incidentally, this was Takao’s second win against Kono in four days. Kono has gone into a bit of a trough after his winning streak of 19 games came to an end. A game was played in the B League on September 18. Kobayashi Satoru 9P (B) beat Murakawa Daisuke 7P (right) by resig. This game has an effect on the standings. Murakawa missed his first chance to win the league and is now tied on 3-1 with Kobayashi and Yoda Norimoto 9P. However, if he wins his final game, Murakawa will still win the league, thanks to his number-one ranking.

Published On 9/30/2014

Ge "Johnny" Wang took the high-dan first place honors at the fourth annual Emory University Chinese Student/Scholar Go 2014.09.29_Emory Children GroupTournament on September 27 in Atlanta, GA. "Johnny has attended the tournament every 2014.09.29_Emory High Dan Division Winners and othersyear and this was his year to shine," said TD Jeff Kerlagon. "This is a great event at a wonderful location," Kerlagon added. "The Atlanta Go Club is very appreciative for Emory University for hosting us for the fourth year." Seventeen players attended the Emory tournament. Matthew McCawley took 1st place in the Kyu division. "Matthew has been improving all year and he took control for top honors this year," said Kerlagon. "The real highlight of the tournament was a fine showing of Atlanta youth in the Children's Group. These young men are the champions of the future. Brandon Zhou is a strong young player. The rest of the group was attended by Ethan Zhou, Edwin Lin, Alex Lin, and Daniel Luo.

Published On 9/28/2014

Korea’s Jeju Island hosted the 18th China Korea Tengen from September 23 to September 26. Defending champion China’s Chen Yaoye 9p (left) has won the tournament for the past three years. With four total wins, Chen matches the accolades of Gu Li 9p and Lee Changho 9p. However, Park Junghwan 9p seemed determined to seek revenge for fellow Korean player Park Younghun 9p who was unable to stop Chen in last year’s tournament. As the only person to defeat Chen at the Tengen in the past, the pressure on Park Junghwan was high but he prevailed. Park won games one and two by resignation and restored the game record for overall wins to 9-9.

Published On 9/28/2014

Romania: The 5th Radu Baciu Grand Prix — stage 6 Sibiu finished on September 14 with Adrian Nedan 1k in first, Alexandru Acsinte 4k in second, and Sorin Padurariu 3k in third. Russia: Igor Nemlij 5d bested Andrej Kulkov 6d at the Russian Championship Semifinal in Moscow on September 21. Grigorij Fionin 5d placed third. Switzerland: Also on September 21, Sylvain Praz 1d (left) took the Veyrier-Ko Go Club 2014. Behind him were Semi Lee 3d in second and Sebastien Ott 2d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Chile-Ecuador-Mexico Youth Tourney

Published On 9/28/2014

Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico held their first ever three country online tournament for youth on July 27th, reports Chilean organizer Sebastian Montiel. Dubbed "Las Tres Águilas" the matches were held on the OGS go server. Ecuador took first and second places, while Chile finished third. Diego Albuja organizer of "La Piedra en el Lago" Academia de Go reports “go in Latin America has taken shape recently for youth, but it's imperative to develop a study system. Playing online tournaments is a way for under-18 players to test their skills.

Published On 9/28/2014

The most anticipated go event in decades concluded on September 28, when Lee Sedol 9p (right) defeated Gu Li 9p in their historic jubango, winning 2014.09.28_MLily-Gu-Lee-Jubango-Game-8-t-300x300the eighth game by 2.5 points. The 350-move game was the longest in the series, and took place in Gu Li’s hometown, Chongqing, China. With this victory, Lee Sedol took the lion’s share of the 5,000,000 RMB prize money (more than $800,000 USD), and cemented his place in go history. The final score for the series was 6-2 in Lee’s favor, although this statistic belies how tightly fought several of the games were.
As with the previous seven games, Go Game Guru will release a detailed commentary soon; in the meantime, you can find all the commentaries and videos from the match on GGG's jubango page and click here to see An Younggil 8p’s preliminary comments on Game 8. Once completed, all eight commentaries will form the basis of a book about the match.

Published On 9/27/2014

Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community . To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. Applications are due Nov. 1st this year, a change from last year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Editor's note: an earlier version of this story accidentally listed the wrong date, and provided an incorrect link.

Published On 9/27/2014

Live coverage of the eighth round in the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango starts Saturday night at 9pm PST (midnight Sunday morning EST). It takes2014.09.27_Gu-Li-Lee-Sedol-Jubango place in Gu’s hometown, Chongqing, and with the score currently at 5-2 in Lee’s favor this game is a kadoban for Gu and might be the last of the match. Commentators on Baduk TV will replay and analyze the game from the beginning and Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p will translate and discuss the game with Baduk TV Live viewers. Access to the game costs $2.70 with a Baduk TV Day Pass. If you plan to watch the game from the very start, remember to subtract three hours from the times given above. Baduk TV starts the coverage three hours later because the games go for so long. - Go Game Guru

Go Spotting: 13 Assassins Play Go?

Published On 9/27/2014

"Recently I was watching the movie 13 Assassins," writes Cylis Dreamer. "Around the 42 minute mark the two main characters mention playing2014.09.03_13-assassins go together. There might have been more times it was mentioned, but I missed them. I didn't see a board or stones either." The 2010 Japanese film was directed by Takashi Miike.

Published On 9/25/2014

Nick Sibicky will start up the popular Double Digit Kyu Players Class (DDK) on Monday, September 29, at 6:30, at the Seattle Go Center. The class is open to anybody who can finish a 19x19 game. The class is free, and a new member's first 10 visits to the Go Center are also free. Nick tapes his lectures and posts them on youtube.com. He has 79 lectures posted now, and he has gathered a world-wide following. All his lectures have thousands of views, and youtube lecture #46 has more than 15,000 views. Nick's lectures have brought donations from Austria, and visitors from Los Angeles and North Carolina. This class was started for players in the 25 kyu to 10 kyu range, but stronger players have certainly benefited from these lectures as well.

Published On 9/25/2014

"In your recent article (Your Move/Readers Write: Where to Play Go in Japan 9/13 EJ), Devin Flake states that the Diamond Go Salon is 2014.09.22_Diamond-Go-Salon'mainly for women,'" writes" Adam Harding. "I am a long term member of that salon and I would say that DIS (Diamond Igo Salon) is not as much 'mainly for women,' but more for young and middle-aged players. The salon owners do run a monthly 'Igo for women' session which is for women only." Harding says that Diamond's other strong points include "a strong connection to the professional world; the owner runs her program on the Igo/Shogi channel; the atmosphere is that of a high-class wine bar instead of smoky back-room, with drinks and food available and the age range of players is about 20-50 on Wednesdays and Fridays instead of 40-60 as seems to be at most other places."

Published On 9/22/2014

pandalogo-4885cf7392ac5bc75a68d553b7287b04This is the last week to sign up your city's team for the upcoming year of the Pandanet-AGA City League. "We almost have a full roster for this season," reports League Coordinator Steve Colburn. Any information can be found on the rules page or at steve.colburn@usgo.org.

Published On 9/22/2014

Peter Nelson, a recent arrival to Seattle from Minnesota, was selected for the Seattle 1 Pandanet-AGA City League Team, after winning the Qualifier Tournament at the Seattle Go Center by a narrow margin. Longtime Northwest player Edward Kim placed second at the tournament, with the same win/loss record, and will also join the team. Returning first team members are Simon (Ximeng) Yu, and Ho Son. The Seattle Pandanet-AGA team placed second last August in the A League competition, losing to the team from neighboring Vancouver B.C. The board order for the teams in the online tournament is determined by AGA ratings, so Nelson will probably have the alternate position. Nelson had an AGA rating of 3 dan last month, and has a 4 dan rating at present. However, he won two even games against a 7 dan at the tournament, plus a game against Xiaowu Li, who is a 5 dan in China, so observers expect his rating to continue to improve.

Published On 9/22/2014

A glorious fall day at the Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina welcomed the 14th annual Triangle Memorial Go Tournament on 2014.09.22_Seth_right_ChanglongLeft_finalGameSeptember 20. Despite the tranquil surroundings, mental chaos reigned under the picnic shelter as 34 contestants from four states battled through four rounds. The early prediction for a final repeating last year’s showdown between the two 7-dan prior champions, but all expectations changed when the top three players all fell in the first round.

Published On 9/21/2014

Hungary: Pavol Lisy 1p took the Hungarian Open Go Championship on September 14 in Budapest while Pal Balogh 6d was second and Viktor Lin 6d placed third. Luxembourg: Also on September 14, Yaqi Fu 6d (left) bested Jonas Welticke 5d at the 7th Luxembourg Go Tournament in Hollenfels. Andreas Goetzfried 4k came in third. Croatia: The 491st Velika Gorica weekend go tournament finished on September 13 with Mladen Smud 1 in first, Marko Popovic 7k in second, and Filip Galekovic 20k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Go Takes Over Seoul Streets

Published On 9/21/2014

Hundreds of people gathered to play Go in Korea’s Gwanghwamun Square, on September 21. The event was part of Seoul’s Street Without Cars 2014.09.21_Simultaneous-Go-Games-Seoul-550x367Festival and Learn Go Week. Go fans got autographs from players like Lee Changho, Lee 2014.09.20_Simultaneous-Go-Games2Sedol and Kim Hyojeong, president of the Korean Baduk Professionals’ Union. One hundred professional go players played simultaneous games with attendees, including international visitors from the 51 countries participating in the 9th Korean Prime Minister’s Cup. Over 1,000 people attended, including many families with children. However, because not everyone played games, the goal of 1,004 simultaneous games was not achieved, and the Guinness World Record -- 1,000 players at Take-machi-dohri and Chuo-cho Shopping Streets, Oita, Japan on June 6, 1999 -- remained unbroken this year. - Younggil An, Go Game Guru; righ

Cotsen Open Registration Opens

Published On 9/21/2014

Registration for this year’s Cotsen Open is now open. The 2-day tournament will be held on October 25-26 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los 2014.09.21_CotsenAngeles. Sponsored by Eric Cotsen (at right), the tournament is one of the biggest on the annual U.S. go calendar and features thousands of dollars in prizes, an extremely competitive Open Division, live KGS commentary on top board games, free masseuses for players, and free food truck lunches to all those who pre-register for both days of the tournament. There will also be a demonstration game between Yilun Yang 7P and Yigang Hua 8P. As usual, everyone who pre-registers and plays in all five of their matches will have their full entry fee refunded; click here to register. Follow the Cotsen on Twitter and Facebook for the latest tournament news.

Published On 9/21/2014

The AGA is holding a 1-day tournament on KGS on Monday, September 22 to select the replacement for Gansheng Shi, who was selected to represent North America at the SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) but could not go. Mingjiu Jiang will play Eric Lui on Monday at 12 noon EDT in the AGA tournament room, and the winner will later play a deciding game with Jie Liang. The time for the second game is yet to be determined, but we’ll try to post it on our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Arnold Tops NOVA Back to School Tourney

Published On 9/21/2014

Keith Arnold 4D took top honors in the NOVA Back to School Special tournament held on Saturday, September at GMU Law School in 2014.09.20_NOVA-Arnold 2014.09.20_NOVA-critesArlington VA. Winner’s Report: First place: Keith Arnold 4D (at right, in cap), 3-1; Yukino Takehara 1K, 4-0; Bob Ehrlich 5K, 4-0; Bob Crites 8K, 4-0; and Sarah Crites 15K, 4-0. “Bob and Sarah (left) are father and daughter,” reports Allan Abramson, “Sarah is done with 15K and probably will be 12K by the Pumpkin Classic next month! Second place: Kabe Chin 2D, 3-1; Frederick Bao 1D, Julian Erville 1D, Quinn Baranosky 3K, and Weisong Kong 3K, all tied at 2-2; Diego Pierrottet 5K, 3-1; Keith Krulack 9K and Tevis Tsai 8K, tied at 3-1; and Keith Crank 13K, 2-2. photos by Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 9/20/2014

Korea's Wei TaeWoong (right) swept the 9th Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC), winning all six games on September 19-20 in2014.09.20_BenLockhart Seoul. US representative Ben Lockhart scored an impressive 5-1 record, losing only to Wei in the final round (photo). China came in second, followed by Taiwan, Japan, the US, Mexico and Russia. The key game was Wei's fifth-round match against Hu YuChing from China; Hu led slightly from the beginning, but Wei hung in and succeeded in turning the game around. "I am very happy to win the KPMC," said Wei, "and I will prepare with my best for next year’s pro qualification tournaments." - wbaduk.com

Go Classified: Shell & Slate Stones

Published On 9/18/2014

I’ve got a set of new-in-box, size 34 (9.5mm) Yuki (snow) graded shell & slate stones I’m letting go for $750. Serious inquiries only please. goishi.san@gmail.com

Published On 9/18/2014

"You mention that you're looking for a January 2002 article about go by Katy Kramer (Go Spotting: Northeastern University Magazine 6/7 2014.09.16_GoWithTheFlow-amsterdamEJ)," writes Harald Zellerer. "I really liked that article also and republished it on the website of the Amsterdam Go Club." Click here to read "Go: With the Flow." Bob Joyce also sent us a copy of the article, noting that "featured is Sangit Chatterjee, who authored Cosmic Go, Galactic Go, and provided game commentaries for the book Go! More Than a Game by Peter Shotwell. He describes the game’s complexity as ‘Go is like six chessboards joined together, with all six games happening at the same time.’" Joyce extended special thanks to Joan Lynch, Managing Editor, Marketing and Communications, Northeastern University,who provided a copy of the article. Editor's Note: This terrific article would make an excellent handout for local clubs to beginners or at public events.

Published On 9/18/2014

“Go is getting interesting in Latin America,” reports Mexican organizer Siddhartha Avila, “we've been organizing online tournaments for kids with Chile and Ecuador, and they have been a great success. I'll be at the Iberoamerican Go Tournament in Quito, Ecuador (Oct 9-12) and I hope to meet some of the other organizers in person. We held the very first children's online match between Chile and Mexico on June 28th, with the participation of twenty children from both countries!

Published On 9/17/2014

Learn Go Week started last weekend, with go players all around the world -- 60 events in 21 countries -- running teaching events in their local 2014.09.16_Raleigh-go-weekcommunities. The first-ever event runs through this coming weekend, so if you want to get 2014.09.16_Learn-Go-Week-Canberra-300x401involved, you can still run a beginners’ night at your local go club this week; click here to let Go Game Guru know about it. This weekend, on September 21, 1004 go players in Korea will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous games of Go in one place, the headline event at Seoul’s Street Without Cars festival. Last Saturday, the San Diego Go Club sponsored a go demonstration and teaching event at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park in San Diego. “Dozens of people touring the garden stopped by the koi pond site to play a game or learn the basics of go,” reports club president Ted Terpstra.

Published On 9/17/2014

History is Not Offensive: "Regarding the 'offensive' qualities of the 'Highbrow' item (Your Move/Readers Write: High/Low Brow 2014.09.16_Patton_speaking_with_Lt._Col._Lyle_Bernard,_at_Brolo,_circa_1943Matrix Offensive 9/14 EJ), I'd like to rebut on behalf of the long-gone authors,” writes Peter St. John. “The thesis, which I believe was new in that era, is that appreciation of, and interest in, higher levels of abstraction is ‘high-brow’. Go is more abstract than chess in the sense of being a level further removed from physical combat, the way Eisenhower immersed in logistics was a level removed from George Patton deploying tanks, who was several levels removed from the gunner pulling a trigger.” St. John also notes that “At the time of the article [1949] the only places to find go in America would be in the math and physics departments of universities.

Published On 9/15/2014

Turn-Based INGO Server Growing: The International Network Go Organization (INGO) now has about 606 registered members from 24 regions playing nearly 2,000 games. The turn-based server was established in May 2011 and expanded to the US in 2012 (New Turn-Based Go Server Comes to U.S. 9/17/2012 EJ). Links to INGO and other TBG servers – as well as real-time servers – can be found on the AGA’s Internet Go page. Vancouver Go Group Meets Saturdays: Austin Freeman has started up a small go group in Vancouver, Washington to teach people interested in learning go. The group meets Saturdays at the Cascade Park Library (next to Firstenburg Center) on Mill Plain and 136th/137th in Vancouver from 4-6pm (though Freeman's often there as early as 1 or 2p). Reach Freeman at austinjfreeman@live.com.

"Invincible" Re-Issued & Cool Go Stamps

Published On 9/14/2014

In cooperation with Kiseido, GoShopkeima.com has just issued the fourth printing of John Power's classic "Invincible: The Games of Shusaku."2014.09.13_netherland-go-stamps "We still believe that all serious go players eventually want to have this book as a real book," says GoShopkeima.com's Peter Zandveld. There's lots more cool go stuff at the site, including go stamps he designed. Though they can only be used for mail sent within The Netherlands, we're pretty sure go players can come with other creative uses for them. Zandfeld developed the site with Marianne Diederen and Kim Ouweleen.

Phil Straus Wins OGS SDK Tourney

Published On 9/14/2014

Phil Straus won the Online-Go.com SDK Round Robin tournament that ran February 3 through September 1. Straus, 3k on OGS, swept the 8-2014.09.14_ogslogo-lightplayer field with seven wins and 21 points. Mpopovic 12k was second with 5 wins and 14 points. OGS allows both turn-based and real time play; this was a turn-based tournament. In turn-based play, players make a move, opponents are notified via email and have a set time in which they must respond. This tournament had time limits of about one day per move. Click here for info on other OGS tournaments.

Published On 9/14/2014

"I am probably in a very small minority on this topic, but I found the 'High Brow – Low Brow' matrix (Go Spotting: A “Highbrow” Game in 2014.09.14_NYT-highbrow-cropped1949 9/6/2014 EJ) extremely offensive," writes Gordon Castanza. "As with almost all pseudo sociology that passes as junk science, this crap is another example. Go, if anything is classless, colorblind, and non-age-specific. Besides, the entire matrix applies to any number of people at any given time. Glenmorangie Taghta can be enjoyed by anyone (of legal drinking age); it also knows no class, income level, working condition, color of one’s skin, or country of origin. I know you’re trying to show go in the most positive light possible, and I’ve enjoyed the 'Go Spotting' feature in the past. However, to have some C-grade sociologist put go, or any other human endeavor, into a hierarchical range is just plain stupid and intellectually dishonest."

Published On 9/13/2014

A number of readers responded to Ben Bernstein's request for information on where to play go in Japan (Looking for Japan Go Tips 9/4 EJ). Be sure to check ahead whenever possible, as clubs often move or close (email journal@usgo.org with updated info). Here's a run-down: Click here for Sensei's Library's listings of "Places to visit when in Japan, related to Go. Shopping, bookstores, clubs, restaurants, historical 2014.09.13_nihonkiin2places, events, cemeteries, shrines, transport etc. Thanks to Bob McGuigan for the tip. Nihon Ki-in; email for a tour. "Also ask about the English go class they have," suggests Devin Flake. "I was able to meet professional players and have them review my games, all so they could practice their English!" photo: the Nihon Ki-in's top playing room 7-2 Gobancho Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo Japan - at Ichigaya station -- 1st Go Salon inside of Nihon Ki-in 1-7-20 -9F, Yaesu Chuo-Ku

Published On 9/11/2014

Ngoc-Trang Cao 1dNetherlands: Rene Aaij 4d bested Robert Rehm 5d at the Delfts Toernooi on September 7 while Willem-Koen Pomstra 5d came in third. United Kingdom: Also on September 7, Ngoc-Trang Cao 1d (left) took The Northern in Manchester. Behind her were Ewa Mos 1d and Alistair Wall 2d. Russia: The Russian Female Championship finished on September 7 with Natalia Kovaleva 5d in first, Elvina Kalsberg 3d in second, and Anastasia Khlepetina 1d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 9/11/2014

Registration for the 2014 SportAccord World Mind Games – Pandanet Online Tournament continues through September 30.The winner will 2014.09.10_SAWMG-header1participate in the 4th edition of the SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG), scheduled for December 11-17 in Beijing. Following last year’s success with participation in the SAWMG reaching 700,000 players worldwide, SportAccord -- in partnership with RSportz, the community-based global sports network, and online platforms Bridge Base Online, Chess.com and Pandanet -- is launching the World Mind Games Online Tournament Portal, a community-based destination for all participants featuring information on the online games’ rules, mind sports’ news and tournaments’ results. Follow the games on Twitter at WorldMindGames, hashtag #mindgames2014 The Bridge, Chess and Go online games will be operated and hosted by platform partners Bridge Base Online, Chess.com and Pandanet respectively.

Published On 9/10/2014

With just days to go, there are now over 50 Learn Go Week events planned in 17 countries, including an attempt by 1,004 people in South Korea2014.09.09_Go-in-Japan-300x199 to break the Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous games of go in one place, on September 21. "It's not too late to join in if you're still thinking about it," says organizer David Ormerud of Go Game Guru. The event officially launches this Saturday: click here to see what's already planned and here to register your event. Go Game Guru has also prepared a handy event checklist and sample media release to promote local events. "Take plenty of photos and let's achieve something special together!" Ormerud urges.

Published On 9/9/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Members of the New Honinbo League: At first, I wrote “new members of the Honinbo league,” but that’s not quite 2014.09.09_Takao Shinjiaccurate. Two of the four vacant places in the 70th League were taken by players who had dropped out of the 69th League. One was Takao Shinji 9P (right), who made a comeback after a disappointing 1-6 in the previous league. The other was Yo Seiki 7P, who just missed out in the previous league with a score of 3-4. They were joined by Mimura Tomoyasu 9P, making a comeback after a gap of four years, and Ryu Shikun 9P, who has been out of the league for 11 years. Results of the playoffs: (August 28) Ryu Shikun (W) beat Anzai Nobuaki 6P by resig. (September 4) Takao Shinji (B) beat Murakawa Daisuke 7P by resig.; Mimura Tomoyasu (W) beat Matsumoto Takehisa 7P by resig.; Yo Seiki (W) beat Nakano Hironari 9P by 13.5 points. 2014.09.09_Choi-JungKorean Teen Wins Bingsheng Cup

Published On 9/9/2014

DSC01926_800x533Xu Jiayang 2P and Huang Mingyu 5d, both of China, won the 31st World Youth Goe Championship, held in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia from August 13th to 19th. The US players were chosen by the Ing Foundation, and included Albert Yen 6d in the senior division (under 16 years old) and Brandon Zhou 4d in the junior division (under 12 years old). Eric Liu 1d was also invited to compete as a special representative. "I have learned a lot from this tournament," Yen told the E-Journal, "especially from the games in which I was defeated. I lost to Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Fortunately, our team leader, Mingjiu Jiang 7p reviewed several of my games so I could learn from my mistakes. Although I wanted to do better than 8th place, I have tried my best. Overall, the 31st World Youth Goe Championship gave me an opportunity to make friends and compete with the top youth players in the world." Fourteen countries participated, with twelve players in each division.

Published On 9/9/2014

Registration continues for the 2014-2015 Pandanet-AGA City League. “We're looking for more teams” in expanded A and B Leagues, reports TD Steve Colburn. Those leagues are expanding to eight teams each. Teams have until Sunday September 28th to send in registrations. Colburn is also looking for a League Manager to help during the year. All teams should contact Steve.Colburn@usgo.org for more information.

Published On 9/9/2014

An even dozen players participated in the Davis/Sacramento Go Club's Fall Tournament, held at the Arden-Dimick Library in Sacramento on2014.09.08_Jeff_Horn2014.09.08_Roger_Schrag September 6th. Jeff Horn 1D (right) won the upper division on tie breaks, while Roger Schrag 4K (left) won the lower division with a perfect four wins. - Willard Haynes, TD

Published On 9/8/2014

Yamashita Wins Kisei A League: There are no play-offs in the Kisei Leagues, so there is an built-in bias towards upholding the status 2014.09.08_Yamashita Keigo quo. When Yamashita Keigo 9P (right) scored his fourth win in the fourth round of the A League, he won the league. In theory, Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P and Kono Rin 9P could both draw level with him on 4-1 after the fifth round if Yamashita loses, but Yamashita is ranked higher, so they can’t catch him. In the B League, the top-ranked player, Murakawa Daisuke 7P, on 3-0, is the only undefeated player; he also needs only one more win to win the league, so a repeat of the play-off between him and Yamashita to decide the Kisei challenger looks quite possible.(August 28) (A League) Yamashita Keigo 9P (B) beat Hane Naoki 9P by resig. (B 2014.09.08_Iyama-YutaLeague) Yuki Satoshi 9P (W) beat Cho Riyu 8P by resig. (September 4) (A League) Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P (B) beat Ichiriki Ryo 7P by 2.5 points.

Go Spotting: A "Highbrow" Game in 1949

Published On 9/6/2014

Few charts deserve a page one feature article in The New York Times Arts and Leisure section, but pop sociologist Russell Lymes' 2014.09.06_NYT-highbrowclassic 1949 delineation of "highbrow," "middlebrow" and "lowbrow" tastes has been "reproduced and imitated countless times," the Times reports (see Go Spotting: The “High-Brow” Game and An Unlikely Place 6/19/2014 EJ). Russell suggest typical preferences for each group in various categories, such as clothing, reading, favorite causes -- and games. To see how go placed, click here. - Roy Laird

Go Spotting: Zhuhai, China

Published On 9/5/2014

Syracuse go organizer Richard Moseson’s cousin Bill Flarsheim saw this go-themed mosaic at a temple in Zhuhai, China, where he’s 2014.08.21_Zhuhai-game-spottingliving and working.

Published On 9/4/2014

Those interested in studying go in Korea can now get a discount of $100 off per person when they come to study at Blackie’s International Baduk Academy (BIBA). Shawn Ray, a student at BIBA who recently moved to Korea to do a series of lessons on BadukTV, has arranged with the BIBA instructors for this special deal. “BIBA is a school dedicated to giving international go – or baduk, as it’s known here in Korea -- players a place to play and study in a dojo-like setting,” Ray tells the EJ. “Right next door to BIBA is a class of Younguseng (insei, or students) who are around 7-9-dan amateur level and BIBA students get to play league games with them. After playing League games, we get our games reviewed by Mr. Kim 9P, or Blackie as we call him, and get an in-depth analysis of our games.”

Go Spotting: Esport Podcast Mentions Go

Published On 9/3/2014

A video podcast about esports that recently discussed randomness mentions go. “Randomness in Esports - How Chance Affects 2014.08.24_esports-screencapCompetitive Play” discusses (at 1:03) how the selection of the first player in go has long been debated as a huge competitive advantage. “Just a passing reference, but definitely nice to see,” says Brad Edwards of the Wauconda Go Club, who passed this along. Update: The Extra Credits team just did a follow-up to last week's episode, First Move Advantage - How to Balance Turn-Based Games, "and mention go much more often in this week's episode, commenting on how game designers should deal with first-turn advantage," reports Edwards. "They also categorize chess as a 'static resource game' while go is a 'developed resource game'. It's just a short, but worthy of another look."

Published On 9/3/2014

Alexandru-Petre Pitrop 3dGermany: Soeren Ohlenbusch 3d bested Bernd Lewerenz 3d at the Schweriner Turnier on August 31 while Christopher Lieberum 3d was third. Romania: Alexandru-Petre Pitrop 3d (left) took the 5th Radu Baciu Grand Prix in Vatra Dornei on August 24. Cristian Cobeli 1d came in second and Adrian Nedan 1k placed third. Sweden: The Stockholm Open finished on August 23 with John Karlsson 4d in first, Mingyu Chen 5d in second, and Charlie Aakerblom 4d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 9/3/2014

Guo Juan's Online Go School Fall semester group class starts up on September 27th. “If you want to study go with experienced pro 2014.09.03_GuoJuanteachers for a good price, we have a fun place for you” Guo Juan promises. “Make friends, meet pros and improve your play.” Teaching pros include Mingjiu Jiang 7P and Jennie Shen 2P. Register here.

Published On 9/1/2014

Lee Sedol 9p (left) secured a solid lead against Gu Li 9p after winning Game 7 in their ten-game match on August 31 in Tibet’s capital Lhasa, widening his lead to 5-2 and putting him just one game away from winning outright. Gu's back is against the wall now and must win the next three games just to draw the jubango.

Published On 9/1/2014

A new tournament for California students, the West America Student Go Championship, is being organized by Clement Wong of the Riverside Go Club, and Yunxuan Li of the Diamond Bar High School Go Club. The tournament will be held on September 27, from 11 AM to 8 PM at the University of California, Riverside. “We sincerely hope students of all age can come and compete with each other and develop a friendly bond,” says Li “There will be many great prizes, such as trophies for winners, and other awards, and pizza for lunch, at a small fee, along with other refreshments. We really hope this will be a competitive and fun event for young people to enjoy”. The registration form is here, and there is no fee to participate. Direct any questions to Yunxuan Li at YunxuanL@Live.cn.

Published On 8/31/2014

Players from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. gathered in Qingdao, China on August 26-28 for the group2014.08.31_Round-of-16-players-19th-Samsung-Cup stage of the 19th Samsung Cup. However, the stand-out competitor was Chinese player Rui Naiwei 9p (left), the only female player make it through to the next, or knockout, stage. Rui is one of only two women to ever make it to the knockout phase of the Samsung; she's not only done so seven times, but made it to the quarter finals in the 5th and 6th Samsung Cups. This year, she is already off to a good start with two wins against Taiwan’s Xiao Zhenghao 8p (left). Rui will join Park Junghwan 9p, Lee Sedol 9p, and the 13 other knockout finalists in Daejeon, Korea on October 14-16 to compete for this year’s quarter finals. For more information on this year’s Samsung Cup including photos, game records, and pairings for the next round, visit Go Game Guru.

Published On 8/31/2014

The Bay Area Go Players Association and the San Francisco Go Club got a jump on Learn Go Week at the August 22-24 Japan Expo, 2014.08.31_SF-Japan-Expowhich attracted thousands of fans of Japanese culture to San Mateo, California. The BAGPA and SFGC were on hand to teach the constant stream of attendees who wanted to learn to play go. report/photo by Steve Burrall; photo: (front to back on the right): Matthew Burrall, BAGPA president Jay Chan and SF Go Club VP Eric Branlun, all teaching beginners.

Published On 8/31/2014

Players Wanted in Gainesville, FL: email noot.xu@gmail.com

Published On 8/30/2014

Game 7 in the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango will take place Sunday, August 31 in Lhasa. Live online coverage is being provided by Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p on Baduk TV Live starting at midnight, Sunday morning (9pm 8/30 PST), and by Myungwan Kim 9P on Pandanet starting at 10pm EST (7pm PST). The score currently stands at 4-2 in Lee's favor so this will 2014.08.29_jubangobe a critical match for Gu. Already down two games, Gu’s back would really be against the wall if he loses this round, as he’d have to win three straight games just to tie. “Let's see how Gu Li will do,” Kim tells the E-Journal. “As a go fan who wants to enjoy more exciting games, I support Gu Li for this next game.” Click here for the latest version of Pandanet and here to read more about the match on Go Game Guru. You can also check out GGG's commentary on Round 6 here.

Published On 8/27/2014

As school2013.09.29_panda-logo starts for most of the country, so has registration for the next year of the Pandanet-AGA City League. "We are changing things up a little this year and are looking for more teams!" reports TD Steve Colburn. "We are expanding the A and B Leagues are expanding to eight teams each." Teams have until Sunday September 28th to send in registrations. Colburn is also looking for a League Manager to help during the year. All teams should contact Steve.Colburn@usgo.org for more information.

Improving, One Stitch at a Time

Published On 8/27/2014

Terri Schurter 9K posted her best-ever US Go Congress tournament results this year, taking second place in the 9K division. The2014.08.25_Schurter-artwork 2014.08.25_Terri-Schurter-DSC_0091retired high school art teacher (at left) from Ewing, New Jersey, is a longtime go player who’s taken up fiber arts in retirement and could be seen calmly stitching together hexagonal pieces of fabric throughout the weeklong Congress. “I decided to document my stitching by photographing my progress each day on a go board,” she writes on her Hexy Lady blog. "I think that stitching throughout the week calmed my nerves," Schurter told the E-Journal. "I find it to be a form of meditation, so it may have helped me to maintain a calm mind. Stitching during games is of questionable value, though sometimes I could not resist the urge with adequate time on my clock." photos by Chris Garlock (left) and Terri Schurter

Published On 8/27/2014

UK: Aja Huang 5d took the MSO Open on August 25 in London. Francisco Divers 2d placed second and Andrew Simons 4d third. Sweden: John Karlsson 4d bested Mingyu Chen 5d at the Stockholm Open on August 23 while Charlie Aakerblom 4d was third. Netherlands: The Zomergo 2014 finished in Lunteren on August 20 with Matthias Terwey 4d (left) in first, Rene Aaij 4d in second, and Zeno van Ditzhuijzen 5d in third.

– Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 8/27/2014

AGA chapters planning to participate in the upcoming Learn Go Week (September 13-20) can not only take advantage of special deals2014.08.25_wonder-go on go supplies and equipment available to them from the American Go Foundation, but the first 20 clubs to apply will receive up to a $100 subsidy from the AGA towards AGF purchases or other expenses of Learn Go Week events. Email president@usgo.org for questions about the subsidy. Chapters can order up to 90 free copies of The Way To Go, for example, as well as up to 20 copies of The AGA Starter CD. Chapters can also order exclusive supplies at nominal cost from certain sections of the AGF Store, including Teaching Equipment, Promotional Materials, Prizes, and Go World. “From beginners kits, to demonstration boards and a whole lot more, we’ve got what you need to make Learn Go Week a success in your community” promises AGF President Terry Benson. photo: Wonder Go, a set designed especially for younger learners that features hollow stones

Published On 8/27/2014

Iyama Takes Lead, Then Kono Catches Up In Gosei Title Match: The third game of the 39th Gosei title match was held at 2014.08.26_gosei_rd-03-iyama-konothe Nagaoka Grand Hotel in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, on August 11. This was three weeks after the second game, which is a long gap for a best-of-five. Playing black, the challenger Kono Rin 9-dan (right, in photo) seemed to have a slight advantage when he won a ko and killed a white group fairly early in the game (before move 100), but he made a couple of slack moves later that cost him his chance to wrap up the game. Worse, he made an overly aggressive answer to a white invasion and ended up on the wrong side of a losing capturing race. He resigned on move 204. The fourth game was held on Iyama’s home ground, the Kansai Headquarters of the Nihon Ki-in, on August 25, but that didn’t help him. Playing white, Kono forced a resignation after 224 moves. I don’t have any information about the course of the game.

Published On 8/25/2014

By Shawn Ray, Special Correspondent to the E-Journal2014.08.24_BIBA-by-waterfall When you think of a go school you probably imagine us holed up inside for endless hours of study, practice and play. So you would have been surprised to see the Blackie’s International Baduk Academy (BIBA) students recently when we went camping and hit the beach. After a three-hour drive, we arrived at a cabin on the side of a spectacular mountain; shades of summer camp back in the States. Except that in this cabin there was a very nice go board and bowls of stones waiting for us, and less than ten minutes after we arrived, we were playing go. After losing a couple of games to fellow students, I decided to try my luck on the tennis court just outside the cabin. Tennis is my favorite physical sport, so I jumped at the chance to finally get outside and play and we had time for two matches before lunch. After lunch, we hiked to a waterfall.

Pair Go Photo Album Posted

Published On 8/25/2014

Photographer Sarah Small’s album of 31 images of the 2014 US Pair Go Championships is now posted on the AGA’s Facebook page. 2014.08.24_PairGo-Small_0107Small brings an original and creative eye to the highly popular go variant first introduced in 1990. photo by Sarah Small

Published On 8/25/2014

The 2014 US Open crosstab has been updated with nearly 60 game records sent in by players. Deadline for submitting 2014.08.24_Dahye-Lee-US-Open-photogame records is this Friday, August 29; email them to journal@usgo.org. Games must be in sgf format with all game info complete, including both players’ full names, and the round number(s); also be sure to name the file in this format: US-Open_Rd1-Su-Kierulf (white player first). The US Open Masters Division crosstab has also been updated with game records of the top-board games. photo: at the US Open; photo by Dahye Lee

Published On 8/25/2014

Wei Zhou 7D won the 2014 Korean Ambassador’s Cup, held August 17 in Sydney, New South Wales. Zenglin Wang 5D won the B Division and Florian Max 5K won Division C. The first Sydney Spring Tournament is set for Sunday October 19 in Surry Hills, New South Wales. Click here for the Australian Go Association’s tournament and event calendar. To receive the Australian go news email newsletter, email horatio@go.org.au. - Horatio Davis, Special Correspondent

Published On 8/24/2014

Where's the 2015 Go Congress? “I've heard that the next Congress will be in Seattle or in Minneapolis,” writes Wayne Nelson. “Which is it?” St Paul/Minneapolis, AKA the Twin Cities: see 2015 Congress Website Launches 8/14 EJ.

Published On 8/24/2014

The next session of In-seong Hwang 7D’s online go school starts next week but there’s still time to sign up for the American Yunguseng 2014.08.24_hwang_in-seong_cropDojang. A well-known top player in Europe, Hwang Inseong 7D has participated in major European tournaments since 2005 and is currently the top-rated player in the European Go Ratings. He trained at the Korean Yunguseng Academy, studied Go in Myong-ji University and worked for a baduk TV channel as commentator. The program consists of interactive online lectures, student league-play and game reviews on KGS. Students have access to all past lectures and reviews, including those from the European sister-school, as well as “personal go reports” to help students assess the progress they are making and the areas which need most work. “Great teacher, great sense of humor, and a penchant for understanding how people think,” says one student. “I feel myself getting stronger every day.”

Published On 8/23/2014

Registration is now open for the 2014 SportAccord World Mind Games – Pandanet Online Tournament. This year’s go tournament, 2014.08.23_wmg online tournament_all_platforms_v2held jointly with Chess.com and BridgeBase.com, includes different bands and multiple winners in each band. Generous cash prizes will be awarded, along with other prizes such as tablet computers, Swatches, digital cameras, etc. In addition, SportAccord will provide weekly lottery prizes for all players who played in any given week, including computers, TV’s, etc. Click here for details.

Published On 8/23/2014

profileHugh Zhang 7d will be serving a second term as co-president of the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), alongside Calvin Sun 1P, who will be serving his first term. The organization, run entirely by high school students, has opted for two presidents several times before. "It's great to see a lot of new faces joining the AGHS. I'm excited for the coming year and hope it will be our most successful yet!" Zhang told the E-Journal. "A lot of new ideas were suggested by various members this year, and we hope to implement some of them in the coming year." Officer positions are still open, and the AGHS has extended the deadline until August 28th. Sign up today and help build the future of American go. Details and the application are available on the AGHS website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Hugh Zhang 7d competing in the 2013 Korean Prime Minister’s Tournament.

Volunteers Wanted for Chicago GoFest

Published On 8/22/2014

The Go and Math Academy in Chicago is looking for volunteers to help to promote go/weiqi at a Chinese cultural festival on 2014.08.22_Go-and-math-chicagoSeptember 27. About 1,500 students are expected to attend the daylong festival. “We need volunteers to prepare some activities and interact with visitors,” says local organizer Xinming Simon Guo 2d. “Because we have promoted go in Chicago schools for many years (McCormick Elementary Students Learn Go (And Math)) 7/29 EJ), probably some visitors already know the basic rules.” Contact Guo at simonguoxm@gmail.com for details on how to volunteer. photo: Guo teaching at the LaSalle Language Academy

Published On 8/22/2014

Response to our request for US Open (or Masters Division) game records from last week's US Go Congress has been so enthusiastic that we’re extending the deadline 2014.08.22_US-Open-players-Nate-Eagleone week. Over 50 games have already been sent in for posting to the official US Open crosstab, so you can check out how your friends (and/or opponents) played (sometimes with variations and comments from pros at the Congress). Games must be in sgf format with all game info complete, including both players’ full names, and the round number(s); also be sure to name the file in this format: US-Open_Rd1-Su-Kierulf (white player first). Email game records by midnight next Friday, August 29 to journal@usgo.org. - photo by Nate Eagle

More US Open Game Records Wanted

Published On 8/21/2014

Reminder to players in last week’s US Open (or Masters Division) tournaments to send in your game record(s) and we’ll add it (them) to the 2014.08.20_Kierulf-Nate-Eagleofficial US Open crosstab. Thanks to Anders Kierulf (at right), Keith Arnold, Andrew Hall and William Luff for sending in their games. Games must be in sgf format with all game info complete, including both players’ full names, and the round number(s); also be sure to name the file in this format: US-Open_Rd1-Su-Kierulf (white player first). Email game records by this Friday, August 22 to journal@usgo.org. - photo by Nate Eagle

Published On 8/21/2014

So you want to run a go demonstration for Learn Go Week (“Learn Go Week” Planned to Launch September 13 7/19 EJ), but aren’t2014.08.21_kuro-with-rustic-sign-300x350 sure what to do? You’re not alone. Since proposing Learn Go Week in July, the folks at Go Game Guru say they've received more questions about this than anything else. "The good news is that it’s not that hard, and we’ll work with you to make it as easy as possible," says GGG's David Ormerud. They have customizable posters,brochures, printable go sets and much more ready for you to use. Some 15 events are planned so far in half a dozen countries. Read more here.

Go Classified: Go Cuff Links

Published On 8/20/2014

These cuff links are made from beautiful Japanese go stones with sterling silver posts. The set includes one white and one black cuff 2014.08.20_go-cufflinkslink. The white stone is Hinata clam shell from Japan. The black stone is Japanese Nachi Kuroishi slate. Please visit my Etsy store to purchase. - Neel Brown

US Open Game Records Wanted

Published On 8/18/2014

Send in your US Open (or Masters Division) game record(s) in sgf format with all game info complete, including both players’ full names, and the round 2014.08.17_Game-Recording-DSC_0021number(s), and we’ll add it (them) to the official US Open crosstab. Email game records – by Friday, August 22 – to journal@usgo.org. - photo by Chris Garlock

Remembering Sasaki Tadashi 8P

Published On 8/18/2014

A large crowd of somber friends shared memories of a great teacher at a memorial held last Friday evening for Sasaki Tadashi 8P, who2014.08.17_Sasaki-memorial-service died last month at 51 (In Memoriam: Sasaki Tadashi 8P 7/28 EJ & The Power Report 7/30 EJ). Players loved the bubbly humor underneath Sasaki sensei's stoic exterior. Teaching never seemed like work to him, such was his love of the game. Players will also remember him for Baseball Go and his way of comparing territory to countries. During simultaneous games he would give away stones for komi when students made mistakes, and ask for it back when they made good moves. Sasaki sensei brought a lightness to go in the US, and he will be missed. - Solomon Smilack; photo by Phil Straus

Published On 8/18/2014

A new AGA chapter has just started up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. The Wauconda Go Club meets Wednesdays 2014.08.18_Wauconda Go Clubfrom 6-9p at Middleton's on Main, a gastropub in Wauconda, IL. The brand-new club just started on August 4 and organizer Brad Edwards has hopes of “one day developing a small but passionate group of players.” For anyone in the area “looking for a reason to get out of the house on a Wednesday night, have a few drinks and perhaps play a few lively rounds of one of the world’s oldest board games, the Wauconda Go Club is here for you,” says Edwards. Middleton’s offers over 100 types of beer from around the world, “an impressive wine, single malt and Irish whiskey collection” as well as a “well-rounded and eclectic menu.” Click here to find a local AGA chapter or go club; if you have local chapter or club news to share, email it to journal@usgo.org photo by Brad Edwards

E-Journal Congress Team Credits

Published On 8/18/2014

The 2014 E-Journal Congress Team provided expanded coverage of this year’s US Go Congress, from top player previews before a single Congress stone was played to live online broadcasts of top boards at all nine rounds of the new US Open Masters Division, as well as more in-depth reporting on other non-US Open/Masters Congress 2014.08.18_EJ Team 5 mediumtournaments. This year for the first time the EJ added social media, posting lots of updates and photos on Twitter @theaga and on Facebook, attaining an almost 10,000 reach on Facebook over the course of the week, an impressive 600% increase.

Published On 8/17/2014

Mark Lee 7D (Lee Sang Hyeop) defeated Songyan Jiao 7D in just 208 moves on Saturday morning to sweep the 2014 US Open Masters2014.08.16_Lee-Myungwan Division, 9-0. Conner Li 3P took second with 7 wins followed by Matthew Hu 2P in third place also with 7 wins. With 6 wins each, fourth place went to Songyan Jiao 7D, Ryan Li 7D took fifth, Andy Liu 1P took sixth, and Calvin Sun 1P took 7th. "My opponents were very tough but I think maybe I was a little lucky," the modest 17-year-old former insei from Korea told the E-Journal after his final win.

Published On 8/16/2014

Bill Lin 7d and Aaron Ye 6d are the winners of the Redmond Cup, after a series of online matches, and then a live final at the US Go Congress. In the Junior Division (under 13) Ye, who has held the Redmond title for the past three years, made it clear he has no intention of giving up his title. He won all five rounds of the online qualifiers, and then cemented his status with two wins in a row against runner up Jeremy Chiu 6d, who lost on time in round 1 on Sunday, and then was defeated on the board again on Monday. Both boys are 12 years old. In the Senior Division (under 18) Bill Lin was undefeated in the six round qualifiers, but then stumbled in the first round of the finals, losing to two year reigning champ Jianing Gan 7d on Sunday afternoon. He came back fighting strong on Monday though, winning that round, and then claiming the title with a second win on Thursday.

Published On 8/16/2014

Mark Lee 7D (right) locked up the US Open Masters Division championship on Friday night with his 8th-round win over 2014.08.15_Mark-Lee-Round8-DSC_0002Andy Liu 1P, giving the 17-year-old former Korean insei an impressive 8-0 record with one final round to play Saturday morning. Matthew Hu was 6-1 coming into the 8th round but his loss to Conner Li knocked him out of contention for the Masters, leaving the NAMT prize race still up in the air. Click here for the Masters Division crossgrid. photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/15/2014

In a final showdown Friday afternoon, the Pair Go team of April Ye 1D and Daniel Ko 7D defeated Wan Chen 4D and Jie Liang 7D for2014.08.15_PairGoChampions the title of 2014 US Pair Go Champions. Eight pairs competed at two top tables at Thursday night's Pair Go tournament to produce Friday afternoon's finalists. As first place winners and this year's US Pair Go Champions, Ye and Ko will represent the US at the International Pair Go Championship in Tokyo the last weekend of October. Wan Chen and Jie Liang took second place, Gabriella Su and Justin Ching were third and Amy Su and Forest Song placed fourth.

Published On 8/15/2014

Mark Lee Takes Lead in Masters; Xiaotian Hu Leading in US Open: Eighteen-year-old Mark Lee 7D (right) has taken the lead in the US Open Masters Division, beating Zirui Song 1P in the sixth round Thursday morning to stretch his winning streak to 6-0. The former insei from Korea is a student of Myungwan Kim 9P and will be going to school in Los Angeles this Fall. Masters players with 5-1 records are Matthew Hu, Conner Li and Ryan Li; click here for the cross-tab, including game records for games broadcast on KGS by the EJ. In the US Open, Xiaotian Hu is leading with a 4-0 record; click here for the cross-tab. There will be two Masters rounds on Friday, Round 7 starting at 9a and Round 8 starting at 7p; top board games will be broadcast live on KGS; as usual there will be pro game commentaries beginning around 10a on KGS.

Published On 8/15/2014

Ted Terpstra, Robert Gilman, Gurujeet Khalsa and Edward (Zhiyuan) Zhang are the winners in the 2014 American Go Association 2014.08.15_Gilman-Zhang-KhalsaBoard of Directors elections. Terpstra defeated Jingwei 'Jay' Zheng 16-12 for the Western board seat, Gilman was unopposed in the Central region, as was Khalsa in the Eastern region. In the At-Large Director race, Zhang defeated Diego Pierrottet 85-46. The directors -- all of whom are incumbents except Terpstra, who replaces Steve Burrall, who didn't run -- will serve 2-year terms. photo: Gilman, Zhang and Khalsa at Friday's AGA Board meeting; photo by Phil Straus

Published On 8/14/2014

BadukTV has just released a brand-new translation of a classic Chinese life and death book by Cho Hyeyeon 9P. The Xuánxuán Qíjīng, also known as “Gateway to All Marvels” is a classic, Chinese problem collection originally published in 1349 by Yan Defu and Yan Tianzhang, according to Sensei’s Library. It traditionally consists of 347 problems; and is one of the most influential problem collections in go history. In Japan, it is known as the Gengen Gokyo. Many editions and versions of the book have appeared since its first printing, sometimes varying in number of problems, problem order, solutions, 'revised' problems, and so on. This translation by Cho Hyeyeon 9P is titled “The Profound and Mysterious.” Cho says that “Above all else, classics are the spiritual heritage of the human race and we can encounter the fountain of wisdom by leafing through the pages.”

2015 Congress Website Launches

Published On 8/14/2014

With next year’s Go Congress set for St Paul, Minnesota, organizers today released a beta version of the 2015 US Go Congress website and encouraged go players to check it out. “Sign up now for updates and you’ll be the first to know as we finalize details” says Congress Director Josh Larson. The St Paul Congress proposal – tentatively scheduled for August 1-9 – will be presented to the AGA General Assembly on Saturday but after a year of planning by the local organizing team, and with no other 2015 proposal on the agenda, approval is expected to be a formality. “The weather is great in the Twin Cities area this time of year,” Larson told the E-Journal, “and we’ve become nationally known for great food, craft breweries, outdoor activities, the Minnesota Twins and of course the nearby Mall of America.”

Published On 8/14/2014

While most of the action at the 2014 US Go Congress happens on the top floor of the Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan, perhaps the most popular – the lectures by professional go players – takes place down on the 6th floor in nondescript conference rooms named after European capitals like London, Paris and Budapest. Each afternoon and evening finds dozens of players raptly following every word of a go professional as he – or just as often, she (click here for the impressive list of pros at this year’s Congress, including four 9-dans) – explores the fascinating mysteries of the game of go. On Thursday night, Feng Yun 9P (left), after an exhaustive review of several josekis, blithely added, “But you can also tenuki: in the opening there are many many big moves, so you can just move on.”

2014 US Open Masters Players

Published On 8/14/2014

The US Open Masters Division is a 9-round event, with 6 rounds played at the same time as the US Open and an additional three rounds played Sunday, Tuesday and Friday nights. The new format replaces the 4-round North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) and the 4-round Strong Players Open. Eligibility in the Masters Division is limited to professionals, 7 Dan or stronger players and NAMT qualifiers. Prizes total over $11,000, including $5,000 to the first-place winner and additional prizes to the top three NAMT scorers within the Masters Division. Click here for the Masters Division crossgrid.

US Go Congress Goes a Little Crazy

Published On 8/14/2014

"White plays capturing black, putting herself and black into atari," calls Crazy Go TD Terry Benson. He officiated several games of Rengo Kriegspiel on Tuesday evening - a pair go game in which all four players face away from the main board and play their stones on their own empty board in front of them; the only clues about where their opponents -- and even their partner -- have played comes when they make an illegal move, or play where their own team or their opponents already have stones. Rengo Kriegspiel is only one of dozens of variants on the game of go that were played by an enthusiastic crowd of around 100 players. Familiar games include Magnetic Go, 4 Color Go, Tessellation Go, 3D Go, Spiral Go, and Blind Go.

Go Congress Youth Room Packed

Published On 8/14/2014

The Youth Room at the US Go Congress has been bustling all week, with over 100 kids and teens registered this year. Sunday drew scores of kids for Lightning Go, and 9x9 and 13x13 were very popular on Monday afternoon. Tuesday’s Youth Adult Pair Go featured 68 players, although several of them were Rengo (same sex pairs) instead of male-female. Many charming pairs were children playing with their parents, or strong players joining with younger siblings and relatives, even Andy Liu 1P got in on the action, playing with Alex Jiang 7k . After the day off break, Relay Go is planned for Thursday. The most popular event of the week, the Youth Team Tourney (where teams of three will compete in the same format seen in the Hikaru no Go manga) is set for Friday.

Published On 8/14/2014

Our first batch of Congress Day Off photos has been posted on the AGA's Facebook page; check 'em out and send your submissions to us at journal@usgo.org. Photo(s) should be from Day Off or NYC sight-seeing adventures and must include a go board! photo by Phil Straus

Published On 8/14/2014

The Polish Go Association and Polish-Chinese Cultural and Economic Association will host the inaugural Polish-Chinese Go Tournament on September 5 and 6 in Warsaw as part of the Chinese-Polish trade fair China-Expo. All European players are invited. Top players will receive cash prizes and the top four Polish players will also qualify for the 2014 Polish Championship. Players who register before August 20 will receive a 10 PLN discount and the first 30 non-Warsaw residents to register will receive free accommodations. PGA members receive a 15 PLN discount; registration for all other players after August 20 will be 30 PLN. To register or for more information including a full schedule, please visit the official Polish-Chinese Go Tournament website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 8/14/2014

Romania: The European Go Championship at the MLily-WeiqiTV 58th European Go Congress finished on August 9 in Sibiu with Hui Fan 2p (left) in first, Alexandr Dinerstein 3p in second, and Ilja Shikshin 7d in third. Ukraine: Roman Ruzhanskyi 3d took the Odesa the Gold tournament on August 10. Behind him were Aleksandr Hiliazov 1d in second and Andrii Vdovin 2d in third. Croatia: Mladen Smud 1k bested Nikola Primetica 3k at the 490th Velika Gorica weekend go tournament while Mirko Primetica 7k placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 8/13/2014

Leaders are beginning to emerge in the top tournaments at the US Go Congress as the weeklong event takes the traditional mid-week break. Only a single player, Mark Lee, is undefeated after five rounds in the US Open Masters Division and 34 players are undefeated in the rest of the US Open field (click here for latest crosstab results) Tuesday began with the third round of the US Open and the fourth round for the US Open Masters Division and finished strong with Crazy Go and the fifth round of the Masters Division, as thunderstorms moved into the city, prompting game recorder Nathan Borggren to report that "A rainy day is turning into a rainy night, clouds are moving in front of the buildings, lights are coming on all over the skyline; looks like one of those nights Batman has his work cut out for him.

Published On 8/13/2014

“We should do a better job embracing and celebrating go’s status as the deepest, most challenging competitive game in the world, deeper than chess, harder than poker,” said New York University Game Center Director Frank Lantz in the keynote speech last Saturday night opening the 2014 US Go Congress in New York City. In a riveting 45-minute multimedia presentation on 'Go in the New Age,' Lantz urged hundreds of assembled go players to challenge their own assumptions about how to popularize the game.

He Xie 9P On Mastering the Fundamentals

Published On 8/13/2014

He Xie 9P furrows his brow as though studying an especially knotty life and death problem. He cocks his head slightly, thinking. The seconds tick by, the silence stretches out nearly a minute. I’ve asked him his favorite thing about the game of go and now I see why his playing style has been described as “calm and cool like water.” Finally, he says, “The rules are very simple but the variations, starting from an empty board, are immense. Cosmic.” Born in Qingdao, China in 1984, Xie – one of the strongest players in China today -- learned go at the age of 6 from his father, improving so rapidly “that my dad could not beat me,” Xie said in an interview Monday afternoon at the US Go Congress, where he’s a visiting professional. Xie turned professional at 11 in 1995, and was promoted to 9P in 2012. Well-known for an intense work ethic when it comes to studying, Xie stressed the “crucial importance of the fundamentals” to improving, including studying life and death and endgame.

Self-Paired Tourney Off to Slow Start

Published On 8/12/2014

Just 80 games have been played so far in the Self-Paired Tournament at this week's US Go Congress, considerably off the event's usual blazing pace of hundreds of games a day. Part of the challenge is likely the wealth of other opportunities, like pro simuls, lectures and New York City attractions, but another reason may have been a delay in the reporting system. That's now in process and we'll post updates as results become available. Anyone interested in playing in the Self-Paired Tournament will find results slips -- and the box to turn them in -- at the table just outside the main playing room. Any game can be part of the Self-Paired if the opponents agree. Games entered into the Self-Paired Tournament are AGA-rated and players are eligible for prizes in a number of categories, including most wins by a kyu player over a dan player, most dan player wins over a kyu player, most-improved and so on.- report by Karoline Li; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/12/2014

As a testament to the growing number of women who play go, the Women's Tournament has nearly doubled its size this year. "The first Women's Tournament I directed in 2007 had just over 20 players," says long-time TD Lisa Scott. "This year there are 40 women playing at least one game in the tournament." The current iteration of the Women's Tournament started up in 2007 at the Lancaster Go Congress. Rounds 1 and 2 were played on Sunday and Monday. Round 3 is scheduled for 3p Tuesday (but players are free to reschedule their games as necessary during the day with permission of the TD and their opponent): 5 players are undefeated so far: Chen Jiahui 5D, April Ye 1D, Amanda Miller 8k, Marion Edey 10k, and Alexandra Platz 13k. The Round 4 final will be held Friday. The tournament promotes go among women, but Scott adds that it also "helps make friends and connections in a 500 person event." - report by Karoline Li

AGA Game Database Test Version Online

Published On 8/12/2014

A beta version of the American Go Association Game Database (AGAGD) is available for testing and review this week. The AGAGD includes every game record in the AGA database, more than 130,000 since 1991. You can search by player or tournament. Player info includes complete tournament history, who you’ve played over time, and detailed info about your rating with a history graph of your progress; the blue line is your rating, the light blue on either side is your sigma (or variance in your rating). Tournament info includes wall charts and complete round-by-round results. Comments and suggestions are welcome: email them to journal@usgo.org

Published On 8/12/2014

The second full day of this year’s US Go Congress began with the second round of the US Open and third round of the US Open Masters Division (click for cross-tabs). Feng Yun 9P and E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock reviewed Masters Division games with audio commentary on KGS (available free on KGS Plus; look under “Recent Lectures” under USGO5; there will be live pro commentary on the Masters again Tuesday morning on KGS beginning around 10a EST). After the round, players could get their games reviewed by professionals, and after lunch there were many pro lectures and simuls to choose from. The game review by He Xie 9P of China was so popular that the audience spilled out into the nearby hallway (look for our interview with him soon). The ever-popular Lightning Tournament in the evening attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd “divisible by 6” said a happy Keith Arnold, directing as usual.

Lightning Tournament Zips By

Published On 8/11/2014

"This tournament is in no way authorized or sanctioned by the American Go Association," announced Lightning Tournament Director Keith Arnold to the 70 players assembled in the main playing area of the US Go Congress for the popular annual speed go event. "In fact, the Pro Dinner has been scheduled for tonight specifically so that there's no chance the professionals will see us play like this." Arnold explained that while "it's permissible to try to win on time" -- each player has 10 minutes with no overtime -- "it's illegal" to play bogus moves, although he noted that the rule "isn't enforceable" and that anyone getting too caught up in the rules "is taking this way too seriously!" He rapidly assigned the players into tables of six divided by playing strength and stones proceeded to fly at great speed. After five rounds in just two hours, 13 players emerged victorious as table winners. Several have already been table champions in the 9x9 and the 13x13.

Published On 8/11/2014

If you follow the AGA on Twitter -- @theaga -- you've already seen Eric Wainwright's great shot of Ryan Anders 1k playing Cole Pruitt 2D in the 13x13 tournament Sunday night with the Empire State Building glowing behind them. We posted this last night during the tournament; make sure you don't miss another hot-off-the-press post -- many of which we don't get a chance to use in the EJ -- and help us hit 1,000 followers by following us on Twitter and letting other go players know they can get the latest go news here.

Published On 8/11/2014

The main US Go Congress tournaments got underway Sunday morning as some 260 players started their clocks in the US Open and another 40 players began the Masters Division of the US Open. While the Open is still six rounds played each morning (except Wednesday), the Masters Division is a 9-round event, with an additional three rounds being played Sunday, Tuesday and Friday nights. This new format replaces the 4-round North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) and the 4-round Strong Players Open. Eligibility in the Masters Division is limited to professionals, 7 Dan or stronger players and NAMT qualifiers. Prizes total over $11,000, including $5,000 to the first-place winner and additional prizes to the top three NAMT scorers within the Masters Division. Click here for the Masters Division crossgrid, which includes results available through Sunday night’s second round. The E-Journal broadcast top-board games live on KGS and those game records are available on the crossgrid as well.

Published On 8/11/2014

Go is played on big boards, on little boards, and boards in between; last night was the night at the US Go Congress for those who love the 13x13. Directed by veteran 13x13 Tournament Director Jim Hlavka, 40 players split into eight tables by rank, with round-robins at each table yielding eight table winners. Throughout the rest of the week these finalists will play off in a single- elimination series to choose the kyu and dan champions. Winner of their tables and vying for the dan championship are: Gabby Su 5D, Forest Song 5D, April Ye 1D (at right), and Eric Wainwright 1D. Playing off for the kyu championship are: Anthony Long 4k, Jeff Wu 5k, Ann Wu 10k, and Eric Hookay 13k. - report/photo by Karoline Li

Published On 8/11/2014

Further details of the Iwamoto North America Foundation for Go (INAF) were announced Saturday during the opening ceremonies of the 2014 US Go Congress. “Go builds strong ties between people and countries,” said Nihon Kiin Chairman Norio Wada (left). "This is an exciting and encouraging next step," said AGA President Andy Okun. INAF is a nonprofit corporation formed by Nihon Kiin in collaboration with the American Go Association (Nihon Kiin & AGA Ink Deal for Iwamoto North America Foundation 11/25/2013 EJ). The official start date will be October 24, when the Foundation’s first Board Meeting is held in Tokyo. The missions of INAF are to foster, promulgate, and develop the game and culture of go in North America, according to the vision and wishes of the late Japanese go master, Iwamoto Kaoru.

Published On 8/10/2014

The 30th annual US Go Congress kicked off Saturday night atop the historic Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan. Hundreds of go players gathered on the 18th floor of the venerable hotel to launch the largest annual go event in North America. Brief welcoming remarks were provided by Congress Director Matthew Hershberger, American Go Association President Andy Okun (at left in photo), Nihon Kiin Chairman Norio Wada and Asian Go Federation President Suh Daewon. Okun’s remarks were interrupted by the presentation of an impressive 30-foot scroll photo) by Wang Na (at right) from the Qingdao Go Association in China. The scroll, created by 85-year-old artist Yuan Youbin, was drawn from a book called “The Essence of Go.” The keynote speech of the evening was a riveting talk about the future of go by Frank Lantz, Director of the New York University Game Center (look for a report in an upcoming edition of the EJ).

Gan and Ye Up One in Redmond Finals

Published On 8/10/2014

Finals for the 21st annual Redmond Cup got under way Sunday afternoon at the US Go Congress. In the senior division, two-year reigning champion Jianing Gan 7d faced off against Bill Lin 7d, who was undefeated in the preliminary rounds; both are 17 and in their last year of eligibility to compete in the Redmond. Gan, playing black, was determined not to lose, and defeated Lin by 3.5 points. In the Junior Division twelve-year-old Jeremy Chiu 6d duked it out with 3-year reigning champ Aaron Ye 6d. Chiu edged out top seed David Lu 6d in the preliminaries for the chance to play Ye in the finals. Ye, who spent much of the game sucking on a lollipop, forced Chiu into byo-yomi and then won on time. The next games in both divisions will be broadcast live on KGS (USGO1 and USGO2) at 3pm on Monday and Thursday. Story by Paul Barchilon with Karoline Li. Photo: Ye plays the Lollipop Tesuji at the Redmond Finals.

Published On 8/10/2014

The US Go Congress includes the largest go tournament of the year and also the smallest. Literally. The 9x9 Tournament kicked off right after the Congress opening ceremonies concluded Saturday night. Over 50 players – nine tables with 6 players at each table -- battled it out on tiny boards to claim the table winner title and advance to the 9x9 playoffs. Table winners will play off in a single elimination format throughout the week to choose the ultimate 9x9 kyu and dan champions. Joshua Lee directs the tournament. Saturday night’s winners included: Kyu table winners: Matt Mo 10k; Ann Wu 10k; Bob Crites 8k; Jim Fienup 3k; Ben Peng 1k. Dan table winners: Dirk Riedeman 3D; Andy Olsen 3D; Zheng Xiangnan 5D; Matthew Burrall 7D - report/photo by Karoline Li, EJ Tournament Reporter; photo: 9x9 top board players Matthew Burrall and Lionel Zhang Keep up with breaking news at the 2014 US Go Congress by following us on Twitter @theaga and Facebook at American Go Association.

Published On 8/10/2014

The Canwa Vancouver 1 team defeated Seattle 1 at the Pandanet-AGA City League finals on Saturday afternoon at the US Go Congress. As Congress attendees registered and caught up with old friends, the Vancouver and Seattle teams faced off in the top-board playing room looking out onto the nearby Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan. Bill Lin 7d of Vancouver defeated Ximeng (Simon) Yu 1p of Seattle on Board 1 (photo), while on Board 2, Ho Son 7d from Seattle evened the score by defeating Juyong Koh 7d of Vancouver. On Board 3, Ryan Li 7d bested Seattle's Momoko Tsutsui 6d to win the event for Vancouver. ”Congratulations to Canwa Vancouver 1 for their hard-fought victory in the finals and for an impressive performance throughout the year,” said Tournament Director Steve Colburn. All three games were broadcast live on Pandanet-IGS and have been posted on the City League website. - photo by Steve Colburn

Zhang Named Co-President of AGHS

Published On 8/9/2014

Hugh Zhang 7d will be serving a second term as co-president of the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), alongside Calvin Sun, who will be serving his first term. The organization, run entirely by high school students, has opted for two presidents several times before. "I have been concerned that we were getting lower and lower turnouts for our events, especially the School Teams Tournament ," Zhang told the E-Journal. "A lot of new ideas were suggested by various members this year, and we hope to implement some of them in the coming year." -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Hugh Zhang 7d competing in the 2013 Korean Prime Minister’s Tournament.

2014 US Go Congress Begins Today

Published On 8/9/2014

Early arrivals for the 2014 US Go Congress found themselves helping set up the main playing room at the famed Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan and assembling Congress packets on Friday, but Brady Daniels (right) and Josh Larson found time amid the flurry of activity to play the first game of the Congress late Friday afternoon and Congress Director Matthew Hershberger (standing) stopped by for a few minutes to enjoy the game this annual event is all about. Registration begins on Saturday, 8/9 at 10a and will continue throughout the day. The opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, 8/9, at 7PM and will include an address by keynote speaker Frank Lantz, Director of the New York University Game Center.For those staying on site, accommodation check-in will largely proceed through the hotel front desk. However, please speak with Congress staff and complete your check in BEFORE speaking with the hotel front desk as you will need proof of check-in to receive your room-key.

Published On 8/9/2014

Hashimoto Utaro Enters Hall of Fame:At a meeting of the Go Hall of Fame committee on August 18, Hashimoto Utaro (1907-94) was chosen from among eight candidates to be this year’s inductee. Hashimoto (right) is best known for winning the 2nd, 5th, and 6th Honinbo titles and for leading the Kansai Ki-in to independence in 1950. He also won a number of other titles and played in the first Kisei title match in 1977. Celebrating Go Seigen’s 100th Birthday: A party to celebrate Go Seigen’s 100th birthday was held at the Yomiuri Otemachi Hall in central Tokyo on July 23. It was attended by 400 guests, including many top go players, but unfortunately Go’s health did not allow him to be present. Instead, he sent a video message, which was read out by Ogawa Tomoko 6P. It went: “Thank you for celebrating my 100th birthday. The fact that I am still alive means that there’s a role for me to play, so I will do my best.

Published On 8/8/2014

The American Go E-Journal will be broadcasting top-board US Go Congress games live on KGS beginning this Sunday, August 10. This week we’re profiling some of the top players who will be competing at the Congress. The US Go Congress is the largest go activity in the United States. It happens once a year and spans one week. Events include the US Open, the largest annual go tournament in the US, professional lectures and game analysis, continuous self-paired games, and all kinds of go-related activities from morning to midnight. "Come for the go, come for the camaraderie of old friends, come for the thrill of the big city!" say organizers. "Whatever your reason, we are looking forward to seeing you there." Also, AGA members, please note that voting for 2014 board elections closes on August 8. Changlong Wu 7D is a 40year-old environmental engineer in Chapel Hill, NC. He’s been playing for 25 years and has won the Triangle Memorial Go Tournament eight times (2004, 2006-2012).

Published On 8/8/2014

Michael Chen topped 11 players to win the Samsung Cup world division preliminaries this week, making it through four tough rounds to advance. “I’ll play in the main tournament in the round of 32 on August 26th,” Chen told the E-Journal. His opponents were Victor Chow (South Africa), Rob Van Zeijst (Netherlands), Eric Lui (USA) and Xiang Zhang (Singapore). “I had a tough draw, with an especially strong first round opponent in Victor,” said Chen. The final round against Xiang was played in the BadukTV studio and was a TV broadcast game. “It was amazing and exciting to play in that environment,” Chen told the EJ. Click here for an interview on WBaduk.

Published On 8/7/2014

“In Kore-eda Hirokazu’s 2006 mock- or anti-samurai film Hana yori mo Naho (花よりもなほ, Hana - the Tale of a Reluctant Samurai), go has a small but very important place as the link between the main character and his deceased father,” writes Richard Neer. “The characters are impoverished and play with shabby equipment and although it’s a minor film, Kore-eda is one of the best known and most important Japanese film makers working today.” Click here for a trailer (in Japanese).

Follow Us on Twitter & Facebook

Published On 8/7/2014

Now you can catch breaking go news by following us on Twitter @theaga and Facebook at American Go Association. This will be especially handy during the upcoming US Go Congress - which starts this Saturday, August 9 -- when we’ll be posting ongoing real-time updates, including latest US Open and other Congress tournament results.

Published On 8/6/2014

The American Go E-Journal will be broadcasting top-board US Go Congress games live on KGS beginning this Sunday, August 10. This week we’re profiling some of the top players who will be competing at the Congress.

Published On 8/6/2014

I have been teaching at the Berryessa Chinese School for 14 years now and am honored to have had this opportunity," writes Jean deMaiffe. "Because of my rewarding relationship with BCS, I am hoping to help them find other (preferably English-fluent) regular and substitute go teachers for their culture program. BCS has three campuses in the Berryessa neighborhood of San Jose, California. One is for 'the little kids', one for the middle range (roughly eight through twelve years old) and one for high schoolers. My venue has been the middle range school, which I have very much enjoyed. Currently, BCS needs a teacher for the high school, may need one for the little kids, and may also need one for my school this coming year or the year after (negotiable) when I plan to retire. Clearly, if a teacher does well with the BCS school students, the teaching relationship can continue indefinitely. The middle school has its own equipment and a set of problem books

Published On 8/6/2014

Congress Player Profiles a Big Help: “I have really been enjoying reading the go player profiles (US Go Congress Player Profiles: Chen, Liang, Lee & Chiu 8/4 EJ, & US Go Congress Player Profiles: Sun, Ko, Koh, Lin, Teng & Ye 8/5 EJ) for the upcoming Go Congress,” writes Dennis Wheeler. “It’s really going to help me get a better idea of who these top level US players are as I watch their games.” It’s going to help him as a Congress game recorder for the EJ, too; watch for our live broadcasts starting Saturday afternoon with the Pandanet-AGA City League Finals and then the US Open starting Sunday morning. More Clossius! “The Clossius commentary (Clossius in the Land of Baduk: At Home Abroad 8/5 EJ) was great,” writes Chris Uzal. “I hope that is not the last one.” We’re pleased to welcome Shawn Ray as a regular EJ contributor; look for his next column soon!

IGF Launches Facebook Page

Published On 8/5/2014

The International Go Federation has launched a Facebook page and is urging go players worldwide to check it out and "like" the page. Recent posts include photos and updates from the European Go Congress in Sibiu, Romania as well as promoting the upcoming US Go Congress, which starts this Saturday in New York City.

Published On 8/5/2014

By Shawn Ray, Special Correspondent to the E-Journal Since arriving in Korea, I have learned about much more than baduk, as go is known here. Here, for example, it’s customary to bow to your elders, but back home in America if you bowed down to someone they would give you a funny look. Though I’ve only been here since the end of May, it didn’t take long to feel a bit homesick. So when Cho Hyeyeon 9P asked if I wanted to help her teach baduk to soldiers on the US military base, I agreed immediately. Arriving on base it was if I’d somehow been instantly transported back to America.

Published On 8/5/2014

Iyama taking aim at two former titles: The first quarterfinal of the 63rd Oza tournament was held on July 13. Playing white, Iyama Yuta (r) defeated Ichiriki Ryo 7P by resignation. With both players in byo-yomi in the late middle game, Ichiriki made a snap judgement that he could live with a large group, so instead of starting a ko to make sure of two eyes he moved into his opponent’s territory. Iyama made a snap judgement that the group couldn’t be saved by a player in byo-yomi; he connected the ko and killed the group. Iyama thus became the first player to reach the semifinals of this tournament. The titleholder is Murakawa Daisuke, who took the title off Iyama last year. Iyama had previously reached the semifinals of the 41st Tengen title by beating beat Ko Iso 8P. In the semifinal, played on July 30, he beat Ri Ishu 7P (W) by resignation.

Published On 8/4/2014

The final round in the 2014 Pandanet-AGA City League is to be played at the US Go Congress in New York City. The round will be played this Saturday August 9th at 3p. Games will be played in Penn Top, the same room that the Congress top boards will be played. Watch for the LIVE simulcast in the AGA City League room on Pandanet-IGS. Pairings: Board 1 – Bill Lin vs Ximeng Yu Board 2 – Ho Son vs Juyong Koh Board 3 – Ryan Li vsMomoko Tsutsui

Published On 8/4/2014

Eric Lui and Zhaonian Chen play each other tonight in the semifinals of the Samsung Cup World Preliminaries. The winner plays the winner of Xiang Zhang vs Jan Hora match for the spot in the main tournament. Lui, Chen and Seung Hyun (Kevin) Hong are participating in the World Preliminaries of the Samsung Cup this week in Korea. The 2014 Samsung Cup World Baduk Masters expanded the World Division to provide more opportunities to international amateur players. A dozen players were invited: three from North America, one from South America, four from Europe, up to three from Asia (Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan excluded) and up to two from Africa. The winner of the World Division will be invited to participate in the final 32 of the Samsung Cup, with total prize money of $800,000 USD. - Thanks to Oren Laskin for translation assistance

Published On 8/4/2014

The American Go E-Journal will be broadcasting top-board US Go Congress games live on KGS beginning this Sunday, August 10. This week we’re profiling some of the top players who will be competing at the Congress.

Published On 8/2/2014

Adding the Congress Schedule to Your Google Calendar: "I put the Congress schedule in my calendar with about two clicks," writes Phil Straus. "Very cool." To add the Congress calendar to your Google calendar, click on "Schedule", scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "+Google Calendar" icon on the bottom right. How to Update Your Email Address: "How do I change my email address for the Journal, or, do you do that?" asks Lee Freedman. At the very bottom of the E-Journal, click on "Update your profile" and you can update your email address, as well as the desired edition of the E-Journal (daily or weekly) and your preferred format (HTML or plain text). Be careful to click on "Update Profile" after you make your changes, and not "Unsubscribe" (unless that's your wish). If you accidentally unsubscribe, email us at journal@usgo.org so we can get you re-signed up.

Go Classified: Goban For Sale

Published On 8/2/2014

Goban For Sale: I have a 2.1-inch Japanese board with legs, handmade by keiji miwa. NIB, never used, $220. I also have a set of NIB shell and slate japanese stones, size 35 (9.8mm) for $390. Buyer pays for shipping. goishi.san@gmail.com, text 479-856-8793

Published On 8/2/2014

“Thanks to the Berkeley Go Club for 20 boxes of go material they recently donated to the American Go Association’s Archives,” writes AGA Archivist David G Doshay. Among the collection’s gems are a large number of video tapes of go lectures by Jujo Jiang. Contributions to the archive are always welcome; contact Doshay at ddoshay@mac.com

Euro Go Congress Updates

Published On 7/31/2014

Ilya Shikshin, the only European with a perfect score after the first three rounds of the 58th MLily-WeiqiTV European Go Congress Main Event, lost to Chen Wang in the fourth round. Wang and Yulin Tong top the field with four wins each. Click here for latest results and here for game records. In other EGC news, the complete European Go Federation board was re-elected during the EGF General Meeting. "During the meeting Catalin Taranu stepped back from his candidacy for president, so no election was necessary/possible because of no alternatives," reports EGF President Martin Stiassny. Guests at the meeting included Mr. Yamashiro 9P, Nihon Kiin VP, Yuki Shigeno 2P, IGF Advisor in Tokyo and Hajin Lee 3P, IGF General Secretary. At the 6-hour meeting, delegates from 29 countries granted observer status for Iceland and South Africa and made "some important constitutional changes," Stiassny said. No decision was reached on the 2018 European Congress.

US Go Congress A Week Away

Published On 7/31/2014

Eight days of go in the city that never sleeps is just over a week away at the upcoming US Go Congress at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. There’s still time to register for the biggest go event in North American, which starts on Saturday, August 9, with nearly 500 already signed up. The schedule includes both rated – such as the US Open and continuous Self-Paired -- and unrated (9x9, 13x13, Lightning, etc) tournaments, lectures and simuls with professional go players and more. Click here for the latest day-by-day schedule. “We now offer an optional meal plan in the form of vouchers to use at the nearby Café R,” reports Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. “Each voucher is worth $11 and we sell them in groups of 3 for $31.” Click here for more details on these and other costs.

Published On 7/30/2014

Students at McCormick Elementary, in Chicago, IL, had the opportunity recently to learn to play go from Xinming Simon Guo 2d, a licensed math teacher and founder of the GoAndMath Academy. "Students were playing a simple game during the class, blissfully unaware that they were also working on math skills as they put every stone on the board and counted the result at the end of the game,” Guo told the E-Journal. At McCormick, the go class is part of the Chinese Artists-In-Residency Program, co-sponsored by Confucius Institute in Chicago (CIC) and GoAndMath Academy.

David Cho 2D Wins MGA Tourney

Published On 7/30/2014

David Cho 2D topped a field of 30 players at the Massachusetts Go Association's annual Skip Ascheim Memorial Go Tournament on July 13th. The winners were David Cho 2D (at right in photo at left), who took first place with a 4-0 record; Pete Schumer 2k (at left in photo at left) was second, also scoring 4-0; Brandan Williams 20k (at left in photo at right), and Alex Linden 11k, both 4-0, tied for third. “Wang Ma 7D said he would be glad to play games online with fellow members of the Massachusetts Go Association,” says Tournament Director Eva Casey. Reach him at doctormawang@126.com. photos by Eva Casey; click here for tourney photos.

What Do You Think?

Published On 7/30/2014

An education program for middle level players…an educational library on the web site for members only… a rewards program. These are some of the ideas Central Region Director Bob Gilman is looking for feedback on in preparation for a special session at the upcoming US Go Congress to discuss ideas for overall development of the organization. Read more about these ideas and comment here.

Published On 7/30/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Cho Chikun Wins 73rd Title: The final of the fourth Igo Masters Cup was held at the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya, Tokyo, on July 12. Taking black, 25th Honinbo Cho Chikun (right) defeated Kobayashi Satoru 9P by 6.5 points to win this title for the second time. This is Cho’s 73rd title, so he extends his Japanese record. Incidentally, this was the 59th game between these two; Cho now has a lead of one over Kobayashi.

Published On 7/29/2014

Go World: Complete Print Collection for Sale: All 129 issues, most in mint condition. Best offer over $1000 plus shipping, or pick them up at the Congress. Write to roylaird@gmail.com. Go Review Print Collection for Sale: More than 100 issues of Go World's predecessor, an English-language monthly published by the Nihon Kiin. The first attempt ever to explain the finer points of the game in English. Starting with issue #1, this collection contains all issues through 1972 (except for 1964 and two 1968 issues). Quarterlies from 1975 to 1977 also included. Good condition. Best offer over $500 plus shipping, or pick them up at the Congress. Write to roylaird@gmail.com.

Published On 7/28/2014

Lee Sedol 9p (left) advanced his lead in the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango after defeating opponent Gu Li 9p in their most recent match on July 27 in Liuan. After six games, Lee is ahead of Gu at 4-2. During Game 6, the opening favored Gu (B) but Lee (W) seemed to ensure his victory over the course of the game through insightful cuts, sacrifices, and trades. However, the game became more complicated with moves 146 and 148, leaving fans with white knuckles for the last 30 moves. Each move could have swayed the game but Lee persevered until Gu resigned at 178. Although Gu and Lee have established a pattern for their wins and losses (Lee won games 1 and 2 while Gu took games 3 and 4, etc.), game 7 will be a key match in the 10 game series.

In Memoriam: Sasaki Tadashi 8P

Published On 7/28/2014

Sasaki Tadashi 8P of the Nihon Ki-in passed away on July 20 at just 51. Sasaski, who visited the United States many times doing teaching games and workshops, had attended most of the U.S. Go Congresses over the last few years and had planned to attend this year’s in New York City. His death was a shock his many American friends and fans. "It's terrible news," said AGA President Andy Okun. "His teaching was always sharp, but full of humor as well, and his company warm and enjoyable." “Mr. Sasaki was a big supporter of the Seattle Go Center and an enthusiastic hiker,” added Brian Allen of the Seattle Go Center. “We always enjoyed his visits to the Northwest.” Plans for a memorial ceremony at the Congress will be announced soon. - photo of Sasaki playing Andrew Jackson at the 2011 US Go Congress, posted on Sasaki's Facebook page.

Published On 7/28/2014

After the first two rounds of the European Go Congress, there are only three Europeans with perfect scores: Ilya Shikshin from Russia, Fan Hui from France and Cristian Pop from Romania. Also undefeated are Yulin Tong, Chi-min Oh, Chen Wang, Young-Sam Kim and Zexiang Sui (click here for latest results). The MLily-WeiqiTV European Go Congress – the 58th edition of the EGC – is being held July 26th through August 9th in Sibiu, Romania. Alexander Dinerstein (left), several-time European champion faced Fan Hui (right), last year’s winner, in the second round. “Fan Hui won by 3.5 points but according to several players there, Dinerstein must have made a mistake because the feeling was that the Russian was ahead.” Click here for the latest EGC blog reports.

Published On 7/25/2014

Poland: The Summer Go School Jerzy Sacharewicz Memorial finished on July 20 in Pryzstanek Alaska with Stanislaw Frejlak 4d in first, Gerd Mex 1d in second, and Marcin Majka 3d in third. Finland: Jusso Nyyssonen 5d (left) took the NGA Summer Camp Tournament in Espoo on July 19. Behind him were Tuomas Hella 4d in second and Bean Yang 3d in third. Hungary: At the 2014 Hungarian Go Camp in Szazhalombatta on July 13, Renato Tolgyesi 2d placed first, Bulcsu Fajszi 3k came in second, and Gyorgy Zahonyi 9k was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 7/25/2014

After a 2-month break, the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango resumes this weekend with Game 6 scheduled for 1p Korea time on Sunday, July 27 (12:00a Sunday morning, US EST). Lee Sedol currently leads the match 3-2 after breaking his losing streak against Gu Li in Game 5. Live coverage with commentary of the match will start on Baduk TV three hours after the first move is played. The commentators will replay and analyze the game from the beginning and Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8P will translate and discuss the game (in chat) with Baduk TV Live viewers. You can watch for as little as $2.70 with a Baduk TV Day Pass. If you plan to watch the game from the very start, subtract three hours from the times given above. Baduk TV starts the coverage three hours later because the games go for so long. - GoGameGuru.com

Published On 7/23/2014

The new Korean action go movie "The Divine Move" (Dramatic Korean Go Movie Due Out in July 6/1 EJ) hits movie theaters across North America this Friday; click here for a trailer and local theater listings. The movie has received warm reviews from Korean audiences, earning an 8.24 out of 10 rating on Korea’s search engine Naver. When one thinks of the go community, violence and action are seldom the first thoughts that spring to mind. But Korean director Jo Beom-gu has painted go players in a new light in his action movie about a professional go player whose brother is murdered.

Published On 7/23/2014

Here's an unusual stratagem for hooking new players in Japan: a free go-themed girls’ magazine with topics such as extreme go and finding your dream go-playing soul-mate. According to a recent report on RocketNews24, Goteki magazine explores such things as defining an "Igogirl" (black or dark-brown hair, a natural make-up style and enjoys getting presents) and the four species of Igomen (Yuru Fuwa Shikkari Igomen, Cabbage Roll Igomen, Chara Maji Igomen, and Ora Ama Igomen) as well as a handy love map to determine which Igomen you’d fall for. There are also some sexy photo spreads (right) featuring high level go players like Akihiko Fujita. Noting that manga and anime have been used in the past to introduce less popular activities like basketball and soccer to Japanese youths with relative success, the report concludes that we'll know if this latest effort works "when we see Igogirls walking around with dark hair and sakura-pink dresses."

Go Spotting: “White Vengeance” Film

Published On 7/22/2014

“Not sure if the movie White Vengeance has already been mentioned before in the American Go E-Journal,” writes Erwin Gerstorfer. “Just by chance I saw it recently on German TV. The storyline is sometimes a little bit confusing, but nevertheless this movie contains many go references.” White Vengeance, also known as Hong Men Yan, is a 2011 Chinese historical film directed by Daniel Lee, loosely based on events in the Chu–Han Contention, an interregnum between the fall of the Qin dynasty and the founding of the Han dynasty in Chinese history, according to Wikipedia. “Most notably, the film shows a blind go player playing five simultaneous games, and the coordinates of the first moves are mentioned explicitly, e.g. 4 - 4 in the lower left corner,” says Gerstorfer. “Go boards with stones are shown often, although in some close ups, the board position looks strange.” The film is available online or through Amazon.

Published On 7/22/2014

The Twin Cities Go Club 2014 Summer Tournament was held on Sunday, July 20th, in the clubhouse of the Goodrich Golf Course in St. Paul, MN. The tournament was four rounds using McMahon pairings. 29 individuals participated, 14 of whom registered as 1 dan or stronger. Player strength ranged from 5 dan to 16 kyu. “It's always a pleasure the play at this venue, which provides a peaceful background to some great games of go,” reports local organizer Aaron Broege.

More News from Down Under

Published On 7/21/2014

With the first Australian Go Congress set for January 2015 in Sydney, look for more activity Down Under in the months ahead. There’s a new Melbourne City Go Club, complementing the University and Victorian clubs, meeting on Wednesday evenings. The Perth Go Club has settled down to a fixed location at Tzu Chi Australia, 247 Fitzgerald Street, West Perth, meeting on Saturday afternoons from 1pm. Contact clivehunt@bigpond.com if you're in the city and you want to play some go. The Armidale Go Club in northern New South Wales meets every Wednesday at 6pm - more details at the flash new web site. Complete club listings here.

BadukTV Hires Shawn Ray

Published On 7/21/2014

BadukTV has hired Shawn Ray 4d, better known as Clossius to his YouTube and KGS fans, to do a series of lessons in English for the network. “Thanks to the success of my YouTube channeI, I was offered a job at BadukTV - on the condition that I relocate to Korea,” Ray told the E-Journal.

Published On 7/20/2014

The email contact for Robert Cordingley in Go Clubs Online Offering Free Memberships to Celebrate AGA Pairings Software Certification (6/19 EJ) was incorrect; the correct email address is rjcord1@gmail.com.

Published On 7/19/2014

People play go all over the world every day, but Saturday, September 13 will be different. That’s the day Go Game Guru is inviting local go organizers to participate in the launch of the first-ever Learn Go Week. “Every Go player knows that stones work better when they work together,” says GGG’s David Ormerud. “Right now we’re all doing our own things, within our own communities. We’re spread out thinly, all over the world. But if we work together, we can all be part of something bigger.” And while September 13 is the focus of the event, local organizers can also plan an event during the following week. Go Game Guru will support local efforts with adaptable go brochures, posters, checklists and information for running an event, including logistical support, inexpensive go sets, and printable go boards for organizers. While not an official IGF activity, IGF board members expressed support for the idea at last Saturday’s IGF meeting.

Published On 7/19/2014

GoClubsOnline (GCOL) is offering six unlimited club memberships to celebrate GCOL’s status as the first pairings software to be certified as AGA compliant. To qualify, go clubs must be holding -- or plan to hold -- tournaments in the near future, says GCOL’s Robert Cordingley. The memberships will be free for the first six months. Visit GCOL's Overview web page to learn more about their comprehensive web-based system, including membership management, on-line tournament registration and check-in capabilities. Contact Cordingley at rjcord1@gmail.com to apply or for more information. “When applying, please include some details about the club and tournament plan," adds Cordingley. The AGA is seeking volunteers to help develop and implement a regular process for pairings certification to expand beyond this first certification. Any interested players or programmers should contact Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall Li at karoline.burrall@usgo.org.

Published On 7/18/2014

Croatia: Zoran Mutabzija 5d took the 2014 Croatian Open Go Championship on July 13 in Gorica. Daniel Zrno 2k was second and Mladen Smud 1k placed third. Germany: Also on July 13, the Deutsche Damen-Go-Meisterschaft finished in Kassel with Manja Marz 3d (left) in first, Kirsten Hartmann 1k in second, and Vivian Scheuplein 1k in third. Czech Republic: Ondrej Silt 6d bested Mateusz Surma 6d at the 13th Moyo Open Tournament in Pardubice while Remi Campagnie 5d came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 7/18/2014

The European Go Federation, French Go Federation, and Go Seigen Club of Toulouse will host the 2014 European Student Go Championship on September 27 and 28 in Balma, France. Any university student under age 30 that is a citizen of an EGF country is welcome to enter free of charge. The champion will receive EGF sponsorship to participate in the Ing Foundation 2015 Student event at Shanghai including travel (750 EU for plane tickets) and all local costs. Players who register will also enjoy talks by 2013 European Go Champion Fan Hui 2d. To register or for more information including a full schedule and accommodations, visit the official European Student Go Championship website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 7/18/2014

“I said for decades that I did not think I would ever be beaten by a computer playing go,” writes Phil Straus 2D in response to Go Spotting: IEEE Spectrum 7/16 EJ. “I was wrong. I was first beaten by a computer program on KGS sometime in the last two years. Laurence Sigmond and I watched Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov at the Philadelphia Convention Center in 1997. To pass the time between moves we, of course, brought a go board. I showed the go board to Hans Berliner, one of the iconic chess programmers. He looked at it, and just shook his head. He said ‘maybe in 20 years.’ I was even more pessimistic. Go looked impossible in 1997. We were both wrong.” Straus is a former president of the American Go Association. photo: Rémi Coulom and Crazy Stone. Photo: Takashi Osato/WIRED

Published On 7/17/2014

With the American Go Association committed to establishing parallel AGA ratings for games played on-line, the AGA is seeking volunteers to implement the new system. “This is an exciting and historic development,” says Bob Gilman, AGA Director for the Central Region. AGA ratings now are limited to in-person games, and those ratings will not be affected. “This is a great project for an entry-level programmer looking for something to put on their resume,” says Andrew Jackson, AGA Operations Vice President, who estimates it will take “a few months of nights and/or weekends for an experienced python programmer.” Mentoring is available. Reply here if interested.

Go Spotting: IEEE Spectrum

Published On 7/16/2014

Human go players will undoubtedly find the graphic for “Go-bot, Go” annoying, but the article in the July issue of IEEE Spectrum is an excellent exploration of computer go-playing by Jonathan Schaeffer, Martin Müller and Akihiro Kishimoto, who developed Fuego, which in 2009 defeated a world-class human go player in a no-handicap game for the first time in history. In the online version, AIs Have Mastered Chess. Will Go Be Next?, the Schaffer, Muller and Kishimoto explain how “a know-nothing machine that based its decisions on random choices and statistics” triumphed. IEEE photo: Dan Saelinger; Prop Stylist: Dominique Baynes

Published On 7/16/2014

“I am tentatively planning to attend the 16th Ibero-American Go Tournament in Quito, Ecuador this October and wonder whether there may be other AGA members who might also be interested in making the trip,” Bob Gilman writes. “There is information about the tournament here and a form to indicate interest and get additional information here. If your Spanish is as bad as mine, Google translate can help you understand these pages.” Email Gilman at bobgilman.aga@gmail.com if interested. In a related note for our Spanish-language readers (or those interested in reaching them), our July 13 Prisoners in Cuba Learning Go post has been picked up by El Latino Digital -- Reclusos en Cuba aprenden GO -- thanks to Chris Uzal.

Published On 7/15/2014

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014_07_15_Joanne_Missingham_GanshengShi.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014_07_15_Joanne_Missingham_GanshengShi.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] GLOBIS U-20 Tournament White: Gansheng Shi 1P Black: Joanne Missingham (Hei JiaJia) 6P Commentary: Gansheng Shi 1P Game editor: Myron Souris Published in the July 15, 2014 edition of the American Go Journal This game against Joanne MissingHam (Hei JiaJia) 6P is from the 1st GLOBIS U-20 Tournament for young players around the world. Because 15 of the 16 players are active professionals, expect every game to be very difficult. With modesty after beating multiple strong pros, Gansheng Shi says, "My results are in this tournament are satisfactory, but could have been better I believe."

Nearly 30 Pros to Attend US Go Congress

Published On 7/15/2014

Nearly 30 professional go players are expected to attend this year’s US Go Congress, August 9-17 in New York City. Ranging in strength from 9-dan to 1-dan, the professionals come from Japan, Korea and China, as well as the United States; click here for the list, which does not yet include the Kansai Ki-in pros, Maeda Ryo 6P, Mariko Deguchi 1P, and newly-minted pro Francis Meyer 1P (right). A major attraction at the annual Congress, the professionals will give lectures and play simuls; the tentative Congress schedule has been posted here. Reminder that late fees for Congress registration will go up after July 15.

Published On 7/14/2014

Defending champion Andy Liu swept the 4th annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT), winning all five games. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2014.07.14_YKNOT_Sweetrip-panda501.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2014.07.14_YKNOT_Sweetrip-panda501.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Winners in other divisions were Dazhi Xu in the 4-5D division, Peiyu Tang in the 1-3D division, Ary Cheng in the 1-5k division, and Monsoon Srestha in the 6k+ division. The online tournament ran June 21, 22, and 28th. “Special thanks so tournament sponsor Young Kwon, who has sponsored this tournament for four years now,” said AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Li, who also thanked “my TD team of Dennis Wheeler, Julie Burrall, Matthew Burrall, and Jay Tabaniag, as well as KGS for hosting the tournament.” Andy Liu’s (Sweetrip) Round 5 game against Xuyu Xiang is at right; his previous four rounds are below.

Prisoners in Cuba Learning Go

Published On 7/13/2014

“At the request of the Cuban Sports Ministry we have started very interesting work in prisons,” reports Rafael Torres Miranda of the Academia Cubana de Go. “Hermes Rodriguez 1D is doing a tremendous job teaching go. The inmates have received it very well, have been highly motivated, and have very quickly grasped the techniques of go. The photo here is from the prison in the province of Guantanamo. Such go programs are also being implemented in other facilities.” In a related story, two of the three Cuban go players invited to attend this year’s US Go Congress (Cuban Delegation Invited to US Go Congress 1/20/2014) have had their applications for US visas rejected, while the third invitee’s application is still pending a decision. In a related note for our Spanish-language readers (or those interested in reaching them), this post has been picked up by El Latino Digital -- Reclusos en Cuba aprenden GO -- thanks to Chris Uzal.

Published On 7/13/2014

The first-ever Australian Go Congress is set for January 25-31, 2015 in Sydney. The new event is timed to coincide with Australia Day on January 26, reports Sang-Dae Hahn, who’s chairing the Australian Baduk Organising Committee. "We're definitely looking forward to our first Congress," Australian Go Association vice president Neville Smyth told the E-Journal. Smyth, IGF director for Australia/New Zealand, is in Gyeongjiu, Korea for the World Amateur Go Championship. As at similar congresses in Europe and the U.S., the Australian Go Congress will feature tournaments, simuls with professionals and lessons. The delegation of professionals will be led by An Younggil 8P of the Korean Baduk Association and Go Game Guru. The Congress will be held at Dunmore Lang College, Macquarie University; registration is $200AU ($180 USD) and rooms run A$85 to $98, with hotels also available near the venue.

Published On 7/12/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Iyama Takes Game 5 To Win Honinbo: Iyama Yuta (at right) completed his Honinbo title defense by winning the fifth round to take the title 4-1 over Ida Atsushi in the best-of-seven match. The fifth game was played at the Hotel Hankyu Expo Park in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture on June 30 and July 1. It was a very difficult game featuring attack and counterattack, and the players following the game in the anteroom at the tournament venue had a lot of trouble predicting the moves.

Published On 7/10/2014

Cho Hunhyun: “No shortcuts” to Stronger Play and World Go “There are no shortcuts” to getting stronger at go, Cho Hunhyun 9P told the E-Journal in an interview during the World Amateur Go Championship in Korea, where he served as chief referee. “You must study hard. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and you must know these and focus your energies accordingly.” Considered one of the greatest go players of all time, Cho has played and won more professional games than any player in the world, with nearly 160 titles and 1,900 wins. After giving the signal for games to begin each day at the WAGC, Cho (right), impeccably attired in a crisp gray suit and perfectly adjusted tie, would quietly move about the playing area observing the games. And while he was impressed with some of the play, he says a lot of work remains to be done.

Published On 7/9/2014

Chinese Taipei’s Yitien Chan won the 2014 World Amateur Go Championship on July 9, narrowly edging out Korea’s Taewoong Wei and Ruoran Wang of China. The three were all 7-1, so the winner was decided by SOS (sum of opponents’ scores), with Taipei scoring 46 to Korea’s 45, and China in third at 43. This is the first time in nearly 30 years that a country other than the “Big Three” – Korea, China and Japan – has won the WAGC; the last time was 1986, when Hong Kong won, and in recent years, Korea and China have dominated.

Mexican Youth Tourneys Cap School Year

Published On 7/9/2014

School kids in Mexico City capped off their year with tourneys in two locations, reports organizer Siddhartha Avila. "We gave the North american Kyu Championship prizes sent by the American Go Association to Valeria Gonzalez and Samuel Suástegui," said Avila. "All the kids received a kanji, made by artist Yuko Kosaka, that conveyed a good wish or thought for their lives. We are thankful to have such wonderful people around us, congrats to all the young go players! Pictures of the event can be seen here.

At-Large Election Ballots Re-sent

Published On 7/9/2014

Due to technical difficulties with the usual election site the ballots instructing voters to go to www.ballotbin.com have been voided, reports AGA Election Coordinator Arnold Eudell. “If you have successfully voted on Ballotbin your vote will be counted and you will not receive a new ballot,” says Eudell. Every eligible voter should have received a new email that directs them to the Balloteer.com website and includes a voter ID and password. Any questions, email elections@usgo.org

Published On 7/8/2014

After his 5th-round win over Chinese Taipei’s Yitien Chan on Tuesday morning, China’s Ruoran Wang (left, below) must have been eying the 2014 World Amateur Go Championship trophy a bit possessively.

Published On 7/7/2014

Korea and Japan, two of the favorites to top the 2014 World Amateur Go Championship, both lost by half a point to their respective opponents from Chinese Taipei and China in the third round of the WAGC on Monday morning. China and Chinese Taipei then solidified their status as clear favorites by handily winning their 4th-round games Monday afternoon, with the Czech Republic’s Lukas Podpera (left) the only other 4-game winner, while Japan’s dwindling hopes were dashed by Canadian Yongfei Ge.

Aji's Quest Concludes

Published On 7/7/2014

Aji's Quest, the popular online comic about a quoll who plays go, has published its last panel, author Colette Bezio announced on July 5th. Her comic strip was launched two years ago and has grown to 180 pages, and attracted an international audience of kids and adults. Fans followed the witty adventures of a quoll named Aji, on his long quest to become a go master. On the way he encounters a huge variety of go playing animals and creatures, all of whom illustrate different aspects of the game, and provide some kind of lesson to help Aji along the way. "A sequel is possible... I even have a couple of ideas," said Bezio, "but I have to get back to some other projects before I even think about it seriously." The strip can be read on Bezio's website here, and was also featured on Tigersmouth. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Drawing by Colette Bezio: Aji confronts his worst nightmare, the evil white stones monster.

Published On 7/5/2014

July 15 is the deadline to reserve the lowest hotel prices for US Go Congress attendees at the Hotel Pennsylvania. "After July 15, we cannot guarantee room availability or prices, so you'd have to book rooms at the hotel's normal rates instead of our special discounted rates," says Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. "We've negotiated incredibly low rates with the Hotel Pennsylvania for go players, so don't miss out!" Late fees for Congress registration will also go up after July 15. The US Go Congress runs August 9-17 in New York City.

Published On 7/5/2014

The 35th World Amateur Go Championship got underway Saturday morning in Gyeongju, Korea with the traditional Friendship Match between local go players and the WAGC players from around the world. Gathered in the main playing area on the first floor of the Hotel Hyundai, the WAGC players' places were marked as usual by their nation’s flags and the locals eagerly joined them for a spirited round of friendly but intense matches. At the head of the room were pro Kim In 9P (at right in photo at lower left) playing a teaching game with a local luminary beneath the WAGC banner. Gyeongju City, along with the Republic of Korea, is hosting the WAGC in this scenic resort in the Bomun Lake resort area. In the back of the room, professional Hyun Wook Lee (at right in bottom right photo) played a 10-on-1 simul while Ms. Yun Jin Bae gave some three dozen avid youngsters a go lecture.

Published On 7/5/2014

Why top players love go is as varied as the players themselves, but they all pretty much agree that in order to get stronger, “you must love the game.” So said Japan’s Emura Kiko at a brief press conference on the opening day of this year’s World Amateur Go Championship, echoed by Malaysia’s Suzanne D’Bel Low, Korea’s Taewoong Wei, China’s Ruoran Wang, Vietnam’s Nhat Minh Vo and the Czech Republic’s Lukas Podpera, who were selected to answer questions at the press conference. “Go enables me to meet a lot of new friends, who become part of my family,” said Low. “Each game reveals my opponent’s style and personality,” added Podpera. At just 13, Vo is the youngest player at the WAGC, but already the game has enabled him to “meet a lot of interesting new people and travel around the world to share the go spirit,” he said.

Zhang Wins Happy Cup Youth Tourney

Published On 7/4/2014

The annual Sunflower Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament, in Cupertino, drew 44 kids this year, reports organizer Wenguang Wang. 8th grader Wilson Zhang was the winner in group A with 4 wins. "It was a super hot afternoon, which made the ice cream party at the end of the tournament very refreshing," Wang told the Journal. The event was held June 8th, at the Sunflower Chinese School. More photos can be seen here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Wenguang Wang.

Published On 7/2/2014

Impressive Ge: “7 Dan is impressive,” writes Chris Uzal about our profile of Canada’s Yongfei Ge (2014 WAGC Player Profiles: Americas & Oceania 6/29 EJ). “Playing go in the womb is even more impressive: ‘Yongfei Ge 7D is a 30-year-old software architect from Scarborough. He’s been playing for 30 years…’" That would be impressive indeed! In fact, Ge is 45 and has been playing since he was 15. Looking for Spanish Go News: Uzal also asks “Where can I find go news in Spanish? I work for a local Spanish newspaper. I have enough influence to get go stories published. I'd like to see more on the Latin American players.” Send your tips on where to find go news in Spanish to us at journal@usgo.org and we’ll pass it along.

Published On 7/2/2014

Ballots for the 2014 American Go Association Board elections have been sent to chapters and members, reports Arnold Eudell. “If you have not received your ballot and believe you should have, first check your spam folder,” Eudell says. “Then send a note to elections@usgo.org.” Note that only one ballot can be sent per email. If an email is duplicated, such as for a child’s membership, only one voting code will be sent. Contact the email address above with a unique email to receive all ballots. Also, comments sent through Ballot Bin are anonymous; if you want a response send comments to elections@usgo.org. Voting closes August 8.

Published On 7/2/2014

Local organizers are looking for volunteers to help teach go at the final weekend of the Smithsonian’s Folk Life Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC this Saturday and Sunday. Local players Julian Erville (left) and Juan Pablo Quizon were joined by fellow DC-area club members Todd Heidenreich, Ed Hsu, Sam Lee, Mike Pak, Yi Weng, Justin Teng, and John Goon last weekend “as they taught weiqi/go to some promising young talent,” says Goon, who coordinated the effort reaching more than 200 each day. China and Kenya are the centerpieces of the festival, which ends on Sunday. Contact John Goon at Spineyone@yahoo.com for details on how to volunteer. -photo by John Goon

Published On 6/30/2014

Calvin Sun 1P has been selected as the new American Go Honor Society (AGHS) President. "I'm really glad to be the President for AGHS this year," Sun told the Journal. "This has always been a goal for me because I feel like go has lost much of its popularity in the past couple of years in the United States, especially among kids. I wish to bring back the enthusiasm that children had for go when I first started the game. I am very excited for another year of hard work and fun." The AGHS runs the popular School Teams Tourney, the Young Lions, and other youth events as well. Outgoing Co-President Andrew Huang 6d issued a call to " all young go players and enthusiasts who are interested in becoming leaders in promoting and teaching go across the country. I encourage you to apply for an officer position. We will be led by Calvin Sun next year, but we still have openings for vice president, tournament organizer, treasurer, secretary, promotion head, and webmaster.

Published On 6/29/2014

Last of a series of profiles of players in the 35th World Amateur Go Championships, which will be held July 4-11 in Gyeongju, Korea. Fifty-seven players from a like number of countries and territories are scheduled to make the trip to Korea to compete in the four-day, eight-round Swiss system. Many will be veterans of previous tournaments held in Japan and China, some drawn back to WAGC competition after a long absence, perhaps by the chance to be part of the first WAGC held in Korea. As usual, the largest contingent will come from Europe (30 players) and the youngest from the Far East (15 players, including an 11-year-old fromIndonesia). Click here for Ranka’s June 24 WAGC preview.

Go Quiz: Three Firsts; Who's Second?

Published On 6/29/2014

Last week’s Quiz was inspired by EJ reader Vernon Leighton who thought he spotted an error in a May 13 Wired article on go. “It said that Michael Redmond (far right) was the first American go professional and that James Kerwin (near right) was the second. I believe that Kerwin was the first.” As the vast majority of respondents knew, Kerwin was indeed the first American pro, but the real answer is a bit more nuanced. The Wired article correctly said that “The charismatic Redmond, an American… remains the only Westerner to ever reach 9-dan, the game’s highest rank” and that “James Kerwin…(became) the second-ever Western professional Go player” which is what created the confusion. Manfred Wimmer 2P (left) of Austria was the first Westerner to achieve professional status in 1978 at the Kansai Kiin; Kerwin 1P, from the United States, became a professional later that year at the Nihon Ki-in, the first westerner to do so there.

Published On 6/29/2014

AVE-KONTAKT s.r.o., PromoGo o.s., and the Czech Go Association will host the 13th International Czech Open on July 11 through July 13. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top five players, the top five EGF players, and players with five and six points. Additionally, material prizes (3000 CZK value) will be awarded to those with four points, the best female player, and the best youth players who accumulate at least three points. Starting fee is determined by rank, with the maximum fee as 17 EU. For more information including a full schedule and accommodations, please visit the official Czech Open 2014 website. Love the Czech Republic? Coming this fall: the 2014 annual international tournament BRNO. An official video trailer (preview below) is currently being featured by our friends at EuroGoTV. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 6/28/2014

United Kingdom: The Welsh Open finished in Barmouth on June 22 with Alistair Wall 2d in first, Toby Manning 2d in second, and Christian Scarff 1d in third. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Also on June 22, Mijodrag Stankovic 5d dominated the 10th Open Zelenkovac. Mihailo Jacimovic 1d came in second and Daniel Zrno 2k in third. Austria: Ali Jabarin 6d (left) took the Wien 2014 Vienna International Tournament on June 22 while Cristian Pop 7d took second and Hui Fan 8d placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Capital One AGA Card Program Ending

Published On 6/28/2014

Capital One has informed its Card Lab Connect partners that it is ending the program, under which AGA members could apply for go-decorated VISA cards whose fees were shared with AGA, according to AGA President Andy Okun. "I am quite disappointed, as the program was a nice addition to the AGA budget and the cards a nice conversation piece," he told the E-Journal. New applications are no longer being accepted, although spending on existing cards will generate revenue through the end of September. After that the cards will be replaced with ordinary Capital One cards, which members may keep or cancel as they please. The AGA will make good on its offer of a $50 cash rebate for New York Congress attendees showing the card. "We promised," Okun said (U.S. Go Congress Registration Opens with Special Rebate Offer 3/30/2014).

Published On 6/27/2014

Third in a series of profiles of players in the 35th World Amateur Go Championships, which will be held July 4-11 in Gyeongju, Korea.

Chilean Tourney Draws 40 Kids

Published On 6/27/2014

"Forty children between the ages of five and sixteen competed at the first inter-school go tournament, in Punta Arenas, Chile, on Saturday June 6th," reports organizer Sebastian Montiel. "Three categories were played depending on the experience of the participants: 13x13, 9x9 and Atari-Go." The tourney was held at Colegio Luterano, with five schools competing, and was organized by the Aonken Go Club. First place winner in the 13x13, Matias Salinas, age 13, writes "I would like Punta Arenas to become world famous in the world of go, and for people from other countries to travel to this city just to play go." Aonken Go Club, which joined the Chilean Go Federation as an official club in 2013, has been promoting Go in Punta Arenas vigorously.

Published On 6/27/2014

Slate & Shell is having a half-price sale on all four of John Fairbairn's books on Go Seigen to commemorate the master’s 100th birthday. There are four of them: Kamakura, 9 Dan Showdown, Final Summit, and Old Fuseki vs New Fuseki. “They make for a rather complete biography of Go and contain commentaries on many of his most famous games,” says S&S’ Bill Cobb. Get all four (the Go Seigen Birthday Pack) for $45.00, and they can also be bought individually.

Published On 6/27/2014

The June 21 Davis/Sacramento Summer Quarterly Tournament at the Arcade Library in Sacramento drew a field of nine players from the Bay Area to the Sierra foothills. Charles Su 1k (left) won the upper division and Tai-An Cha 5k, won the lower division. - report/photo by Willard Haynes

Half-Price Go Book Sale at Yutopian

Published On 6/27/2014

Yutopian is offering a half-price sale on dozens of go books. Through July 31, the Go Books Summer Sale offers the second book half off of the original price when you buy one at the original price. You must call or email to get the deal, though: 1-800-988-6463 or info@yutopian.com

Published On 6/27/2014

If you’re in the St Louis area this weekend – or maybe just passing through the airport – you’ll want to stop by the stamp show at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Longtime go player and philatelist Les Lanphear will be showing his award-winning stamp exhibition “Go, The World’s Oldest Board Game,” which uses brilliantly-colored stamps from around the world to tell the story of go, from its' origins through development of the game, the people involved, as well as various related historical developments, including go's transmission to Japan, Europe and the United States. “The last time I showed the exhibit was around three years ago,” Lanphear tells the E-Journal. “About 50% has been changed with many new items. I am getting it ready for an international exhibit on Korea in August.” The hours of the show are 10a to 6p Friday and Saturday and 10a to 4p Sunday. photo: Lanphear at the 2008 US Go Congress in Portland, OR; photo by Chris Garlock.

Published On 6/27/2014

“Firstly let me appreciate all the work with the journal,” writes Michael Marz. “I really enjoy it. This time (2014 WAGC Player Profiles: Europe (Part 1) 6/26 EJ), however, there is a mistake. The German representative is Bernd Radmacher, who is also the person in the picture. The guy mentioned, Arne Ohlenbusch, is half German and half Danish, I assume he is the Danish representative.” Excellent catch! Our apologies for the mix-up; Ohlenbusch is indeed the Danish rep (he lives in Germany, which was what confused us). We’ve corrected the original report and included German rep Bernd Radmacher in today’s player profile preview.

Published On 6/26/2014

Nauseating Profiles: “Reading the journal is part of my morning routine,” writes Chris Uzal. “Most of the time it is interesting, sometimes it's not. Can't win them all, of course. One of your articles today crossed over into the nauseous zone. This morning's article about "player profiles" (2014 WAGC Player Profiles: Asia 6/24 EJ) is easily among the dumbest stories I've ever read. You want to inspire kids to play go? Articles like this is certainly not how you do it.” Sorry you didn't like the profiles; our intention is simply to introduce EJ readers to the players who will be competing at the upcoming WAGC, which we'll be covering in greater depth starting at the end of next week. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

Published On 6/26/2014

Second in a series of profiles of players in the 35th World Amateur Go Championships, which will be held July 4-11 in Gyeongju, Korea. Fifty-seven players from a like number of countries and territories are scheduled to make the trip to Korea to compete in the four-day, eight-round Swiss system. Many will be veterans of previous tournaments held in Japan and China, some drawn back to WAGC competition after a long absence, perhaps by the chance to be part of the first WAGC held in Korea. As usual, the largest contingent will come from Europe (30 players) and the youngest from the Far East (15 players, including an 11-year-old from Indonesia).

2014 WAGC Player Profiles: Asia

Published On 6/25/2014

First in a series of profiles of players in the 35th World Amateur Go Championships, which will be held July 4-11 in Gyeongju, Korea. The American Go E-Journal will once again be teaming up with Ranka to provide comprehensive daily coverage of this major amateur tournament featuring top players from 74 countries and territories around the world. These are the players from Asia; missing are China, Indonesia, Korea, Macau, Mongolia, Vietnam; we hope to have their profiles in a future post.

Published On 6/25/2014

“The Chess Life article (Your Move/Readers Write: ‘Catching Chess Cheaters’ 6/23 EJ) says that ‘One interesting statistic is that players make 60 percent to 90 percent more errors when half a pawn ahead or behind compared to when the game is even,’" writes Michael Redmond 9P. “How would you compare half a pawn in chess to a point advantage in go? I don't know how big an advantage that is for chess masters, but I think that Regan's observation that the players' assessment of a game position -- and the assumed emotional value -- is affecting their ability to think is also true of go players, but to a lesser extent, depending on how big a half pawn is.”

Published On 6/24/2014

“I read about the Go Camp in Japan (Nihon Kiin Organizing Special Go Camp to Celebrate 90th Birthday 3/22 EJ) this summer,” writes Bob Barber. “I will be in Japan for a wedding, so I couldn’t actually join the Camp, but if I can fit it into my schedule, it would be interesting to hang on the sidelines and at least see some of my buddies whom I no longer see at Congress.” Anyone planning to attend can reach Barber at komoku@clear.net. The EJ is also interested in reports from the Camp; email journal@usgo.org

For Sale: Treasure Chest Enigma

Published On 6/24/2014

With personal inscription by author Noriyuki Nakayama on flyleaf. Near new condition, 191 pages, with colorful book cover. Many remember Mr Nakayama, because of his great love for spreading understanding and communications with others around the world, about the value and beauty in go. For sale, $95 or best offer by July 15. Free shipping via priority mail within two days of payment by paypal or other agreed-upon means. Contact Ken Schatten at kschatten AT Alum DOT MIT DOT edu , or by phone at 301- 949-7855.

Published On 6/23/2014

“Chess Life recently published a fascinating article, ‘Catching Chess Cheaters’ centered on using computers and statistics to detect cheating in chess,” writes John Pinkerton. “It covers many related topics of interest to go players such as rating inflation, comparing players of different generations, the statistics of move quality, and computational complexity theory. One interesting statistic is that players make 60 percent to 90 percent more errors when half a pawn ahead or behind compared to when the game is even. It’s believed to be a cognitive effect, not the result of high-risk/high-reward play, because it’s seen in both the player ahead and the player behind.” Graphic courtesy Chess Life; cover photography by Luke Copping

Published On 6/23/2014

Israeli go champion Ali Jabarin 6d (right) has won the final knockout rounds of the European Pro Qualification Tournament at Vienna in Austria to become the second pro qualifying under the new European Go Federation (EGF) /CEGO pro system (see Pavol Lisy First European Pro - EJ, 6/1). He beat Mateusz Surma 6d of Poland then Lukáš Podpera 6d of Czechia in the two closely-fought knockout rounds comprising this third and final stage of the competition to select two pros from sixteen of Europe's strongest amateur players. Israel, though not geographically part of Europe, is usually treated as European in international sporting contests and is an EGF member-state. The games were played at the Freie Waldorfschule Wien West on Friday June 20 as a preliminary to the Vienna International Go Tournament, which Jabarin also won, in a field of almost 100.

Published On 6/22/2014

The 2014 UK Go Challenge for Schools was won by Melchior Chui 9k of Cambridge with second and third places going to siblings Roella 12k and Edmund Smith 13k respectively, also both of Cambridge. The finals were held at Milton C of E Primary School in Milton, near Cambridge, England on Saturday June 21st, and were the culmination of heats played in schools throughout the year, each of which comprised five rounds of 13x13 go.Twenty-five youngsters took part in the finals, which are not restricted to those who have taken part in the heats. Click here for full list of winners. The top three winners and the challenger all won cash prizes and they and all age group winners got a framed certificate showing their achievement.

Published On 6/22/2014

Ida Picks Up First Win In Honinbo Title Match:Faced with his first kadoban (a game that can lose a series) in the 69th Honinbo best-of-seven, Ida Atsushi 8P (right) fought strongly and killed a large group of his opponent, Iyama Yuta Honinbo. This keeps his chances of becoming the youngest tournament Honinbo alive, but Iyama will be doing his best to see that it’s just a consolation prize. The fourth game was played at the Olive Bay Hotel in the town of Saikai in Nagasaki Prefecture on June 18 and 19. Saikai is a ship-building center, and the Olive Bay Hotel is a luxury hotel built to accommodate customers. In the game, an invasion by Iyama, playing white, in the top right corner let Ida build strong thickness on the right side. Later, when Iyama invaded the bottom right as well, Ida countered very aggressively. With his 63rd move, he proclaimed his intention of killing White’s group. Iyama is usually an expert at rescuing weak groups, but not this time.

Published On 6/22/2014

“Anders Kierulf (@SmartGo) suggested that I should send you the attached cover art of albums for a well-known partnership in British folk-blues circles, featuring games of go,” writes JF Derry. The E-Journal’s British correspondent, Tony Collman, covered this in his July 14, 2013 report, Go Spotting: Brit Folkies Bert and John.

Published On 6/22/2014

A draft update of the AGA’s official Tournament Regulations is now posted for review and comment. First published in 2005 by Ken Koester and updated periodically, “These are not sweeping changes, mostly moderate edits and additions to the prior edition,” reports Chris Kirschner, who’s been working with Karoline Li and Steve Burrall on the updates. Proposed changes include defining regulations for self-promotion and TD discretion (the new section follows a recent policy decision by the Board regarding this issue, which has been simmering for years); regulations have been modified throughout to include competition played under other rule sets than AGA rules; rulings procedures are described separately for cases in which the ruling relates directly to rules of play, and those which relate to player behavior in the course of competition; definition of the completion of a move, and right of opponent to play is clarified;

Published On 6/22/2014

"Intuition": “In Allegra Goodman's novel 'Intuition' on page 164 is the line ‘Jacob and Aaron sat playing go on towels in the sand,’” writes None Redmond, though she adds “Not one of her best books I think. I'm a bit bored with it already.” Note: This was previously spotted by Debbie Siemon in 2012: Go Spotting: Allegra Goodman ’s novel “Intuition”

Published On 6/19/2014

The Highbrow Game: Go is classified as a “high-brow” game in a chart detailing “the best and worst of art and popular culture,” in a 1949 issue of LIFE magazine, reports Molly Fitzpatrick on nerve.com . “Looking at the other classifications, I am unsure whether it’s a compliment or not,” says EJ reader Garrett Bredell, who sent us the link. “But nice to see it mentioned anyway.” An Unlikely Place: “My father spotted a go reference in a very unlikely place!” writes Alicia Seifrid. “An opinion article by Bob Pinato in the latest issue of Microwave Product Digest spoke about the current world political situation, and it mentioned go in reference to China's recent policy of claiming of nearby islands. The author likened this to a real-life version of ‘GO, the ancient Asian game of power and strategy.’"

Published On 6/19/2014

Sixteen professional go players have been confirmed for this year’s US Go Congress, set for August in New York City. They include the following pros from Korea: Park Jungsang 9P: Born in 1984, Park became a professional in 2000 and was a semi-quarter finalist in the 6th Samsung World Championship in 2001, as a 2-dan pro. Park won the 8th SK Gas Rookies Cup in 2004 and was a semi-quarter finalist at the 10th LG World Championship in 2005. In 2006 he won the 19th Fujitsu Cup against Zhou Heyang 9P, earning immediate promotion to 9P. That year he was also the runner-up in the 3rd Electronic Land Baduk King of Kings against Lee Changho 9P. In 2007 he was runner-up at the Maxim Coffee Cup against Lee Sedol 9P and runner-up at the 3rd Zhonghuan Cup against Lee Changho 9P. Park was the Silver Medalist at the 1st World Mind Sports Game Individual Division in 2008.

Published On 6/18/2014

The 35th World Amateur Go Championships will be held July 4-11 in Gyeongju, Korea. The American Go E-Journal will once again be teaming up with Ranka to provide comprehensive daily coverage of this major amateur tournament featuring top players from 74 countries and territories around the world. The WAGC is organized by the International Go Federation; this year the preparatory work is being done at the Korea Baduk Association in Seoul, Korea. The tournament venue will be the Hyundai Hotel in the Bomun Lake resort area of Gyeongju, a former capital of Korea once famed for its architectural and other riches. Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist destination, participants will find much to see, both on and off the go board. Beginning next week, the E-Journal will run a series of profiles of WAGC players to familiarize readers with the competitors.

AGA Board Candidates Finalized

Published On 6/18/2014

Candidates for the AGA Board of Directors have now been finalized. Incumbent Gurujeet Khalsa is running unopposed in the Eastern region, as is Robert Gilman (also an incumbent) in the Central region. Ted Terpstra and Jingwei 'Jay' Zheng are running for the seat in the Western region for the seat currently held by Steve Burrall, while in the At-Large, Diego F. Pierrottet is running against Edward (Zhiyuan) Zhang. Candidate statements, if submitted, are available on the AGA Elections page. Ballots will be sent out in early July and winners announced August 10.

Kiseido Offers Summer Sale on Books

Published On 6/18/2014

Kiseido is having a sale of all English-language go books and magazines listed on its book page. Get 10% off the listed price with free shipping when you order five books or more; the sale runs through July 25. Dozens of books are available, including the Graded Go Problems for Beginners series, the Get Strong at Go Series and more. You can also check out Kiseido’s Go World Online website, which presents recent games played by some of the top players in the world. There you’ll find detailed commentaries on the first five games of the ongoing ten-game match between Lee Sedol and Gu Li, who are billed as the two strongest players in the world. Also featured on this site – which is currently free of charge -- is Iyama Yuta's defense of his Kisei title against Yamashita Keigo.

Go Quiz: Who Was First?

Published On 6/17/2014

“I spotted what I think is an error in the Wired article (Wired Magazine on “The Mystery of Go, the Ancient Game That Computers Still Can’t Win” 5/13 EJ),” writes Vernon Leighton. “It said that Michael Redmond was the first American go professional and that James Kerwin was the second. I believe that Kerwin was the first.” Which is correct? Click here to submit your answer.

Published On 6/15/2014

Ming Curran 3D topped a field of 17 players ranging from 4d to 20k at the Berkeley Go Club’s ratings tournament on June 14. The event was hosted in the Games of Berkeley game store's downstairs playing rooms, with store gift certificates given as prizes. Organizers were Peter de Blanc and Linden Chiu, with Chiu directing. “Thanks to both Games of Berkeley and the Bay Area Go Players Association, who provided clocks and stones,” said Chiu. Results: 1st: Ming Curran 3d (3-0); 2nd: Sean Wahl 10k (3-0); 3rd: Garnet Chaney 19k (3-0). photo courtesy Linden Chiu

Published On 6/15/2014

Cristian Pop of Romania has won the top division in the 2014 Kidocup, Europe’s biggest weekend tournament, held June 7-8 in Hamburg, Germany. A total of 224 go players from nearly a dozen different countries gathered for the competition, which included plenty of casual play as well as simuls with professionals. The festivities opened amid hot summer weather with a Korean drum group performing in the courtyard of the Heinrich Wollgast-school located in the heart of Hamburg. Alexandr Dinerstein (Russia) edged out Jan Simara (Chechia) and Mateusz Surma (Poland) for second place in the "European Top 8, a round robin competition of the strongest players at Kidocup; Simara took third and Surma fourth. Ali Jabarin (Israel) was 5th, Pavol Lisy 6th, Cornel Burzo 7th and Ondrej Silt 8th. Andrii Kravets 6D (Ukraine) won the main tournament. Click here for complete results of the handicap section and Tobias Berben’s detailed tournament report (in German) and photos.

Published On 6/15/2014

Game results from this year's Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will be included in the new AGA Online Ratings system, the AGA reports. This is similar to the AGA On-Line Games Self-Paired Tournament on KGS, which is also contributing results to the new AGA Online Ratings system, which is still in development. The Young Kwon National Online Tournament is the largest annual online tournament in North America. Registration is free and open to all levels, with nearly $3,000 in total prizes, which will be awarded to all levels. The tournament will take place on June 21, 22, and 28th. Click here to see the tournament webpage with registration details and rules and click here to register. Players have until Friday, June 20th to register. There are no citizen or permanent residency requirements;

Published On 6/14/2014

“I do not have a copy of the actual story (Go Spotting: Northeastern University Magazine, 6/7 EJ)”, writes Erwin Gerstorfer, “but at least I can tell you something about the depicted print.” The print is from an Oban Triptych titled Kinki-Shoga no Zu (The Four Accomplishments) by Chikashige Morikawa, who was active in the second half of the 19th century, and was published in October, 1881 by Komori Sojiro.

Published On 6/14/2014

Eighteen Japanese players visited Cuba in May for the 7th Go Friendship Exchange. Play began in Santiago de Cuba from May 16 to 18 at a special event with children and their teachers from the different schools there where go is taught. While the technical level of play is still low, “there is very much enthusiasm and it is hoped that in a little time they will improve their level,” says Rafael Torres Miranda, President of the Academia Cubana de Go. The Exchange continued on Saturday, May 24 in Havana at the Cuban Go Academy, where high-level players participated. This year’s Exchange celebrated the 10th anniversary of the International Society of Exchange of Go, which organizes these meetings. It also celebrated 400 years of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Japan; in 1614 the samurái Hasekura Tsunenaga visited the island on an official visit. - Bob Gilman; photos courtesy Rafael Torres Miranda

Freedman Named AGF Teacher of the Year

Published On 6/14/2014

Peter Freedman, of Portland, OR, has been named the AGF Teacher of the Year, winning a free trip to the US Go Congress in NYC. Freedman, who has been active in the Portland area for decades, has focused his primary activities on youth go in recent years. Freedman and Fritz Balwit (2011 AGF Teacher of the Year) had tried to establish go clubs in schools for many years, but they were short-lived and drew minimal numbers "Meanwhile, our chess and go program at Irvington Elementary had run for many years, with upwards of 30 students every term," Freedman told the Journal. "It became clear to me that chess and go clubs have a much better chance to introduce children and teens to go than free-standing go clubs.

Published On 6/13/2014

After one brief day to lounge by the pool, it was back to business on June 11 for the winners of 19th LG Cup’s round of 32 (19th LG Cup gets serious – Round of 32 6/9 Go Game Guru). Three of the pairs had only played each other once before and two of the games repeated the previous result. Korea’s current top ranked pro, Park Junghwan 9p (right), replicated his win earlier this year (in the Chunlan Cup) against Tang Weixing 9p.

Seattle Celebrates Go Seigen's Birthday

Published On 6/12/2014

"Go Go Seigen" was the slogan on the birthday cake at the Seattle Go Center on Wednesday night. In Japan, it was already Thursday, and Go Seigen's birthday. Most of the ten Seattle celebrants were members of the SDK class (single digit kyu players). Frank Brown cut the cake. Frank turned 60 on Tuesday, and immediately bought a lifetime membership in the Seattle Go Center with his new senior discount. The Go Center wishes both birthday boys many more years of go playing. Report and photo by Brian Allen.

Published On 6/12/2014

With the Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) less than two weeks away, a competitive open section is shaping up with over 10 players 6-dan and above. Eligible players in the open section this year will earn NAMT points towards participation in the US Invitational, the 9-round $5,000 prize event. Players who qualify through NAMT will be eligible for an extra $2,000 in prizes. “Dan level registration has been strong, but we also encourage kyu players to register!” says AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. “We encourage registration at all playing levels, and prizes will be awarded at all levels.” YKNOT4 sponsor Young Kwon is a go player from Pearl River, New York and a previous US Open champion. Dedicated to promoting go in the United States, he has sponsored this tournament and provided the nearly $3,000 in prizes while offering free registration to all players.

Go Seigen Turns 100, Keeps On Playing

Published On 6/12/2014

Go Seigen -- regarded by many to be the greatest go player who ever lived -- celebrated his 100th birthday on June 12. “I still study Go every day, placing stones on the board,” Go Seigen said in his book ‘A Way of Play for the 21st Century.’ “You might think study is meaningless for me, since I retired so many years ago. But for people who play it, Go is like an eternal friend, a permanent art form. I’ll continue playing and studying Go. Probably just like you.” Many players, including pros, still study and learn from Go Seigen’s games today. “Go Seigen created a new paradigm in the game of go and raised the understanding of future players to a new level,” writes Youngil An 8P on Go Game Guru. Click here to see Youngil An’s commentary on a memorable 1940 Go Seigen game against Kitani Minoru, who was his best friend and rival. “Even though this game was played almost 75 years ago,” says Youngil An

Published On 6/12/2014

There are currently no nominees for the At-Large seat on the AGA Board of Directors, reports Arnold Eudell. Incumbents Bob Gilman (Central) and Gurujeet Khalsa (Eastern) have been nominated to run to retain their seats and Ted Terpstra has been nominated for the western region. Help determine the direction of play for the American Go Association by joining the AGA Board of Directors. Nominations are being accepted through June 15 and must be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for candidate statements and complete election information and qualifications.

Published On 6/10/2014

Germany: Cristian Pop 7d (left) bested Alexandr Dinerstein 7d at the KidoCup Hamburg Top 8 on June 9 while Mateusz Surma 6d came in third. Netherlands: Jord de Jong 1k took the Districtstoernooi Groningen on June 8. Behind him were Rene Goedhart 3d and Sjoerd Koolen 2d. Sweden: The Swedish Championship finished on June 1 in Norrkoeping with Jakob Bing 3d in first, Kim Johansson 1d in second, and Fritiof Olsson 1k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Go Classified: Nantucket Players Wanted

Published On 6/10/2014

Are any go players going to be on Nantucket Island, MA during the month of June? I'm looking for someone to play live games with while on vacation there. Please contact Craig at scorelessdraw@gmail.com Note: this post originally appeared on May 28, 2014

Published On 6/8/2014

Ali Jabarin 6d of Israel took the 2014 Amsterdam International Go Tournament main, centerpiece of Amsterdam Go Together 2014, with five wins out of six. It was played Friday May 30 – Sunday June 1 at the European Go Cultural Centre (EGCC), Amstelveen in the Netherlands (Holland) and Jabarin was only beaten by Zhao Baolong 2p of China who won all six rounds but, as a professional, took part out-of-competition. In second-equal place, with four wins each, came Pavol Lisy 7d of Slovakia, Yong-Su Yu 7d of Korea (pictured), Christian Pop 7d of Romania, Kim Paolo 7d of Korea and Csaba Mérő 6d of Hungary. Click here for full results, and here to connect with the EGCC's Facebook account for more photos.

Published On 6/7/2014

Northeastern University alumnus Gordon Castanza sent along this Northeastern University Magazine from January 2002, which features go on the cover to illustrate a story by Katy Kramer about "The modern relevance (and strange seductiveness) of a very ancient game.'" Unfortunately, we didn't get a copy of the actual story, so if anyone's got it, please scan and send to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/7/2014

A Google doodle on June 6 honoring the 185th birthday of Honinbo Shusaku sparked a bit of a kerfuffle in the UK when Google hastily replaced it with links to letters, photos and maps of the Normandy landings to honor the 70th anniversary of D-Day. "What were you thinking #Google?" chided a tweet. "Unfortunately a technical error crept in and for a short period this morning an international doodle also appeared,” said Peter Barron, Google's director of communication. “We're sorry for the mistake, and we're proud to honour those who took part in D-Day." The Shusaku doodle remained in some countries, including Japan and Hong Kong, honoring one of the greatest go players of the 19th century. Click here to read Go Game Guru’s report, which includes Shusaku’s famous Ear-reddening Game, and here to read the BBC’s report. Click here for an interesting discussion on Board Game Geek about which countries the doodle appeared in.

Published On 6/7/2014

Round 1 Reports, Game Record & Photos There were no surprises for top seeds in the first two rounds of the 35th Annual World Amateur Go Championship in Gyeongju, Korea on Sunday, July 6. In the first-round Japan-Hungary match, the game reached an essentially lost position with only three minutes used on Pal Balogh’s clock. After a twenty minute deliberation, the Hungarian left the playing room but returned minutes later to choose the only possible continuation and struggle through a futile battle to the bitter end. In the Hong Kong-Netherlands game, Naisan Chan (at left in photo) enclosed the Dutch envoy’s central-right stones in another first-round battle but no amount of tsumego wizardry could save Merlijn Kuin’s (right) group from inevitable demise. “I thought W58 was good enough but to be honest I didn't read it out very carefully,” said Kuin.

Published On 6/6/2014

Iyama Increases Lead in Honinbo Title Match: Iyama Yuta (right) is now just one win away from defending his Honinbo title. In the third game of the 69th title match, played at the Lake Abashiri Tsuruga Resort in Abashiri City, Hokkaido, on June 4 and 5, Iyama (B) beat Ida Atsushi by resignation after 201 moves. Iyama had one minute left and Ida 18 minutes. The game started with an innovation by Ida. After making a small-knight approach move to a star-point stone in the top right corner on move 6, answered by Iyama with a knight’s-move enclosure, Ida invaded on the 18-3 point (instead of the usual 17-3, that is, the 3-3 point). Iyama didn’t know what to do, so he switched elsewhere, for a while, but later there was complicated fighting linked to this move that continued for a large part of the game. On the first day, there was a trade on the left side that seemed reasonable for Ida, and many observers thought that he had made the better start.

Last Chance to Run for AGA Board!

Published On 6/6/2014

There are currently no nominees for the At-Large and Western region seats on the AGA Board of Directors, while incumbents Bob Gilman (Central) and Gurujeet Khalsa (Eastern) have been nominated to run to retain their seats. Help determine the direction of play for the American Go Association by joining the AGA Board of Directors. "This is a very exciting time for American go," says AGA President Andy Okun. "Our new professional system, more local events and increased participation in major events make input from the American go community more important than ever." Nominations are now open for four AGA Board seats, including the three regional seats and the At-Large seat. Nominations are being accepted through June 15 and must be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for candidate statements and complete election information and qualifications.

Published On 6/5/2014

To demo and teach go at the Smithsonian Folk Festival on the National Mall in Washington DC on 6/28/14, 6/29/14, 7/5/14, and 7/6/14. This will be an open air venue and 200+ people a day are expected. Hours: 10a to 4p. Contact John Goon, spineyone@yahoo.com, for more details.

Published On 6/5/2014

Go-moku, not Go in HBR: "The board in the Go Spotting: HBR article (6/2 EJ)shows a position of the game 'five in a row,'" writes Nin Lei. "It is not a go game position. If you pay attention, you will see there are a few areas where four consecutive black stones (in any directions) are blocked by white. The more obvious give away is that they play the game in the center of the board." David Doshay adds that in the game of Go-moku "the word 'go' means 5, not the game we play." Thanks to everyone who caught this and wrote in. Classified Ads Work: "I purchased my first go set on Friday thanks to the classified ad in the E-Journal," writes Daniel Acheson. "Thank you!" Classifieds are free; email them to journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/5/2014

"May is over, and with it comes the end of our contest!" reports 2014 US Go Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. Throughout May, anyone who sent in the correct solution to the go problem featured in this year's Congress logo was entered for a chance to win $50 off their Congress registration. More than 300 are already registered for the Congress, which runs August 9-17 in New York City. The problem proved difficult for many, while others were already familiar with it from books or lessons. It's a famous Chinese problem titled 明珠出海, which translates to "Pearl Emerging From the Sea". The goal is simply for white to escape the net of black stones. Some two dozen players submitted their solutions. Of those, all but one answered correctly. The contest winner is Shigeo Hidaka 2d. "Congratulations, Shigeo, and thank you to everyone who submitted their solution!" says Hershberger. One possible solution is shown here.

Published On 6/4/2014

Seattle 1 will play Canwa Vancouver 1 on Saturday, August 9th in the 2014 Pandanet-AGA City League finals at the US Go Congress in[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014.06.04_City-League-Jie-Li-Ho-Son.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014.06.04_City-League-Jie-Li-Ho-Son.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] New York City. In other A League results, Greater Washington won 3rd place and Boston was 4th. New York City took first place in the B League, and Chicago was second. Play is still ongoing in the C League, where Katy TX 1 is currently leading with an undefeated score. They are followed by Canwa Vancouver 2, Katy TX 2, and Brentwood/Nashville. Round 6 will be played on Saturday June 17th.

Go Camp - Prizes and Fun

Published On 6/4/2014

"The AGA Go Camp would like to extend a hearty thanks to both Slate and Shell and Kiseido for their donation of books to the 2014 camp," says Camp Director Amanda Miller. “Every evening we run small tournaments or other fun Go-related activities, including 13 x 13, pair Go, and team tournaments, and we plan to use these books as prizes in those events. We’ve received some especially generous donations this year, and we have more than enough to go around, so we can promise that every camper will get at least one prize.”

Published On 6/3/2014

This position comes from Go World #15 in a game between Kato Masao 9P and Rin Kaiho 9P. Black's play in this position is just one example of how pros think strategically, while most amateurs think locally. Click here to see the solution. A new problem appears every Monday morning. And for archived problems click here. - Myron Souris, POTW Editor

Published On 6/2/2014

Players in the top section of the upcoming fourth annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will be eligible to win points towards NAMT qualification, which this year means eligibility for the 9-round US Invitational tournament at this year's US Go Congress; NAMT qualifiers in the US Invitational will be eligible for $2,000 more in prizes reserved for the NAMT players. "We also encourage kyu players to register for the YKNOT," says AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. "We want good strong competition at all levels! Every single player, including kyu players, can win part of the nearly $3,000 in prizes that the tournament offers." The Young Kwon National Online Tournament is the largest annual online tournament in North America. Registration is free and open to all levels, with nearly $3,000 in total prizes, which will be awarded to all levels.

Published On 6/2/2014

Iyama Extends Lead in Honinbo Title Match: Ida Atsushi is an aggressive player and Iyama Yuta’s philosophy is to always look for the strongest move, so the 69th Honinbo best-of-seven is proving to be an exciting title match. The second game was held in the Old Inn Kaneyu, a traditional building that is nationally registered as a Tangible Cultural Asset, on May 25 and 26. Taking black, Ida set the tone of the game early when he chose an attacking move with Black 39 rather than a defensive one.

Go Spotting: Harvard Business Review

Published On 6/2/2014

Go was used to graphically illustrate a Harvard Business Review blog post on how to "Develop Strategic Thinkers Throughout Your Organization," earlier this year. While go is not directly referenced in the post, author Robert Kabacoff says that "Strategic leaders take a broad, long-range approach to problem-solving and decision-making that involves objective analysis, thinking ahead, and planning." One commenter does suggest that "strategy games might be best" to practice strategic thinking, "something like Chess, Go (in picture above), or even Starcraft are all fantastic (best is chess, imo)." Thanks to Roy Laird for passing this along.

Published On 6/2/2014

Two more professional go players have just been confirmed for this year’s US Go Congress, bringing the total so far to 14 (click here for the complete list). Shinichi Aoki 9P won the 3rd NEC Shun-Ei Tournament in 1988; his sister is Aoki Kikuyo 8P. Korean professional Dahye Lee 4P, who specializes in teaching non-professional players how to teach youth in Korea, was a big hit at the Go Congress Teachers' Workshop last year (photo) and will be returning this year. The workshop will again offer the opportunity for players interested in teaching go to earn certification as an AGA-recognized go teacher. The first workshop last year graduated 40 teachers, “far more than expected,” says Chris Kirschner, who is organizing the event this year. The curriculum has been expanded this year and with more than 50 already registered, “We are far above the 23 we had at this time last year” says Kirschner.

Published On 6/1/2014

Professional go player Tae-seok loses his brother to infamous underground gambler Sal-soo after losing a high-stakes game in The Divine Move (AKA The Immortal Move) a new Korean film due out next month. Framed for the murder of his own brother and locked up in prison, Tae-seok (Jung Woo-Sung) vows revenge and trains ferociously in Jo Beom-gu's action-packed drama. After serving his seven-year sentence, Tae-seok gets in touch with his brother’s former associate Tricks, hermit and blind master player Jesus and skillful junkyard owner Mok-su (Ahn Kil-Kang), and begins formulating a plan to get back at Sal-soo (Lee Beom-Soo) and his men.

Published On 6/1/2014

"It always irritates me that reading the weekly Journal in the natural direction, from top to bottom, is reading backwards in time," writes Roland Crowl. For example, "Powers' Report #2 before Powers' Report #1; results of a competition before announcement of its beginning. Please present material chronologically." The E-Journal is compiled automatically from WordPress via MailChimp in chronological order from newest to oldest posts; this works best for the daily edition, as we publish the daily posts with the latest news first, but in the weekly compilation, as Crowl notes, this can sometimes result in reports that are in reverse chronological order. Other than reading the weekly from the bottom up, our best suggestion would be to switch to the daily EJ to be sure to receive the reports in chronological order. To change your subscription preferences, just click on "Update Your Profile" at the bottom of the E-Journal and select the appropriate frequency.

Published On 6/1/2014

Cho U Eliminated from Oza: Cho U seems to have an affinity with the Oza tournament and has played in the title match six years in a row, winning it four times, then losing the last two matches to Iyama. Altogether, he has won this title seven times, but his good run has come to an end. In the first round of the final section of the main tournament (the round of 16), Cho (B) lost to Murakawa Daisuke 7P by half a point.

Pavol Lisy First European Pro

Published On 6/1/2014

Pavol Lisy 1p (right) of Slovakia has become the first-ever professional go player appointed by a European body, after adding two more wins at Amsterdam on Thursday May 29 to his two at Strasbourg the week before (see First Knockouts in Euro Pro Qualifications, 5/26 EJ) in the First European Pro Qualification Tournament. The third and final stage of the tournament, which will see the appointment of a second European Pro, will be held in Vienna on June 20, where those who have only lost one game so far will compete in two further knockout rounds for the prize of professional status. Lisy, who was a 7d amateur Slovakian Go Champion 2010-2014 and twice European Under-20 Champion, started playing go at age five

Published On 5/31/2014

Reigning British Champion Andrew Kay 4d (right) and Alex Kent 3d (below left) will meet in the final of the 2014 British Championship after taking top places at the Challengers' League, held over the bank holiday weekend, Friday May 24 to Tuesday May 27, at the International Student House in London. The Challengers' is a round-robin between the eight top players from the first stage of the Championship, the Candidates' Tournament (see Ge Bei Lead UK Challenger, EJ 5/10), with 105 minutes each main time, and overtime of 15 plays in 5 minutes. Kay won all seven rounds, while Kent won five. Click here for full results.

Published On 5/30/2014

Lee Sedol 9P’s plans to retire from competitive play and move to the US may not be quite as firm as they seemed last year (In Shocker, Lee Sedol Announces Retirement; May Move to U.S. 2/13/2013). "One year later, it seems that Lee’s plans are less definite than we originally thought," Go Game Guru's David Ormerod reported on May 29. In 2013, according to Ormerod, Lee (at right, with Gu Li) was involved in projects like Go9Dan.com and was missing his daughter, who was studying in Canada. He started to seriously talk about retiring again at that time. "Unfortunately, Go9Dan didn’t work out as planned, which affected Lee’s other plans," Ormerod reported. "On a more positive note, the long mooted jubango between Lee Sedol and Gu Li finally became a reality and our source believes this has rekindled Lee’s passion for go. Because of this, Lee has stopped talking about retiring and doesn’t appear to have any plans to do so in the near future." Lee now leads 3-2 in the jubango.

Published On 5/30/2014

Russia: Ruslan Dmitriev 5d took the Championship of Moscow on May 18 while Vjacheslav Kajmin 4d placed second and Vadim Khavin 4d was third. Romania: The Romanian Championship Semifinal also finished on May 18 with (left) in first, George Chirila 1d in second, and Liviu Oprisan 4d in third. Poland: Stanislaw Frejlak 4d championed the Turniej w Ozarowie Mazowieckim on May 18. Behind him were Kamil Konieczny 5k in second and Dawid Libront 7k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Go Quiz Reminder: Name That Problem

Published On 5/29/2014

The go problem on this year's US Go Congress logo is from a collection of classic Chinese problems and like most such problems it has a name. Is it: The Warrior Escapes; An Ambush of Five Stones; or A Pearl Emerging from the Sea? Click here to submit your answer. And, for a chance to win $50 off your Congress registration, email your solution to the problem to registrar@gocongress.org before midnight on Saturday, May 31. In any case, if you're definitely planning on coming to the US Go Congress in New York City this August you'll want to register by the May 31 deadline to save $50 off your registration fee.

Published On 5/28/2014

Young go players are invited to participate in the 2014 World Youth Mind-Sports Fair, scheduled for July 25-28 at Gangneng Yeong-dong College in Gangwon-do, Gangneng-si, Rep. of Korea. Participants must be born after 1991; there's an entry fee of $50 USD and the $150 accommodation fee includes meals. Sponsors include the Korea Amateur Baduk Association. Register online; payments must be made by June 30. For more info/details, email kchesskorea@daum.net, call 82-2-3448-6611 or fax 82-2-6280-9329.

Published On 5/28/2014

On his BenGoZen blog, Benjamin Hong recently posted a nice report on his Hong Kong go adventure earlier this year. After spotting an ad for go on a bus, Hong was disappointed to discover that the Hong Kong Go Association (HKGA) does not have a go salon where visitors can drop in for a game. "I was pretty bummed to hear that," Hong, a 2-kyu who lives in the metro Washington area, writes. "After all, would my epic go adventure in Hong Kong be reduced to simply visiting the HKGA and maybe taking a few pictures? All hope was nearly gone until the secretary told my mom that I could take private lessons if I wanted to." This launches an adventure across the city that will be familiar to anyone who's tried to track down go in a foreign country. In addition to being entertaining, Hong's tale has a happy ending and reveals the correct address of the HKGA, including a helpful photo of the sign to look for. Hint, not the one at right.

4 Seats Open on AGA Board

Published On 5/27/2014

Help determine the direction of play for the American Go Association by joining the AGA Board of Directors. "This is a very exciting time for American go," says AGA President Andy Okun. "Our new professional system, more local activities and increased participation in major events make input from the American go community more important than ever." Nominations are now open for four AGA Board seats, including the three regional seats and the At-Large seat. Nominations are being accepted through June 15. Nominations must be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

David Lee Wins Scottish Open

Published On 5/27/2014

David Lee 3d of Dundee scored a perfect six wins to take the Scottish Open Championship 2014, which ran Sat May 24 to Sun May 25 at the Gilchrist Postgraduate Club, University of Glasgow. Runner-up was Francis Roads 1d of Wanstead with four wins. Bob Scantlebury 8k of Sheffield distinguished himself with five wins and Joseff Thomas 10k of Glasgow and Carel Goodheir 9k of Skye also won four of the six rounds. Twenty-five took part in all, ranging from 3d to 17k. Click here for full results. The tournament benefited for the first time this year from generous sponsorship from the University's branch of the Confucius Institute, so as well as the Champion receiving a trophy and a pewter quaich (a shallow two-handled drinking cup or bowl), all 14 players on three or more wins selected a book from the British Go Association (BGA) bookstall and everyone took away a bottle of Isle of Skye Go Beer or a box of chocolates.

Go Quiz: Name that Problem

Published On 5/27/2014

The vast majority of you (84%, or 38 out of 45) correctly chose Edward Lasker as the source of the quote "The rules of go are so elegant, organic and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe they almost certainly play go." Lasker, a leading German-American chess and go player, was instrumental in developing go in the U.S., and together with Karl Davis Robinson and Lee Hartman founded the American Go Association. "It's not go-related, but Arthur C. Clarke had a fine comment (quoted from memory here)," writes Fred Baldwin. "Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Each possibility is equally terrifying." On a cheerier note, Ramon Mercado writes that "I truly enjoyed reading that bit about the Chumley's speakeasy in NY. I'll make sure to have a pint at it next time I'm in NY, if it's allowed to be opened."

Published On 5/26/2014

The first two rounds of the European Go Federation (EGF) / CEGO Pro Qualification Tournament were held on Friday May 23 at Strasbourg, with four of the 16 who started in this double-elimination Swiss tourney no longer in the running to achieve professional status this year: Viktor Lin 7d of Austria, Timur Sankin 6d of Russia, Dusan Mitic 6d of Serbia and Juri Kuronen 6d of Finland, who all lost both games. One of the four who won both their games at Strasbourg and who goes on to win both games at Amsterdam on May 29 will become the first-ever European Pro (under this EGF/CEGO procedure). Those four are: Pavol Lisy 7d (left) of Slovakia, Thomas Debarre 6d of France, Mateusz Surma 6d of Poland and Cornel Burzo 6d of Romania. The remaining eight, who have so far won one and lost one, all still stand a chance of becoming the second new European professional.

Andy Liu 1P Wins Maryland Open

Published On 5/26/2014

Andy Liu 1P continued his recent run of wins (Andy Liu 1P Sweeps Washington Baduk Open 4/27/2014) EJ on Memorial Day weekend, winning the 41st Maryland Open on May 24-25 with a perfect 5-0 record. Daniel Chou 6d, with 3 wins, was the top qualifier for the Pro Certification tournament, Joe Maia 2k was the Kyu Champion and the Feng Yun Go School won the Gregory Lefler Award. There were 57 players; Todd Heidenreich directed and Keith Arnold was the organizer. Open Section: Andy Liu 1P (5 wins); Zhaonian Chen 7d (4 wins); Xinying Jiang 6d (3 wins); Daniel Chou 6d (3 wins; top qualifier for Pro Certification tournament); Yuan Zhou 7d (3 wins); Joshua Lee 5d (3 wins); James Pinkerton 5d (2 wins); Zhenying Gu 5d (2 wins); Zhihong Ma 5d (2 wins); Willis Huang 5d (2 wins); Juntin Ching 5d (1 win). A Section: Patrick Allen 3d; Jared Beck 3d; Brian Gu 3d B Section: Victor Kang 1d C Section: Joe Maia 2k (Kyu Champion);

Published On 5/26/2014

Chuck Thomas has launched Find Go Players, "which is a fresh rewrite of my old website Igolocal.net," he tells the E-Journal. "It’s become difficult to find games where I live, and I hope this will help others as well as me." Users put themselves on a map and can use it to find other players nearby; the site also automatically notifies users when a new user appears in their area. Thomas, who ran Shodan Imports until shutting it down four years ago, is now a freelance software consultant and says he hopes to re-use the Find Go Players platform with other websites "to help facilitate local communities for people with rare interests such as go."

Visit Seattle on a Tuesday

Published On 5/26/2014

"Visitors to Seattle should save Tuesdays for the Go Center", advises Center Manager Brian Allen. "It's our biggest day." On Tuesday, May 20, the Center had 47 players visit, including 12 children. New players can find instruction on Tuesday as well. Saturdays are smaller, but usually there are more than 20 visitors at all levels. There are evening classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Your first ten visits to the Go Center are free, including classes. Visitors are invited to check out the weekly schedule, and the special events calendar. Photo: A Tuesday night in June 2013. - photo/report by Brian Allen.

Published On 5/25/2014

Focus was the name of the mid-point Game 5 in their 10-game match on May 25 but the intense altitude at the jubango venue in Sangri-La added an extra obstacle for Gu Li 9P and Lee Sedol 9P. Held at 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level, both players took breaks but Lee battled through what Go Game Guru's An Younggil 8P called “the most spectacular game of the match so far.” Just when everyone thought Gu would take the game, Lee dusted himself off and landed several critical blows against Gu in the final complicated fights. With questionable moves beginning at 140, Gu eventually resigned after Lee's move at 223. Lee will be able to bask in his 3-2 lead for the next two months as the players take leave until Game 6 on July 27. For more information, including photos (check out the one of Lee using an oxygen mask and Joanne Missingham and her sister modeling local costumes) and preliminary analysis from Younggil, visit Go Game Guru.

Published On 5/25/2014

The end of May is coming fast, and with it, the end of the US Go Congress's early bird pricing. “Register before June 1st to secure the current lowest price,” urges Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. After June first, the registration fee will go up by $50. “This is also the deadline to submit your answers for our contest!” Hershberger adds. “Everyone who sends the correct answer to the problem on the Congress logo will be entered to win an extra $50 off their Go Congress registration. Send your solution to registrar@gocongress.org before June 1st; see the Congress website for more details and a larger view of the problem. “So far, only a handful of players have found the correct answer,” says Hershberger. “Perhaps the problem is too difficult? Don't give up!”

Published On 5/25/2014

A record number of players turned out for the San Diego Go Club’s 2014 Spring Go Soiree on Saturday, May 17. Over 30 players, aged 7 to 70+ attended the all-day informal event at chapter president Ted Terpstra’s home. Tony Koslow 16k walked off with the $50 first-place prize for most number of AGA-rated wins, while David Baran, who traveled down from Beverly Hills, took second place. There was spirited action from a group of 3-dan players from the club and the UCSD club. After the games, people were treated to a burgers and chips dinner as analysis carried on into the evening. - photos courtesy Jenna Jansen

Published On 5/23/2014

One thing's for sure about this weekend's Gu-Lee game: one of them will take the lead in their historic 10-game jubango. With the score tied at 2-2 and their upcoming break in July, whoever wins this game will take the lead for at least two months until they play again. Lee won the first two games but Gu Li has been making a mighty comeback inside and outside the jubango arena. Including matches from other tournaments, Gu currently has a four-game winning streak against Lee, which according to Go Game Guru is “something that's never happened before between these two players.” Baduk TV will provide live coverage and commentary and Go Game Guru's An Younggil 8p will translate and discuss the game with Baduk TV Live viewers via chat. For more information including past games and when game five will be available in your time zone, please visit Go Game Guru. — Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Published On 5/22/2014

Players are coming from as far away as Chicago and New York for this weekend’s 41st Maryland Open, which is also a NAMT Qualifier and Pro Qualifier. Click here for details and to register. There will be prizes in all sections and cash prizes in the open section. There will be five rounds; three Saturday and two Sunday. “Come for one day or both!” says organizer Keith Arnold. Registration on Saturday runs from 9 until 10:30 am, with the first round at 11 am; first round Sunday 9:30 am. “Our thanks to Yellow Mountain Imports” for sponsoring, Arnold adds.

Go Classified: Go Equipment Sought

Published On 5/22/2014

Beginner located in Montgomery County, Maryland seeking used go equipment at reasonable price. Preferably good quality, thick shin-kaya (or kaya if the price is right), stones and bowls. Contact acheson.daniel@gmail.com.

Published On 5/22/2014

In celebration of the 90th birthday of Nihon Kiin, a special summer go camp will be held in Tokyo August 26 through September 4. Included in the camp are daily pro instructions in separate dan and kyu sections, playing in the largest Japanese amateur tournament -- the Takara Shuzou Cup, where the 1000+ participants will all receive special commemorative prizes -- and visits to the Honinbo title ceremony, to Kamakura, site of the Go Seigen-Kitani jubango, and to Yugen no ma, the legendary tatami playing room adorned by a Kawabata calligraphy (right). The camp fee is between JPY 50 to 55K (about $500); housing starts at ~$40 a night. The camp is recommended for players 10 kyu and up, including high dans. For further information and registration forms, contact igf@usgo.org. - photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 5/22/2014

This Week’s Quiz: Who said this? “The rules of go are so elegant, organic and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe they almost certainly play go.” Was it Albert Einstein, John Nash or Edward Lasker? Click here to submit your answer. “I had read and been amused by this quote some time ago, then referenced it just a couple of weeks ago, in correspondence with my frequent go adversary, John Collins, who in retirement is doing an M.Sc. in Astrophysics,” writes Tony Collman, the EJ’s UK correspondent. “Annoyingly, although it was beautifully apposite in the context, I couldn't at the time remember the exact words or who said them, but mere days later I was enquiring about a set of go quotes which had embellished bottles of Monkey Jump Ale, given by the sponsor as prizes for the Skye Tournament back in March. As luck would have it, the full quote was amongst them, together with the author's name.”

Published On 5/21/2014

Yamashita Increases Lead In Meijin League: Yamashita Keigo (right) hasn’t played a game in the 39th league since our last report, but his lead has opened up to two wins because of a loss suffered by Cho U. In a game played on May 8, Yuki Satoshi 9P (W) picked up his first win in the league by beating Cho by half a point. Cho drops back to 3-2, putting him in a three-way tie for second with Hane Naoki 9P and Ryu Shikun 9P. Yamashita is on 5-0, so he has a two-game cushion, which makes him an even better bet for challenger than he appeared to be in the Honinbo league. On the same day, Kono Rin 9P (B) beat Murakawa Daisuke by resig. Murakawa slips to 1-4 and now will have a tough job keeping his place.

Published On 5/21/2014

Iyama Makes Good Start In Honinbo Title Defense: The difference in experience seemed to be a big factor in the opening game of the 69th Honinbo title match, which was held on May 14 and 15. Though still only 24 (until May 24), Iyama Yuta Honinbo (right) has already played in eleven best-of-sevens (and won seven of them). In contrast, Ida Atsushi 8P, at 20, was playing in his first title match and was the youngest player ever to challenge for the Honinbo title.

Published On 5/21/2014

Natasha Regan and Matthew Cocke of Epsom (right) regained the title of British Pair Go Champions at the 24th British Pair Go Championship on Saturday May 17. They had lost it last year to Kirsty Healey and Matthew Macfadyen, but the 2013 Champions were unable to defend the title due to a prior diary fixture*. The clinching game of the three-round tournament was against Ingrid Jendrzejewski and Alex Selby and ended with both pairs having less than two minutes left of their allocated 45 before sudden death could decide it. Nevertheless Regan and Cocke won by a comfortable margin. A separate handicap competition was won by Jil Segerman and Pat Ridley, four pairs contending. Fighting Spirit prizes went to Edwina Lee and Charles Leedham-Green (main) and siblings Roella and Edmund Smith (handicap). The latter pair's sister Kelda and father Paul Smith won the quiz, and local pair Sam McCarthy and John Collins took the prize for Best-Dressed Pair.

Published On 5/20/2014

Last week’s quiz asked about which bit of New York Go history is referenced by one of these shows: “Hong Kong Phooey”, “Underdog”, “Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales” or “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The answer is “Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales”: Chumley was the name of Tennessee Tuxedo's walrus sidekick. (click here for this week's quiz) The New York go history connection is Lee Chumley, a Greenwich Village resident who had been a soldier, artist, writer and covered wagon driver, and who played a pivotal role in New York go history when he founded his speakeasy in 1922. Chumley's, frequented by the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, E.E. Cummings, John Steinbeck and Dylan Thomas, became a bohemian incubator of the AGA, which held its early meetings on Monday evenings at the bar.

Published On 5/20/2014

Dylan Zhu-Dong 10k of Leamington Go Club beat Oscar Selby 6k of Epsom to become British Youth Champion 2014 at the King Edward VI School, Aston in Birmingham, England on Sunday May 18. Zhu-Dong, who also took the Under-14 title, defeated the favorite after successfully taking advantage of Selby's misreading in a fight. Selby did, however, take the Under-12 title. Melchior Chui 9k from Cambridge won again in the Under-16 section and Hilary Bexfield 26k of Letchworth won the Under-10s. Andreas Ghica 35k from Newmarket won the Under-8 at his first go tournament. There were no entrants in the Under-18 division and 19 entered in all. Click here for full results. Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal, from a report by Tony Atkins for the British Go Association; photo by Tony Atkins, courtesy of the British Go Association website.

Seattle Go Center Looks East

Published On 5/20/2014

While Bellevue is just across Lake Washington from the Seattle Go Center, during rush hours it can be 60 minutes away. This makes it hard for Bellevue players to come to weekday events at the Seattle Go Center. In February, the Go Center started meet-ups at the Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center, which is close to the Microsoft campus, and about 12 miles east of the Go Center. The Thursday group meets from 5:30 to 8:30 in the "Game Lane" of the mall, and has 12 - 18 players coming, both dan and kyu level. There is a Saturday group as well, meeting at the same place and time, which had five players the last time they met. "We have tried to do this before on the East Side, but we never got a large enough group to keep it going," reports Manager Brian Allen.

Chinese-American Teenage Friendship Cup

Published On 5/19/2014

The Jinhua Sports Adminstration, in Zhejiang, China, has agreed to sponsor a friendship match between American teenagers and their Chinese counterparts in Jinhua city. The match is tentatively planned for late July or early August, and is being organized by Katherine Zhang. The Americans would need to pay their own airfare to China, but after that, all expenses will be covered. Teens can choose where they want to stay, either with a host family, or in a hotel. Jinhua Sports will also organize a sight seeing trip in the area. "I think it’s a great opportunity to build communications between young go players in these two countries. They can share experiences, and compare and contrast the teaching methods of each country," said Zhang. Interested parties should e-mail Zhang, at katherineysz@yahoo.com, for more information. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: The Temple of renowned Taoist Master Huang Da Xian, in Jinhua. Photo courtesy TripAdvisor.com

Go Campers Write: Summer Fun

Published On 5/19/2014

What’s a typical day at the AGA Go Camp like? Joe, age 12, writes “I studied everyday with my friends and my teacher, and I had a lot of good times with them. We played games with each other, learned new go problems, joseki, and fuseki, and played in fun tournaments each day. When I left camp, I was sad because I would miss all my new friends, but when I came back home, I was happy because I was beating everyone and showing that I improved.” Yuga, age 8, writes, “I learned go from morning until evening, and that was my first time studying go for so long. I spent time with a great teacher and lots of new friends, and we played go and talked about go. It made me want to play more and improve more.

Published On 5/18/2014

The Chinese School at Chapel Hill Team won the 2014 Team Tournament and Changlong Wu 7d once again topped the Individual Competition in the 2014 Carolina Spring Go Tournament. The 11th annual tournament, held in Raleigh on May 11th, was organized by the Cary Go Club and the Chinese-American Friendship Association of North Carolina, and attracted over 20 go players with a wide range of ages. Owen Chen directed. As expected, the team competition generated a lot of excitement, with youth players eagerly checking the scoreboard during the breaks between rounds. In the end, the defending champion, the team from the Chinese School at Chapel Hill, won the title with all members winning their individual competition sections.

Published On 5/18/2014

The Evanston Go Club taught go on May 17 and 18 to over a hundred enthusiastic attendees at Anime Central (ACen), the largest annual anime convention in the midwest. "We taught non-stop for 13 hours on Friday, and 11 hours on Saturday," reported tired but happy club president Mark Rubenstein. The two-day event ended with a 9x9 tournament for beginners, with 20 participants. Everyone who participated received a 9x9 starter set and a copy of The Way To Go. "This is our favorite event of the year!" said Rubenstein. "This is our 10th year at ACen, and it was a blast! Most people stay for perhaps an hour. We teach them the basics, and they play a few games. There's a lot to do at ACen, and go is a very small part of it. But some of them can't get enough go, and spend the better part of the weekend with us!"

Published On 5/17/2014

Wien 2014, Vienna's annual international go tournament, will be held June 20-22 at the Vienna Waldorf school. The top ten players will receive cash prizes with additional cash prizes for the best female player and the best player under 18. Book prizes will be awarded to players with 4 or 5 wins. Discounted fees are available for group rooms at the Jugendgästehaus Hütteldorf youth hostel (500 meters from the playing site) for players who register before May 21. In addition to the main tournament, Wien 2014 will be the final stage of the European Professional Qualification and a bonus point tournament, in which top players can accumulate bonus points used as qualification for future higher-level tournaments. There will also be a free tour of the city on Friday evening.

Published On 5/17/2014

Ukraine: The Victory's Day Tournament finished May 11 in Odesa with Yevhen Kolodin 5k in first, Valerii Liverinov 1k in second, and Oleh Folomiiev 12k in third. Norway: Also on May 11, Jakob Bing 3d took the Oslo Open while Paal Sannes 3d placed second and Micael Svensson 2d came in third. Serbia: Nikola Mitic 5d (left) bested Dusan Mitic 6d at the 17th Serbia International Cup on May 11 in Nis. Mijodrag Stankovic 5d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 5/16/2014

The first online North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) qualifier of the 2014 season will be held on June 7-8. The tournament has been dubbed “Age of the Fabulist” by organizer Karoline Burrall, “to celebrate the birth of Jean de la Fontaine (right), a French author of fables, or a fabulist, on June 8, 1621.” Click here for details and schedule, as well as the link to registration, or click here to register directly. Players must be eligible for NAMT and register by Wednesday June 4th 2014. All participants will earn points towards NAMT qualification, which this year means eligibility for the 9-round US Invitational event at the US Go Congress. NAMT qualified players are eligible for an extra $2,000 in prizes at this tournament. Click here to see current NAMT points standings.

YKNOT 4 Registration Opens

Published On 5/16/2014

The fourth annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament – or YKNOT 4 -- will take place on KGS on June 21st, 22nd, and 28th. The YKNOT is a national online tournament sponsored by Young Kwon, a former US Open Champion. With a total prize purse of nearly $3,000, the YKNOT is one of the largest western online go tournaments and is open to all levels. Any AGA member resident in the US for 6 out of the last 12 months or any AGA life member regardless of residency, can compete for free. Registration is FREE; click here to register for the tournament. Registration will close at midnight on Friday, June 20th. Once a week beginning Friday, May 23, the "See Who's Playing" document will be updated with current tournament registrants.  If you would prefer not to be listed in this document prior to the tournament, please indicate this by email to the Tournament Director. Stay tuned for more tournament details.

Published On 5/15/2014

Play in the fifth round of the AGA City League is set for this Saturday, May 17, to determine which two teams will meet at the Pandanet City League Finals in New York City at the US Go Congress. As previously reported (Canwa Vancouver 1, Chicago & Katy TX 1 Lead AGA City League After 4th Round 5/7 EJ), Canwa Vancouver 1 is leading the A League, with Seattle 1 and Greater Washington hot on their heels. Chicago is leading the B League with NY City their only contender and Katy TX 1 leads the C League. Catch the action live on game day at 3p EST on Pandanet using the new GoPanda2 software. Games will be played in the AGA City League room. See below for current standings.
Round 5 A League – FINALS B League – FINALS C League

Published On 5/13/2014

"Rémi Coulom is sitting in a rolling desk chair, hunched over a battered Macbook laptop, hoping it will do something no machine has ever done." So begins Alan Levinovitz's thorough report on the current state of computer go in Wired Magazine -- The Mystery of Go, the Ancient Game That Computers Still Can’t Win -- published May 12. Levinovitz covered this year's UEC Cup, the computer Go tournament held each March that rewards two finalists with matches against a “Go sage” in the Densei-sen, or machine-versus-man matches.

Go Quiz Clarification

Published On 5/13/2014

The answer to this week's quiz is not in the title of the four cartoons listed in this week's quiz; actually, the title of our piece of New York Go history, is referenced in one of these shows: "Hong Kong Phooey", "Underdog", "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Still a tough one, but I hope this helps. Click here to submit your answer. - Keith Arnold, HKA

Published On 5/13/2014

This study comes from Xuan Xuan QiJing, a 14th century work, which may be the most copied problem set in go. Black plays. The odd nature of the correct move sequence may throw off some stronger players, so that weaker players may actually find the solution faster! Click here to see the solution. A new problem appears every Monday morning. And for archived problems click here. - Myron Souris, POTW Editor

Go Quiz: New York’s Go History Mystery

Published On 5/13/2014

LICENSE TO FILL the US Open Field. Respondents were evenly split between Tacoma '05, Lancaster '07, and Washington '09 but Lancaster is the correct response with 379 players in the US Open field, second was Washington with 364.

Published On 5/13/2014

The US Go Congress has a brand-new logo (right), and to celebrate, organizers are holding a contest. The logo was designed by Michael Samuel, a go player and graphic designer whose work includes logos for The History Channel, Sears, Hillary Clinton, and both the Seattle Go Center and the New York Go Center. The logo features a classic go problem in which the enclosed white stone must escape: all registered players who submit a complete and correct solution to the problem will be entered into a pool, “and one lucky player will win $50 off their Go Congress registration fee,” says Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. Solutions must be emailed to registrar@gocongress.org before the end of May. “At first glance it may seem impossible, but don't give up!” Hershberger adds.

Published On 5/13/2014

Evanston Boosts Tourney Turn-Out: The Evanston Go Club held its regular quarterly tournament on May 10, with 22 players attending. Players ranged from beginner to 6 dan. Albert Yen took the dan prize with a 4-0 record, Nathan Chan dominated the single-digit kyu division with a 4-1 record, and new-comer Mary Skolnik, playing in her first tournament, won the double-digit kyus at 4-1. "We tried something a little different this time.", said TD Mark Rubenstein.

Published On 5/10/2014

Four American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are up for election this year, including the three regional seats and the At-Large seat. Broad authority for organizational decisions and management throughout the year resides with the AGA Board, which selects the President. The current terms of office expire this September. Nominations may be made by full AGA members for the At-Large seat and the regional seat in which the member resides and must be received by June 15. Nominations and questions must be emailed to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Published On 5/10/2014

The Candidates' Tournament, first stage in the British Championship, was held over the bank holiday weekend, Saturday May 3 - Monday May 5, with Ge Bei 6d (right) of no club winning all six rounds. Ge has previously been British Champion two years running after displacing longtime champ Matthew Macfadyen 6d in 2006. Reigning champion Andrew Kay 5d - who once again this year waived his right to bypass this event - placed second, losing only to Ge. The top eight will now contest a Challengers' League, to be played next bank holiday weekend in London, to decide the two finalists. The other six challengers are: Alex Kent 2d, Boris Mitrovic 2d, Sandy Taylor 2d, Des Cann 5d, Tim Hunt 3d and Bruno Poltronieri 3d. Alistair Wall 4d is reserve. The event was organized by Bruno Poltronieri on behalf of the British Go Association (BGA) at Warwick University in the Midlands of England. Click here for full results.

British Youth Squad Launches

Published On 5/10/2014

Following the successful hosting of the 19th European Youth Go Championship (EYGC) in Bognor Regis, England earlier this year - but with only seven British youths actually entering - the British Go Association has undertaken to assemble and train up a UK Junior Go Squad to take to next year's EYGC in Zandvoort in the Netherlands (Holland). Alison Bexfield 1d (left), who runs the Letchworth Junior Chess and Go Club and has two go-playing daughters of her own, is heading up the initiative which aims to get as many young players as possible to 20k or better in time for the EYGC. It launched on bank holiday Monday May 5 with an event at the Mrs Howard Memorial Hall in Letchworth, attended by 16 youngsters aged from around eight or nine to 16. They were split into four coaching groups with Matt Selby 4k and Natasha Regan 1k, who are the parents of Oscar Selby 7k, and Paul Smith 1d, the father of Edmund Smith 13k, also coaching.

Published On 5/8/2014

“About 300 years after the Japanese poet Basho wrote his famous book 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' a woman named Lesley Downer wrote an account of her own 1989 journey following in Basho's footsteps,” writes None Redmond. “It was called 'On the Narrow Road' and halfway through she is as far north as Basho went and watching the river Mogami. She writes 'At Goten the river narrowed and frothed. With the help of a little imagination the rocks could have been flat and evenly spaced enough to be Go-ten, the counters you use for playing Go.'” “It's a good book,” Redmond adds. “I am fascinated by her travels and envy her her knowledge of the Japanese language.”

Published On 5/7/2014

In this May 6 report, the BBC's China Editor Carrie Gracie speaks with political analyst Deng Yuwen about "what an ancient Chinese game can tell us about China's current political landscape," where an epic power struggle is under way. Thanks to David Saunders for sending this along.

Published On 5/7/2014

Photographer (and former AGA president) Phil Straus has just posted an album of 28 high-resolution photos from the April 27-28 Washington Open Baduk Championships, which includes portraits of many of the players and dignitaries in attendance. The photos may be freely used but must credit Straus. photo: Baltimore Go Club organizer Keith Arnold (left) gets a lesson; photo by Phil Straus

Published On 5/7/2014

After four rounds in the AGA City League, Canwa Vancouver 1 is leading the A League. Hot on their heels are Seattle 1 and Greater [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014.04.27_AGA-City-League-Rd4-E-Lui-B-Lin1.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014.04.27_AGA-City-League-Rd4-E-Lui-B-Lin1.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Washington with one match behind. May’s final matches will decide which two teams will meet at the Pandanet City League Finals in New York City at the US Go Congress. Chicago is leading the B League with NY City their only contender. Can Raleigh take down Chicago in their match up in just a few weeks? The teams in the C League were closer matched before this round. Now Katy TX 1 has come way out ahead in their matches. Katy TX 2 and Memphis are in the 2-3 seed respectively.

EuroGoTV Update: Lithuania, Turkey, UK

Published On 5/6/2014

Lithuania: Andrius Petrauskas 3d took the Vilniaus Taure on April 27 while Vladas Zaleskas 2d came in second and Ernestas Romeika 1d placed third. Turkey: The 3. Adana Go Tournament finished on April 20 with Cagdas Yeloglu 2d in first, Ertug Akkol 1d (left) in second, and Eren Kurter 2d in third. UK: Paul Taylor 2d bested Alistair Wall 2d at the Welwyn Garden City Go Tournament on April 26. Francis Roads 2d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 5/6/2014

The Amsterdam Go Club and European Go Centre will host the 43rd Amsterdam International Go Tournament May 29-June 1 at the European Go Cultural Centre. In addition to the main tournament, there will also be two deciding rounds of the CEGO EGF Pro Qualification Tournament for the first EGF professional go player, the Batavia Blitz Tournament, the DNM Rapid Tournament, and the Kunwa Children’s Tournament. The Rapid Tournament is open to main tournament players for a reduced price or for players who would like to only play a one day tournament. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top five players and special small money prizes for players with four to six wins. Players must register before May 25 or will be required to pay a late registration fee.

84 Compete in School Teams Tourney

Published On 5/6/2014

The School Team Tournament drew 84 kids and teens, reports organizer Calvin Sun 1P. Held on KGS, March 22 and 29, the event is organized by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) every year. “28 teams of three competed in four divisions to claim the title of best youth team in North America,” said Sun, “ranks ranged from 25k to 6d.” Top honors in the Varsity division went to Diamond Bar High School, CA. "I want to thank AGHS and our tournament organizers for running such an amazing event," said team leader Yunxuan Li 6d. "It was very fun and exciting to compete with other go clubs throughout North America. Our club started this school year (see E-J 11-5-13) and I was pretty surprised that we won the tournament after such a short time period. We got lucky in a lot of our games. This is a great event for our youth players and it is really wonderful to see new clubs playing in it and enjoying it every year.”

Published On 5/5/2014

Kono and Yuki Secure Kisei League Places: The remaining two vacant seats in the 39th Kisei Leagues were decided on April 21. In the play-offs, Kono Rin 9P (B) beat Ko Iso 8P by resig. and Yuki Satoshi 9P (W) beat Mizokami Tomochika 8P by resig. Kono (right) has made an immediate comeback after being eliminated in the previous league; this will be his 7th Kisei league in a row. He has kept his seat in the Honinbo League and is playing in the current Meijin League, so he is one of only two players (the other is Yamashita Keigo) to be a member of all three leagues. Yuki will be playing in his ninth Kisei league and reappears after a five-year gap; he made an unsuccessful challenge for the 29th Kisei title. Incidentally, he played this game three days after losing the Judan title, so it seems he has not been crushed by this reverse.

Published On 5/4/2014

Using a gift from the Seattle Chapter of the AGA, the Seattle Go Center will provide up to $300 in additional scholarship funds to youth from the State of Washington who are attending the US Go Congress. “We would like to help with travel costs for qualified youth from our area,” reports Go Center manager Brian Allen. The total funds available are $1,200; if there are more than four qualified youth by May 30, they will divide up the $1,200 proportionately. The Seattle Go Center funds are intended as a supplement to the current AGF scholarships for the Go Congress. If youth have already completed their AGF scholarship application, no additional forms will be needed for the supplemental scholarship funds. They should simply notify Paul Barchilon, who is administering the AGF scholarships, that they are interested in the additional help. For more information about the AGF Go Congress scholarship program, and to apply, click here.

Published On 5/4/2014

Takao Makes Comeback as Judan: Six years after he last won a top-seven title, Takao Shinji 9P (left) has made a comeback, taking the Judan title from Yuki Satoshi with a win in the final game of the 52nd title match. Takao started off well in the best-of-five, winning the first game by half a point, but then the title holder fought back with his own half-point win, then took the lead in the third game. Takao saved his first kadoban in the fourth game, then won the deciding game. Below are details of the games played since my last report. The third game was played at the Kuroyon Royal Hotel in Omachi City in Nagano Prefecture on April 10. Omachi, a town set at the foot of the Japan Alps, calls itself ‘the Alps igo village’ and actively promotes the game among its citizens.

Published On 5/3/2014

Earliest Indication of Go in North America? "I was just reading the latest copy of the Archaeology Magazine, May/June 2014 and I came across an article by Samir S. Patel about the early Chinese work camps in North America," writes Sam Zimmerman. "In the article on page 41 they showed a picture of 'gambling pieces' (right) from a British Columbia camp of the 1850s-1860s. They certainly look like they are wei-chi stones and they may be the earliest indications of the game being played North America. I have contacted Archaeology Magazine in hope so getting more information." See also: ‘The Archaeology of Internment’ 5/9/2011 EJ Another Turn-Based Site: "In your latest newsletter you mentioned that Yahoo was ceasing its online gaming site (Website Update: Yahoo Go Gone 5/2/2014 EJ) and listed several sites where you could play turn-based go," writes Jim Hopper.

Go Quiz: Biggest U.S. Open?

Published On 5/3/2014

Meet Me In St Louis? No, there are no current plans for a Congress in St. Louis, just your film buff quizmaster's way of introducing the unanimous answer to this week's quiz. Everyone got the link between four Congress cities and another event. "World's Fair, at a guess," replied tournament directing expert Ken Koester, adding, with his usual eye for detail, that "technically the Chicago Congress was in a suburb, not city limits proper." Speaking of details, Peter St. John provides "World's Fair (or Expo) Seattle 1909 and 1962, NY 1964 and 1862, San Francisco 1915 and 1939, Chicago 1893 and 1933." Congrats to this week's winner, Esteban Ley of McKinney, TX, chosen at random from among those answering correctly.

Kim Young-Sam 7d Wins Paris Tournament

Published On 5/2/2014

Kim Young-Sam 7d won the 42nd International Paris Go Tournament, which was held April 19-21. Kim was undefeated in the 6-round tournament, atop a reduced field of 66 players due to "snafus with the tournament site and late announcement" reports SmartGo's Anders Kierulf 3d, whose 2-4 result earned him 11th place. Dai Junfu was second and Noguchi Motoki took third; complete results here. Click here for Kierulf's blog post, which includes his game records.

Website Update: Yahoo Go Gone

Published On 5/2/2014

Yahoo go fans will have to search elsewhere for their online gaming: Yahoo has shut down their "classic" games after 15 years. "The go, chess, Checkers and the rest of what they call 'parlor games' are shut down with no definite return," reports Robert DeLisle. Check out where to play go online on the AGA's online go page. - Greg Smith, AGA website team

Published On 5/2/2014

"Beating the Game of Go" is the title of a recent Physics Central Podcast. "Researchers in France want to model the game as a complex network. Other examples of complex networks include airplane flight plans, social networks, neurons in the brain, and fungal communities, to name a few. By modeling Go as a complex network, the researchers hope to find patterns and symmetries that could assist scientists who are working on Go-playing programs, that they hope will some day beat the best human Go players (something that already been accomplished in Chess)." The report also has a number of interesting and useful go links.

Published On 5/1/2014

The recent Cuba – Mexico go exchange (Cuban Go Community Hosts Visits by Mexican Youth & Japanese Teachers 4/15 EJ) “was a big event and a beautiful experience,” said Rafael Torres Miranda, President of the Academia Cubana de Go. The go competition between Mexican and Cuban school children was held April 14-18 in Havana. Five Mexican children, accompanied to Cuba by a relative, and seven Cubans participated, ranging from age 7 to 11 and from 13 to 20 kyu in strength. The event was featured on Cuban television. - Bob Gilman; photos courtesy Rafael Torres Miranda; collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 5/1/2014

On May 1 and 2, the Second China-Korea-Japan Professional Pair Go Championship will be held in Anhui, China, with live broadcast on Pandanet-IGS. Three new pairs pairs, Rui Naiwei – Yu Bin (China), Yashiro Kumiko – Iyama Yuta (Japan), and Oh Jeong – Jin Siyoung (Korea), will join the reigning champions Wang Chenxing – Changhao for a top prize of 200,000 RMB (~ 35,000 USD). The venue is the historic Three-Nation Theme Park.

Published On 5/1/2014

The Korean Baduk Association has once again invited the AGA to send three North American representatives to compete in the World division of the Samsung Cup World Baduk Masters 2014 in Korea. Interested players must be 5D+ citizens or permanent residents of North America, have resided in North America for 6 of the past 12 months, and have maintained continuous AGA membership (does not apply to Canadian players) for the past year. Players will be responsible for their travel and lodging expenses; the tournament will provide a $1,000 incentive to each player to help cover some costs.
To select the players the AGA will hold a flexible scheduling tournament on KGS during the second half of May with default rounds on May 20, 23, 27, and 30. This schedule is designed so that the possible times for each round includes at least one weekend day. The selected players will play in the combined preliminaries set for August 3-6.

Published On 5/1/2014

Feng Yun 9P, Myungwan Kim 9P, Yang Yilun 7P and Stephanie Yin 1P have confirmed that they'll be teaching at this year's U.S. Go Congress. Pro delegations from Japan, China and Korea are also expected. The weeklong event will be held August 9-17 in New York City and features pro lectures and simuls, as well as rated and unrated tournaments. Click here to register. - photo: Stephanie Yin, playing on Board 2 at the recent Washington Open Baduk Tournament, checks out the Board 1 game between Andy Liu 1P (right) and Kevin Huang 7d. photo by Chris Garlock

Player Profile: The Return of Kang

Published On 4/30/2014

by Keith L. Arnold, hka A soft voice slowed me as I rushed past at last weekend’s first Washington Open Baduk Championship, which was organized by Allan Abramson, Gary Smith, Todd Heidenreich, Andy Okun and myself. I turned to see Shin Kang, who embraced me like an old friend. Mr. Kang, of Ellicott City, Maryland, was the hero of Baltimore go players when I began playing back in the 1980's, and I was extremely honored and touched that he recalled me from our few meetings over the years. Shin Kang (at left in photo) was the highest-rated player in the U.S. during the late 1970s, above even the legendary Takeo Matsuda of New York, and Young Paeng of Pittsburgh, an old rival he asked about on Sunday. Kang was the Eastern Champion, or “Honinbo” from 1976 to 1978 and won the Maryland Open for its first 5 years, 1974 to 1978, and again in 1980.

Updating Your Profile

Published On 4/30/2014

If you're changing your email address, make sure you don't miss an issue of the E-Journal by clicking on "UPDATE YOUR PROFILE" at the bottom of the EJ (be careful NOT to click on UNSUBSCRIBE!), where you can also choose either the daily or weekly edition and your preferred format. You can also easily share the EJ by clicking on FORWARD TO A FRIEND.

Boulder Kids Club Turns Ten

Published On 4/29/2014

The Boulder Kids and Teens Go Club celebrated its tenth anniversary on Easter. “Dave Weiss and I are both Jewish," says Paul Barchilon, who co-founded the club with Weiss, "so we had no idea it was Easter when we scheduled our first meeting, back in 2004. A few kids actually did show up though, and since then, we have grown and thrived. We still try to celebrate each anniversary with cake - it is a kids club after all.”

Mingjiu Jiang 7P Summer Go Camp in CA

Published On 4/29/2014

Mingjiu Jiang 7P will lead a Summer Go Day Camp July 7-11 in Mountain View, CA. Attendance is limited to "All interested in go," with 16 places available, at $300 each. The camp will run 10a-5p daily; lunch and snacks are included. Email mingjiu7p@hotmail.com for more info or click here for a registration form; registration form and checks must be sent in before May 31 to: Mingjiu Jiang, 1289 Lane Ave. Mountain View, CA 94040.

Published On 4/29/2014

A new season of American Yunguseng Dojang (AYD) starts on May 5. This will be the second season in American time zones, the ninth season in Europe, for the internet go school from top-rated European player, Korean-born Hwang Inseong 8d (below, reviewing). About 20 students, from 12k to 3d, are already signed up for AYD but there is still plenty of room for more. About 70% are in the United States, with others in Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.

Published On 4/28/2014

Twenty-year-old Israeli Ali Jabarin 6d (right) is leading the field at the end of the second series of online training leagues for the upcoming competition to qualify two players as the first European Go Professionals (see European Go Federation and CEGO Launch Online Training for Pro Students - 4/1 EJ). Thirteen players have been competing in two online leagues and the A-league of the second series of five ended as scheduled last Friday, April 25, with Jabarin ("OohAah") winning four out of five games, losing only to CEGO teacher Zhao Baolong 2P. Austrian Viktor Lin 6d ("Sandmann") and Slovakian Pavol Lisy 7d ("cheater") were demoted to the B-league, to be replaced by promoted Romanian Cornel Burzo 6d ("Cornel") and Serbian Dusan Mitic 6d ("shinobi90").

Published On 4/28/2014

The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth scholarships to this year’s US Go Congress. Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty-five scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Five scholarships are available to residents of Canada or Mexico. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships awarded at random from qualifying essays. The scholarships are available for youth who are under 18. For more information, and to apply, click here. - Story and photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Calvin Sun 7d plays Lionel Zhang 6d, in the Youth Room at the 2013 Congress.

Published On 4/27/2014

Andy Liu 1P (right) leads the first Washington Open Baduk Championship, 3-0 going into the final two rounds in Vienna, VA this weekend. Kevin Huang 7D is also 3-0 so the two are sure to meet on Sunday. Top-board games will be broadcast on KGS starting at 9:30a EST. Other top 2-game winners were Elaine Jiang 6D, Li Siyuan 7D, Zhaonian Chen 7D, Wu Changlong 7D (left in photo), Stephanie Yi and Kang Shin 7D. Click here for standings as of Round 3: Andy Liu 8d-Park In 2D and Liu Jian 2D-Stephen Webb 25k. See below for game records for Board 1 Rounds 1-3. 88 players turned out for the first day of play at the newest major AGA event, co-hosted by the Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) and the American Go Association (AGA), and organized by the NOVA Go Club, the Baltimore Go Club, and the Korean-American Go Association. 2014.04.26_WOBC-Rd1-B1-Siyuan-Yin 2014.04.26_WOBC-Rd2-B1-Changlong-Liu 2014.04.26_WOBC-Rd3-B1-Liu-Chen - report/photo/game records by Chris Garlock

Published On 4/27/2014

Gu Li 9P won game 4 of the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango on April 27, drawing even with Lee Sedol 9P at two all for the match so far. Game 4 was held on Jeungdo (Jeung Island) in Shinan County, near Lee Sedol’s hometown, and was the first and only game scheduled in Korea. Before the game, the players paid their respects to the hundreds who died when a ferry tragically capsized on April 16. The ferry incident occurred near the venue for this match. Go fans who like to follow the Lee Sedol – Gu Li rivalry will already know that this is Gu’s fourth consecutive victory against Lee in the last two months. Game 5 will be held in Yunnan Province, China, and is shaping up to be a crucial turning point in the match. Click here to download the game record or click on the link below to see An Younggil 8P’s preliminary comments on the game. - David Ormerod, Go Game Guru

Go Quiz: Historic Hosts

Published On 4/27/2014

Quizmaster Learns Something: Half of you came up with 15, the correct answer, although Steve Burrall insists there are 16, but only listed 13 in his comments. Here's Grant Kerr's list, in a rare moment of only almost correctness, in order of their proness.

Published On 4/27/2014

Andy Liu 1P took the first Washington Open Baduk Championship with a 5-0 sweep on April 26-27. Displaying his customary sharp and speedy play -- rarely using more than half the 60-minute basic time -- Liu (right) dominated his opponents, winning most of his games by resignation.

VT Spring Tourney Small But Fun

Published On 4/27/2014

Attendance at the Vermont Spring Go Tournament ”was sparse, with just 9 players,” reports organizer Peter Schumer, “but everyone brought their ‘A’ game and made for a fun and exciting day.” The event was held on campus at Middlebury College on Saturday, April 26. Prizes were awarded to the top four finishers plus two "fighting spirit" awards “to those whose results might have seemed disappointing,” adds Schumer. The top finishers were: 1st: Milan Mladenovic 7k (3-0); 2nd: David Felcan 2d (2-1); 3rd: Daniel Steinbrook 3k (2-1).

Published On 4/26/2014

The first award of the Washington Open Baduk Championship was announced after just one round on the first day of play. Tournament Director Allan Abramson (right) presented retired Ambassador Suh Dae-won of Korea with an award recognizing his work promoting the game of go. Ambassador Suh played a key role bringing the annual Cotsen Open to the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles in recent years (dates were recently confirmed for 2014-2016), facilitated the organizing of the first Washington Open Baduk Championship this weekend in Northern Virginia – where nearly 100 players turned out Saturday -- and is now in discussions about an event in Europe.

Published On 4/25/2014

Ukraine: The Second League Ukrainian Championship finished on April 13 in Kiev with Andrii Kravets 6d in first, Volodymyr Kokozei 5d in second, and Bohdan Zhurakovskyi 5d in third. Norway: Yaqi Fu 6d took the 2014 Nordic Championship in Bergen on April 20. Behind him were Paal Sannes 3d in second and Severin Hanevik 1d in third. Romania: Silvestru State 2d (left) led the Roman Youth Championship U 16 Final on April 13. Elian Ioan Grigoriu 1d placed second and Mircea Nitu 12k came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 4/25/2014

The Ishi Go Club will host the Open IGC 2014 on May 17 and 18 at the Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland. Amateur and experienced players are welcome to play. Registration is 30 CHF for adults and 15 CHF for youth (under 18) and students. In addition to the tournament, Hwang In-Seong will provide lessons and lectures. For more information, please visit the official Open ICG 2014 website. The Scottish Open Go Tournament will be May 24 and 25 at the University of Glasgow. Registration for non-BGA members is 9 GBP while BGA-members will receive a 3 GBP discount. In addition to the tournament, there will be an informal lightning event on Friday, May 23 for players already in town. Accommodations are available through local players or seeglasgow.com. For more information, please visit the official Scottish Open tournament page. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 4/25/2014

“I got dressed to disco music this morning (Go Spotting: Disco A-Go-Go! 4/23/2014 EJ),” writes Phil Straus. “Thank you.” In that same story, we said that “Perhaps a Japanese-speaking reader can translate the spoken section halfway through.” Reader Pieter Mioch came through for us: Through the go board the stones make (bring about) ever changing variations Go is like a scaled down version of life goban wo bankai ni ishi ga kamoshidasu senpenbanka go to wa jinsei no shukuzu no yo na mono desu. 碁盤を媒介に石が醸し出す千変万化碁とは人生の縮図の様な物です。 And according to Tony Atkins in the UK, Chris Linn is the stage name for Christer Lindstedt, a 2-dan who plays at Gothenburg. His last tournament play was at the 1998 Grand Prix d'Europe, where he placed 49th, just one place ahead of Atkins. Linn formed the Gothenburg Association of Songwriters in 2002.

Go Spotting: Tonari no Seki-kun

Published On 4/24/2014

"It is a very random show, but this episode of Tonari no Seki-kun features go. Sort of," reports Joseph Cua. "'Don't lose to your shadow!' Pretty funny."

Published On 4/24/2014

The fourth round in the AGA City League is set for this Saturday, April 26th on Pandanet. Click here for the pairings: A League; B League; C League. "As always catch the action live on game day at 3PM EST on Pandanet using the new GoPanda2 software," reports TD Steve Colburn. Games will be played in the AGA City League room.

Published On 4/24/2014

The go booth at the 54th Sakura Matsuri Street Festival on April 12 in Washington D.C. was so popular that organizers quickly went through the more than 200 brochures they brought. The event runs in conjunction with the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington. Teachers -- including booth coordinator John Goon, Todd Heidenreich and Benjamin Hong -- found themselves teaching multiple students while spectators watched and eagerly awaited their turn at the boards. "For all those who have any Japanese cultural events in your local area, I definitely encourage you all to try and set up a booth like we did," says Hong. "Because at the end of the day, if there was only one thing I learned from this event, it is that go has a real potential to appeal to all types of people and can eventually become a household staple like chess or checkers if we keep spreading the word with outreach initiatives like this one."

Published On 4/24/2014

Attendance is expected to be near 100 at this weekend’s Washington Open Baduk Championship in Northern Virginia, reports organizer Allan Abramson. Top players so far include Mingming Yin 1P (right), Zhaonian Chen 8d, Charles Choi 7d, James Park 7d, Changlong Wu 7d, Liang Yu 7d, Yuan Zhou 7d, Xinying Elaine Jiang 6d, Josh Lee 6d and Zhiyuan Edward Zhang 6d, “with plenty of players of all strengths ensuring a good field for everyone,” Abramson promises. He’s also planning to ask strong players to volunteer for simuls, “so everyone who wants a simul will get one on Sunday.” Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS; anyone interested in helping record/broadcast can email journal@usgo.org.

Published On 4/23/2014

"As always, I enjoy receiving the E-Journal's news," writes Jean de Maiffe. "One thing I missed in the article about the Syracuse tournament, however (Jason Bates Tops Syracuse “Salt City Tournament” 4/20 EJ) was credit for the problem cake with the credits for other supporters of the tournament. Items like the cake, the go vest made and worn by a long-ago lovely, female teacher of the year whom I have not seen in years and years, and the go doodads that AGF offers. These sorts of personal efforts are, I think, very interesting and can add cachet to any club's doings." We agree and apologize for the oversight; Syracuse Go Club organizer Richard Moseson's wife, Chris, "always makes the problem cake," Moseson says. Still black to move, by the way.

Wang Ma Wins MGA Don Wiener Memorial

Published On 4/23/2014

Wang Ma 6d topped a field of 36 players ranging from 20 kyu to 6 dan at the Massachusetts Go Association's annual Don Wiener Memorial Tournament on April 13 in Somerville MA. "Among the players were a visitor from Scotland, a visiting scholar from China, and contingents from Vermont, Maine, and Western Massachusetts," reports TD Eva Casey. "An eight year old girl played as did a player in her eight decade." Casey also extended "thanks to our friends at the Boylston Chess Club for sharing their space." Winners Report: 1st Place: Wang Ma 6d (4-0) 2nd Place: Shawn Ligocki 8k (4-0) 3rd Place: Steven Wu 4d (3-1) photo (l-r): Steven Wu (back to camera), Wang Ma, John Aspinall and David Spitz; photo by Eva Casey. Click here for more photos.

Go Spotting: Disco A-Go-Go!

Published On 4/23/2014

People who like disco music may also like the game of go - if Swede Chris Linn's 1980 recording, The Game of Go (B-side to Santa Monica Blue Waves) was on the money. The song, whose chorus is: "Let's play the game of go", features such lyrics as: Though you give me three stones, I have to fight like mad; You seem to catch up so easily From the disadvantage that you had as well as the hookline, Atari! Atari! - all to a disco beat. Perhaps a Japanese-speaking reader can translate the spoken section halfway through. Click here to boogie on down to Chris's groove on Youtube. Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal. Thanks to spotter Phil Smith, who says (with perhaps just a touch of British irony), "Can't think why this wasn't more popular...."; photo courtesy of Discogs.

The Traveling Board: An Act of Kindness

Published On 4/23/2014

Every year go players from the Penn Go Society and Phoenixville Go Club teach go at Philadelphia's Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival. This year an especially poignant moment occurred that I wanted to share with other go players. While we were teaching people how to play go, a man approached our tables. He said that he wanted to donate a go set so we could pass it on. He mentioned that when he was in the hospital with cancer that someone came to the hospital to play go with him. Now he was cured of the cancer; I was under the impression that he had not expected to survive. He said that he was eternally grateful for the act of kindness in his most desolate time, and that he wanted to pass the go set on so others could enjoy the game. So we accepted the go set and gave it to a group of young adults who seemed to be enjoying the game. We told them the story of the set so that maybe it would inspire them to acts of kindness.

Published On 4/22/2014

How to Submit A Classified? "Is there someone out there who can tell me how to list an item in the E-Journal's Go Classified section?" wonders Marc Palmer. "I've searched the site and it's certainly not obvious." Certainly; just send your classified(s) to us at journal@usgo.org; no charge for the listing(s)!

2nd ACGA Go Expo A Success

Published On 4/22/2014

The second American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) Spring Go Expo drew over a hundred participants to MIT's main campus on March 29. After a two-hour round of simuls with Chinese professionals in the morning, the event opened with speeches from Ing Minghao, president of the Ing Chang-Ki Weiqi Education Foundation, Chang Hao 9P, Hua Xueming 7P, and ACGA organizers Michael Fodera and Cole Pruitt. Current undergraduates Tommy Liu (MIT) and Cherry Shen (Wellesley) emceed the event and provided translation for the Chinese delegation throughout. Highlights of the afternoon included an exposition match between Chang Hao 9P and strong western amateurs Trevor Morris 7d and Will Lockhart 5d, broadcast on KGS with live commentary from Andy Liu 1P and Hua Xueming 7P.

Go Classified: Go Board For Sale

Published On 4/22/2014

FOR SALE: Antique go board (estimated to be 150 years old): all serious offers considered; click here for more photos; contact stagnaroangelo@hotmail.com Update: this is an updated post.

Published On 4/21/2014

Frank Lantz, noted game theorist, developer and teacher, will deliver the keynote address at the 2014 US Go Congress opening ceremonies on Saturday, August 9th at 7 p.m., at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. Now the director of a graduate program in game theory and development at New York University, Lantz became known to the go community because of his lecture ‘Go, Poker and the Sublime’ at the at the 2011 Game Developers Conference (Life and Death and Middle Pair: Go, Poker and the Sublime 10/30/2012 EJ). In 2005 Lantz co-founded area/code, a New York based developer that created cross-media, location-based, and social network games. In 2011 area/code was acquired by Zynga and became Zynga New York. In 2012, The New York Times referred to Lantz as a "reigning genius of the mysteries of games" following his design of iPhone puzzle game Drop7.

Published On 4/21/2014

The Seattle Go Center provided 15 volunteers to teach go at Sakura-Con, Seattle's big festival of Japanese anime, manga and games. Working in shifts, the volunteers kept the Go Center room open for 15 hours a day on Friday and Saturday, April 18-19. On Sunday, they ran a 13x13 tournament. The Go Center does not have an official teaching style, but most teachers follow Bill Camp's advice from the 2013 Go Congress Teacher's Workshop to "never answer a question that hasn't been asked", trying not to swamp new players with too much information. In the late afternoon and early evening of Saturday, the room was completely full, and the enthused teachers were explaining the game in their own words. As I was waiting for my students to play, I heard Dan Top declare, "In a situation like this, I just try to keep my stones together. I don't want any of my stones going down into the basement alone." - photo of Dan Top and report by Brian Allen.

Yilun Yang 7P Confirmed for AGA Go Camp

Published On 4/21/2014

"The AGA Go Camp is excited to announce that Yilun Yang 7P will be joining us for the summer of 2014," reports Camp Director Nano Rivera. Yang became a professional at the age of 14 in 1973. He has trained many notable players, including Rui Naiwei (9P), Chang Hao (9P), and Hua Zueming (7P). He is an excellent and experienced teacher, who has been teaching in the United States since 1986. Mr. Yang is also the author of many popular Go books, such as the Fundamental Principles of Go, Life and Death by the Numbers, and Life and Death in Chinese Characters. Rivera and co-director Amanda Miller "welcome all campers to join us for a week of go-playing and fun." If you're a go player between the ages of 8 and 18 "and would like an opportunity to study go for a week with a professional teacher, then the AGA East Go Camp is for you," says Rivera. Anyone who participated in the NAKC or the Redmond Cup is eligible to receive $400 off the price of the Go Camp.

Published On 4/21/2014

"We just finished our 'Learn to Play Go' presentation at Sedgwick Elementary School, in Cupertino, CA, reports Wenguang Wang. "Yanping Zao and I presented go to four classes of third-graders in four 30-minute sessions (over 90 kids total). Since we have done this every year for Sedgewick's Annual Discovery Day, most of the kids in third grade or higher have been exposed to go. During the event, we talked about some fun facts of go, taught them the rules, and everybody played a few 9x9 games. Most kids loved the game and many were interested to visit our Santa Clara Youth Go Club to have more fun playing go," adds Wang. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Yanping Zhao: Wang teaching students at Sedgwick Elementary.

Published On 4/20/2014

Twenty-six players participated in Syracuse's 7th Annual Salt City Go Tournament this past Saturday, with Jason Bates 2d (front left) winning the A division by tie-break ahead of Tim Aylsworth and Wayne Nelson; all three had identical 3-1 records and received cash prizes. Yan-Yeung Luk won all four of his games to clinch the B division, beating out Meg Houston and Ava Zurita, while Cross Bianchi swept his games in the C division, finishing one win ahead of Ryan Iffert and Kelvin Cheng. Theo Eckert-Budis 14k was the winner of the annual cake problem prize. Five C division players are first-year students in the weiqi class taught at the CNY Chinese School -- the youngest of these was 8-year-old Liya Luk 16k, who finished with a 2-2 record. The oldest tournament participant was again 96-year-old Milton Sack 15k, who won both of the games he played.

Published On 4/20/2014

You Know, Like Grover Cleveland*: The fun of last week's quiz is that there are more Honinbo heads than people. Quiz vet Reinhold Burger explains: "Thanks for this; I learned something. I knew that Shuei had stepped aside for Shuho, resuming the leadership after Shuho's death. But I had not realized that Shugen had done the same for Shuei. So you have the symmetrical-looking sequence: Shugen, Shuei, Shuho, Shuei, Shugen. Interesting :)" Peter Schumer also cautioned that, while as heir Shusaku is often referred to as Honinbo, he died before he took over the house. So the seven of you who chose 19 different heads, as opposed to the total of 21 were correct. As for the anonymous person who chose 57, that was, of course, the number of "known Communists in the US State Department" according to a classic film. Congrats to Peter Schumer of Middlebury, VT, our randomly selected winner from among those submitting the correct answer.

Published On 4/19/2014

Amir Fragman defeated Israeli champion Ali Jabarin 6d at the Israeli Korean Prime Minister Cup (KPMC) Qualifier tournament, held 16-17 April 2014 during Olamot (Worlds) festival in Tel Aviv. Top players in Israel attended the 6-round tournament, where fourteen contestants challenged for the right to represent Israel at the upcoming Korean Prime Minister Cup in October 2014. The tournament was decided in the 5th round, when Fragman defeated Jabarin 6d by resignation to win first place, with Jabarin in second, while third place was shared by Tal Michaeli and Ofer Zivony. More details and photos here. - Reported by Shavit Fragman

Published On 4/19/2014

Next weekend's Washington Open Baduk Championship has been selected as a qualifier for this year's AGA Pro Qualification Tournament; top boards will be broadcast on KGS by the EJ (email journal@usgo.org if you're interested in being on the broadcasting team). The two-day event in Northern Virginia includes pro lectures and an unrated rapid tournament. The first Washington Open Baduk Championship will be held in Vienna, VA on April 26-27, with a top prize of at least $1,200 and cash prizes for every section. Myungwan Kim 9P (right) and Sohyun Park 3P will give lectures for both dan and kyu players on Saturday night, followed by a rapid tournament, and the professionals will do game reviews and simuls on Sunday afternoon.

Published On 4/19/2014

SmartGo Books now lets you add your own notes in books, reports SmartGo's Anders Kierulf, who's now in Paris for the 42nd International Paris Go Tournament which runs through April 21. "Four new books and several translations have been added to SmartGo Books," Kierulf adds. The new offerings include two from John Fairbairn: “Wonders of Life & Death: Honinbo Shusai's tsumego classic Shikatsu Myoki” and “Today We Have a Splendid Feast: The Meijin Inseki's Yoshin Teiki,” while “Fight Like a Pro – The Secrets of Kiai”, a much-requested book by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich, is also now available. Gunnar Dickfeld has added Volume 3 of “Black to Play! Train the Basics of Go (20-15 Kyu)”, in English and German, and volumes 1 and 2 are available in English, German, Spanish, and French, while “The Basics of Go Strategy” is now available is Spanish as well as German. Click here for details on all the SmartGo Books books now available.

Published On 4/19/2014

After a convincing performance against lower seeds Yale and U Maryland last Saturday, the two top seeds of the Collegiate Go League, University of Michigan and University of Toronto, are vying for the championship title this Saturday, April 19 at 1 pm (EST) on KGS. Top boards will have live professional commentary and will be announced throughout KGS; head to the 'Collegiate Go League' room to catch the action and see who will be crowned ACGA university champion for season 3 and receive the coveted cash prize and ACGA Cup. Commentary will begin around 1:30 pm after matches commence. - Cole Pruitt

Published On 4/15/2014

The eighth annual Orlando Go Tournament was held April 12-13 in Orlando, FL. Brian Olive 1d topped the dan division, while Bart Lipofsky 6k topped the upper kyu division, Ellis Knickerbocker 8k the middle kyu and Tia Duncan 12k the lower kyu. Thirty-four players participated in a five-round event, with strengths ranging from 21 kyu to 5 dan. Winner’s Report: Dan (1D and up): 1st: Brian Olive (1D); 2nd: Josh Lee (5D); 3rd: Jonathan Fisher (3D). Upper Kyu (7K through 1K): 1st: Bart Lipofsky (6K); 2nd: Steve Barberi (1K); 3rd: Tony Vick (6K). Middle Kyu (10K through 8K): 1st: Ellis Knickerbocker (8K); 2nd: Asahel Salgado (9K); 3rd:Aaron Otero (10K). Lower Kyu (11K and down): 1st: Tia Duncan (12K); 2nd: Heather Crawford (15K); 3rd: Joel Mora (12K). - photo: Christopher Sagner, Josh Lee, Fuqian Shi (left, front-to-back) and Jonathan Fisher, Yoshio Tanaka, Brian Olive (right, front-to-back); report/photo by Paul Wiegand

Published On 4/15/2014

Young Mexican go players are visiting Cuba this week in a historic first exchange between the two countries. Next month the Cuban go community will host a group of go players from Japan, the seventh such visit.
The first Cuba - Mexico School Go Exchange, which includes individual and team competitions, is taking place at the Cuban Go Academy from April 14-18. The Mexican children are a part of an educational go project at the “Center of Educational and Artistic Investigations', a primary school begun in 2008. The Go project is led by Siddhartha Avila, who has brought Mexican groups to the last two US Go Congresses. The Cuban children attend a local primary school in Havana and are also pupils in the Cuban Go Academy where they study twice a week.
The visit by the Japanese delegation of adult go players (set for May 14-22) will celebrate 400 years of relations between Cuba and Japan. The Samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga visited Havana in 1614.

Go Spotting: Conway's Game of Life

Published On 4/14/2014

Cambridge mathematician John Conway apparently conceived Game of Life -- his 'cellular automaton' -- on a go board, according to this video sent in by Peter Kron.

Published On 4/14/2014

Benjamin Hong has just published a review of the Lee-Gu Jubango Game 3 on his BenGoZen blog. for the Game 3 of Lee Sedol 9p and Gu Li 9p's jubango was released yesterday. Hong is a single-digit kyu player and says that "As with the previous reviews of Games 1 and 2, this review continues to be geared towards kyu players who struggle with the advanced analysis and discussion that normally occurs between dan and professional level players." He adds that "There is commentary for every move so that hopefully you won’t ever feel lost. In addition, I am happy to announce that frozensoul (5d) has joined forces with me again for this game review. Many thanks goes out to him for providing a number of the insights you’ll see throughout the review." photo courtesy GoGameGuru

Published On 4/14/2014

Wang Chen, one of the 'Four Heavenly Kings' who rule China's amateur rating list, won the 12th World Students Go Oza Championship, held in late February in Toyko. Wang (right) defeated Ken (Kai Kun) Xie of New Zealand, Japan's Yamikumo Tsubasa, Go Risa, also from Japan, and Chung Chen-En of Taiwan. Yamikumo, Go, and Chung did not lose to anyone else, so they finished as part of the four-way tie for runner-up. Tie-breaking points put Yamikumo second, Chung third, and Go fourth. Taiwan's Hu Shih-Yun also lost only one game and came in fifth.

Published On 4/13/2014

The upcoming Washington Open Baduk Championship (1st Washington Open Baduk Championship Set for April 26-27 4/2 EJ) has added pro lectures and an unrated rapid tournament, reports organizer Allan Abramson. The first Washington Open Baduk Championship will be held in Northern Virginia on April 26-27, with a top prize of at least $1,200 and cash prizes for every section. Myungwan Kim 9P and Sohyun Park 3P will give lectures for both dan and kyu players on Saturday night, followed by a rapid tournament, and the professionals will do game reviews and simuls on Sunday afternoon.

Published On 4/13/2014

A North London team won the Spring 2014 London International Teams Trophy event on Saturday April 5, just beating a team from France on tie-break after both won two team matches out of three, including five game wins for each. The tournament was decided on the result of the Captains' game between Huang Aja 6d for N London and Pierre Paga 5d for France.

Go Quiz: How Many Heads of Honinbo?

Published On 4/13/2014

Camel Redux: First of all, your quizmaster would like to thank E-Journal readers for welcoming us back. Our recent poll column on the best Western cultural reference to go was incredibly popular, as evidenced by the many follow up emails, some of which have already been published in recent EJs. My fondness for the print ad inspired the following response, which needs to be preserved for posterity. "The Camel ad was splashy to us back in the late 70's when it came out (it appeared in Playboy!)," writes Peter St. John, "but what I remember was Gene (Eugene) Zaustinsky, a professor of mathematics at Stony Brook, telling me that he had composed the position.

Published On 4/11/2014

The 2014 International Collegiate Go Tournament is now accepting applications. To be held in Hong Kong July 7-13, the second annual event, hosted by the Ing Foundation, is open to current, future, or recently graduated college students, both undergraduate and graduate, who will or has attended school in 2014. Players of all strengths are encouraged to apply; the tournament is divided into both a kyu and dan division. The sponsors pay for student's room, board, and the tours that take place during the event;

Published On 4/10/2014

Members of the Twin Cities Go Club last weekend participated in Passage to China, an annual event celebrating Chinese culture. Held at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, and sponsored by the Chinese Heritage Foundation, this event welcomes visitors to experience Chinese dance, music, arts, and crafts. This is the fourth year the Twin Cities Go Club has participated in the event, hosting a table at which attendees can learn the basics of go, or weiqi, as it is known in China, where the game originated.

Published On 4/10/2014

March Madness is over, "but the American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) will keep it alive through April," promises Cole Pruitt. This Saturday, April 12 and the following week, April 19, the ACGA will host the 3rd annual Collegiate Go League championship on KGS. At 1 pm EST each Saturday in the KGS "Collegiate Go League" room, matches will be held between the ACGA's top four finishers from the season.

Published On 4/10/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Cho U Advances in Chunlan Cup: The opening rounds of the 10th Chunlan Cup, another Chinese-sponsored international tournament, were held in the city of Taizhou in China on March 26 and 28. Japan had five players seeded in the first round, of whom four won their games, but only Cho U (right) survived the second round. Full results for the opening rounds are given below (note that individual seeds, as opposed to country seeds, join the tournament in the second round).

Published On 4/9/2014

"I expect you'll have many responses to Stuart French's question (looking for 1940's article about how Japanese generals used the game of go to strategize WWII in the Pacific) in the April 7 E-Journal (Your Move/Readers Write: More Responses to The Popular Go Quiz Question), but I give mine anyways," writes Reinhold Burger.

Published On 4/9/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Chisato Cup: The semifinals and finals of this new tournament for young players were played in the town of Seiro in Niigata Prefecture on March 1 and 2, but I forgot to include it in my previous report. The favorite of the fans was probably Fujisawa Rina 2P (right), the granddaughter of Fujisawa Shuko, but she lost to Hirata Tomoya 3P in one semifinal. In the other, Suzuki Shinji 4P beat Kimoto Katsuya 3P. Suzuki (B) then beat Hirata by resignation in the final to take the first prize of two million yen (a little under $20,000).

Published On 4/9/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Xie Defends Women’s Meijin Title: The third game of the 26th Women’s Meijin title match was held at the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya, Tokyo, on March 24. Drawing black in the nigiri, Xie Yimin (right) played strongly and scored a solid win, forcing a resignation after 209 moves. She made a good comeback from her loss in the second game. This gave her the match 2-1, so she won this title for the seventh year in a row. Yuki Wins Third NHK Cup In A Row: Yuki Satoshi (at right in photo below) has been going through a spell of bad form recently, especially in the leagues, but he is just as strong as ever at fast games. In the final of the 61st NHK Cup, telecast on March 23, he defeated Kono Rin 9P by resignation to win the title for the third year in a row and the fifth time overall (all in the last six years).

Teacher of the Year Nominations Sought

Published On 4/8/2014

Nominations for the American Go Foundation's Teacher of the Year award are now open. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week (during the school year) for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by May 5th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Last year’s winner Richard Moseson from New York. To read more about Richard’s work, click here.

Published On 4/8/2014

"Thanks for asking this great question about popular go references, (Go Quiz: Who Pulled Off the “Miraculous Upset”? 4/4 EJ)" writes Stuart French from Melbourne, Australia. "A few years ago I saw an Australian newspaper article about how the Japanese generals used the game of go to strategize the war in the Pacific. It included a map of SE Asia, from Japan down to Darwin with a Go board super-imposed over the top. I assume ~c.1943. Did anyone submit this to you as one of the options, or have you seen a copy of it? I am chasing it down to use in my Go and Complexity presentation and would really appreciate an electronic copy." If anyone's come across this, let us know at journal@usgo.org. "Love the Camel ad," writes Bob Barber in Chicago, Il, also in response to last week's quiz. "David Matson has it, and a photo of the same situation, with David playing Black. I see that the new paperback edition of Shibumi has a go board on the cover, and a few stones.

AGA City League Round 3 Results

Published On 4/8/2014

In the A League, Seattle 1 defeated Los Angeles (2-1), Canwa Vancouver 1 def Toronto (3-0) and Greater Washington def [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-06_AGA-League-missuhcl-sleazypnut.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2014-04-06_AGA-League-missuhcl-sleazypnut.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Boston (2-1). In the B League, San Francisco 1 def Washington DC 1 (3-0), New York City def NC Raleigh (3-0) and Chicago def Washington DC (3-0). In the C League, West Tennessee/Memphis def Lincoln (2-1), Katy, TX 1 def Canwa Vancouver 2 (2-1), Syracuse def Seattle 2 (3-0), and Katy TX 2 def Brentwood/Nashville (2-1). The included game this month comes from Katy TX 2 (Bao Doan/missuhcl) vs Brentwood/Nashville(Seth Cardew/sleazypnut). This was a close game with both players fighting for territory throughout. - Steve Colburn, TD

Go Spotting: Parsing Go

Published On 4/8/2014

EJ reader Simon Guo found this description of how to use Perl to parse a go game record file in Simon Cozens computer language book, Advanced Perl Programming.

Published On 4/6/2014

In "Why does Bill Gates want to be a better Go player?", David de Ugarte says that "The birth of videogames and Apple’s first steps, free software’s first steps, and even the platforms that allowed for the organization of tens of thousands of volunteers for the earthquake in Haiti, all have something in common: their creators cited Go as a source of personal inspiration and related it to their form of innovating and thinking." de Ugarte's fascinating March 14 post on the Las Indias blog asks "What good is Go to those who change the world?" and takes a look at the go lessons learned and applied by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Nintendo's Hiroshi Yamauchi (right), Tron's Ken Sakamura, Richard Stallman of GNU (/Linux), Microsoft's Bill Gates and young extrepreneur Luke Biewald (left), the creator of Crowdflower. de Ugarte has published two other posts on go, Reason Against Force and How Go Became The Favorite Game Of Anarchist And Libertarians.

Published On 4/6/2014

Two new books have just been added to our "New and Noteworthy" page: "Games of Wonder" is an English translation by Ruoshi Sun of Yi Miao, a collection of 40 famous games by some of the best players in the Qing Dynasty, and "Whole Board Opening Problems" by Yuan Zhou draws problem situations from actual games played by amateurs and pros. The Summer Go Camp page has been updated for 2014, when the camp will be held August 3-9 at YMCA Camp Kresge in White Haven, PA. - Greg Smith, AGA website team Update (4/10/14): The title of one of the books has been corrected to ""Games of Wonder" .

Published On 4/5/2014

Registration is now open for this year’s Santa Monica Coffee Cup, the 8th year of the caffeinated event, to be held on June 14 in Santa Monica, CA. "As always, the tournament will be AGA-rated and three rounds long," reports organizer Andy Okun, "with prizes including coffee beans and the eponymous and storied 'Coffee Cup,' hand-painted in this year’s theme color of vivid auburn (#922724)" Click here for online registration and further details. The event will again be held at the award-winning UnUrban Coffee House (www.unurban.com), through the generosity of proprietress Pam Stollings (right). "The turkey chili is outstanding," Okun adds. For more info reach him at president@usgo.org.

Yen and Zhou Win WYGC Qualifiers

Published On 4/5/2014

Albert Yen 6d and Brandon Zhou 4d both won 2-0 in the final rounds of the Ing Foundation's World Youth Goe Qualifier, held in Menlo Park CA on March 29th. Yen, who is 14 and lives in Illinois, squared off against Aaron Ye 6d, who is competing in the Senior Division for the first time - after having dominated the Jr. Division for several years. Meanwhile, Zhou, age 10, defeated Ary Alden Cheng, to win the Jr. Division. Zhou hails from Atlanta GA, and is one of the most promising youngsters on the national scene. He only recently began professional lessons, as there are no pros in Atlanta, and has been studying with Alexander Dinerchtein online. Both boys will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the World Youth Go Championships, August 13-17. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photos by Ernest Brown: Albert Yen 6d (l) and Brandon Zhou 4d (r).

Published On 4/4/2014

Last week’s quiz: Before turning to the poll results, here’s my personal all-time favorite go reference. This Camel ad from the late 1970s should have worked. It was certainly popular, often featured on the back covers of numerous magazines. While not the best board, the bowls are nice, the board position reasonable, the decor splendid and our hero dutifully takes black against the master - top marks. And for coolness it hits the all-time high. I mean, he has a piercing gaze, cool mustache, is at home in a world few men ever see and women bring him drinks. Unfortunately, it only got more folks addicted to smoking, and not go. I found all of your responses interesting, from the mysterious "Love and Go" by Wando Wende (on which I could not find any information) to the intriguing – and new to me -- French cartoon "Code: Lyoko", which certainly looks interesting and features the characters playing the game and discussing it, reports Alison Fotness.

Battle for 2nd Bailing Cup Cup Begins

Published On 4/3/2014

Competition has begun for the second Bailing Cup, a biennial event backed by the Guizhou Bailing Group, a Chinese pharmaceutical company, and held under the auspices of the International Go Federation, the People's Government of Guizhou Province, the Guizhou Sports Bureau, and the professional go associations of China, Japan, and Korea. Four preliminary rounds were held March 15-16 in Beijing, and the 48 survivors then joined 16 seeded players from China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Korea in the main tournament, with the first round held on March 18. Click here for Round 1 results and games, along with some of the preliminary games. One of the winners in the prelims was a young Chinese pro who had recently won the Shanghai Jianqiao Xinren Wang tournament. This event is known as the Rookie King tournament, but this year's king was Wu Zhibao 5P (Yu Zhiying, at left), a female player.

Published On 4/3/2014

Simultaneous games with strong players continue to be available to AGA members in the AGA Community Room on KGS. For April, simuls are now scheduled in the evenings beginning this Saturday, April 5 and continuing on Wednesday, April 9, Saturday, April 12, and Wednesday, April 30. The full simul schedule through June is available here. “Volunteers are adding simuls to the schedule on an on-going basis, so keep checking it for the latest information,” urges organizer Bob Gilman. Since this program began in October 2013, there have been 128 games played. “These simuls are a great way to test your strength and develop your game,” Gilman says. “You will have the chance to learn tactics and strategies from a stronger player. There will generally be a brief review afterwards. And don’t worry about being ‘too weak.’ These are handicap games and intended to help you learn.” The games are played in the AGA Community Room on KGS (under “Clubs”) in the Rooms List.

EuroGoTV Update: UK, Serbia, Germany

Published On 4/3/2014

UK: Andrew Kay 4d led the Birmingham on March 29. Behind him were Alex Kent 3d in second and Alistair Wall 2d in third. Serbia: Also on March 29, the 3rd Memorial Milos Vucicevic finished in Kragujevac with Zoran Jankovic 4d in first, Dragan Dubakovic 3d in second, Mihailo Jacimovic 1k in third. Germany: Bernd Radmacher 4d (left) bested Jonas Welticke 5d at the 4th Recklinghaeuser Guzumi in Recklinghausen on March 30 while Martin Ruzicka 2d came in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 4/2/2014

“Can you confirm that the Cotsen dates (Cotsen Dates Confirmed for 2014-2016 4/1 EJ) are real, not an April 1st joke?” writes Anders Kierulf. “It just seems so unlikely after the dates moving around every year and being announced very late. Also, the 2016 dates should probably be Oct. 22-23, not Oct. 23-24, as that’s not a weekend.” Yes, the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Cotsen dates are real, though as Kierulf notes, the 2016 dates are actually October 22-23. The Dumb Cluck? 9×9 Go Reportedly Solved story, on the other hand, is not real. Our apologies for any confusion.

Published On 4/2/2014

The East Coast is getting a new major tournament. The first Washington Open Baduk Championship will be held in Northern Virginia on the weekend of April 26-27. With a top prize of at least $1,000, and cash prizes for every section, “this two-day tournament is not to be missed!” says organizer Allan Abramson. Click here for more details and to register. The Championship is sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Center – DC and Scorpion Sport Inc. in L.A., co-hosted by the Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) and the American Go Association (AGA), and organized by the NOVA Go Club, the Baltimore Go Club, and the Korean-American Go Association. The Championship will be a rated five-round, one hour per player event. AGA membership is required. No entry fee, and lunch is free. Other attractions will include a rapid tournament on Friday night, lectures by Myungwan Kim 9P and another Korean professional, and simuls with the pros.

Published On 4/2/2014

An expanded prize pool and a new tournament structure are planned for the strongest players at this year’s US Go Congress. "The AGA Board, in close consultation with strong players across the country, felt strongly that we needed to raise the stakes, the prestige and the competitiveness of the top tournaments and this is the result," said American Go Association President Andrew Okun. In recent years, strong players competed in three separate main tournaments at Congress, the 6-round US Open open section in the mornings, the 4-round North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) for North American professionals and qualified amateurs in the evenings, and the 4-round Strong Player Open, also in the evenings. In the new structure, these three tournaments will be combined into a single 9-round US Open, which will serve both as the top section of the U.S. Open and as the NAMT. The U.S. Open winner will take a top prize of $5,000 and the NAMT

Published On 4/2/2014

For this week's quiz, in celebration of go’s prominent role on MTV’s Teen Wolf, as covered in several recent E-Journal reports, let’s hear from you on what you think is the best Western cultural reference to go. Please limit answers to English language and it must be something featuring or mentioning go, but not directly about go or go instruction. And it needs to be original – so the obvious choice of Hikaru No Go does NOT qualify. I will judge the best response on such objective criteria as coolness, popularity, appropriateness and correctness of the reference. This can be books, TV, movies, advertising or news events. Deadline: 5P Thursday. Nominations so far include Shibumi by Trevanian, Tron: Legacy, Darren Aronofsky's movie "Pi," and "A Beautiful Mind" with Russell Crowe. I look forward to hearing from all of you! Click here to submit your nomination. - Keith Arnold HKA, quizmaster

Go Spotting: “Orange is the New Black”

Published On 4/1/2014

"Credit to my wife and daughter for spotting a go board in the Netflix series 'Orange is the New Black,'" reports Vermont Go Club President Dave Felcan. "In Season 1, Episode 12 (“Fool Me Once”) around the 29:30 mark, a go board can be spotted on a desk next to the main characters. Its there for about 5-7 seconds, so it was a nice spot."

Redmond on Guanzi Pu: "Beyond Tsumego"

Published On 4/1/2014

"I have the Guanzi Pu pdf (‘New on the AGA Website: Classic Chinese Problem Collection‘ 3/16 EJ) in other formats already, but this one is very nicely done," writes Michael Redmond 9P. "That collection is one of the best of what I call classic tsumego collections, but on the other hand, it wasn't all problems that would now be called tsumego. It includes many endgame sequences, and some positions in which there is more than one feasible way to play. That is typical of the ancient Chinese collections, which were published before the modern definition of tsumego was established. From the professional viewpoint, those indefinite problems actually add value, although they could confuse weaker players."

Cotsen Dates Confirmed for 2014-2016

Published On 4/1/2014

Not only have this year’s Cotsen Go Tournament has been confirmed and scheduled for October 25-26, according to AGA President Andy Okun, but dates have been set for 2015 and 2016 as well. For the third time running, this year's event will take place at the Korean Cultural Center-Los Angeles (KCCLA), in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles. “Our thanks to Eric Cotsen (left) for his continued hosting of this outstanding event, and our gratitude as well to retired Ambasador Suh Dae-won (right), the Korean consulate in Los Angeles and the staff and management of KCCLA for providing such a beautiful venue,” said Okun. The two-day, five-round event will include lunch, some pro go teaching and massage therapy and, Okun hopes, "a vendor table or two and other goodies." As in previous years, the E-Journal will provide full on-site coverage, broadcasting top-boards live on KGS.

Published On 4/1/2014

The CEGO Online Training for European professional students has just launched. The online training is part of the Pre Pro League, part of the European Go Federation's (EGF) new contract with the CEGO Chinese investor group to establish a European professional system (European Go Federation Inks Deal With Chinese to Promote Go in Europe 7/5/2013 EJ). "This is another part of the EGF-CEGO cooperation focused on developing European professional go players," says EGF president Martin Stiassny. "I wish all the players great games with a lot of fun and success."

Dumb Cluck? 9×9 Go Reportedly Solved

Published On 4/1/2014

A team of researchers at the University of Brightloch have announced that 9x9 go has been solved. Inspired by recent improvements in computer play by Montecarlo algorithms, they hypothesized that "If a computer can play at random andplay good games, what prevents a more powerful device (like a brain) to do something similar?" So the researchers picked a team of 100,000 chickens and taught them to play go. "It was hard in the beginning, but once a few knew how to play they started teaching others," they report. "After a couple months all were playing as 30k players and we set them loose in a field filled with 9×9 go boards and bowls with stones. Also some grain and water." A month later the chickens were gone, and the same position was repeated on every 9x9 board: perfect play, with white winning by 0.5 points with 7.5 komi. The chickens had also left a note. It said "So long, and thanks for all the grain." - based on a report on Nordic Go Academy by RBERENGUEL; thanks to Go Game Guru,

Go Camp Registration Opens

Published On 4/1/2014

The AGA Go Camp is pleased to announce that registration for the 2014 camp is now open. Camp will be held from August 3 to August 9, the week before Go Congress, at YMCA Camp Kresge in White Haven, PA, about a 2 hour drive from New York City. Camp directors Amanda Miller and Nano Rivera invite campers of all skill levels, and between the ages of 8 and 18, to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. Youth who played in the NAKC or the Redmond Cup are eligible for a $400 scholarship, and need-based scholarships of up to $250 are also available. For more information on the latest camp-related news, and to download the registration forms, please visit the camp website at http://www.gocampeast.org/. Any questions can be e-mailed to Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. - Story and Photo by Amanda Miller

Published On 3/31/2014

Registration for the 2014 U.S. Go Congress has opened with a special offer: $50 cash for using your AGA Capital One Visa credit card. Use it to pay for the Congress and you'll get an extra $10, for a total of $60. "This year's Congress is in New York City, one of the continent's premier destinations," says AGA president Andy Okun. "To help Congress attendees enjoy themselves in the Big Apple, we're offering $50 cash walking-around money to any Congress attendee who at the time of registration shows us their AGA Capital One Visa credit card and tells us, hand on heart, they have bought something with it." Possible New York City uses for this cash windfall include museum entry, cab fare, hot dogs, pretzels with mustard, lemonade, pizza slices "or oysters," says Okun, noting that author Mark Kurlansky has argued that New York should really be called "The Big Oyster".

NOVA Cherry Blossom Report

Published On 3/31/2014

The annual NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament was held on Saturday, March 29, at George Mason University Law School in Arlington, VA. Thirty-nine players participated, including long-distance commuter Paul Celmer from North Carolina. "A special visitor was Mr. I. Moon, Chairman of the Board of the Fairfax County Board of Education, who is promoting go and recruiting go teachers for his elementary schools," reports organizer Allan Abramson. Reach Moon at IMoon@fcps.edu. Winners Report: First place: Justin Teng, 7D, 3-1; Muyuan Wang, 3D, 4-0; Julian Erville, 1K, 4-0; Darren Bias, 4K, 4-0; Barreal Anderson, 9K, 3-0; Steve Manning, 11K, 3-1; and Jonathan Luo, 15K, 3-1 Second place: Josh Lee, 5D, 3-1; Nathan Epstein, 1D, 2-1; Frank Luo, 1K, and Frederick Bao, 2K (tied at 3-1); Matt Payton, 5K, 2-2; Bob Crites, 9K, 3-1; Liam Royce, 11K, and Kevin Stefanik, 11K (tied at 2-2); and Caroline Scheck, 15K, and Sarah Crites, 18K (tied at 2-2)

Published On 3/31/2014

Matthew Burrall 6d and Tai-An Cha 5k topped their divisions in the Davis/Sacramento Go Club's Spring Tournament at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento on March 29, 2014. There was a field of 17 players ranging in strength from about 20 kyu to 6 dan. "This was the largest number of player that we have had at one of our tournaments in quite a while," reports Willard Haynes. photo: Matthew Burrall 6d (left) and Tai-An Cha 5k

Go Quiz: Best Western Go Reference?

Published On 3/31/2014

THE LITTLE RED BOOK: For many, this volume of the Elementary Go Series (available from Kiseido and SmartGoBooks) was the book they were waiting for - the book that taught the West how to fight. Rarely a day goes by without someone responding to a query on KGS with the simple directive "Read Attack and Defense". When your quizmaster did a poll on the best English-language go books, Akira Ishida and James Davies' effort received many praises. 13 out of 17 of you read the position correctly. As for those who consult his joseki dictionary regularly, you are better players than your quizmaster, for you open your go books and do not simply look at the covers, but a look at the cover of "The Dictionary of Basic Joseki" will show that it was authored by Ishida Yoshio (and translated by John Power).

Published On 3/31/2014

Gu Li 9p (right) chalked up his first win in the MLily Gu vs Lee jubango, forcing Lee Sedol 9p to resign in game 3 on Sunday, March 30. Lee and Gu faced one another in Chengdu – the capital city of Sichuan, China – having traveled straight there after their game at the 10th Chunlan Cup two days earlier. After Lee won game 2 of this historic jubango in February, he led the 10 game match 2-0. Since Gu lost game 2 in regrettable circumstances, many go fans reasonably surmised that Lee would have the psychological advantage going into the third game, but over the last week, Gu defeated Lee in the 4th Zhaoshang Cup (a China vs Korea team tournament) on March 23, and followed it up with another win at the 10th Chunlan Cup on the 28th, which may have helped to restore Gu’s confidence. The win is heartening not only for Gu, of course, but for go fans worldwide who are doubtless hoping the jubango will go the full 10 games.

Published On 3/28/2014

Myungwan Kim 9P will do live audio commentary on this weekend’s Lee Sedol – Gu Li Jubango on KGS. His commentary, with James Kim 1d, will start at 8p PST (11p EST) on Saturday, March 29. As previously reported (Gu Li & Lee Sedol Face Off in Jubango Game 3 This Weekend 3/27 EJ), Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p will also be commenting the game on Baduk TV Live. “This third game will be very important for Gu Li,” Kim tells the E-Journal. “If he loses it will be very difficult for him to catch up. “With Lee leading 2-0, Gu should have a lot pressure on this game and needs to overcome it. I hope Gu Li can win and make the series more exciting.” Kim notes that the two are playing a game at Chunlan Cup on Friday, March 28, which may affect the jubango game.

Published On 3/27/2014

Gu Li will be looking to begin erasing his 2-game deficit Game 3 of the Lee Sedol – Gu Li Jubango this weekend. Gu beat Lee in Round 2 of the just-concluded Zhaoshang Cup on March 21 (Korea wins 4th Zhaoshang Cup by a whisker GGG 3/24/2014), and is playing him again in Round 2 of the Chunlan Cup but Lee leads 2-0 in the jubango. Live coverage with commentary of the match will start on Baduk TV three hours after the first move is played. The commentators will replay and analyze the game from the beginning and Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p will translate and discuss the game in English with Baduk TV Live viewers. The coverage starts at 1:00 pm Korea time on Sunday, March 30 (Midnight Sunday morning EST). You can watch the game on Baduk TV for as little as $2.70 with a Baduk TV Day Pass. - Go Game Guru; photo: Gu draws Lee in the Chunlan Cup

Published On 3/26/2014

German go journalist colleague Tobias Berben recently sent a link to an English-subtitled online version of Tokyo Newcomer (New Go Films: Tokyo Newcomer & Weiqi Wonders 5/7/2012 EJ). In Jiang Qinmin's 2012 film, Chinese go genius Yoshiryu (Qin Hao) comes to Japan to hone his skills in the game, but finds he’s too busy earning a living to study go at all. One day, he meets an old woman hawking vegetables, who turns out to be a descendant of a prestigious go family. "Written and directed by a Mainland Chinese, but utterly Japanese in look and feel, 'Tokyo Newcomer' is an engaging light drama centred on a young Chinese guy's passion for the board game of go and his assimilation into the country which has made the (Chinese-invented) game into a national expression of its mindset," writes Film Business Asia's Derek Elley.

"New Yorker" Reports on Computer Go

Published On 3/26/2014

The latest advances in computer go are covered in a new post by The New Yorker. In “The Electronic Holy War”, Patrick House reports on the Densei-sen, “or ‘electronic holy war,’ tournament, in Tokyo, where the best Go programs in the world play against one of the best humans” where Crazy Stone last March defeated Yoshio “the Computer” Ishida. The article does an excellent job of explaining why go has been so tough for computers to crack. “Part of the difficulty for computers—and humans—is that it is often hard to determine at any given time whether a group of pieces is being surrounded or doing the surrounding, and thus who is ahead…Without a clear understanding of who is ahead, programs like Deep Blue stutter. ‘All the machinery that was built up for computer chess is pretty useless,’” (Murray) Campbell (a member of the IBM Deep Blue team says.

Go Spotting: Teen Wolf Takes Sente

Published On 3/25/2014

MTV's Teen Wolf has shattered the Go Spotting record, featuring go four weeks in a row, on a show that's not about go. With a viewership of 3.5 million, repeated mentions of the game, and even a summary of the main goals, local clubs could soon be seeing a surge of new players if even a fraction of those viewers become curious about go and learn to play. This week's episode, entitled "The Divine Move" both starts and ends with go. Early in the episode Mrs. Yukimura (Tamlyn Tomita) advises a desperate Stiles (Dylan O'Brien) while the family is seated around a go board "he made a powerful move by splitting the two of you." "So what's our move?" responds her daughter Kira (Arden Cho), as she places a stone on the board. "The Nogitsune has had sente until this point, what you need is a 'Divine Move' in order to turn this game around," responds her mother. Stiles does find a divine move, in the story arc at least, and his friends defeat the Nogitsune at last.

Published On 3/25/2014

"I just want to add an addendum to Bob Gilman's efforts to bring the Cubans to the US Congress (Progress Reported on Project to Bring Cuban Delegation to U.S. Go Congress 3/8 EJ)," writes Peter Shotwell. "I organized a trip there in 2000 and more than a dozen people came (we were legal because it was an "amateur" tournament that Cubans could participate in). The Cubans treated us royally and I want to encourage anyone who hasn't donated to the cause to think about what this means to them if not just to return the favor!" For more details on the project, email bobgilman.aga@gmail.com.

Published On 3/23/2014

The next round in the AGA City League is set for Saturday, March 29. Click here for the team pairings in the A League, B League and C League and catch the action live on game day at 3PM EST on Pandanet using the new GoPanda2 software. Games will be played in the AGA City League room. - Steve Colburn, TD

Published On 3/22/2014

In celebration of the 90th birthday of Nihon Kiin, a special summer go camp will be held from August 26 to September 4 in Tokyo. Included in the camp are daily pro instructions in separate dan and kyu sections, playing in the largest Japanese amateur tournament -- the Takara Shuzou Cup, where the 1000+ participants will all receive special commemorative prizes -- and visits to the Honinbo title ceremony, to Kamakura, site of the Go Seigen-Kitani jubango, and to Yugen no ma, the Nihon Kiin's legendary tatami playing room adorned by a Kawabata calligraphy (right). The camp fee is between JPY 50 to 55K (about $500); housing starts at about $40 a night. The camp is recommended for players 10 kyu and up, including high dans. For further information and registration forms, contact igf@usgo.org. - Thomas Hsiang; photo by John Pinkerton

Go Quiz: Ishida's Legacy in the West

Published On 3/22/2014

We have not seen him for a while, but there was a time when Chuck Robbins of Lancaster PA was everywhere, running tournaments, Congresses, workshops and holding offices in the AGA and AGF. His 1126 rated games are the clear leader in the AGA Database, so Chuck (left) is the correct answer to last week's quiz question. With 1072, Steve Barberi, also from Pennsylvania but now retired in Florida, is a close second. Legendary Congress Self Paired game player Martin Lebl (962) of Arizona is third and Jeff Horn (854) of California is fifth. 6 of 13 of you had the right answer, 3 choosing Lebl, 2 Horn, 1 Barberi and one sniffing out a trick question and claiming it was a 4 way tie. By the way, in 4th place with 945 is your quizmaster. We may never know who the real leader is since the records are incomplete (the AGA database goes back to 1991), but since the 1990s were the heyday of AGA tournaments thus far, we can be confident that one of these 5 is the current all-time leader.

Published On 3/20/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Humans Beat Computers in First “Igo Electrical King Tournament”: To test how close computers have come to human level at go, the first Igo Electrical King Tournament was staged in the top playing room, Yugen, at the Nihon Ki-in on February 11. Please take our word that “electrical king” (dennou) sounds better in the original. The program Zen played best-of-three 9x9 matches with Cho Riyu 8P and Hirata Tomoya 3P, but lost both without picking up a game. However, Zen lost by only half a point in its first game with Cho, and human commentators pointed out a winning sequence that it missed in the endgame. One of Zen’s programmers commented that it would still take ten years to catch up with pros in 9x9 go. Zen vs. Hirata Tomoya 3P: Game 1. Hirata (W) by resig.; Game 2. Hirata (B) by resig. Zen vs. Cho Riyu 8P: Game 1. Cho (B) by half a point; Game 2. Cho (W) by resig.

Published On 3/20/2014

The 41st Maryland Open is coming up May 24-25 just outside Baltimore, MD. The 5-round event -- 3 rounds Saturday, two on Sunday -- attracts players from across the Eastern Seaboard, with prizes in all sections. "This is a very popular weekend," warns organizer Keith Arnold, "so make reservations now!" Click here to register and for hotel and venue info.

AGA Go Camp Set for August

Published On 3/19/2014

The AGA Go Camp is confirmed for this summer, reports Camp Director Amanda Miller. Camp will be held the week before the Go Congress, from August 3rd to 9th, at YMCA Camp Kresge in White Haven, PA. White Haven is about 2 hours outside of New York City, so anyone who wishes to attend both camp and congress should be able to do so easily. Miller will be joined by co-director Nano Rivera, and they invite campers of all skill levels, and between the ages of 8 and 18, to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. More information regarding the camp will be available soon, and registration will open within the next two weeks. Keep an eye on the camp website for details. Those who played in the NAKC or the Redmond Cup are eligible for a $400 scholarship, and need-based scholarships will also be available. Any questions can be e-mailed to Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. -Story and photo by Amanda Miller

Published On 3/19/2014

MTV's Teen Wolf seems to be on a go jag. This week's episode featured another conversation about strategy, with Kira (Arden Cho) learning about go from her mother, who even explains what the game is about, and describes territory. Later in the episode, Kira's father tells her that go is called Baduk in Korea, and that her mother is a very aggressive player - too aggressive for her own good. This marks the third week in a row that go has been featured on the show, and next week's episode is titled "The Divine Move," which any Hikaru no Go fan will immediately recognize as a key concept in the manga. My guess is that next weeks episode will revolve around another go match, possibly between Kira and her mother. Check out Teen Wolf on the MTV website here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 3/19/2014

Guo Juan Go Class Starts New Term: The new term for Guo Juan's Online Go Class starts up on April 12th. "You are welcome to join us," says Guo Juan 5P. "Meet new friends, have fun and improve your go!" Mingjiu Jiang Workshop Coming Up in Portland: Mingjiu Jiang 7P will do a two-day workshop in Portland, OR., April 26-27. Anyone interested in attending should contact Peter Freedman at peter.freedman@comcast.net.

Published On 3/19/2014

Takao Makes Good Start To Judan Challenge: The first game of the Mori Building Cup 52nd Judan Best-of-Five Title match, to give the tournament its full name, was held on March 4, and the challenger, Takao Shinji 9P (left), got off to an efficient start by picking up a win by a half-point margin. The first game was played, for the fourth year in a row, at the Osaka University of Commerce; the president of the university, Tanioka Ichiro, is a scholar of games in general and has recently published a book on early go history. The defending champion, Yuki Satoshi, seemed to take a lead in the opening, but Takao narrowed the gap through tenacious play and overhauled him in the end game. Takao had white and won by half a point after 303 moves.

Published On 3/18/2014

form in other tournaments has remained good, especially in leagues, where he is bidding to win three in a row (starting with last year’s Kisei League). After six rounds in the 69th Honinbo League, he is the only undefeated player. He will meet his only remaining rival, Ida Atsushi 7P, in the final round in April, but Ida will have to beat Yamashita twice in a row, that is, in this game and then in a play-off, to become the challenger. Regardless of what happens, Ida has made a very good debut by winning five games to one loss against top-level competition. Among the other league members, two top players are enjoying different fortunes. A sixth-round win ensured Cho U’s survival, but his defeated opponent in that game, Takao Shinji, has lost his place. Recent results: (February 13) Yamashita (B) beat Kono Rin 9P (W) by 1.5 points; Ida Atsushi 7P (W) beat Sakai Hideyuki 8P by 5.5 points.

Published On 3/18/2014

Nine-year-old Andrew Zhang, of Corvallis, OR, took 1st place with a record of 7-1, at the Hikaru no Go Tournament in Portland, on March 16th. 14 youth competed in the event, the youngest was six and the eldest in high school, reports organizer Peter Freedman. "We developed a unique format, designed specifically for new players, who had to play four 9x9 games, three 13x13 games, two 19x19 games, or three total games of any of the previous combinations," said Freedman. Beverly Cleary's John Meo, age 13, took second place with a 6-1 record. Third place went to Hikaru Sato, age 11, with a record of 5-2. Four children made the trek up the valley to Portland to play in the tournament. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 3/18/2014

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014_03_18_Redmond_tsumego_06.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014_03_18_Redmond_tsumego_06.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Black to play. Published in the March 18, 2014 edition of the American Go E-Journal. Michael Redmond 9P shares with the E-Journal some of his own tsumego compositions. For these more challenging problems, dan players can test their reading speed and accuracy, while kyu players can play through the solutions to learn ideas and techniques. The solution will appear a week after the problem publication. Amazingly, this problem has roots in one of Michael's games. The corresponding position below occurs at move 135.

Published On 3/18/2014

Go is referenced prominently in the liner notes for Haskell Small's new CD, The Rothko Room: Journeys In Silence, beginning with a quote from Iwamoto Kaoru: "Go uses the most elemental materials and concepts — line and circle, wood and stone, black and white — combining them with simple rules to generate subtle strategies and complex tactics that stagger the imagination." "Meditations on silence and space are as structurally important to the creative life of Haskell Small as are the grids on his beloved Go board," the liner notes continue. "And, just as with that ancient and revered “game” (using that word advisedly), vast complexity arises." An accomplished pianist and composer, Small is a longtime go player and organizer in Washington DC.

Published On 3/17/2014

"Thank you very much for the problems link, especially the ebook ('New on the AGA Website: Classic Chinese Problem Collection' 3/16 EJ)” writes Lee Frankel-Goldwater. "I think it's been a challenge to have a good, and simple solution to mobile go problems while not connected to the internet. Appreciated."

Published On 3/17/2014

The novel “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson "has a 2-page scene involving a go board and a rambling digression using go as a metaphor in the middle of its 1100+ pages," reports David Doshay. "Cryptography is one of the main themes of the book." Doshay warns that "this book is not for folks bothered by swearing."

Published On 3/17/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Iyama Defends Kisei Title, Defeats Yamashita 4-2: Iyama Yuta swept to a 3-0 lead in the 38th Kisei title match, but then Yamashita made a comeback, saving two kadobans (games that can lose a series) to keep the match alive. However, the tide turned again in the sixth game, with Iyama outfighting Yamashita to defend his title 4-2. This is Iyama’s second Kisei title, his 7th big-three title and his 23rd title overall. He also maintained his sextuple crown. To take up the story from my previous report, the fourth game was played at the Hokkaido Hotel in Obihiro City in Hokkaido on February 20 and 21. Yamashita (white) had his back to the wall, but he played in his usual aggressive fashion and took the lead in the middle game. He suffered a number of losses in the endgame, but just managed to hang on to a half-point lead. The game ended after 243 moves, with Yamashita looking relieved that he had kept the series alive.

Published On 3/16/2014

Guanzi Pu (Sensei's Library), a classic Chinese problem collection from 1660 of 1473 problems has just been added to the Learn Overview page, based on a post on L19 . It is one of the problem collections that is considered high dan/pro level, although it may be the easiest of those. Some problems are easy at the beginning, but ramp up. Includes a PDF with multiple problems per page, but doesn't include the solutions, typeset by pwaldron. Also includes a PDF (ebook) version that includes all 1473 problems (plus a few extras) and answers from p2501 on L19. - Greg Smith, AGA website team

Go Spotting: Disney Go

Published On 3/16/2014

Anton Ninno spotted this mysterious sky-writing recently outside the Japan Center at Disney Epcot in Orlando, Florida.

Published On 3/16/2014

The 6th Strasbourg International Tournament will take place May 24 and 25 at the Collège Saint-Etienne. In addition to the main tournament, players may enjoy asian game demonstrations and an all-you-can-eat dinner on Saturday. There will be cash prizes for the top players and the top player with three wins. Registration is free for players below 10kyu and younger than age 18. The registration fee for all other players is 15 EU. For more information about the tournament including rules and full schedule, visit the official 6th Strasbourg International website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 3/16/2014

The recent European Youth Go Championship (EYGC) and British Go Congress held in Bognor Regis, England saw Japanese professionals Minematsu Masaki 6p and Kobayashi Chizu 5p visiting the UK under the auspices of the Nihon Ki-in. As previously reported (Podpera Takes Top Prize at European Youth Go Championships, 3/9 EJ), they gave teaching sessions and reviewed games throughout the long weekend, finishing off on Monday March 4 with a full teaching day for adults as the European youth battled out the final rounds. Additionally they both paid a visit on Thursday February 27, the evening before the start of the EYGC, to the Oxford City Go Club where Harry Fearnley had assembled 13 players from 20 kyu to 5 dan. They initially divided into two teams to play one against the other, each member of a team taking two consecutive turns before handing the baton to the next, and the pros used the moves in this game to make teaching points.

Go Quiz: Most Rated Games

Published On 3/16/2014

Last Week’s Quiz: Only one of you picked 1973 as the year of earliest New Jersey Open attendance in the field two weeks ago. Jeff Rohlfs (right) was working at Bell Labs when he attended the event held at his work location. The longtime player now lives in suburban Maryland. Brian Kirby, who is quickly becoming the new Phil Waldron of the quiz, missed the answer but correctly placed your quizmaster as making his first appearance in 1986, and did come up with Jeff as the possible winner. Another of Brian's possibles, Ted Terpstra, good-naturedly complained that our blurb about the event attracting players from "all over the East Coast" failed to mention his visit from San Diego (though actually Ted was mentioned in the EJ’s first-day report, New Jersey Open Attracts Record Crowd for First Day of Play 3/1 EJ). Event organizer Paul Mathews also attended Opens when it was held at Bell Labs, but not as early as Jeff.

Published On 3/15/2014

Turns out the board position in episode 22 of Teen Wolf (EJ 3-12-14) is from a real game. “I had the pleasure of setting up the go board for this scene, and I got paid for it too,” reports 2012 AGF Teacher of the Year Joe Walters. “The empty triangle is a real move. The game was between Michael Redmond 9P and Chino Tadahiko 9P on March 15, 2012, in the B section of the Meijin. I set the game up for the scene sometime before Xmas last year, they provided the board and stones. I did it on the floor in the room where they shot the scene, but not on the tree stump where they used it in the final scene. Someone took pictures of the board, and they duplicated the setup when they shot the scene later on. They just wanted a game that looked real, so I selected that one because it was by an American 9 dan pro and had only a few moves,” said Walters. The game itself had been offered as a commented record by Michael Redmond, and appeared in the members edition of the E-Journal.

On Studying With Kaz

Published On 3/15/2014

If you've been a subscriber to the Members' Edition of the E-Journal, you've probably seen the occasional feature, "Lessons with Kaz." I always liked the style of these features, how Kazunari Furuyama (right) often suggests different moves for players of different abilities, or rates the severity of mistakes by assigning a dollar level to them, so I recently began taking lessons from him online. Kaz's teaching methods appeal to me as an adult player, because he understands that the adult mind learns differently than that of younger players. This is not to say that adults don't have the same potential to improve, and Kaz has seen many of his adult students progress from mid-kyu to dan level under his tutelage. For the first lesson, Kaz has his students submit 11 games for review, 10 that he looks through to get a sense of the player's strengths, weaknesses and habits, and then a game which he reviews with extensive commentary and variations. Accompanying this review is a set of 25-3

Published On 3/15/2014

The San Diego Go Club manned a go booth on May 8 at the 9th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park. "On a perfect San Diego sunny spring day in the 70’s,thousands crowded into the expanded garden," reports club president Ted Terpstra. The club introduced go to the passersby and played demonstration games. Comments ranged from “What is that interesting game?” to “You play go in America! I am a Chinese level four player.” Several new members were signed up for the club.

Published On 3/14/2014

One of the most beautiful and romantic UK tournament locations must surely be the Isle of Skye in Scotland's Western Highlands, which this weekend, March 15-16, hosts the 3rd edition of its two-yearly tournament (alternating with the two-yearly Isle of Man Go Week). Despite its remoteness from most of the UK, 30 have already registered including Britain's strongest native player, Matthew Macfadyen 6d, who rarely competes these days but who also entered - and won - the first two Skye tournaments. Although the island's economy was formerly dominated by crofting, these days tourism is its key money-spinner. Tournament organizer Carel Goodheir tells us that, for reasons which are not entirely clear, about 6,000 Chinese visit every year now, which is approximately twice the population of the largest settlement, Portree, where the tourney is held. So far none of them have entered but he hopes to find a way to bring the tourney to their attention in the future.

Published On 3/14/2014

The third annual Jingdezhen exhibition match finished on March 9 with Choi Cheolhan 9p finally victorious over long-time rival Chen Yaoye 9p. Establishing territory was tedious but the game remained relatively even up to move 134. However, both Chen (black) and Choi (white) began to stumble shortly after, making a series of mistakes until Choi secured the winning move at 182. They played a perfect endgame and Chen never had a chance to recover. Before this game, Chen had won over twice as many games as Choi in their individual matches (10-4). From 2007 through 2012 alone, Chen defeated Choi in 8 consecutive games. Choi’s record since 2013, though, has been comeback material. Since 2013, Chen and Choi’s head to head record (including this game) is 3-1 in Choi’s favor. Also known as the Tianxin Pharmaceutical Cup, the first Jingdezhen match was played in 2012 in its title city Jindgezhen (located in China’s Jiangxi province).

Published On 3/13/2014

UK: The Trigantius tournament finished in Cambridge on March 9 with Jon Diamond 4d in first, William Brooks 3d in second, and Toby Manning 3d in third. Turkey: Hulya Colak 4k lead the 2014 Turkish Women’s Championship in Ankara on March 8. Behind her were Sebnem Gurbuzel 4k in second and Evren Bicakci 5k in third. (Photo: Gozde Taskin 5k, place 7 of 19.) Serbia: Also on March 8, Zoran Jankovic 4d dominated the Radnicki Club Tournament in Kragujevac while Mihailo Jacimovic 1k came in second and Dragan Stojadinovic 8k placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 3/12/2014

MTV drama Teen Wolf again wove go into the latest episode, making two weeks in a row where the game has been featured prominently. Co-star Dylan O'Brien, as Stiles Stilinski, has been possessed by a dark fox spirit, the Nogitsune, who is controlling his mind and body. Go is alluded to about twelve minutes in, when two werewolves are discussing strategy. One is trying to use a chess board to figure out what Stiles would do, but the older werewolf observes "Chess is Stiles' game, it's not the game of a Japanese fox". Later, using psychic werewolf powers, Stiles' friends are able to enter his mind, where they find him engaged in a game of go with the Nogitsune. Like all good go players, he is immersed in the game, and deaf to the cries of his friends. It appears that while his mind is trapped in the go game, the Nogitsune has complete control of his body. We see the board from multiple angles, with Stiles playing white.

Published On 3/11/2014

Austin Freeman 2k, is looking for players in the Vancouver, WA, area. "I want to be able to play others in person instead of only over the computer, and I know there are others that feel like this too," says Freeman. Interested parties can contact Freeman at his e-mail: austinjfreeman@live.com , or on KGS, where he plays as AffyTaffyC.

Published On 3/10/2014

Popular go teacher Yilun Yang 7P will teach a two-day weekend workshop in Berkeley, California on April 5th and 6th. Author of many go books including Whole Board Thinking in Joseki and Fundamental Principles of Go, Mr. Yang is also a regular participant in the U.S. Go Congress, Cotsen Open, and other major go events. The workshop is open to go players of all strengths; Mr. Yang's unique teaching format enables students at all levels to get a lot out of the workshop. Mr. Yang will present a series of lectures addressing such topics as how to fight, when to invade versus reduce, how to determine the biggest point in the opening, how to handle crosscuts and many other situations that occur in every game you play. These algorithmic approaches are integrated with games, game analysis, and problem-solving sessions. More information is available on the Bay Area Go website. Register early as capacity is limited, and advanced registration is required. Photo by Lisa Schrag.

Published On 3/9/2014

What do you get when you cross the world’s oldest game with the newest form of currency? A bitcoin go tournament, such as the ones being organized online every week at Bitcoingo.io. “Bitcoins are an ideal currency for an international game like go,” founder Steven Pine told the EJ. “It allows students and teachers to connect and transact without concern for currency exchanges or waiting on a check or wire transfer to clear. The same is true for tournaments. I think the currency has lots of potential to transform the go community in many positive ways.” Anyone can sign up, enter a tournament and begin playing on Bitcoin’s own Python/mySQL-based server. Komi is 6.5 points, and each player starts with 15 minutes; there are five 30-second overtime periods. Territory counting is used but no full rule set has been formally adopted. A tournament win earns the victor at least one point, depending on how many points their opponent has.

Published On 3/9/2014

Lukas Podpera 6d (left) of the Czech Republic won the Under-20 division of the 19th European Youth Go Championship (EYGC) held in Bognor Regis, England Feb 28 - Mar 3, thereby securing himself a place in the GLOBIS Cup World Youth Go Championship to be held in Japan on 8 - 11 May 2014 (see Nihon Ki-in Announces New Under-20 World Tourney, EJ 11/30). Jonas Welticke 4d of Germany was runner-up and Frenchman Tanguy LeCalve 5d took third place. In the Under-16s, the top three places went to Alexandru-Petre Pitrop 2d of Romania and Russians Grigorij Fiorin 4d and Viacheslav Kaymin 3d, in that order, and the Under-12 category was won by the only dan player in his age group, Spaniard Oscar Vazquez 2d, with Denis Dobranis 2k of Romania runner-up. 89 took part in all. Click here for full results. Click here also for the results of the pair-go and doubles, held on the Sunday evening, March 2.

Tournament Boosts Membership

Published On 3/9/2014

In “a nice little follow-up” to the recent New Jersey Open, organizer Rick Mott reports that “We got 22 new members and 34 renewals, for a total of 56 memberships out of 135 total attendees.” Of those, Mott notes that “almost half – 26 -- were youth memberships.” photo by John Pinkerton

Second Spring Go Expo Set for MIT

Published On 3/9/2014

The American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) -- in conjunction with the Ing Foundation -- is hosting its second annual Spring Go Expo on March 29 at MIT in Cambridge, MA, featuring simuls with professional go players. “Events include go variants and a brief history of go outreach around the world,” reports organizer Cole Pruitt, as well as “donation of several unique Ing Foundation-commissioned 'trick boards' to US universities, simuls before and after lunch, and a 2-3 person simul with Chang Hao 9P against American mid-dans with live commentary.” In addition to former world champion Chang Hao 9P, Hwa Xueming 7P and US pro Andy Liu 1P will be on hand, along with a delegation from China. “And as a special bonus, everyone who pre-registers will receive a fan signed by Chang Hao 9P upon their arrival at the Expo!” Pruitt adds/ “We still have slots available for the simul, so if anyone is interested in playing a serious game against Chang Hao, they can contact us for more info.”

Published On 3/8/2014

Go Game Guru has just published an excellent detailed game commentary by Younggil An 8P on the second game of the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango, which was played on February 23 on the outskirts of Shanghai. “Many people expected that Gu Li (right) would have something of an advantage in this match,” says An, “because most of the games will be played in China. However, it doesn’t seem like Lee Sedol is affected by that so far…Actually, it looks like Gu Li is under quite a bit of pressure from his fans and the Chinese media.”

Published On 3/8/2014

“We are making good progress toward bringing a group of Cuban go players to this year’s U.S. Go Congress,” (Cuban Delegation Invited to US Go Congress 1/20/2014 EJ) reports Bob Gilman, who has been organizing the project. Three Cuban players have accepted the invitation to attend, and fundraising for the project is nearly complete. “Go has been the bridge for us to learn about many cultures, places, and especially good people, for whom friendship and respect are most important values,” says Rafael Alberto Torres Miranda 2D (at left in photo), one of the invitees and President of the Academia Cubana de Go. The other players invited are Carlos Alberto Perez Palacio 5D and Roilan de la Torre Marrero 5D. The Cubans have their passports now and are working with the Cuban Sports Ministry to obtain US visas.

Go Spotting: Teen Wolf

Published On 3/7/2014

MTV's popular drama Teen Wolf features go prominently in the latest episode The Fox and the Wolf. Part of the episode is set in a Japanese internment camp, during the second World War, and a character named Satomi uses go throughout the episode, to help control her emotions. "You take too frequently, and you take too much," Satomi tells a younger woman, in a conversation at the go board that is as much about stealing supplies for sale on the black market as it is about the game. "The young fox always knows the rules so she can break them, the older wiser animal learns the exceptions to the rules," says Satomi as she captures a stone. The entire episode can be streamed on the MTV website here, go first appears in the episode at the 9 minute mark. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Satomi studies the board, from Teen Wolf Episode 21.

U.S. Go Congress Website Update

Published On 3/4/2014

The 2014 U.S. Go Congress website is undergoing some testing today and may be offline at times. We apologize for any inconvenience.

School Teams Deadline March 14th

Published On 3/4/2014

"The 2014 AGHS School Team Tournament is right around the corner, March 22 and 29," reports tournament organizer Calvin Sun 1P. "Don’t miss the largest annual youth competition in North America. Registration will end on March 14th, so form your teams quickly! Teams will consist of three players and an optional substitute player. There are thousands of dollars in prizes, and your team can win a prize either by doing well or simply playing all your games," adds Sun. For more information about the schedule, prizes, and rules, please visit the AGHS website . Registration is here. All questions should be addressed to aghsregister@gmail.com. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 3/3/2014

Eric Lui 6D (left) and Mengchen Zhang 6D (top right) won the 2014 New Jersey Open, topping a field that attracted an all-time record 135 players over two days March 1-2 in Princeton, New Jersey. Both players had 4-1 records and their tie-break scores were so close that they were declared co-winners. One of the earliest regional go events in the US, this year’s NJO was the 55th, reported longtime TD Rick Mott, who shared directing duties with Paul Matthews. In addition to being one of the oldest go events and reliably drawing some of the largest and strongest fields in the country, the NJO may also be the only US go tournament to use Fischer timing (50 minutes, 10 seconds for each move). It’s sponsored by the Princeton Go Club, which meets at Princeton University’s Campus Center Campus Club Wednesdays at 7:30 PM during the academic year. photos by John Pinkerton Round 3 results: Board 1: Kevin Huang d. Andy Liu; Bd 2: Michael Chen d. Ricky Zhao;

Published On 3/3/2014

At the British Go Congress in Bognor Regis, England, Cornel Burzo 6d (right) of Baia Mare, Romania first won the British Lightning on Friday February 28, then followed it up with a sweep of the six-round British Open, March 1-2. In all, 61 players took part in the Open, including nearly 25% from mainland Europe and beyond. Prizes were awarded in eight separate divisions based on grade, and the runner-up in the first division, Robert Rehm 5d of the Netherlands, also took first prize in the second division, with Bei Ge 5d (UK ) runner-up. Click here for the British Go Association's (BGA) report giving full list of divisional prize-winners and here for full tournament results. The Stacey Grand Prix, which bestows the Terry Stacey Memorial Trophy on the player with most wins above the McMahon bar in tournaments since the previous Congress, went this year to Toby Manning 2d.

Published On 3/3/2014

China and Korea were the final contenders in the 15th Nongshim Cup after Japan was knocked out at the end of round 2. In round 3, Korea’s Park Junghwan 9p defeated China’s Tan Xiao 7p and Zhou Ruiyang 9p and Korean fans relaxed, thinking Park had secured the cup like last year. However, China's secret weapon Shi Yue 9p defeated Park in 133 moves. This seems to be a familiar pattern, as Park has only bested Shi once in their five game history. The Nongshim Cup is a team tournament between China, Japan, and Korea. Since its inception, Korea has won 11 times. This year’s victory puts China at three wins while Japan has only won once. For more information including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru. — Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Published On 3/3/2014

Spain: The 32nd Barcelona Go Seigen Tournament finished on February 23 with Oscar Anguila 4d (left) at the helm. Behind him were Pau Carles 3d and Lluis Oh 6d. Czech Republic: Also on February 23, Pavol Lisy 7d took the 10th International Tournament in Blansko. Jan Simara 6d placed second while Ondrej Silt 6d came in third. Ireland: The 2014 Confucius Cup finished in Dublin on February 16 with Hui Fan 8d in first, Csaba Mero 6d in second, and Antoine Fenech 5d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

2014 New Jersey Open Standings Posted

Published On 3/3/2014

The complete standings, ratings and pairings for the 2014 New Jersey Open have now been posted online, courtesy of the Feng Yun Go School, reports tournament director Paul Matthews. NJO Co-Champions Mengchen Zhang 7D (at right in photo at left) and Eric Lui 7D (at left) each received a $400 prize; certificates and cash awards were also given to other players who won four or five games and who played all five rounds, $60 for four wins and $80 for five. A beginner's prize, a good quality complete go set, was awarded to Sophia Wang by random drawing from players rated 15k and below who completed at least three games. “We had a good field of beginners this year,” said organizer Rick Mott. “Fifteen in the drawing, plus one -- Audrey Shin -- who was ineligible as a previous winner, and two -- Peter and Alana Noehrenberg -- who generously asked to be left out of the drawing because they already had equipment.”

Published On 3/3/2014

Forty four kids and adults came to Berkeley, CA on February 22nd to play in the Winter Go Tournament organized by Bay Area Go Players Association. Eleven year old Jeremy Chiu 6d (right in photo at right), winner of the 2013 US Youth Go Championship junior division, led the open section with a 4-0 record. He faced a strong field, however, including 2012 European Women’s Go Championship winner Vanessa Wong 7d, three-time Redmond Cup champion Aaron Ye 6d, and 2012 Korea Prime Minister Cup contestant Matthew Burrall 7d. Bay Area Go promoted the tournament as appropriate for players of all levels, and in fact a wide range of players participated. Three handicap sections in addition to the open section ensured that all players had a good shot at winning prizes.

Redmond Cup Deadline March 15

Published On 3/2/2014

The 21st annual Redmond Cup will begin in April, and registration is due by March 15th. Preliminary games will be played online and the four finalists will be invited to the 2014 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids 12 and under, and the Senior league for 17 and under, on August 17th 2014. Competitors in both leagues must have an AGA or CGA rank of 1 dan or higher. Redmond tournament director Michael Bull, who ran the event for the past twenty years, has retired this year, and the event will now by run by Paul Barchilon and Justin Teng. The Junior league has been expanded to include 12 year olds, and both leagues now require a dan rating (kyu players can compete in the North American Kyu Championships instead). Players who complete the tournament will be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, on a first come first served basis, courtesy of the AGF.

Published On 3/1/2014

A record 126 players turned out at the 55th annual New Jersey Open for the first day of play on Saturday in Princeton University’s Frist Campus Center, with hundreds more watching online on KGS. See below for Rounds 1 & 2 game records. The E-Journal team of Chris Garlock and John Pinkerton broadcast top-board games live on KGS on Saturday and will broadcast Rounds 4 & 5 Sunday beginning at 10a EST. Go has a long history at Princeton. The Princeton club was founded by Professor Ralph J. Fox of the Department of Mathematics in 1945, who continued to promote go in Princeton until his untimely death in 1973. “Professor Fox brought a number of Japanese professionals to visit Princeton, and often hosted them at his house,” reports Princeton club organizer Rick Mott. “His late wife Cynthia bequeathed some of his books, photographs and papers to the club archives.”

Go Quiz: Gu Li In Need of a Refresher?

Published On 2/28/2014

While our teacher question was pending, Gu Li dropped the second game of the jubango. All but the most diehard Lee fans should start rooting for Gu Li, since we want as many of the ten games as possible played. Eight of 20 of you correctly named Yang Yi 6P as Gu Li's key teacher. He is Director of Chongqing Qiyuan and has trained many talented go players since 1979, receiving numerous national and regional awards for his contributions to go. In 1995, he recommended Gu Li's induction into the Chinese National Youth Team. Two years later, Yang reserved a spot for Gu Li (age 14 at the time) on the Chongqing Go Team despite objections from many people. He first came to the North Carolina Go Congress in 2006, following up with visits to Northern Virginia (2009) and Tacoma (2013). Reader Ke Lu points out that Yang Yi's rank may not be earned in official pro tournaments, but there is little question that he is honored as 6P in China.

Published On 2/28/2014

“The U.S. Go Congress has never before been in a place so close to so much!” says Congress organizer Matthew Hershberger. As previously reported (’14 US Go Congress To Be Held In Midtown Manhattan, Sources Say 12/4/2013 EJ), the Congress will be held August 9-17 in midtown Manhattan, “just a stone's throw from landmarks like the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden,” Hershberger tells the E-Journal. “You will be playing on the 18th floor of the world famous Hotel Pennsylvania just across the street from Penn Station. Times Square, Bryant Park, Grand Central Station, and Korea Town are all just minutes away on foot, and the subways will easily get you anywhere in the city.” The hotel, which has been hosting visitors since 1919 boasts that “more guests have stayed with us than in any other hotel in the world.” The Congress website is now live and though registration is not yet open, “you can check out the prices and start planning your trip now.”

Published On 2/28/2014

This weekend’s New Jersey Open (NJO) on March 1-2 is expected to draw a large field with players at all levels. Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. The tournament will be in the same site as last year (Frist Campus Center); pregistration is not required but registration opens at 9a and ends at 10a and you must be there by 10a to be paired in the first round. Cell phones don't work at the site, but if you're lost or late, call 609-851-6351 during the last half hour of registration. Trains from NY/Phila arrive at 9:42. You can reach Frist walking or by cab in 10 minutes.

World Youth Goe Qualifier March 15 & 16

Published On 2/27/2014

The Ing Foundation has announced US qualifiers for their World Youth Goe Championships (WYGC), reports Mingjiu Jiang 7P. The qualifiers will be held online, March 15 and 16. The two highest placing youth in each age bracket will then be invited to compete live in Menlo Park CA, March 29 and 30. The winners will receive an all expense paid trip to the WYGC in Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia. A third seat has been added as well, which is intended to help promote Goe in the US, and will be open to players 5k or stronger, and under the age of 13. Application information and registration is attached to this story. Click on the links here: Requirements, Application, to load a new webpage, and then click on the titles to download each document to your computer. All inquiries should be addressed to IngsYouthTournament@gmail.com. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, which were the tallest buildings in the world until recently.

Japanese Pros Visit UK This Week

Published On 2/26/2014

Dates have now been fixed for visits to the UK by the Nihon Ki-in's Minematsu Masaki 6p (right) and Kobayashi Chizu 5p (at left; see Japanese Pros to Attend EYGC, EJ 1/15). They will attend the combined British Go Congress and European Youth Go Championship in Bognor Regis February 28 - March 3, and the previous evening, February 27 (Thursday), they will both be guests at Oxford City Go Club. After the Congress, Kobayashi alone will visit North London Go Club on March 4 then travel up to Scotland to be the guest of Edinburgh Go Club on March 6. The visits are sponsored by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation in cooperation with the British Go Association. Click particular destinations for details, including contact and player profiles. - Tony Collman, British Correspondent for the E-Journal.

Published On 2/26/2014

This weekend’s New Jersey Open (NJO) will be the first Eastern region North American Master’s Tournament (NAMT) qualifier, reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. “All players in the top section will be awarded qualifier points based on tournament performance,” Burrall adds. The March 1-2 event in Princeton, NJ is expected to draw one of the biggest fields on the East Coast and also honors Bob Ryder, formerly of Bell Labs and a longtime AGA organizer who held the NJO at Rutgers for many years, with a memorial Beginner’s Prize. Registration Sat. 3/1, 9AM-10AM at Frist Campus Center, Princeton University. Click here for tournament details. Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. Still from the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind", in which Russell Crowe (left) portrays mathematical genius John Nash Jr. being challenged to a game of go by one of his fellow graduate students at Princeton.

Published On 2/26/2014

Slots in upcoming AGA online simuls on February 27 and March 1 are available to AGA members current through 3/31/2014. Email bobgilman.aga@gmail.com with your AGA ID number and KGS username for access to the room. A schedule is linked in the AGA Tournament Room. “These simuls are a great opportunity test yourself while learning strategy and tactics from a stronger player,” says Gilman. The game is generally followed by a quick review. “Don’t worry about being ‘too weak,’” Gilman adds. The next simul is Thursday, February 27 at 7 pm Pacific time (10p EST), with Dong Ma, AGA 6d, ma2dong on KGS; there’s also one on Saturday, March 1 at 10 pm Pacific time (1a EST) with Ju Zhao, AGA 6d, rainier on KGS.

GoGoD Goes Online Only

Published On 2/25/2014

Though the "D" now stands for "Download," GoGoD is continuing, following the death of T Mark Hall last December (In Memoriam: T Mark Hall, 1947-2013, EJ 12/12/2013), who originated the massive go game collection. Originally an acronym for Games of Go on Disc, GoGoD is no longer available on disk but will continue to be available online as Games of Go on Download. Surviving GoGoD partner John Fairbairn expects the collection of go games - currently at 79,000 -- to reach at least 100,000.

Published On 2/25/2014

Canwa Vancouver 1 leads the Pandanet-AGA City A League after the second round games were played last weekend. Boston [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014.02.23_League-GOdnPoppy-Tallis.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014.02.23_League-GOdnPoppy-Tallis.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] and Greater Washington are tied for second in the A League, with LA in 4th and Seattle 1 in 5th. Raleigh leads in the B League, while CanwaVan2 leads the C League. “Our selected game for this round is from the B League,” reports TD Steve Colburn. “Changlong Wu 7d (Tallis) of NC Raleigh defeated Aaron Ye 5d (G0dnPoppy) of San Francisco played a very interesting game. They both went all out in their match. The game will keep you on your seat till the end.” Click here for complete standings, teams and more. Round 2 Results: A League: Greater Washington def Los Angeles (2-1)

Published On 2/23/2014

In what can only be described as a very disappointing game for Gu Li 9P, Lee Sedol 9P (left) snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the late endgame to win the second game of the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango by 1.5 points. Lee now has a 2-0 lead in the best-of-10 series, increasing the pressure on Gu in Game 3, which will be played in Chengdu on March 30. Game 2 was played on the outskirts of Shanghai on February 23. Gu Li, playing black, started the game with nice opening and he took the lead up to black 45, but Lee reversed the game up to 78. The lead exchanged hands several times in the middle game but Gu regained the lead in the endgame and was still leading up to 189. Several subsequent mistakes by Gu, however, enabled Lee to turn a probable half-point loss into a 1.5 point win. - based on the report by David Ormerod and An Younggil 8P on GoGameGuru. Check their Lee Sedol – Gu Li jubango page for more news and commentary.

Go Quiz: A Fujisawa by Any Other Name

Published On 2/23/2014

"Go Seigen is my favorite player!" comments Albert Yen on last week's quiz, which asked who was the only player to defeat Go in a jubango match. Longtime quiz players may recall that your quizmaster considers him the greatest player of all time (though the same group may recall I have a different favorite player).

Published On 2/23/2014

"In response to the question about viewing the rest of the Iyama program (Your Move/Readers Write: Where’s the Rest of Iyama? 2/22/2013 EJ): it is possible but you must pay," writes Todd Dahlquist. "Click this link and it will ask you to either pay the 210 yen ($2) for just watching this program or 945 ($9.22) for unlimited access for a month. Clicking those links brings you to another page to register. All of it is in Japanese though so it would be difficult for someone who does not know Japanese." Editor's Note: Google Translate may help.

Published On 2/22/2014

Fan Hui 2P of France swept the Confucius Cup at the 2014 Irish Go Congress, posting a perfect 5-0 score. Fan (right) topped a field of 44 players over the February 15-16 weekend in a surprisingly sunny Dublin. Celebrating 25 years of go in Ireland, the main tournament, the third Confucius Cup, was well represented with a strong field of players. Csaba Mero 6d (Hungary) took second place, Antoine Fenech 5d (France) was third, and Ondrej Silt 6d (Czech Republic) was fourth, with Kim Ouweleen 4d (The Netherlands) fifth. In an interesting historical note, Professor Liming Wang, Director of the UCD Confucius Institute, played in both this Confucius Cup and the first Irish Open in 1989. Winning four games were Julia Bohle 19k (Austria), Josefa Kubitova 8k (Czech Republic) and Gabriel Aussibal 1k (France). The Rapid Tournament was won by Karol Janyst 2k (Poland), with 5 wins, followed by Marek Gutkowski 7k (Poland), who edged out four other players with four wins.

Published On 2/22/2014

"Just wondering if the NHK program on Iyama (Go Spotting: Iyama Yuta on NHK 2/15 EJ) is available online in its entirety," wonders Brian Olive. Perhaps one of our readers who reads Japanese can check out the NHK site and let us know. email journal@usgo.org

Go Spotting: Boxing Fuseki

Published On 2/21/2014

In the manga Ashita No Joe -- also known as Tomorrow's Joe in America -- the main character Joe Yabuki talks about fuseki. The manga isn't about go at all -- its about boxing -- but here Joe is in the middle of a brutal match and in danger of losing. His coach wants to take him out of the match but Joe uses the concept of fuseki to explain his plan. Thanks to Henry Hathaway for passing this along.

AGA City League Round 2 Set for Feb 22

Published On 2/20/2014

The second round of the AGA City League is set for February 22. The first round concluded on February 10 with a win by Katy TX 1 defeating Syracuse to complete the round. “As always catch the action live on game day at 3PM EST on Pandanet using the new GoPanda2 software,” says TD Steve Colburn. Games will be played in the AGA City League room.

Kyu Players Win Big

Published On 2/19/2014

48 kids and teens competed in the AGA's new North American Kyu Championships (NAKC) for youth, held Feb. 15th on KGS. The event was dominated by younger players, with 41 kids competing in the Junior Division (12 and under) and just 7 players in the Senior (13-17). Mexico made a strong showing, with 17 players, competing from the Biblioteca de Mexico (a public library in Mexico City), with 11-year-old Valeria Gonzalez 17k (r) taking top honors in the 16-20k bracket.

Published On 2/19/2014

The 38th Swiss Go Championship will be April 4-6 at the Hotel Ascona as part of the Ascona Mind Games. Prizes include cash prizes for the top three players and qualification for World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) and Korea Prime Minister Cup (KPMC). Players who also choose to stay at the Hotel Ascona will receive discounted rates as well as two meals per day. Hwang In-Seong 7d will analyze games throughout the tournament and give a two day’s stage prior to the tournament. To register or for more information, please visit the official Swiss Go Championship website. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 2/19/2014

Save $50 USD by registering by February 28 for Maeda Ryo 6P’s 3-week intensive go camp in Osaka, which runs June 29 through July 19. Osaka Go Camp activities include intensive training by Kansai Kiin professionals, the opportunity to play go at the Kiin with professionals, play against top amateurs and former inseis, as well as sightseeing, cultural trips and making new go friends. The camp is sponsored by Kansai Kiin and the Osaka University of Commerce. Email osaka.go.2014@gmail.com for more info or to reserve your space.

Published On 2/18/2014

The date for the live commentary on the second game of the Lee Sedol-Gu Li jubango is this Saturday, February 22, not the 24th, as originally reported (Lee Sedol-Gu Li Jubango Game 2 Broadcast Set for Feb 24 (US time) 2/17 EJ). Also, the correct name for the location of Myungwan Kim 9P’s game commentary broadcast is GoPanda2.

Published On 2/18/2014

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014_02_18_Redmond_tsumego_05.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014_02_18_Redmond_tsumego_05.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Black to play. Find the correct moves for both sides. Published in the February 18, 2014 edition of the American Go E-Journal. Michael Redmond 9P shares with the E-Journal some of his own tsumego compositions. For these more challenging problems, dan players can test their reading speed and accuracy, while kyu players can play through the solutions to learn ideas and techniques. The solution will appear a week after the problem publication. Amazingly, this problem has roots in one of Michael's games. The corresponding position below occurs at move 135.

Published On 2/17/2014

Although Zhou Ruiyang 9p is ranked the number five Chinese player and defeated Tuo Jiaxi 3p in the Luoyang Longmen Qisheng last year, Tuo got his revenge in the 18th LG Cup Final on February 13 at Seoul National University. After game 2, the title could have gone either way but Tuo’s strong endgame secured game 3 after 254 moves. This victory is not only Tuo’s first international title but his ticket to 9p, or 9 dan professional. Developed in 1996, the LG Cup is a major international go tournament sponsored by LG Electronics. For more information about this year’s tournament including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru

Go Promoted at London Animecon

Published On 2/17/2014

The British Go Association (BGA) took a stand at the first ever combined London Anime and Gaming Convention on Sunday February 9 at the Rocket Complex, part of the London Metropolitan University. It was expected that some anime fans would have a passing familiarity with go from Hikaru No Go and might like to learn more about the game. The demo was the initiative of BGA member Ben Murphy of Billaricay Go Club, Essex, who first made contact with the London Animecon and ran a stand there at the August event last year with Tony Atkins (see Go Goes To London AnimeCon, EJ 08/02/13 ). This

Published On 2/17/2014

The second game in the historic Lee Sedol-Gu Li jubango will be broadcast live on GoPanda2 on February 23, starting at 9AM local time in Shanghai (2/22 5p PST, 8p EST). Myungwan Kim 9P will provide live commentary (written, not audio) beginning two hours later (2/22 7p PST, 10p EST). "I hope Gu Li can show a good fighting spirit and even up the match," Kim says. Click here to download the latest version of GoPanda2 to watch the live commentary. Correction: the US date for the commentary on GoPanda2 is Saturday, February 22, not 2/24; the time remain the same.

Published On 2/17/2014

Defending champion Evan Cho 7D held onto his title last weekend at the Dado 2014 SoCal Go Championship. Nearly 60 players attended the Orange County championship on a beautiful sunny weekend in Southern California. Players came from as far as Arizona and a large contingent came from the San Francisco Bay Area. The Open section consisted of 14 strong players 6d-7d and above, including Cho. "Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Dado (大道) Cultural Exchange Association, the tournament enjoyed an excellent venue, refreshments and substantial cash prizes," reported Steve Burrall. Kevin Chao directed. photo: (l-r): Aaron Ye, Andrew Lu, Danny Ko, Kevin Hong, Evan Cho, Kevin Chao (in background) and Jay Zheng, president of the Dado Assosociation.

Published On 2/17/2014

Taking advantage of a break in the recent winter weather, twenty-six players turned out for the NOVA Chinese Lunar New Year tournament on Saturday, February 15 at George Mason Law School in Arlington VA. "The tournament results were a bit unusual, as all first place players had perfect records!" reports organizer Allan Abramson. The Lunar New Year beginner's 13x13 tournament also attracted eight players. "Congratulations to all the beginners who participated: the future of US go!" said Abramson. photo: Beginner's Tournament players, with Ching-Sung Chin (right); click here for more photos. Winner's Report: First: Daniel Chou, 6D, 4-0; Hsiao Hsiung, 1K, and Mohan Sud, 3K, both tied at 4-0; Joey Phoon, 5K, 4-0; and Mulan Liu, 16K, 4-0; Second: Zhiyuan Zhang, 6D, 3-1; Tevis Tsai, 9K, 2-2; and Sean Lin, 25K, 3-1 Lunar New Year Beginner's 13x13 Tournament: First: Ethan Tung, 6-0 and Justin Wang, 6-0; Second: Eric Chang, 4-2; Third: Frank Chang, 3-3 and Minche Lee, 3-3

Published On 2/16/2014

Thank you for all of your pleased remarks about the return of the quiz. Unfortunately, your faith in my book collection was misplaced, as the number of unique books is "only" around 750. Although this was enough to prompt Joel Benyowitz to suggest that my wife Erica “should have a yard sale," it was not enough for our quizzers, who consistently guessed high, only 4 of 29 getting the correct answer. Books in Japanese, Chinese and Korean far outnumber the English books (although I do have two of virtually all of the English volumes). I did not count magazines; with complete sets of Go Review, Go World, the American Go Journal and the British Go Journal, a bunch of Kido magazines and duplicate English books the number would easily double. Barry Pasicznyk's query about "How many of these go books did Keith Arnold actually read?" is fair but I must plead the Fifth. Here’s a shot of some of the collection.

Go Spotting: Top Mind-Bending Games

Published On 2/16/2014

Go makes the top slot in Top 10 Mind-bending Strategy Games on the How Stuff Works website. "It's perhaps no coincidence that the most mind-bending of all strategy games is also the oldest," writes John Kelly. Kelly also reports that "Japanese neurosurgeon Kaneko Mitsuo has studied the effect that playing Go has on older adults, noting that "Randomized trials by the U.S. National Institutes of Health have shown that playing certain types of games -- though not a mental health cure -- can keep the brain healthy." Thanks to Aaron Murg of Bethesda, MD for passing this along! A 15-kyu AGA member, Aaron says "I enjoy waking up each morning to find an E-Journal waiting to be read."

Published On 2/16/2014

When the Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland sponsored a Chinese New Year celebration recently, local player Benjamin Hong volunteered to teach go, saying “how could you have a Chinese New Year celebration without go?” Organizers set up a large 9x9 demo board, a 13x13 and a 19x19 board, as well as multiple beginner boards for new players. “My big customer of the day was a little girl who was about 5,” Hong writes on his blog. “We played a couple games of first capture that went well, and it seemed like she had fun.” A number of interested people stop by to play and ask questions, and Hong says the successful event “definitely got me thinking about doing more things like this in the future.” Photo by Stephanie

SAWMG Highlights Posted on YouTube

Published On 2/15/2014

Highlights from the 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games -- held in Beijing last December -- have now been posted on YouTube. The overview (the go part starts at about 35:50) includes some brief commentaries by Michael Redmond 9P on the finals, an interview with Thomas Hsiang and a visit to a go class. There are also links to the daily reports published during the event, including more interviews and Redmond’s game commentaries with EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock.

In Memoriam: Robert A. McCallister

Published On 2/15/2014

Robert A. McCallister, one of the key go organizers in the U.S. in the late 1950's and 60s, died Feb 5 in Winchester, VA at 92. A long time New Jersey organizer, McCallister also served the American Go Association in just about every official capacity, from American Go Journal (AGJ) editor to membership secretary, ratings head and president. "He was part of the first wave of US go after WW II with publication of the American Go Journal and a set of rules for commercial go sets like the one my parents found in Brentanos Bookstore in the Bergen Mall in Paramus NJ," says former AGA president Terry Benson. McCallister served as AGA Secretary starting in 1957, as well as AGJ staff, and headed AGA publications from 1959 to 1962, editing the AGJ from 1957-1962.

Published On 2/15/2014

Go Game Guru has announced that their first go book will feature the ongoing 10-game match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol. "Over the last few years, many readers have emailed us and suggested that we should publish a go book of my game commentaries," says GGG’s An Younggil 8P. "We’ve been too busy to do so up until now, but this match is special, so we’ve decided that our first go book will be about Lee Sedol and Gu Li’s jubango," says An. In an unusual move, An has already published his commentary of the first game of the match online, as a draft, and welcomes reader comments and questions. "You can play a part in shaping this book, by asking questions about each game and discussing the games together," he says. The final book will include extended commentary, based on readers' questions, and detailed discussion about modern opening strategy with reference to each game. More details can be found on the official page for the as yet untitled 'Lee Sedol vs Gu Li Go Book'.

Go Spotting: Iyama Yuta on NHK

Published On 2/15/2014

“Just watched an episode of NHK's documentary series ‘Professionals,’" writes AGA Treasurer Roy Schmidt. “The pro for that week was Iyama Yuta, Meijin. “The program featured several games, including a televised handicap game when he was around six years old. Also, there were scenes from his private life.” Click here to see the program (which is in Japanese).

Published On 2/14/2014

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Iyama Leads 3-0 In Kisei Title Match: The 38th Kisei title match feels as if it has barely started, but it might be almost over, as defending title holder, has raced to a 3-0 lead and just needs one more win to stay on top of the rankings for another year. The second game was played at a traditional inn called Yamaya in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, not far from Tokyo, on January 29 and 30. Yamashita Keigo, the challenger, made an uncharacteristic mistake in the opening, letting Iyama take an early lead. Iyama then gave him no chance to recover, playing solidly in the early middle game, then aggressively later on in order to wrap up the game.

Yunzi Stones and Lead: An Update

Published On 2/14/2014

“I bought ‘Yunzi Stones’ from Yellow Mountain Imports as a gift for my young children so we can play baduk together,” wrote EJ reader Jason Lee recently. “Later on after ordering, I saw online that this kind of stone can contain lead. So when my order arrived I got a lead test kit from the local hardware store to check them for safety. It turns out that the stones sent to me did contain lead. This is unsafe for my children to use and maybe me too. I wrote about my experience here. Thank you for the great work (the EJ does) for baduk players. I read the website every week.” The EJ originally reported on this in 2008 (Go Review: Chinese Go Stones 2/4/2008) and we later reported (Yunzi Stones Now Lead-Free 6/23/2008 EJ) that YMI had contacted the manufacturer, who had agreed to eliminate lead from the manufacturing process of yunzi stones, which are special go pieces manufactured in the Chinese province of Yunnan.

Published On 2/13/2014

Kato to Challenge for Women’s Meijin: Kato Keiko 6P (right) hung on to her lead in the 26th Women’s Meijin League and will challenge Xie Yimin for the title. In the final round, held on January 9, she beat Okuda Aya 3P (W) by half a point to end up on 5-1, one point clear of the field. The match starts on March 5. Actually, this was Kato’s first game for three months. As mentioned in an earlier report, she took the winter off to have her second child. This is Kato’s first title match for six years (she lost the 20th Women’s Meijin title to the challenger, who was Xie Yimin). She won the title the previous term and the 10th Strongest Woman Player title in 2008. She is married to Mizokami Tomochika 8P. Other results in the final round: Mukai Chiaki, Women’s Honinbo, (W) beat Yoshida Mika 8P by resig.; Suzuki Ayumi 6P (B) beat Chinen Kaori 4P by 3.5 points. Mukai and Suzuki, both on 4-1, took 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Myungwan Kim Opens Go School

Published On 2/13/2014

Myungwan Kim 9P (left) has opened his own go school, the American Go Institute in the city of Arcadia east of Los Angeles. Kim tells the EJ the Institute offers comprehensive and specialized training programs for kids to approach go and is dedicated to helping and developing kids’ potential. “With expert instruction and a proven training methodology, the Institute provides a true foundation for future success,” Kim said. Kim moved to the US in 2008 to promote go at the behest of the Korea Baduk Association and has been instrumental in starting the AGA’s professional certification program. For the stronger players, the Institute’s methodology involves a great deal of deep reading practice and life and death work in keeping with the latest techniques used in Asian go schools, as well as face-to-face play and review. Beginners are also welcome. In addition to Kim, top level former insei Evan Cho (right) is teaching at the Institute.

Published On 2/11/2014

The Twin Cities Go Club Winter Open tournament was held last Saturday, February 8, on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, MN. Thirty four players participated in a three-round McMahon tournament. “Additional players showed up throughout the day and enjoyed casual games in our social room but did not participate in the tournament,” reports Aaron Broege. Bongkyun Moon 4D won all three of his games to place first in the tournament. Bo Hessburg 3k and Xiaoyu Wang 2k also won all three of their games. Prizes were awarded for first place and for individuals who won all three of their games. “There was also a raffle for prizes including books donated by club members, gift cards to the coffee shops where we regularly meet, an AGA membership, and a game review session for kyu players with stronger members of the club,” Broege says. “We welcomed some new faces at the tournament and added four new AGA memberships that day to push our club totals to over 30 active AGA members.

Published On 2/11/2014

A commentary by Rob van Zeijst on the historic first jubango match between Gu Li and Lee Sedol highlights Kiseido’s launch of Go World Online this month. van Zeijst, three-time European champion and former Japan Go Association insei compiled the commentary on this showdown between the top two go players in the world from various commentaries of top Chinese, Korean and Japanese professionals. Go World Online “will present in-depth commentaries of important tournament games soon after they are played,” says Kiseido’s Richard Bozulich. The in-depth analysis in the commentary's 24 game figures and 85 variation diagrams will give you a sense of Gu's and Lee's supreme reading powers and their flawless intuition that enables them to spot all the tesujis that are hidden under the moves played in the game,” says Bozulich. van Zeijst also explores the interesting question of “Why a Ten-Game Match?

Published On 2/11/2014

France: The 29th Antony Tournament finished February 2 with Junfu Dai 8d in first, Benjamin Blanchard 3d in second, and Francois Mizessyn 4d in third. Germany: Also on February 2, Viktor Lin 5d took the 17. Erdinger Go-Turnier in Erding. Behind him were Jonas Fincke 4d in second and Sebastian Koller 3d in third. Russia: Natalia Kovaleva 5d (left) bested Rusian Dmitriev 5d at the Festival Lariks in Moscow on February 2 while Igor Nemlij 5d placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 2/11/2014

The Argentine Go Association is holding its first Teachers Training Workshop this weekend in Buenos Aires. “Its goals are to develop a teaching system of the game of go to be used in classes and courses and to train the teachers that will give the courses,” Argentine Go Association president Santiago Laplagne told the E-Journal. “Recently, the AAGo signed agreements with the Amateur University Sports Association of Argentina and the Government of the City of Buenos Aires to give classes and courses of go in schools and universities. The workshop is expected to provide the base for these courses.” Fernando Aguilar (right) is coordinating the workshop on February 15-16; click here for details (in Spanish). “We are planning to organize more workshops in 2014,” Laplagne, “so some players might be interested in attending the future workshops.”

NJO Attracts Players of All Strengths

Published On 2/9/2014

In the run-up to this year's New Jersey Open (NJO) in three weeks (March 1&2), Princeton senior Tiansheng (Eric) Guo ran an introductory go class on campus during the intersession break, reports organizer Rick Mott. “Guo got more than 20 attendees, and hopes more novice players will enter the tournament this year,” Mott says. As well as drawing some of the strongest players in the mid-Atlantic region, the NJO honors Bob Ryder, formerly of Bell Labs and a longtime AGA organizer who held the NJO at Rutgers for many years, with a memorial Beginner's Prize. Registration Sat. 3/1 9AM-10AM at Frist Campus Center, Princeton University. Click here for tournament details.

The Go Quiz Returns!

Published On 2/8/2014

by Keith Arnold, HKA I am delighted to have been asked to return as AGA Quizmaster and look forward to bringing you a whole new batch of weekly brain-teasers that will test your knowledge of the go world and its fascinating history. I will be ably assisted by quiz veteran Phil Waldron 6 dan and Daniel Chou 6 dan; if you notice clever questions of a new style, they will deserve the credit, while all errors (and unfortunate puns) will remain my responsibility. Please remember to submit your answers on or before Thursday each week. Let the games begin! Since we’re in a self-referential mood, let’s make our first effort close to home:

Published On 2/8/2014

Go is cited in a brand new TED Talk video by physicist and computer scientist Alex Wissner-Gross (right). In "A new equation for intelligence," Wissner-Gross attempts to give a definition and a formula for intelligence. "His main thesis seems to say that 'Intelligence is a physical process that resists future confinement, and attempts to maximize the options for diversity,' " writes James Michali of the Springs Go Club in Colorado, one of several readers who sent this in. "Among several examples to illustrate this thesis, Alex uses the game of go to make his argument concrete," says Michali. Thanks also to James Chao and Cynthia Gaty.

Published On 2/7/2014

Classic Handicap Books: Whether giving or getting stones, two new translations of classic handicap go books will come in handy. Go master Guo Bailing's "Sanzi Pu" (Three-Stone Games) and "Sizi Pu" (Four-Stone Games, Part 1 & Part 2 have just been translated by Ruoshi Sun and published on Amazon's Create Space. The books contains hundreds of diagrams from Guo's research on three- and four-stone handicap games. In Guo's own words, "It is the author's intention to elucidate the countless variations and let people realize that they all follow the basic principles." Both books were recently added to the AGA's "New and Noteworthy" page where you'll find information and links to hundreds of go books both new and old.

Go Classified: Searching for "Tony"

Published On 2/7/2014

Looking for "Tony," a strong amateur originally from Austria who used to live in Japan and now lives in LA. When he visited Japan last year, we played go at the Japan Go Association's center in Tokyo. email Kazu Narimatsu at kazunari_rjbb0624@yahoo.co.jp

Published On 2/6/2014

Go Kaizen: The lifehacker website uses Juha Nieminen’s photo of a go board to illustrate a post on how to “Practice your personal Kaizen”. The Japanese management strategy called Kaizen roughly translates to "continuous slow improvement” and Jason Thomas uses the concept here to as “an ideal approach to improve one's personal workflow.” Thanks to Lisa Garlock for passing this along

Published On 2/6/2014

A research collaboration in Seoul has revealed new information about the cognitive requirements of playing go and the effects that it may have on the brain. A team compared a group of expert go players with a group of beginners and published the results in the journal "Frontiers in Human Neuroscience". The work revealed several differences between the brains of the beginner and the expert. The experts had increased volume in certain areas of the brain, decreased volume in others, greater interconnectivity between certain regions and differences in the overall brain structure. A correlation between the magnitude of the effect and the number of years of go training suggests that these differences are not simply the result of a predisposition of these people to continue playing go. Rather, the difference in brain structure can be explained by the the fact that the brain rewires itself to meet new skill requirements.

Published On 2/5/2014

Romania: Constantin Ghioc 5d bested Lucretiu Calota 5d at the National Veteran Championship in Bucuresti on January 26 while Liviu Oprisan 4d placed third. Netherlands: Also on January 26, the Dutch Female Championship finished in Amstelveen with Marika Dubiel 2d (left) in first, Mirjam Visscher 4k in second, and Annemarie de Putter 2k in third. Hungary: Dominik Boviz 4d led group 1 in the Kondor Dragon Cup on January 26 in Budapest. Behind him were Robert Csizmadia 1d and Attila Teby 1k. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

School Teams Tournament Set for March

Published On 2/4/2014

The annual School Teams Tournament is set for March 22 and 29 this year. Run by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), and co-sponsored by the AGA and the AGF, the event is the largest annual youth competition in North America, drawing players from dozens of schools across the continent. All K-12 schools and organized learning institutions (such as Chinese language schools) in Canada, the US and Mexico, can register teams consisting of three players. Each school is allowed a maximum of three teams. This year, all teams that complete their matches will also receive an entry prize (regardless of their score in the event). Teams can choose between a full set of Hikaru no Go manga (23 volumes), two classic go books from Slate and Shell (Fundamental Principles of Go, and Master Play), or a $50 gift certificate to the go vendor of their choice (due to customs fees, not all gifts may be available for Mexico and Canada).

Kyu Championships Deadline Feb. 11th

Published On 2/2/2014

Young players, in the US, Canada, and Mexico have until Feb. 11th to register for the North American Kyu Championships (NAKC). The tourney will be held on KGS, on Saturday Feb. 15. Brackets in the NAKC will be divided by rank, with a new bracket formed approximately every 5 ranks or so depending on the range of participants. Within brackets, all games will be played even. Dan level players will be able to compete in the Redmond Cup (including players from Canada and Mexico). Youth who compete in either event will also be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, on a first come first served basis. Registration is now open for both the NAKC and the Redmond Cup, and more information can be found on the AGA webpage for youth events. The deadline for the NAKC is Feb. 11th. to register, click here. For Redmond Cup registration, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 1/29/2014

Jo Hanseung 9P & Park Jeongsang 9P on the Lee Sedol - Gu Li Jubango Game: This game commentary on the [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014.01.29_Lee-Sedol-Gu-Li-BadukTV.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014.01.29_Lee-Sedol-Gu-Li-BadukTV.sgf" class="alignleft"][/sgf] January 26 game between Lee Sedol 9P and Gu Li 9P -- the first of their jubango (Lee Sedol Off and Running as MLily Jubango Begins with Gu Li, 1/26 EJ) -- was transcribed from the Baduk TV live stream and includes variations and comments by commentators Jo Hanseung 9P and Park Jeongsang 9P. Kuksu Games Available: The game records from the recent Kuksu Cup are now available; four uncommented sgf files have been added to our January 16 report (Cho Hanseung Wins 3rd Consecutive Kuksu 1/16 EJ). - Ben Gale, Korean Correspondent for the E-Journal

AGA City League First Round Results

Published On 1/28/2014

The first round of play has mostly been completed for the AGA City League, reports TD Steve Colburn. In the A League, [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014.01.27_PandanetCityLeague-Evan-Cho-v-Huiren-Yang.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/2014.01.27_PandanetCityLeague-Evan-Cho-v-Huiren-Yang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Boston defeated Los Angeles (2-1), Greater Washington beat Toronto (3-0), and Canwa Vancouver 1 defeated Seattle 1 (2-1). In B League, Chicago beat Washington DC 1 (3-0), NC Raleigh defeated Washington DC 2 (2-1), and New York City defeated San Francisco 1 (3-0). In C League, Seattle 2 won over West Tennessee/Memphis (2-1), Canwa Vancouver 2 defeated Katy TX 2 (3-0), Brentwood/Nashville def Lincoln (2-1) and Central New York/Syracuse vs Katy TX 1 is in progress, currently 1-1. Check the Pandanet site for all the most up to date information. Here's the game record for the Evan Cho (LA) vs Huiren Yang (Boston)

Published On 1/27/2014

Ireland: The first half of the Irish Championship League finished on January 19 in Dublin with Roman Pszonka 3d in first, James Hutchinson 1d in second, and Tiberiu Gociu 3k in third. Russia: Also on January 19, the Russian Youth Championship finished in Moscow. Grigorij Fionin 4d won the under 16 division with Dmitrij Miljutkin 4d in second and Anton Chernykh 4d in third. Kim Shakhov 1k took the under 12 tournament while Andrej Mramorov 3k placed second and Mikhail Dobricyn 4k came in third. Romania: Adrian Nedan 2k (left) bested Elian Ioan Grigoriu 1d at the MPRB 5.2 Braila on January 19. Iulian Toma 3d was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV NOTE (1/29): this report has been updated to reflect that only the first half of the Irish Championship League finished on January 19, not the entire league.

Published On 1/27/2014

Tony Buzan, the inventor of mind-mapping and author of numerous books on enhancing the power of the brain, has made his debut appearance at a go tournament at the age of 71. The man once named by Forbes Magazine alongside Henry Kissinger, Margaret Thatcher and Michail Gorbachev as one of the world's top five international lecturers played in round one of the annual Maidenhead Go Tournament, held January 18 at Hitachi's European Headquarters in Maidenhead, south-east England, after seeing publicity about the tourney in his local newspaper, the Maidenhead Advertiser. He entered with a nominal grade of 10k, but it seems this may have been wishful thinking as opponent Colin Maclennan of Twickenham Go Club, with a thick grade of 10k, won by a large margin. Maclennan says, "In our game it soon became apparent that I was building a huge moyo that he allowed me to turn into territory. He then invaded with little hope of life. In the end I won by over 100 points."

Published On 1/26/2014

John Zhang 4D, Peter Enyeart 3k and Damon Hoffman 17k all went 4-0 to top the Austin "Dead of Winter" Go Tournament on January 25 at local game store Great Hall Games in Austin, TX. "This was the first of what is planned to be quarterly tournaments throughout 2014," said tournament director Bart Jacob. He added that although "the unusually cold and icy weather limited the number of out-of-town players this time, we hope and expect future tournaments will draw players from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and beyond." On a side note, Jacob also said that "The rumored participation of Lee Seedol 9P and Gu Li 9P was proved incorrect as apparently they could not reschedule their commitment to their first game of their jubango match." photo: Bart Jacob (left) with John Zhang.

Portland Chess and Go Programs Booming

Published On 1/26/2014

In Portland, OR, there are now over 100 children in chess and go programs, spread over five schools, and organized by Peter Freedman and Fritz Balwit. Freedman teaches go and Balwit teaches chess in most schools. "We decided to leverage our long-running chess and go program at Irvington Elementary," Freedman told the Journal, "I approached several school chess coaches about the idea of morphing their chess clubs into chess and go clubs. The Richmond club got off to a rousing start in November, with 41 children, 1st-5th grades, coming to the first meeting. Limited to 40, we were oversubscribed, with parents coming to the meeting with checks hoping there was still room to enroll their children. It was the best response ever to a new chess and go club, and confirms our view that 'the way to a new go player's heart is through chess.'

Published On 1/26/2014

Gu Li 9p & Lee Sedol 9pThough both players shocked fans and each other with many unexpected moves, Lee Sedol 9p defeated rival Gu Li 9p in the first game of their jubango, or ten-game series, on January 26 in Beijing. Cheering on Lee were his wife and daughter while Gu was backed by his former teacher, legendary instructor Nie Weiping 9p. Younggil and others provided live commentary during the game but Younggil is also working on written commentary for those who may have missed it. For more information on the MLily Gu vs Lee jubango including photos, analysis, and continuous updates, please visit Go Game Guru. -- Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo and game record courtesy of Go Game Guru [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Lee-Sedol-vs-Gu-Li-20140126.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=191810" class="aligncenter"][/sgf]

Published On 1/25/2014

“Very soon after I started playing go, I learned that there would be a tournament in Ann Arbor,” writes Bob Barber (right). “I entered at 16 kyu. At that time, I was progressing a stone or three every year (blessed memories!), so I did well in those tournaments. Soon, Roger White was encouraging me (some might say pestering me) to have a tournament in Chicago. When I finally relented, I based it entirely on David Relson’s pattern, including the post-tourney pizza party. So, all the folks from around the country and around the world who played in a Chicago tournament can thank Mr. Relson (In Memoriam: David Relson 1/20 EJ). I am the same age (as the 65-year-old Relson), and have in my youth cycled 73 miles in one day. Now I consider 30 a good workout. Also, try as I might, I never could match David’s facial hair. Surely a life too brief. But how many of us will meet our end doing something we love?”

Published On 1/23/2014

The highly anticipated first game of the 10-game series (jubango) with $860,000 in prize money between Lee Sedol and Gu Li will be held in China on Sunday, Jan. 26 (Lee Sedol-Gu Li Jubango to be Broadcast Live on KGS 1/20 EJ). Thanks to the international date line, this game will start on Saturday evening, Jan. 25 in the U.S. The game will be broadcast by KGS starting at 8:30 pm EST, and 5:30 pm PST. The commentary by Myungwan Kim and others will start at 10 pm EST and 7 pm PST. Here is a promo for the match from China, with English subtitles provided by gogameguru.com. The Seattle Go Center will be showing the game with a digital projector and host Andrew Jackson is planning on staying up late, since the game could run 8 hours. Saturday Manager Dennis Wheeler added "we're going to make it a big midnight party". Photo: KGS broadcast of Takemiya simultaneous games from the Seattle Go Center (Aug. 2013). Photo/Report by Brian Allen

Published On 1/22/2014

Eight of Europe's top players will battle it out online starting this Thursday in the 1st WBaduk European Top 8 Champions League. Organized by the European Go Federation and WBaduk, the 7-round round robin tournament has a 3,000-euro prize pool, with 1,000 euros to the winner. The players are Hui Fan 2P (France), Ilya Shikshin 7D (Russia), Catalin Taranu 5P (Romania), Alexander Dinerchtein 3P (Russia), Antti Tormanen 7D (Finland), Pavol Lisy 6D (Slovakia), Artem Kachanovski 7D (Ukraine) and Csaba Mero 6D (Hungary). Rounds will be played on the Wbaduk server every Thursday and Monday at 19:30 (1:30p EST) Central European Time from January 23 through February 13.

In Memoriam: David Relson

Published On 1/21/2014

David Relson, a "mainstay of the AGA" from the mid-1970's to the mid-'80's, died on September 21, 2013 at 65. An active cyclist, "he was almost home after riding 73 miles on a beautiful fall day when he collapsed," reported his family in their annual letter. "Dave was a key member of the group which took the hand-off of a recreated AGA from a small group in New York (John Stephenson, Matthias Thim, and Masao Takabe) and moved it to the next level with broader national support," former AGA president Terry Benson tells the E-Journal. "His enthusiasm was infectious. He was smart and sharp and reliable and an early computer person with both skills and personality. A great guy." Relson was president of the Ann Arbor Go Club when in January 1977 Ann Arbor was the first club to insist on AGA membership by all its members.

Ari Saito 2014 San Diego Champ

Published On 1/21/2014

Ari Saito 7D (right front) topped a field of more than 30 go players gathered on the UC San Diego campus January 18 "on a beautiful 70+ degree southern California day" to contend for the 2014 San Diego Go Championship, reports San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra. "The ultimate game pitted Saito against Yixian Zhou 6D (left front)," said Terpstra. Saito's win win gave him a 3-0 record, the $100 first prize and the title. Jenna Jansen 3k not only won the kyu championship with a 3-0 record but took the dual title of San Diego Women's Champion. In the title game, she edged long-time AGA stalwart Les Lanphear by 3.5 points. David SU, 26-kyu won the youth prize for his 3-0 finish. The third annual tournament was a combined effort of the UCSD Go Club and the San Diego Go Club. photo by Ted Terpstra

Published On 1/20/2014

A delegation of Cuban go players has been invited to attend this year's U.S. Go Congress for the first time and AGA board member Robert Gilman is coordinating fundraising efforts to support the visit. "The Cubans have greeted our invitation with 'immense joy'," Gilman -- who organized the 2013 visit by US players to Cuba (Traveling Board: U.S.-Cuba Friendship Match “A Rare Opportunity”) -- reports, "but the key question is money. Cuba is a poor country, the Cuban internal currency is worthless in the U.S. and the AGA does not have the budget to sponsor the delegation, so we're asking the go community to step up. Cubans have made strong efforts to develop go there, but isolation from the international go community and limited internet have handicapped them. This visit will help them develop and extend bonds with our neighbors to the South." The invitees are Cuba’s top two players and the president of the Academia Cubana de Go.

Published On 1/20/2014

The first game in the upcoming jubango between Lee Sedol 9P and Gu Li 9p will be broadcast live on KGS with live game commentary by Myungwan Kim 9P. The first game in the series (Big Jubango Between Lee Sedol & Gu Li Set To Start In January 11/29/2013 EJ) is scheduled for January 26 (1/25 in the US) and the 10-game match will run monthly throughout 2014. Whoever wins six games wins the match. “We’re very excited to bring this series to the global go community,” said Kim. “This is really great for western go fans,” agreed American Go Association president Andy Okun. The KGS broadcast commentary will begin at 4p EST on January 25 and Kim will be joined by James Kim 1D, along with Matthew Burrall 7d and Andrew Lu 7d. The team intends to broadcast and comment on the entire game, which could run over 8 hours. “We may need to take some breaks from time to time,” says Myungwan Kim. “But basically we'll stay up until the game finishes giving our best explanations and entertainment.”

Published On 1/20/2014

The second season of the Pandanet AGA City League is set to begin shortly. “We have 18 teams of players ranging from professionals to 12-kyu players,” reports TD Steve Colburn. The first round will start on January 25 at 3p EST on Pandanet. The A League teams include Boston (Ke Lu, Huiren Yang, Jie Liang, Yunzhe Zhang and Chun Sun), Greater Washington (I-Han Lui, Eric Lui, Jie Li, Yuian Zhou and Daniel Chou), Toronto (Colin Zheng, Xiaofei Deng, Tiger Gong, Sarah Yu and Hank Xie), Vancouver 1 (Cathy Li, Tianyu Lin, Juyong Koh, Leo Tian and Michael Ma), and Seattle 1 (Michael Cho, Dong Baek Kim, Edward Kim, Ho Son and Sung-Chui Cho).

Full House for Vegas Go Club

Published On 1/18/2014

Last Saturday, January 11, the Las Vegas Go Club (LVGC) was at full capacity. “New membership to our club is up and we are hoping that it transfers to long-time go players.” reports Mike Wanek. “In the last month or so, we have had four new members who have started to attend the club regularly.” The seven regular members of the LVGC were very surprised when over 15 people showed up for last week's meeting. “Currently, our main goals for the club are twofold," says Chris Tettamanti. "First, to generate interest in the great game of go and second, to boost membership to the AGA.” As the club grows, donations are collected to buy much needed club equipment. Sean Jacobson noted that "The latest set of donations will go to purchasing new game clocks. We are very close to having enough in donations to purchase 5 or 6 of them already. This will allow us to create mini-tournaments on days that we have a large turnouts.” Weekly meetings of the Las Vegas Go Club

Published On 1/18/2014

Croatia: Lovro Furjanic 1d bested Zoran Mutabzija 5d at the 2. Velika Gorcia Open on January 12 while Mladen Smud 1k placed third. Turkey: The Istanbul City Championship Finals finished on January 4 with Ozgur Degirmenci 2d in first, Mustafa Morca 2k in second, and Hayri Killic 1d in third. Ukraine: Andrii Vdovin 2d conquered the 2014 Championship of the Dnipropetrovsk region on January 5. Kostiantyn Lopatenko 2d came in second and Volodymyr Oblovantyi 1k was third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 1/16/2014

Alex Panaccione won all four games to win the January 12 MGA Winter Tournament. Twenty eight players turned out for the event, which was directed by Eva Casey with support from Eric Tillberg, whose entry fee was waived as a result. “I hope others will begin to learn the ropes of directing this way too in upcoming tournaments,” says Casey. Tillberg took third place and Graham Higgins was second. Click here for more photos. photo: Panaccione (right) playing Eric Osman; photo by Eva Casey

Cho Hanseung Wins 3rd Consecutive Kuksu

Published On 1/16/2014

Cho Hanseung 9P successfully defended his Kuksu title against Lee Sedol 9P on January 13 in Seoul, Korea. This gives him the title for a third consecutive year, as he overcame Choi Cheolhan 9P in the two previous editions. Cho (left) took the first match of the best-of-five clash and then extended his lead to 2-0. Lee fought back in the third round, narrowing the gap to 2-1, but the fourth game proved to be the decider. Cho's play was clinical. Holding black, he established a strong position in the early game. Lee tried to reduce, but with solid play, Cho maintained his lead throughout. Professional commentators were left somewhat bemused, as it was difficult to find any mistakes in white's play, a testament to the calm strength shown by Cho in this match. The victory extends a healthy rivalry between the two players. They know each other well, having achieved professional status in the same group in 1995. Lee remains ahead in wins (23-17), but Cho is now ahead 2-1 in finals.

Published On 1/16/2014

A story about a battle between elderly Korean patrons and a McDonald’s in Queens, New York, mentions go in passing. Apparently the Korean seniors prefer the McDonald’s to the other facilities that “cater to the elderly in the neighborhood,” according to a January 14 report in The New York Times. “Civic centers dot the blocks, featuring parlors for baduk, an Asian board game, and classes in subjects from calisthenics to English,” the report adds. No mention of whether the seniors are playing baduk in the McDonald’s. photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times. Thanks to Ted Terpstra for passing this item along.

Japanese Pros to Attend EYGC

Published On 1/15/2014

The British Go Association has announced that the Nihon Ki-in are to send two professionals to the UK in February/March 2014. Minematsu Masaki 6p and Kobayashi Chizu 5p will make a teaching tour of the country and will attend the European Youth Go Congress(EYGC) in Bognor Regis. They will visit the European Youth and British Go Congress over the weekend of Feb 28/March 3; during the preceding week they will visit Oxford Go Club, and during the following week Chizu Kobayashi will visit Edinburgh Go Club. In other EYGC news, the winner in the Under-20 category will this year gain a place in the new GLOBIS Cup World Youth Go Championship, to be held in Japan on 8 - 11 May 2014 (see Nihon Ki-in Announces New Under-20 World Tourney, EJ 11/30). - Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal.

Published On 1/13/2014

Iyama Yuta 9P (left) defeated Yamashita Keigo 9P by half a point in the first game of the 38th Kisei title match, which was hosted in Alcalá de Henares by the Nam Ban Madrid Go Club on January 11-12, in accordance with the tradition that this title’s first game is played outside Japan. In the postgame analysis, Yamashiro Hiroshi 9p (Referee and Vice President of the Nihon Ki-in), Osawa Narumi 4P (game recorder) and Makihata Taeko 3p (game recorder) watched. - report/photo by Harry van der Krogt, European Go Cultural Centre Update (1/13): the game record has been added; click on "first game" above.

“The Best Gift Ever!”

Published On 1/12/2014

More than half a century ago, a small gift changed Terry Benson’s life. His parents bought him a go set at a mall bookstore in 1960. “It was a flimsy, cardboard set with small, flat bottom, plastic stones and a 1949 AGA rule book,” says Benson. “As plain as a game could be. But it was the best gift ever!” Now Benson, President of the American Go Foundation (AGF), is urging go players to also give the gift of go. “Think about what a little go set can do or what the first set or the first experience with go meant to you,” says Benson. Contributions help the AGF work with go organizers to spread the game. “The number of children that the AGF can reach is only limited by the gifts we receive from players who value go,” says Benson. “We need your help to find the next kid who could become an organizer, a champion, the parent of a go fan, or a lifelong player.” AGF projects this year alone include teaching teachers at a dozen schools in LA, where over 300 kids are now learning the game.

Baduk TV Now Available on Apple TV

Published On 1/12/2014

Live Korean go matches with commentary, game reviews and lessons are now available 24/7 through KorTV on Apple TV. KorTV -- an Internet television network designed to provide free live Korean IPTV -- provides HD quality live Korean go streaming services for $2.99 a month. KorTV also provides baduk (as go is known in Korea) VODs, such as lessons for various levels from beginner to professional and hour-long world matches and Korean leagues. The live broadcasting is in Korean, but some VOD have English subtitles or dubbing. Note: this is a separate service from Baduk TV English — the partnership between Baduk TV and Go Game Guru.

British Open Now Welcomes All Comers

Published On 1/11/2014

Following lively debate on British go community subscription list Gotalk (see British Open Not So Open, Eurogotv 12/30/13), the British Go Association (BGA) has now reviewed its decision to limit entry to the British Open and British Lightning this year to members of the BGA or other national go organization (see footnote to British Open Taking Entries, EJ 12/29/13). Instead non-members will be subject to a £5 surcharge, payable upon attendance. The events form part of the British Go Congress 2014 which, as reported, will be held at the English south coast resort of Bognor Regis, February 28 - March 3, alongside the European Youth Go Championship. Click here to enter. Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 1/11/2014

“It was our great pleasure and honor” to play in the recent Zhugang Cup World Weiqi Team Championship (Korea Wins New International Tournament 1/3 EJ), reports Mingming (Stephanie) Yin 1P (at right). Yin, along with MingJiu Jiang 7P (at left) and Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 6D (bottom right) represented the U.S. at the event in Guangzhou, China, where strong players from around the world gathered in teams of three to compete for a total prize pot of over 5,000,000 RMB ($825,000 USD). “After three rounds of heavy competition among unseeded teams, the US team was successfully able to defeat opponents in the qualification sessions and gain entry into the ranked session,” Yin says. “There, we went up against five teams, all of which had a line-up of world-class competitors.” In the first round, the US played China’s seeded team with Shi Yue 9P, Zhou RuiYang 9P, and Chen YaoYe 9P. In the third round, they played Japan’s Wild Card Team with Takemiya Masaki 9P, Kobayashi Koichi 9P and Cho Chikun

Published On 1/9/2014

The fourth annual Jin Chen Memorial Tournament at the Seattle Go Center brought together 46 players from diverse backgrounds. The 12-person open section was won by Ximeng (Simon) Yu, a 1 dan professional from China who is also a local college student. Second place in the open went to longtime Northwest teacher and player Edward Kim 7d. Edward lost his game to Simon on time, but said he was also behind on points. Third place went to Ran Yan, who traveled to Seattle for the tournament. In the handicapped sections, Go Center teacher Nick Sibicky won the upper dan section, and Ning An, visiting from China, placed second. As is often the case in Seattle, the local Betcher brothers ruled the lower dan section, with Jordon first and Job second. In the upper kyu section, Andrew Mott was first and John Richards was second. In the large lower kyu section Wilhelm Fitzpatrick placed first, young Steven He second, and Rainer Romatka third.

Published On 1/9/2014

Maojie "Jeff" Xia, who’s visiting Santa Barbara during his winter break from the University of Montana, arrived at the Santa Barbara airport on New Year's Day and went straight to the Santa Barbara Go Club at the Coffee Bean, where he played for three and a half hours non-stop with club members including Stephanie Ho and Melvin Rosenfeld, giving both six stones and winning by resignation. Xia returned to the club last Saturday for "Saturday Sasual Go", this week held at the home of Goro Nakano, where he played a simul with three club members. Xia, an ex-insei who studied at Nie WeiPing's Go school in Beijing, is currently studying accounting at the University of Montana. photo (l-r): Maojie "Jeff" Xia, Stephanie Ho (7 stones handi, B+2.5), Goro Nakano (7 stones handi, W+R), Melvin Rosenfeld (6 stones handi, W+R). - report/photo by Ed Lee

Published On 1/8/2014

Netherlands: Michiel Tel 5d (left) took the Heerlen NieuwJaars Go Toernooi on January 5. Behind him were Jonas Welticke 4d and Geert Groenen 6d. England: Yuanbo Zhang 4d bested Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia 5d at the London Open on December 31 while Pierre Paga 4d placed third. Finland: The Takapotku Open finished in Espoo on January 6 with Juri Kuronen 6d in first, Antti Tormanen 7d in second, and Vesa Laatikainen 5d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 1/7/2014

Sixteen-year-old Calvin Sun narrowly edged out 17-year-old Bill Lin to become the American Go Association’s third pro Monday night. Sun eked out a 1.5-point win in an exciting nearly 300-move final – forced by Lin’s second-round win earlier in the day -- that kept hundreds of fans on KGS guessing until the very end. Sun topped a tough field of eight strong players in the second AGA Pro Qualification Tournament and joins Andy Liu 1P and Gansheng Shi 1P – who won the 2012 edition -- as the first homegrown U.S. professional go players. Ryan Li won the Exhibition League. Click here for pairings, results and game records. Jeff Shaevel directed the tournament and Dennis Wheeler led the E-Journal game broadcast team, which included Andrew Jackson, Richard Dolen, Dave Dows and Joe Cepiel.

Zhang Yuanbo Wins London Open

Published On 1/6/2014

The 40th London Open Go Congress, the UK's largest and oldest go event, took place December 28-31 at the International Student House in central London. With a field of 109 players ranging from 5d to 24k, first place in the seven-round main tournament was taken by Zhang Yuanbo 4d (right), a Chinese graduate of the University of Nottingham, with six wins. French visitors Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia 5d and Pierre Paga 4d took second and third place with six and five wins respectively and Briton Andrew Simons 4d, also on five wins, came fourth. Games were 90 minutes main time (60 if both players 20k or weaker), with Canadian (repeating) overtime of 20/5 and tie-breaks decided on McMahon score. In fact, as our photo below shows, Zhang could have had a perfect 7/7 if he had noticed opponent Drean-Guenaizia's flag fall during overtime in round six. However, his attention was entirely focused on the close battle on the board and he eventually decided the game was lost and resigned.

Published On 1/6/2014

Calvin Sun (right) is one win away from being the next American pro. Sun edged out Jianing Gan by 1.5 points in a dramatic game Sunday morning in which the lead appeared to change hands several times, keeping hundreds of viewers on KGS riveted to their screens. Monday’s final between Sun and bottom bracket winner Bill Lin will be accompanied by live game commentary starting at 10a PST (1p EST) on KGS by Myung-wan Kim 9P, James Kim and Matthew Burrall. Since Sun has already beaten Bill Lin (left in photo) in a previous match, one more win for him will clinch his berth as the next US pro. If Lin wins, there will be one final game to determine the tournament winner. Click here for pairings, results and game records. photo by Dennis Wheeler

Published On 1/6/2014

It all comes down to one game now. 17-year-old Bill Lin’s 171-move defeat of 16-year-old Calvin Sun Monday morning means the two will play a decisive tie-breaker tonight to decide who the next AGA pro will be. The game will be broadcast live on KGS at 7P EST (4p PST), with commentary by Myungwan Kim 9P. Click here for pairings, results and game records. photo: Bill Lin (right) plays Calvin Sun in the final round; photo by Dennis Wheeler

Published On 1/4/2014

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook 2013 Member’s Edition Collection! One of the benefits of your membership in the American Go Association is the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal, the largest English language go publication in the world. Each week we deliver original content direct to you from an amazing team of contributors that now includes Michael Redmond 9P, Myung-wan Kim 9P, Yilun Yang 7P, Guo Juan 5P, longtime teacher Yuan Zhou, the inimitable Kazunari Furuyama, as well as new US professionals Gansheng Shi 1P and Andy Liu 1P. We also published special reports on the 2013 U.S. Go Congress, the 2013 World Amateur Go Championship and the 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games. This handy online resource gathers links to this wealth of material, enabling you to quickly find what you’re looking for on the month-by-month list below.

Published On 1/4/2014

Aoki To Challenge For Women’s Kisei: For the third year in a row, the Women’s Kisei title will feature a clash between Aoki Kikuyo 8P (right) and Xie Yimin. The play-off to decide the challenger was held at the Ryusei Studio, a TV studio for the cable TV go and shogi channel located in the basement of the Nihon Ki-in at Ichigaya in Tokyo, on December 16. Taking white, Aoki defeated Ishii Akane 2P by resignation after 256 moves. Aoki won this title from Xie in 2012, but lost it back in 2013. The best-of-three title match for the 17th title will begin on January 23. Iyama Keeps Grand Slam Dreams Alive: Iyama Yuta played an important game on December 17. If he is to have a chance of scoring a full-fledged grand slam next year, he first of all has to become the challenger for the Judan title, the only one of the top seven not in his keeping. To do this, he needed to win two more games.

Published On 1/4/2014

Both West Coast NAMT points qualifier tournaments are coming up soon. The Northern California Ing Cup -- sponsored by Ing's Goe Foundation – is set for Saturday, January 18th, while The Dado 2014 Southern California Go Championship – organized by the Orange County Go Club and the Dado Cultural Exchange Association – will be held on Saturday and Sunday February 8-9. The 1-day, 4-round Ing Cup features Jiang ZhuJiu and Rui NaiWei, who will lead a team of 20 players from China, and is hosted by Legend's Game Store. The Southern California Championship, a 2-day, 5-round event, has $2,500 in cash awards, with $600 to the open section winner; registration deadline is Feb. 5. Winners in both events qualify for the 2014 North American Masters Tournament (NAMT). photo: 2013 NorCal Ing

Published On 1/4/2014

And then there were three. Calvin Sun, Jianing Gan and Bill Lin are the finalists to be the next U.S. professional go player. Sun and Gan play each other Sunday morning (the game will be broadcast live on KGS) to determine the top-bracket winner, who will then play bottom bracket winner Lin. Click here for pairings, results and game records. Promotional League Round Four results: Calvin Sun defeated Jianing Gan (top bracket); Bill Lin eliminated Andrew Lu (bottom bracket). Round Three results: Jianing Gan defeated Calvin Sun (top bracket); Bill Lin eliminated Ryan Li; Andrew Lu eliminated Eric Lui.

Published On 1/4/2014

Snow fell steadily outside as top US go players gathered in the Nantasket Beach Resort just south of Boston on Saturday night. The third AGA Pro Qualification Tournament, which will determine the next US professional, begins Sunday at 9:30a (EST) and TD Jeff Shaevel reviewed the tournament schedule and rules for the assembled players. AGA President Andy Okun thanked the players -- Eric Lui 7d, Ryan Li 7d, Yuan Zhou 7d, Jeremy Chiu 6d, Daniel Gourdeau 7d, Ricky Zhao 7d and Ben Lockhart 7d (Matthew Burrall 6d was en route from California) – “for coming so far and for taking the time this week to compete at this high level. We’re looking forward to some great games.” Morning rounds will begin at 9:30a and afternoon rounds at 4:30p and the games will be broadcast live on KGS; watch the AGA website, Twitter @theaga and Facebook feeds for regular updates.

Published On 1/3/2014

At least seven out-of-town players are coming to the Jin Chen Memorial Tournament in Seattle. "Registration is on the morning of the tournament, Sunday, Jan. 5 at 10 a.m., so we don't know about everybody who is coming," reports manager Brian Allen. "But we expect the open section to be very competitive." Xingshuo Liu, 7d and Ran Yan, 6d are traveling to the games for a second year. A young Chinese pro, Ximeng Yu (Simon), 1P, who is now a local college student is also probably coming. "We also have five amateur dan level players who are visiting from China. Their instructor, Xiaomin Yao, 4P, will provide game analysis. Ms. Yao was a colleague of Guo Juan and Yilun Yang when they lived in China and this is her first trip to the United States." Photo: Xingshuo Liu (far left) and Ran Yan (far right) at the 2013 Jin Chen Tournament. photo by Brian Allen

Published On 1/3/2014

Over 500 hundred fans watched online Friday morning as the opening round began for the second AGA Pro Qualification tournament. The games are being held at the historic Hotel Normandie in downtown Los Angeles, and broadcast online on KGS. Games began at 9:30 am (PST) Friday, January 3. Players who lose in the first round will still have a second chance to continue on into Round Two in this double elimination knockout event. Round Two started at 4:30 pm (PST) today (Jan. 3). Round 1 results: Eric Lui defeated Daniel Gourdeau (W+12.5); Jianing Gan defeated Ryan Li (W+r); Bill Lin defeated Ben Lockhart (W+14.5); Calvin Sun defeated Andrew Lu (B+1.5). Before the games started, each player was given a portable go set from the Korea Baduk Association (KBA). The winner will not only be certified as the AGA's third professional player, but will also win a $1,500 cash prize, and each finalist will receive $800.

Published On 1/1/2014

Two teams representing the ancient British universities of Oxford and Cambridge met over the board on the evening of Monday, December 30 as a side event to the London Open, with neither coming out on top. The two rounds constituting the match, in which each team fielded two alumni and two students of their respective universities, were both drawn 2-2. Accordingly, all players shared the champagne earmarked for the winners as well as each taking a £40 cash prize and the team sweaters worn during play. Both teams also took away a set each of the five-volume Learn To Play Go series of books by Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun.

Go Photo: Happy New Year

Published On 1/1/2014

Six-year-old Youti Wan, a student of Ronghao Chen’s at the Wisonet Go School in New Jersey, uses go stones here to say "2014 Happy New Year" in Chinese.

Published On 1/1/2014

Starting this Friday, eight young North American go players will battle it out to be the next American go professional (8 Young North Americans Want To Be Next AGA Pro 11/21/2013 EJ). The second AGA Pro Certification Tournament will take place January 3-7 in Los Angeles and the E-Journal will broadcast top-board games live on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room. Click here for the schedule and pairings.

Mexican Kids Sharpen Tourney Skills

Published On 12/31/2013

"The kids at our school, Gimnasio de Go, had a very busy December with three tournaments at different places," reports Mexico City organizer Siddhartha Avila. "On December 4th Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ran the El otro Tesuji tournament organized by college and high school students. We sent four elementary school representatives, Paula Corona, Valeria Gonzalez, Mariana García and Omar Zavala-who got 3rd place, pictures here. On December 7th, our group played in the Biblioteca de México, Torneo de Go 2013, a children's tournament organized by myself, in collaboration with Biblioteca de México José Vasconcelos, a library where we are offering free go workshops on Saturdays. Winners report: 1st place: Fernanda; 2nd place: Diego Alí and Akira; 3rd place: Naohmi and Kairi. Pictures here. Finally, on December 13th, we played in the Torneo de Go Invierno 2013, this was our winter elementary school go tournament, which was divided in two brackets."

British Open Taking Entries

Published On 12/29/2013

Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 British Open, which will take place the weekend of March 1-2 2014 as part of the British Go Congress (BGC) 2014 in the south-coast resort town of Bognor Regis*. It is the central event of the BGC which opens on Friday February 28 with the British Lightning (also an open** event) and takes in the British Go Association (BGA) AGM on the Saturday evening (members only), wrapping up with a teaching session on Monday March 3. Click here to enter the British Open. The BGC will run alongside the European Youth Go Championship (EYGC). This year the winner in the Under-20 category will gain a place in the new GLOBIS Cup World Youth Go Championship (see Nihon Ki-in Announces New Under-20 World Tourney, EJ 11/30), to be held in Japan on 8 - 11 May 2014. Please note that the EYGC venue providers, Butlins, withdrew the original date offered which we reported earlier (2014 European Youth Go Championship Venue Set, EJ 7/16).

Published On 12/29/2013

Go/English Teachers Wanted: large boarding school in China seeks teachers to teach go and basic English to children at the Century School in Shouguang, Shandong Province (about 4 hours by bus south of Beijing). Grades 3-6; 2 classes of 1.5 hours/week using simple English. Playing strength should be about 1 dan. 6 hours of teacher training will be provided via SKYPE and all teaching materials including lessons, problem sheets will be available on line. Schedule: Sept 1 2014 to June 30 2015; several holidays including 4 paid weeks at Spring Festival. Salary: About $1000 US/month including return airfare and travel cost from Beijing. Accommodation provided: Private staff room with kitchenette, TV, bathroom, water cooler, laptop and more. Meals – 3 meals/day for about $5.00/day or less at school dining hall. Minimum English teaching experience necessary, and knowing Chinese is not required, but you should like teaching. A knowledge of basic English grammar is useful.

Published On 12/26/2013

The Winter BIBA (Blackie’s International Baduk Academy) Baduk Camp in Hawaii has a few slots open, reports Diana Koszegi 1P. Koszegi and Kim Seung-jun 9P are hosting the 6-day event February 7-12 on Kauai Island. The daily schedule includes golf and sightseeing during the days and go in the evenings. The $1,500 cost covers accommodation, meals, on-island transportation and the go study fee; participants must cover their own travel costs to Kauai. Email blackies.academy@gmail.com for details.

AGA Website Updates Detailed

Published On 12/26/2013

The AGA’s crackerjack web team has been as busy as elves with updates to the usgo.org website. Here are a few highlights to check out over the upcoming holidays. The new "Learn To Play" page is a great intro for absolute beginners. All the tournament pages have been updated, especially the calendar -- which has a much cleaner, more accessible look – but also the pages for major tournaments and championships, tournament resources and tournament crosstabs, which includes crosstabs for major events from 2008-2013. The "Fun and Miscellaneous" page has some great new stuff, including links to History and Culture, Go Around The World, Learn Overview, and Rules of Go. The ratings page now includes a tournament ratings status page. And following on the heels of the just-concluded SportAccord World Mind Games, there’s now a handy chart showing the International Go Federation’s global relationships and events.

Published On 12/25/2013

Austria: The Austrian Women’s Championship finished on December 21 in Go7 with Katrin Unger 5k in first, Lisa Mayer 6k (left) in second, and Chuandi Zhou 6k in third. Hungary: Pal Balogh 6d took the Hungarian Championship Final on December 15 in Budapest. Behind him were Dominik Boviz 4d and Peter Marko 4d. Serbia: Also on December 15, Nikola Mitic 5d bested Dusan Mitic 6d at the 39th Serbian Championship in Kragujevac while Dejan Krstic 4d placed third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 12/25/2013

European Youth Go ChampionshipThe British Go Association will host the 2014 European Youth Go Championship in conjunction with the British Go Congress from February 28 through March 3 in Bognor Regis, a resort town on England’s south coast. The EYGC will be split into three age groups: under 12, under 16, and under 20. The British Go Congress will include a lightning tournament, the British Open, a teaching event, and pair go. British Go Association (BGA) members can enjoy discounts for all British Go Congress events. Discounted rates on accommodations are available for all players who make reservations through the official EYGC website. To register for either tournament or for more information including a full schedule, prizes, and the latest news, please visit the official European Youth Go Championship home page. —Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar; photo courtesy of British Go Association

Published On 12/23/2013

Upgo.info to Crowdsource Game Play Globally: “Upgo.info is angel funding meets go tournaments meets Mechanical Turk,” explains one upgo founder. “A start-up is only as strong as its best go player,” says another. Video explains how the site will “use the latest in big-data technology,” maximize the untapped strength of Japanese retirees and “crowdsource game play” globally. Thanks to David Doshay for passing this along. Weichi in Age of Wushu: Go plays a key role in Age of Wushu, a popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game), reports Taylor Litteral. “Age of Wushu takes place in ancient China during a time period where martial arts legends are born,” says Litteral. “Weiqi -- or go -- stakes its claim as being one of the four cultural life skills which is advanced by answering go problems, and Age of Wushu players can even play weiqi against each other.” In the picture an npc (non-player character) tells the player about weiqi.

Published On 12/23/2013

The fifth season of the British Online League was won by Edinburgh's first team for the second year running with fellow Scots, Glasgow, winning the second division, and earning promotion to the first next year. Their place in the second division will be taken by the demoted Central London Go Club's B-team, where they will be joined by third division winners Milton Keynes, while Edinburgh's second team move down into the third division. The league was organised on behalf of the British Go Association (BGA) by John Collins, who also captained the St Albans Kyus, winners of the Wooden Spoon, and was played in the British Room on KGS. Registrations are now being taken for the sixth season, expected to start at the beginning of March 2014. Click here for full league standings. Report by Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal. Photo: Martha McGill, Edinburgh first team captain, courtesy of BGA website.

ARGO: Go In Augmented Reality?

Published On 12/22/2013

A team of researchers from UCLA and Osaka University are developing a way to learn go with “augmented reality” goggles. Players using an actual physical board will “see” highlights on certain intersections as the game proceeds in real time. Check out the Youtube video to see how it’s supposed to work. The authors – S. P. Chuang at UCLA and Kikoshi Kiyokawa and Taruo Takemura at Osaka University – believe many beginners get discouraged because it is hard to apply lessons from books on the real board in actual play. On the other hand, computer play lacks the aesthetics of placing real stones on a real board, which also deepens the learning process. ARGO aims to integrate the best aspects of “real” and “virtual” experience. The video illustrates four functions. “Fuseki Tutor” uses Kombilo to search a database of 80,000 professional games, identify moves that pros have used, and “project” them onto the board, while “Joseki Tutor” uses Kogo’s Joseki Dictionary in a similar way.

Go Spotting: Fearful Symmetry

Published On 12/21/2013

Chinese-American physicist Anthony Zee mentions go in his book Fearful Symmetry:The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics. First published in 1986, the book is an attempt to explain to the layman how modern physics strives to produce the simplest possible explanation of nature and describes the rallying cry of fundamental physicists as, "Let us worry about beauty first, and truth will take care of itself!". At page 16 (2007 edition) he writes: "It is easy to produce complicated behaviour with a complicated design. As children, when we take apart a complicated mechanical toy, we expect to find a maze of cogs and wheels hidden inside. The American game of football is my favourite sport to watch, because of the variety of behaviour exhibited. But the complex repertoire is the direct result of probably the most complicated set of rules in sports. Similarly, the complexity of chess is generated by its rather complicated rules. Nature, whose complexity emerges from simplicity, is cleverer.

Published On 12/20/2013

Just in time for the holidays, SmartGo Books has released half a dozen new titles, including two exclusives. The two volumes of “Lee Chang-Ho’s Endgame Techniques” are published by Yutopian, “but they never made it into print,” says SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf. In Volume 1, Lee, known for his extremely strong endgame play, takes a systematic look at many common patterns, while Volume 2 contains endgame tesuji problems. Also included in this release are “Cross-Cut Workshop” by Richard Hunter and “200 Endgame Problems” by Shirae Haruhiko (both Slate & Shell), as well as “The Basics of Go Strategy” by Richard Bozulich (Kiseido, also includes the German text by Brett & Stein), an extended and revised version of the classic “Strategic Concepts of Go”. Click here for a list of all 86 SmartGo books now available, or check out the free SmartGo Books app for iPad and iPhone.

Maeda Organizing 2014 Go Camp in Osaka

Published On 12/20/2013

Maeda Ryo 6P, the popular Japanese professional who’s a regular attendee at the annual U.S.Go Congress, is organizing a 3-week intensive go camp in Osaka again next year, running from June 29 through July 19. "We had 32 attendees from 11 countries all over the world this year, including Iraq and Bahrain, and it was a blast," Maeda (right) says. "After the long day of training and lectures, they were still playing till midnight! There was lots of laughter and great spirit; we had such a great time." Osaka Go Camp activities include intensive training by Kansai Kiin professionals, the opportunity to play go at the Kiin with professionals, play against top amateurs and former inseis, as well as sightseeing, cultural trips and making new go friends. Register by the end of February for a 5,000-yen discount. The camp is sponsored by Kansai Kiin and the Osaka University of Commerce. Email osaka.go.2014@gmail.com for more info or to reserve your space.

Published On 12/20/2013

The US team has advanced from the preliminary tournament in first Zhu Gang Cup World Team Go Championship, which runs December 19-26 in Guangzhou, China. “Mingjiu Jiang 7P led the effort with a perfect 3-0 performance on Board 1,” reports fellow team-mate Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 8D. The sixteen teams in the final tournament have been finalized and includes many of the best players in the world, including Gu Li, Chen Yaoye, Lee Changho, and Park Jungwan.

Tournaments Ratings Status Page Returns

Published On 12/19/2013

The Tournaments Ratings Status page, formerly available at the American Go Association Go Database (AGAGD), is now available here. Game results are submitted to the AGA by the tournament director. Results must be cross checked for new and duplicate members, payments must be received and processed for new and renewing members, the membership database must be updated, and only then can tournaments be rated. If your event is not listed, it is waiting for submission or weekly processing, and if it's listed as not rated, the status page now explains why. Thanks to Jonathan Bresler and Greg Smith for their work in creating the new Tournaments Ratings Status page.

Published On 12/19/2013

The 2013 Cotsen Open was held October 26-27 in Los Angeles, CA. One of the major tournaments on the American Go Association’s annual calendar, the event is sponsored by Eric Cotsen (center, in white shirt), with major organizational support provided by Myung-wan Kim 9P and Andy Okun;

Published On 12/18/2013

China’s Chenxing Wang 5P and Ruiyang Zhou 9P (left) defeated Chinese Taipei’s Joanne Missingham 6P and Yuan-Jyun Wang 6P on Wednesday to win gold in the SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) Pair Go competition. The 3-round event capped the third annual SAWMG competition, which included men’s team and women’s individual events in go, as well as competitions in chess, bridge, draughts and Chinese Chess, and ran December 12-18 in Beijing, China.

Published On 12/18/2013

Hwang In-seong 8d, currently the number-one rated player in Europe, has introduced American hours to his Yunguseng internet go school, previously only conveniently available to Europeans. The fully-online format comprises three elements: live, interactive video lectures, student-student games played on KGS in graded leagues and reviews of all these games. It runs in three-month seasons, during which students can interact by text with nine live video lectures which start at 9p Central Time (CT) . They will also play five league games per month on prearranged dates, starting at 8p CT. Students may move up and down between leagues each month, depending on their game results. The games are then reviewed at 10p the same evening. In addition, students can view recordings of all lectures and game reviews, past and present, including those of their European counterparts. The new season starts on January 6, 2014 and is enrolling students now.

Published On 12/18/2013

The American Go E-Journal collaborated with Ranka Online and SportAccord to again provide comprehensive coverage of the 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG), held December 12-18 in Beijing, China. The team included American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock, Ranka Online Editor Ivan Vigano, James Davies, John Richardson, Yuki Shigeno and Michael Redmond 9P. See below for a selection of highlights of the E-Journal coverage, or click here for all of Ranka’s reports.

Published On 12/18/2013

Guo Juan's Internet Go School's next term starts on the weekend of January 11. Group classes include separate groups for dan level, single digit kyu and double digit kyu players. "Join us," says Guo, a 5-dan professional who's been teaching in the West for more than twenty years. "You will have fun, meet new friends and improve your game!" photo: Guo teaching at 2011 North Carolina workshop; photo courtesy Bob Bacon

Go Spotting: Blanket Love Story

Published On 12/18/2013

Frequent Go-Spotting contributor Zhiping You came across this amazing go blanket online, which turns out to have a fascinating story behind its creation, which includes a love story, Hikaru No Go, learning how to crochet and instructions on how to make your very own go blanket.

Redmond: "Easy Does It"

Published On 12/17/2013

"Study life and death problems." We've all heard that advice on how to get stronger at go, but it turns out that there's a missing word that's key to improving. The word is easy. Literally. Michael Redmond 9P revealed the missing word during one of his KGS audio commentaries on SAWMG games last weekend: "Study easy life and death problems." Hard problems, "especially really complicated ones," tend to be discouraging, "and they rarely come up in actual games," Redmond said. Studying easy problems -- "at least 15 minutes a day" -- trains your eye to quickly see shapes and patterns and solving problems provides positive reinforcement that makes studying more likely, he adds. And since everyone's definition of "easy" will necessarily be different, look for problems you can solve in two minutes or less. - Chris Garlock

Published On 12/17/2013

Click here for latest winner results and Ranka Online’s full coverage. At 9 pm EST (6p PST) Tuesday night, Michael Redmond 9P and E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock will provide live audio commentary on KGS on the top boards at in the Pair Go competition.

US Pro Final Adds Youth Tourney

Published On 12/17/2013

The US Pro Qualification Tournament, which will be held in Los Angeles Jan. 2-8, is adding a youth tournament for all ranks, to be held Jan 4-5, announced Myungwan Kim 9P, chair of the AGA's pro system committee. The event will be called the Milton N. Bradley Youth Go Championship, in honor of the late Bradley, who was devoted to youth go. Players must be under the age of 17 (born on or after Jan. 5th 1996). "I think it's a good idea to hold a youth go tournament in LA area every year," Kim told the Journal. "We already have a great location, the Hotel Normandie, and kids can see professionals, the professional system and very serious games. It will help to stimulate kids to learn go, watching all these top players and their games. I will play 13x13 simul games as well."

Published On 12/17/2013

Mingjiu Jiang 7P (center), Stephanie (Mingming) Yin 1P and Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 8D will make up a U.S. team at the upcoming Zhu Gang Cup World Team Go Championship

Published On 12/17/2013

While others were out fighting the holiday crowds at local malls in Northern Virginia, some 20 area go players had a better plan. “Win books to give as holiday gifts!” report Slate and Shell Open local organizers Gurujeet Khalsa and Gary Smith. Sponsor Slate and Shell supplied the prizes, which were won by Kelsey Dyer 1D and Quinn Baranoski 9K – who topped the event – along with other first place finishers, including Edward Zhang 6D, John Gipson 5K, and Mulan Liu 17K. Second place finishers included Allan Abramson 2D, Mohan Sud 4K, Anderson Barreal 9K and Timothy Koh 22K.

Published On 12/16/2013

Japan’s National Team: Members of Japan's brand-new national team -- nicknamed ‘Go-Go Japan' -- talk about their practice sessions and how being on the team has changed their approach to the game... Interview with Park Jieun: The bronze medalist in the women’s individual event says go in Korea has changed from an enriching cultural activity to a sport that's "only about winning".

EuroGoTV Update: Romania, Spain, Poland

Published On 12/16/2013

Romania: Cristian Pop 7d (left) took the Cupa Romaniei Finala in Sinaia on December 8. Behind him were Dragos Bajenaru 6d and Mihai Valentin Serban 5d. Spain: Also on December 8, Ignacio Cernuda 3d bested Oscar Anguila 4d at the Spanish Championship Finals in Barcelona while Pau Carles 3d placed third. Poland: The Polish Championship League finished December 8 in Olsztyn with Marcin Majka 3d in first, Majus Misiak 2d in second, and Sebastian Pawlaczyk 3d in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Redmond on "Complete Information"

Published On 12/14/2013

Joseki used to take months, sometimes years, to develop and be accepted. Now, like everything else in this hyper-connected world, they zip around the globe like so many electronic mushrooms, popping up overnight and sometimes fading just as fast. At least that's the way Michael Redmond 9P sees it. "We've seen one particular new sequence repeatedly this week," Redmond told me during one of our daily broadcasts at the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing. "Everyone's been playing it lately but I think it's really just a fad and doubt that it'll last." Unlike the fabled study groups of Japanese professionals and insei who extensively researched, developed and tested new patterns to spring on their opponents in tournaments, there are no secrets in a world where even top professionals play online on a regular basis. Further proof, if any were needed, that go is indeed a game of complete information. - Chris Garlock; photo by Makoto Moriwaki, Pandanet

Published On 12/14/2013

The third annual SportAccord World Mind Games are taking place December 12-18 in Beijing, China. Click here for latest go competition winner results, here for Ranka Online’s full coverage and here for reports on all 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games competitions (chess, go, bridge, Chinese Chess & draughts). CLICK HERE TO WATCH GAMES LIVE! NOTE: At 9 pm EST (6p PST) on Sunday, December 15, Michael Redmond 9P and E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock will provide live audio commentary on KGS on Round 4 games from the World Mind Games.

SmartGo for Windows is Back in Beta

Published On 12/14/2013

SmartGo for Windows is back, reports author Anders Kierulf. A full beta version is available for free download, and includes the full GoGoD game collection of more than 76,000 games. SmartGo offers a wide range of functions for go players from 20 kyu to 6 dan, “with powerful features easily accessible in a well-designed user interface,” according to SmartGo’s website. “The main functions in SmartGo are grouped into tabs that organize your Go activities as well as your games.” SmartGo 3 is a free upgrade for SmartGo 2 users, “and currently only $39 (down from $49) for new users,” Kierulf tells the EJ. “Also, you'll note that the smartgo.com website is new and shiny, with a matching gobooks.com site.” Before the holidays, Kierulf says “I expect to add five more books to SmartGo Books, including two books from Yutopian that never made it to print and will be SmartGo Books exclusives.” Stay tuned for more details soon.

Published On 12/13/2013

Cup Winner Switch: "The recent article 'Men's Team & Women's Individual Events Launch Go Competitions at SportAccord World Mind Games,' stated that Fan Tingyu won the Bailing Cup and that Zhou Ruiyang won the Ing Cup," writes Justin Teng, "but in fact it's the other way around: Fan Tingyu won the Ing Cup and Zhou Ruiyang won the Bailing Cup." Good catch, Justin; we've corrected the report.

How To Get Your Tournament Rated Fast

Published On 12/13/2013

Charles Haynes knows the secret to getting tournaments rated fast. Haynes, Tournament Director of the December 7th Davis Go Tournament enabled the AGA to enter the tournament into the database and rate it in just four days -- a new record -- by using the AGA's online new member "Join the AGA" webpage instead of sending membership information and payment to the AGA, which slows down the rating process significantly. We encourage members to help any friends or family joining the AGA to sign up online before the tournament.

Published On 12/13/2013

The third annual SportAccord World Mind Games are taking place December 12-18 in Beijing, China. Click here for latest go competition winner results, here for Ranka Online's full coverage and here for reports on all 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games competitions (chess, go, bridge, Chinese Chess & draughts).
Day 2 (Friday, 12/13) Summary (click on links for game records, uncommented unless otherwise noted): Men's Team: China 3-0 over Chinese Taipei: Fan Tingyu beat Chou Chun-hsun, Zhou Ruiyang beat Wang Yuan-jyun, Wang Xi (left in photo) beat Lin Chun-yen (right). Korea 3-0 over Japan: Park Jeonghwan beat Fujita Akihiko, Kim

Published On 12/13/2013

Registration for the next AGA On-Line Games Self-Paired Tournament -- which will run January 1 to March 31, 2014 on KGS -- begins December 15. The initial Self-Paired Tournament -- in which 24 players have so far played 44 games -- will end December 31, with results announced in early January. Players must be AGA members current through March 1, 2014. A player’s current AGA rating is the default tournament rating. Tournament Ratings may be adjusted by the Tournament Director for those without an AGA rating or for those who whose current AGA rating clearly does not reflect their current playing strength. Games are played and tournament documents are linked in the AGA Tournament Room on KGS. Simultaneous games will also be offered during this upcoming quarter in the AGA Community Room on KGS by volunteers AGA 4 dan and above. The room is open to all AGA members current through March 31, 2014. Email bobgilman.aga@gmail.com with your AGA ID number and KGS username for access to the room.

Published On 12/13/2013

Day 1 Summary: Men’s teams: China beat North America 3-0, Korea beat Chinese Taipei 2-1, Japan beat Europe 3-0. Women’s individual: Yu Zhiying (China) beat Dina Burdakova (Europe/Russia), Chang Cheng-ping (Chinese Taipei) beat Natalia Kovaleva (Europe/Russia), Oh Jeonga (Korea) beat Sarah Jin Yu (North America/US), Fujisawa Rina (Japan) beat Svetlana Shikshina (Europe/Russia). CLICK HERE TO WATCH SAWMG DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS. Note: click on hotlinked names below for game records, uncommented unless otherwise indicated.

In Memoriam: T Mark Hall, 1947-2013

Published On 12/12/2013

T Mark Hall died on Monday, December 9 after a long illness. Perhaps best-known throughout the global go community as the co-creator of GoGoD (Games of Go on Disk), the exhaustive go encyclopaedia, Hall "was a long and faithful servant of the British Go Association, of British go in general," said BGA president -- and longtime friend -- Jon Diamond. "He was on our Council for some 22 years, serving for 20 of these as Treasurer, a record of service that will surely be unsurpassed." "T Mark Hall's work benefited go players around the world," said American Go Association president Andy Okun. "We extend our thanks and deepest sympathies to our British go colleagues who so generously shared his gifts with us." John Fairbairn, Hall's longtime friend and GoGoD colleague, said that "British Go has been blessed with many fine servants, but very high among them will rank T Mark Hall.

Gala Night of Pair Go in Seattle

Published On 12/12/2013

Fourteen pairs of go players gathered at the Seattle Go Center Saturday night, December 7, for a gala dress-up event that included two rounds of Pair Go and three kinds of cake provided by the stylish Bakery Nouveau of Capitol Hill. Among the strong players, the winning team was "EASTWEST" - Momoko Tsutsui and Jon Friedman. TD Bill Chiles reported that the middle group was led by Deborah Niedermeyer and Brian Allen. The aptly named "DRESS TO KILL", Marilyn and Rainer Romatka, ruled the last group. Participants enjoyed door prizes from Pandanet Internet Go, while the winners received fans with calligraphy from the Go Center. At the end of the holiday evening, organizer Bill Thompson revealed his secret plan to make this an annual event, and there was no objection. Photo by Joe Schneider, report by Brian Allen

Published On 12/12/2013

Approximately 150 bridge, chess, draughts, go and xianqi players flew into Beijing Monday for the third SportAccord World Mind games, which run through December 18. Daily highlights are available on YouTube, click here for schedule and results and you can also follow the action on Facebook. Go, with 30 players, has the third largest contingent, behind bridge (48 players) and chess (32 players); 18 men and 12 women from China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, North America, Japan, and Korea. The men will compete as teams, the women as individuals, and the Games will also include pair events (see below for Michael Redmond's commentary on the Round 1 game between Danny Ko 7d and Ruiyang Zhou 9P).

Published On 12/12/2013

After a very calm start for both players, Lee Sedol 9P starts to attack in the middle game of the Samsung Game 2 final (Korean Fans Shocked By Loss in Samsung Cup Final As Tang Weixing 3P Sweeps Lee Sedol 9P) on [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013.12.12_SamsungGame2.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013.12.12_SamsungGame2.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]December 11, sparking a very exciting fight, where I've concentrated most of my comments. Tang Weixing 3P ably parries Lee's attack and after the dust settles it's a very close game. - Michael Redmond 9P

Published On 12/12/2013

“On Yang’s puzzle (12/10 Member’s Edition), did you mean white to play instead of black to play?” wonders Eric Osman. You are correct; sharp find! Sorry about that. We’ve updated the problem, so if you reload the tsumego problem link, you should see the correction.

Published On 12/12/2013

“Sitting in front of a clay oven in which the temperature is kept at 1,200 C, workers use a traditional tool to precisely drop melted materials onto an iron board,” reports ChinaDaily.com. “ As a result, crystal-clear Go pieces, which look like black jade along with the color white, immediately appear. This is how the world-famous Yunzi, the special Go pieces, are produced… Yunzi is short for Yunnan Go pieces, and has a history of more than 500 years. The ancient process of making Yunzi was lost towards the end ofthe Ming Dynasty. In 1974, researchers found the formula from ancient Go pieces and the process remained a secret…” Read more here (be sure to click on the photo to see the entire gallery of how the stones are made).

Published On 12/12/2013

Imagine sitting at your go board, playing through a game from a printed game commentary. You come to a point where you need further explanation, scan the QR code into your Smartphone, and go online for a tutorial. Or jump online to play the game with the aid of your laptop or tablet. Whichever works best for you, Cooper Stevenson wants to help you enjoy the beauty of the game with his new magazine, Formation. “I want to engage the initial spark people have when they first appreciate the game and carry them all the way to expert levels,” Stevenson told the EJ in a recent interview. “Learning go should feel like a journey through a scenic valley, discovering new treasures along the way.” The inaugural issue includes coverage of a merger to create a potentially major new server, the latest scientific evidence that go actually produces physical changes in the brain, and move-by-move commentary by Go Seigen on a classic encounter with Kitani from 1957. Stevenson adapted Jim Z.

Published On 12/11/2013

Chinese rising star Tang Weixing 3P (left) has overcome Korean legend Lee Sedol 9P (right) to claim the 2013 Samsung Cup. Before the match, played December 9-11 in Suzhou, China, Lee said that he was desperate to win for his country. Having won the Samsung Cup four times, Lee, the defending champion, was considered the favorite by many, including his challenger, but Tang, in his debut in an international final, showed nerves of steel to win the title 2-0. The first game was an intense battle that came to a thrilling climax in a complex ko fight. Many commentators thought that Lee had won this fight with some clever exchanges, as did Lee himself. However Tang was equal to the task, extending his threats and gaining enough from the ko to win by half a point. In the second game Lee, holding black, went on the offensive from the get-go and established a commanding position.

Published On 12/11/2013

After three successive years of declining participation, the Syracuse Go Club's Fall Self-Paired Tournament broke its all-time attendance record on November 23, with the 27 players more than doubling the attendance from the previous year. Players ranging in strength from 5d to 28k played 55 AGA-rated games. Bob Sollish 1d of Syracuse had the best individual record, with four wins and no losses against three other dan players and a 1k player. Every participant was able to select a prize to take home at the end of the day, including several discounted books provided by Slate and Shell. - report/photo by Richard Moseson photo: Xinde Ji 5d (left) plays an unrated high-handicap game with first-time participant Yan-Yeung Luk 13k, while Luk's daughter and a friend, also players in the tournament, look on.

Published On 12/11/2013

Ted Terpstra of the San Diego Go Club topped a field of 8 at the December 7-8 go section of the 2013 Las Vegas MindSports event. Sponsored by MindSports International, the event included other "brain" games such as chess, Scrabble, Magic: The Gathering and various miniature war-games. Runners-up in the 4-round go competition were locals Michael Wanek (LV Go Club) in second place and Jun-Suk Kim (LV Go Club) placed third; the three medal winners split a nearly $200 prize pot. During breaks, players were allowed to watch the other games at MindSports, watch sports in the Sports Book, or gamble at the gaming tables. “The event coincided with the National Finals Rodeo,” reports local organizer Chris Tettamanti, “and in the Venetian Hotel venue, there were plenty of places to buy authentic Western wear and cowboy gear. photo courtesy Chris Tettamanti

Published On 12/10/2013

The South London Go Club held a very successful teaching day and tournament for some two dozen kyu-players at the Quaker Meeting House, Croydon on Saturday December 7. In the morning three dan-grade volunteers from the British Go Association (BGA) gave 50-minute teaching sessions in rotation to three groups selected by grade, and in the afternoon each group played a Swiss tournament, while the teachers -- joined by Paul Smith 1d, who was escorting his young son Edmund to the event -- played a round-robin. For the teaching sessions, our correspondent "added a stone to the weak group": British Champion Andrew Kay 4d gave an extremely lucid presentation on probe stones, which he described as stones which ask a question of the opponent. It is though, he explained, actually a trick question designed so that however it is answered, it will receive a response which makes it the wrong answer.

Published On 12/9/2013

by John Power, EJ Japan Correspondent Japan Eliminated from Nong Shim: As reported last week, Japan made a bad start to the second round, held in Pusan, of the 15th Nong Shim Spicy Noodles Cup when its third player, Kono Rin 9P, was eliminated. Yuki Satoshi 9P also lost his first game, so it looked as if Japan might suffer the ignominy of going winless. Cho U averted that with a good win, but he lost the final game in the round, so the Japanese team has been eliminated. The experiment of blooding two young and inexperienced players (Yo Chito and Anzai Nobuaki; see our report on the opening round, played October 22-25) has not been a success, though in their defense one has to say they didn’t do much worse than their seniors. The final round will be played in Shanghai from February 25 to 28. China has three players left and Korea two. Results for the remaining games in this round follow: Game 6 (Dec. 3).

Published On 12/9/2013

“I taught go to 371 classroom teachers in 12 states last year,” Georgette Yakman (right) told the E-Journal over lunch recently on New York’s Upper West Side before heading home to Vermont. She had attended a math education conference to promote ST∑@M, the framework for integrated instruction she began to develop in 2006 (YOUTH GO: Improving School Scores 11/19/2007 EJ). ST∑@M has become a full time occupation, with certified educators and programs throughout the US and as far away as South Korea, where ST∑@M is now a part of the standard national curriculum for K-12 public schools. “When I help a school begin to apply the ST∑@M framework, I start with a two-day workshop,” she said. “I spend about two or three hours of that time teaching them go. It’s a perfect medium that pulls together science, technology and engineering concepts in a mathematical context – you need math skills to figure out who won – while also presenting challenges in the realm of the arts.

Mi Yuting Triumphs at 1st MLily Cup

Published On 12/8/2013

1st MLily Cup 2013The 1st MLily Cup finished on December 6 with China’s newest 9d player Mi Yuting (left) at the helm. On his journey to his breakthrough win, the 18-year-old Mi defeated Lee Sedol 9p, Kang Dongyun 9p, Kong Jie 9p, Dang Yifei 4p, and Wang Xi 9p. Final challenger Gu Li 9d hoped to end his three-year runner-up streak but Mi dominated 3-1. The MLily Cup is a biennial international go tournament sponsored by MLily Meng Baihe. It is intended to alternate with the Bailing Cup every other year. For more information about this year’s MLily Cup including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru. — Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Published On 12/8/2013

Nearly two dozen players braved wintry weather to attend the Evanston Go Club’s quarterly tournament on Saturday, December 7. “Nobody guessed the meaning of the tournament's name, ‘Caught Ya Nappin'" reports organizer Mark Rubenstein. The answer is that on December 7, 1991, The Recording Industry Association of America sued the peer-to-peer file-sharing service Napster, alleging copyright infringement, in A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. In an effort to increase tournament attendance, the entry fee for the next tournament in March 2014 will be free for anyone who has not attended an Evanston tournament in 2013. "We've averaged 34 players per tournament over the last 21 years", said Rubenstein, president of the Evanston Go Club. "This is our way of encouraging people who have been absent for a while to come back. See you in March!" Winners: Albert Yen 6d (left in photo), Ezra Teitelbaum 2k and Crystal Lin 14k.

Published On 12/8/2013

Allen Louderback 1k (right), won the upper division and Tai-An Cha 5k (left), won the lower division at the Davis/Sacramento Go Clu Winter Quarterly Tournament on December 7 at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. The Club Champions were announced for the club members who won the most games during the year, with Jeff Horn, 1d, winning the upper division and Jeff Murphy, 4k, winning the lower division. - report/photos by Willard Haynes

Published On 12/8/2013

German 5D Robert Jasiek has just released the seventh and eighth books in his series aimed at low- to mid-kyu players. “Go is so fascinating that I am not just a player but also a researcher in go theory and writing strategy books,” he writes on his website. Life and Death Problem 1 offers “life and death problems of different degrees of difficulty help kyu players to train their reading skill.” Jasiek told the EJ. “The answers explain every relevant variation, so that the reader learns to read correctly and consider all important moves. Theory teaches the fundamentals, attack and defense of the eyespace, the five major types of liberty shortage and basic reading principles. The study of all basic meanings of moves includes single and multiple threats.” Fighting Fundamentals, Jasiek's other new work, also aims to illustrate basic principles, rather than just showing problem after problem, hoping to give the kyu-level reader a "profound fighting foundation."

China & Japan Top Pair Go Futian Cup

Published On 12/7/2013

China and Japan split top honors at the "Futian Cup” 3rd Shenzhen International Pair Go Masters Tournament in China November 24-26. Chinese pros Kong Xiang-ming 8P and Ma Xiao-Chun 9P (right) bested three other professional pairs from South Korea (Yung Young-min 3P & Cho Hoon-Hyun 9P), Japan (Tomoko Ogawa 6P & Masaki Takemiya 9P) and Chinese Taipei (Wang Jing Yi 2P & Lin Hai Feng 9P) to win 100,000 Yuan (about $16,500), while the Japanese pair won the amateur division. Judy Debel of the Seattle Go Center and Ted Terpstra of the San Diego Go Club (at left) represented the American Go Association at the Futian Cup, placing fourth. China was second, and Europe was third. Click here for game records (playable on PandaNet) and photos.

EuroGoTV Update: Russia, UK, Serbia

Published On 12/7/2013

Russia: The Cup of Japan House finished December 1 in Moscow with Ilja Shikshin 7d in first, Igor Nemlij 5d in second, and Vadim Khavin 4d in third. UK: Bruno Poltronieri 3d bested Andrew Kay 4d in The Coventry at Warwick University on November 30. Yuanbo Zhang 4d placed third. Serbia: Also on November 30, Dusan Mitic 6d (left) won the 16th Serbian Individual Cup in Belgrade. Behind him were Nikola Mitic 5d and Dejan Krstic 4d. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 12/6/2013

The AGA and the Las Vegas Go Club are hosting a two-day, four-round AGA-rated go tournament as part of MSI’s second Las Vegas Mind Sports Festival this weekend. “Two days of non-stop game-play involving Go, Chess, Scrabble, Magic: The Gathering and a cornucopia of other games will quench the thirst of fans and players looking for a festival tournament quite like no other,” says the Las Vegas Go Club. “The blend of mind sports coupled with an unbeatable stay-and-play hotel package make it an experience not to miss.” Arrive by 9:30 a.m. Saturday, rounds at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. $100 top prize, others based on attendance. Best hat worn by a go player wins a box of Bendicks Bittermints. More info: Chris Tettamanti, 702-604-4000 or tettamanti@gmail.com.

Published On 12/5/2013

The 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China December 12-18. Contestants will compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in five disciplines: chess, contract bridge, draughts, go, and xianqi (Chinese chess). This year the go competition will include a round-robin men's team tournament, a double-knockout women's individual tournament, and a single-knockout pair-go tournament. China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Korea are each sending three men and two women.

Published On 12/5/2013

Thirty players (18 men and 12 women) from around the world -- China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea and North America -- will compete for major cash prizes in this year’s SportAccord World Mind Games, coming up December 12-18 in Beijing. Here are Michael Redmond’s 9P’s introduction and brief biographical sketches of the Japanese players. Redmond and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock will be providing play-by-play game commentary on the SAWMG YouTube channel as well as coverage in the EJ. click here to see the player roster and schedule. by Michael Redmond

Published On 12/5/2013

Cool 404 Message: Now that OGS merged with Nova, some of the Online-Go URLs don't work, reports avid OGS player Phil Straus, but “click here for a nice version of the 404 error message.”

Published On 12/4/2013

According to informed sources, plans are under way to hold the 2014 U.S. Go Congress at the Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan from August 9-16. “It’s a terrific location with easy access all that New York City has to offer,” the highly-placed source said. The Pennsylvania has previously hosted the East Coast Oza qualifiers. More details on the 2014 US Go Congress are expected to be announced soon.

Published On 12/4/2013

Second Round Of Nong Shim Cup Starts: Japan has made a bad start in the second round of the 15th Nong Shim Spicy Noodles Cup, which is being played in Pusan, Korea. In Game 5, played on December 2, Kang Tong-yun 9P of Korea (W) defeated Kono Rin 9P by resignation. Japan has yet to score a win, and only Yuki Satoshi 9P and Cho U 9P are left. Severe Penalty For Lateness: Unfamiliarity with Tokyo trains cost Arakaki Shun 9P of the Kansai Ki-in nearly one half of his time allowance in a game at the Nihon Ki-in on November 21. Arakaki got on a train going the wrong way on the Yamanote loop line and so was 27 minutes late. According to the rules, the time a player is late is tripled and deducted from the time allowance. With the one minute Arakaki actually spent on his first move thrown in, that meant that he lost one hour 22 minutes out of three hours on his first move. Not surprisingly, he lost the game.

EGF Launches Discussion Forum

Published On 12/4/2013

The European Go Federation (EGF) now has its' own discussion forum. The new platform for European go issues is intended for use by go organizers throughout Europe. "You can use this forum also for your tournament announcements, if you want to spread the information throughout Europe," says EGF President Martin Stiassny. "I will use this forum intensively, for announcements but also for answering your questions." One of the first posts on the forum is about a new team tournament in Guangzhou, China from December 19-26 "It is more or less a new team world championship," says Staissny. "It will be an amazing event. It will be held every two years and should be the tournament with the highest prize-money in China. Guangzhou has a super Go-Club, like Hangzhou. Although the flight-costs are not covered by the organizers, the prize-money for the amateur-teams is really surprising, and I see very good chances for teams from Europe to win this prize-money."

Berlin Feasts On Full Week of Go

Published On 12/4/2013

If go was food, Berlin go players would surely be loosening their belts after a sustained feast of the game last week, with the Go to Innovation Tournament kicking off Berlin Go Week, topped off with the Berlin Championship and followed by the Kranich Tournament for dessert.

Published On 12/3/2013

All-Chinese Final In LG Cup: The quarterfinals and semifinals of the 18th LG Cup were held in Inch’eon City in Korea on November 11 and 13. Chinese players had dominated the tournament so far, taking six of the eight quarterfinal places, but for once Japan had done better than Korea, with Takao Shinji and Iyama Yuta taking the other two places. However, this was as far as their luck held out, as they were both eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Published On 12/3/2013

Newcomer Makes Good Start In Honinbo League: Three players are undefeated after two rounds in the 69th Honinbo League. Two of them are heavyweights, Yamashita Keigo 9P and Kono Rin 9P; the surprise is that the third is league newcomer Ida Atsushi 7P (right). Born on March 15, 1994, Ida started out the year as a 4-dan, but jumped to 7-dan when he won a Honinbo seat. He is a member of the Central Japan (Nagoya) branch of the Nihon Ki-in. Ida’s second win came on November 14, when, playing white, he beat Yuki Satoshi 9P by resig.

Published On 12/2/2013

David Michael Drexler, 58, passed away November 27, 2013 in his beloved home. He was born June 15, 1955 in Rochester, New York. In his brief lifetime he accomplished much. He was a founding member and past president of the Oklahoma Unix Club, instrumental in forming the first go club in Oklahoma City (OKC), recognized by the American Go Association for his volunteer efforts in outreach and promotion of the game of go. He was a member and officer in the Oklahoma Traditional Music Association, playing the mountain dulcimer with astounding beauty and grace. In the early 1990s Drexler established Internet Access Plus, one of the first internet service provider companies in OKC. His many other loves included hiking in the Wichita Mountains, traveling to see friends and family in California, New York, Hawaii, and Alaska, cooking and bicycling. A memorial service will be held at 3pm, Tuesday, December 3, at Memorial Park Historic Cemetery Chapel. -Text courtesy of Dignity Memorial Online.

Published On 12/2/2013

Strasbourg Three-Peats as French Club Champs: For the third consecutive year, the Strasbourg Go Club has won the French Club Championship. The 11th French Club Championship -- also named “Master Lim Cup”, in honor of Eugene Lim, a great master in France since 1970 – was held November 23-24, with 14 teams competing in Dijon. The Strasbourg club team includes Motoki Noguchi 7d, Thomas Debarre 6d, Fred Donzet 5d and Antoine Fenech 5d. The Grenoble club took second, and Dijon, which hosted the event, finished third. Click here for team results and individual results. photo: the Strasbourg teams; photo by Antoine Fenech.

Published On 12/2/2013

Well-known Chinese pro Mingjiu Jiang 7P will do a weekend workshop at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27. “This is part of the Portland Go Club's continuing effort to bring a variety of pro players to Portland to teach players of all strengths,” reports local organizer Peter Freedman. Those interested in participating must let Freedman know asap and pay to insure a spot. Reach him at peter.freedman@comcast.net, call 503-242-4203 or send $100* to the Portland Go Club, c/o Peter Freedman, 1710 SW Harbor Way, Unit 303, Portland, OR. *There are reduced rates for students and children: college students pursuing a degree: $50; Children and youth up to age 18: $25. photo by Brian Allen

Club Corner: Be Tireless and Welcoming

Published On 12/2/2013

The following is a response to a discussion about increasing attendance at go clubs, which was initiated by Aulden Murch recently on the AGA-Chapters email list. It has been reprinted here with permission. by Eric Jankowski After running the Ann Arbor club for a decade, I moved to Colorado and have been largely invisible as an organizer for the last year. Having been both very and negligibly involved in running clubs, my feeling is that two ingredients are needed for sustainable growth: 1) a tireless advocate for the club who 2) understands the importance of creating an inclusive environment. I suspect we've all known someone with this rare combination at some point -- the Susan Weirs, Paul Barchilons, Greg Leflers, and Guo Juans, to name just a few. Those of us who try to build clubs may have even been that person occasionally, and can appreciate it is not a trivial effort to maintain. The great thing about the first ingredient is that it doesn't depend on rank.

Published On 12/1/2013

The third edition of the SportAccord World Mind Games is set for December 12-18 in Beijing. The American Go E-Journal will once again team up with Ranka to provide coverage this year, with Michael Redmond 9P and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock providing play-by-play game commentary on the SAWMG YouTube channel as well as coverage in the EJ. Thirty players (18 men and 12 women) from around the world -- China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea and North America -- will compete for major cash prizes; click here to see the player roster and schedule.

Go Art: Andrew Cole’s Game-Based Art

Published On 11/30/2013

Novice go player and artist Andrew Cole designs images based on specific games of go. “Quiet Garden” (right) “was based on a game played by Todd Blatt and Jianbo Liu on 9/21/06,” Cole tells the E-Journal. “I found the game in the 2007 AGA Yearbook.”

Published On 11/30/2013

"Someone was listening to Roger Schrag's comments in his article on "Go Spotting: Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland" (9/3 EJ)" writes Bob Joyce. Schrag wondered "Is the position on the go board (at left) viable?" and Joyce says "I visited the garden on Saturday, September 28th and the position of the stones had changed (right); however, even a beginner (like me) knows that go games do not begin in the middle of the board."

Published On 11/30/2013

The ‘GLOBIS Cup World Go U-20’, a new Japanese world championship for under-20 players, will be held May 8-11 2014 in Tokyo, the Nihon Ki-in has announced. The winner will win 3 million Japanese yen (about $30,000 USD) and all players will receive 35,000 JPY (about $350) for participating. Sixteen players under 20 years of age (as of January 1st 2014) will compete: six from Japan, three each from Korea and China, and one each from Chinese Taipei, Europe, North America and Oceania. “After the termination of the Fujitsu Cup, I am very glad to know that the Nihon Kiin is back to sponsor a world championship,” says AGA Vice President for International Affairs Thomas Hsiang. The AGA will soon announce a selection procedure for this tournament.

Published On 11/30/2013

Adrenalina will host the 2014 Barcelona Go Seigen Spanish final qualifying tournament on February 22 and 23. First through fourth places will receive portions of the 900 EU cash prize and books will be offered to the players with best results. Players who register before February 21 will receive discounts. Additionally, players who stay at the Alberguinn youth hostel will have the opportunity to room with other go players. To register or for more information about the tournament, please visit the Barcelona Go Seigen official website. The 2014 Avalanche tournament will take place during the same dates in Oulu, Finland. In addition to the games, Avalanche will also offer a go players' sauna evening and lectures by Su Yang 6d. Boasting the largest prize pool in Finland, cash prizes will be offered to the top three players. Registration fees are determined by rank, not by date. However, players under 18 years of age at the time of the tournament can enjoy a 5 EU discount.

Published On 11/29/2013

MLily 2014 jubangoThe dates for the much-anticipated match between Lee Sedol 9p (top left) and Gu Li 9p (bottom left) have finally been announced. The jubango, or ten-game match, will begin on January 26, 2014 in Beijing. Sponsor MLily will award the first player to win six games with 5 million RMB (approximately 820,000 USD). The other player will receive a consolation prize of 200,000 RMB (approximately 33,000 USD). If the score is tied 5-5, the prize will be split without a tie-breaker. “I think these two players are the best choice for a jubango, and the games will be very exciting,” said Liu Siming, president of the Chinese Weiqi Association. “There hasn't been a jubango like this in the last 70 years, but we've pushed ahead to make this one happen.” With twenty-one international titles between the two of them, Liu considers Lee and Gu “still the best” among today's top players. Liu also delivered the exciting news that each of the ten games will be played in a different city.

Published On 11/29/2013

Czech Republic: Lukas Podpera 5d (left) dominated the Go Baron Qualification on November 24 in Praha. Behind him were Jan Simara 6d in second and Jan Hora 6d third. Germany: Tobias Berben 4d bested Ji Lu 4d at the Rahlstedter Tengen, Gruppe A on November 17 in Hamburg while Tonny Claasen 4d placed third. Ukraine: At the J. Liedovskoj Memorial tournament in Kharkiv on November 10, Oleksandr Hilliazov 1k came in first, Mykhailo Kovalov 3d in second, and Oleh Lustenko 1k in third. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 11/29/2013

The Beckley Foundation, a British organization for consciousness and drug policy research, is appealing for passionate go players who have experience with psychedelic drugs to take part in research on LSD. Volunteers will participate in a scientific experiment using the latest brain-imaging technology to investigate changes in cerebral circulation and connectivity during go play after taking either a dose of the hallucinogenic drug or a placebo. The date and location have not yet been fixed, but the study is expected to take place in the new year, either at the organisation's headquarters at Beckley Park, Oxford or in London.

Kisei Match Final to Be Held in Madrid

Published On 11/28/2013

Nam-Ban Madrid Go Club will host the first game of the 38th Japanese Kisei Tournament in Alcala de Henares (Madrid) on January 11 and 12. Current Meijin and Honinbo title-holder Yamashita Keigo 9d (left) will battle defending champion Iyama Yuta 9d. In addition to the main tournament, Nam-Ban Madrid Go Club will also host an Open Side Tournament for amateur go players that will parallel the Kisei title match. Cash prizes will be available for first through fifth place along with additional prizes for the top three Spanish players and top five women players.

Published On 11/28/2013

Coming to grips with the truth that he will never earn a living playing baduk, a young man’s chance encounter with a local gangster finds him with a new pupil in Deo Seu-ton – The Stone – the 2010 Korean drama about the vastly different past and future of the two men. Check out the trailer here. Thanks to Devin Fraze for passing this along. This film made the rounds of international festivals last year but we’re not sure if it’s been released in the US; if anyone has info on where it can be seen, let us know.

AGA Website Streamlined For Easier Use

Published On 11/28/2013

The AGA website has undergone some significant changes in the last few months. All the favorites are still there, including news, ratings, youth go, and tournament information, but the main left-side navigation menu has been revised from the top down, focusing on reducing duplication and adding comprehensive titles. "We hope that information is easier to find,” says Greg Smith, AGA Website Volunteer and team leader of the reorganization, on which Roger Schrag, Paul Barchilon and Roy Laird also worked. “We spent a lot of time mapping out the existing content and placing each link into a larger flow of 'Learn, Play, Outreach, Teach' " The new Outreach section has pages dedicated to presentations and publicity including a dedicated section for handouts. And we created better access to information about the AGA itself: the elections and organizational information each have their own consolidated and categorized page.

Li Three-Peats in Young Lions

Published On 11/27/2013

Yunxuan Li 6d has won the American Go Honor Society's (AGHS) Young Lion’s tournament, for the third year in a row. “The tournament was very competitive,” writes organizer Calvin Sun, “with many new faces appearing this year. The first board topped the Active Games list, attracting almost 100 observers on KGS.” Competing on Nov. 16th and 17th, Li topped a field of 34 players with a 4-0 record. “The tournament was really great” Li told the E-Journal, “it is amazing to see new players each year. I want to thank the AGHS for giving this opportunity to North American youth, to compete and communicate with each other. All the games I played were so difficult. This was probably the most competitive year for the Young Lion’s yet." Li graciously agreed to provide commentary on his crucial 2nd round match with Jimmy Yang 5d, and the attached game record is a freebie for all E-J readers.

Published On 11/26/2013

The North American delegation to this year’s SportAccord World Mind Games – coming up December 12-18 in Beijing – includes Daniel Ko and Huiren Yang from the US and Sarah Yu and Yongfei Ge from Canada. The American Go E-Journal will once again team up with Ranka to provide coverage this year, with Michael Redmond 9P and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock providing play-by-play game commentary on the SAWMG YouTube channel as well as coverage in the EJ.

Published On 11/25/2013

Andrew Kay 4d retained the British Championship on Saturday November 23, after concluding a straight 2-0 victory over challenger Andrew Simons 4d in the best-of-three final. Kay first took the title in 2012, after manytime Championship winner Matthew Macfadyen 6d retired. This year the reigning Champion waived his right to bypass the initial qualifying Candidates' tournament, winning that round to enter the Challengers' League from which the finalists emerge (see Simons to Challenge Kay for British Championship, EJ 5/27). In the first game of the final, played on November 16, Simons (B) resigned whilst in byo yomi. In the second, Kay (B) - known for his fast and combative play - once again squeezed Simons for time, pushing him into byo yomi with nearly an hour of main time (out of three) left on his own clock. Simons ran out of time in his fourth period of byo yomi. However, comments by referee Tim Hunt suggest Simons probably had about a four-point lead when his flag fell.

Published On 11/25/2013

The Seattle Go Center plans to present a gala evening of Pair Go on Saturday, December 7, when there will be a two-round Pair Go tournament featuring a dessert buffet sponsored by Bakery Nouveau of Seattle and prizes for the top teams. The tournament will be played by International Pair Go rules, so participants are encouraged to dress in formal or semi-formal attire. Registration for the tournament will be open between 6p and 6:45p with the first round beginning at 7p. The fee for participants is $5 for annual and lifetime members of the Seattle Go Center, $5 for children under 18 and $10 for non-member adults. Photo and photo styling by Anne Thompson.

Published On 11/25/2013

A new East Coast Go Center tops the list of projects of the new Iwamoto North America Foundation (INAF), the result of a collaborative agreement with the American Go Association (AGA) approved today by the Nihon Kiin (NK) Board of Directors. The Foundation is named in honor of the late Kaoru Iwamoto and will be funded by the sale of the New York Go Center. “This is a tremendously exciting development in the history of American go,” said AGA president Andy Okun. “

Published On 11/22/2013

"In the movie Heathers (1989, at right), in Veronica’s room, before the hanging scene. - Michael Wall "In the October 26 issue of The Economist, on page 8, there is a photo of a couple of old-timers playing Baduk. Underneath is the rather dispiriting label: 'Not much else to do.'" - Bob Barber "The latest episode (102) of Hunter X Hunter featured go. When describing the game, one character says, 'It may look simple at first, but it is a complex game.' They play a game, and discuss the general strategy of disrupting your opponents rhythm." - Nick Prince

Published On 11/22/2013

The potentially decisive Game 2 of the British Championship (British Championship to Feature “The Two Andrews” 11/3 EJ) will be broadcast on KGS in the English Room (not the British Room, as previously reported) on Saturday, November 23. Broadcast will start at 10a UCT; look for the game owned by BGAadmin, or from 11a, a clone owned by guojuan with her professional audio commentary and analysis. Kay won the first game, so if he wins tomorrow he retains the title. - Tony Collman, British correspondent for the EJ

Published On 11/22/2013

Sunday is the deadline go-playing university/college students under the age of 30 to register for the qualifying prelim for the 12th World Students Go Oza Championship, which will be held February 24-28, 2014 in Tokyo. Sixteen students from around the world will gather in Japan to decide the world’s number one student player. There will be an online preliminary round on Pandanet to select the 16 student players. Click here for details. University/college students under the age of 30 are eligible to participate.

Published On 11/21/2013

Who will be the next American pro? Eight young North American go players will battle it out for the honor and opportunity early next year in Los Angeles at the second AGA Pro Certification Tournament. The field includes four Americans and four Canadians, all of whom are quite young. 24-year-old Eric Lui, who used to be among the youngest at tournaments is the oldest participant in this tournament. Lui and Jianing Gan (17) are both seeded players from the previous Pro Qualification Tournament; Calvin Sun (16) and Bill Lin (17) qualified at this year’s US Go Open; Ben Lockhart (20) qualified at the Gotham Go Tournament; Daniel Gourdeau (20) qualified at the Canadian Open, Andrew Lu (16) at the Cotsen Open and Ryan Li (19) was the last qualifier, winning last Sunday’s Online Pro Prelim. The AGA Pro Certification Tournament will be held January 2-8 in Los Angeles and all boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal.

Published On 11/21/2013

“I recently spotted go in the anime ‘Bleach’" reports Tyler Keithley. “Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a screenshot, but it is shown briefly about midway through Episode 258, titled ‘Stray Snake, Tortured Monkey’". Matthew Clark spotted go in Star Trek: Enterprise. “In Season 2, Episode 22 at 29:45, there is a scene with commander Tucker and an alien he is trying to teach to think for herself,” Clark reports. “After showing the alien the film ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’, they are playing go on a floor board in the Commander's quarters. Tucker says that after just one day of instruction, the alien is able to beat him,” which had taken others months to achieve.

Published On 11/20/2013

"I am a high school student who is also a 5 Duan go player from Shanghai, China," writes Liwei (David) Xu. "Although I continue my study, I have never given up my hobby. And I am preparing for the application of the US univeristies and I have already achieved my SAT and TOEFL scores. I hope to keep on my hobby in the university. I want to study in a university with the background of go in the US; can you give me some advice?" "We are always delighted to hear about strong young players who are coming here!" responded EJ Youth Editor Paul Barchilon "To learn more about which colleges have a strong go playing community, visit the ACGA website." He also suggested the Xu plan to attend the annual US Go Congress, and reach out to some of the strong players here in America, "many of whom are involved in organizing go activities in various schools."

Published On 11/20/2013

The architect heading up restoration of the historic Hotel Normandie in Los Angeles has donated use of its function rooms for the upcoming second AGA Pro Qualification Tournament January 2-8 in Los Angeles (more details coming soon; meanwhile check out this Online Qualifier game from last Sunday between Jie Liang and Ryan Li which features lots of fighting spirit and really complicated fighting).

Published On 11/20/2013

"I read the article on Yunxuan Li pulling in 100 teens to his Go club (Yunxuan Li On How His LA School Club Pulled in 100 Teens 11/5 EJ)," writes Sid Kobashigawa of the Honolulu Go Club. "Can you get a copy of the attractive poster, good flyers and handouts he used to draw these teens. He mentioned these were key to drawing so many students to his club. The story was great but if we want to duplicate what Yunxuan is doing let's share the actual items that he used so that go will spread." - Editor's response: While Li's club is off to a great start, his materials are fairly specific to his club and won't be that useful for other locations.

EuroGoTV Update: Hungary, Italy, Poland

Published On 11/20/2013

Hungary: The European Baduk Competition finished November 17 in Budapest with Pal Balogh 6d in first, Csaba Mero 6d in second, and Ondrej Silt 6d in third. Italy: Also on November 17, 2k bested Andrea Mori 3k at the Gladiatore 2013 in Rome. Mika Straka 6k placed third. Poland: Bartlomiej Zuchowski 2k took the title at the Pierwszy Turniej Go Ozarowa Mazowieckiego on November 17. In second and third place were Kamil Konieczny 5k and Piotr Kucharski 11k. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 11/18/2013

The Wisonet Go Club in New Jersey is organizing a slow-game tournament November 28-29 in central New Jersey. Unlike most weekend tournaments, the time limits will be two hours per player, two rounds per day and winners will qualify to advance to rounds that will be played in subsequent months. Organizer Ronghao Chen expects the whole event to last "three or four months" and says it's intended to give dan players a chance to play higher quality games. Kyu level players can join the tournament by special approval only. The tournament will be held at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, NJ. Contact Chen at chenronghao@yahoo.com or call him at 908-872-6202 for more information.

Published On 11/18/2013

The first game of the 38th Kisei title match will be hosted in Alcalá de Henares by the Nam Ban Madrid Go Club on January 11-12, in accordance with the tradition that this title's first game is played outside Japan. Iyama Yuta 9P (left), current holder of six of the seven major Japanese titles including this most prestigious of them all (see the Power Report (Part 1): Iyama’s New Records, EJ 10/3), will be challenged by Yamashita Keigo 9P. Yamashita, who won this year's Kisei A-league, beat B-league winner Murakawa Daisuke 7P on November 14 in a decider for the Kisei challenger.. The game in Spain will be played over two days, with eight hours main time each, and is the first of a best-of-seven series to decide the title. In addition, there will be a 4-round amateur open side tournament, scheduled so that participants can easily keep up with developments in the Kisei.

Published On 11/17/2013

A go hothouse sprang up in Letchworth Garden City, UK the weekend of November 8-10, when 14 of the UK's strongest and most promising players congregated at the home of Letchworth Go Club organizers Simon and Alison Bexfield (see New Go Club Blooms in UK's Garden City, EJ 4/5) for an intensive weekend honing their go skills under the guidance of Juan Guo 5P. Juan, famous for her Internet Go School and a frequent attendee at US Go Congresses, flew in from her home in Holland to be there. Co-host and participant Alison Bexfield 2d (pictured, right of center) described the event as "inspirational", explaining that "the weekend was one of a series run by the British Go Association over the past few years to encourage the development of the leading UK players." The program was developed by British Pair Go Champion Kirsty Healey who also organizes the weekends, which are aimed at increasing the number of players with a European Rating (GoR) over 2400.

Published On 11/17/2013

The Portland Go Club is looking for volunteers to help them staff a booth at Mochitsuki, a traditional Japanese New Year's celebration scheduled for Sunday, January 26, 2014 (the Year of the Horse) from 11am to 4 pm."We'll have a booth and are looking for 2-4 volunteers to man/woman it and teach interested people how to play," says Peter Freedman. "Volunteers will be able to attend Mochitsuki for free. It's a great holiday and if you like Japanese food you are in for a treat." The event will be held at the Scottish Rite Center - 1512 SW Morrison Street, Portland, Oregon; contact Freedman at peter.freedman@comcast.net.

Published On 11/17/2013

Book Review of Lee Sedol’s Commented Games: Volume II (Baduktopia) by Fritz Balwit The arrival of the English version of Lee Sedol’s Commented Games Volume I in 2011 fulfilled a dream of our go study group: a high-quality, detailed view into the highest levels of the art of go as practiced by the Korean super-talents. We had worked our way through stacks of old Go Worlds, graduated Slate and Shell’s magnificent Fairbairn volumes on Go Seigen’s famous Jubangos. But here was something new and different: Lee Sedol, the world’s number one player famed for games of staggering complexity, uncompromising fighting spirit, quadruple ko and half-point wins. I was immediately struck by the superb quality of the books. Everything from the paper to the layout and its large diagrams made for a most enjoyable reading experience. There are just three games in each volume, but the depth of the commentary more than compensates.

Published On 11/16/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Precise Counting At The Spicy Noodles Cup: According to an article on the fourth game of the Nong Shim Spicy Noodles Cup (full details of the opening round given in my previous report), there was some precise counting going on. At the end of the game, Fan Tingyu (right), who had won three games in a row, and Kang Tongyun were engaged in a half-point ko fight. Fan calculated that he had one fewer ko threat and that losing the ko would lose the game by half a point, so he resigned. If the game had continued, four ko threats (and replies) and four ko captures were the only moves remaining, apart from filling a few dame points, so the game was very close to being finished anyway, but Fan decided not to waste further time. Apparently it’s not unusual for Chinese players to resign half-point losses, but that shows a lot of confidence in your counting.

Published On 11/16/2013

"I am demanding a recount!" Richard Bozulich tells the E-Journal after his bid for New York City Comptroller came up short last week. With his 1,124 votes lagging even the 5th-place candidate, however -- and well behind winner Scott Stringer's 782,703 votes -- the longtime go writer's chances look vanishingly slim. Bozulich was nominated by the Personal Freedom Party to be its candidate for Comptroller after the party was notified that Kristin Davis, its original nominee, was ineligible (Richard Bozulich Reportedly Throws Hat Into New York Comptroller Race 7/17 EJ). "It would be fantastic for go in New York and around the world if I became comptroller," said the undeterred Bozulich, who turned up at the recent Cotsen Open. "With $111 billion in pension funds to play with, go would become the most popular game in the world." photo: Bozulich (at left), glimpsed at the recent Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, talking to AGA President Andy Okun; photo by Chris Garlock

LA Go Clubs Demo Go at Expo

Published On 11/12/2013

Pasadena's Yu Go Club -- with support from other area clubs -- participated in Pacific Media Expo's three-day expo in the LAX Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles last weekend. "People who had never seen the game were introduced to it, learned the rules and enjoyed playing against other beginners," reports Joe Walters. Yu Go Club members Ross Secrest, Greg Kulavich, Jiaying "Jerry" Shen, and Walters were assisted by Samantha Davis of the Santa Monica Go club and Jermelle MacCleod of the Woodland Hills Go club. The Yu Go Club is sponsored by Reiyukai America. photo by Joe Walters

Published On 11/11/2013

Bay Area Go Players Association held its Fall Go Tournament November 2nd in Berkeley, CA. Thirty nine players gathered for four rounds of play, free pizza, and a lunchtime discussion of go problems led by Matthew Burrall 7d. For the second tournament in a row, Naoyuki Kai 7d (AGA rating 8.61) (in photo at right) led the top division with a 4-0 record. "This time we added a fourth division so that more players would win prizes," reports organizer Roger Schrag. While the top division had a strong field including Naoyuki, Redmond Cup winner Aaron Ye 6d, and USYGC winner Jeremy Chiu 5d, all strengths were well represented. Half a dozen high school students from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino came out to play, most of them in the 20 to 25 kyu range. In all, six kids and four adults joined the AGA at the tournament. Bay Area Go’s Winter Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, February 22nd, 2014, again in Berkeley. Details will be posted soon at www.bayareago.org.

Published On 11/11/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Honinbo League's Second Round Nearly Completed: The first round of the 69th Honinbo League was completed on the last day of its specified month of October. In the fourth game, Cho U 9P (B) defeated Sakai Hideyuki 8P by resignation. Three of the four games in the second round were played on November 6. Yamashita Keigo 9P (B) beat Cho U by resig.; Takao Shinji 9P (B) beat Sakai Hideyuki by resig. and Kono Rin 9P (B) beat Yo Seiki 7P by resig. Yamashita and Kono lead the league with two wins each. Takao and Cho are 1-1; Ida Atsushi 7P is 1-0; Yuki Satoshi 9P is 0-1; and Yo and Sakai are both 0-2. When he set a new record by winning a place in the league at the age of 18, Yo Seiki (right) was hailed as a coming star, but he has had a tough initiation into top-level play.

Published On 11/10/2013

Tang Weixing secured his place in the 2013 Samsung Cup Final when he defeated Shi Yue 9p in Daejeon, Korea on November 7. Though he lost his first match, Tang's keen eye and perseverance through games two and three led him to victory. Meanwhile, Lee Sedol 9p (left) had a similar journey on his route to the final. Korean fans worried when a misread in his first match caused Lee to surrender to opponent Wu Guangya 6p. However, he quickly recovered and sailed through games two and three. The finals will be held December 9-12 in Suzhou, China and broadcast live on Baduk TV. Defending champion Lee will be going for his fifth Samsung Cup title while Tang will be making his international debut. If Tang wins, China will close the year as winner of all the 2013 major international tournaments. Will Lee's veteran status be enough to carry the flag for Korea? Tune in to find out!

EuroGoTV Update: Russia, Spain, Sweden

Published On 11/10/2013

2013 spanish openRussia: Ilja Shikshin 7d defeated rival Alexander Dinerchtein 7d in the Japan Ambassador Cup in Moscow on October 27 while Dimitrij Surin 6d placed third. Spain: The XIV Spanish Open finished on November 3 with Yue Li 5d (left) in first, Shizuo Kato 6d in second, and Ignacio Cernuda 3d in third. Sweden: Also on November 3, Antti Tormanen 6d bested Yaqi Fu 6d and Klas Almrot 4d came in third at the Gothenburg Open. – Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 11/10/2013

A photo of Kim Sooyong and Jeon JunhakKim Sooyang and Jeon Junhak, representing Korea, won the 24th International Amateur Pair Go Championship, held in Tokyo, Japan from November 2-3. The pair (at right) won with five straight wins, after a close final-round game with Oda Ayako and Nagayo Kazumori from Japan. Lin Hungping and Lo Shengchieh, from Taiwan, were the runners up. Japan's Oda and Nagayo finished in third place and were crowned the Japanese Amateur Pair Go Champions. The highest finishing team from outside of Asia were Natalia Kovaleva and Dmitry Surin, from Russia, who finished 4th. Olga Silber and Benjamin Teuber, representing Germany, and Irina Davis (née Suciu) and Lucretiu Calota, from Romania, also finished strongly – in 9th and 11th place respectively. Rita Li and Bill Lin, who represented Canada, finished in 19th place and the USA's Amy Wang and Justin Ching finished 25th. Full results are available on the International Amateur Pair Go page.

Hwang In-seong To Guest At London Open

Published On 11/10/2013

Hwang In-seong (left) will be special guest this year at the London Open, the UK's largest go tournament, which runs from December 28-31, ending with a New Year's Eve meal and drinks (Upcoming European Tournament: London Open Go Congress, EJ 10/30). Hwang, a Korean national, was a yeongusaeng - the equivalent of a Japanese insei - although he never made pro status. He is now resident in Europe, where he is the second highest-ranked player on the European Go Database (after Fan Hui), graded at 8d* with a GoR of 2802.
Eurogotv reported this week that Hwang will be in Berlin, Germany to play in the 16th Go to Innovation tournament November 22-24 - which he has previously won six times in a row - and the Berliner Kranich the following weekend.
Click here for Hwang's interview with Eurogotv in May this year, where he discusses, amongst other things, his decision to quit yeongusaeng, his move to Europe and his teaching activities, including his own Yunguseng internet go academy.

Published On 11/8/2013

The AGA and the Las Vegas Go Club are hosting a two-day, four-round AGA-rated go tournament as part of MSI’s second Las Vegas Mind Sports Festival in December. The festival also features chess, scrabble and Magic: The Gathering, Dec. 7-8 at the Palazzo. To register or find out more information, contact Andy Okun at president@usgo.org. “It was a fun event back in July and should be better this time,” said Okun. “Lots of gamers in attendance and we even had the chance to teach go to some kids and some chess players.” Arrive by 9:30 a.m. Saturday, rounds at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. $100 top prize, others based on attendance. Best hat worn by a go player wins a box of Bendicks Bittermints.

Go Art: xkcd's latest

Published On 11/8/2013

Go makes another appearance in xkcd, "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." Thanks to our many readers who tipped us off. "Don't forget to hover over the comic (on the xkcd site) for more joke," says Steve Colburn.

Published On 11/8/2013

A calendar mix-up resulted in a bonus meal at the Massachusetts Go Association's Fall Tournament on October 20 in Somerville. When TD Eva Casey discovered at the last minute that the Boylston Chess Club was double-booked, she arranged for the tournament's first round to be held at the Dragon Garden Chinese Restaurant across the street. The only "catch" was that players would have to lunch at the Dragon Garden, which they gladly did. " It turned out the Chess Tournament had low turnout and was over at 2pm," Casey reports, "so we were able to share the chess space for Round 2, and had it to ourselves for Rounds 3 and 4." A total of 27 players ranging from 20 kyu to 4 dan participated, and the three four-game winners were Steven Wu 4d (in striped blue shirt at front left), John Uckele 10 k and Chia Chan 5k.

Lee, Meyer, Jung Win Colorado Tourney

Published On 11/7/2013

Jung Hoon Lee 7d, Robert Meyer 5k, and Andrew Jung 11k, all won their divisions at the Rocky Mountain Fall Go Tournament, held Nov. 2nd in Aurora, CO. 25 players competed, including 13 youth, who kept the affair lively. The tournament was run by Alex Yavich, 3d. Lee was back in prime form this time around (after an uncharacteristic loss at last April's tournament), with a perfect record. Solomon Smilack 3d also scored a perfect record, but lost to Lee on a tiebreaker. Meyer, up from the Colorado Springs Go Club, won his first three rounds, but lost the fourth. He also won on a tiebreaker though, narrowly edging out pint sized terror Robin Luo 1k, who is only nine years old. In the double digit kyu bracket Andrew Jung 11k fought neck and neck with Stas Irisov 12k. Both won three games, but Jung defeated Irisov to win his section.

Published On 11/5/2013

“I started a go club in my school this year, and more than 100 people signed up in the first week,” reports Yunxuan Li 6d, a sophomore at Diamond Bar High, a suburb in the LA metro area. Li, who has won the Young Lions Tournament for the past two years in a row, is well known on the AGA circuit, having also been a Redmond Cup finalist, and representing the US at the 2013 Samsung World Baduk Masters Championship. “In the game of go, there are no formulas or equations,” says Li, “it is all about creating your own tactics and solutions to everything. In a way, it is very similar to life. I was very happy to see my club be successful because it showed that people appreciate and are interested in this wonderful game. We have had five meetings so far, with 30-50 people showing up and participating actively. I have taught everyone the basic steps slowly and they all seem to understand the process very well.” Li has a few tips for youth who want to start a club at their school.

Published On 11/4/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Iyama Starts Well In Tengen And Oza Title Defences: There’s no rest for Iyama: he had almost no time to bask in the glory of winning the Meijin as he was immediately engaged in two more title matches. There are no signs yet that the accumulated fatigue from continuous top-level play is affecting his play; to the contrary, he now has seven wins in a row in title-match games. The first game of the 39th Tengen title match was held in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, on October 21, with the challenger, Akiyama Jiro 9P (right), making his title-match debut. The two haven’t played each other much, and so far Akiyama had a good record against Iyama of 3-1; he won the first three games they played, starting in 2008, then Iyama picked up his first win in the Kisei League in 2010. Iyama, playing white, won the opening Tengen game, but things didn’t go smoothly.

Published On 11/4/2013

finnish women's championship 2013Portugal: Pedro Carmona 2k bested Cristovao Neto 1d at the 2013 Porto Open on October 27 while Jose Teles-Menezes 7k came in third. Turkey: Also on October 27, the 6th Bursa Go Tournament finished in Bursa with Ozgur Degirmenci 2d in first, Emre Bektore 1d in second, and Engin Serkan Solmazoglu 1d in third. Finland: Suvi Rovio 2d (left) won the Finnish Women's Championship in Helsinki on October 20. Luciana Voutilainen 1k came in second and Helena Niinisalo 1k placed third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news; photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Go Spotting: Fujisawa Shuko Documentary

Published On 11/4/2013

E-Journal reader Zhiping You sent us a link to a terrific 2009 NHK documentary about Fujisawa Shuko that's been posted on YouTube with English narration. The 26-minute video provides an excellent overview of Fujisawa's fascinating life, with an emphasis on his role as a stern but inspirational teacher for many top players. One of the best players of his era, Fujisawa was one of the "Three Crows" along with Toshiro Yamabe and Suzuki Keizo (and later Kajiwara Takeo). Even though he was known for controversial acts, such as a drinking habit, his go skill shone through. Besides go, he was known for gambling and was a successful real estate dealer. He was also known for his calligraphy and had several exhibits of his works. Fujisawa, a student of Fukuda Masayoshi, began studying at the Nihon Kiin in 1934 and turned pro in 1940.

Published On 11/3/2013

A spectacular, all-out battle for the British Championship is expected this month between "The Two Andrews." Andrew Simons 4d (left) will challenge Andrew Kay 4d (right) for the title in the best-of-three British Championship final, set for November 15 and 23. The games, with three hours main time per player, will be played at 10a UTC on 11/15 and 11a on 11/23 in Milton Keynes at the home of Tim Hunt, who will referee. They will be broadcast online in the British Room on the KGS server with live commentary throughout from Alexandre Dinerchtein 3p (11/15) and Guo Juan 5p (11/23). The champ and his challenger are the best of friends and also the greatest of rivals, having both risen to dan level during the same period at Cambridge University Go Club, which will lend a special edge to the competition. In this summer's European Open, Simons finished 38th while Kay came 58th so a strong challenge is expected as well as a determined defense of the title.

Published On 11/3/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Iyama’s New Records: As reported previously (Iyama Yuta Achieves Rare ‘Triple Crown’ with 38th Meijin Victory 10/19) Iyama Yuta won the fifth game of the 38th Meijin title match, played on October 16-17, taking the title from Yamashita Keigo with a 4-1 score. Iyama did very well to win four games in a row after losing the opening game of the best-of-seven, though Yamashita did make a gift of the third game. By making a comeback as Meijin after an absence of two terms, Iyama not only won his 20th title, he also became the second player to win the Big Triple Crown of Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo. As usual, he set a record as the youngest so far (age 24 years four months). As the same time, he reassembled his sextuple crown, with the Meijin replacing the Judan. Since there was a gap, this counts as the second time he has held a sextuple crown. The previous player to hold the Big Triple Crown is Cho Chikun or 25th Honinbo Chikun.

Young Lions Deadline Nov. 10

Published On 11/1/2013

There’s still time to sign up for the American Go Honor Society's Young Lions Tournament," reports Tournament Organizer Calvin Sun 7d. "Anyone 18 or younger is welcome to come play on Nov. 16 and 17, on KGS. Tell your friends and go club members to sign up. Young Lions has been a big success in previous years, don’t miss this great opportunity to have fun and show that you are worthy to lead the pack! Click here to sign up by Nov. 10th. A confirmation email will be sent one week before the tournament date," says Sun. For more information, e-mail aghsregister@gmail.com or visit the AGHS website at aghs.cc. -Photo from Wild Encounters.

Published On 10/30/2013

AGA On-Line Games are off to a promising start since opening on October 1. "This program offers players an opportunity to play seriously but with a minimum of formality with a wide range of players of different strengths and styles," says organizer Bob Gilman. "The simuls with AGA volunteers 4 dan and above offer a chance to test yourself and to see techniques and board vision that you may not ordinarily see in your games." Registration remains open. For the self-paired tournament, there are 50 players now registered, with the following distributions: 1d-9d: 10; 1k-5k: 20; 6k-10k: 7; 11k+: 10; no tournament rating yet assigned: 3. Tthrough October 26th, 37 players have participated in simuls with AGA volunteers ranked 4 to 7 dan. The simuls are held in the AGA Community Room on KGS. Upcoming simuls are posted in the AGA events calendar. The full schedule is available here.

Published On 10/30/2013

LOGCThe 40th Annual London Open Go Congress will take place December 28-December 31 at the International Student House in London. The top three places will receive cash prizes and additional prizes will be offered to the winners of the Lightning and Pair Go tournaments. For players who register before December 15, the entry fee is 47 GBP. Students receive a 5 GBP discount and juniors (under 18) can play for 27 GBP. Players must register before December 15 to receive these prices as the fees will increase for players who register on or after December 15. Additionally, all players can receive discounted rates should they choose the International Students House for their accommodations. Players who stay at ISH will also receive a continental breakfast voucher and free wifi. To register or for more information including the full schedule, rules, and current registered players, visit the official London Open Go Congress website.

Published On 10/30/2013

Twenty American Go Association members turned out for the AGA ratings tournament held in the Twin Cities (MN) this past weekend. "We were extremely pleased with the turnout," reports Tournament Director Aaron Broege. The players ranged in strength from 3 dan to 19k. Leading the tournament with at least three wins each were Michael Albert 14k, Mark Gerads 10k and Nqua Xiong 3k. Players with "notable endurance for playing the most games" were Bo Hessburg 3k, 6 games; Matt Mayer 4k, 5 games and Nqua Xiong 3k, 5 games. photo: Peter Hansmeier 3d playing against Peter Nelson 3d; Hansmeier won by just 1.5 points. photo by Aaron Broege

Published On 10/28/2013

Slovenia: The 2013 Slovenian Championship finished October 20 in Fiesa with Gregor Butala 5d in first, Leon Matoh 5d in second, and Timotej Suc 3d in third. Norway: Also on October 20, Micael Svensson 1d bested Jakob Bing 3d at the 2013 Norwegian Championship in Oslo while Paal Sannes 3d placed third. Hungary: Dominik Boviz 4d (left) won the Visegrad Countries International Go Tournament in Budapest on October 20. Renato Tolgyesi 1d took second and Gyorgy Gsizmadia 4d came in third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 10/28/2013

Beumgeon (Evan) Cho defeated Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu in an edge-of-the-seat nailbiting Round 5 victory on Sunday to win the 2013 Cotsen Open. The thrilling last-round contest between the two undefeated players -- Liu was going for a bi-coastal sweep after winning the Gotham Open earlier this month in New York City -- drew a crowd in the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles as well as online where observers watched Myungwan Kim 9P's live analysis of the game. In third place was Eric Lui, Won Sik Lee took 4th place, Calvin Sun 5th and Andrew Lu 6th. Santa Monica won the $1,000 Club Champion prize, Orange County was second and Tucson third. In other division results, Anders Kierulf won Division A (4d-3d), Daniel Alvira won Division B (2d-1d), Jung Kang won Division C (1-5k), Gary Huang won Division D (6-11k) and Charles Polkiewicz won Division E (12k+). Click here for the final crosstab and see below for game records. photos: at right: Cho (center) with tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen (right)

Published On 10/28/2013

Players have until this Friday, November 1st to register for the upcoming Pro Qualification Tournament on KGS, scheduled for November 9, 10, 16 and 17. The event is open to US and Canadian citizens who meet a minimal residency requirement and have either an AGA rating or stable KGS rank of 5d or higher. Competitors should also be members of AGA or CGA. The winner will be invited to participate in the pro selection tournament in Los Angeles Jan. 2-8, receiving an $800 travel subsidy. Players can register for the tournament here. Upon registration players should also submit a copy of their US or Canadian passport. The residency requirement is that players have lived in the US or Canada for at least three of the last six years or else obtain a waiver from the AGA president based on their time overseas being temporary and for the purpose of education, go study or an overseas posting. Anyone with questions about the tournament should contact Karoline Burrall Li at tournaments@usgo.org.

Published On 10/27/2013

Before a single stone had been played at this weekend's Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, two announcements drew sustained and resounding applause from the 140 gathered players. First was tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen's confirmation that "funding has been secured for the next four Cotsen Opens," guaranteeing the return of the popular annual event through 2017. The second was Asian Go Federation (AGF) President Dae-won Suh's announcement that plans are in the works for a Korean Baduk Cup in spring 2014, to be held, like the Cotsen, at the Korean Cultural Center.

Justin Teng Wins NOVA Pumpkin Classic

Published On 10/27/2013

Justin Teng 6d celebrated his birthday by winning the annual NOVA Pumpkin Classic on October 27 with a 4-0 score. Other divisional winners in the 20-player field were: Nathan Epstein 2k, Edward Lane 7k, Anderson Barreal 10k, and Sarah Crites 19k. Taking second in their divisions were: Ray Hunley 1d, Yukino Takehara 1k, Robert Ehrlich 5k, Garrett Smith 9k, and Bob Crites 9k. All winners took home the traditional pumpkin. - report/photo by Gurujeet Khalsa, Tournament Director

Published On 10/26/2013

"I am wondering if there is a typographical error in last week's 'Capture Go' story, when Mr. Jayaraman says, 'We call the game we teach go, not Capture Go,” writes veteran organizer Jean DeMaiffe, a graduate of Yasuda Sensei's International Go Teacher Certification Program. “Surely the organizers are going to call their game 'Capture Go' or better still, as Yasuda-sensei calls it, 'The Capture Game'. I have taught 'The Capture Game' as part of my Go curriculum for years and can readily attest to the importance of clearly differentiating between the goals of the two games. After learning to play capture, most of my students consistently need to be refocused on capturing territory, rather than just stones. Thanks for your help in setting one or more of us straight on this issue." “Our curriculum is meant to serve less as an introduction to regulation go than as an in-depth introduction to the underlying principles of the game,” responds Jayaraman

Published On 10/26/2013

The food truck and masseuses are confirmed, the boards and clocks have been set up and the Koreans professionals await the arrival of players at the 2013 Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, CA today, one of the most competitive tournaments outside the annual U.S. Go Congress. Registration opens at 8a sharp at the Korean Cultural Center (5505 Wilshire Blvd) and walk-ins are welcome to compete for thousands in individual and club prizes. The tournament fee is completely refundable for players attending both days (three rounds Saturday and two rounds Sunday), and the lunches are free both Saturday and Sunday. For those unable to attend, follow the top-board action LIVE on KGS as the American Go E-Journal team broadcasts games on the USGO accounts, and look for updates on the AGA website as well as in daily EJ updates. photo: setting up Friday at the Cotsen; report/photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 10/26/2013

It takes a lot to get the guys at the Korean Go Club in Los Angeles to stop playing. Their moves are fierce and the concentration is total. But on Friday, they put down their stones and looked up from their boards as Dae-won Suh, President of the Asian Go Federation (AGF) and Vice President of the Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) and Dalsoo Kim, Secretary General of the AGF announced that the club -- an AGA chapter -- will be the first overseas branch of KABA.

Published On 10/25/2013

The 16th Annual Go To Innovation tournament will take place November 22-24 in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 2004, Dr. Martin Sattelkau teamed up with software developer Alexander Eckert to create a new annual tournament to attract more go players in Germany and throughout Europe. The grand prize for the winner is 1000 EU but cash prizes are available up to 20th place, along with go books for places 21-30 and as 3 consolation prizes. A separate jackpot of 450 EU is available for players with 8 wins. Registration is 35 EU for general players and 10 EU for youths (under 16). To register or for more information, please visit the official Go To Innovation website. — Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 10/25/2013

"How often do you gamble on behalf of your company?" wonders Bill Pieroni, Global Chief Operating Officer at Marsh in his October 11 post on LinkedIn. "It probably occurs more often than you think. The outcomes of most actions are often dependent on a combination of skill and luck. Skill involves impacting the outcome in a purposeful and measurable way. Luck dominates when an outcome is based on random, uncontrollable factors. It is useful to think about skill and luck on a continuum. For example, Wéiqí, a game of strategy, is dominated by skill, while winning the lottery is based on luck."

Go Spotting: "The Math Book"

Published On 10/24/2013

Kelsey Dyer was "pleasantly surprised to find go" mentioned in Clifford A. Pickover's "The Math Book," which chronicles discoveries and advances in mathematics throughout history. Picover "gives a rundown of the object of the game and its mathematical facets" and Dyer says that his favorite line is "While powerful chess software is capable of defeating top chess players, the best Go programs often lose to skillful children."

Portland Tournament Turnout Way Up

Published On 10/24/2013

Nearly three dozen players attended the 2013 Portland (Oregon) Go Tournament, held (date) at Lewis & Clark College. “This is an increase of over 25% from last year,” said tournament director Peter Drake. Zipei Feng 7d swept the 10-player open division with five wins, followed by Harry Zhou and Nick Zhirad. In the dan handicap division, the winners were Jim Levenick, Glenn Peters, and Eugene Zhang. For single-digit kyu, Maxwell Chen (also 5-0), Minh Pham (president of the Lewis & Clark College Go Club), and Clark Brooks. For double-digit kyu, Eric Hanscom, Eric Wang, and Ethan Zhuang. The numbers for youth and female players were also improved from last year, Drake reports. Maxwell Chen took the prize for top youth player. Cynthia Gaty was the top female player. GoClubsOnline was used for tournament administration.

Published On 10/24/2013

“I ran a small tournament at my place in Des Plaines (IL) on October 19 with 9 players,” reports Laura Kolb Moon. “We named it the First Ivy Moon Tournament after my baby daughter.” Daniel Puzan 1k took first place with a perfect 4-0 record, and Lisa Scott (1k) and Matt Inwood (5k) took 2nd with 3-1 records. graphic: the tournament's namesake demonstrates the rare but surprisingly effective "Cheerio tesuji"; photos by Laura Kolb Moon

A Top Player's New Obsession

Published On 10/24/2013

What game has tens of millions of active players, is very popular in Asia, has professional leagues and professional tournaments all over the world and was originally dominated by the North American League? Not go, of course. It’s League of Legends, one of the most popular eSports, or organized video game competitions. We were tipped off to this phenomenon by one of the strongest amateur go players in the United States, who admitted recently that his go playing time has been cut into not only by work and family, but by his fascination with League of Legends.

Published On 10/23/2013

The second year of the Pandanet-AGA City League kicks off this weekend on IGS. Play will start for all of the leagues at 3pm on Saturday, October 28th. "We have 17 teams for this season and play should be very exciting," says Tournament Director Steve Colburn. "Watch some of the best players in the country vie off against each other." Play will take place in the AGA City League Room; watch for more information on the Pandanet site.

Published On 10/23/2013

Nearly forty leaders met to discuss "spreading weiqi to the world" in Beijing on September 23. The summit gathered a number of heavyweights in the Chinese go community, including Ma Xiaoming and Xia Guozhu from China's Association for International Friendship with Foreign Countries, Liu Siming, Wang Runan, Hua Yigang and Wang Yi from the Chinese Weiqi Association, Li Lizhen from the headquarters of the Confucius Institute, and Wang Ping from China's National General Administration of Press and Publication. In addition, executives from different media companies were invited, including Window of Golden Street (WGS), Sina, eWeiqi, Sohu, Blue Focus and Qingfeng. Both Ma and Liu emphasized the urgency of promoting go globally and praised the “Weiqi Travelling Worldwide” project, while Shao Qiang from WGS proposed the idea of a China-US Go Congress.

Published On 10/23/2013

Go-playing university/college students under the age of 30 can still register for the qualifying prelim for the 12th World Students Go Oza Championship, which will be held February 24-28, 2014 in Tokyo. Sixteen students from around the world will gather in Japan to decide the world's number one student player. There will be an online preliminary round on Pandanet to select the 16 student players. Click here for details. University/college students under the age of 30 are eligible to participate.

Andy Liu Wins Gotham Go Tournament

Published On 10/23/2013

Andy Liu won the October 12 Gotham Go Tournament in New York City. Liu Xiaohan was second and in 3rd place was Benjamin Lockhart, who qualified to play in the AGA Pro Select tournament in Los Angeles later this year. "We had a total of 82 players competing for $1500 in cash and prizes from all ranks!" report organizers Peter Armenia and Mathew Hershberger. Click here for full results and a photo album. photo: Benjamin Lockhart (l) plays Zhong Sichen in the final round; photo by Peter Armenia

Published On 10/23/2013

Online registration for the 2013 Cotsen Go Open and 2nd AGA Pro Prelim is now closed. To register on-site in Los Angeles, come early this Saturday, October 26th; registration opens at 8a at the Korean Cultural Center (5505 Wilshire Blvd). "If you are not registered by 9:30, you will not be allowed to play in the first game," organizers warn. The Cotsen features a number of unique attractions, including paying the AGA "one time rating fee" for all players who do not currently have an AGA membership, prizes for those who can solve certain go problems, one candidate will be selected for the AGA's next professional certification tournament to be held later this year.

Published On 10/23/2013

Go author Jonathan Hop is working on a new project about Chinese culture and language. "I am trying to get funds to do a graphic novel," Hop tells the E-Journal. In "Journey to the Middle Kingdom," three modern-day kids travel back to ancient Chinese fairy tales. "The main character's grandfather plays go and owns an antique shop," Hop, a 4-dan from Ann Arbor MI and author of the "So You Want to Play Go" series says. "Go will make an appearance in the first book and I'm definitely going to have it in several others because the book series is a celebration of Chinese culture. I also may even teach the readers a little bit about go (because that's what I do) if the series gets underway, but I gotta get the first book going." With just 14 days to go, Hop's Kickstarter campaign has raised nearly $1,200 toward the $10,000 goal.

Portland School Programs a Hit

Published On 10/21/2013

"In the past few weeks we have started our chess/go clubs at Beverly Clearly, Irvington, and Grant High," writes Portland, OR, go teacher Peter Freedman. "Fritz [Balwit] and I are teaching at Irvington and we have 33 children. 8 have never played go before, the rest have been in the club in past years. They range from 2nd to 6th grades. I am also teaching go at Beverly Cleary, where the chess club coach has agreed to change his club to a chess and go club. We had 13 children at our first meeting and expect more to attend in the future. One child has had some exposure to go previously. The initial response by these chess-playing children is very positive," adds Freedman

AGF College Scholarships due Nov. 20th

Published On 10/21/2013

The deadline for the American Go Foundation’s College Scholarship is just one month away. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important organizers and promoters for the go community. Read about last year’s winner here, and former winners here. For more information, and the application form, visit the AGF Website. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

E-Journal Website Team Members Sought

Published On 10/20/2013

Want to help build the global go community? The American Go E-Journal team is expanding, and has a few immediate openings for dedicated, talented volunteers who want to help maintain and expand the American Go Association’s online presence and better serve the global go community. PHP/Drupal/Database/Linux SysAdmin experience helpful but also looking for writers and editors to keep web content fresh and up to date. For more details email journal@usgo.org

Published On 10/20/2013

Ten players showed for the Louisville Go Club's first annual tournament on October 19 in Louisville, KY, including some players from the Cincinnati Go Club. An undefeated Chris Martin 4k (3-0, on right) took first place with Taylor Perkinson 6k (2-1 on left) in second. - report by Asha Nagaiya

Published On 10/20/2013

"Thanks for the recent obituaries (In Memoriam: Philadelphia Go Players Hugh Albright and John Bender 10/10 EJ)," writes Bob Barber. "I think it's a great idea to remember those with whom we've shared the game of go. I knew Hugh Albright very well from Congresses. He was perhaps 2 kyu when I was 10 kyu. He was always generous with his time. As I marched up to 1 dan, Hugh may have lingered at 2 kyu. We usually got in a game or two each year. I was at that lecture that John Bender gave at Congress. He looked like a model, and his companion looked like a model. And, he'd gone from zero to 4 dan in no time! I was very impressed. Now I read that he had large talents in other fields. Very sorry to hear that his intense life is over already."

Published On 10/20/2013

As if the Htriple crown iyama yutaoninbo and Kisei were not enough, Iyama Yuta 9p (left) secured his third Meijin title when he defeated Yamashita Keigo 9p in this year’s Meijin on October 17. By holding Japan’s three biggest titles simultaneously, Iyama is the just the second player in the entire history of go to achieve a ‘triple crown.’ The only other player to attain this honor was Cho Chikun 9p – once in 1983 and again in 1997. In a post-game interview, Iyama said, “I have a deep respect [for] Cho Chikun 9p, and I’m very honored to achieve the triple crown, as he did.” Had he not lost the Judan to Yuki Satoshi 9p in April, Iyama would have completed a grand slam, or held all seven Japanese titles at once. For more information about this year’s Meijin including game records from all five games, photos, and more, please visit Go Game Guru. -- Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

Published On 10/20/2013

Germany: Manja Marz 3d (left) won the Deutsche Damen-Go-Meisterschaft 2013 in Jena on October 13 while Janine Boehme 1d came in second and Barbara Knauf 3d in third. Ukraine: Also on October 13, the Ukrainian Cup 2013 finished in Kyiv with Bohdan Zhurakovskyi 5d in first, Artem Kachanovskyi 7d in second, and Mykhailo Halchenko 5d in third. Finland: Jesse Savo 4d bested Mikko Siukola 4d in the 2nd qualification for the Finnish Championship in Espoo on October 13. Jusso Nyyssonen 5d placed third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 10/20/2013

The online prelim for the American Go Association’s 2013 professional selection process will take place on KGS in November, the AGA Pro System Committee announced earlier this week. The event is open to US and Canadian citizens who meet a minimal residency requirement and have either an AGA rating or stable KGS rank of 5d or higher. Competitors should also be members of AGA or CGA. The tournament will take place November 9, 10, 16 and 17 in the AGA Tournaments Room on KGS. The winner will be invited to participate in the pro selection tournament in Los Angeles Jan. 2-8 2014, receiving an $800 travel subsidy. Players can register for the tournament here. Upon registration players should also submit a copy of their US or Canadian passport.

Capture Go: Gateway or Standalone?

Published On 10/20/2013

Is Capture Go merely a stepping stone to traditional go, or can it stand on its own as a viable game? In Memphis, two go players and teachers are working hard to answer that question. The simplified rule set that master teacher Yasuda Yasutoshi 8P describes in his book Go As Communication has been used in hundreds of schools, after-school programs and libraries. Go players who teach Capture Go often hope to quickly move their pupils along to traditional go but Jay Jayaraman 9K and Graham Smart 9K wondered what would happen if a whole program focused just on Capture Go. They’re working with the Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis (CIUM) where they’re teaching Capture Go to Chinese language instructors from CIUM-affiliated after-school programs in the Memphis area, who in turn will introduce hundreds of primary school students to the game this year.

Published On 10/19/2013

Looking for someone in Hollywood CA to play go with. Email dr.barnsher@gmail.com if interested.

Published On 10/15/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal Iyama Increases Lead in Meijin: Iyama Yuta Kisei (right) now needs only one more win to regain the Meijin title. In the fourth game, played at the Agora Fukuoka Hilltop Hotel & Spa in Fukuoka City on October 9 and 10, Iyama (W) beat Yamashita Keigo Meijin by resignation after 196 moves. Yamashita lost further ground after his disastrous blunder in a winning position in the third game. What stood out in the fourth game was Iyama’s skill at shinogi, that is, rescuing a weak group without incurring a disadvantage. Go reporters covering the game used the term “attacking shinogi,” and Iyama proved that it was not an oxymoron. For much of the middle game, Iyama had a large eyeless group that was subject to attack. Yamashita made leaning attacks on other white groups to build thickness for attacking the weak group.

Published On 10/15/2013

Korea and China fought it out for the top spot in the 8th Korea Prime Minister Cup International Amateur Baduk Championship, held October 10-15. Korean student Park Jae-geun 6d, 17, took first place with a win over China's Li Fu 8d, 39, principal of the Haikou FuLi Go Training Center. The US representative, Hugh Zhang 7d, came in 16th place with five wins, his only loss being to the 4th place finisher from Hong Kong. Canada's Bill Lin came in a very strong 3rd place also with five wins and a loss, to the winner Park. The US player was seeded somewhat lower than Canada's because of mixed US results in prior years, according to tournament organizers. The tournament attracted 62 players from all over the world to the small industrial city of Gumi in the province of Gyeongbuk-do.

Go Photo: Go at Omaha's Japan Festival

Published On 10/15/2013

At the Japan Festival at the Lauritzen Gardens, in Omaha, NE, October 5-6. "We handed out 96 flyers and some business cards, too," says James Story. "I've had two adults call me about go this week, so far. Hopefully, this will help start some Scholastic Go Clubs, too! We had a number of kids come and learn and play and two adult women learn and play each other for a few games. It was really fun." photo courtesy James Story

Sinking Feeling for "Handicap Go"

Published On 10/15/2013

After 20 years out of print, Kiseido's "Handicap Go" was released in an extensively revised and rewritten edition earlier this year. However, reports Anders Kierulf, it may have to be reprinted again soon, as the ship carrying a thousand copies sank in the Indian Ocean last June. "Fortunately, we were insured and the insurance company already paid us the full value," Richard Bozulich says. "There is a story floating around that the ship was carrying arms for Syrian rebels and the Russian Navy sank it so those arms would not get to Syria," says Kierulf. Bozulich plans to be at the Cotsen Open later this month. Meanwhile, "Handicap Go" is now available in SmartGo Books, which has a new website, and Kiseido is having a pre-Christmas sale of books until November 15.

AGA Treasurer Address Change

Published On 10/14/2013

Tournament organizers should note that the mailing address for the AGA Treasurer has changed. If you are submitting paper membership forms and checks, please use this address: Treasurer, American GO Association, PO Box 231225, Tigard, OR 97281-1225. New membership forms with the new address have been sent to the Webmaster to be posted on the AGA site. "If you have a stash of old forms, I would recommend flipping them over and printing the new forms on the reverse, then drawing an X over the old side," says AGA Treasurer Roy Schmidt. "Sending forms and checks to the Peoria address will cause a delay in processing as the forms will be forwarded periodically to the new address."

Young Lions Tournament November 16-17

Published On 10/14/2013

“Join us for another year of exciting competition for glory and pride,” says American Go Honor Society (AGHS) Promotion Head Yunxuan Li 6d. The 2013 Young Lions tournament will be held November 16th and 17th on KGS. “The Young Lions is one of the biggest youth go competitions in America, and is usually a good indicator of how top players will perform in major tournaments for the rest of the year,” said Li. 2010 winner Vincent Zhuang 6d went on to win the US Youth Championships after his Young Lions win. Yunxuan Li himself won in both 2011 and 2012, and then won the 2012 Rocky Mountain NAIM qualifier, and also represented America at the 2013 Samsung World Baduk Masters Championship. “Who will be the leader of the pack this year? Who will be the victor of the 2013 battle? The answer shall soon be determined!” says Li. Players under the age of 19 can sign up now, through the AGHS website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 10/11/2013

This Saturday's Gotham Tournament in New York City is "basically full up," reports organizer Peter Armenia. The space holds 82 and there are already 83 registered. There may be some no-shows or last-minute cancellations though, so if you're interested in playing, go ahead and register here and if you're registered but not able to attend, email Armenia at parmenia@earthlink.net. Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, there's still time and space to sign up for the popular Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, CA (free lunches, massages, pro commentaries, etc), October 26-27. Click here to register. Click here for the complete upcoming go tournament/event calendar.

Published On 10/11/2013

Registration is still open for this weekend’s KGS 2013 Meijin tournament qualifier, the last one for the 2013 season. The single-elimination qualifier will be held on October 12-13, in American daytime schedule. Round 1 starts at 1p EDT/10a PDT. In this tenth qualifier, the winner will become a contender for the finals which will start in November. The runner-up may also become a contender if there are six or more rounds in the Qualifier. The final KGS Meijin winner will receive a minimum cash prize of $500 and a special Meijin icon. Click here for details and to register.

Published On 10/11/2013

News has belatedly reached us of the death of two former Philadelphia go players, Hugh Albright and John Bender. Albright, who died of heart failure at 82 in 2011, "was an avid go player in the '80's and '90's," says former AGA President Phil Straus.

Published On 10/11/2013

A multinational team, the Orientals (sic), took the Autumn London International Teams event at the Nippon Club in London, UK on October 6, winning all three rounds. The team was comprised of one Korean player, Young Kim 5d, one Chinese player, Yangran Zhang 4d, and one Japanese player, Kiyohiko Tanaka 3d. Six teams in all, including an Asia team (which placed fourth) competed in this handicap tournament, for which the prize is a trophy donated by Yukata Kobayashi. The Central London Go Club, which organizes the event, fielded A and B teams, which came third and second respectively.

Published On 10/9/2013

“The Pandanet City League is looking for a few more teams,” reports TD Steve Colburn. “We are looking for some more teams for this season to fill our roster.” Talk to your club members soon – deadline is October 12 -- and sign up for the Pandanet AGA City League. There are openings in all of the leagues. Email Colburn at steve.colburn@usgo.org for more info or to register. League Managers are wanted as well; email the TD to inquire.

Published On 10/8/2013

About 80 go players participated in a very convivial tournament near Clermont-Ferrand, on September 28-29, with Motoki Noguchi 7D winning all his games. And at the international Tournament of Lyon, 58 participants turned out on October 5-6; Thomas Debarre 6D won. Click here for results. - Laurent Coquelet

Published On 10/7/2013

Eight players came out to the Continental Inn in Lancaster, PA for the Fall For Go Tournament last weekend. First place certificate went to Matt Litke 9k, with five wins against all seven opponents (5-2), and second place certificate went to Bob Crites 9k, with five wins against six (5-1) opponents. Honorable mention to Marie Bartel 13k with four wins against six opponents (4-2). The tournament's instant pairing format allowed players to start their next game almost immediately after finishing a game. "I can't believe it's already 5:00!" said Bob Crites after playing half a dozen back-to-back games without even taking a break for lunch. - photo by Jason Long

Published On 10/7/2013

The annual 28th Brussels Tournament will take place October 26-27. Because it will not be part of the European Cup this year, the tournament will be offering cash prizes for the top four players rather than ECup points. In addition, all players with four or five wins will receive a prize and there will be a tombola (lottery) with 150 EU prizes for all pre-registered players. For players who register and pay before October 20, there is a 5 EU discount. Players born after October 31, 2001 will also receive an additional 5 EU discount. For more information including schedule, venue, and accommodations, please visit the Belgian Go Federation website. — Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

Published On 10/7/2013

Romania: Larisa Popescu 2k (left) won the Romanian Cup preliminaries 1/4 CSRB hosted in Bucuresti on September 29. Behind her were Rares Ghioc 2k and Iulian Lungu 2k. Hungary: Also on September 29, the European Hans Pietsch Memorial Finals finished in Budapest with Antti Tormanen 6d in first, Pal Balogh 6d in second, and Catalin Taranu 7d in third. Austria: Though he took fifth in the European Hans Pietsch Memorial, Pavol Lisy 6d conquered the Seewinkel Go Tournament on September 22 in Apetion. Viktor Lin 6d placed second and Lukas Podpera 6d came in third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Two More Pros Confirmed for Cotsen Open

Published On 10/5/2013

Two Korean professionals, Lee Hajin 3p and Kim Minhee 3p, have just been confirmed for the upcoming Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, CA. With Yang Yilun 7p and Myung-wan Kim 9p, that means four pros will be on hand for individual game analysis and simuls.

Published On 10/5/2013

Registration is now open for the qualifying prelim for the 12th World Students Go Oza Championship, which will be held February 24-28, 2014 in Tokyo. Sixteen students from around the world will gather in Japan to decide the world's number one student player. There will be an online preliminary round on Pandanet to select the 16 student players. Click here for details. University/college students under the age of 30 are eligible to participate in the online preliminary round.

Published On 10/2/2013

Iyama Takes Lead In Meijin, Thanks To Blunder By Yamashita: The third game of the 38th Meijin title match was held at the Takarazuka Hotel in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture on September 25 and 26. Takarazuka City is known as the home of the famous all-female theatrical troupe, the Takarazuka Troupe, but to Iyama Yuta it is probably more familiar as the home of his teacher Ishii Kunio

Go Spotting: Videodrome & Mishima

Published On 10/1/2013

"I recently spotted the appearance of go boards in two films, 'Videodrome' and 'Mishima'" writes Deke Gould. "Here are screenshots and approximate times in each film." 32:00 in David Cronenberg's "Videodrome": there appears to be a folding go board buried on Max Ren's coffee table, partially exposed. 23:28 in Paul Schrader's "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters": during the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" segment.

Published On 9/30/2013

Honolulu Go Club member Brian Johnson has just published Beginner's Mind: an Introduction to the Game of Go, an introductory go eBook. Johnson is a teacher at Punahou School who teaches a credit high school go course called "Buddhism and the Game of Go" and introduces around 150-200 students each year to the game. The ebook's text is designed to take advantage of the touchscreen features of the iPad and contains numerous picture galleries, animations, and interactive elements to help explain and clarify basic and more advanced concepts of go strategy. Only available for the iPad, it's $9.99 in the iTunes Store, where you can download a free sample. - Sid Kobashigawa, Honolulu Go Club

Published On 9/30/2013

russian championship semifinal Russia: The Russian Championship semifinal finished on September 22 in Saint Petersburg with Timur Sankin 6d (left) in first, Andrej Cheburakhov 5d in second, and Igor Nemlij 5d in third. Romania: Alin Badea 1d bested Sorin Sora 4d in the 4th Radu Baciu Grand Prix – stage 8 tournament in Craiova on September 15. Adrian Nedan 2k placed third. Poland: Also on September 22, Marcin Majka 3d won the Polish Championship Qualification in Lodz. In second was Sebastian Pawlaczyk 3d and Majus Misiak 2d came in third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 9/30/2013

The go part of the 2013 SportAccord Mind Sport Online Tournament has just gone into the final stage. Over 1000 go players worldwide participated in the largest-ever online tournament. Three regional preliminary tournaments were held for Asia, Europe and Africa, and the Americas. The winners from four separate rank divisions in each region then participate in the finals. Many prizes are provided by Pandanet and by SportAccord, including tablet computers, digital cameras, etc. The top winner from the Open division will win an all-expense-paid trip to Beijing to observe the Third SportAccord World Mind Games held December 12-18 and to receive his trophy. In addition, all players who finished the preliminary round will be placed in a lottery pool for a grand prize of an iPad. The games are held on the Pandanet Internet Go Server (IGS). Click here for finalists, schedule, go client, and other details. - Thomas Hsiang

Go Spotting: Go in the Library

Published On 9/30/2013

The entire Spring 2013 issue of Library Trends magazine is devoted to how to develop gaming programs in libraries. The authors agree that with libraries seeking a relevant connection to Internet-savvy young users, games can draw young people in. Various authors discuss the merits of video, tabletop, card, and role-playing formats.

Published On 9/29/2013

“The AGA made my club possible 10-15 years ago,” responded on local go club organizer to a recent survey. “As long as I have a working memory, I will be grateful for this.” Said another, “People want to know why they should join the AGA. Usually the only reason they do is because they want to play in an AGA rated tournament.” Wondered another, “Can you provide any other reasons I or my club should rejoin the AGA outside of general support?”

Published On 9/29/2013

LA's BEST, an award-winning after-school program serving 194 high-needs elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, is establishing go programs in 12 schools, according to AGA President Andy Okun and LA's BEST Director of Education Stela Oliveira. "For those of us who have seen how captivating, fun, and beneficial go is for little kids, this is an incredible chance to spread the benefits of the game and bring something new and exciting to a bunch of students," said Okun. The program started over the summer with a trial run at two elementary schools, Latona and Lareto. Aside from providing equipment and sets of Hikaru no Go, the AGA and the AGF also provided teacher training, led by former AGF teacher of the year Vincent Eisman, who held a small training in June and a larger one in late September. The AGF is providing continuing support through the school year as well. To donate money to help cover training costs and equipment expenses click here.

Published On 9/28/2013

There's still time to sign up for the next Pandanet-AGA City League. "We are looking for some more teams for this season to fill our roster," reports Steve Colburn. "Talk to your club members and sign up now!" There are openings in all of the leagues; email the League TD Steve Colburn at steve.colburn@usgo.org. "We are also looking for League Managers as well," says Colburn. Email Colburn for details.

Go Spotting: "So simple, yet so deep"

Published On 9/28/2013

"This is the pinnacle of game design. So simple, yet so deep." “This was on the front page of (Reddit's) r/gaming today,” reported djedi25 on September 28. “Expect a spike in go searches! There's also a discussion going on here”

Chapter News: Gotham's Efficient Play

Published On 9/28/2013

Gotham Go Group organizer Peter Armenia's recent email to New York City go players was a model of efficient play, celebrating a club success, promoting an upcoming tournament and urging membership in the AGA. “Well it’s that time of year again,” Armenia reported in an email with the subject line "The Benefits of Membership." “It was early October, 2011 that I put out the word that regular weekly Go would be returning to New York City. We have been going strong at the Hungarian Pastry Shop ever since, regularly getting between 12 and 20 players every week. On top of that: We had a very successful first Gotham Go Tournament last January with nearly 60 players; And another coming up in October! Click here to register; And the US Go Congress is coming to NYC next year! “One thing I did that October is register with the American Go Association as an AGA affiliated club,” Armenia continued.

Why Doesn't the West Play Go?

Published On 9/27/2013

Why isn't go more popular in the West? That question has preoccupied go author and scholar Peter Shotwell for decades. Shotwell's recently published "appendix" on the subject -- appended to his ongoing "Origins of Go" study -- is entitled Why the West Plays Chess and the East Plays Go: How Classical Chinese and Ancient Western Grammars Shaped Different Strategies of War, Weiqi and Chess. Shotwell examines his idea that the presence or absence of abstract nouns, the verb “to be” and other linguistic features developed and shaped the philosophies and resulting different strategic thinking of early Greece and Classical China. He provides the historical background of how and why this happened and concludes with an examination of the Thirty-six Strategies that encapsulate the strategic yin thinking of Chinese generals like Sunzi (right) and weiqi players of the Han dynasty, along with a short discussion of the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty.

How to Update Your AGA Membership Info

Published On 9/27/2013

AGA members: when you need your contact information to be updated, the quickest way is to log into the AGA membership database where you can update your own membership profile directly (you'll need your AGA ID and password). You can also email membership@usgo.org but be sure to include the following information: your name, your AGA membership ID number (if known), and the exact information that needs to be updated. - Charles Alden, AGA membership

Published On 9/27/2013

The fourth season of the online European Team Championship kicked off on September 17 with the first round in League C, followed by the first A-League round on September 24. This year 32 national teams -- a record number -- will compete, with Greece and Iceland entering for the first time in League C, which now comprises 12 teams.
The British team hit the ground running on the 17th, with a 4-0 win over newcomers Greece, giving impetus to hopes of reversing last season's demotion from the B-league (see EJ of 6/6). Click here to see British Go Association report, with game records. However, Switzerland (against Iceland) and Turkey (against Kazakhstan) also won all four games.
Looking forward to the new season, European Go Federation President Martin Stiassny, predicted "a brilliant competition" in League A

Published On 9/27/2013

The Triangle Go Group hosted its 2013 tournament in an autumn outdoor setting at the Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina on Sept 21. Following tradition, the 30 participants were treated to a picnic lunch and all the entry fees were returned to the players as prize money. As dusk settled on the final game to be completed, Liqun Liu 7D topped perennial champion Changlong Wu 7D in a showdown for the Open Section championship. The A section (1D-2k) was swept by Seth Cardew, also with a perfect 4-0 record, with Brian Wu 3-1 placing second. In the B section (6-11k) Kerianne Squitire, Andrew Zhang, and Alvin Chen tied with scores of 3-1. Finally section C (14k+) was swept by Justin Zhang 4-0, with Colin Zhang, playing in his first tournament, finishing second with 3-1. - report/ photo by Charles Alden; photo: photo, tournament winner Liqun Liu (seated, right) faces Jeff Kuang in the third round as Eric Zhang and Frank Salantrie observe.

Published On 9/26/2013

human go stonesEvery other year since 2003, a top Chinese and top Korean player play an exhibition match in Fenghuang City, China. The grand prize is 400,000 RMB (approximately $65,000 USD) and the runner up receives 280,000 RMB. What makes the Ancient City of the Phoenix Cup unique are the 361 human go stones (left) that mimic the game on a 31.7 x 31.7 meter board. This year, Chinese player Chen Yaoye 9p defeated Korean player Park Junghwan 9p by 14.5 points in a 50 minute sudden-death match. White (Chen), favored in the opening, took a lead after two major ko fights, and stayed ahead until the end after 298 moves. For more information on this year’s Ancient City of the Phoenix Cup including game record and photos, please visit Go Game Guru. -- Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

Published On 9/26/2013

“What's the status of the AGA rating system?” wonders EJ reader -- and AGA member -- Brady Daniels. “ It seems updates have become scarce recently, and I'm sure your readers would love to know why, and what solution is planned. Shouldn't ratings be updated after every weekend tournament, or at least, say, twice a month?” Provided that tournaments report complete and accurate results, the ratings are currently updated at least twice a month. Email ratings@usgo.org if you have other ratings-related questions or comments.

Gotham Tourney Filling Up

Published On 9/26/2013

“If you haven't yet registered for the upcoming Gotham Go Tournament on October 12th, you may want to do it soon as space islimited,” reminds organizer Peter Armenia. Register online. “There will be generous cash prizes in all sections, and goodies for all!” Armenia promises. “We will have breakfast bagels and coffee as well as great snacks all through the day. Come celebrate go in the Wonder City!”

Go Spotting: Ken Liu's Mono no aware

Published On 9/25/2013

“Issue #37 of Lightspeed (an online fantasy & science fiction magazine) contains a short story by Ken Liu, Mono no aware, in which go plays a big part,” reports Ronald White. “A quote from the story: 'Individual stones are not heroes, but all the stones together are heroic.'" The story was originally published in The Future is Japanese, a book of science fiction stories about Japan.

Published On 9/25/2013

“I'd like to get the SGF for Cho's Encyclopedia of Life and Death," writes Merlyn. “Does anyone know about this? I've found the PDF online, and I do know that Kiseido used to sell it on a 3.5" disk.” Email him at hitechbunny@myopera.com

Published On 9/25/2013

King of the New Stars: Yo Seiki (right), the first player in Japan to jump from 3-dan to 7-dan, was considered the favorite in the 38th King of the New Stars title match, but the first game of the best-of-three was taken by his opponent, Fujita Akihiko 3P (aged 21 to Yo’s 18). The game was played at the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya on September 17; taking white, Fujita won by resignation. The second game will be played on the 26th.

Published On 9/24/2013

The Collegiate Go League (CGL) started its new season last Saturday with a “stellar” launch. “We had many close matches, a simul with American pro Andy Liu 1P, and an incredible final game which went 362 moves!,” reports organizer Cole Pruitt.

Published On 9/24/2013

Yeong Cha (center), an extremely strong player on the TYGEM go server, showed he's just as comfortable on a real board by winning the third annual Emory Go Tournament player on Saturday, September 21 at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Published On 9/24/2013

Two dozen players turned out for the September 21 NOVA Back-to-School tournament at the George Mason Law School in Arlington VA. Winners were Shi Zhixiong 3D (4-0), Yang Weiyu 1k (3-0), Bao Frederick 5 K (3-1), Yoo Sungyeon 8k and Bob Crites 9k (tied at 3-1), and Sarah Crites 21k (4-0). Shi Zhixiong was promoted to 4-dan and Sarah Crites was promoted to 19-kyu for the next NOVA tournament, the Pumpkin Classic, coming up on October 26. - report/photo (of Bob and Sarah Crites) by Allan Abramson

Published On 9/23/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Cho is Oza Challenger: In the final to decide the challenger to Iyama Yuta for the 61st Oza title, held on September 12, Cho U 9P (B) defeated Yuki Satoshi 9P by 2.5 points. Last year Cho (right) missed out on qualifying for the Honorary Oza title when the challenger, Iyama Yuta, beat him 3-0. He now has a chance to take revenge. If he won back the title, it would be his eighth Oza title, so he could aim at securing the honorary title by winning it ten times in total. The title match will start on October 24. 38th Kisei: Yamashita Wins A League: Yamashita Keigo Meijin (left) won the A League of the 38th Kisei tournament before having to play his final game when Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P defeated Kiyonari Tetsuya 9P in the last fourth-round game on September 12. Taking black, Yamashiro Hiroshi won by 1.5 points. That put both players on 2-2 and so both are out of the running.

Published On 9/23/2013

The British Go Association (BGA) promoted go at the UK's first Mindsports International (MSI) Festival at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium the weekend of September 14-15. MSI says the event attracted about 500 enthusiasts of Scrabble, chess and the card-trading game Magic. Rachel Riley (left), co-presenter and number-wizard on British terrestrial Channel 4's ever-popular words-and-numbers TV gameshow, Countdown - which also had a stand at the festival - was MSI's UK ambassador and hosted the event on Sunday, providing commentary on some of the games. Although no go tournament took place, BGA Councillor Roger Huyshe ran a stand with the aim of introducing attendees to go, managing to sell four beginner's books and three basic sets as well as putting eight or nine people in touch with their nearest go club and playing trial games with half a dozen.

Published On 9/23/2013

The American Go Association is launching a beta program, AGA On-Line Games, on KGS on October 1. “Playing with a good selection of opponents of different styles and strengths is key for player development and satisfaction,” says organizer Bob Gilman, “and many find this difficult to find locally.” The program has two parts, a Self-Paired Tournament, a handicap tournament patterned on the popular tournament of the same name at the annual U.S. Go Congress, and a schedule of simultaneous games given by players AGA 4 dan and stronger. Click here for self-paired tournament details, and here to register. The AGA On-Line Self-Paired Tournament is open to all current AGA members and will run through the end of December. Players must be members to participate. Prizes will be awarded in eight categories. “Generally, participants will be rewarded for playing a large number of games against a variety of opponents with different ratings,” says Gilman, “and of course, their results in those games.”

Winning Club at Cotsen to Win $1,000

Published On 9/22/2013

The winning go club at the upcoming Cotsen Open takes home a $1,000 prize. Points are awarded based on how well each club's members do in the popular event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. “So make sure your club is well-represented!” says registrar Samantha Davis. Click here for details and to register. The 5-round tournament also features game commentaries by Myung-wan Kim 9P and Yilun Yang 7P, free lunch both days and free shoulder massages while you play. photo: Myungwan Kim commenting a game at the 2012 Cotsen; photo by Chris Garlock

Chapter News: Sunnyvale, CA

Published On 9/22/2013

The Sunnyvale, California Go Club is still alive and kicking, reports founder and organizer Jean de Maiffe. “Several years ago our greatest number of players at any one meeting had been set at 20. This past August we broke that record with 23 players at one meeting. Everyone played at least one game, most played at least two. Strengths ranged from unrated beginner to 6D. Ages ranged from roughly 6 years old to definitely over 60 years old. Congratulations to us all.” - photo by Jean de Maiffe

EuroGoTV Update: Finland, Italy, Russia

Published On 9/21/2013

torneo di pisa 2013Finland: The Nuorten SM 2013 finished September 15 in Helsinki with Bean Yang 4d in first, Jerry Savo 1k in second, and Samuel Laire 3k in third. Italy: Also on September 15, Carlo Metta 3d (left) took the Torneo di Pisa while Alessandro Pace 2d placed second and Alberto Zingoni 1d came in third. Russia: At the Russian Female Championship in Moscow on September 8, Dina Burdakova 5d bested Natalia Kovaleva 5d and Daria Koshkina 3k was third. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 9/21/2013

Hiroshi Yamauchi transformed Nintendo from a small maker of traditional Japanese playing cards into to a manufacturer of gaming consoles and software that delivered Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong into living rooms around the world.Yet "For all his success in popularizing computer games," reported the Wall Street Journal, Yamauchi -- who died on September 19 at age 85 -- "didn't play them much. He preferred the decidedly classical board game of Go, in which a player seeks to outwit and encircle his opponent." Thanks to Fred Baldwin for passing this along. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images photo courtesy WSJ

Chapter News: Seattle Fall Classes

Published On 9/21/2013

"Get Ready! Fall Classes start up next week!" reports the Seattle Go Club. "Including Nick Sibicky on Monday Nights, Andrew J on Wednesday Nights, and Classes for Beginners on Thursday Nights. Photo of Sibicky by Brian Allen.

Published On 9/18/2013

The second Gotham Go Tournament, scheduled for October 12th in New York City, will also be the East Coast AGA Pro-Select Qualifier. The tournament will be at the same place as the last one in January, the Hostelling International New York (891 Amsterdam Ave, btw 103rd & 104th in Manhattan). Click here for details and to register. photo: January 2013 Gotham Tournament; photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 9/18/2013

4th Bingsheng CupWang Chenxing 5P (left) secured her first major international title when she defeated Yu Zhiying 5p in the 4th Bingsheng Cup on September 12. On her journey to the final round, Wang defeated last year’s winner Rui Naiwei 9P, Xie Yimin 6P, and Li He 3P. However, 15-year-old Yu deserves recognition in her own right. If she had defeated Wang, she would have broken the world record for youngest international title holder in the go world. The current record is held by Lee Changho 9p for his win at the 3rd Tongyang Securities Cup in 1992 when he was 16 years and 6 months. At 15 years and 10 months, Yu’s triumph would have shattered Lee’s 20-year streak. First played in 2010, the Bingsheng Cup remains the only women’s individual international go tournament. It draws the top 16 players from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Jeff Horn Wins Davis-Sac Fall Tourney

Published On 9/16/2013

Jeff Horn 1d won the Davis/Sacramento Go Club Fall Quarterly Tournament, held September 7 at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. Horn (right) topped a field of seven players ranging in strength from 1 dan to 14 kyu. - Willard Haynes GOT TOURNEY REPORT? Let 14,000 go players worldwide know; get published in the E-Journal by sending us your report and photo(s) at journal@usgo.org

Cotsen Registration Opens

Published On 9/16/2013

Free lunch, shoulder massages and pro game commentaries...registration is now open for the Cotsen Open, one of the most unique and popular go events on the annual North American go calendar. The tournament is set for Saturday and Sunday, October 26-27 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, CA. Myung-wan 9P, one of the organizers of the US pro system, will also be on hand to teach and play simultaneous games, while local Southern California favorite and renowned US teacher Yi-Lun Yang 7P will also teach and provide game commentary. Registration and lunch are free but only for those who pre-register (and who play both days), "so sign up now!" say organizers. photo: 2012 Cotsen Open players line up for their free lunch at the Korean lunch truck; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 9/16/2013

Wang Runan 8P, President of the Chinese Weiqi Association, was the guest of honor at the Sino-British Weiqi Exchanges, a cultural exchange event held September 7 at the British Museum in London. Organized by the UK Research and Development Centre for Chinese Traditional Culture (UKCTC) in association with the East Midland Youth Chinese Organisation (EMYCO) and in cooperation with the British Go Association (BGA), the event was sponsored by Chen Yongqing, a businessman who is a promoter and advocate of weiqi culture in China and is President of the Xi'an Fuji Vocational Weiqi Club, and Vice Chairman of the Xi'an Weiqi Association. He also traveled from China for the event.
The event was organized to promote cultural exchanges between China and the UK through the game of go (known as weiqi in China)

Published On 9/15/2013

goteborg open 2013One of the largest tournaments in northern Europe, the annual 29th Gothenburg Open will take place November 1-3. As a five-round standard McMahon tournament, each player is guaranteed five games arranged to be as even as possible. The standard entry fee is 30 EU. However, players 10k or less can register for half price and first-time Gothenburg Open players play for free. Players are also welcome to stay at the venue at no extra charge. To register or for more information including schedule, venue, and official rules, please visit the official Gothenburg Open website. — Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar; photo courtesy of Gothenburg Open

Go Classified: Players Wanted

Published On 9/15/2013

Fredericksburg, Virginia: I am trying to start a go club in Fredericksburg; if you live in the area and love to play go, this could be your opportunity. A meeting location has not been picked as I am currently trying to find other people who enjoy playing go as much as I do: reach me at 540-846-7955 or jBarlow90@yahoo.com. P.S. I would like to say thank you to everyone at the AGA for their selfless work in trying to make a stronger go community. Your dedication and commitment help to bring us all together as go players and for that I am grateful.

$1,000 AGF Scholarships Available

Published On 9/15/2013

Applications are open for the American Go Foundation's College Scholarship, through November 20th. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community. Applicants who have started clubs and promoted go in areas where there is not a strong go community will be given special consideration, strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered. There are two scholarships available, one for a male student and one for a female. Last year no women applied, so only one scholarship was awarded. Read about last year's winner here, and former winners here. For more information, and the application form, visit the AGF Website. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

The Traveling Board: Beijing, China

Published On 9/15/2013

Gordon Castanza -- former AGA Board member and EJ game recorder -- passed along this report from his friend Ernest French of the Beijing Go Club, who sends this report and a collage of photos he took at the “Second Donghu Cup Amateur Wei Qi Invitational Tournament between China and Korea," which was held on Saturday, September 7th in Beijing, China. “Last Saturday we played in an amateur tournament up in Wangjing in northeast Beijing. It was outside in the middle of a park, on a beautiful, cool, blue sky morning. After the opening ceremony, we started our matches against local teams - time settings of 35 minutes per player, absolute. Altogether, I'd say 100+ go players showed up in total. Participating for the BJGC were Sam, Karl, Carl, Gina, Chris, and me; each round was 5 games (1 person sitting out). The first round we had some tough games - I lost one I should have won, but we did manage to go 2 and 3. For 8 am, that's a good result.

Published On 9/14/2013

BRNO tournament 2013Netherlands: At The Delfts Toernooi on September 8, Filip Vanderstappen 5d defeated Rene Aaij 5d and Gelmer Bouwman 3d placed third. Hungary: The Kispesti Nadydij Goverseny also finished September 8 in Bupdapest with Dominik Bovis 4d in first, Peter Marko 4d in second, and Gabor Szabics 5d in third. Czech Republic: In Prague, Jan Simara 6d (left) took the Brno Tournament on September 8. Behind him were Lukas Podpera 6d and Ondrej Silt 6d. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 9/12/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent Yamashita Off to Good Start in Meijin Defense: The first game of the 39th Meijin title match was held at its regular venue, the luxury traditional hotel and restaurant of the Chinzanso in Tokyo. Challenging the Meijin, Yamashita Keigo, was Iyama Yuta, the monarch of Japanese go, who was not only after revenge for losing the Meijin title to Yamashita two years ago but also seeking to become the second player to hold the Triple Crown of Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo.

Go Spotting: New xkcd Comic

Published On 9/11/2013

Go was just featured again on xkcd, a popular web comic among mathematicians and physicists. Thanks to everyone who passed this along.

Published On 9/10/2013

Wang Runan 8P, the President of the Chinese Weiqi Association, last week asked the British to return the Weiqi Classic, also known as the Dunhuang Go Manual, to China. The manuscript, which dates back to the ninth century, is a copy of the earliest known manual of go, known as weiqi (or weichi) in China, where the game originated; the original manual is thought to have originated in the sixth century. It was taken from the "Library Cave" in Dunhuang, China in 1907 by Aurel Stein and is now in the collection of the British Library in London.

Streaming Online Games

Published On 9/9/2013

Popular streaming site twitch.tv is pulling in 38 million viewers a month, by streaming video gamers playing and commenting on their games. The site's goal is to "connect gamers around the world by allowing them to broadcast, watch, and chat from everywhere they play," according to their website. Why not stream online go games as well, asks AGA member Royce Chen? "Streaming go games, with entertaining and informative comments made by the streamers, could potentially attract the interest of young players, especially those who are already familiar with streams of conventional games," says Chen.

Published On 9/8/2013

Germany: The Koelner Go-Turnier 2013 finished September 1 in Koeln with Lukas Kraemer 5d (left) in first, Benjamin Teuber 6d in second, and Jonas Welticke 4d in third. Croatia: Also on September 1, Zoran Mutabzija 5d won the Croatian Championship 2013 – Final 6 in Zagreb. Sead Bacevina 2d came in second and Lavro Furjanic 1k in third.

Published On 9/8/2013

The Central London Go Club is appealing for American -- and other foreign -- nationals living in the UK to help put the "International" back into the London International Teams Tournament on October 6. The twice-yearly event has in recent times barely lived up to its billing, with the Nippon Club -- the event's host -- the only non-British team in the Spring 2013 tournament. The trophy (pictured) that time was taken by a team from the land of "Cambridge" (see 4/19 EJ) to the amusement of team captain and British Championship 2013 challenger Andrew Simons. Click here to download flyer with full details and entry form. Tony Collman, British Correspondent for the E-J. Photo courtesy of the British Go Association's website

Samsung Cup Down to Final 16

Published On 9/7/2013

When the smoke cleared on September 5 from the 32-player group stage of the 2013 Samsung Cup, just 16 players were left, including 11 from China and five from Korea. Japan's players had all been eliminated, as had Eric Lui of the U.S. Lui lost to Komatsu Hideki and Lee Sedol.

Published On 9/6/2013

Thanks & Kudos: "Thank you, thank you, thank you to Roger Schrag, (Go Spotting: Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland 9/1 EJ)" writes Jean de Maiffe. "When I was in the Portland Chinese Garden in July, the board displayed appeared to have nothing whatever to do with the modern game of go. I almost wish I had taken a picture for the 'then and now' comparison. Kudos to whichever go player suggested the changes to the artist who had placed the stones attractively perhaps, but without knowledge of the game."

Published On 9/6/2013

From the first arrival in Japan of top amateur go players from 62 countries through eight rounds of competition -- topped by Korea’s Hyunjae Choi 6D -- and ending with a visit to the tsunami-stricken South Sanriku, the American Go E-Journal -- in cooperation with Ranka Online -- provided comprehensive coverage of the 34th annual World Amateur Go Championship, held September 1-5 in Sendai. Click here for full final results; here for selected game records and here for the player roster. See below for a handy clickable index to our daily reports and 19 game commentaries, as well as a Ranka/EJ team photo. Photos by John Pinkerton except as noted.

Published On 9/5/2013

The agony of defeat and ecstasy of victory on the go board were put into perspective Thursday when the WAGC participants took a somber tour of South Sanriku in Miyagi prefecture, less than an hour from the tournament site in downtown Sendai, and one of the areas hardest-hit by the 2011 tsunami

Fan Hui Wins French Open

Published On 9/4/2013

Fan Hui won the Open French Championship on September 25, near Perpignan in the south of France. There were 30 participants; Thomas Debarre took second, and Fred Donzet (left) was third. The selection for the 2014 WAGC will be at Rouen later this year, from the eight higher active players of the moment (although Fan is now a French citizen, as a professional he cannot represent France at the amateur event). Click here for more information (in French), including results and photos. - Laurent Coquelet, French Correspondent for the E-Journal. NOTE: the player on the right is Cesar Lextrait, not Fan Hui, as originally reported. photo by Claire Rioualen.

Published On 9/4/2013

As expected, Korea's Hyunjae Choi 6D wrapped up his sweep of this year's World Amateur Go Championships on Wednesday with solid wins over Ukraine's Artem Kachanovskyi, who came in an impressive third -- the first time Ukraine has been a top finalist -- and Ilya Shikshin of Russia, who took a very respectable 4th place. In addition to a significant haul of trophies (left), Choi's win gives him more than enough points to now become a professional go player (click here for Ranka's interview).

Published On 9/4/2013

Rounds 7 & 8 Reports: Click here for James Davies' reports on the final rounds of the 2013 World Amateur Go Championship. Round 7: Korea-Russia: Things Get Steadily Worse Ilya Shikshin 7D (Russia) trades a large side for a center moyo but when Hyunjae Choi 6D (Korea) skillfully erases most of the moyo, Shikshin's position turns out to be too thin and things get steadily worse…click here for the commentary by Michael Redmond 9p, edited by Chris Garlock. Photo by John Pinkerton.

Published On 9/4/2013

Preparations have begun for the second season of the Pandanet-AGA City League, with the first round set for Saturday, September 28. "This will be a full season with one round per month from September 2013 to June 2014," says Karoline Li. Organizers are also looking for volunteers to help run the league. The new season's schedule, rules and regulations will be updated on the Pandanet-AGA City League website. "The D League, in which teams have the largest range of strengths from kyu to dan players, will be a handicap league this season so as to make the games more enjoyable for all players," adds (name). Any new teams looking to join the leagues must email team information to cityleague@usgo.org by September 15. Entry of teams into individual leagues will be handled on a case-by-case basis; while it may be possible for strong new teams to be placed into the higher leagues, no new teams will be placed directly into the A league.

Published On 9/3/2013

Rounds 5 & 6 Reports: Korea’s Hyunjae Choi is an extremely quiet person. Drawing the black stones, he played the first move of the China-Korea game on the 3-4 point without making a sound, then pressed the clock button, equally noiselessly... Click here to read James Davies' complete reports on Round 5 and Round 6.

WAGC Daily Recap: Tuesday, September 3

Published On 9/3/2013

Korea's Hyunjae Choi (left) virtually locked up the 2013 World Amateur Go Championship in the sixth round Tuesday afternoon with a solid 4.5-point win over China's Yuqing Hu (right) for a perfect 6-0 record (click here for the game record with commentary by Michael Redmond 9P); Hu will almost certainly take second place. But with the two final rounds yet to play on Wednesday, the rest of the top slots are still very much up for grabs.

Only a Passing Matter

Published On 9/3/2013

In the recent US Go Congress, there were a lot of exciting half-point games. There was also some confusion over AGA rules and passed stones. On the top two boards of the US Open on the same day, for example, one game finished with black winning by a half-point while on the other, white won by half a point. How could this happen? Here's an updated explanation of AGA rules, originally published back in 1992 when the rules were new.

Published On 9/2/2013

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.

Published On 9/2/2013

Rounds 3 and 4 Overview: Click here for James Davies' in-depth reports on Round 3 and Round 4. Round 3: U.S. vs Korea: Good Fighting Spirit U.S. player Curtis Tang (left) -- one of only two players to earn the title of Redmond Meijin -- shows good fighting spirit against Hyungjae Choi of Korea, one of the most formidable players in this tournament. Click here for the commentary.

Published On 9/2/2013

This year’s Cotsen Open and Pro Prelim has been set for October 26-27 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, according to AGA President Andy Okun. The tournament, put together by local go devotee and businessman Eric Cotsen, will include many of the features that made it a perennial favorite. These include the circulating massage therapists, impressive trophies, free lunch, and refunds for those who preregister and play all their games, as well as teaching, puzzles, and a demonstration game by Yang Yilun 7P. “We are extremely grateful to Eric for sponsoring this great event again, and to the KCCLA, Ambassador Yeon-sung Shin and retired Ambassador Suh Dae-won for arranging for us to be in their beautiful facility again,” said Okun. Top boards will be broadcast online by the E-Journal. A registration site should be up within days; inquiries can be sent to registrar Samantha Davis at CotsenGoTournament2013@gmail.com.

WAGC Venue Exposes Go to Public Eye

Published On 9/2/2013

This year's World Amateur Go Championship is being held in an interesting public venue, the the AER Building, the tallest building in Sendai. The 31-floor building houses retail stores, government offices and commercial business offices, so players -- after passing a Starbucks, outside of which are tables for beginners to learn the game -- take the escalators through a vertical mall -- high-end clothing, jewelry and shoe outlets -- to the fifth floor where there's a game review area (photo at right), tables for pro simuls (at left), and the main playing area, where observers filter in to watch the action. One floor up is a large conference room which hosted a kid's tournament on Saturday and an adult tournament on Sunday. All in all, there's a bustling atmosphere at this year's venue that brings the game of go into the public eye in an engaging way. - Chris Garlock; photos by John Pinkerton

WAGC Daily Recap: Monday, September 2

Published On 9/2/2013

After two days and four rounds at the 34th World Amateur Go Championship in Sendai, Japan, just four of the 62 players are undefeated: Yuqing Hu of China, Korea's Hyunjae Choi, Kikou Emura of Japan and... Canada's teenaged Bill Lin (at left in photo), who drew down in the fourth round but still faced a stiff challenge from Slovakia's Pavol Lisy. Top players with 3-1 records include Chinese Taipei's Shin-Wei Lin, Russia's Ilya Shikshin, Artem Kachanovskyi of Ukraine, France's Thomas Debarre, Csaba Mero of Hungary, the Netherlands' Merlijn Kuin and Cornel Burzo of Romania. Curtis Tang of the U.S. is 2-2 after the tough draw of Chinese Taipei in the fourth round. Tuesday's 5th-round pairings include China-Japan, Korea-Canada, France-Ukraine and U.S.-Singapore. Click here for full results; here for selected game records and here for the player roster. Four matches are broadcast each round on Pandanet and WBaduk.

Published On 9/2/2013

Netherlands: Bert Vonk 1d bested Jan Bol 2d (left) at the Centraal Plaasingstoernoii on August 25 in Amstelveen; Ger de Groot 1d placed third. Croatia: The 5th Memorial-tournament Ivica Kuhar finished August 24 in Veliki Grdjevac with Stjepan Mestrovic 1k in first, Vlimir Kuhar 5d in second, and Robert Jovicic 2k in third. Poland: Stanislaw Frejlak 4d won both the first and second week of the Summer Go School Marathon tournament in Przystanek Alaska. Week one finished on August 16 with Andrew Kay 4d in second and Tomas Kozelek 4d in third. During week two, Kay held his post while Marcin Majka 2d placed third. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news. This post was updated 9/4 to indicate that the photo is of Jan Bol 2d, not Bert Vonk 1d.
Image Links:

Published On 9/1/2013

In these first-round games, very strong players make short work of their [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2013.09.01_WAGC-Rd1-Tang_Javier.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/2013.09.01_WAGC-Rd1-Tang_Javier.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] weaker opponents. Curtis Tang 6D (US) needed just 100 moves to force a resignation from 4-kyu John Erickson Javier (Phillipines), while Alexandr Bukh 5k (Kazakhstan) didn't last much longer against Bill Tianyu Lin 7D (Canada), resigning after 103 moves (click here for Michael Redmond's game commentary). In his game commentaries, Michael Redmond 9P shows how the games were actually over much earlier. We're also including the uncommented records for the Serbia-Nepal and India-Australia games. Alexandr Bukh, Kazakhstan's representative, has only been playing for about five years, and this is his country's first appearance in the WAGC.

Published On 9/1/2013

More Strong Players: "The University of Michigan go club has strong players," writes Alex Heath (Your Move/Readers Write: Strongest Go Clubs? 8/28 EJ). "They won the Collegiate Go League championship games undefeated with Zifan Yang 7d (though he told me he was a 9d on tygem), Seungjin Lee 7d, Troy Zhao 7d, John Starkweather 5d and Anbo Chen 4d." World Go News A Plus: "I was very surprised to see the '"Where's U.S. Go News?' item in the most recent E-Journal," writes Nate Eagle. "The E-Journal maintains an impressive pace, especially given the relatively small go community in the United States. I'm very happy to get news about go in the rest of the world. Frankly, I'd enjoy even more coverage by Americans about go activity in other countries. Things like the Power Report are a great start, but I'd love to get more stories about the rich world of go that happens beneath the top title matches.

WAGC Daily Recap: Sunday, September 1

Published On 9/1/2013

There were no surprises on the top boards on the first day of the 2013 World Amateur Go Championship, as strong players dominated weaker opponents in the early rounds. China's Yuqing Hu, one of that country's strongest amateurs, defeated Belgium's Lucas Neirynck and Slovenia's Janez Janza; Korea's Hyunjae Choi beat Andrew Kay of the UK (right) and Curtis Tang of the US; Tapei's Shin-Wei Lin defeated Thiago Sinji Shimada Ramos of Brazil and Artem Kachanovskyi of the Ukraine; Russia's Ilya Shikshin beat Charlie Akerblom of Sweden and Suzanne D'Bel of Malaysia; Hong Kong's King Man Kwan defeated Bertan Bilen of Turkey and Kikou Emura of Japan. Curtis Tang of the US defeated John Erickson Javier of the Philippines and lost to Korea, and Canada's Bill Lin defeated Alexander Bukh of Kazakhstan and Aleksandar Savchovski of Bulgaria.

Published On 9/1/2013

The 34th World Amateur Go Championship Begins: The 34th World Amateur Go Championship began with a rousing opening ceremony and reception at the Sendai International Hotel on the evening of August 31...click here for Ranka's report. Round 1: The first round was paired by the traditional WAGC method, which matches the middle half of the field (28 players this year) at random against the first and fourth quarters (14 players each)...click here for James Davies' report. Interview with Christopher Welsh (South Africa): "Go is not as popular in South Africa as it is in some European countries. We have perhaps a hundred registered players. Perhaps fifty of those are regular club and tournament players. There are some initiatives to bring go into the townships in South Africa, which are going encouraging well, but its difficult make these initiatives happen."

Published On 8/31/2013

The last year has been a very successful one for the International Go Federation, its leaders reported Saturday at the annual IGF General Meeting, held the day prior to the launch of the World Amateur Go Championship, this year in Sendai, Japan. In addition to successful editions of the WAGC, World Student Oza, World Mind Sports Games, International Pair Go Championship and SportAccord Mind Sports Games, the IGF for the first time directly funded two new projects. The Central and South American Go Propagation Project resulted in 140 go workshops in Venezuela and the 1st International Go Symposium at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress generated tremendous participation from contributors around the world. IGF VP Thomas Hsiang called both efforts "A very good start." The IGF also enjoyed financial success in 2012-2013, thanks largely to major financial support from the China Ki-In for the 2012 WAGC and SAWMSG, reported Secretary-General Yuki Shigeno.

Published On 8/31/2013

"Think for yourself, play your own game, and make your best effort." That was the advice Kikou Emura (left) of Japan gave to amateur players who want to improve their game, in response to a question from E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock at the Saturday afternoon press conference at the World Amateur Go Championship. "You must love go," said China's Yuqing Hu (second from left), adding "and try hard." Korea's Hyunjae Choi (third from left) said that "Studying and playing a lot helps." Ilya Shikshin (second from right) of Russia agreed that "you must love go and play a lot, but also I think you must never give up. There's always another way to learn, even when you get frustrated." And Malaysia's Low Khin Su (right) said that "The important thing is to enjoy the game and always make an effort to improve." The players also shared their favorite players.

Published On 8/31/2013

The Korea Baduk Association is inviting players from around the world to attend the 7th Kim-in Cup International Senior Baduk Competition, an amateur go tournament being held November 1-4 in Gangjin in the picturesque Korean province of Jeollanam-do, according to AGA President Andy Okun. "My wife and I attended last year and the hospitality and the experience were extraordinary," Okun said. The Gangjin area is known for its teas and Korea's traditional celadon pottery (photo). Players need to make their own way to Korea, but once there all the transportation, food and lodging for overseas guests is taken care of by the sponsors. For further information, contact Okun at president@usgo.org.

Published On 8/30/2013

Where's U.S. Go News? "No U.S. go news at all?" writes Allan Abramson in response to the 8/29 EJ, which featured reports on go in Japan and the UK. "Perhaps someone needs to be assigned to make or find news?" We welcome go news from across the United States and around the world; send reports and photos to us at journal@usgo.org Jie Li Strong But Not Pro: "While Jie Li is undoubtably quite strong, he's not actually a professional, let alone 9P," writes Pierre Mohan ("Where are the strongest Go Clubs" 8/29 EJ). "He's an amateur," confirms Brian Allen. "However, he is 9.27 in the AGA ratings, only a stone away from Myung Wan Kim 9p at 10.25 in the AGA ratings." More On Strong Go Clubs: "Regarding today's 'Your Move' ("Where are the strongest Go Clubs" 8/29 EJ), Joy Craft may be interested in visiting the website of the Bay Area Go Player's Association, since she lives in the SF Bay Area," suggests Steve Burrall.

Published On 8/30/2013

Players in the 34th World Amateur Go Championship began arriving Friday in Sendai, Japan, registering at the Hotel Monte Hermana, where a playing room has been set up (and where some players, shrugging off their jetlag, immediately began playing go). Saturday's schedule is light, with a friendship match in the morning, followed by the International Go Federation's General meeting in the afternoon, followed by a press conference and then the traditional opening ceremony and reception in the evening. The 8-round tournament -- with a field of 62 top amateur players from as many countries -- begins Sunday and runs through Wednesday, with rounds each morning and afternoon. On Thursday, the players will tour the nearby area ravaged by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, before returning home. In cooperation with Ranka, the E-Journal will file daily reports on all the action, including tournament result updates, game commentaries, photos and daily recaps.

Published On 8/29/2013

China and Korea are favorites again this year to win the 34th edition of the World Amateur Go Championships, which will be held on September 1-4 in Sendai, Japan. Beginning September 1st, Ranka Online and the American Go E-Journal will provide full daily coverage of the championship.

Published On 8/28/2013

Paul Taylor 2d of the St Albans Go Club, UK took the gold medal for 19x19 go by just half a point at the 17th Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) in London on Sunday August 25 (Mind Sports Olympiad Under Way in London, 8/18 EJ). British Go Association (BGA) VP Tony Atkins 1d (right) of Reading, UK, who also organized the go events and ran a free introduction to the game, as well as acting as arbiter for the games, had to content himself with the second place silver medal. Michael Webster 1d of the Central London Go Club took bronze after a tie-break with Alistair Wall 1d of Wanstead Go Club, UK. Click here for full results. In the previous afternoon's 13x13 event, Chris Volk from Germany took gold, while the silver medal went to Jay Rastall. Martyn Hamer won the bronze, but only after a tiebreak playoff with Matthew Hathrell, who nevertheless won medals in several other events. Click here for full results. Click here for full MSO medal awards.

Published On 8/28/2013

Strongest Go Clubs? "Can you tell me where the strongest go clubs are in the US?" asks Joy Craft. "I live in CA near Stanford University and want to know what cities in the US have serious clubs with professional players." Jie Li 9P has been showing up at the Greater Washington Go Club lately, the Seattle Go Center routinely hosts pros and strong players, and we hear that very strong players show up at clubs in LA and San Francisco as well. If other clubs have strong players attending, email us at journal@usgo.org. Club contact info is online here. "First 20 Hours" Redux: "In the book "The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast" by Josh Kaufman, there is a whole chapter devoted to Go in a nutshell," reports Vincent DiMattia. See our 6/18 report Expert On “How to Learn Go in 20 Hours”

Published On 8/28/2013

E-Journal Japan Correspondent John Power catches us up on go events in Japan and international events in which Japanese players took part. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2. Kisei Leagues Update July 25: (A League) Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P (W) d. Yamashita Keigo Meijin by 3.5 points. (B League) Murakawa Daisuke 7P (B) d. Takao Shinji 9P by 1.5 points; Mizokami Tomochika 8P (W) d. 25th Honinbo Chikun by resig. August 8: (B League) Takao Shinji 9P (W) d. Mizokami Tomochika 8P by resig. August 15: (A League) Yoda Norimoto 9P (B) d. Cho U 9P by 1.5 points; Yamashita Keigo Meijin (W) d. Kobayashi Satoru 9P by resig. To review the state of the leagues, Yamashita Keigo, on 3-1, will win the A League if he wins his final game. The previous Kisei, Cho U, has dropped to 1-3, so he has to worry about keeping his place. The B League is lagging a little behind. Murakawa Daisuke, on 3-0, has the sole lead; next is 25th Honinbo Chikun on 2-1.

Published On 8/27/2013

E-Journal Japan Correspondent John Power catches us up on go events in Japan and international events in which Japanese players took part. Click here (link) for Part 1. Kita Fumiko Inducted Into Hall Of Fame: At a July 16 meeting at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo, Kita Fumiko, honorary 8-dan, became the first woman to be inducted into the Go Hall of Fame. Kita (1875-1950) was the adopted daughter of the pioneering woman player Hayashi Sano (1825-1901). She became professional 1-dan in 1891 and reached 3-dan in 1895. In the same year, she married the head of the Kita No school, Kita Roppeita, and retired from active play. She made a comeback in 1907 and achieved good results, leading to her being promoted to 4-dan by the Hoensha group in 1911. In 1921 she became the first woman player to reach 5-dan. She played an important role in the founding of the Nihon Ki-in in 1924. She retired from active play and devoted herself to teaching.

Missing 8/13 Member's Edition Content

Published On 8/27/2013

Due to a technical glitch, AGA members may not have received two Member's Edition releases on August 13: Member’s Edition: Yuan Zhou on the Kobayashi Opening Member’s Edition: Yilun Yang’s August Hard Life and Death Puzzle Our apologies for any inconvenience.

Published On 8/27/2013

The Teacher's Workshop will be offered again at the 2014 Go Congress, according to AGA VP Chris Kirschner. "The howling success of the 2013 Workshop indicates that this will become a regular Go Congress event," he told the E-Journal. The Workshop had 21 hours of programming, with some of the sessions repeated. Certificates for 8 hours of participation were earned by 40 teachers who ranged from 15 kyu to 5 dan. Go teachers who did not attend the workshop are welcome to join the announcement/discussion list for the Workshop, which is being moderated by Bill Camp. To join the list, just email Bill. Photos: top right: Go Phrase Guessing Game devised by Korean Pro Dahee Lee (at back); bottom left: Chris Kirschner; bottom right: Bill Camp. Photos/report by Brian Allen

Published On 8/27/2013

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2013_08_27_atlbrandon-2_AndyLiu.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/2013_08_27_atlbrandon-2_AndyLiu.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Commentary: Andy Liu 1p Game editor: Myron Souris Published in the August 27, 2013 edition of the American Go E-Journal In this game between 1 dan amateurs, Andy Liu 1p pulls no punches on how each player handles their side of a moyo that dominates the game from start to finish. Sometimes Andy just gives alternate sequences to let the reader think for themselves about how the variation contrasts with the game lines. Andy Liu 1P first came to the attention of the US go community when he was just 11 years old, winning the Junior Division of the Redmond Cup in 2002. Ranked 7 dan by the age of 15, he surprised everyone by sweeping the US Open in 2006, beating a professional and several 8- and 9-dans in the process.

Published On 8/26/2013

Forty six kids and adults came out to San Francisco's Japantown Center on August 17th for the Summer Go Tournament organized by Bay Area Go Players Association. Players ranged in strength from 7 dan to 21 kyu, and 13 people joined or renewed their AGA memberships in order to play in the event. Naoyuki Kai 7d (in photo at right) led the pack with an impressive 4-0 record. "Some folks traveled three hours or more to get here, so I'm glad we could offer them a full day of competitive face-to-face go," said Tournament Director Steve Burrall. Reports event organizer Roger Schrag, "Longtime local go leader and past US Go Congress co-director Ernest Brown took lots of pictures and made a beautiful slide show. I hope people who haven't yet experienced playing in a go tournament will watch it to get an idea of how rewarding, fun, and social it is to play go over a physical board with dozens of other go players all around you."

Published On 8/26/2013

The 11th Isle of Man International Go Festival finished up on Friday August 23, bringing an end to a week of go and social activities for about fifty players. The Festival, which opened on August 18, hosted three tournaments, the Main, Afternoon and Handicap. The Main was taken with a 5-game sweep by former British and European Champion Matthew MacFadyen 6d of Leamington, UK, with Matthew Cocke 5d of Epsom, UK in second and Piers Shepperson 4d, also of Epsom, third. Click here for full results. In the shorter Afternoon tourney, Shigehiko Uno 4d of the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo prevailed with a full three wins, while James Hutchinson 1d of Belfast took second place and Toby Manning 2d of Leicester, UK third. Click here for full results. The handicap tournament was won by young Edmund Smith 15k of Milton School, who beat Oscar Selby 11k in the final round. Richard Hunter 3d of Bristol won the 13x13 event.

Published On 8/26/2013

I spent the summer traveling overseas (that is, away from Japan, where I live), so in a 3-part series this week I will catch up on go events in Japan and international events in which Japanese players took part. Some of these may have been reported on previously in the E-Journal so these reports will provide additional information of interest. - John Power Iyama Defends Gosei Title, Maintains Quintuple Crown: In the 38th Gosei title match, Kono Rin 9P made an excellent start, winning the first two games, but defending champion Iyama Yuta Kisei (right) fought back to defend his title with three straight wins. The third game was played at the Kansai Headquarters of the Nihon Ki-in in Osaka on July 26. Taking white, Iyama picked up his first win of the series, edging Kono by 1.5 points. This win could have been predicted, as Iyama has never lost a title match (this was his 14th) with straight losses.

Phoon Wins AGF Scholarship

Published On 8/26/2013

Joey Phoon 5k is the winner of the American Go Foundation's College Scholarship. Phoon is off to college on familiar turf this month, as he starts the fall term at George Mason University, site of the 2009 Go Congress, which he attended when he was 14. “Walking through campus brings back memories of running through the rain to get to simuls and occasionally getting lost in the huge campus,” Phoon told the E-Journal. Phoon started a go club at George C. Marshall High, in his junior year. “At first it was only me and a couple of friends that I had taught in preparation for the club,” said Phoon, “but we slowly gained momentum and gained member after member. At the end of the year we had 11 members. Every Wednesday we would play a few games then review life and death problems. From just these sessions, the students learned quickly and got to 20 kyu within a couple weeks.

Published On 8/25/2013

Congratulations to Go Game Guru, which recently celebrated its third birthday. “When we started this project, we set out with the idea of building a sustainable business that exists to promote go worldwide,” writes GGG founder David Ormerod. While conceding that “I didn’t fully anticipate exactly how much work that would be, or how long it would take to get certain things done,” Ormerod says the GGG team and systems “are running very smoothly at last, which frees up a lot of time to improve how we’re doing things and to work on new stuff.” That includes new go equipment in the GGG store, more articles for beginners and intermediate players, and affordable, basic equipment for beginners. Perhaps GGG's most ambitious idea is one that the E-Journal strongly supports as well: worldwide go demonstrations on the same weekend in 2014. Stay tuned for more details. Meanwhile, happy birthday to Go Game Guru and best wishes to the team for many happy returns!

Published On 8/25/2013

China Korean Tengen 2013Much was riding on this year’s China Korean Tengen tournament on August 24 in Hangzhou, China. After Chinese player Chen Yaoye 9p (left) defended his title last year, the score of wins per country was tied at 8-8. During their match, when Chen won the first game and Park won the second, creating another tie, the stakes were even higher. Korean fans hoped Park’s Chunwon win in January and killer endgame skills would give him the advantage – not so. Chen edged Park out, taking not only his third win in three years but also giving China the lead in total victories for the first time in the tournament’s history. For more information about Chen, Park, and this year’s China Korean Tengen including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru. -- Annalia Linnan, based on a longer report by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Published On 8/25/2013

The previously-published Congress Photo Scrapbooks (below) have now been updated with full-size slideshows of EJ photographer Phil Straus' albums for each day. We've also published three all-new albums of Straus' photos. Enjoy! - The Editors U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Saturday, August 3 Click here to see the new daily slideshow. U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Sunday, August 4 Click here to see the new daily slideshow. U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Monday, August 5 Click here to see the new daily slideshow. U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Tuesday, August 6 Click here to see the new daily slideshow. NEW! Thursday, August 7: Click here for Phil Straus’ complete album of the day. NEW! Friday, August 8: Click here for Phil Straus’ complete album of the day. NEW! Saturday, August 9: Click here for Phil Straus’ complete album of the day. [gallery link="file" orderby="title"]

Published On 8/24/2013

From before the Opening Ceremonies to the closing Awards Banquet, the American Go E-Journal once again provided comprehensive coverage of the annual U.S. Go Congress, this year held August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. In addition to broadcasting and posting dozens of top games, many with commentary by professional go players, the EJ published daily tournament recaps and previews (a new feature this year), interviews, features and scrapbooks of photos from the biggest event on the US go calendar. Here's a selection of our coverage, organized into a handy overview. All the coverage is available online: click on U.S. Go Congress under Categories or search for specific keywords. Game records are posted on the US Open, NAMT and Strong Players Open; also see below for clickable links to the professional game commentaries.

Published On 8/23/2013

During the week following the U.S. Go Congress, Takemiya Masaki 9p from the Nihon Ki-in and Chihiro Chujo 1p from the Kansai Ki-in each taught three times at the Seattle Go Center. Ms. Chujo was an enthusiastic go teacher, and an eager student of the English language. Her English vocabulary increased notably during her week-long visit. In his first lecture, Takemiya gave commentary on two of his games; one from the beginning of his career in 1969 and one with his friend and competitor Cho Chikun from 1988. Takemiya's second lecture was for kyu players, and stressed that "those who play where they want lose more games but get stronger faster".

Published On 8/23/2013

GoGameGuru – which just celebrated its third birthday -- will be sponsoring the August qualifier for the KGS 2013 Meijin tournament. GoGameGuru's August round has 34 entrants thus far, with ranks up to 8 dan. The single-elimination tournament will take place August 24-25, the registration is still open; see the tournament web page for more details.

Published On 8/23/2013

The Hu family won twice on the night of the North American Masters Tournament final when Alex Hu, father of 2013 NAMT winner Zi Yang (Matthew) Hu was the winning bidder at the NAMT board auction at the U.S. Go Congress awards banquet.

Go Spotting: Seattle Asian Art Museum

Published On 8/22/2013

These go players are part of a new display at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Thanks to SAM curator Pam McClusky for passing this along.

Published On 8/20/2013

The NYGC building is being sold by the Nihon Ki-in (Nihon Ki-in to Use NY Go Center Sale Proceeds to Benefit Go in North America 6/27 EJ) and needs to be cleared. The go sets and go books will be kept, but there is much of value which can't be stored. In particular there are perfect, custom go tables: narrow, low, two boards wide, and chairs that slide under them. Ideal for go clubs.

Published On 8/19/2013

A custom-made go board is featured on both the July 2013 edition cover of The Japan Woodworker Catalog and the August 2013 Woodcraft catalog. A post on the Woodworking Adventures blog describes both the construction of the board and the game of go. "This is a great family project and game piece," says the blog. "Great for all ages to keep your minds sharp, worthy of ‘Spock’ like mentality. Head to your woodshop, build one of these, learn to play, live long and prosper, but most of all, 'GO'…have some fun!" Thanks to David Doshay for passing this along.

Published On 8/18/2013

A 10-day "Festival for the Mind", the 17th Mind Sports Olympiad (MSO) opened in London on Friday 16 August, hosting a myriad of mind sport competitions, including the Creative Thinking World Championship, Hare and Tortoise, Chess - and variations on it, some novel such as Diving Chess - and last, but not least, go. There will be a free introduction to go on the morning of Saturday, August 24, followed by the 13x13 competition that afternoon. The next day will see the all-day 19x19 go tournament, a 4-round McMahon, 40 minutes each main time + 30 moves in 5 minutes overtime. Entry is £10 per event (single session) or £15 (double session) and it is being held at the University of London Union, Malet St, London, United Kingdom, WC1E 7HY. Click here for a full schedule of events. Tony Collman, British Correspondent for the E-Journal. Photo: Mind Map, courtesy of MSO website.

"Play More Go" Releases Two More Videos

Published On 8/18/2013

The Play More Go project has released two more videos, What is it about? and Master the Game. Professionally produced by Sven and Lars Walther, the brief videos are designed to provoke interest in the game by a broader audience.

EJ Archive Project Underway

Published On 8/18/2013

The project to extend the searchable E-Journal archives to the entire 14-year history of the EJ is now underway. Thanks to the work being done by volunteers Roy Hatcher and Corey McQuarters, our current searchable online archives now go back to January 2010. E-Journals prior to that are available online but are not yet searchable. Anyone interested in joining the team – experience with WordPress is helpful but not necessary – can email journal@usgo.org. Volunteers will be eligible to receive recognition and a stylish EJ cap.

Go Spotting: BGA's Go Celebs Listing

Published On 8/17/2013

What do Pop Art sculptor Arman the Artist, sci-fi writer Ursula Le Guin and comedian Robin Williams have in common? They're all listed on “Celebrities who have played Go,” a fascinating page on the British Go Association's website. Arman the Artist's “obituary reported that he played a bit of Go in his apartment after retirement,” Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness “mentions Go in chapter 16” and Williams “is known to be a big player of games, including computer and role-playing games, and is known to have bought a Go board and stones.” Check out the page for go tidbits about other go-playing notables, including Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Alan Turing and more.

Dolen & Fukuda Receive Lasker Awards

Published On 8/17/2013

In a surprise announcement, not one but two Lasker Awards were made at this year’s U.S. Go Congress. The recipients were two longtime go organizers, Richard Dolen (middle in photo at right) and Frank Fukuda (right in photo below). As Dolen himself modestly noted, his greatest claim to fame in 60 years in the go community is having taken Michael Redmond to Japan as a young boy, where he was accepted as a pupil by Oeda Yusuke 8P and eventually became the first US-born 9-dan professional go player.

EGC Finals: Hui Fan On Fire

Published On 8/15/2013

European Go Congress 2013The delicate dance between Hui Fan 7d (left), Pavol Lisy 6d, and Mateusz Surma 6d at this year’s European Go Congress in Olsztyn ended on August 10 when Fan snagged the spotlight after a final showdown with Lisy. It is Fan’s third title in three weeks and the second time he and Lisy have had a face-off. Unfortunately for Lisy, Fan repeated his performance at the Beijing 2013 qualification tournament on July 22 and successfully edged him out. Though fan favorite Ilja Shikshin 7d fell short of the top five in the main tournament, he won both the weekend tournament and the blitz knock-out. In the U18 tournament, fellow Russian Alexandr Vashurov 5d took first while Jonas Welticke 5d placed second and Roman Lemasson 3d came in third. For photos and full results from all the go tournaments at this year’s European Go Congress, visit the EGC 2013 official website. --Annalia Linnan, photo courtesy of EuroGoTV

Published On 8/15/2013

Defending champions Jianing Gan 7d and Aaron Ye 6d both held on to their Redmond Cup titles in the exciting final rounds of the tournament at the US Go Congress last week. Ye won round one (see the E-J from 8-4) and was determined not to lose his title to the challenger David Lu 6d, of Canada. The Redmond finals are a best two out of three match, so the second game is crucial. Ironically, Lu drew Ye as his opponent in the US Open on Tuesday morning, Aug. 6, and defeated him.

Takemiya on Takemiya

Published On 8/15/2013

Takemiya Masaki 9p visited the Seattle Go Center Tuesday night to play simuls. "While we were waiting for the simuls to start," reports Andrew Jackson, "Takemiya got distracted by the screensaver on the center's computers, which replay famous old games at a pace of a few seconds a move. I watched him watch a Shusaku game, then a Shuko game, and then the next game that popped up was one of his own, against Rin Kaiho. He gave only a small "huh" of recognition, and no other commentary, but watched it all the way to the end without the slightest awareness of anything else in the room." - photo by Andrew Jackson

China Dominates First MLily Cup

Published On 8/15/2013

Cho Hanseung 1st MLily CupAlthough the MLily Cup final won't be played until later this year it's already clear that a Chinese player will be champion. That's because China claimed all eight quarterfinal places at the first MLily Cup on August 9. Only two Korean players, Choi Cheolhan 9p and Cho Hanseung 9p, (left) and one Japanese player, Yuki Satoshi 9p, made it into the final 16, and all fell to Chinese challengers. Morale is especially low in Korea as the same circumstances occurred at the 18th LG Cup when Lee Sedol 9p was defeated by Tuo Jiaxi 3p in the second round. In the MLily Cup, Lee was defeated in the second round by seventeen-year-old Mi Yuting 4p. While sharp, young up-and-comers like Mi are one reason China has been slicing up the competition lately, “speculation in Korea is that the ever increasing prevalence of lightning games…is making it harder for their players to compete in these (relatively slower) international matches.”

Published On 8/13/2013

This Sunday, August 18 is the deadline to register for the SportAccord-Pandanet Cup Go Online Tournament (SportAccord-Pandanet Cup Online Go Tournament Registration Opens 6/30 EJ). Preliminary rounds will be played August 22 through September 12. This tournament is supported by SportAccord and Pandanet and organized by the International Go Federation and Pandanet. It also concurrently serves as the 18th Pandanet Cup Internet World Amateur Go Tournament. Participants must be amateurs and may choose to enter one of four classes ("bands"): Open, 2d-3k, 4k-7k, 8k-17k. Except in the Open class, players are required to have a registered and Pandanet-confirmed rank. In addition, players may choose one of three geographic regions to play their games. Generous prizes are provided by the sponsors, including a round trip to the third Beijing SportAccord World Mind Games for the Open champion. Further prizes are provided for regional and class winners. Click here for details and registration forms

Published On 8/13/2013

Flummoxed by Crosstabs: “I am flummoxed,” writes Jean de Maiffe. “The E-J says ‘Click here for complete U.S. Open results and game records. Click here for final results and game records from the NAMT and SPO tournaments’ but I clicked on each of the three links and never got to any game records. What am I missing? By the way, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed looking through the results of tournaments. My eyes lit up every time I saw a familiar name with a face I could put to it. You and your team have done your usual fine job, and we, your audience, are duly appreciative, I'm sure.” You need to look for any result that’s underlined. For example, in the US Open Crosstab, Zi Yang Hu’s Round 1 game -- W14+ -- is underlined, and when you click on it, the game record will come up. Since only top boards were recorded, just click on “Player” at the top left to put them in player order and you should be able to find the game records easily.

Published On 8/13/2013

Programmer Wanted: AGA seeks volunteer programmer to maintain gocongress.org. Knowledge of ruby is desirable. Please contact jared@jaredbeck.com. Students Wanted: Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting enrollment for Online Group Classes for the 2013 3rd term, beginning on September 7th. Group classes are held once a week, on either Saturday or Sunday depending on which group you join. Classes run for 8 weeks. “Make new friends, have fun and learn go from professionals at great prices!” says Guo Juan. Group class participants also receive a 20% discount on Pro Lectures annual membership. The teaching faculty includes Guo Juan 5P, Young Sun Yoon 8p, Jennie Shen 2P, and Mingjiu 7P.

Published On 8/13/2013

Istanbul International Go Tournament 2013Turkey: The 13th Istanbul Go Tournament will take place September 28 and 29 in Istanbul. Since fall 2001, the Istanbul Go Tournament has made its players its top priority. According to the official homepage, the Istanbul Go Topluluğu has “always been striving to achieve a higher quality of experience…and set a higher standard for other national tournaments in Turkey.” All players are invited to register. Pre-registration is open until September 20 and strongly encouraged. For official rules, full schedule, and more, please visit istanbulgo.org. Italy: The Higashikita Go Club and Italian Go Federation (F.I.G.G.) will host the 2013 European Student Go Championship and 8th Higashikita Tournament on October 5-6 in Trieste. For the main tournament, any player that is a university student, under 30 years of age, and a citizen of any EGF member countries is invited to participate.

Published On 8/11/2013

University teams from other countries are being invited to take part in the Student Championships in Petrozavodsk, Russia in September. “Participation of university teams from all over the world in the event will make it very respected, dynamic and let us to attract attention of government officers and the public towards spreading go,” says organizer Alexey Lazarev. The event will run September 25-30 and will include both team and individual competitions and will be held in the Hotel Karelia which is offering significantly discounted rates. Email Lazarev for details: lazarev_av@sampo.ru

Published On 8/10/2013

Despite a nail-biting half-point loss to Beomgeun Cho in the final round Saturday morning, Yuhan Zhang 7d (right) won the 2013 U.S. Open championship on tie-break. Zhang, one of the strongest amateurs in China, placed 8th in a recent amateur tournament there. Click here for complete U.S. Open results and game records. Click here for final results and game records from the NAMT and SPO tournaments.

Published On 8/10/2013

Matthew Hu Repeats as NAMT Champ; Cong Li Wins SPO: Matthew Hu 1P (left) repeated as North American Masters Tournament champion Friday night, defeating Stephanie Yin 1P as hundreds watched at the U.S. Go Congress and online on KGS. The main playing area was packed as Takemiya Masaki 9P and Myungwan Kim 9P provided detailed live commentary on the top boards in both the Masters and the Strong Player's Open. Cong Li 3P (right) won the SPO, defeating Yuhan Zhang 7d. The board the NAMT final was played on -- a 2-inch kaya table board donated by Yutopian and signed by Takemiya, Kim and both players -- will be auctioned off at the banquet Saturday night to benefit the American Go Foundation. Final results — and game records — are here: NAMT; SPO. Click here for the NAMT commentary and SPO commentary; Frank Fukuda translated for Takemiya and the E-Journal's Solomon Smilack transcribed both commentaries.

Published On 8/10/2013

Representatives of the Chinese Weiqi Association (CWA) will visit the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles right after the Go Congress finishes up Saturday in Tacoma, WA. CWA Vice Chairman Yang Yi (right) says he'd like to meet as many go players as he can during the two-week trip. The first event is Sunday, August 11 from 1-5 PM (887 Oak Grove Ave. Menlo Park, Suite 203, CA 94025). The second event is Thursday, August 15 from 7-10 PM at the Westfield Plaza Mall near Topanga Canyon Blvd and Oxnard St (21801 Oxnard Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367). "The Woodland Hills Go Club is very happy to host the Chinese pros," said organizer Joe Walter, "and we've set up the main floor area to get maximum exposure for the public." Walter also says the Woodland Hills event is free of charge, although donations are fine if a player wants to show appreciation for the simul games.

Published On 8/10/2013

Justin Ching 4d, Willis Huang 3d, and William Xu 2k won the dan section of the Team Tournament in the Youth Room at the US Go Congress Friday, while Ethan Frank 6k, Bryan Tan 8k, and Logan Lancaster 10k won the kyu section. A dozen teams of three players each competed, with each team needing to win two out of three boards in order to win a match. Winning teams scored $25 gift certificates per player, and players who won all three games (regardless of how their team fared) also won $15 gift certificates. Based on the team matches in Hikaru no Go, team go has been quite popular at Congress in recent years, and often draws the highest attendance numbers of youth room events. Story and photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: William Xu, Willis Huang, and Justin Ching, at left, compete against Helen Lu, Oscar Cao, and David Lu, at right).

Published On 8/10/2013

Row 1: 1st: Zi Yang Hu; 2nd: Mingming (Stephanie) Yin; 3rd: Jie Liang; 4th: Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu Row 2: 5th: Tianyu (Bill) Lin; 6th: Hugh Zhang; 7th: Calvin Sun; 8th: Dae Hyuk (Daniel) Ko Row 3: 9th: Yongfei Ge; 10th: Yuan Zhou; 11th: Aaron Ye; 12th: Jianing Gan Row 4: 13th: Justin Teng; 14th: Daniel Chou; 15th: Lionel Zhang; 16th: Matthew Harwit TD: Gurujeet Khalsa; EJ Broadcast Team: Coordinator: Todd Heidenreich; Floor Manager: Dennis Wheeler; Game Recorders: Richard Dolen, Ethan Frank, Andrew Jackson, Logan Lancaster, Brian Leahy, Mike Lepore, Matt Payton, Alex Salazar, Solomon Smilack, David Weimer. Managing Editor: Chris Garlock. KGS Support: Akane Negishi. Photos/collage by Chris Garlock

2013 Strong Players Open: Final Results

Published On 8/10/2013

Row 1: 1st: Cong Li; 2nd: Yuhan Zhang; 3rd: Juyong Koh; 4th: Beomgeun Cho Row 2: 5th: Maojie Xia; 6th: Peilun Li; 7th: Ho Son; 8th: Andrew Lu Row 3: 9th: Andrew Huang; 10th: Albert Yen; 11th: Yue Zhang; 12th: David Lu Row 4: 13th: Steve Stringfellow; 14th: Sung-Chul Cho; 15th: James Sedgwick; 16th: Martin Lebl TD: Gurujeet Khalsa; EJ Broadcast Team: Todd Heidenreich, Coordinator; Dennis Wheeler, Floor Manager; Game Recorders: Richard Dolen, Andrew Jackson, Solomon Smilack, David Weimer, Logan Lancaster, Brian Leahy, Ethan Frank, Matt Payton, Alex Salazar, Mike Lepore; Managing Editor: Chris Garlock. KGS Support: Akane Negishi. photos/collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/9/2013

Tournament Recap: With his 4th-round win over Calvin Sun (left) in the U.S. Open Thursday morning, Yuhan Zhang (right) moved into the lead for this year's championship, his 4-0 record giving him the edge over other top players with 3-1 records like Zi Yang Hu, Cong Li and Beomgeun Cho. Latest results — and game records — are here: U.S. Open; NAMT; SPO. photo by Peter Mooyman Seen & Heard: "Can't believe you guys didn't broadcast the Board 8 ko fight between Daniel Ko and Juyong Koh," said Keith Arnold. Pro Game Commentaries: Click here for Myungwan Kim 9P's commentary on the US Open Round 3, Board 2 game between Calvin Sun 7d and Peilun Li 7d and Chujo Chihiro 3P's commentary on the US Open Round 3, Board 1 game between Zi Yang (Matthew) Hu 1p and Yuhan Zhang 7d. (NOTE: this file has been corrected) Today's Schedule: Friday morning's pro live game commentary on KGS will be by Mingjiu Jiang 7P and Chen Wei 3P; Friday night's commentary

Takemiya on Teaching

Published On 8/9/2013

"Try to give your students the bigger concept of the game, not small ideas and techniques," urged Takemiya Masaki 9P Thursday afternoon at a Teachers' Workshop lecture at the U.S. Go Congress. "It's very important to keep them enthusiastic about the game." Takemiya, who had just arrived at the Congress Thursday morning, explained how his father taught him go and then turned over his training to a professional when Takemiya had learned everything his father had to teach him. "My teacher never praised me and that was smart, I think," Takemiya said. He added that "Teaching is challenging, but sometimes maybe the problem is with the teachers, not the students."

Published On 8/9/2013

Amy Wang and Justin Ching (at left) won the Pair Go Tournament Thursday night, earning themselves a trip to the International Amateur Pair Go Championship this Fall in Tokyo. They defeated April Ye and Willis Huang (at right) in the first round and beat Wan Chen and Dae Hyuk (Daniel) Ko in the second round. Todd Heidenreich directed, Yuan Zhou assisted, with support by Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. The Round 1 game between Wan Chen/Daniel Ko and Julie Burrall/Lionel Zhang and the final round between Chen/Ko and Wang-Ching were broadcast live on Pandanet by the E-Journal's Dennis Wheeler.

Published On 8/9/2013

Go's breadth of history is on display this week in the Vendor's Room at this year's U.S. Go Congress. Next to the very latest books about go is an exhibit that features old Japanese go books painstakingly hand-copied by internee Giichiro Mizuki at the Minidoka Relocation Camp in 1945. On Yutopian's heavily-laden table are dozens of books about go, just across the room from a hard-cover copy of Arthur Smith's "The Game of Go," first published in 1908. Contrast Yutopian's shiny new go boards with the age-darkened goban and chipped stones that traveled from Japan in the late 1800's to Austria and then to the United States during World War II and now rests in Chris Kirschner's living room. Kirschner, who organized this year's Congress, marvels at the long and improbable link of events and history that connect us with the "kindly Japanese gentleman" who taught Chris' seafaring great-uncle how to play go in 1898. "I don't think he had any idea of what he was accomplishing," Kirschner says.

Korean Leaders visit Seattle Go Center

Published On 8/8/2013

Early Tuesday night was slow at the Seattle Go Center, with only about 20 players, since so many members were at the U.S. Go Congress in nearby Tacoma. But then a meeting organized by Dae-won Suh, President of the Asian Go Federation, and former Korean Ambassador to the U.N., doubled the attendance, as Suh met with the leadership of the Center, including president Lee Anne Bowie, and local Korean players. Also attending from the U.S. Go Congress were three Korean professional players, and KBA General Manager Jong-Ryeol Kim. A reporter from the Korea Times, and staff from the Seattle Korean Consulate also attended. While no specific events were scheduled at the meeting, Mr. Suh strongly encouraged the group to plan medium-sized events in the future that attract players from all backgrounds, according to local organizer Sonny (Sung-Chul) Cho. Mr. Suh seemed pleased with the diversity in the Board and in the membership of the Seattle Go Center.

GoGoD Summer 2013 Update Released

Published On 8/8/2013

The Summer 2013 update of the GoGoD (Games of Go on Disk) Database and Encyclopaedia has been issued and now contains a total of over 77,000 games with extra games from Hashimoto Utaro, Kitani Minoru and Go Seigen, to add to their "complete collections", reports T Mark Hall.

Eric Lui Into Samsung

Published On 8/8/2013

In the Samsung preliminaries that finished yesterday, U.S. player Eric Lui won against Ben Lockhart, also from the U.S. In the other 18 groups, China took 11, Korea 6, and Japan 1. These 19 winners will join the 13 seeded players in the next round, to be held in Shanghai September 3-5. Other highlights from the preliminaries include the re-emergence of Seo Bongsu and Komatsu Hideki, two popular players from yesteryear. "We're tremendously proud of both Eric and Ben," said American Go Association President Andy Okun. "We look forward to following Eric this fall." Click here for the Lui-Lockhart game record. - Thomas Hsiang; photo courtesy Cyberoro, which has a full report (in Korean); there's also a report on newscj.com NOTE: updated 8/8 9:22a (PST) with new photo and link to Cyberoro

Andrew Lu Repeats As Die Hard Winner

Published On 8/8/2013

For the second year in a row, Andrew Lu 6d was the overall winner at the Die Hard tournament Wednesday. The tournament on the traditional U.S. Go Congress "day off" drew 65 players. The other four undefeated players were: Zhini Zhang 1d, Yukino Takehara 2k, Anthony Long 6k, Weitan Liu 15k. Full results are available online.

Published On 8/7/2013

The British Go Association’s (BGA) ratings list and Organisers Handbooks will continue to be publicly available on the BGA’s website, which last week launched a member’s-only section. Plans to remove much previously public information, including ratings, had met with opposition (Brits “Members-Only” Website Move Sparks Debate 7/21 EJ) and following a period of consultation, BGA President Jon Diamond announced that the ratings, handbooks and “some of the Policies which may be clearly relevant to non-members (such as Child Protection)" would remain public. Material on the Members’ Section includes electronic versions of the British Go Journals for the last year, PDFs, SGFs and problems/solutions, Council meetings and Annual General Meeting Minutes, Annual Accounts, Policies and Archive contents. Click here for full details. -Tony Collman, British Correspondent for the E-Journal.

Kurebayashi's Top Youth-Adult Pair Go

Published On 8/7/2013

Miein Kurebayashi 2P, and her son Eiryu 1d won the top table at the Youth Adult Pair Go Tourney at the US Go Congress. Twelve pairs competed in the event, and winners received prizes at each table. AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small was on hand, with t-shirts, fans, and other goodies from the World Pair Go Association, who have agreed to sponsor next year's pair go events at the Go Congress. She also debuted the new international Pair Go Passports, which have places for stamps for each pair go event a player attends. Rubber stamps were designed for this year's Youth Adult Pair Go and the North American Pair Go Championship.

Missing EJ? Check Googlemail

Published On 8/7/2013

Several readers have written to say that Google's new inbox format can place the E-Journal in a different category that does not automatically show in your inbox without clicking another button. The E-Journal is now apparently appearing in the "promotions" category of some people's gmail accounts. "Promotions" is one of the new categories that gmail is being separated into when it comes in to your inbox. If you do not want to have your mail pre-sorted like this, this can easily be fixed by going into your settings. Click on the gear symbol in the upper right part of your screen when you are in your inbox and then click on "settings." Once you are in your settings, choose "inbox" from the categories offered. One of the first options available to you will be the "categories" section. You can add more categories or reduce the categories that you currently have. If you delete all of the categories except one, your email will come to you as before - unsorted.

Published On 8/7/2013

Tournament Recap: It was an exciting morning at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. The games on both top boards -- both being broadcast live on KGS and drawing a crowd in the playing room as well -- were half-pointers, and TD Karoline Burrall and other officials were called in to help adjudicate the scoring in the Board 1 game between the undefeated Zi Yang (Matthew) Hu 1P and Yuhan Zhang 7d because of a question about how to count points in seki. Zhang got the win, snapping an impressive winning streak in the U.S. Open by Hu that goes back to 2011. Hu was back in form in his Masters tournament Round 3 game Tuesday night, handily defeating Jie Liang, while Stephanie Yin dispatched Hugh Zhang and Andy Liu 1P notched his second 2013 NAMT win by defeating Justin Teng. In the Strong Player's Open, Cong Li continued his run by beating Ho Son, as did Yuhan Zhang, winning against Juyong Koh, and Beomgeun Cho, defeating Andrew Huang.

Published On 8/7/2013

Tadaaki Jagawa has built a very successful career selling cars around the world. Now the Toyota executive is hoping to apply some of the same principles to making the game of go more popular around the world. Jagawa, Vice-Chairman of the Nihon-Kiin's Board of Directors, is visiting the U.S. Go Congress this week. "I think it's very important to meet the U.S. go community in person," Jagawa told the E-Journal on Tuesday, in an interview translated by Frank Fukuda of the Seattle Go Center. "The Nihon Ki-in is in critical condition and really needed people with management skills," Jagawa said. "It's my goal that our professional go players be able to play go as much as possible, instead of spending their time managing the Ni-hon Ki-in." As Vice-President of Toyota, Jagawa has been responsible for opening most of the company's overseas factories in the U.S. Europe, Africa and the Mideast.

Published On 8/7/2013

Tuesday night is Crazy Go night at the U.S. Go Congress, and the main playing area was filled with players trying out variations, including 3D Go (top right); Galactic Go (middle right); 4-color go (bottom right); Joker Go (bottom left); Rengo Kriegspiel (middle left) and Hex Go (top left). photos by Chris Garlock, except for 4-color go, by Phil Straus Click here for Phil Straus' complete photo album of the day.

Published On 8/7/2013

Youngsters from Portland, OR, took on kids from Mexico City, in a friendly match on KGS, held on Feb. 24th. The Portland group, organized by Peter Freedman, played two rounds, and won 9-5, with one tie. The Mexican group are students of Siddhartha Avila's, at the Pipiolo elementary school, and have competed with the Portland kids before, who Avila says are "much stronger this year". The kids video conferenced with each other before the matches, and were able to meet their opponents by Skype as well as across the board. "Some of the kids we played plan on visiting Portland before going on the Go Congress in Tacoma this summer," reports Freedman.

Published On 8/6/2013

Eric Lui and Ben Lockhart both won in the second round of the Samsung preliminary (U.S. 2-3 in Samsung Prelims After First Round 8/5 EJ). They will play each other on Wednesday with the winner advancing to the 32-player main tournament in September. - Thomas Hsiang

Published On 8/6/2013

Tournament Recap: In the second round of the North American Masters Tournament Monday night at the U.S. Go Congress, Zi Yang Hu defeated Calvin Sun on Board 1, while Jie Liang (left in photo) handed Andy Liu 1P (right) his second defeat in the NAMT and Mingming Yin beat Tianyu Lin. In the Strong Players Open, Li Cong beat Peilun Li on Board 1, while Yuhan Zhang defeated Beomgeun Cho and Juyong Koh won against Albert Yen. Click here for full results — and game records — of each round: U.S. Open; NAMT; SPO. photo by Phil Straus

Frisbee Go - Youth Room Style

Published On 8/6/2013

Today's tournaments in the Youth Room at the US Go Congress included 9x9 and 13x13 tournaments, run by Fritz Balwit, and a little impromptu frisbee go on the ten foot by ten foot 9x9 board as well. Table winners in the 9x9 were: Willis Huang 3d, Job Betcher 2d, Julie Burrall 4k, Bryan Tan 8k, and Bob Liu 13k; 13x13 table winners were Justin Ching 4d, Daniel Puzan 1k, and Eric Liu 5k. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor; photo by Phil Straus

Published On 8/6/2013

Monday's Snapshots: center: Lightning Go Tournament (Chris Garlock); top right: Yang Yi 6P lectures on the san-ren-sei opening (Peter Mooyman); middle right: in the Youth Room (Phil Straus); bottom right: top boards being broadcast in the main playing area; bottom left: Maeda Ryo 6P lecture (Straus); middle left: at the Teacher's Workshop; top left: Ozdal Barkan with shirt & sign (Straus). Got Congress photos? Email 'em to us at journal@usgo.org Click here for Phil Straus’ complete album.

Published On 8/5/2013

U.S. players Benjamin Lockhart and Eric Lui defeated Rob van Zeist (Netherlands) and Cristian Pop (Romania) in the "world group" of the Samsung preliminary in the first round on August 5. In other world group play, Oleg Mezhov (Russia) defeated Yinli Wang (US) and Jan Hora (Czech) defeated Yunxuang Li (US); the next round on Tuesday will pit Mezhov vs. Lockhart and Lui vs. Hora. The only US professional playing in the preliminary, Zhujiu (Jujo) Jiang, lost in the first round Sunday to Komatsu Hideki of Japan. - reported by Thomas Hsiang

Published On 8/5/2013

Tournament Recap: Top players get two bites at the competitive apple at the U.S. Go Congress, playing in both the U.S. Open in the morning and then in either the North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) or the Strong Players Open (SPO). In an upset win, Jianing Gan 7D forced a resignation by Andy Liu 1P in yesterday's first-round action at the U.S Open (USO), but Liu -- who conducted a simul in the afternoon (right) -- notched a decisive win against Yuan Zhou 7D in the evening round of the NAMT. In other top-board USO action, Canadian pro Zi Yang Hu 1P beat Tianyu (Bill) Li, Chinese pro Cong Li 3P lost to Yuhan Zhang 7D and Beomgeun Cho (9.2 AGA) defeated Andrew Lu (7.5 AGA). In other NAMT top results, Hugh Zhang 7D scored an upset against Yongfei Ge 8D, Zi Yang Hu 1P defeated Jianing Gan 7D and Andy Liu 1P beat Yuan Zhou 7D. In the SPO, Cong Li defeated James Sedgwick 7D of Canada, while Beomgeun Cho beat Andrew Lu and Juyong Koh 7D defeated Maojie Xia 6D.

Published On 8/5/2013

Hui Fan 7d (left) is on fire lately. On top of his recent Leksand Open and EGF Qualification for Beijing 2013 wins, Fan has climbed to the top of the leader board for the main tournament at the 2013 European Go Congress underway in Poland. Behind him are Antti Tormanen 6d and former first place holder Mateusz Surma 6d. However, formidable contenders Ilja Shikshin 7d, Alexandr Dinerchtein 7d, and Ondrej Silt 6d hold sixth, seventh, and eighth. Twenty-year-old Lukas Kräemer 5d is also closing in on the top ten. The main tournament recommences on August 5 at 10 A.M. local time. Meanwhile, the weekend tournament finished August 4 with Shikshin in first, Fan in second, and Ali Jabarin 6d in third. For the latest updates, full results, photos, and more, visit the official 2013 European Go Congress website. -- Annalia Linnan; photo courtesy EuroGoTV

Published On 8/5/2013

Jianing Gan 7d and Aaron Ye 6d both won their first round matches in the Redmond Cup Finals at the US Go Congress Sunday afternoon. Gan, who is from Canada, was undefeated in the qualifiers, and is the defending champion in the Senior Division of the Redmond (under 18). His opponent Andrew Lu 6d is the current US Youth Champion, and lost only to Gan in the qualifiers. Lu was out for a win, and played strongly throughout today's match, but ran into time trouble and ultimately had to resign. In the Junior Division (under 12) defending champion Aaron Ye, age 11, faced off against Canadian David Lu 6d, also 11.

Published On 8/5/2013

Sunday's snapshots: top right: Yilun Yang 7P lectures (by Phil Straus); middle & bottom right: strong players review their games (Chris Garlock); bottom left: Cathy Li 1P plays in a simul (Peter Mooyman); top left: the main playing area during the US Open (Phil Straus). Plus: Click here for Phil Straus' complete album of the day.

Published On 8/5/2013

Sweden: Recently, Leksand hosted both the Leksand Open and the European Women’s Go Championship. Even though he had triumphed at the EGF Qualification tournament for Beijing 2013 two days before, Hui Fan 7d championed the Leksand Open on July 24 with Ali Jabarin 6d in second and Cristian Pop 6d in third. The same day, victory at the European Women’s Go Championship belonged to Natalia Kovaleva 5d (left) while Dina Burdakova 5k placed second and Manja Marz 3d came in third. Croatia: The 475. Velika Gorica weekend go tournament finished July 27 with Mladen Smud 1k in first, Nikola Primetica 4k in second, and MIrko Primetica 9k in third. Romania: Catalina Bianca Tudosie 12k took first at the TrSeverin – Under 16 club tournament on July 28 in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. In second was Catalin Fabian Birlan 12k and third was Marina Popa 16k. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 8/5/2013

Paul Celmer defeated write-in candidate Barack Obama to win the election for the Eastern Region seat on the American Go Association Board of Directors. Martin Lebl and Chris Kirschner, both unopposed, won in the Central and Western regions, respectively. Congratulating all three, AGA President Andy Okun thanked Kirchner and Celmer "for their willingness to continue serving the American go community" and extended "a very special welcome to Martin, whose enthusiasm, good humor and organizing skills will make him an exciting addition to the Board."

Published On 8/4/2013

Online live coverage of top boards at the U.S. Open begins at 9a (PST) on KGS (look for the USGO accounts); professional commentary begins at 10a (PST). Redmond Cup coverage on KGS will begin at 3p (PST) (USGO accounts). Our coverage of the North American Ing Masters and Strong Players Open begins at 7p (PST). Track results of each round here: U.S. Open; NAMT; SPO. Other highlights of the Congress today are the Youth Lightning tournament, pro lectures, simuls and game reviews, as well as the launch of the new Teacher's Workshop. We hope to file reports on some of these during the day on the website; let us know if there's anything in particular you're interested in. Attention Congress Attendees: Send your own Congress reports, sightings and photos to us at journal@usgo.org; we'll publish the best. Also, reminder that you must sign up for Wednesday Day Off trips today (see sign-up sheets in the registration area).

Published On 8/4/2013

Team Los Angeles won the Pandanet-AGA City League A-League finals Saturday at the U.S. Congress in Tacoma, WA, defeating the Washington team 2-1 in hard-fought games (click here for game records). Beumgeon (Evan) Cho defeated Jie Li on Board 1, while Seung Hyun (Kevin) Hong beat Yuan Zhou on Board 3 in the afternoon games, broadcast live on Pandanet. Eric Lui, playing via Pandanet from Seoul Korea, where he's playing in the Samsung Cup preliminaries for the AGA, scored DC's only win by defeating Dae Hyuk (Daniel) Ko. Andy Okun captained the LA team. "We're tremendously pleased with the results of our first year of the Pandanet AGA City League," League Project Co-Manager Jon Boley reported to Congress attendees Saturday night at a brief awards ceremony. Twenty eight teams competed in four leagues: LA won the A League, Toronto won the B League, Chicago won in C League, and Brentwood, TN won the D League.

U.S. Sends 4 Players to Samsung Prelims

Published On 8/4/2013

Four U.S. players are participating in the preliminaries of the 18th Samsung Cup, being held August 2-8 in Korea. A total of 345 players will be divided into 19 groups and the winner of each group will advance and join the 13 seeded players in the main tournament, which will start in September. The 19 groups include 14 open groups, two for senior pros, two for women. The last group, called the "world group", is formed with four North American and four European players. The pairings in this group will start with Yinli Wang (US) vs. Oleg Mezhov, Benjamin Lockhart (US) vs. Rob Van Zeist, Yunxuan Li (US) vs. Jan Hora, and Eric Lui (US) vs. Cristian Pop.

East-West Duel at 2013 Amateur Meijin

Published On 8/4/2013

Wu Poyi carried the flag for Taiwan at this year’s Japanese Amateur Meijin. Coming to Tokyo by way of Miaoli County, he represented Hong Mal-geun-saem’s dojo in the final face-off against Korean-born Osaka resident Hong Suk-eui (left).

Go Quiz: Something In Common

Published On 8/4/2013

What do these three guys have in common, besides the game of go? Send your guesses to journal@usgo.org. photo by Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 8/4/2013

The AGA’s second pro certification tournament is being planned for this coming December, AGA President Andy Okun tells the E-Journal. “We had hoped to announce earlier in the year, but the sponsor of our first tournament, Tygem, decided for internal reasons not to continue their support, so we spent some time on the search for a replacement sponsor.”

Published On 8/3/2013

Team Los Angeles, captained by Andy Okun, will play Team Washington DC, led by I-han Lui, in the inaugural Pandanet AGA City League finals this Saturday at the U.S. Go Congress in Tacoma, WA.

Published On 8/3/2013

Hundreds of go players are converging on Pacific Lutheran University in Takoma, WA today as the 29th annual U.S. Go Congress gets underway. Here are some snapshots by EJ photographer Phil Straus: top right: Yuan Zhou plays Seung Hyun Hong in the Pandanet-AGA City League Finals on Saturday afternoon; bottom right: early arrivals waste no time getting on the board; bottom left: Congress Registrar Judy Debel prepares early Saturday for the onslaught of go players from around the world; top left: E-Journal staffers Todd Heidenreich (right) and Steve Colburn prep for the EJ's Congress coverage. - photos by Phil Straus; collage by Chris Garlock Plus: Click here Phil Straus' complete album of the day.

Published On 8/2/2013

Western go players sightseeing in Japan won't want to miss Innoshima in the Hiroshima prefecture. That's the birthplace of Honinbo Shusaku, the most famous go player ever. Shusaku was born as Kuwahara Torajiro on June 6, 1829 in Innoshima. At the age of 10 he moved to Edo (now called Tokyo) to join the legendary Honinbo go house. Even after he became a professional go player, Shusaku returned to Innoshima for long stays. The people of Innoshima are very proud on Honinbo Shusaku and value his heritage, calling themselves a "Go playing city" where as much as ten percent of the 20,000 inhabitants play go and twice a year Innoshima hosts a a "Shusaku Honinbo Go Festival" for professional and amateur go players.

Go Goes to London AnimeCon

Published On 8/2/2013

Go demonstrations and teaching games were featured at the recent London AnimeCon 2013, held at the Rocket Complex, London Metropolitan University from July 20-21. British Go Association (BGA) VP Tony Atkins and go and anime enthusiast Ben Murphy of Billaricay Go Club ("feather" on KGS) demonstrated the basic rules on 9x9 boards and then played against about 40 visitors, introducing subtleties like ko as they played.

Published On 8/2/2013

Team CzechiaAt the 3rd Pandanet Go European Team Championship -- being played at this year's European Go Congress in Poland -- the Czech Republic triumphed, with Russia in second and Ukraine in third. According to reports, Russia asked the first match between the Czech Republic and Ukraine to be replayed due to an issue with the clock. However, Ondrej Silt 6d (manocska) (left), Jan Simara 6d (flashback), and Jan Hora (JanHora) 6d still led their team to victory. For complete results and full team listings, please visit the official Pandanet website. Pavol Lisy 6d is the current leader of the main tournament at the 2013 European Go Congress in Olsztyn, Poland. Behind him are Hui Fan 7d and Polish player Mateusz Surma 6d. However, Lisy must continue to play sharply as Fan recently won both the EGF qualifying tournament for Beijing 2013 and the Leksand Open. Meanwhile, Alexander Dinertchein 7d and Ilja Shikshin 7d remain just outside the top ten.

Published On 8/2/2013

With the U.S. Go Congress happening just an hour's drive away in Tacoma, the Seattle Go Center is preparing for special events before and after the Congress. Professional Ryo Maeda will be visiting the Go Center before the Congress, on Aug. 1 and 2, while Masaki Takemiya 9p and Chihiro Chujo 1p will be giving lectures and playing simultaneous games Aug. 12-15 after the Congress. The calendar on the Go Center website has the details. The Seattle Go Center will be closed during most of Go Congress, but it will be open on Tuesday, Aug 6, from 3 - 10 p.m. "Tuesdays are our biggest day, so it's always great time for visitors to drop by; everybody can find a game, from beginners to 6 dan players," reports Manager Brian Allen. Photo: Brian Allen washing the Go Center sign. Photo by Luke Allen.

Published On 8/2/2013

Following Congress Tournaments: “Since I (and the large majority of AGA members / US go players) cannot attend the U.S. Go Congress,” writes Kate Collin, “the most important thing for me is to have an up-to-date reference regarding what's going on with the tournaments. I'd love to have something like the daily sports section of my newspaper, that would tell me: Results, Current standings, Broadcast schedule. I notice that the Congress web site does not even seem to be set up to anticipate posting results, which is frustrating, and I don't see a central place on the AGA web site that would do that either. Another thing that would be very useful, since I generally won't be able to watch games live, would be a reference for what KGS IDs are used to broadcast the various games, so that it is possible to search the archive for the games.

Published On 7/31/2013

U.S. Go Congress attendees can get a head start planning their activities in Tacoma by downloading the Congress Handbook, which includes the complete schedule of events, details on the tournaments, bios of the professionals, activities for non-players, maps and more. The 2013 U.S. Go Congress starts this Saturday and runs through August 11. And for details on how to get to the Congress site, click here and check out "How do I get from the Airport to the Congress site?" or click here for driving directions.

Published On 7/30/2013

From Saturday's opening ceremonies right through to the banquet the following week, the American Go E-Journal will once again provide complete coverage of the annual U.S. Go Congress, this year being held in Tacoma, Washington August 3-11. In addition to daily reports in the E-Journal, the EJ team will broadcast top boards from the U.S. Open (mornings) and the North American Masters (evenings) live on KGS (the team has a few openings for game recorders; email journal@usgo.org). Many of the live broadcasts will include live commentary by visiting professionals. We'll also report on the many different events, including lectures, evening programs, youth events and more. If there's something of special interest to you, email us at journal@usgo.org and let us know; we also welcome reports by Congress participants. photo: Richard Dolen recording at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress; photo by Steve Colburn

Go Classified: Go Teacher Wanted

Published On 7/29/2013

Adult Go teacher needed in Acton Chinese School (Massachusetts) every Sunday 3:40-4:45pm, teaching experience preferred. If interested, please contact with Michael Chen mchen1766@gmail.com

Published On 7/28/2013

Sweden: The EGF qualification tournament for Beijing 2013 finished July 22 in Leksand with Hui Fan 7d in first, Pavol Lisy 6d in second, and Alexander Dinerchtein 7d in third. Ukraine: Victory went to Artem Kachanovskyi 6d (left) at the Samsung Cup in Kyiv on July 14. Dmytro Bohatskyi 5d came in second and Andril Kravets 6d placed third. Romania: At the 4th Radu Baciu Grand Prix in Barsov (also July 14), Lucretiu Calota 5d took the lead, followed by Sergiu Dan Iugulescu 2d in second and Sora Sorin 4d in third. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Go Spotting: Go in BBC Currency Report

Published On 7/28/2013

A July 9 BBC report illustrates a report on “What's really going on with the yuan?” with scenes of Chinese go players in a park playing with discs emblazoned with US and Chinese flags as the report explores charges that China is manipulating its currency to boost exports. Thanks to spotters Martin and Helen Harvey for passing this along.

The Traveling Board: Osaka Go Camp

Published On 7/28/2013

By Peter Schumer Beautifully organized, the recent Osaka Go Camp drew about 35 “campers” from nearly a dozen countries. Most of the instruction was in English, but there was a good bit of Japanese, French, and German mixed in amongst us and it made for quite an international and festive feeling. Though ages ranged from mid-teens to early 70's and our ranks ran the gamut from 20 kyu up to 7 dan, everyone got along really well and seemed genuinely friendly and supportive of one another. Every day there was a scheduled match followed by professional game reviews, several lectures, and simuls with pros.

Your Move/Readers Write: More Go Music

Published On 7/28/2013

"As another fan of Pentangle, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, let me add my thanks to that of Steve Burrall for bringing their love of go to light," (Go Spotting: Brit Folkies Bert and John 7/14 EJ) writes Michael Goerss. "I’ve got their CD on order (already have all the old Pentangle 33’s on CD) and the Yamashita now, too. But in terms of music, don’t forget the Japanese jazz group Hiroshima. They had a CD titled Go, with a cover featuring an empty go board. I can’t speak to how it relates to the game, but I like the music. Jazz koto, what could be better?"

US Pair Go Development Update

Published On 7/27/2013

The Pair Go teaching workshop will not be held at the 2013 US Go Congress, as previously reported (Japan Pair Go Association Grants $3600 for US Pair Go Development 7/25 EJ) but will instead occur sometime before August 2014. “It will be the first US professional workshop to focus specifically on learning how to play go strategically and harmoniously in a partnership, and will be funded by the new JPGA grant,” reports AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. Small is seeking a Director/Organizer to collaborate on this developing project; email her at pairgo@usgo.org. She also notes that the funds granted by the JPGA support US Pair Go activity from August 2013 through the August 2014 US Go Congress. Small also reports that the winning pair from the North American Pair Go Championship at this year's Congress will be offered a professional game review with Shirley Lin, scheduled for Friday, August 9th at 1:30p.

Walther Brothers Release First Go Video

Published On 7/27/2013

The Walther brothers (German Brothers Team Up to Produce “Fascinating” Go Video 2/4/2013 EJ) have just released their first go video, a visually striking 60-second professionally produced “teaser” that focuses on the appeal of go rather than on teaching the game’s rules. The first of several planned videos from Play More Go, “More than a Game” delivers on the duo’s intention “to make a short video clip, like a movie trailer, to promote the game of go” and ends by calling go “The ultimate challenge: are you up for it?” Click here for their amusing 49-second contrast in how to describe go. Find out more about the project at playmorego.com.

The Traveling Board: London, UK

Published On 7/25/2013

The Central London Go Club took advantage of the current UK heatwave to call a go picnic on Sunday, July 21. It was held in Royal St James's Park in the heart of the capital, adjourning later to the Captain's Cabin pub in Piccadilly. 14 answered the call and in addition, as organizer Julia Woewodskaya told the E-Journal, "There were quite a few spectators; some were asking questions about the game; one person was explained the rules and played at least one game." Click here for more photos. - Tony Collman, British Correspondent for the E-Journal. All photos by Kiyohiko Tanaka, Central London Go Club/Nippon Club Igokai, City of London Go Club

Published On 7/25/2013

The Japan Pair Go Association has just granted $3,600 to promote Pair Go in the United States next year, reports AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. The grant is based on Small's proposed annual Pair Go plan, which she hopes "will generate enthusiasm, increase the number of Pair Go events held annually, and help Pair Go players form strong partnerships, with the ultimate goal of advancing the culture of Pair Go in the US." Included in the budget is prize money for the North American Pair Go Championship and the Youth-Adult Pair Go Tournament at the US Go Congress, the second annual Pair Go Tournament at the North American Go Convention, and two additional Pair Go tournaments over the next year.

Published On 7/24/2013

The U.S. Go Congress t-shirt modeled by Congress Director Chris Kirschner in our recent report (7/20 EJ) is actually the "Early Bird T-shirt" reports Congress Handbook Editor and t-shirt/logo designer Lee Anne Bowie. “The actual T-shirt for the Congress will have the design that appears on the website,” Bowie tells the EJ. “Attendee's t-shirts will look more like the photo at right if they selected the dark shirt.” The 2013 U.S. Go Congress is set for August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA.

Published On 7/24/2013

The latest version of SmartGo Kifu includes the GoGoD game collection of more than 73,000 professional games. It also sports a “clean new look and icons,” reports SmartGo author Anders Kierulf. An immediate benefit of adding John Fairbairn and T Mark Hall’s GoGoD collection “is better player name translations,” says Kierulf, who promises that “there's more to come.” Scott Jensen’s new modern look streamlines the user interface, “and there's more to do for iOS 7,” Kierulf says, “but this takes a big step towards the future.” Kierulf plans to offer the GoGoD collection with the Windows version of SmartGo, but says that SmartGo for Windows will be temporarily unavailable until that work is complete. “The recent additions of joseki analysis and tree view have pushed SmartGo Kifu way beyond what I imagined five years ago,” Kierulf says. In other SmartGo news, Kierulf tells the E-Journal that SmartGo Books will be releasing “some very interesting books soon.”

Published On 7/23/2013

The United States has been invited to send five players – three men and one woman – to the 2013 SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) in Beijing, China. The team will be selected in an online tournament in August, except for the winner of the North American Master’s Tournament (NAMT), who will be automatically selected if eligible and able to participate. All eligible male players who have two or more wins in the NAMT will be seeded into the online men’s selection tournament, a 16-player, 5-round double elimination tournament taking place on KGS over two weekends in August.

Published On 7/22/2013

Thomas Kettenring 3dGermany: At the Stuttgarter Turnier in Stuttgart on July 14, Thomas Kettenring 3d (right) bested Jonas Fincke 4d and Jochen Tappe 1d placed third. Netherlands: Sjoerd Koolen 2d took the District Groningen tournament on July 13 with Heike de Rijk 1k in second and Frenk Arnold 1k in third. Czech Republic: The Moyo Open finished July 14 in Pardubice with Pavol Lisy 6d in first, Ondrej Silt 6d in second, and Jan Prokop 5d in third. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 7/22/2013

Fitness can be key to both mental and physical endurance on the go board, which is why many attendees at the annual US Go Congress pull themselves away from the go board for a few hours each day to play soccer or tennis. “Bring your cleats and shorts,” Terry Benson urges soccer players, while former tennis club organizer Lisa Schrag says "Bring your racquet!" Benson is organizing soccer games every afternoon at 4:30 except for Saturday and Wednesday, while Schrag and Chris Garlock will be organizing round robin doubles in the afternoons. “All ages come and play," says Benson. "Let your body loose and your mind run free!” Listen to morning announcements and watch for signs posted at the main players room to get the details once you arrive. - photo by Lisa Schrag

Published On 7/22/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Kono Extends Lead In Gosei: Iyama Yuta 9P didn’t have much time to enjoy his Honinbo triumph: just four days later, he was fighting yet another title-match game. The second game of the 38th Gosei title match was played in the Nagaoka Grand Hotel in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture on July 22. The challenger, Kono Rin 9P (left), had got off to a good start in the series, reversing the disastrous trend of his previous record against Iyama. His good form continued in the second game. Taking white, Kono forced a resignation after 194 moves and now has a chance to take the title in the third game, scheduled for July 26. Kisei League Update: Three games have been played in the 38th Kisei leagues so far in July. They have not altered the lead in either league, but one favorite has suffered a setback.

Published On 7/21/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Kobayashi Satoru Wins His First Igo Masters Cup: The final of the 3rd Igo Masters Cup, which is open to players 50 years and older who have won a top-seven title or who are doing well in the prize-money rankings, featured a clash between former Kisei Kobayashi Satoru 9P and Ishii Kunio 9P, who was hoping to win his first official title. These days Ishii is best known as the nurturer of the extraordinary talent of Iyama Yuta. Kobayashi, taking black, won by 1.5 points. Yuki Reaches Third Round of Mlily Championship: The Mlily World Weiqi Open Championship is yet another Chinese-sponsored international tournament. We reported earlier on the results in the first round (Mlily Cup Preliminaries 5/25/2013 EJ). Yuki Satoshi 9P was the only Japanese representative to survive that round. He also did well in the second round, defeating Li 1-dan of China. In the round of 16, Yuki will be matched against Wang Xi 9-dan of China.

Published On 7/21/2013

"This issue (7/21 EJ) gets filed under 'How Cool Is This!?'" writes Jean de Maiffe. "Pairing go and music satisfies two of my longtime pleasures, and as an old go teacher, I am especially delighted with the children's day camp information. Three cheers for go organizers and go teachers everywhere!"

Google Adwords Boosts AGF Traffic 500%

Published On 7/21/2013

The American Go Foundation has seen a 500% increase in website traffic since setting up a Google AdWords account in May, reports project manager Roy Laird. “We were doing okay, with roughly 500 unique visitors per month, but then we learned that as a 501c3, we qualified for Google Nonprofit status, allowing us to run up to $330 worth of AdWords messages per day. Now fewer than 100 visitors per day is a slow day. More than 2,600 people visited in the month of June alone."

Published On 7/21/2013

A plan to move previously public material into a "members only" section of the British Go Association's (BGA) website has sparked controversy. BGA president Jon Diamond recently announced that the the Association's policies, minutes, and ratings would be moved to the new Members-Only section of the site, which would also include material not previously available on the site, including online versions of recent editions of the quarterly British Go Journal (BGJ) and annual accounts.

Published On 7/20/2013

Registration for this year's US Go Congress is nearing 400, including 22 professional go players. The Congress runs August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. Among the highlights are the Pentathlon, a new event "for the truly dedicated competitors" that includes the US Open, 9x9, 13x13, lightning, and self-paired tournaments. Also new this year is the Teacher's Workshop, which will provide teachers with a certificate that will identify them as officially recognized AGA Go Teachers. Takemiya Masaki 9P will lead a session on “The teaching game,” and Lee Dahye 4P, a specialist in teaching teachers in Korea, will run several sessions on teaching single digit kyu players. "Many of us have taught someone to play; now is the time to learn how to do it better," says Congress Director Chris Kirschner. “The original theme of aiming just at beginners has been left in the dust,” adds workshop director Bill Camp.

Published On 7/20/2013

In the end, Iyama Yuta 9P's hold on the Honinbo title came down to 4.5 points. That was Iyama's margin of victory over Takao Shinji 9P in the final game of the 68th Honinbo title, which concluded on July 18 at 7:42p after 262 moves in Hadano, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. This is the third time in three years that the Honinbo has gone the full 7-game distance, including last year when Iyama took the title from Yamashita Keigo 9P. Iyama and Takao began their grueling duel in mid-May with Iyama winning the first game. Takao quickly made up the loss by controlling the next two games. However, Iyama (right) was not intimidated and fought back in games four and five, giving himself a chance to capture the match in game six, but Takao quickly extinguished those hopes in just 194 moves to set up yet another dramatic final game for the match. In the decisive seventh game (left), Iyama, taking black, used almost half of his eight-hour time allowance during the first day alone.

Published On 7/19/2013

The Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego's summer day camp is including go lessons, for the second year in a row. Using equipment provided by the American Go Foundation, San Diego Go Club president Ted Terpstra reports that he's "teaching beginners the basics of go, and having them playing games on small boards within 20 minutes." Fifteen day campers are learning about go through Hikaru no Go episodes on Hulu, as well as with books. "The enthusiastic go players have sets available during free time for playing after learning the essentials," Terpstra adds. Each week is a different age grouping with children in grades from kindergarten through 6th, the program is running for five weeks. -photo by Ted Terpstra: third and fourth graders learn go.

Published On 7/19/2013

"Thank you for Tony Collman's article about Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, two legendary musicians I did not know were go players," writes Steve Burrall. "Another go connection in music is 'Go' by Stomu Yamashta (actually Tsutomu Yamashita), Steve Winwood and Michael Shrieve. In 1976 the Japanese percussionist Tsutomu Yamashita formed what is generally considered to be a 'supergroup' owing to having musicians from Traffic, Santana and Return to Forever; the name of the group as well as the name of the first recording was 'Go'. While not explicitly about the game of go, the influence of the game is quite clear in some of the songs. Yamashita is quoted as saying that 'it's a game of chance, random and abstract, with few rules. It's also about opposites colliding, reality and fantasy shifting into one another, re-birth through suffering, and defeat turned to victory.

Kan Yao 5D Wins Skip Ascheim Memorial

Published On 7/18/2013

Kan Yao 5d took first place in the annual Skip Ascheim Memorial Tournament on Sunday July 14th in Somerville Massachusetts, topping a field of 22. "The Massachusetts Go Association greatly appreciates the cordial relationship we have with the Boylston Chess Club in whose space we hold our tournaments," says Tournament Director Eva Casey. Su Co Chon Duc (aka Marjorie Hey) helped run things for part of the day when Casey had to leave to deal with a family emergency. Results: 1st: Kan Yao 5D (4-0); 2nd: Tiantian Yuan 3D (3-1); 3rd (tie): Jason McGibbon 3k and Giancarlo Feula 7k (both 3-1).

Published On 7/18/2013

At this year's US Go Congress, the Pair Go Tournament will include special festivities including an opening ceremony, and slide show, as well as a Best Dressed Competition. Pair Go players will also receive lapel pins featuring the new US Pair Go logo (at right, designed by graphic designer Wende Mate to show the "solidifying identity" of Pair Go in the US) "and other goodies," reports AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. In conjunction with the World Pair Go Association, 'Pair Go Promotion Partner (PGPP) Passports' will be launched in the US for the first time at the Congress. "The passport is a symbol of enthusiasm for promoting Pair Go, and will be stamped at each Pair Go event you attend to track your adventures in competitive Pair Go, starting with this Congress's North American Pair Go Championship and Youth-Adult Pair Go Tournament," says Small. To receive your passport at the Congress, apply for PGPP membership at the Congress website .

Published On 7/17/2013

The American Go Association (AGA) Board of Directors approved the AGA budget for fiscal 2014 at its meeting on July 7; the budget includes funds for a pro certification tournament to be completed by the end of 2013. The AGA will continue to look for new sponsors to replace Tygem, but will run this year's tournament from reserves and from money earmarked for the AGA's new professional system. In other actions, the Board approved the creation of a pilot program for AGA ratings of online games, which would parallel the ratings system now in place for in-person games. President Andy Okun will be pursuing implementation plans along with completion of plans to issue formal Rank Certificates to players who have demonstrated achievement at a particular rank level. The first such certificates will be awarded to top finishers in most brackets at the 2013 US Go Congress.

Published On 7/17/2013

It was the problems that hooked Rex Weyler. The Greenpeace founder had just learned go from writer Rick Fields ("Chop Wood, Carry Water") "and Rick gave me a beginner's book -- Ishigure's In The Beginning, I think -- and I took it home that night in 1981 and the life and death problems were so fascinating that the game absolutely hooked me. Weyler, a reknowned environmental activist and journalist, has been playing go ever since. When he co-founded the Hollyhock learning center on Cortes Island in British Columbia the following year, Weyler made sure that a go workshop was included, initially led by Canadian go player Roy Langston, and then for many years by American James Kerwin 1P.

Published On 7/17/2013

Longtime go writer Richard Bozulich, rumored to have died two years ago (Richard Bozulich Not Dead After All 11/9/2011 EJ), is alive and well and apparently running for New York City Comptroller, a race that has drawn international attention since former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer entered it a week ago. According to a post on the Liberty Lion blog, Bozulich was nominated by the Personal Freedom Party to be its candidate for Comptroller on July 3 after the party was notified that Kristin Davis, its original nominee, was ineligible. "If elected," Bozulich pledged, "I will quickly and anonymously donate my salary to charities that are close to my heart, such as those promoting the game of go and encouraging students to study mathematics." American Go Foundation President Terry Benson said that "We look forward to having a friend of go at City Hall."

Published On 7/16/2013

Registration for the 13th Pandanet Marathon tournament, the Cho Chikun Cup, is open until this Friday, July 19. Players have 42 days and 19.5 hours -- 42.195 is a marathon's length in kilometers --to play as many games as they can. Those finishing with 300 points or more will get their names displayed on the Pandanet web page and will be eligible for a certificate signed by Cho Chikun. Click here for details and registration procedures.

Published On 7/16/2013

It's East Coast versus West Coast as Greater Washington is set to battle Los Angeles in the first-ever 2013 Pandanet-AGA City League finals. The two are the top finishers in the A League and will face off in the finals at the upcoming US Go Congress. Vancouver finished third, Seattle was fourth, in fifth place was Boston and New York finished in sixth. Click here for details. The rest of the leagues are expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Published On 7/16/2013

What’s a go lover to do when faced with the choice of a dissertation topic? For Grant Kerr, a doctoral candidate at the SKEMA Business School’s Lille campus, the choice was obvious. Kerr, an experienced manager of IT and process improvement projects, had become disillusioned. “Traditional project management . . . is limited by its rationalist, determinist, normative, first-order control paradigm,” he writes. “It does not sufficiently consider context, strategy, irrational decision-making, nor does it deal with effects of goal and methods uncertainty such as high rates of change and reciprocal interactions between activities.” As a longtime go player, Kerr realized that go may serve as a useful analogy to examine these issues.

Published On 7/16/2013

The 19th European Youth Go Championship (EYGC) will take place at a holiday camp, a peculiarly British institution, in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis on the south coast of England from March 28-31, 2014, The British Go Association has announced. This is a Class-A MacMahon tournament in six rounds for three age categories: U12, U16 and U20. The 2014 British Go Congress 2014, which includes the British Open, will be held on that Saturday and Sunday, March 29-30. Click here for this year's EYGC results. -

Published On 7/15/2013

Every week for the past year or so, BadukMovies co-founders Peter Brouwer and Kim Ouweleen have added an “episode” to their archive of nearly 80 short videos aimed mostly at aspiring mid-level players. The clear, bite-size chunks of information seem easy to digest, and many of the early ones are free (click on still at right for a sample). You can also subscribe to BadukMovies Pro series for €8/month for exclusive access to additional material. The content is created by Korean 9P Cho Hye-yeon and two experienced authors, Yoon Young-sun 8P and Kim Sung-rae 8P. Another remarkable feature is the pro game database.

Published On 7/15/2013

Lukas KrämerThe 2013 German Championship wrapped up in Darmstadt on July 7. The first round to determine the final eight contenders was played mid-June in Kassel. On July 4, round-one winners Lucas Krämer, Bernd Radmacher 4d, Marlon Welter 4d, and Matthias Terwey 5d joined last year’s final four Franz-Joseph Dickhut 6d, Johannes Obenaus 5d, Jun Tarumi 5d, and Benjamin Teuber 6d at “game mecca” Gastspielhaus. Although Franz-Joseph was the oldest and most experienced player at age 44 with 11 previous German Championship titles, 20-year-old Kramer (left) defeated him in the first match. Radmacher also secured his first win against 2006 German youth champion Obenaus. The remaining games were played at the Bertolt-Brecht School. In the end, Kramer triumphed with six wins while Radmacher placed second with five and Obenaus third with four and a draw. For full results, pictures, and more information (in German), click here.

Published On 7/15/2013

Senior officials at the Israeli Ministry of Economy attended a special training session, linking economic concepts to go, at a conference near Jerusalem, on July 11th. "We were invited to lecture on Strategic Thinking and Decision Making Tools – Use of Go/ Baduk as a model," reports Shavit Fragman, president of Mind Chain Baduk Club. "Baduk and economic concepts were discussed at length, with many demonstrations and illustrations. It drew a lot of attention (no one left or fell asleep) and participants reported it was the best workshop of the day. The audience also showed great interest in the baduk brochures and other available go materials, and expressed interest in continued sessions to further explore the concepts and model for use in their work and life. Since the beginning of the year Mind Go Club has demonstrated baduk to over 500 new people," adds Fragman. The presentation is available as a pdf here, more photos from the event are here. -Paul Barchilon.

AGHS Calls for Officers

Published On 7/14/2013

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has published their officer applications for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. "Are you interested in joining the core team of one of the largest youth organizations dedicated to go," asks Eric Chen, outgoing Co-President. The officer positions include Vice President, Treasurer, Promotion Head, Tournament Organizer, and Secretary. "This dedicated board of members will run the renowned annual School Team Tournament, in addition to several other events, and strive to spread the game of go amongst the youth of the U.S. Come join us in our go-craze frenzy! You never know where you might go," adds Chen. Applications are due August 18th, and can be downloaded on the aghs website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Go Spotting: Brit Folkies Bert and John

Published On 7/14/2013

Legendary British folk musician, the late, great Bert Jansch was keen on go. He used to play often with John Renbourn, a fellow member of British folk-rock band (The) Pentangle, whom he had befriended on the UK folk circuit. In 1966, year before the formation of Pentangle, they recorded an album together, Bert and John (1966, Transatlantic, released in America with extra tracks 1969, by Vanguard, as Stepping Stones). The album's cover picture shows the pair enjoying what looks to be a rather peaceful game of go. The 1992 film of Bert Jansch's career, Acoustic Routes, was re-released UK-wide and on DVD earlier this year.

Go Spotting: Doraemon

Published On 7/13/2013

Doraemon is seen studying go in an episode of the popular anime. The series is about a robotic cat who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a fifth grade boy, Nobita (seen in the background at right). Doraemon debuted in 1969, and became one of the longest running anime in Japan, and was also a huge hit in China. It is regarded as a Japanese cultural icon, and generations of kids have been gently influenced by the charming cat and his wise lessons. Image from weibo.com/chessnews, thanks to Taylor Litteral for the suggestion.

EuroGoTV Updates: Serbia, UK, Russia

Published On 7/13/2013

Alexandre VarushovSerbia: Lazar Manojlovic 5d defeated Dragan Dubakovic 3d at the 46th City Championship Finals in Kragujevac on July 7. Misa Alimpic 3d placed third. UK: At the Milton Keynes in Open University, Bruno Poltronieri 2d bested Toby Manning 2d while Michael Cockburn 1k came in third. Russia: The Under 20 Russian Championship finished July 2 in Saint Petersburg with Alexandr Vashurov 6d (left) in first, Stepan Popov 3d in second, and Grigorij Fionin 4d in third. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

New Site Features Video Go Lessons

Published On 7/13/2013

Jonathan Hop 3d, author of the "So You Want to Play Go?" series, has opened a new website featuring video lectures for go players of all levels. There are several free lessons for new users to try the service out, and then lessons on various topics can be rented for $1.99. "Currently the site has about 20 lectures," says Hop, "but little by little I will put more up. My goal is to make go more of a game that Americans can relate to, and see as fun and personable. You'll find lectures for total beginners, as well as those on more advanced topics like invasions and josekis." Hop has given lectures on KGS, and has been teaching players, from total beginners to single digit kyus, for a number of years. Check out Hop's site here.

Published On 7/13/2013

The 10th, and for most teams, final round is scheduled for this Sunday, July 14 on Pandanet IGS. At the conclusion of this round, the top two teams in the A League will be invited to play one final playoff round to take place in person at the 2013 US Go Congress on Saturday afternoon, August 2. LA currently has a a slight lead over Boston and Washington, DC in the latest standings. Click here for schedule and results of previous rounds. - Karoline Burrall

Go Classified: Teacher Wanted

Published On 7/13/2013

Go teacher needed in Skokie, IL. We are looking for a weiqi teacher for the Xilin North Shore Chinese School (Sunday school in Skokie, IL.) Click here for details and contact info.

Published On 7/12/2013

“Lawrence Ku is absolutely right,” writes Bob Barber, “the E-Journal is the way to advertise (Go Classifieds Work 7/1 EJ). “I listed my goban, and got five nibbles. And sold it within the week. Sounds like I should list my books here, too.” Send your go classifieds – always free! – to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 7/12/2013

Go has special advantages as a freestanding activity, but it also has a place among classic games and puzzles. We found it listed recently among the activities British universities are using to “support struggling learners, stretch confident learners, and encourage staff-student interaction in a social and mathematical context,” according to the recently published Maths Arcade: Stretching and Supporting Logical Thinking.

Published On 7/11/2013

Oscar Selby was the overall winner at the UK Go Challenge 2013 finals, played Saturday July 6. Selby (right), a 10-kyu from Epsom recently featured in the “Ultimate Child Genius” Competition (UK Youth Champ Oscar Selby In “Ultimate Child Genius” Competition, 6/22 EJ) also won the U10 Boys' category. Roella Smith 13k of Cambridge was Top Girl, also coming first in the U14 Girls'. David Robson and Melchior Chiu were second and third respectively overall.

Go Dreams Come True at Osaka Camp

Published On 7/11/2013

Going to Japan to train to play go is a dream for many western go players. It's a dream come true for 32 players from around the world, who are now attending the 3-week Osaka Go Camp led by by Maeda Ryo 6P and Li Ting 1P. The camp started July 1, and most of the participants are from the United States, followed by Canada, France and Germany; all told, there are ten different nations represented by players ranging from 25-kyu up to 7-dan. The daily schedule includes one league game and different kinds of professional lectures. Maeda is stressing the importance of endgame reading and gives out homework for that. The winner of the camp league will get the opportunity to play a teaching game against a professional 9-dan.

Published On 7/10/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Korea and China Take the Prizes at Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games: On July 2, the finals of the individual male competition and the Pair Go tournament were held at the 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games. In the former, Tang Weixing 3P of China took first place, and in the latter victory went to the Chinese team of (Ms.) Gao Xing 1P and Peng Liyao 5P. The following day, the second stage of go competition started, that is, the male and female team championships. In the male team championship, three-player teams from ten countries started out in a four-round Swiss System tournament, which was followed by a knock-out tournament for the top four. The results of the Japanese team are given below (the team consisted of Hirata Tomoya 3P, Tsuruta Kazushi 2P, and Motoki Katsuya 2P), followed by details of the knock-out stage. Round 1 (July 3). China beat Japan 3-0; Round 2 (July 3). Japan beat Hong Kong 2-1; Round 3 (July 4).

Published On 7/10/2013

Although last weekend's Vegas event was thinly attended, AGA President Andy Okun reports that “it was fun and we taught a dozen or so people to play.” The winner of the dan section of the tournament was Michael Wanek 4d of Las Vegas, with Brandon Zhou 2d as runner up. The kyu section was a three-way tie between James Schaefer, Joe Nemeth and Sootiat Boonchuen. “In the teaching, I noted with pleasure how much easier it is to teach chess players to play go,” Okun tells the E-Journal. “They read automatically, since that's what you do in a game.” Click here for Okun's commentary on a live-streamed broadcast of Wanek's game with Roy Kanamaru.

Published On 7/8/2013

Dmitry Surin 6D came very close in his attempt to wrest the Russian Cup from favorite Ilya Shikshin on the final day of the 2013 Russian Go Congress on July 7. Surin, who unexpectedly won his game against Alexander Dinerchtein 3P in the semi-finals had defeated Shikshin in a recent tournament, so the match promised to be spectacular from the very start. As previously reported (Surin Bests Dinerchtein to Win Berth in Russian Cup Final 7/6/2013 EJ), Surin is an accomplished joseki expert and inventor, so it was no surprise when he started one of the myriad complicated variations of the taisha joseki. Both players stuck to their natural active fighting style, so the later part of the championship game delivered very intense collisions, an exciting clash lasting until the very end, with Shikshin eking out a narrow 1.5 point win. - Daria Koshkina, Russian corespondent for the E-Journal; photo by Mikail Krylov

Published On 7/8/2013

Bruno Poltronieri 2d from Warwick University won the 25th Milton Keynes Tournament, beating Toby Manning 2d in the final round. Graham Blackmore 13k and Brent Cutts 8k also won all three of their games. Click here for full tournament report. The tourney was played on Saturday July 6, at the Sports Pavilion in the Open University's grounds. Milton Keynes is a planned city, built in the second half of the last century. Its location in Buckinghamshire was chosen for its equal proximity to the ancient university cities of Oxford and Cambridge and is itself the realspace centre of the (mainly virtual) Open University. It encompasses the town of Bletchley and hence Bletchley Park, site of the famous wartime code-breaking activities of Alan Turing and others. The roughly rectilinear gridwork road system is used as the basis for the board in the "Milton Keynes Board Tournament", which is featured as a side event at the Milton Keynes tournament

Canada vs. US in Redmond Cup Finals

Published On 7/8/2013

Both divisions of the Redmond Cup will come down to a showdown between the US and Canada at the Go Congress this year, with Jianing Gan 7d and David Lu 6d leading their age divisions, while Americans Andrew Lu 6d and Aaron Ye 5d placed second. In the Jr. Division, 11 year old David Lu, from Vancouver is new on the scene, and proved to be a force to be reckoned with, scoring a perfect record in the online finals. Lu's skillful play left last year's Redmond Champ, Aaron Ye, and this year's current US Youth Go Champion Jeremy Chiu 5d to duke it out for second. Ye prevailed and will face Lu in a best two-out-of-three final live at the Go Congress in Tacoma. For an exciting match between Lu and Ye in the qualifiers, check out Guo Juan 5P's insightful commentary on the members only game record included with this weeks E-J. Ye gets off to an early lead, but Lu stays the course and makes a big comeback in the end.

Published On 7/7/2013

Cristian Pop Romanian National ChampionshipPoland: The 36 International Warsaw Go Tournament finished June 30 in Warszawa with Koichiro Habu 4d in first, Leszek Soldan 5d in second, and Stanislaw Frejlak 4d in third. Romania: After six long days, Cristian Pop 7d (left) was declared the winner of the Romanian National Championship in Mangalia on June 30. Cornel Burzo 6d placed second while Lucian Corlan 5d came in third. Netherlands: Zeno van Ditzhuijzen 5d triumphed at the Toernooi van Utrecht on June 23. Behind him was Robert Rehm 5d in second and Alexander Eerbeek 5d in third. — Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Published On 7/7/2013

Dmitry Surin 6D (below) upset Alexander Dinerchtein 3P in the 2013 Russian Cup semi-final on July 6, knocking Dinerchtein out of his accustomed spot in the final, which will be broadcast on KGS on Sunday, July 7. The Cup, which has about 70 players this year, is the final and most spectacular event at the annual Russian Go Congress. The battle of the A league includes the top right Russian players in a double-elimination tournament. Dinerchtein lost by 2.5 points to Surin, known in Europe for winning several European Pair Go Championships with partner Natalia Kovaleva. Surin’s style features deep knowledge and understanding of intricate josekis and difficult variations, great fighting skills and acute reading, all of which he brought to bear in his exciting game with Dinerchtein.

Published On 7/7/2013

I will be in Marquette from July 11 to July 29 and would enjoy a game or two. If you're in the area, write me at roylaird@gmail.com.

Published On 7/6/2013

Xinming Simon Guo sends us this brief clip of the go scene in the 2005 pilot of “Criminal Minds,” the CBS series starring Mandy Patinkin and Aaron Hotchner as agents in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, which focuses on profiling the criminal, rather than the crime itself. In this scene, the agents discover that their suspect is a go player and, saying that “go is considered to be a particularly psychologically revealing game,” analyze the board position in the suspect's apartment to conclude that he's an “extreme aggressor,” which is also the name of the episode.

Published On 7/5/2013

The European Go Federation has signed a far-reaching and lucrative contract with a group of Chinese investors to promote go in Europe. The deal aims to improve the strength of European amateurs, establish a professional system in Europe and support the European Go Federation, all to achieve the overall goals of enhancing go's popularity in Europe, as well as developing new cultural contacts between Europe and China. "I think the AGA and EGF efforts will complement each other in a number of ways and give both organizations an even more forceful story to tell to potential sponsors,” said American Go Association President Andy Okun. "EGF President Martin Stiassny deserves a lot of credit for almost single-handedly bringing about this contract," added Thomas Hsiang, the longtime International Go Federation and American Go Association official who was elected General Secretary of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) earlier this year.

Published On 7/5/2013

The last 21 issues of Go World have just been released on DVD, reports Kiseido Digital's Bob Myers. “We got the message loud and clear,” Myers tells the E-Journal. “The community wanted the final issues in digital form, now. We were happy to respond.” The issues – Autumn 2006 through Winter 2013 – are collected in Go World Archive Vol. IV, available as a single DVD ($49.99), and “continue the great Go World tradition of detailed game commentaries, news, tutorials, and problems,” says Myers. “We've included Jochen Fassbender's wonderful and detailed topical index, jumping you directly to issue and page. Vol. IV also contains an updated full-text search index for all 129 issues, allowing you to instantly find any text in over 8000 pages.”

Published On 7/5/2013

The first-ever official go-poker tournament is being held this week at the 16th annual Russian Go Congress in Saint Petersburg. Also known as “Dango,” the go variant is well-known in Europe, where it’s played by top players like Matthew Macfadyen and Alexander Dinerchtein 3P. At the beginning of the game each player has 36 cards that can be either go shapes or “action cards” (placing or removing stones, pass etc). Opponents alternate turns, taking a card and “playing” it on the board. Unlike go, Dango introduces a significant measure of luck and randomness but proponents say “it is not on any account a foolish game,” noting that go-poker “requires memorizing, counting and tactical skills.” The entertainment factor for players and viewers lies in the unexpected twists that can turn the whole game upside down after each move. The go-poker tournament at the Russian Go Congress is being held in the evenings after the major regular competitions.

Published On 7/2/2013

The 16th Russian Go Congress got off to an exciting start in Saint Petersburg on June 29th and 30th when 18-year-old Mikhail Svyatlovsky, a shodan from Moscow, won the Valery Astashkin Memorial Tournament. The traditional first tournament of the congress is held in honor of Valery Astashkin (1945-2008), the “Father” of modern Russian go. Astashkin (right) and Georgy Nilov were the first to spread and promote go in Russia in the 1970s. Together they published a series of introductory teaching articles in “Nauka i Zhizn” (Science and Life, a very popular Soviet/Russian magazine of the time) that produced hundreds of new players, clubs and tournaments. In 1977, Astashkin initiated the first USSR Go Championship and in 1989 he became the first president of the new USSR Go Federation. This year's Valery Astashkin Memorial Tournament attracted 55 players ranging in strength from 5-dan to 20-kyu.

Published On 7/2/2013

Super-Go Tournaments between professionals from China and Japan were quite popular back in the 1980s. The legendary Nie Weiping earned his nickname as the "Iron Goalkeeper" when, as China's last remaining player in the first three Super-Go events, he defeated all the remaining Japanese players, a sequence of 11 consecutive wins. This year France and Germany are attempting to rekindle this national excitement with the Élysée Cup, a friendly online team tournament occasioned by the “année franco-allemande/Deutsch-französisches Jahr” celebrating the French-German friendship. Organized by the French Go Federation and the German Go Federation, the tournament -- played on KGS -- follows the model of the previous Super-Go tournaments, with each country fielding teams comprised of eight top players each. The two lowest-ranked players begin, with the winner continuing to play the next strongest opponent from the other team until there are no more opponents left.

Moseson Named Teacher of the Year

Published On 7/1/2013

Richard Moseson 5k has been chosen as the American Go Foundation's Teacher of the Year, winning a free trip to the US Go Congress in Tacoma, where he will be honored at the final awards banquet. "The most satisfying thing about introducing go to young kids has been seeing many of them become totally involved in the game, and eventually zipping past me in playing strength," Moseson told the E-Journal. Moseson started the go club at Manlius Pebble Hill (MPH), in Manlius NY, when his two sons were both students at the school, in 2003, and has continued ever since. "At various times I've also run short eight-week sessions for students in the first grade and third grade classes, and we've had some of those students eagerly join the club when they reached middle school age," Moseson reports. "I'm also running a club with Chinese elementary school age kids, at a 'Chinese young adult ministry' that meets every Friday evening for dinner and bible study.

Published On 7/1/2013

Loving Power: “I love the Power Report,” writes Keith Arnold, who also says that he remembers that Ms. Kitani Toshimi ("Promoted to 2 dan after 38 years" in 6/23 Power Report) “attended the second US Go Congress in 1986.” Go Classifieds Work: “As a longtime AGA member, I have been blessed to learn so much from the community, and also to give back,” writes Lawrence Ku. “Busy with school the past few years and for many years to come, I decided to part with much of my large collection of go books, which have been collecting dust on my bookshelf, most of them read but still in great condition. With the help of the AGA's reliable American Go E-Journal, I was able to post this list in the classified section and thus pass on to new owners the knowledge and enjoyment I have gained from over 100 books.

Published On 7/1/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Iyama One Win Away From Defending Honinbo Title: The fifth game of the 68th Honinbo title match was held at the Hotel Hankyu Expo Park in Suita City on June 24 and 25. This was another irregular Monday/Tuesday game because of the hectic schedules of both players (Wednesday/Thursday is usual for two-day games). Suita City is in Osaka Prefecture, the home ground of Iyama, so the overwhelming majority of the fans who attended the party on the eve of the game were rooting for him. Takao was unfazed, however. In his speech, he commented that he now understood the feelings of his favourite baseball team, the Chiba Lotte Marines (from the prefecture to the east of Tokyo), when they were playing the Osaka-based Hanshin Tigers on their home ground. His humor may not have converted the fans but it won him generous applause.

Published On 7/1/2013

A go presentation and tournament will be part of the Las Vegas Mind Sports Festival at the Venetian/Palazzo this coming weekend, according to AGA President Andy Okun. The three-day event will also feature chess, mahjongg, Magic: The Gathering and Scrabble. This Friday, July 5, Okun will give a short presentation/lesson about go, followed by a 9x9 and/or blitz tournament, depending on attendance. On Saturday, July 6, at 11 a.m., a three-round AGA-rated tournament will be held in conjunction with the Las Vegas Go Club. Players interested in participating should send an e-mail to bcd@okun.name.

Published On 6/30/2013

Registration procedures for the 2013 SportAccord-Pandanet Cup Online Go Tournament have just been announced. Participants must be amateurs and may choose to enter one of four classes ("bands"): open, 4d-1k, 2k-7k, 8k-17k. Except in the Open class, players are required to have a registered and IGS-confirmed rank. In addition, players may choose one of three geographic regions to play their games. Registration starts now and ends on August 18. The preliminary rounds will be played August 22 through September 12. This tournament is supported by SportAccord and Pandanet and organized by the International Go Federation and Pandanet. It also concurrently serves as the 18th Pandanet Cup Internet World Amateur Go Tournament. Players may advance based on their results within their class and region. Generous prizes are provided by the sponsors, including a round trip to the Third Beijing SportAccord World Mind Games for the open champion.

Published On 6/30/2013

In "Turing's Cathedral", author George Dyson's description of Princeton's Fuld Hall – where the Institute for Advanced Studies was to be housed – includes this line on page 90: ' A chessboard (and later a Go board, favoured by Oppenheimer's young particle physicists) sat near the windows overlooking the Institute Woods.” Dyson's account reveals how the digital universe exploded in the aftermath of World War II, illuminating the nature of digital computers, the lives of those who brought them into existence, and how code took over the world. - None Redmond

Published On 6/29/2013

Jan Simara 6dSpain: At the II Open de Bilbao on June 16, Kiichi Matsumoto 1k bested Miguel-Angel Antolinez 2d and Alejandro Menendez 8k placed third. KGS: On June 23, French player Tanguy Le Calve 5d (Welvang on KGS) led his nine-player team to victory against German team leader Oliver Wolf 4d (sinsai on KGS) in the French-German Youth Friendship Match. There were three players per age group (U18, U15, and U11) with the each team leader on board one. In the end, France triumphed 5-4. Live commentary on select games by Hwan In-seong 8d (including the match between Wolf and Le Calve) can be found here. Slovakia: Jan Simara 6d (right) dominated the Slovak Go Festival on June 23 while Ondrej Silt 6d came in second and Dominik Boviz 3d in third. --- Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

Last Chance for NAMT Points

Published On 6/29/2013

The upcoming online "Long Live the King!" final qualifier will be strong players' last chance to earn points towards this year's North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) at the 2013 US Go Congress in Tacoma, WA in August. To check how many points you have accumulated, please click here to view the spreadsheet. The four-round tournament will take place July 6-7 on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room, and will be directed by Todd Heidenreich. Deadline to register is July 3; for details, rules, and registration click here. Registration and participation is free, and every player in the tournament is guaranteed to earn some points. The outright winner of the tournament will automatically qualify to play in NAMT. - Karoline Burrall, AGA Tournament Coordinator

Published On 6/28/2013

The American Go Association is welcoming news that the Nihon Ki-in plans to use proceeds from the sale of the former New York Go Center to benefit go in North America. After considering “all options on handling the New York Go Center, including renting the current building,” Nihon Ki-in Secretary General Ikuo Hanyu told the E-Journal Thursday that the final decision by the Nihon Ki-in Directors “in their view the best option -- is to sell the building and use the proceeds for the benefit of go in North America.” Hanyu added that “We will seek strong consultation with the American Go Association on the future support of go activities in North America.” While local organizers had recently expressed concerns (Local Organizers Oppose Nihon Kiin Plan to Sell New York Go Center 6/17/2013 EJ), AGA President Andy Okun tells the E-Journal that "In recent months, the Nihon Ki-in has included AGA leaders in its deliberations about how to more effectively pursue Iwamoto's vision in North America."

Published On 6/28/2013

Not So Fast, Mr. Kaufman: “A glaring error in Josh Kaufman's chapter on go in 'The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast!' (Expert On “How to Learn Go in 20 Hours” 6/18 EJ) underscores the danger of 'fast learning' espoused in Mr. Kaufman's book,” writes Daniel Chou 6D. “The go chapter lists Chinese characters for go in both traditional and simplified glyphs. However, there is a typo in the simplified glyphs that translates to 'Restroom Board Game'!? A mistake like this undermines Mr. Kaufman's credibility for his method of learning go quickly,” Chou says. “Kaufman criticizes Malcolm Gladwell's '10,000-hour to mastery' rule-of-thumb and asserts that few people would commit to that level of effort. He claims that anyone could learn the basics of any subject quickly by applying the methods described in his book. But if he could not even get the Chinese characters for go right, why should anyone continue reading to learn the basics of go in 20 hours?

Wales Goes To The Welsh

Published On 6/27/2013

A Welshman had dominion over all comers in his native land last weekend. Dylan Carter 1d of Cardiff took the Welsh Open from a field of 27, mostly English, at Barmouth June 22-23.
It was a neck-and-neck finish, with Carter and two others, Richard Hunter 3d of Bristol and Toby Manning 2d of Leicester all entering the final round with a chance of winning - and each going on to win his game in that round. In the end the Welshman triumphed by just half a SOS point. Also distinguishing themselves with four wins were John Green 4k of Leamington and Colin Maclennan 10k of Twickenham. The tournament was a five-round MacMahon, with the bar at 1-dan. Click here for full results. Wales is one of the four main territories which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) - the others being England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is a country with its own National Assembly, its own Celtic language* and its own Open Go Tournament.

Published On 6/27/2013

Strong Players Face July 1 Deadline for SPO Eligibility: Strong players who register for the US Go Congress by July 1st have the chance to be invited to participate in this year's Strong Players Open (SPO), which will run simultaneously with the North American Masters Tournament (NAMT). This year’s Congress runs August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. This 16-player, 4-round event is designed to provide a strong tournament – in addition to the US Open -- for professionals and amateurs who did not or could not qualify for the NAMT. There are no citizenship, residency, or length of membership requirements for the SPO, just full Go Congress registration by July 1st. After that, the strongest players who have registered will be invited to participate in the Strong Players Open and the strongest 16 players who accept will be selected for the tournament.

Capital Go Club Seeks Volunteers

Published On 6/27/2013

The Capital Go Club in metro Washington is “looking for partners in operation and strategic planning,” reports club organizer Edward Zhang. The club has been serving area go players since 2010, organizing nearly a dozen events with professional go players, team competitions among American, Taiwanese, Chinese and Korean players, friendly matches between AGA members and students at local schools, and the 2013 NA Go Convention (photo), which featured tournaments covering two weekends in New Jersey and Virginia, instruction by professional players and more. The club’s top priorities over the next year include “setting up official go program in local schools, facilitating visits by players from Asia and planning for the 2014 edition of the NA Go Convention,” says Zhang. “If you want to be part of these exciting projects, please let us know!” Volunteers don’t need to live in the Washington DC metro area, Zhang adds.

Published On 6/27/2013

Sighted go players who struggle to master the game of go may be surprised to learn that many blind people in Japan know how to play go, and that there are clubs with blind players who meet on a regular basis. Last Fall, Bay Area Go Players Association board members Roger and Lisa Schrag traveled to Japan and met with Mr. Fumio Miyano (second from right in photo) of the Japan Go Society for the Visually Impaired in Osaka, Japan. The Society produces special 9x9 and 19x19 go sets and Braille go books so that blind and visually impaired people can play go.

EJ Archive Volunteers Wanted

Published On 6/26/2013

Now in our 14th year of providing comprehensive coverage of the world go scene, the American Go E-Journal is looking for a few dedicated volunteers to help update our archives. Our current searchable online archives go back to April 2010 and while E-Journals prior to that are available online they're not searchable. Experience with WordPress helpful but not necessary; email journal@usgo.org if interested. Volunteers will be eligible to receive recognition and a stylish EJ cap.

Published On 6/25/2013

Hinoki Press – publisher of “English translations of top-quality, advanced go study materials” like Yoda Norimoro's Vital Points and Skillful Finesse – has launched a new website. Go clubs recognized by the AGA can consolidate member orders and receive a 20% discount. The site also provides links to learn how to play go, suggestions on how to study go, and to the AGA website.

Published On 6/25/2013

The Mind GO club's second largest go club in Israel is re-opening this week. The club, in Rehotot at Weizmann Science Institute, is opening under the auspices of Professor Peleg, Dean of Mathematics faculty at the Institute. Meetings start this Wednesday, June 26, 20:00 in the Ziskind building (Math and Computer Science), second floor, room 261. All are welcome. Shavit Fragman first opened the club at the Weizmann Science Institute in 2004 and it was run then successfully run for several years by Dr. Andreas Doncic from Sweden. For further details, contact Shavit @ 054-4500453.

Mexican Youth Go Flourishing

Published On 6/24/2013

The Mexican Children’s Go Tournament drew 65 players May 18th in Mexico City. Organized by Pipiolo Art School and the Buddhist Temple Eko-ji, where the tournament was hosted, the event was divided into five sections: 4k-15k, 16k-20k, 21k-25k, 13x13 and 9x9. "Go has been a regular subject at our elementary school for 5 years," reports Siddhartha Avila, "the tournaments are a way of gathering children, having fun, testing their performance at the board, practicing mutual learning and teaching, and also encouraging peer respect and other values. This year the Principal, Marcela Zepeda, approved a new project teaching Go to K2-K3 students, and they played in the 9x9 board section. A group of young Taiwanese players took part in the tournament, tracing new bridges to share cultures and experiences through go, their top player Leon Lee won the 4k-15k section with a perfect 4 wins." Winners Report: 4k-15k: 1. Leon Lee, 2. Omar Zavala, 3. Lilian Zavala;

Published On 6/24/2013

The Evanston (IL) Go Club's "Here Comes The Sun" tournament last weekend drew 19 players. Winners were Albert Yen 7d, Laura Moon 2k, Tim Torres 8k and Crystal Lin 16k. “No one guessed the meaning of the name of the tournament, although there were many good attempts,” reports TD Mark Rubenstein. “The name is based on the fact that on June 22 – the same date as the tournament -- in 1633 The Holy Office in Rome forced Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.” photo: Jim McAdams plays Joyce Lin; photo by Mark Rubenstein

Published On 6/24/2013

Bartel & Zimmerman Dominate Lancaster, PA Instant-Pairing Tournament: Marie Bartel 14k notched five wins against six opponents and Sam Zimmerman 5k racked up six wins against five opponents in the June 22 Lancaster (PA) Summer Ratings Tournament's instant pairing format, which allowed players to start their next game almost immediately after finishing a game. Though the field was just seven players, first-time tournament director Jason Long said "Of course we would like to see a larger attendance, but those who came had fun and made the event a success!" NOVA School's Out Tournament: Two dozen players ranging from 6-dan to 21-kyu participated in the NOVA School's Out Tournament on June 22. "In a striking demonstration of rating parity, only five players scored three or four wins," reports TD Allan Abramson. James Pinkerton 4d, 4-0; Edward James Lane 9k, 4-0; Jonathan Barlow 15k, 4-0; and Gary Smith 9k, 3-1. David Reed 5k, scored 2-0 playing only two games, earning an honorable mention.

Final 8 Set for German Championship

Published On 6/24/2013

Lukas Krämer 5d, Bernd Radmacher 4d, Marlon Welter 4d and Matthias Terwey 5d have qualified for the final round of the upcoming German Championship. They will join Franz-Josef Dickhut 6d, Johannes Obenaus 5d, Jun Tarumi 5d and Benjamin Teuber 6d in Darmstadt for the July 4-7 final. In Germany the championship is divided in two rounds, a preliminary and a final round. The top 60 players in Germany are eligible for the preliminary round; this year 16 players from 3-5 dan showed up June 15-16 in Kassel to compete for four seats in the final, where Dickhut, Obenaus, Tarumi and Teuber were pre-seeded, based on the results of the previous championship. Unfortunately Robert Jasiek 5d – who took first place in last year's prelim – arrived to late to take part in the tournament due to train problems. After six rounds in a close field nobody was undefeated. Krämer, Radmacher and Welter managed to win five out of six games.

Go Classified: Books For Sale

Published On 6/24/2013

Looking to sell part of my go book collection of several hundred. Many out of print English books listed; over 100 Chinese language books, as well as dozens of Japanese problem books, are also available. The more you buy, the more you save! List, prices, and ordering information here. - Lawrence Ku

Published On 6/23/2013

Voting begins soon for the three open seats on the American Go Association's Board of Directors. Candidates are Martin Lebl in the central region, and incumbents Paul Celmer and Chris Kirschner for the eastern and western regions respectively. Voting is by AGA chapters, and chapter reps “should have received their initial ballot count through the AGA Chapters mailing list,” reports Election Coordinator Arnold Eudell. Official ballots will be going out in one week and must be received by August 3; notify elections@usgo.org of any discrepancies. Click here for voting procedures and candidate statements.

Published On 6/23/2013

New York plays Boston Sunday afternoon in Round 7 of the AGA Pandanet City League's A League. All games on June 23 will be played in the AGA City League room on Pandanet (IGS), starting at 9a EST. The line-up: 9a (EST): Board 3: Qian, Yingzhi New York [delight] vs Xie, Guochen Boston [guochen]; 2p (EST): Board 1: Liu, Zhi Yuan (Andy) 1p New York [cloudnotes] vs Yang, Huiren 1p Boston [hyang12]; 2p: Board 2: Liang, Jie Boston [gust] vs Chen, ZhaoNian (Michael) New York.

Published On 6/23/2013

2013 Championship of Privolzhskij Federal DistrictAustria: Seok-Bin Cho 8d dominated the June 15-16 Vienna International Go Tournament with Ondrej Silt 6d in second and Jan Hora 6d in third. Germany: At the Sanssouci-Go-Turnier in Potsdam (also June 15-16), Michael Budahn 3d bested Ji Lu 4d while Young-Sik Choi 2d placed third. Russia: Young Stepan Popov 3d (left) shone at the June 15-16 Privolzhskij Federal District tournament in Izhevsk. Behind him were Alexandr Matushkin 4d and Jurij Beljaev 3d. --- Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

David Chau 11k Sweeps Davis-Sacramento

Published On 6/23/2013

David Chau 11k led a field of eight players at the June 22 Davis/Sacramento Summer Quarterly tournament with a perfect four wins. The event drew players from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra foothills, including William (Bill) Dreher 20k, who was participating in his first AGA tournament. - Willard Haynes

Published On 6/22/2013

"I have nothing to declare but my genius," Irish poet, dramatist and wit Oscar Wilde is said to have told customs officials. Now his namesake, Oscar Selby 9k, the British Under-Ten 2013 go champion, has been declared a genius on nationwide TV. Selby (right), of Epsom, was featured on the June 18 Channel 4 Child Genius broadcast. He is one of 21 highly gifted children aged seven to 11 who were selected to take part in a competition, run in association with British Mensa, to find the UK's "ultimate child genius." Selby is said by the producers to be a favorite to win. Five contestants are eliminated in each round and Selby has made it through the first round. The last two episodes will be broadcast on June 25 and July 2. Selby first came to national attention at the age of seven, when he became the youngest child to get an A* grade in GCSE Maths, a public exam usually taken at age 16.

Published On 6/21/2013

For the second consecutive year, top young North American players have defeated their European counterparts in the Transatlantic Youth Go Friendship Match. "The Europeans lost by a large margin last year," reports organizer Andrew Huang, "and were certainly looking for a more positive result this year. However, the North American team was keen to stifle the Europeans' ambitions, and won the first seven games, eventually finishing with an 8-2 victory. We are looking forward to another exciting event next year, as the European team will be thirsty to exact revenge." The match was held June 2 on KGS, and marked the fifth year for the Transatlantic Youth Tourney. Ten players representing the United States and Canada teamed up for North America, while ten European youngsters were chosen from Russia, Germany, France, Austria, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland to compete for the Europeans.

Published On 6/20/2013

Six years after becoming the youngest 9-dan professional, Chen Yaoye 9P (right) finally broke through on the world stage when he defeated Lee Sedol 9P (at left in photo) 2-1 on June 20 to capture the Chunlun Cup and win his first major international title. This was Chen’s fourth attempt at an international title and it was smiles all round as he finally made his long overdue breakthrough. Lee seems to make a habit of being present at special milestones in Chen’s career and looked genuinely pleased for Chen. The last time these two met in an international final was in 2007 at the 19th Asia TV Cup, where Chen was promoted to become the youngest (at the time) 9-dan professional. In other news from the 9th Chunlan Cup, Jiang Weijie 9P defeated Kong Jie 9P in the playoff to take third place. The Chunlan Cup is an invitational go tournament for 24 top players from around the world.

Go Catches On in Rural North Carolina

Published On 6/20/2013

“Who would have guessed that go would catch on so well in a tiny rural town where hogs outnumber humans?” asks a school librarian in rural North Carolina. The American Go Foundation has sent hundreds of copies of Hikaru no Go manga to schools and libraries across the country. One set went to a middle school in Burgaw, North Carolina. “Ninety percent of our students receive free or reduced price lunch,” writes school librarian Kathleen Stewart-Taylor. “Most of our 275 students are African American or Latinos. Some of them are children of migrant workers; a few of them work in the fields/farms themselves. Many have parents who can't speak English or can't read or write in any language. We live within 20 minutes of the ocean, but most of my students have never seen it.” But, says Stewart-Taylor, “I would bet that 75 % of my students now know about go and at least 25% have tried to play a game.” “Several months ago you sent us a free set of (Hikaru no Go) manga,” says Stewart-Tayor.

Published On 6/19/2013

The final North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) qualifier of the 2013 season is scheduled to be played online the weekend of July 6-7. “This tournament coincides with the rise to power of both Richard the Lionheart and Elvis Presley,” reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. Richard (right) was crowned on July 6, 1189, and Presley’s first single -- "That's All Right" -- was broadcast 765 years later on Memphis radio station WHBQ on July 7, 1954. You don’t have to be a king or a rock star to play in the tournament but you do need to be at least 4-dan and you must register by July 3. The 4-round online tournament is open to players rated 4D+ and eligible to compete in this year's North American Masters Tournament at the Go Congress in Tacoma WA. Eligibility for AGA players is based on citizenship or permanent residency in the US, residency in the US for 6 of the past 12 months, and continuous full or youth AGA membership.

Wilson Zhang Wins Happy Cup

Published On 6/18/2013

Seventh-grader Wilson Zhang 1k topped the Sixth Sunflower Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament, with four wins, on June 1 in Cupertino, California. “Forty-one elementary and middle school kids gathered together on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and played four to five rounds of 19×19 games,” reports Wenguang Wang, who organized the event. "To ensure a really fun experience for every kid, players earned prize tickets after each round, and then exchanged their tickets for various fancy prizes. Each participant was also rewarded with a trophy, and at the event’s conclusion all the kids and their parents enjoyed a refreshing ice cream party.” -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Ming Liao. Wilson Zhang is at left, in the blue shirt

Expert On "How to Learn Go in 20 Hours"

Published On 6/18/2013

"The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything... Fast!" by author Josh Kaufman includes an entire chapter on go, one of the things Kaufman – a bestselling author, learning expert and business advisor – learned using his “systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition.” Covering the history and basics of the game, "It is a good intro from an interested beginner's perspective," says EJ reader Howard Cornett. "It is great to see our game as a full chapter in a book about learning something new!" Kaufman notes that "Learning go will require time and concentration. I’m already playing other games, but I have a very limited amount of leisure time. If I want to progress in go as quickly as I’m able, I’ll need to focus." His summary of "How I Learned to Play Go" may be useful for beginners, teachers and go club organizers, and there's also some cool go footage in the trailer he made for the book.

Published On 6/18/2013

“Too bad they don't do doodles for living persons,” responded David Shope (A Google Doodle for Go Seigen? 6/12 EJ) via the AGA’s Facebook page. That didn’t stop graphic artist Mike Samuel (who’s designed many of the U.S. Go Congress logos) from drafting up a potential go-themed “Google Doodle” for the internet giant.

Published On 6/17/2013

The Nihon Kiin has informed Nihon Kiin America (NKA) that it intends to sell the East 52nd St building that formerly housed the New York Go Center. Nihon Ki-in CEO Mr. Hanyu will be in New York this week to discuss the matter further with Terry Benson, NKA President. "We think it's a mistake to sell," Benson says, "especially with New York real estate values climbing. We presented them with a detailed plan by which the building could be put back in use, pay for the cost to do so in less than three years, and be a permanent source of funds to cover its expenses and produce money to benefit American go. The plan was never given serious consideration." In a conference call Mr. Hanyu told NKA board members that the proceeds would be used to benefit American go. However Mr. Hanyu also said that the American community would only be "consulted" in determining how the funds would be used. The Nihon Ki-in would have the final authority.

Published On 6/17/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal China Dominates 18th LG Cup: The opening rounds of this Korean-sponsored international tournament were held in the city of Kangnung (also written Gangneung) in Korea on June 10 & 12. An excellent report has already been presented (Korea Knocked Out In LG Cup Stunner; Japan Fights On 6/13), so this report will fill in some some details. The main news is undoubtedly the great success of the new young generation of Chinese players, who took six of the quarterfinal places. However, Japan also made a good start: with just four seeded players taking part (it failed to win any seats in the qualifying tournament), it secured two quarterfinal places, its best result for some years. Also, although he was eliminated in the 2nd round, Kono Rin 9P scored an excellent win in the first round, beating the player who recently won the Ing Cup, Fan Tingyu 9P of China.

Published On 6/17/2013

Google has agreed to donate up to $120,000 per year to the American Go Foundation (AGF) in free AdWords, those text-based ads you see to the right when you search on Google. The AGF received this benefit by qualifying as a Google Nonprofit, a status available to 501c3 corporations. “This is a great new way to reach out to players, teachers, librarians, organizers and people who ought to be players,” said AGF President Terry Benson. The AGF's first AdWords campaign attracted almost 200 hits in the first week, with a "Got Best Game?" theme; traffic on the AGF website is up at least 30%. Another benefit of the program is access to One Today, a crowdsourced microfinance fundraising app for 501c3s. The app, currently only available for Android, presents users with one charity every day, and asks for a donation of one dollar, or more if a donor is so inclined. Multiple charities are displayed each day, and users can pick who they want to donate to.

Published On 6/15/2013

Gansheng Shi 1p, who qualified with Andy Liu 1p as an AGA pro in last year's certification tournament, is scheduled to play in his first Korean pro tournament, the KT-Olleh Cup, on Monday June 17th. The young Canadian will play alongside Korean professionals and even receive a small game fee for playing. Top prize in the tournament is $100,000. The KT-Olleh is one of five tournaments that the Hankuk Kiwon (KBA) agreed to allow newly certified AGA pros to play in, and the first to start since Shi traveled to Korea last month. The next scheduled of the five is the Samsung Cup in August. "My goal in tournaments would be to win at least one game but it seems very difficult," Shi told the EJ. Shi is studying at the Choong-Am Dojang in Seoul, with travel support from the AGA and tuition support from the KBA. Shi says he is enjoying Korea, Korean food, and some new friends.

Published On 6/13/2013

England's reigning pair go King and Queen lost their crowns last weekend. At the June 9 British Pair Go Championships, 25-time British Champion Matthew MacFadyen 6d and his wife and pair go partner Kirsty Healey 2k won the final game by 12.5 points to usurp the UK pair go throne held by 2012 champs Matthew Cocke 5d and Natasha Regan 1k . The outgoing royalty took some consolation from their prize for Best-Dressed pair, having come attired as a medieval royal couple (photo). Eight pairs competed in the main tournament, for which world amateur pair go and European pair go qualification points were allocated. A further seven pairs played in a separate handicap tournament, won by Rebecca Margetts 20k and Oscar Selby 9k. The event took place at Foxcombe Lodge Hotel, Boars Hill, near Oxford, England, and was organised by Francis Roads on behalf of the British Go Association (BGA).

Published On 6/13/2013

For the first time in the history of the LG Cup, there are no Koreans in the quarter final line-up. Korean fans were left in shock after Tuo Jiaxi 3P (left) knocked out Lee Sedol 9P (right) in a game with a very unusual opening. Japan continued the charge through the draw, with two of the Japanese players, Iyama Yuta 9P and Takao Shinji 9P, making it through, while Kono Rin 9P was defeated by Chen Yaoye 9P. This is the first time Japanese players have made it through to the quarter finals of the LG Cup since 2008, when Kono Rin did so. If Iyama or Takao manages to win the 18th LG Cup, it will be Japan’s first victory in this tournament since O Rissei (who was born in Taiwan) won it in 1998. There are six Chinese players still in the draw. The most notable is Li Zhe 6P, who is making an amazing comeback from his sabbatical, storming his way to the quarter final. Chen, Tuo and Li will be joined by their countrymen, Zhou Ruiyang 9P, Li Qincheng 1P and Xia Chenkun 2P.

Published On 6/13/2013

The Nihon Ki-in has just confirmed that the legendary Takemiya Masaki 9P will attend the 2013 U.S. Go Congress, which runs August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. Famous for his 'cosmic style' of play - focusing on the construction of large moyos and taking territory in the center -- Takemiya wowed 2009 Congress attendees with his lectures, game commentaries and demonstrations of ballroom dancing. “We are so thrilled to welcome Takemiya sensei back to the U.S. Go Congress,” said American Go Association President Andy Okun. “We’re sure he’ll be even more illuminating and entertaining this year.” The Chinese Weiqi Association has also just announced that they’re sending two attendees – Yang Yi 6P and Chen Wei 3P -- to the Go Congress. Yang (top left) is director of the Chongqing Qiyuan and senior coach of the Chongqing Go Team, while Chen (bottom left), also from the Chongqing Qiyuan, is Coach of the Chongqing Go Team.

A Google Doodle for Go Seigen?

Published On 6/12/2013

On Go Seigen's 99th birthday, Go Game Guru renewed the call for a Google Doodle next year on the go master's 100th birthday. Google regularly changes the logo on their homepage to mark the anniversary of important events and celebrate the achievements of great scientists and artists. These are called Google Doodles. “Since Go Seigen will turn 100 in 2014, we thought it would be great if we, as a community of go players, could convince Google to celebrate Go Seigen’s 100th birthday with us,” said Go Game Guru's David Ormerod. “Not only would this be a great way to mark the world’s greatest go player becoming a centenarian, it would also introduce many new people to this fascinating game.” Email proposals@google.com and ask them to celebrate Go Seigen’s 100th birthday on June 12, 2014. Click here for Go Game Guru's report, which includes an overview of the life of the “living legend.”

Published On 6/12/2013

galway go tournamentIreland: At the Galway Go Tournament, Justyna Klezcar 2k (right) bested Thomas Shanahan 6k while Anthony Durity 7k placed third. Romania: In Braila, Theodor Toma 2d conquered the under-18 Campionatul National de Go knock-out. Behind Toma were Elian Ioan Grigoriu 2k and Alexandru Georgian Iacob 2k. Hungary: Renato Tolgyesi 1k defeated Dominik Boviz 3d at the 3rd Csiki Cup Group 5 tournament in Budapest; Robert Czismadia 3k took third. -Annalia Linnan, based on reports on EuroGoTV, where complete result tables and all the latest European go news are available.

Published On 6/12/2013

How can minority cultures gain acceptance in American society without abandoning their cultural values and traditions? The game of go may be one way. One Friday last month, Academy of the Americas (AoA) students traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan with the Go Cultural Ambassador International Program (GCAIP) where Detroit and Ypsilanti youth taught Kalamazoo students how to play go. They related the ancient board game to community building, anti-bullying and peer mentorship in the kindergarten through higher education continuum, influenced by the anti-bullying work of top pro Yasutoshi Yasuda. GCAIP’s mission is to promote global citizenship and cultural validation with an emphasis on academic excellence in the social sciences and humanities. It uses go to bridge and even transcend cultural differences. Eighty students aged 9-13 attended the daylong event at the Western Michigan University College of Health and Human Services.

Go Classified: Goban For Sale

Published On 6/11/2013

Katsura goban, 4.5 inches thick. With legs, total height 9.5 inches. 20 years old, but only used by a little old man on Sundays. Bob Barber; komoku@clear.net

Published On 6/11/2013

Greater Washington has a slim one-point edge over Los Angeles in the the Pandanet-AGA City A League after seven rounds of play. In the B League Toronto has come out with a strong record and is leading the league with San Francisco hot on their heels. Round 8 is set for this Sunday, June 16 at 2p on IGS. In the A League, Los Angeles will play New York City, Greater Washington will play Boston, and Seattle will play Vancouver. With the field so strong at this point, Boston could wind up challenging LA and GW for the top slot. In the B League, Southern California will take on San Francisco in a tough match-up, Massachusetts will play Washington DC's Team 2 and Toronto will play Montreal. It will be exciting to see if Toronto will gain another win to stay on top of the standings or will there be a tight playoff the last two rounds to determine the winner. Up-to-date standings are available on the Pandanet-AGA City League Page.

Published On 6/11/2013

AGA Go Camp Director Amanda Miller is gearing up for this year’s camp, and has nine students enrolled so far. ”We need just one more student to break even, so if you have been thinking about camp, now is the time to sign up!” Miller says. Camp will be held July 20-27 at YMCA Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, Pennsylvania. A promotional video from a previous camp captures the exciting camp experience on film. Check out camp information, pictures and news on the camp’s website. AGF Scholarships are still available to help defray the cost for kids who need it. AGA President Andy Okun has confirmed the camp will run this year, even if it’s at a small loss, “but breaking even would be much better.” -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 6/9/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Cho U Wins Crucial Game In Meijin League: Thanks to defeating his most formidable opponent, Cho U 9P (right) is a lot closer to ecoming the challenger for the 38th Meijin title. In a game played on June 1, Cho (taking black) defeated Iyama Yuta Honinbo by resignation, improving his record to 6-0 and keeping the sole lead. Iyama had been one of just two players with only one loss, but, with his score now 5-2, the best he can hope for is a tie for first, but that will happen only if Cho loses both his remaining games; his opponents are Takao Shinji 9P and Kono Rin 9P. The other player with one loss is Hane Naoki 9P, who is on 4-1; he has already played Cho, so he has to rely on the above-mentioned pair for help in catching up. Incidentally, Saturday games are quite unusual, but Iyama is extremely busy, what with Honinbo games in successive weeks. On June 6, Sakai Hideyuki 8P (B) defeated Yuki Satoshi Judan by resignation.

Published On 6/9/2013

The central region American Go Association board seat remains wide open as no names have been submitted as candidates, reports Arnold Eudell. “Incumbents Paul Celmer and Chris Kirschner remain the sole candidates in the eastern and western regions respectively.” Eudell added. Nominations close Saturday, June 15 and must be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for procedures, qualifications and candidate statements.

AGA Board Nominations Closing Soon

Published On 6/7/2013

Less than 10 days remain before nominations close for the 2013 AGA board elections. Incumbents Peter Celmer and Chris Kirschner are running to retain their seats in the Eastern and Western regions respectively. Nominations, including self-nominations are being accepted through June 15 and should be sent to elections@usgo.org

Published On 6/7/2013

The new Rocket City Go Club in the Huntsville, AL area has been founded “in the hope that we could lure some of the many NASA rocket scientists in the area into trying one of the world's most ancient and fun board games” reports Adam LeCroy. “Non rocket scientists are also welcome of course!” The club's inaugural meeting will be June 17th at noon, at the Sinsaegae restuarant, 2701 Patton Rd SW, Huntsville, AL. Got go club news? Get the word out! Email reports to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/6/2013

A new captain has been appointed to head up the British team for the online Pandanet Go European Team Championship 2013 following the UK’s demotion to the C League, after they failed to win a single game last season (A League Finalists Set in European Team Championship 5/10 EJ). Chris Bryant 1d (pictured), a 23-year-old software engineer from Bury, who plays at St Albans Go Club, has been charged with reversing the team’s fortunes and his personal go history speaks of a man with the resolve to achieve his goals. Bryant learned go in February 2011 and early on made a commitment to try and reach dan grade within a year, signing up for the British Go Association (BGA)’s Shodan Challenge, where ambitious players are supported in a formal attempt to reach a specified higher grade within one year. The puzzle-loving Bryant attributes his go success to solving an estimated 10,000 tsumego problems in a year

Published On 6/6/2013

gu li & liu xingPreliminaries for the 10th Changqi Cup finished May 31 after three days of fierce matches. When the smoke cleared, Tan Xiao 7P, Liu Xing 7P, Shi Yue 9P, and Lian Xio 4P stood above the rest, including last year’s defending champions Chen Yaoye 9P and Tuo Jiaxi 3P. The finalist’s circle was especially sweet for Liu as he competed in 2007, 2008, and 2011 to no avail. However, this year he bested his two-time conqueror Gu Li 9P. No date has been set for the semifinals, although the finals have been scheduled for late October 2013. Known as one of China’s “most generously sponsored tournaments” with a grand prize of over $73,000 USD, the Changqi Cup always draws China’s top players. Pros who made an appearance this year were Chang Hao 9P, Fan Tingyu 9P, Kong Jie 9P, and Jiang Weijie 9P, to name a few. Joint-hosts the Chinese Go Association and the Ing Foundation (Shanghai Branch) originally came together in 2004 to honor Ing Chang-ki.

AGF Restocks, Publishes DIY 9x9 Board

Published On 6/6/2013

What does $17,000 buy? If you’re The American Go Foundation, here’s the answer: 8,000 9x9 cardboard beginner boards for the Starter Set, 1,000 full size wooden boards for the Club Classic and 2,000 vinyl boards for distribution to AGF programs and AGA chapters. Thanks to generous donors, “We’ve provided hundreds of programs with materials in the last few years, and our successful outreach to schools and libraries means that demand is growing even faster,” AGF VP Paul Barchilon told the EJ. For the DIYers out there, the AGF has also made the PDF of the 9x9 board available as a download. “Why didn’t we think of this before?” muses AGF President Terry Benson. “Print boards and rules, make stones from card stock with a ¾” punch (available online or at any good craft store) and you’re ready to go.” The AGF is supported entirely by generous go players; to support their work, click here.

Published On 6/5/2013

The popular International Children's Go Art Contest is back for the third year in a row, and children are invited to submit their pieces. Last year's contest drew almost 70 entries, from ten different countries, and this year organizers hope to pull in even more. The entries will be exhibited at the US Go Congress in Tacoma, in August. The categories will be for under 12 and under 16, with three winners, and 2 notable entries in each category. Magnetic go sets for the top six winners will be provided by Yellow Mountain Imports. To see some highlights of last year's entries, visit the online gallery on the Go Symposium site. The contest also has a Facebook page here. Complete entry information is available in the pdf file attached to this link (right click to download once it takes you to the page with the file) GoArtContest2013. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 6/4/2013

“Kudos for your ongoing, seemingly tireless work,” writes Sunnyvale Chapter founder and organizer Jean de Maiffe. “You've certainly learned and grown over the years.” However, de Maiffe says, “I have a small quibble for you. I think The Power Report (June 2 EJ) would have been more effective if it were in chronological order. Putting the Honinbo information first makes rather weak the statement, ‘This win may have given him [Takao] some momentum for the Honinbo title match.’ I think that statement would have been more powerful if it were foreshadowing Takao's later success in the Honinbo.”

Published On 6/4/2013

“Lisa and I want to thank everyone who contributed so generously to the American Go Foundation through our recent Coast to Coast walk in England,” says American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock. “It turns out that many ‘Coasters’ do the walk as charity fundraisers and it gave us a great opportunity to talk about the terrific and effective work the AGF does promoting go in the U.S.” The Garlocks -- who were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary -- have raised almost $2,000 so far to support the AGF's outreach to thousands of American children in schools, libraries and community centers across the country. "Promoting go is a long journey, not unlike a trek across difficult terrain," says AGF President Terry Benson. "Chris and Lisa have blazed an exciting new trail we hope others will follow." Deadline for donations is this Sunday at midnight; click here to contribute and to see the list of contributors.

“The Surrounding Game” Heads to Japan

Published On 6/4/2013

Heading to Japan later this month, “The Surrounding Game” documentary crew is looking for help as they finish up principal photography on the film. The 3-man filming team will arrive in Tokyo on June 25 and shoot for about a week before heading to Osaka. “We are in communication with several people at the Nihon Kiin in Tokyo and the Kansai Kiin in Osaka,” reports Will Lockhart, “and we’re looking for people to stay with, interpreters, and other filming ideas that visually illustrate the rich cultural legacy of the game.” The Japan shoot “will be our last big filming operation, and I am confident it will lead to some of our very best material,” Lockhart adds. Click here for the complete update and use the comment section to post suggestions.

Published On 6/3/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Takao Evens Score in Honinbo Title Match: Takao Shinji 9P has a notoriously bad career record against Iyama Yuta Honinbo, but he has shown that past results may be irrelevant. After losing the first game in his challenge for the 68th Honinbo title, Takao roared back with a strong win in the second, played on May 28 & 29, so the match is level. There was plenty of drama in the game, with three important ko fights. The first was worth over 50 points and led to a major trade, but neither side took the lead. Another big trade followed the second ko fight, but once again the game remained evenly poised. Shortly after this (on move 205), Iyama made a small misjudgment , letting Takao take the lead. Iyama resorted to yet another ko but was unable to make up his deficit, so he resigned after 244 moves. The third game will be played on June 5 & 6.

U.S. Go Congress Calendar Posted

Published On 6/3/2013

Attendees at this year's US Go Congress can start planning their daily activities now with the Congress' handy Google Calendar. The the 29th Annual US Go Congress is set for August 3-11 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and the schedule includes the US Open, the largest annual go tournament in the US, professional lectures and game analysis, continuous self paired games, and all kinds of go-related activities from morning to midnight. Congress organizers credit “the talented work of Bart Jacob and Jared Beck” for the first-ever online calendar. “Remember, though, that the calendar is a dynamic production,” notes Gordon Castanza, “so come back to it now and then to see if there are any updates. We will strive to use this valuable tool during the Congress as well. So those with portable devices, laptops, tablets, etc. can see the calendar at any time.”

Published On 6/3/2013

Longtime International Go Federation and American Go Association official Thomas Hsiang (second from right) was elected General Secretary of the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) at the 2013 SportAccord Convention held during the week of May 28 in St. Petersburg, Russia. IMSA also announced that the 2013 and 2014 SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) will be held December 12-18 in Beijing for both years. For 2013, North America is invited to send a three-man team and one female player to compete for a total prize fund of $400,000 USD. “For North American players, this will be the most lucrative international tournament,” Hsiang told the E-Journal. For example, the team would get $9,000 if they defeat Europe; the female player would get $2,000 if she places 8th; and the pair would get $5,000 if they defeat Europe. “The AGA is planning a selection tournament, possibly using the NAMT event, to select our representative,” Hsiang said.

Published On 6/1/2013

Mexico City, Mexico, beat Portland, Oregon 8-0 in a May 25 team match between elementary school players, taking revenge for their 8-4 loss the last time these two teams met up. Four players from Mexico City competed against eight Portland players, with each Portland player playing one game and Mexico City players playing two games in this two-round match. Playing for Mexico City were Leo, Samuel, Dante and Diego. For Portland: Hikaru, Nicholas, Wilson, Aden, Jordan, Noah, Tyler and Cameron. This was the first match for Nicholas and Cameron. - Peter Freedman; photos by Freedman (left, Portland) and Siddhartha Avila (right, Mexico City)

Scottish Open Goes to Di Wu

Published On 6/1/2013

Di Wu 4d of Durham, England triumphed over 24 other players in the Scottish Open tournament on May 25-26, winning his games in all six rounds. The runner-up, with five wins, was Scottish Champion David Lee 3d, of Dundee, Scotland. Jurriaan Dijkman 4k, of Skye, Scotland took third place. Gary Craig 15k of Glasgow, Scotland also won five games and Martin Harvey 5k of Manchester, England, Greg Cox 10k of Dundee, Scotland and Carol Goodheir 11k of Skye all won four. The tournament originated as the Edinburgh tournament in 1981. The Scottish Open later moved to Glasgow, Aberdeen and then Dundee, before returning to Glasgow this year - 14 years after it was last held there. The event took place at Glasgow University’s Gilchrist Postgraduate Club. Six players who arrived early, on Friday evening, played simultaneous games against Di Wu.

Eric Lui 7D Sweeps 40th Maryland Open

Published On 5/31/2013

An undefeated Eric Lui 7D won the 2013 Maryland Open and NAMT Qualifier, held May 25-26 in Baltimore, MD. A total of 52 players "enjoyed beautiful weather for the 40th Maryland Open," reports organizer Keith Arnold. Eight players 4-dan and above competed for NAMT points. Gurujeet Khalsa directed the 5-round event. Winner's Report: Open Section: Eric Lui 7 dan (undefeated); 2nd Yuan Zhou 7 dan; 3rd Daniel Chou 6 dan A Section: Justin Ching 4 dan; 2nd Willis Huang 3 dan B Section: Kelsey Dyer 1 dan; 2nd Ken Koester 2 dan C Section: Julian Erville 2 kyu and Kyu Champion; 2nd Todd Blatt 1 kyu D Section: Nathan Epstein 5 kyu (undefeated); 2nd Arnold Eudell 4 kyu E Section: Andrew Liu 6 kyu; 2nd Frederick Bao, (The Smiling Assassin, 6 years old) 6 kyu F Section: Bob Crites 10 kyu; 2nd Roberto Andaya 12 kyu Fighting Spirit Prize - Leslie Lamphere 12 kyu

Published On 5/30/2013

The 10th annual Carolina Spring Go Tournament featured a hotly-contested team competition for the youth players. Four teams representing Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language (RACL), Cary Chinese School (CCS) and Chinese School at Chapel Hill (CSCH) competed in the team tournament at the May 18 event, held in Raleigh, North Carolina and organized by the Cary Go Club and the Chinese-American Friendship Association of North Carolina. The tournament attracted 30 go players with ages ranging from 6 to 70 years old. "The team competition was fierce," reports organizer Owen Chen. "Young players kept reporting and checking the team scores posted on the wall after each round. In the end, the Chinese School at Chapel Hill team consisting of Justin Zhang, Andrew Huan and their teacher Eric Zhang (right) won the team competition." In the individual competition, a new Duke student, Liqun Liu, who was a 5 dan in China, gave long-term North Carolina champion Changlong Wu 7d (left) a fierce challenge.

Transatlantic Youth Match Sunday June 2

Published On 5/30/2013

The fifth annual Transatlantic Youth Tournament will take place Sunday on KGS. Ten young players from Europe will face off against ten from North America, the team with the most wins will be the victor (captain's game will be the tiebreak if needed). North America won last year, with an overwhelming 8-2 finish, and the Europeans are itching for paybacks this time around. Most of the matches will be held Sunday June 3, in the Transatlantic Youth Go room on KGS (under tournaments). The schedule will be:

KBA Names Two Pros for US Go Congress

Published On 5/29/2013

The Korea Baduk Association is sending Kim Hyunghwan 6p and Lee Dahye 4p to the US Go Congress in Tacoma this year. Kim Hyunghwan, 27, is a student of famed teacher Kapyong Kwon, whose students include Lee Sedol 9p and Park Junghwan 9p. He distinguished himself as a youth player, and was unbeaten in the 2001 WYGC in Maui, Hawaii, becoming pro the following year. The Maui experience prompted him to study English. He is also a student of Chinese and teaches go at university clubs. Lee Dahye, 28, aside from representing Korea in international play, is a specialist at teaching beginners, expertise she will be sharing as an instructor at the first ever AGA classroom teaching certification workshop at Congress. Since 2008, Lee has amassed an impressive record broadcasting lessons on Baduk TV, K-Baduk and Cyberoro (you can see some of her lessons on YouTube here). She has also taught soldiers in Korea's military, students at university clubs, and multicultural youth.

Go Spotting: Go Builds Math Skills

Published On 5/29/2013

A recent article on the Business Insider website extols the mathematical benefits of the game of go, which is the 6th of 13 Things That You Can Do To Make Your Child A Genius At Math. The article asked professional mathematicians what got them started in math. "There is no better way to train your brain, said one respondent, than the game [of] Go." Can you tell who is ahead in the go position that the article displays? (Assume Black to play and a komi of 6.5.) The full article appears here. Thanks to Chris Sira for sending the link.

AGA Election Update

Published On 5/29/2013

Incumbent Paul Celmer has been nominated to retain his seat as eastern region representative. No nominations for western or central region candidates have been received yet. Nominations close June 15 and should be sent to elections@usgo.org. Qualifications and procedures are here http://www.usgo.org/aga-board-elections.

Published On 5/28/2013

Reigning British Champion, Andrew Kay 4d, and fellow Cambridge University graduate Andrew Simons 4d, have emerged as the finalists for the British Go Championship from this weekend's Challengers' League. Simons is the Terry Stacey Grand Prix 2013 title-holder (awarded for best tournament results over the year to the British Go Congress last April). The pair will meet for the best-of-three final at a time and place yet to be fixed, to decide who will take the title of British Champion. As both players intend to travel to Asia over the next three months, the final will probably not take place before August. When it does happen, it is likely to be followed live in the British Room on the KGS go server, with professional commentary.

Triple Ko in Tiger's Mouth Tourney

Published On 5/27/2013

An interesting triple ko came up in the most recent Tiger's Mouth prize tourney. The tourneys are run every month, and are open to youth in the US and Canada. Handicapped, and with prizes in double-digit kyu, single-digit kyu, and dan sections, the tourneys provide challenging games for players of all levels, with prizes courtesy of the AGF. The triple ko came up in a six stone game between Narnian 12k, and Gocookrice 18k, and can be seen in the attached game record. The ruleset was Japanese, which technically means the game should be no result. The players asked the TD to make a ruling, he decided it was a seki, and gave the win to white on territory. How would the triple ko have been resolved in other rule sets? The E-J asked Yilun Yang 7p to weigh in with Chinese rules: "If both players keep taking the ko in this situation, it seems the game should be no-result. Black has to keep capturing, otherwise black loses.

Published On 5/26/2013

The fifth annual Kido Cup was held in Hamburg, Germany May 18-20. The three day event, including a main tournament, top group, and kids tournament, has become the largest go event held in Germany. In addition to the tournaments, this year's Kido Cup also featured numerous side events, including six visiting pros from Korea playing teaching games and giving game reviews. Lukas Podpera 5d was the champion at the main tournament among a field of 198 players. Full main tournament results are available here. Fan Hui 2p, a pro from China living in France since 2000, won the top group with a 6-1 record. Top group results are available here. Arved Pittner 5k from Berlin won the kids tournament. Full results are available here. Story by Jan Engelhardt, photo by Joachim Beggerow.

Published On 5/26/2013

An article in the May 23 issue of the magazine Foreign Policy entitled "Pulp Liberation Army" surveys the strange and terrifying underground world of Chinese military fantasy novels. One such novel, 2066: Red Star Over America, "portrays the United States in the throes of a Cultural Revolution, where bands of marauding U.S. students fight battles in the country's ravaged countryside. China is the world's top superpower, and an earthquake has sunk Japan, erasing it from the map. The protagonist, a Chinese Go player and diplomatic envoy, tries to return civilization to a crumbling United States." Go player to the rescue! Read the full article here. Thank you Matthew Curran for sharing this.

Mlily Cup Preliminaries

Published On 5/26/2013

The preliminary rounds for the first Mlily Cup concluded May 24th, in Beijing, China. The cup is organized by the International Go Federation (IGF) and the China Qiyuan, and sponsored by Hengkang Jiaju Technology Company. The cup is held every other year, thus supplementing the other IGF-organized biannual tournament: the Bailing Cup. With a top prize of RMB 1.8 M (about USD 280K), Mlily ranks near the top of all international titles. Just as in Bailing, the Mlily Cup takes on an "open" format: All professionals may enter in the preliminary rounds; as may all amateurs after winning online selection tournaments. Ryan Li won the selection tournament from North America, and was the US amateur representative. Jujo (Zhujiu) Jiang 9P entered as an American pro; while Rui Naiwei 9P entered as a Chinese pro. All three lost in the first round. The popular Joanne Missingham 6P(Hei Jia-jia) entered as a Taiwanese pro, and won her section of 11 players, to move on to the main tournament.

Six Days Left to Register for YKNOT3

Published On 5/24/2013

The deadline to register for this year's Young Kwon National Online Tournament has been extended until midnight on Wednesday, May 29. This means there are still six days to register for the tournament! Sponsored by Young Kwon of Pearl River, NY, the tournament offers nearly $3,000 in total prizes! More than 60 players have already registered. Click here to register and here for details on schedule and rules. Join the wide range of strengths already represented and make this tournament better and even more exciting! The five-round tournament will take place June 1, 2, and 8 on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room. For those who aren't going to play in the tournament, be sure to check it out and watch a few games - a tournament with nearly 20 players 5D and stronger promises excitement!

KBA Donates Free Beginner's Book to AGA

Published On 5/24/2013

With the publication of Falling in Love with Baduk: Play a Game in One Week, The Korea Baduk Association has taken yet another important step to support Western go. Written in both Korean and English by Dahye Lee and Jihee Baek, two young Korean pros, this is a book aimed at beginners, and especially Westerners. “People with different skin colors and different languages can understand one another when seated across the Baduk board,” they write. “It thrills us to imagine a view of Easterners and Westerners playing the game together.” This is a valuable book for serious newcomers of any age. Basic principles are broken down into seven simple lessons, presumably one per day, with dozens of problems illustrating each day’s lesson. Ms. Lee will attend this year’s US Go Congress and will participate in the AGA’s first teacher training program.

Summer Go Camp

Published On 5/24/2013

The AGA Summer Go Camp will be held at YMCA Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, from July 20 to July 27. "Go Camp was a wonderful experience," writes Sathya Anand 1k, who attended last year, " I feel my understanding of the subtle complexities of go has been heightened considerably. I loved that everyone in my immediate vicinity had the same passion for learning that I had. I learned a boatload of joseki, as well as the ability to pinpoint where I needed to improve."
"I loved the fact that everyone there was a go player just like myself," writes Shawn Ray 4d, "I had fun doing activities with everyone while also studying go. I feel like I improved a good bit because the teachers broke me of my bad habits, and I think that really helped me focus my moves, and to play on a higher level."

European Go Catalog Near Completion

Published On 5/23/2013

Dutch go player Theo van Ees 1d, one of the authors of Bibliogo, is developing a catalog of go books and articles. The project started in 1975, and is now a listing of about 3,200 go titles in the main European languages plus Russian. The European Go Cultural Centre, meanwhile, started a library of go books in 2003 and today this collection is managed by librarian Henk Mourik 1k. Database specialist Otto Versteeg 8k has put both collections together in a searchable database listing all of the titles in van Ees' catalog, with an indication of which items are available at the European Go Cultural Centre library in Amstelveen, Amsterdam. You can search the go catalog, and the plan is to update it frequently. You may report comments and wishes to van Ees at tvanees@xs4all.nl. He is especially interested to hear about omissions and newly published material.

Studying in Stile

Published On 5/22/2013

With just 73 miles left to go in his 200-mile Coast to Coast walk across northern England, E-J Managing Editor Chris Garlock took a tsume-go study break Wednesday on a fence stile outside Richmond (using SmartGo for iPhone). "Everyone along the way has been so friendly, hospitable and generous," Garlock says, "just like those who have contributed to the American Go Foundation" in support of the walk (the fundraising drive is almost up to $1,500). "We're into Yorkshire now," Garlock adds, "and the going is a bit easier, with soothing strolls through pastures and woodlands in place of Cumbria's mountains and bogs." - photo by Lisa Garlock

Published On 5/22/2013

Yaoke ChenChen Yaoye 9P took his fifth consecutive Tianyuan title when he bested Gu Lingyi 5P on May 15. Although Gu joined the top ten Chinese pros in 2009, and was once viewed as one of China’s “most promising” players, he wasn't able to dethrone Chen. Chen himself was in a similar situation five years ago when he secured the Tianyuan title from six-time victor Gu Li 9P. As Gu Li defeated Chen in his first international final, at the 10th LG Cup in 2006, some could say Chen’s counter-attack was a long time coming. Before he can even contemplate matching Gu Li's six-year streak, however, Chen will need to focus on his upcoming match against Lee Sedol 9P in the final round of the 10th Chunlan Cup, on June 17. He will also have to watch out for this year’s Korean Chunwon champion Park Younghun 9P at the China Korea Tengen playoff, rumored to take place in September. Unlike the stereotypical Korean combative style, Park (like Chen) is more flexible.

Published On 5/21/2013

Go Congress co-director, Gordon Castanza, has compiled a list of 60 diverse activities that are "sure to fascinate those who want to see the attractions of the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia area," says Castanza. "From aquariums to arboretums to beaches, parks and zoos, the Pacific Northwest has something for even the most fastidious visitor. Find the trolls of Fremont, the wonders of the Chihuly glass sculptures, the gastronomical delights of 5 species of oysters from the bays of Puget Sound, and the dizzying vistas of the Space Needle. So get a group together and eat your box lunch while reveling in the panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains to the west or one of the many volcanoes (Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Baker) of the Cascade Range to the east. You will find the 'Non-Players’ Activities' list on the Congress web page here. The activities are self-propelled and self- guided."

New IGS Client, AGA City League

Published On 5/21/2013

There is a new IGS client available, GoPanda 2, which is being distributed as a standalone application. Version 2.1.0 was released May 15th. "Aside from a ton of bugfixes and new features, we also moved away from java as the supporting technology" report the developers. "The new client handles like a native app, and doesn’t rely on any specific browser being installed anymore. It’s still missing some features, but we will be adding new things constantly."

Published On 5/21/2013

The E-J mistakenly reported that the Mlily Cup was possibly sponsored by the Mlily Hotel, in yesterday's Power Report. In fact, The Mlily Cup World Open Tournament is sponsored by Healthcare Co., Ltd. Thanks to Ke Lu for pointing out the error.

Published On 5/20/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Iyama makes good start in Honinbo defense: The first game of the 68th Honinbo title match was played in Ota City in Shimane Prefecture on May 16 and 17. Taking white, Iyama Honinbo defeated Takao Shinji 9P by 4.5 points. The game was closely fought, but Iyama drew ahead with a severe attack launched a little over 100 moves into the game. Winning with white is a good way to start off a best-of-seven. The second game will be played on May 28 and 29. Photo: Iyama Yuta, current Honinbo, courtesy Nihon Ki-in 38th Kisei Leagues: Two more games were played in the new Kisei leagues on May 16. In the second game in the A League, Cho U 9P (B) defeated Kiyonari Tetsuya 9P (Kansai Ki-in) by 15.5 points. In the first game in the B League, Murakawa Daisuke 7P (Kansai Ki-in) (W) beat Mizokami Tomochika 8P by resignation.

Published On 5/20/2013

Two years ago, the Shanghai Ing Chang-Ki Wei-Chi Education Foundation hosted a group of 11 American college students to participate in a week long go summer camp in China. This year, they are hosting a new event in Shanghai, July 7-13, and inviting college students from America to compete in an international tournament. Students from 50 different colleges will be invited, and attendees will also have a chance to explore Shanghai and Hangzhou, while learning a bit more about a culture that is on the opposite side of the world. Organizer Michael Fodera reports that "housing, food, travel within China, and Ing sponsored tourist trips are all free. All ranks are welcome, even beginners as week as 20kyu. The tournament is not just limited to college students; college or university faculty members are also eligible. Though they will have to compete in the open section, which will be full of top amateur players."

KGS Meijin Qualifier May 25

Published On 5/20/2013

Registration is still open for this weekend’s KGS 2013 Meijin tournament qualifier. The April qualifier featured “many exciting games and drew more than 300 observers,” reports KGS admin Akane Negishi. "One of last year's contenders, Grande, won the April qualifier again." The single-elimination qualifier will be held May 25-26 on an Asian/European daytime schedule (Round 1 starts at 5a EDT/2a PDT). In this fifth qualifier, the winner will become a contender for the finals which will start in November. The runner-up may also become a contender if there are 6 or more rounds in the Qualifier. The final KGS Meijin winner will receive a minimum cash prize of $500 and a special Meijin icon. Click here for details and to register.

Published On 5/19/2013

Many chess players who discover go seem to leave chess behind, but notable Swedish grandmaster Tiger Hillarp Person , the author of “Tiger’s Modern,” finds go to be a nice complement to his enjoyment of chess. Persson recently started blogging at “Chess at the Bag of Cats,” where he has set up a go section. He writes: “I started out with Go in the beginning of 2011 and, after a rapid rise to about 9kyu, I’ve been gaining around 4kyu a year since then. I can really recommend chess players to do this for a number of reasons. First, if you are too tactically inclined a player, then by playing Go you will be forced to think about things like ‘structure’ and ‘plans’. Secondly, if you work as a coach, reliving the struggle of being a beginner at a difficult game (like Chess – or Go) will definitely improve your understanding of those you are coaching. Thirdly, there are few things that let you appreciate the ‘nature’ of what you have learned as a chess player.

Janice Kim Workshop June 28

Published On 5/19/2013

Go is returning to Hollyhock Center, in British Columbia, after more than a decade. Janice Kim 3P will lead a workshop at the popular learning center June 28 through July 3. The Hollyhock website says "Hollyhock was founded in 1983, and is Canada's leading centre for lifelong learning, but you can also think of us as a 'refuge for your soul', a place that allows you access to what matters, or simply time to rest, play and achieve wellness." Kim promises to “Increase your go skill through interactive lectures, small and large group exercises, game practice and analysis,” as well as help players “Develop critical thinking skills and improve their confidence while exploring effective and positive real world decision-making.”

Published On 5/19/2013

The 40th Maryland Open, which is also an NAMT Qualifier, will be next weekend. Organizer Keith Arnold says it is "always a strong field and all ranks are welcome." The five-round, two-day tournament also offers prizes in all dan and kyu sections. Check out the Maryland Open section of the Baltimore Go Club webpage for information on schedule, directions, and nearby lodgings for traveling players.

Published On 5/18/2013

The XVI Torneo de Madrid wrapped up on May 5 with Seok-Bin Cho 8d (left) in first, followed by Lluis Oh 6d and Pau Carles 3d. One week later, Cho defeated Lukas Kraemer 5d at the 2013 Amsterdam International while Merlijn Kuin 6d came in third. Finishing the same day (May 12) was the Grazer Go Turnier Styrian Masters in Graz, Austria. There, Viktor Lin 4d came in first with Lothar Spiegel 4d in second and Martin Unger 3d in third. For complete result tables and all the latest European go news, visit EuroGoTV.com. -Annalia Linnan, photo from Eurogotv.com

Published On 5/17/2013

"Five days and 50 miles in, we've just come out of England's Lake District, some of the most breathtakingly gorgeous scenery I've ever been through and certainly the toughest I've ever walked, hiked and rock-climbed," reports EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock, who's walking the 200-mile Coast-to-Coast with his wife Lisa (as reported in the EJ on May 6th) and raising funds for the American Go Foundation (AGF). "We're enjoying the walk and working hard -- still another 150 miles to go! -- just like the folks at the AGF, who do so much for American go." Click here to make a contribution to the AGF. Photo at left by Lisa Garlock: At Hayeswater Tarn, with the Lake District in the background. At right, by Chris Garlock: "Great pub, terrifically creative food, but where's the go? Hopefully our friends in the BGA will attend to this."

Published On 5/17/2013

In a recent interview for EuroGoTV, 17-year-old German player Jonas Welticke 4d shared some insight about his experiences as an insei. Aside from Monday study groups with Ohashi Hirofumi 5d and “playing the other insei kids every weekend,” Wilticke said there is no formal routine, and he mostly studies by himself. His current record after his first week is 10-1. Though some might imagine feeling out of place as a Caucasian insei, Welticke seems to have had no problem. In fact, there are some that might know him as a familiar face. “They have already published a considerably sized picture of me, though I didn’t know it,” he said. “They used some footage from the European Go Center and made an article about it almost one year ago.” More than the food, habits, and transportation, the biggest difference Welticke has found is how go is treated in Japan. He said there are “easily” 80 players at the Nihon Ki-in every afternoon.

Published On 5/15/2013

The strongest pairs in Europe competed in Amsterdam, May 11 and 12, for the European Pair Go Championship. The Shikshin siblings – Ilya and Svetlana, both 7d – who swept the Russian Pair Championship this February, were the clear favorites. Another interesting Russian pair featured Natalia Kovaleva 5d, the 2007 European Female Champion, playing with aspiring young player Alexander Vashurov 5d, who has won several European Youth Championships. Kovaleva has won the European Pair Championship five times, with her usual partner Dmitry Surin 6d, who could not come this year. Other strong competitors included Czech pair, Klara Zaloudkova 3d and Jan Hora 6d, and Hungarians Péter Markó 3d and Rita Pocsai 5d. The tournament pulled in 24 pairs from 10 countries. The Shikshins won all of their games, capturing first place, in second were Zaloudkova and Hora, while third went to Kovaleva and Vashurov.

Four American Pros Coming to Congress

Published On 5/15/2013

Myungwan Kim 9P, Yilun Yang 7P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, and Jennie Shen 2p have confirmed they will be teaching at the US Go Congress in Tacoma this year. Co-Director Chris Kirschner reports: "Pros from Korea, China, and both Kansai Ki-in and Nihon Ki-in in Japan will attend, but we aren't sure of the names yet." Korea also plans to send two additional pros to the Teacher Workshop. See the What's Happening link on the Congress Website for more details and frequent updates.

Published On 5/13/2013

"The heavyweight pros on late-night cable television boast nicknames such as Monster, Razor, Butcher, Assassin and Knitting Needle. The most famed matches in history include the Blood Vomiting Game of 1835, the Famous Killing Game of 1926 and the Atomic Bomb Game of 1945. No, this is not some bone-crushing contact sport. It is a simple parlour game where two opponents, comfortably seated and often equipped with nothing more than folding paper fans and cigarettes, take turns placing little stones, some black, some white, on a flat wooden grid…

Published On 5/13/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Cho U keeps sole lead in the Meijin League: Two important games in the 38th Meijin League were played on May 2. In one, Cho U 9P (W) beat Mizokami Tomochika 8P by resignation; in the other, Iyama Yuta Kisei (B) beat Sakai Hideyuki 8-dan, also by resignation. As a result, Cho improved his score to 5-0 and kept the sole lead. Iyama is in second place, on 5-1. The two are scheduled to play each other in June.

Go Classified: Amateur Lessons

Published On 5/13/2013

I have been teaching go for several years, many people may know of my Youtube channel, "Clossius" where I have done video lessons for beginners. I am offering teaching games and lessons for donations, to anyone who would be willing to help me get to the Go Congress this year. -Shawn Ray, AGA 4d. Interested parties may contact Shawn at Clossius.ShawnRay@gmail.com

Published On 5/12/2013

In Russia, they take their mind sports seriously. Case in point: the Russian Sports Federation’s (RSF) chess program has produced many of the world’s finest players. Similarly, the RSF’s go program has produced top Western professionals through their partnership with the Hankuk Kiwon, producing players such as Alexander Dinerchtein 3P (“breakfast" on KGS) and Svetlana Shikshina 3P, and continues to produce promising up-and-comers such as Ilya Shikshin 7D.

Published On 5/12/2013

"The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience will be assisting us to present items of significance to the history of go in this country," reports Congress Director Chris Kirschner. "We will have a collection of AGA Journals from the 1940's and 50's. Japanese players in Seattle have donated old books dating back to the early 1920's, including some that were hand written during the wartime internment. Copies of some of these will be available for purchase at the Go Congress." Also on display will be a floor board and stones, along with a doll that traveled West from Japan about 1900, to Austria, and continued from Europe about 1950, landing in Seattle ultimately. "

Evan Cho takes Second TRENDnet in SoCal

Published On 5/11/2013

Go teacher Evan Cho 7d has won the second TRENDnet Southern California Go Championship, reports tournament organizer Kevin Chao. A small but enthusiastic crowd of 32 met at the Arcadia Badminton Club in Arcadia, CA, for the tournament, which is sponsored by the global network hardware provider. Cho beat Curtis Tang 7d for the top section prize and Gus Price 7d came in third. In the dan section, Daniel Alvira won top honors followed by Jay Zheng, Jerry Shen and Jeffrey Zhang. In high kyu, Preston Hutchins won, followed by Andy Cheng and AGA Executive Vice President Ted Terpstra. Mid-kyu: David Baran, followed by AGF Teacher of the Year Joe Walters and Hena Garcia. Low-kyu, Jeremy Shen followed by Sean Tucker and AGF Director Larry Gross. The go playing happened in an upstairs room at the giant badminton club; some players went downstairs and played badminton while waiting for their next round, making the weekend a combined mental and physical workout.

OWL NAMT Deadline May 16

Published On 5/11/2013

There are still seats open in next weekends tournament OWL: Resurrection. The sequel to last year's Oscar Wilde Liberation tournament, which falls on the anniversary of Oscar Wilde's release from Reading Gaol Prison. For the second year in a row, this tournament will give players a chance to earn points towards this year's North American Masters Tournament at the US Go Congress in August. The 4-round tournament will take place on KGS in the AGA Tournament Room, on Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19. Players must be eligible for NAMT and rated 4D+. Click here for tournament schedule and rules, and click here to register. Registration is free, and participation in the tournament guarantees at least some points to all players. The deadline is May 16th, at midnight. - Karoline Burrall. Photo: Oscar Wilde, who once said “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

Published On 5/10/2013

Hungary and Czechia have now qualified for the finals in the Pandanet Go European Team Championship A league, joining Russia and Ukraine, who had previously qualified. This is the second consecutive trip to the league finals for Hungary and Czechia, while Russia and Ukraine have not missed a final yet, with Russia winning both previous titles. The European Team Championship (ETC), now in its third year, is comparable to the German Bundes League but with national teams from thirty European countries divided into three leagues.

Published On 5/10/2013

The deadline for registration of the first International Collegiate Go Tournament (North American College Players Invited to July Tournament in China, But Must Act Quickly 5/2/2013 EJ) has been extended until May 31. The invitation has been extended to students in Europe as well. More details about the July 7-13 event can be found at the ACGA's website.

Published On 5/10/2013

Reigning British Champion, Andrew Kay 5d, has taken first place at the Candidates’ Tournament, with six straight wins. The tournament, held at Edinburgh University in Scotland this year for the first time ever, is part of the British Championship. Twenty-one contenders, selected on grade, were invited by the British Go Association (BGA); an ineligible player also competed to even out the pairings. In fact, Kay did not even need to compete, as the current Champion qualifies automatically for the Challengers’ League, between the eight best players from the Candidates', who also earn qualifying points for selection as the British entrant to the World Amateur Go Championship.

AGF Expands Go World Offer

Published On 5/8/2013

Now that Go World magazine has ceased publication (EJ 11/16/12) , back issues of this matchless archive of top analysis and instruction have become more valuable than ever. The American Go Foundation's Store offers a selection, and the first 108 issues are also available as PDFs from Kiseido Digital. The AGF was delighted to recently receive a generous donation of hundreds of oldies but goodies from the publisher, including twenty issues that have never been available from the AGF before. Click here to browse the contents of all but the last seven issues. If you're unfamiliar with this great resource, download a free sample issue of Go World and check it out.

Nominations Open For 3 AGA Board Seats

Published On 5/8/2013

Three American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are up for election this year, reports Arnold Eudell, who’s coordinating this year’s election process. The terms of three seats – one in each region – expire this September. Nominations are now being accepted and will close on June 15; nominations must be made by email by full members of the AGA. Send to elections@usgo.org Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Published On 5/7/2013

Top winners at this year’s U.S. Go Congress will receive the AGA’s first-ever Rank Certificates. Although the automated rating and tournament reporting system may not be ready by August, “AGA President Andy Okun looked at reports of US Open winners and determined that over 90% of those who place in the top three in their band, or top 6 in the open section, hold or exceed the rank,” reports Congress Co-Director Chris Kirschner. “That’s good enough for us to jump-start the program with certificates based on placing at least third in your band,” said Okun. When the automated process is completed, players who meet the standard for their next rank will receive an email notifying them of their achievement and a printable PDF certificate. Fancier certificates and plaques, suitable for framing, will be available at a reasonable cost. “This is an exciting addition to the tournament scene,” said Karoline Burrall, AGA National Tournament Coordinator

Published On 5/7/2013

The E-J mistakenly reported that Jung Choi 3P was the teacher of Changhyeok Yu 9P, in our story on Chinese Pair Go on May 5th. In fact, the reverse is true: Yu was Choi's teacher. We apologize for the error, which has been fixed in the original story.

Published On 5/6/2013

With just three weeks left to register for the third annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT), the field already shows “an exciting diversity of ranks from the high 7 dans all the way into the 20 kyus!” reports AGA [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013_05_06_yknot_Mingming-gust.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013_05_06_yknot_Mingming-gust.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. The tournament, with $3,000 in total prizes, is shaping up to have a very strong open section, with at least 9 of the registrants so far being 6 dan or stronger. Players of any level can register for free. “Brand new AGA members are welcome,” Burrall adds, “or even those who haven't joined the AGA yet, as long as players are AGA members by the time of the tournament, they may participate!

An Invitation to Vienna

Published On 5/6/2013

If you’ve been thinking about visiting Vienna, mid-June could be just the time. The Österreichischer Goverband will be hosting Wien 2013, Vienna’s annual International Go Tournament June 15-16. Attractions include plenty of prize money, book prizes for players with multiple wins, and a venue in one of the most beautiful parts of Vienna, near the Lainzer Tiergarten, 20 minutes to the city center. Registered players will also enjoy inexpensive meals, free wifi, and a welcome party June 14 that includes grilled food, poker, and free go play. Players who register before May 20 are eligible for discounted accommodations. For more information on rules and how to register, visit the official Wien 2013 website. -Annalia Linnan

Published On 5/5/2013

Chang Hao 9p (left) and Chenxing Wang 5p (right) took first place at the Tri-Nation Pair Go tournament, held in Heifei, China, April 30 through May 2. They fended off a challenge from 2nd place winners Korean duo, Jung Choi 3p and her former teacher Changhyeok Yu 9p, while Japanese pair Satoshi Yuki 9p and Ayumi Suzuki 6p came in third. The pair go tournament was the main attraction, and go fans also had a chance to play professionals during the event. Former Chinese Go Association President Runan Wang 8p (below) even made an appearance, playing some of Anhui Province’s youngest players.

Published On 5/5/2013

The most recent episode of Da Vinci’s Demons "The Prisoner" (Episode 3) -- is structured to parallel a game of go, played by Riario and the eponymous, mysterious prisoner. "The villain forces a prisoner to teach him go," reports EJ reader Diego F. Pierrottet. "The villain then uses the go strategy and philosophy that he is learning against his enemies, in this case DaVinci’s employer and DaVinci himself." The series airs Friday nights at 9 pm on Starz. - Dave Weimer

Published On 5/5/2013

Strong players in the Eastern Region will have another chance to earn points towards the North American Masters Tournament on Memorial Day weekend. The May 25-26 Maryland Open in Baltimore has been designated the second NAMT Qualifier for the Eastern Region, reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. “Now in its 40th year, the Maryland Open is a great competition with a long history,” says Burrall, “and is a fantastic opportunity for players in the open section to earn points towards the North American Masters Tournament at this year's U.S. Go Congress in August.”

Published On 5/4/2013

Over 100 early birds have registered for the 2013 U.S. Go Congress, which runs August 3-11 in Tacoma, Washington. Registration cost rises $50 after May 31; payment must be made in full to receive the early-bird discount (which is why only 48 show on the "Who's Coming" page, though some registrants simply may not yet selected room and board plans). “This Congress has new exciting plans,” says Congress Co-Director Chris Kirschner.

Published On 5/4/2013

Though he is a 7-time European Go Champion, the first Russian player to achieve professional rank and currently considered one of Europe’s finest players, Alexandre Dinerchtein 3p ("breakfast" on KGS) keeps his accomplishments in perspective. Referring to his record against Ilya Shikshin 7d ("roln111" on KGS), he told the E-Journal in a recent interview that “The official score is 24-8, but we cannot say that I am stronger.” Dinerchtein says he won early games against Shikshin because the distance in strength between them was much greater

Teacher of the Year Deadline Extended

Published On 5/2/2013

Nominations for the American Go Foundation's Teacher of the Year award have been extended until May 30th. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week (during the school year) for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to apply for this award, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by May 30th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 5/2/2013

The Shanghai Ing Foundation has opened its first International Collegiate GO Tournament to US and Canadian college students, according to Michael Fodera of the American Collegiate Go Association. Students who attend the July 7-13 event will play go with players from all over China and the world, travel around Shanghai and Hangzhou and play teaching games with stars Gu Li 9P and Chang Hao 9P. While players must cover their own travel costs to China, their food, accommodation, travel within China, tour costs and sponsored events will be paid for by the Shanghai Ing Foundation. “I was one of the players that attended the [Ing-sponsored] 2011 go summer camp,” Fodera tells the E-Journal, “ and I can honestly say that this is a chance of a lifetime.

Published On 5/2/2013

In the uncontested race to complete Bob Barber’s term as AGA Director for the Central Region, “Bob Gilman wins with 100% of the vote,” reports Arnold Eudell. Gilman (left), who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is affiliated with the Santa Fe Go Club. A long time AGA member, Gilman has contributed articles to the E-Journal, edited several pages in the recent update of the AGA web site and organized a trip this past February by a group of US players who traveled to Cuba for friendship games at the Academia Cubana de Go in Havana. “I am interested in encouraging greater active involvement by AGA members in forming and executing AGA development plans,” Gilman says. Reach him at BobGilman.AGA@gmail.com

Published On 5/2/2013

Oystein Vestgaarden 2d bested Paal Sannes 4d and Kim Johansson 1d came in third at the Oslo Open on April 21. In the League A Japan Counsil Cup in Sankt-Peterburg April 13 and 14, Alexander Dinerchtein 7d defeated Ilya Shikshin 7d while Alexander Vashurov 5d placed third. Silvestru State 1d won the Romanian Youth Championship – U 16 final in Bucuresti on April 14 with Denis Dobranis 3k in second and Darius Dobranis 1k in third. For complete result tables and all the latest European go news, visit EuroGoTV.com. -Annalia Linnan

Published On 5/2/2013

SmartGo Books has been quietly adding more books over the last months, publisher Anders Kierulf reports. John Fairbairn's “The Life, Games and Commentaries of Honinbo Shuei” is one of three more books added recently, bringing the total to 61. “Honinbo Shuei” contains a full biography, detailed commentaries on 79 of his games, and 11 commentaries written by Shuei. "It combines six books that were available for the Kindle (combined price $54) into one $20 masterpiece while vastly improving readability and interactivity," says Kierulf. "One reason Shuei is so famous is because of his pure but elusive style; he is still esteemed as the best model for even modern professionals to follow." “Schwarz am Zug: Das Go-Übungsbuch” by Gunnar Dickfeld is SmartGo Books' first book in German, containing 131 go problems for beginners.

Published On 5/1/2013

Reviewed by Roy Laird GoEye, the latest go-related app for iOS 5.0+ iPhones, helps you organize, build and enjoy your sgf collection, but offers no content of its own. I’m pretty happy with the sgf readers I’ve written about before, but GoEye does have a couple of unique functions. For commented games, the PDF creator turns the SGF into a PDF file with numbered stones on a series of diagrams, and the accompanying comments at the bottom at the bottom of each page. So for instance, if the first comment appears at move 5, the PDF will show a game record with moves 1-5 and the comment; if the second comment is at move 17, the next record will show move 6-17; etc.

More Go -- and Pie -- in the Big Apple

Published On 5/1/2013

"Go is alive and well here in Manhattan!" reports Big Apple organizer Peter Armenia. "We of course have our very regular Gotham Go Group every Tuesday evening at 7 at the Hungarian Pastry Shop. And it looks like there will be Go every Wednesday night at 6 pm at PIE By the Pound (124 4th Ave btw 12th and 13th). Now all we need is a Go Congress in New York City!"

Published On 4/30/2013

Aaron Ye 5d, who has been the Jr. Division US Youth Champion for the past three years, pulled a surprise upset at the Jujo Jiang Youth Cup in Sunnyvale, CA, on March 24th. Ye, who is just 11, lost his Jr. Division title to Jeremy Chiu 5d in the US Youth Go Championships in February, and was out to settle a score. Reigning Sr. Division champion Calvin Sun 7d was also unseated by Andrew Lu 6d at the USYGC. All of these matches were held online, but Ye was determined to even the score when he got the chance to play both Chiu and Lu face to face at the Jujo Cup. Taking white against Chiu, Ye captured a large group on the lower side, and then forced Chiu to resign in just 132 moves. Ye next took on Andrew Lu, and despite falling behind in the opening, was able to regain his footing, and defeat Lu as well.

Published On 4/30/2013

The sequel to last year's Oscar Wilde Liberation (OWL) Tournament, "OWL: Resurrection", will be this year's first online NAMT qualifier, reports Karoline Burrall, who will direct, with Jasmine Yan. The 4-round tournament will take place the weekend of May 18-19, "the 19th being the 116th anniversary of the great author and playwright Oscar Wilde's liberation from Reading Gaol Prison in 1897," Burrall tells the E-Journal. "Participants will have the opportunity to earn points towards the North American Masters Tournament at this year's Go Congress in August," Burrall adds. Designed for 16 players, all games will be played on KGS in the AGA Tournament Room. Click here for tournament schedule and rules and here to register by Thursday May 16. Players must be 4D+ and eligible to compete in NAMT (citizen or permanent resident, continuous AGA membership since January 2012, and resident in the US for 6 of the last 12 months).

Published On 4/30/2013

"Thank you for posting the history of the German go pro who died in Guatemala (Remembering German Go Professional Hans Pietsch 4/26 EJ)," writes Brazilian go organizer Roberto Petresco. "I knew the history and perhaps I heard about it when it happened, but I had no idea of the details nor (had I seen his) face. I am happy to know his memory is being preserved with events organized in his memory. Imagine how go would be in Germany if he had the chance to keep working."

Published On 4/30/2013

Chinese pro Shi Yue has won first prize in go9dan.com’s first professional World Go League. “I was really happy that I managed to top all these very strong players,” Shi said. The 3-month long World Go League featured ten of the top players in the world competing for $100,000 in prizes, five players each from South Korea and China. From Korea, Lee Changho, Lee Sedol, Park Younghoon, Kim Jisuk and Park Junghwan participated, and from China Shi Yue, Chen Yaoye, Fan Tingyu, Xie He and Kong Jie. Go TV relayed Lee Sedol’s professional commentary on selected games. Shi Yue won with a 7-2 record and Park Junghwan and Chen Yaoye were runners up with 6-3. Ironically go9dan.com co-founder Lee Sedol finished last with a 2-7 record. Click here for complete game results.

Published On 4/29/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Yuki takes Judan Title, Reducing Iyama to Quintuple Crown: Challenger Yuki Satoshi 9P put an end to Iyama Yuta’s reign as a sextuple titleholder on April 26 when he won the final game of the 51st Judan title match, which was played at the headquarters of the Kansai Ki-in. Taking white, Yuki won by 1.5 points after 261 moves to win his second top-seven title.

Published On 4/29/2013

Karl-Ernst Paech, former president of the European Go Federation (EGF) and the German Go Federation (DGoB) -- and one of the most influential leaders of European go in the last century -- died on April 16 at the age of 90

Published On 4/29/2013

"At the 1:10:00 minute mark of 'Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame' there is a beautiful scene with an elaborate goban and stones," writes Vincent DiMattia. I don't know if this has been reported before but (even if so), watch the movie for it's great production and story line. It's filled with mystery and magic and is top quality. Fight scenes are impressive also." Read more about this in our October 22, 2011 post: Go Spotting: The Mystery of Detective Dee and the Go Board.

Published On 4/28/2013

The Teachers Workshop planned for this year's U.S. Go Congress has attracted the attention of the Korean Baduk Association, which is sending two Korean pros who are recognized experts in teaching techniques, to add to the program. “They are very enthusiastic about supporting go education in America,” says Myungwan Kim 9P, whose diplomacy made the visit possible. The Koreans are particularly interested in sharing their techniques for bringing youth players into the low single-digit kyu level within a year or two. “Our curriculum this year is aimed at those teaching absolute beginners," says workshop coordinator Bill Camp. "The Korean expert teachers will allow us to expand the program to include those who want to teach at a higher level

Published On 4/28/2013

Professional go player and popular teacher Janice Kim 3P will teach a two-day go workshop in Berkeley, CA on May 4 and 5. The class size is being kept very small in order to maximize individual attention and give students the opportunity to ask questions. "A few seats are still available," reports event organizer Thomas Rike, "but don't delay." Janice Kim 3P is co-author of the award-winning book series Learn to Play Go, and her lectures at the San Francisco Go Club and past workshops have been very popular. One comment from a past workshop student: "Janice is able to get one to focus on those areas of the game where making a conscious effort can completely change the outcome." The deadline to sign up for the workshop is Thursday, May 2. More information and a registration link are available on the Bay Area Go workshop page.

Published On 4/28/2013

"The AGA Go Camp is excited to announce that Yilun Yang 7P will be joining us for camp this year," reports Camp Director Amanda Miller. Yang became a professional at the age of 14, in 1973. He has trained many notable players, including Rui Naiwei 9P, Chang Hao 9P, and Hua Zueming 7P. An experienced teacher, Yang has been teaching in the United States since 1986. He's also the author of many popular go books, such as Fundamental Principles of Go, Life and Death by the Numbers, and Life and Death in Chinese Characters. ”If you’re a go player between the ages of 8 and 18, and would like an opportunity to study go for a week with a professional teacher, the AGA East Go Camp is for you,” says Miller.

Published On 4/27/2013

"Your article (New Go Manga Fansubbed 4/9/2013) shocked me that an organization I respect as much as the AGA would promote reading scanlations and/or watching fansubs," writes John Koniges. "This is a serious issue that is killing the American Manga and Anime industry...While your intentions are to show information about a new Manga that is promoting go, you should write articles that do not encourage piracy...Whether or not someone in the United States has purchased those rights, it is still protected under copyright. Just because the Japanese companies don't often directly sue US fansubbers doesn't make it ok. This article clearly outlines these legal gray areas."

Daniel Chou Tops NOVA Cherry Blossom

Published On 4/27/2013

Daniel Chou 6D topped the April 20 NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament in Arlington, VA, which attracted 26 players. Gary Smith organized the event, and Allan Abramson was the tournament director. The winners were: First Place: Daniel Chou 6D (4-0); Theodore van Dyke 1k (3-1); Dan Hiltgen, 5k (3-1); Raymond Yeh 6k (3-1); Ayoub Benguedouar 12k, (4-0); and Sarah Crites 21k, (3-1). Second Place: Yuan Zhou 7d (3-1); Nathan Epstein 5k and David Reed 5k, (2-1), (tie); Srikasem Suraporn 8k, and Lane Edward James 9k, (2-2), (tie); and Bob Crites 10k and Kori Fisk 10k, (2-2), (tie).

Published On 4/27/2013

The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth discounts to this year’s US Go Congress. Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty-Five scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Five scholarships are available to residents of Canada or Mexico. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships awarded at random from qualifying essays. The scholarships are available for youth who are under 18. For more information, and to apply, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: In the Youth Room at the 2012 Congress, photo by Paul Barchilon.

Published On 4/27/2013

While a number of western countries have begun hosting professionals from Japan, Korea and China to teach and promote go, westerners who have become professional go players are still very rare. So rare that thus far it's only happened eleven times. The only German who ever became a professional go player was Hans Pietsch, who became a professional 1-dan at the Nihon Ki-In in 1997. Born in 1968 in Bremen, Germany, Pietsch discovered go at the relatively late age of 12 but after great sucess in German and European tournaments he decided to try to become a professional in Japan. In 1990 he started as an Insei at the Nihon Ki-in Go Scool in Chiba, studying with Kobayashi Chizu, who supported him a lot from the very beginning.

Published On 4/27/2013

GoGoD (Games of Go on Disk) will be sponsoring the KGS Meijin April qualifier. "Werfeus" of Finland, a longtime KGS user, won the March qualifier. "Many strong players are joining every month and you can find fun and exciting games in the qualifiers," says KGS' Akane Negishi. The single-elimination qualifier will be held on April 27-28; Round 1 starts at 12p EDT/9a PDT. Registration is still open to those who qualify for tournament entry.

Published On 4/25/2013

"Robert Gilman alone has stepped up to fill Bob Barber's shoes for the remainder of the 2012-2014 Central Region AGA Board seat term," reports Arnold Eudell. Central region chapters should have received their voting rights count via the AGA chapters list, Eudell adds. Ballots will be emailed April 22 and must be cast by May 1.

Published On 4/25/2013

On April 22, 23-year-old Jiseok Kim 8p made his breakout victory at the 18th GS Caltex Cup when he conquered reining champion Lee Sedol 9P. Though he had previously only won one title as an individual (the 2009 Price Information Cup), Kim swept the Caltex with a convincing 3-0 record. With three Korean Baduk League Most Valuable Player awards and his new 9-dan status, international success may not elude Kim too much longer. Lee, on the other hand, seems to be struggling: aside from this most recent defeat, he also lost the final match for the Maxim Cup to fellow 9P Junghwan Park on March 16. Whether or not he will be in top form for his rumored jubango with friend and rival Li Gu 9P, only time will tell. For more information on the GS Caltex Cup including rules and game records, visit Go Game Guru. -Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article on Go Game Guru

Shieh Wins Enlighten Youth Tourney

Published On 4/24/2013

Justin Sheih 6d took top honors in the A division at the First Enlighten Youth Go Tournament, with a perfect record of 4 wins. The tournament was held in San Jose, CA, and was organized by the Enlighten Chinese School, go teacher Joe Lee, and the Santa Clara Youth Go Club. With over 70 young go players attending, it was one of the largest youth go tournament in the US. The top six players in each group took home a prize, and the top four were awarded a trophy. Thirty beginners played in the 13x13 sections, and each of them got a trophy and a prize. Report by Wenguang Wang, of the Santa Clara Youth Go Club. Photo by Ping Yeh.

Published On 4/23/2013

A new event, the first China-Korea-Japan Pair Go Championship, will be held next week, April 30 through May 2, in Anhui, China. The event will be broadcast on Pandanet. Three male veterans are paired with three new female stars to play in this unique event. The players are Suzuki Ayumi and Yuki Satoshi from Japan, Wang Chenxing and Chang Hao from China, and Choi Jeong and Yoo Changhyuk from Korea. Originally scheduled for early 2012 to coincide with the opening of a theme park in Anhui built on a site from the ancient “Three Nation” (san-guo) period, the China-Japan tension and the political uncertainty on the Korean Peninsula caused the postponement until now. - Thomas Hsiang

Published On 4/23/2013

A record 34 players turned out on Saturday, April 20 for Syracuse's 6th annual Salt City Go Tournament at Manlius Pebble Hill School. Eight dan-level players participated in the tournament's first-ever Open Division, with Phil Waldron 6d of Ottawa, Xinde Ji 5d of Syracuse, and Changtian Wang 5d of Ithaca all finishing with identical 3-1 records and receiving a total of $310 in cash prizes. In the B Division, Phil Tracy of Syracuse was the sole 4-0 winner, and Jim Gonnella, also of Syracuse and Scott Jankowski of Cheektowaga both finished with 3-1 records and took the 2nd and 3rd place prizes, respectively.

Published On 4/23/2013

"At the Twin Cities Go Club (TCGO) club winter tournament in February we started an initiative to have members get AGA memberships so we could begin holding regular ratings tournaments," reports local organizer Aaron Broege in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "That initiative was highly successful, as we went from around four players with AGA memberships to over 25 now with active memberships." Nineteen players ranging from 2 dan to 20 kyu participated in the spring AGA ratings tournament on April 20. "The format was modeled off of the Bay Area Go Club format for ratings days, where there were no strict rounds and new pairings were created as opponents became available," Broege tells the E-Journal. "Though no tournament winner was declared, John Armstrong 7k won all three of his games." - photo: Mark Gerads 12k (left) and Michael Alberts 14k assess a capturing race in the corner; photo courtesy Aaron Broege

Published On 4/23/2013

Pandanet AGA City League rounds 4 and 5 will be played this Sunday, April 28. Leagues A and B will play their Round 5 games at 2p EST, while Leagues C and D will play their round 4 games starting at 1p EST. Find the pairings on the Pandanet schedule page.

Li Wins Boulder NAMT Qualifier

Published On 4/22/2013

Yunxuan Li 5d took top honors at the Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tourney, held April 13th in Boulder, Co. Li, who lives in California, flew out to compete in order to accumulate points for the North American Masters Tourney, which will be held at the Go Congress in August. Li, who is 15, surprised everyone by defeating one of Colorado's top players, Jung Hoon Lee 7d, in a nail biting game that gave Li a half point win with komi. He also defeated Yun-Bo Yi 6d and Matthew Harwit 5d, in an eight player field of high dan players. In the low dan and single digit kyu section, Josh Hoak 1d won first prize with four wins, as did Timothy Chang 12k, in the double digit kyu section. Twelve-year-old Stanislav Irisov, competing in his first tourney, won the Best Newcomer's Award for winning three games. The tourney drew 30 players, 14 of whom were kids and teens. - Story and photo by Paul Barchilon

Go Camp Launches New Website

Published On 4/20/2013

The AGA Summer Go Camp has launched an all new website to help promote the camp. Visitors can see pictures from previous camps, learn more about programs, and find answers to frequently asked questions. "If you're a go player between the ages of 8 and 18, and would like an opportunity to study go for a week with a professional teacher, the AGA East Go Camp is for you," says camp director Amanda Miller. Anyone who played in the US Youth Go Championships can get a $400 AGF scholarship to the camp. Kids who didn't play, but need financial help to attend, can apply for a needs based scholarship here. Visit the camp website for details and registration information. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 4/19/2013

Though neither the Korean Baduk Association nor the Chinese Weiqi Association have officially confirmed whether the rumored 10-game match, or jubango, between Sedol Lee 9P (right) and Li Gu 9P (left) will actually occur, buzz surrounding the potential match hints otherwise. Major Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reports that “both players have agreed to play the ten games between October 2013 and May 2014, in various locations throughout China.

Published On 4/19/2013

Cambridge took the open division of this spring's London International Teams tournament without losing a single game on Sunday April 14. The twice-yearly event was held at the Nippon Club in central London, UK. Four teams of three played three matches each and the winning team comprised Andrew Simons 4d, David Ward 4d and Jonathan Chin 2d, who each won all their games. Click here for Simons' game against the Nippon Club's Shinichi Nao 6d*. The second (handicap) division, also comprising four teams, was narrowly won by the South London Go Club, with Twickenham a close second. Further details in Tony Atkins' report for the British Go Association. Click here for full results.

Published On 4/19/2013

The UK is likely to be relegated next year to the C-League in the 30-nation Pandanet Go European Team Championship, after another poor result in the eighth round match on April 15 against Belgium, which resulted in a draw. The tournament is played online in three leagues of ten teams each on the Pandanet (IGS) server in the EuropeanTeamChamps room. So far, the UK team has not won a single round, with five losses and three draws to date. The ninth and final league round is to be played against Italy on Tuesday May 7. Unless the UK can pull a win out of the hat then, they will be automatically relegated to the bottom league next year. The top four teams will face off in over-the –board finals at the European Go Congress in Olszystn, Poland later this year. Click here for full results to date, and here for British Go Association President Jon Diamond’s report. - Tony Collman

Published On 4/18/2013

The 10-game match on go9dan.com between Lee Sedol 9P and three Western professionals, has been called after eight fascinating games, as the Western pros -- Catalin Taranu, Gansheng Shi and Andy Liu -- were “out of the money,” reports go9dan's Michael Simon. "All of the many observers found the games enjoyable and even amazing," Simon added. "There really is no end to go strength." The game records and reviews are available online: Game #1 Lee-Andy Liu, Game #2 Lee-Gansheng Shi; Game #3 Lee-Catalin Taranu, Game #4 Lee-Andy Liu, Game #5 Lee-Gansheng Shi (uncommented), Game #6 Lee-Catalin Taranu, Game #7 Lee-Andy Liu, Game #8 Lee-Gansheng Shi.

Published On 4/18/2013

Should the North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) be used to select North American representatives to the SportAccord World Mind Games? The American Go Association is looking for comment by strong players (players with AGA rating 6.0 and up) on this proposal. With a total prize fund of $400,000, the SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) is the most lucrative international event North American go players can compete in. The event sponsors, SportAccord and the Beijing City government, pay for travel and accommodation, plus generous prize money for all players. "If we use the NAMT as the selection tournament, we raise its profile as a prestigious event," says AGA President Andy Okun

Published On 4/18/2013

After an exciting first few rounds, the Collegiate Go League post-season concludes this Saturday, April 20. The championship match will be played at 2:30pm EST in the Collegiate Go League room on KGS, reports William Lockhart. Ten schools competed in the inaugural event last year. This year the number increased to 12. Defending champs University of Michigan will take on the winner of Princeton and U. of Toronto, which will be played immediately before at 1pm. U. Toronto is expected to advance to the championships, lead by freshman and recently crowned AGA professional Gansheng Shi. The CGL matches teams of five from schools across the US and Canada every other week. "Come and watch the finals on Saturday!" Lockhart urges.

Published On 4/17/2013

by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal Takao to Challenge Iyama for Honinbo Title: Four years after being deposed as Honinbo, Takao Shinji 9P has earned a chance to regain the title, but to succeed he will have to overcome his nemesis, Iyama Yuta. The 68th Honinbo League ended on April 8 with the grand finale that has become customary for leagues in recent years, with all the games in the final round being held on the same day. By this stage only two results at the top were possible, a win for Takao (right) or a play-off between him and Cho U. Takao avoided complications by defeating his final-round opponent, Imamura Toshiya 9P. As it turned out, Cho U lost his game with Yamashita Keigo Meijin, so Takao could have afforded to drop his game.

Published On 4/17/2013

Amazing Kids Art: “That art is amazing! (Missing Children’s Go Art 4/9 EJ),” writes Lee Frankel-Goldwater. “The AGA should do this kind of contest and display winning entries in the main hall of the year's Congress! Maybe in coordination with Canada and Europe and offer some prize (camp scholarship?) to the winner(s).” That’s basically what the AGA and AGF have done for the past two years. “We haven't given the kids scholarships, but they have won prizes for their entries,” says Paul Barchilon. “People also bid on the art last year, and a fair amount of money was raised. The money went both to the children and to support Comunidad Mexicana de Go Infantil y Juvenal (Mexican Youth Go Community), who run the event, and are led by Siddhartha Avila. Last year's exhibit was a big hit, and I am sure we will do it again this year.” Barchilon also notes that a Facebook page for the art competition has just been launched; check it out here.

Published On 4/17/2013

American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock 3D and his wife Lisa are walking nearly 200 miles across England this May to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and raise funds for the American Go Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting go in the U.S. "This is a really wonderful idea," said AGF President Terry Benson. "It's generous players like Chris that make the AGF work possible. The more support we get, the more we can do for go.

Published On 4/16/2013

“It’s a cold night in January 2012 and Peter Armenia is sitting on a Flushing-bound seven train, anticipating culture shock,” writes Lani Conway in “Go Big Or Go Home” in the April 2 edition of Narrative.ly. “For two decades, Armenia has played the ancient Chinese game of go, always wondering how his skills would hold up at a traditional Asian club. Tonight, he’s finally getting his chance.” The piece is an excellent portrait of the current American go scene, with a focus on New York City but touching on last year’s first American pro tournament, an introduction to the history of the game and how to play, as well as a nice report on Armenia’s humbling visit to a Flushing Korean go club that weaves in stratagems from “Thirty-Six Strategies: The Secret Art of War.” graphic: detail from Mo Oh's story illustration

Published On 4/16/2013

Featuring a prize purse on nearly $3,000, the third annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will take place in June. Registration is free, and all levels are welcome to participate. Prizes will be awarded in all divisions. Dedicated to promoting go in the US, Young Kwon 7D of Pearl River, NY (see “The Man Behind the YKNOT Tournament” 12/20/2010 EJ) first sponsored this tournament in 2011. The 2013 YKNOT will take place over two weekends in June, following the same format as last year: rounds 1 and 2 on Saturday June 1, round 3 on Sunday June 2, and rounds 4 and 5 on Saturday June 8. All AGA members who have lived in the US six of the past 12 month --and AGA life members living anywhere -- are eligible to participate. Registration closes Friday, May 24 at midnight. Click here for tournament details and rules.

Joshua Lee Wins Orlando Go Tourney

Published On 4/16/2013

Joshua Lee 5d won the Orlando Go Tournament, held April 13-14 in Orlando, FL. Thirty-three players participated in the 5-round event, with strengths ranging from 20 kyu to 7 dan and held in four divisions. Winner's Report: Upper Dan (4D and up): 1st: Joshua Lee (5D); 2nd: Long Nguyen (4D); 3rd: Tengxiao Yang (7D). Lower Dan (1K through 3D): 1st: Fuqian Shi (3D); 2nd: Zach Dunham (1D); 3rd: Joel Sanet (2D). Upper Kyu: (7K through 2K); 1st: Efrain Davila (3K); 2nd: Don Colladay (4K); 3rd: Tony Vick (5K). Lower Kyu (8K and down): 1st: Ellis Knickerbocker (10K); 2nd: Michael Shamp (18K); 3rd: Aaron Otero (11K). - photo: Joshua Lee (left) and Liangyue Qian (right); report/photo by Paul Wiegand

Published On 4/16/2013

The first annual Don Wiener Memorial Tournament was held in Somerville Massachusetts on April 14, attracting 40 players. Gus Heck 1k (middle) won all four of his games to take first place and said he will enter his next tournament as 1 dan. Tied for second were Michael Sun (left) and Kan Yao (right), both 3-1. Runners-up, all also 3-1: Jie Liang, Jonah White, Jed Strohm, Graham Higgins, Tiantian Yuan, Karen Ogg, John Aspinall, James Peters, Wensdy Whitehead, Dmitriy Yamkovoy and Anna Wiggins. Old technologies met new at the tournament. "The Boylston Chess Club, in whose space we hold the tournament, has an unlocked cabinet with old wind-up chess clocks," report TD Eva Casey. The dozen or so clocks the Massachusetts Go Association owns are also wind-up. Young Manu Herskovit 17k asked Casey if the clock would tell him when his time was up. "You have to notice when the flag falls," she told him. "What flag?" Herskovit asked.

Published On 4/16/2013

Wenguang Wang and Yanping Zhao presented a "Learn to Play Go" program at Sedgwick Elementary School, in Cupertino, CA, on April 2nd. "It was Sedgwick's Annual Discovery Day," reports Wang, "and we introduced go to four classes of third-graders (about 80 kids total). The kids were very excited when they learned some fun facts of go, learned the basic rules, and played a few 9x9 games. We also had a good time with the kids." - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Wenguang Wang.

Published On 4/15/2013

The American Go Honor Society hosted its 14th annual School Team Tournament on March 16th and 23rd, reports tournament organizer Andrew Huang. Close to a hundred youth players from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico participated in three divisions over two weekends. A total of 30 teams from 17 schools took part in the event. "In the first division, the top ranked team was from Richard Montgomery High School, in Maryland," reports Huang.

Published On 4/14/2013

Defeating U.S. professional Gangshen Shi 1P on two stones, Lee Sedol 9P (right) has driven the AGA-Europe pro team to three stones in the AGA-Europe Pro vs. Sedol 10-game series on go9dan.com.

Published On 4/14/2013

Yang Shaung 2P, known to many American go players from her occasional visits to the US and her teaching at the US Go Congress, invites go players from around the world to visit her go school if they are in Shenyang. Yang and fellow instructor Zhou Tian 3P teach young students of all strengths at the Nie Weiping Go Dojo Liaoning Training Center. Though not as well-known as Beijing or Shanghai, Shenyang is a destination in its own right, Yang says. The largest city in the Northeast, Shenyang was home to China’s last feudal dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911). Word is to visit between April and October as it gets a bit nippy in winter. “I hope if some go friends travel here, they’ll find my place and come to play,” Yang tells the E-Journal. The Center is located at No 55 North Heping Street, Heping District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. Telephone: 86-24-22854921 or 86-13082479875. E-mail: go_ys@hotmail.com -

Published On 4/14/2013

French player Cesar Lextrait 2d (left), Romanian player George Ghetu 3d, and German player Daniil Janov 3d have all won Class A tournaments in their respective home countries. The French Championship Stage 2, Mediterranean League concluded March 24 with Olivier Clergue 3d in second place and Manuel Frangi 1d in third. In the 4th annual Radu Baciu Championship on March 31 in Cluj, Romania, Laura Avram 2d took second followed by George Ginguta 1d. The Weiqi im Weinkeller took place April 6-7 in Karisruhe, Germany,Â with Guido Zakrzewski 2d coming in second and Cuong Nguyen 1d in third. For complete result tables and all the latest European go news, visit EuroGoTV.com. - Annalia Linnan, based on reports on EuroGoTV.com

Go Spotting: Game AIs on Web Comic

Published On 4/14/2013

Fr. Mark Lichtenstein found this on xkcd, "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.”

Published On 4/11/2013

“Registration is now open for the 2013 U.S. Go Congress!” says Congress Co-Director Chris Kirschner. Click on “Sign In” at the top of the Congress website and you can register, choose your housing and meal plans and even sign up for Day Off activities. Although technical glitches delayed opening registration, “We’re back on track and excited about our plans,” adds Kirschner. Carrying on the Northwest tradition of providing something new at Congresses there, Kirschner says this year’s Congress “will include a special workshop for teachers who will get a $50 rebate of their Congress registration courtesy of the American Go Foundation.”

Published On 4/11/2013

Lee Sedol 9P finally meets Kim Jisuk 8P in the GS Caltex tournament finals next week, and Baduk TV will broadcast English commentary on the games. It's literally a dream come true for Kim (below), who visualized playing Lee (right) in the finals before the tournament even started.

Published On 4/10/2013

Two dozen go players from around the world gathered in a beautiful old Japanese style dojo for a brand-new tournament on April 1. Lush bamboo rustled in the breeze while the sea whispered nearby. But the only real thing was the go. The tournament is taking place in “Second Life,” the popular 3D simulator world with millions of users all over the world. The online virtual world enables many different kinds of activities, including playing go. Second Life’s Kido Go Club is a beautiful old Japanese style location where your 3D avatar can play and review your games online using voice chat. The games are saved on the server in SGF format and can be downloaded. The Meijin League -- which runs through the end of the month – tournament is the largest in Second Life history. It has two subdivisions with 12 registered participants each, the first 7d-9k, the second 10k-30k. Players are from the United States, Russia, Japan and many European countries.

Published On 4/9/2013

“I wanted to show the students of the school club that I advise the winning artwork from one of the International Children's Go Art Painting Contests,” writes Richard Moseson, “but I can't find where it is. I found this article (Soo, Ganeva, and Ye Top Children’s Art Contest 8/27/2012 EJ), but the link to ‘the top 20 pieces’ is dead. Can you tell me where I can find some of the art?” For now, your best bet is on the Go Symposium’s International Go Art Contest page. Graphic: "Having fun with Go,"Hana Richelle Tan, Manila, Philippines

Published On 4/9/2013

Ho Son 7d won the first competition of the Seattle Top Go Player's Tournament on April 7, while Edward Kim 7d and Chan Jeong tied for 2nd place.

New Go Manga Fansubbed

Published On 4/9/2013

Crow in the Starry Sky, or Hoshizora no Karasu, as it is known in Japanese, is a new manga about go appearing in Hana to Yume magazine. The story centers around Karasuma Waka, a young girl who learned to play go from her grandfather, a professional who was despised by his family for placing go above his family life. Karasuma catches the bug though, and resolves to go pro no matter how her mother feels about it. No official translation has been announced, but fansubbers have picked it up and are posting chapters online. As with Hikaru no Go, this can help build a market for a series that might not otherwise get translated. The new manga is a shojo series, which means it is targeted at girls, and will feature both romance and in-depth characterizations. The first chapter has plenty of action on the go board though, and go players of any gender will enjoy the series. To download the original fansub, visit Pandascans. To read the series online, visit Kissmanga

Published On 4/8/2013

Yuki Satoshi 9P’s Good Form Continues: The ‘good week’ described in our previous report (Power Report, 4/1 EJ) looks like turning into a good month for Yuki Satoshi 9P (right). The third game of the 51st Judan title match was played at the Kuroyon Royal Hotel in the city of Omachi in Nagano Prefectures on April 4. Taking black, Yuki forced the titleholder, Iyama Yuta, to resign after 189 moves, so he took a 2-1 lead in the series. He is now just one win away from taking his second top-seven title. This was Yuki’s third win in a row against Iyama, so he is exacting some revenge for the ten successive losses he suffered previously. The fourth game will be played on April 18.

Published On 4/8/2013

With nominations for the AGA's Central Region Board seat (Special Election Announced for Central Region Board Seat, 3/26 EJ) closing on April 15, nominations have started to come in, reports Arnold Eudell. "Bob Gilman has been nominated to complete the 2012-2014 central region vacated by Bob Barber," Eudell says. In his candidate statement, Gilman says that "I am a long time AGA member, have contributed articles to the eJournal, and edited several pages in the recent update of the AGA web site. I organized a trip this past February for a group of US players to travel to Cuba for friendship games at the Academia Cubana de Go in Havana. I am interested in encouraging greater active involvement by AGA members in forming and executing AGA development plans." Details on qualifications and nominations are available on the AGA Election page; questions can be sent to elections@usgo.org.

Published On 4/8/2013

Visiting Korean go professional Moonyong Choi 6P was the highlight of the annual San Diego Go Club Spring Soiree, held Saturday, April 6 at club president Teddy Terpstra's home. “Choi played a simultaneous exhibition (right) with anyone who wanted a game,” Terpstra reports, “and more than a dozen players competed.” Players received up to a 9-stone handicap in their games, but only long-time AGA member Les Lanphear was able to pull off a victory, eking out a 1-point win with a 5-stone handicap.

Zebin Du 4d Wins British Open

Published On 4/8/2013

Zebin Du (right), a Chinese 4-dan, won the British Open last weekend, winning all six games. There were 67 players taking part in the Open, which was part of the British Go Congress weekend April 5-7. Special guest Michael Redmond 9P, the American professional who was concluding his week-long training tour of England -- thanks to the Nihon Ki-in and the Sasakawa Foundation -- ran a training session on Friday, played simultaneous matches and analyzed games throughout the weekend (Redmond Lecture & Simul Launches British Congress 4/6 EJ). Second was Yuanbo Zhang 4d, with five wins. A group of 4-dans came next with four wins each: Andrew Kay, T.Mark Hall, and Andrew Simons.

Published On 4/7/2013

US-born Japanese professional Michael Redmond 9P opened proceedings at the 2013 British Go Congress with a teaching session on Friday April 5.

Published On 4/7/2013

Moonyong Choi 6P spent a week visiting school and youth go clubs in the California Bay area, March 18-24. The Korean Baduk Association (KBA) sent Choi to see first-hand what go programs in America are like, and he is currently in the Los Angeles area visiting programs there as well. “It was really fun,” reports Patrick Wang, of Hyde Park Middle School in Cupertino, “the pro introduced himself, told us how he started playing, why he played, and how he went pro. After that, we asked him questions like how many tournaments he had won or how to improve. Then he played four people at once with nine handicaps on 19x19 and five handicaps on 13x13

Amir Fragman 4d Wins Jerusalem Open

Published On 4/6/2013

Amir Fragman 4d won the 2013 Jerusalem Open Baduk tournament, held during the Passover holiday and initiated and hosted by the Korean Culture Center in Jerusalem. Twenty four players competed in the tournament, played March 28-29 in Jerusalem, Israel. In second was Ali Jabarin 5d and third was Ofer Zivony 3d. Tournament results. - Shavit Fragman

Go Classified: Gobans, Books For Sale

Published On 4/5/2013

SOLD! Gobans, Books For Sale: Aged go player downsizing. Need to sell kaya, 6.25” goban with stones, hinged folding table top goban with stones in portable box. Also an extensive go library of some 60 books, mix of Japanese and English. Note the large Goban has a surface crack of minor importance. I’ve had this for over 50 years and is stable – perfectly useable and could be repaired. All available for your pickup in Winchester, VA. Alternatively could be picked up in Manhattan, NYC. Phone Bob McCallister 540-665-5897. Willing to accept any reasonable offer

Published On 4/5/2013

A new go club is about to bloom in the historic English town of Letchworth, “The first garden city in the world.” Beginning April 18, the Letchworth Garden City Go Club will meet weekly on Thursday evenings at the Central Methodist Church Hall (at right; Norton Way South, entrance £3). Organizer Alison Bexfield 2d previously ran the now-defunct Letchworth Go and Puzzle Club with husband Simon 1k, but they could no longer manage the commitment after their kids were born. Now that her children are old enough to play too, Bexfield is committed to introducing a new generation to the game, and is simultaneously launching the Letchworth Junior Chess and Go Club at the same venue at an earlier time. Bexfield is currently organizing the 2013 British Open Tournament and British Go Congress in nearby Stevenage. "By running the British Open I thought I would see if there were any local players lurking that might give sufficient local interest to restart a public club," she says.

Second Tomsk Go Festival Thaws Siberia

Published On 4/5/2013

Although springtime in Siberia doesn’t hold quite the same allure, as, say, Paris, nearly three dozen go players gathered in Tomsk the last weekend in March for the second annual Tomsk Go Festival. The March 30-31 event featured a tournament, simuls and discussions about developing go in Siberia, the vast and remote area that comprises the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation,Tomsk, with a population of just over half a million, is one of the biggest and oldest Siberian towns, celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2004. The festival tournament’s players hailed from various Siberian regions and even included a visiting guest from Mexico. Another honorary guest was Natalia Kovaleva 5d (photos), one of the strongest women players in European go, who was once the European female go champion and won the Russian female go championship several times.

Junfu Dai 8D Three-Peats in Paris

Published On 4/4/2013

Junfu Dai 8D (right) successfully defended his title against Lluis Oh 6D in the 41st Paris International Go Tournament at the Lycée Louis Le Grand on April 1. Though it was the first time Spanish player Oh placed, it was Dai's third victory in four years, a reign broken only by Liu Yuanbo’s win in 2011. However, there may still be hope for Oh, as Dai was runner-up in 1996 and 2008 before he finally became champion. Joining Dai and Oh in the ranks as top Europeans is Romanian player Cristian Pop 7D. No stranger to tournaments, Pop has won the championship in his home country six times. Founded in 1972, the annual Paris International Go Tournament now holds a level 5 ECup rating and is hailed as “one of the largest go events in Europe behind the European Go Congress.” For more information about this year’s tournament including rules, registered players, and results, visit the official Paris 2013 website.

"Creative" Osawa 4P Teaches at DC Event

Published On 4/4/2013

A small but appreciative crowd turned out for an evening of go with Japanese 4-dan professional Narumi Osawa in Washington, DC on April 2 during the city's Cherry Blossom Festival. Osawa's free talk and simul at the Japan Information and Cultural Center (JICC) included a collaborative game with beginners -- including a pair of young children -- and a simul with seven pairs of players. "I found it creative that she let beginners take turns to play," said local organizer Edward Zhang, "as well as teaching along the way when seeing an opportunity in the game. I also loved the Pair Go format of the simul, encouraging communication and collaboration. Her successfully getting students involved by asking many many questions is consistent with some other Japanese pros I met in Go Congresses."

Published On 4/3/2013

Viktor Bogdanov 4d (photo), won the Yama no Kaze 4 tournament, held March 23-24 in Basssano del Grappa, Italy. In second place was Fausto Predieri 1k and third was Leonardo Giuliato 3k. Click here for results. - EuroGoTV; click here for all the latest European go news

Published On 4/2/2013

The upcoming Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament on April 13th will have prizes for the winners in Dan, Kyu, and Double Digit Kyu brackets, and will also be raffling go sets “and other fun prizes,” promises organizer Paul Barchilon. “Even if you don't win your section, you could go home with a nice prize,” he adds. The top section will also be a qualifier for the North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) at the US Go Congress. “We will try to have a beginners section as well, on 13x13, and AGA membership will not be required to play in that section,” says Barchilon. “There are no fixed rounds, so there shouldn't be too much waiting for games. Players will be paired as they are available. These are handicap games, but an attempt will be made to pair as many even games as is practical.” The NAMT section will have four rounds, and all games will be played even. To register, email shimari@comcast.net with your name and the rank you would like to play at.

Chiu Wins USYGC

Published On 4/2/2013

Eleven-year-old Jeremy Chiu 5d has won the Junior Division of the US Youth Go Championships (USYGC), finally defeating his longtime rival Aaron Ye 5d. The tourney began on Jan. 20th, but the final rounds weren't completed until March. Chiu got off to a good start in the double-elimination tourney by defeating Willis Huang 3d in the first round, and then beating Ye in round 2. Chiu then went on to defeat Redmond Cup runner up Austen Liao 3d, and then Brandon Zhou 2d - who at just nine years of age is a player to watch out for. Chiu finally got his face off with Ye on March 16th, in a game with heavy fighting. Ultimately, Ye's center group was caught without eyes, and short on time, and he was forced to resign. The game record is below, look for a Feng Yun commentary on another match from this series in the near future.

Go Camp Open for Registration

Published On 4/2/2013

"Registration for the AGA Summer Go Camp is now open," reports camp director Amanda Miller,"we welcome campers from the ages of 8 to 18 to attend for a week of go-playing and fun." For the convenience of the campers and their families, payments can be made online, although some forms must still be mailed directly to the organizers. The camp will take place two weeks before the Go Congress from July 20 to July 27 and will be held at YMCA Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, Pennsylvania. Registration information and forms can be found here. Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Amanda Miller: Mingjiu Jiang 7p playing a simul at last year's camp.

Go Spotting: Vagabond Go

Published On 4/2/2013

“I found this in an old manga called Vagabond which follows the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi,” writes Taylor Litteral. It was in Volume 6, chapter 50, page 6.

Published On 4/2/2013

While most people probably think about soccer when they hear about the German Bundes League, there’s also an equivalent for go. The German Go Bundes League is one of the biggest western go leagues (the Pandanet-AGA City League just started this year). It was started in 2005 and is organized much like the soccer league. There are currently 83 teams from all over Germany, divided into seven leagues. All leagues but the fifth contain 10 teams who play nine rounds from September to May. At the end of the season the top teams are promoted to the superior league while the worst-performing are demoted. The fifth league is the entry point for new teams, so it contains more teams than the other leagues, currently 29. While every team has up to ten players, only four members play for their team at a tournament. More than 650 players take part in the Bundes League, and nearly all of the strongest German go players can be found on their home town’s team.

Published On 4/1/2013

A Good Week for Yuki: The last week of March was undoubtedly one of the best of Yuki Satoshi 9P’s career. On the 23rd, Yuki (right), the top player of the Kansai Ki-in, defeated Takao Shinji 9P in the final of the 8th Daiwa Securities Cup. Taking black, Yuki won by 3.5 points. As of this term, the Daiwa Cup, a tournament played on the internet, was upgraded to an official title, which means two things. First, it was opened to participation by Kansai Ki-in professionals, which gave Yuki his chance. Second, it is now included in the tallies of official titles won by a player.

Published On 4/1/2013

“And a Happy April Fools' Day to all the eJournal team! (Exciting Crop of New Go Books Discounted 50% Today Only 4/1 EJ)” writes Jean DeMaiffe. “ I can hardly wait to fill in my go library with your excellent selection of discounted books today. I cannot begin to tell how excited I am to see that someone has finally written a definitive book on the value of the 1-1 point in the opening. I can't wait to share it with my students.”

Published On 3/31/2013

James Kerwin 1P, the first Westerner to become a professional player at the Nihon Ki-in, has retired as of 31 March. A disciple of the late Iwamoto Kaoru 9P, Kerwin became professional 1-dan on February 14, 1978. The following year he won the 1-dan section of the Kisei tournament. Although he went back to the US to teach a couple of years later, Kerwin had retained his affiliation with the Nihon Ki-in. "I was informed that they now have a mandatory retirement rule, so I obliged," Kerwin tells the E-Journal. "While I have retired from the Nihon Ki-in, I have not retired from go." "I have the deepest gratitude to the Nihon Ki-in for training me in the game I love so much and for accepting me as one of them," Kerwin said in a note accompanying his official retirement letter. "During the years I lived in Japan I gained the greatest respect for the Japanese people and a love of their culture and art. I came to Japan because I could not reach my potential as a go player in my own country.

Published On 3/31/2013

Steve Colburn has posted a short (2:43m) video of Chang Hao 9p's comments on his recent game with Andy Liu (Game Commentary: Chang Hao 9P – Andy Liu 1P 3/23/2013 EJ) at the ACGA Spring Expo. "I wish I had gotten Andy as well but he was too quick," says Colburn. "Andy first commented that 'this was the most terrifying game I've ever played." He also notes that "One missed translation from (Chang Hao's) speech is 'I would like to see more American go players in international tournaments in the future." The ACGA held this event March 23-24 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. Chang Hao's translator was Yi Tong. photo: Chang Hao (left), Yi Tong and Andy Liu

Published On 3/31/2013

Leading go publishers are releasing a number of exciting new books that already seem destined to be classics in the field. Go Seigen’s 1-1 Point Modern Opening Strategy has just been published by Slate & Shell, based on a manuscript that had been thought lost for years. “Go’s deep but straightforward analysis of the power of the 1-1 point opening may well revolutionize opening theory,” says S&S. Adding to their legendary “Get Strong” series, Kiseido is offering Get Strong at Gote, which “explores the subtle strength of refusing to take sente.” In a related volume, Kiseido is re-releasing The Art of Aji Keshi, long out of print but back by popular demand “for players who want to master the ability of eliminating absolutely all play in a given situation.” From Yutopian comes a pair of books for players looking to make the jump to the next level. Making Bad Shape and All About Heaviness are “encyclopedic references no serious go player will want to be without,” promises Yutopian.

Published On 3/31/2013

The British Online League's fifth season opened on March 22. Eighteen teams of three players each, loosely organized geographically, will compete in three divisions through the end of the year in the "British Room" on KGS. The league was established in October 2009 to encourage interaction between players in different areas of the country and online play among members of the British Go Association (BGA), though only team captains need be members. There is a prize for the winning team in each division, funded from entry fees. The first division winner, which last season was Edinburgh, also holds the GoGoD Shield and each player in that team wins a GoGoD disk as part of their prize. The league is organized by John Collins on behalf of the BGA. - Tony Collman, Correspondent for the E-Journal, based on reports on the BGA website

Published On 3/28/2013

Registration is still open for this weekend’s KGS 2013 Meijin tournament qualifier, which is once again sponsored by SmartGo. The February qualifier featured “many exciting games and drew more than 350 observers,” reports KGS admin Akane Negishi. The single-elimination qualifier will be held March 30-31 on an Asian/European daytime schedule (Round 1 starts at 6a EDT/3a PDT). Click here for details and to register; deadline is March 30 10:03a (GMT).

Published On 3/28/2013

“A good program for playing go on Mac is Goban,” (Your Move/Readers Write: Mac Go? 3/25/2013) suggests Porter Howland. “It also works very well as a stand-alone .sgf reader, and I believe it can be used to play online. Goban and its underlying game engine are both open source and distributed freely under the GNU General Public License. Currently, the GNU Go engine is not the strongest; newer engines implement recently discovered algorithms that are more efficient. For example, the Many Faces of Go game engine by David Fotland.” “For a real beginner, you can't do much better than Anders Kierulf's Go Kifu, for iPad (about $10),” writes David Erbach. “For desktop machines, Goban has the gnugo engine behind it, with a very nice interface. It's plenty strong for a program, but doesn't have Kifu's tutorial mode, so it's not quite as nice as a teaching tool.” In addition to GNU Go, Ke Lu suggests PANDA-glGo;

Published On 3/28/2013

6th Computer Go UEC Cup In an ironic showdown between the computer and ‘The Computer’, computer go program Crazy Stone defeated Ishida Yoshio 9P on March 20 at the sixth annual Computer Go UEC Cup in Japan. Ishida, 64, was nicknamed ‘The Computer’ in his prime, because of the accuracy of his counting and endgame skills. Rémi Coulum's program took just four stones against the former Honinbo champion and won by 2.5 points. After the game, Ishida said he thought Crazy Stone was a “genius,” evincing special admiration for the program’s “calmness” and “flexibility.” Takao Shinji 9P also offered words of praise, calling one of the program’s moves “the kind of move a human would overlook.” UEC chairperson Takeshi Ito expressed his hope that the UEC Cup will continue to “function as a place where program developers can meet face-to-face and make technological changes,” adding that "we should never forget the human being using the programs to play the game.”

Gansheng Shi-Lee Sedol Match Postponed

Published On 3/28/2013

The go9dan.com game this Saturday between Lee Sedol 9P and Gansheng Shi 1P has been postponed "while we move go9dan’s main server to Hong Kong this weekend," reports Michael Simon. The match will likely be rescheduled for Saturday, April 13 at 10p. Lee is 7-0 in the AGA-Europe Pro vs. Sedol 10-Game Series.

Published On 3/28/2013

Paris is lovely in the springtime and especially so for go players, with the 41th Paris International Go Tournament taking place this weekend at the Lycée Louis Le Grand. With over 200 players are already registered, the 3-day tournament is one of the largest go events in Europe and is set for March 30 through April 1; click here for details and to register. Fans can also follow top-board action on KGS and on EuroGoTV.

Published On 3/28/2013

"The Spring Go Expo has something for everyone," said organizer Michael Fodera as he announced the opening of the 2013 Spring Go Expo at Harvard University's Student Organization Center at Hillel last weekend. And so it did. Spread out across four connected areas in a student lounge, the Expo featured exciting performances, thoughtful presentations from a scholarly perspective and an exclusive 15-minute segment of the upcoming documentary film The Surrounding Game.

Go Doc Team Having Busy Spring

Published On 3/27/2013

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for The Surrounding Game documentary team. They launched an online “collaborative game,” premiered an extended preview of the film at last weekend’s well-attended Spring Go Expo in Boston and kicked off a campaign to raise $30,000 to finish their film. Director Will Lockhart is especially excited about the collaborative game, saying that “You can go to the game and vote for your move, and at the end of the day the votes are tallied and one move is played per day! I think it should lead to a very interesting game.” An interesting thing to consider, says Lockhart, is “what level of play is reached when each move is decided by democratic vote?” The fundraiser aims to raise the caliber and potential impact of the The Surrounding Game “by hiring a professional editor and paying for legitimate distribution,” Lockhart explains. With less than a month to go, they’ve raised almost $6,000 thus far; click here to see who’s contributed.

Bao Yun’s "Blind Go" Challenge

Published On 3/26/2013

Beat Chinese amateur 6-dan Bao Yun and you could win a million RMB ($160,000 USD). There's a catch: you have to beat him blindfolded. Famous in the Chinese weiqi community for being able to play blindfolded, Bao has not lost a single game when both sides play blindfolded. His opponents have included professional players and now he’s extending his challenge to the whole world. Bao has played as many as four boards simultaneously blindfolded, and when he visited Singapore, he won against a Singapore 5 dan who was not blindfolded, in a game that lasted 220 moves. Bao says that his strength when playing blindfolded is about one stone weaker than usual. A Korean baduk station recently broadcast a program called Dark Room Game, in which two professionals play blindfolded up to 100 moves. If any side makes an illegal move, they lose a point; after 100 moves, they take off the blindfold and continue regularly.

Published On 3/26/2013

A special election is being held to fill the Central Region board seat vacated recently by Bob Barber (Barber & Smith Moving On, Central Region Seeks New Board Members 2/8/2013 EJ). The election is being conducted on a compressed time frame, with nominations closing April 15 and ballots due back by May 1. The winner, who will serve out the remaining year of Barber’s term, will be announced on May 2. Lisa Scott has volunteered to serve the last few months of departing board member Daniel Smith, who was also from the Central Region. The regular elections and call for nominations for the 2013-2015 board seats will be announced on May 4. Details on qualifications and nominations are available on the AGA Election page; questions can be sent to elections@usgo.org.

Narumi Osawa 4P to Visit DC April 2

Published On 3/25/2013

Japanese 4-dan professional Narumi Osawa (right) will give a free talk and simul in Washington, DC on April 2. The event, which will run from 7-9:30p, is co-hosted by the Japanese Embassy the Greater Washington Go Club and will be held at the Japan Information and Cultural Center in downtown Washington, at 1150 18th St. NW. Born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan on May 22nd, 1976. Ms. Osawa became professional 1-dan in 1998, was promoted to 2-dan in 1999, 3-dan in 2003, and 4-dan in 2009. She won the Women’s Kakusei title in 1999 and 2003, and the Women’s JAL titlein 2005. She participated in the 16th Asian Tournament as a member of the Japanese National Team. The free event will have two parts: a short talk designed for beginners, then a simultaneous exhibition followed by a short analysis of highlights from these games.

Your Move/Readers Write: Mac Go?

Published On 3/25/2013

“I’m looking for a good Mac computer go program to play against as I learn,” writes an EJ reader, “any suggestions?” Email suggestions to journal@usgo.org

Free Go Lessons in NorCal a Hit

Published On 3/24/2013

On March 17th a group of Bay Area Go Players Association volunteers gathered and gave free go lessons to beginners in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood (across the bay from San Francisco). More than 35 people of various ages and diverse backgrounds learned to play go at this fourth annual event. Each took home the informative Way to Go booklet and a 9x9 starter go set. Herb Doughty, a veteran go teacher in the local community, recalled his high point of the day: "I spent some time this afternoon teaching four members of one family, spanning three generations." Event organizer and Bay Area Go board member Jay Chan reports, "It was a lot of fun. We're planning to do it again later this year - next time in San Francisco's Japantown neighborhood." An AGA ratings tournament was held concurrently with the free lessons, and Argentinian Gabriel Benmergui 6d dominated the dan section with four wins and no losses. - Roger Schrag

Published On 3/23/2013

Paul Anderson, former President of the American Go Association and the New York Go Center, has died. Anderson worked at IBM in New York and Japan for many years, and arranged the IBM-sponsored matches in the late 1980s. He was President of the American Go Association for two years in the late 1960s, leading an AGA delegation to Japan, and President of the New York Go Center from 2005 to 2009. "Paul was a department head in IBM Japan (my memory is that he was head of the printer division for Asia)," writes go journalist John Power, "and he persuaded IBM to sponsor a fast-play tournament -- one hour per player plus 30 seconds per move -- with limited international participation (two Chinese and two Koreans in a first round of 64). It lasted for three terms from 1988 to 1990." Power also notes that "Yi Ch'ang-ho made his international debut in the first tournament, but won only one game. An American and a European also played in the qualifying tournament."

Published On 3/23/2013

Tim Klancisar 4k won the Kyu Turnir tournament, played on March 23 in Kranj, Slovenia. Pavel Kos 4k was second and in third was Peter Gaber 1k. NOTE: The photo of Jin Zou 6d in our 3/20 China Cup report (Jin Zou 6d Repeats as China Cup Winner in Berlin) was courtesy EuroGoTV. - adapted from a report on EuroGoTV; click here for all their latest reports; photo: Anna Marconi 11k, who placed 4 of 17. Result table.

AGA Launches Facebook, Google+ Sites

Published On 3/22/2013

The American Go Association recently launched its official Facebook page. "Like" this page and follow it for information about go and the AGA. There’s also now a Google+ community for the AGA; join the community and follow the latest news there as well. “We will investigate additional uses of both of these social networks and associated tools,” says Bart Jacob, who’s helping coordinate social media for the AGA. Options include using Hang Outs in the Google+ community for live discussions around topics of interest to AGA members and the go community in general. “Post your ideas, suggestions and feedback on both of these sites,” Jacob urges.

Published On 3/21/2013

The Walthers brothers are tantalizingly close to raising the $8,000 they need to create a free movie trailer (German Brothers Team Up to Produce “Fascinating” Go Video 2/4/2013 EJ) to inspire more go enthusiasts. Sven Walther, a go player and computer scientist, and his brother Lars, an actor and filmmaker, plan to make the video available on YouTube, so anyone “can use it to promote the game wherever you want.” Their goal “is not to explain the rules, but to create some fascinating atmosphere to represent the game. The novice will see it and say ‘Whoa, what's that game? Wanna learn more!’" The project will only receive funds if at least $8,000 is raised by Monday, March 25 at 11:59PM PT.

Ing Qualifier Finals This Weekend

Published On 3/21/2013

The Ing Foundation is holding its final round for the World Youth Goe Qualifier this weekend, in Menlo Park California. Andrew Lu 6d and Albert Yen 6d will compete in the Senior Division; Jeremy Chiu 5d and Austen Liao 3d will compete in the Junior Division. Ing coordinator John Kwei also announced that the "Special Representation" position is still open, and interested parties may contact the Ing Foundation. Download the attached file to apply. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 3/20/2013

The Western Massachusetts Go Club is honoring Teddy Feldman (In Memoriam: Teddy Feldman 3/3 EJ) by renaming their summer tournament The Teddy Feldman and Dolph Rosoff Memorial Tournament. Feldman, 89, a long-time contributor to the American go scene, passed away on March 1

Published On 3/20/2013

Play continued last weekend in the Pandanet-AGA City League A and B Leagues, as the top players in the country competed in some thrilling games. All three of the A League Board 2 matches last weekend featured exciting ko fights: Eric Lui (Greater Washington) defeated Daniel Ko (LA), Jie Liang (Boston) beat Edward Kim (Seattle 1), and Zhaonian Chen (NYC) defeated Bill Lin (Vancouver). As it stands, Los Angeles defeated Greater Washington 2-1, Boston downed Seattle 1 2-1, and Vancouver BC vs New York City stands at 1-1. Los Angeles is currently leading the league with 6 points followed by Greater Washington and Boston with 4 points each. Play continues with all Leagues on March 31st starting at 1PM EST, when you can watch live on IGS. All up-to-date results can be found on the City League pages.

Published On 3/20/2013

Tian-Ren Chen retained his British Youth Go Championship title on March 17, defending the title he won last year. Second was Matei Mandache, a fellow-student at Loughborough School. The Castledine Trophy was won this year by Loughborough, who beat Aston 2-1. The Best Primary School award went to Sandilands, Manchester, who entered five 8- and 9-year-olds, who enjoyed some successes in this their first-ever tournament away from their school. This year’s event was held at the new venue of King Edward VI (Aston) School, Birmingham, attracting 27 competitors aged 7 to 18, with strengths from 37 kyu to 1 dan. An Easter egg prize was awarded to each of the winners and runners-up in each age group, as well as those with 3 or 4 wins. There were also prizes for the three children who correctly answered all the go puzzles on a hand-out. Tony Atkins was again the master of ceremonies, organizing the pairings for each of the 5 rounds, and presenting the prizes.

Published On 3/20/2013

Former German go champion Jin Zou 6d won the 4th China Cup in Berlin on March 17. Zou (left), who lives in Leipzig, won last year and defended his Golden Challenge Cup against Ma Xiao 5d, who took second place, and Johannes Obenaus 5d, who was third. The Cup was held in the Chinese Cultural Center Berlin, surrounded by Chinese culture, enabling local participants to meet go players from China. Free tournament admission has been granted to players of Chinese nationality since the very first China Cup. The tournament also serves to build a bridge between Berlin, capital of Germany, and Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province.

Published On 3/19/2013

The first Tula Go Cup went down to the wire March 16-17 as Dmitriy Surin 6d, Igor Nemliy 5d and Andrey Kashaev 5d battled it out in the final rounds. Kashaev won against Surin in the first round, then Nemliy defeated Kashaev, and later in the fourth round Surin won against Nemliy. Vasiliy Andrienko 4d, who defeated Andrey Kashaev in the fourth round, had a shot at getting into the top three; the final standings depended on the last round and the Berger and Buchholz scores also had major impact. Dmitry Surin defeated Vasiliy Andrienko in the last round to clinch the title win, with Nemliy in second and Kashaev taking third. The tournament was held in the ancient historical city of Tula, Russia, and was the first major event in this region. First mentioned in 1146, Tula is connected with many historic events and important battles of Russian history. The Russian go community was not active here until 2010 when Innokentiy Dmitriev 3d started to promote the game and work with students.

Published On 3/19/2013

The Evanston Go Club's regular quarterly tournament at the Arlington Heights Go Club on March 16 was its last there. "Sadly, this is the last tournament we will have there, as they are closing next week," reports local organizer Mark Rubenstein. "Mr. Yong Yu, the owner of the club, has graciously offered us his space for our tournaments for the last three years. His club is the only one in the Chicago area that was open seven days a week. We wish Mr. Yu well, and thank him for his generosity." This was also the first Chicago tournament that was not directed by the legendary Bob Barber. "Bob has run four tournaments a year for the past 20 years!" says Rubenstein. He has now turned over the reigns to Rubenstein, who directed last weekend's tournament. "The Chicago go community is indebted to Bob, and we want to publicly thank him for all he has done over the past 20 years," said Rubenstein. "We intend to keep running tournaments every quarter. The challenge now is to find a venue.

AGA Summer Go Camp July 20th

Published On 3/18/2013

The AGA Go Camp is confirmed for this summer, and will be held two weeks before the Go Congress, from July 20 to July 27. Camp directors Nano Rivera and Amanda Miller will return to organize the event, in an all new location - YMCA Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, PA, about two hours outside of Pittsburgh. Campers from the ages of 8 to 18, of all skill levels, are invited for a week of go-playing and fun. More information regarding the camp will be available on the AGA camp page soon, and registration will open within the next two weeks. Inquiries can be sent to Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. All youth who played in the USYGC are eligible for $400 AGF scholarships to camp, and needs based scholarships will also be available. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Shawn Ray: Campers try their hand at one-color go, with a computer assist, at last year's go camp.

Free Pro Lessons for Kids

Published On 3/18/2013

Six young students have won free lessons with professional go players, as part of a new AGF program that is being supported by a private donor. Winners wrote essays on why they wanted the lessons, and some submitted letters of recommendation as well. The winners include a 12 kyu from Illinois, a 7 kyu from New York, a 21 kyu from Washington, two kyu players from Georgia, and a 5 kyu from Texas. The teachers are Yi Lun Yang 7P, Janice Kim 3P, and Jennie Shen 2P, who will give each student six lessons. Four more students will be selected at a future date as well. "We expect these kids to keep playing, learning, and to try to pass along the knowledge they gain to other players, particularly young people," writes program organizer Keith Arnold . -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Janice Kim 3P

Published On 3/15/2013

Blackie's International Baduk Academy (The Traveling Go Board 1/19/2013 EJ) will offer their first summer camp this June. “We hope that kids can join to our camp, but anyone is welcomed,” Kim Seung-jun tells the E-Journal. “No age or rank limit, just like in BIBA.” The camp will run June 24 through July 23 in Seoul, South Korea. In addition to helping students improve, the camp’s goals include facilitating cultural exchanges through the game of baduk (go). Highlights of the camp include game reviews and commentaries, studying life and death problems and professional games as well as games; teachers include Kim Seung-jun 9P, Diana Koszegi 1P, On So-jin 7P and Park Young-un 7d. Other activities include visiting the Hangkuk Kiwon and meeting with famous professional players, visiting the Kwon Gap Yong Baduk Academy in Seoul, as well as playing sports in a nearby park and visits to the sea. Click here for details and to register. - photo courtesy BIBA

Published On 3/15/2013

Lee Sedol has driven the AGA-Europe team to two stones in the ongoing AGA-Europe Pro vs. Sedol 10-Game Series on go9dan.com. In the most recent match, Lee defeated Catalin Taranu, making the overall score 6-0 in his favor. Lee will play Andy Liu on Saturday, March 16 at 10p EDT. Click here for the Round 6 game record; Taranu said he was thinking about 35 at 36 as an alternative, but Sedol commented that 35 was good. "25 should be at 41. 45 is too slow. Instead black should play at around 54 or 47 to grow b's moyo. Black 93 would have been thick at 94, instead of creating two weak groups. White's move 114 was strange. If b played 133 instead of 131, then it would have been better for black. But after black's 45 and w was able to reduce b's upper moyo at w46, the game is comfortable for white."

Published On 3/15/2013

Lee Changho, Park Younghoon and Shi Yue lead go9dan’s World Go League Invitational, all with 4-1 records. Lee Sedol will play Xie He at 7a EDT on Saturday, March 16. Lee defeated Fan, Kong, Xie and Kim, losing to Shi; Park defeated Lee Sedol, Fan, Park Junghwan and Kim, losing to Kong; Shi beat Lee Sedol, Lee Changho, Xie and Chen, losing to Kong. Click here for game records and standings.

Published On 3/14/2013

The European Youth Go Championships were held in Budapest, Hungary from March 8-10. Pavol Lisy 6d (right) won the Under 20 event, Stepan Popov 3d (left) won the Under 16 and Valerii Krushelnytskyi 1d won the Under 12. Complete results tables and latest European tournament results available on EuroGoTV’s website.

Published On 3/14/2013

That (Folding Board Query 3/8 EJ) looks a lot like the folding Agathis boards -- B101, B102 & B104 -- currently available from Kiseido," writes Paul Barchilon. "Samarkand used to sell them too. I had one that lasted fairly well, though it did have metal hinges. I made it sit flat by putting little felt circles on the four corners. The lines eventually came off around the center, but that was after several years of frequent use. They used to sell the same model with a fabric backing, which is probably the one Ramon saw. One could inquire from Kiseido about this, and show them a copy of the photo." "That board looks like one that I've seen for sale at Uwajimaya, a Japanese grocery and market in downtown Seattle," adds Dennis Wheeler. "Or it's also possible that its from Shiga's imports in the University District (near the Seattle Go Center). I'll try to remember to stop in to see what they each currently have to offer the next time I'm nearby and report back again."

Published On 3/14/2013

A go board shows up in New World, the 2013 South Korean noir film written and directed by Park Hoon-jung. Starring Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-shik and Hwang Jung-min, the film -- released just last month -- shows the conflict between the police and the mob through the eyes of an undercover cop. Click here to see a trailer. Thanks to Vincent DiMattia for the tip.

Published On 3/13/2013

Players from Kazan dominated the first Polymetal Rapid Cup, held in Saint Petersburg, Russia on March 8-10. Ilya Shikshin 7d (far left in photo) of Kazan won the individual event, while the Kazan team (photo at right) swept the team event. Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The first official Russian fast go tournament, the Cup was sponsored by Polymetal plc, a leading precious metals producer in Russia and Kazakhstan. Despite many Russian players being away at the European Youth Go Championship in Budapest, 39 players and 9 teams took part in the Polymetal Rapid Cup competitions. The Russian Go Federation and local go supporters ensured a friendly atmosphere for newcomers with public go classes for beginners, a tea ceremony and relaxing facilities. Organizers hope the Polymetal Rapid Cup launches a new era of fast go events, including rapid, blitz and lightning.

Published On 3/13/2013

A number of years ago, our family made a habit of renting a cabin in New England during the summer, and part of the ritual was having Don Wiener come to visit us. Needless to say, the days Don was there became a total immersion in go (and second-hand smoke). I got used to being punished repeatedly at any number of handicap stones, but I learned so much from watching his magic at work. It was only after Don drummed into my head that it wasn't magic, but my own stubbornness that resulted in total collapse time and time again, that I began to appreciate the value of defending weak groups, an essential ingredient to begin to become stronger. I am grateful for those lessons. Don and I shared another common interest - a love of music. Besides his speed-typing talent alluded to in a previous article, Don was a very capable pianist.

Published On 3/12/2013

Yuqiao Shen, Yinli Wang, Chris Roose and Devin Flake have joined the AGA’s webmaster team, which manages the AGA’s website and online communications. They join Steve Colburn, who leads the team, Rachel Small, the new Pair Go Coordinator, who’s managing the new Pair Go Facebook page, Bart Jacobs, who’s coordinating our new Facebook page, and Jonathan Bresler, Andrew Jackson and Anna Wiggins, who are working on bringing the AGA Database back online. "We're really fortunate to have such a terrific team of dedicated folks," says Colburn.

Go Review: GoCommentary.com

Published On 3/12/2013

reviewed by James Acres GoCommentary.com is a cool service from Nate Lee, a very strong amateur player living in Shanghai. His work is kind of like Yuan Zhou's "Deep Thought" books, except that what Nate does is create a video in which he narrates a professional game while he plays out the moves and some key variations for you. At first I felt like there would be something lazy about just watching a video of a game. After all, if you aren't even putting stones on the board yourself, how can you possibly be doing any learning? But the thing I've found about Nate's commentaries is that they help me appreciate some of the strategic and tactical subtleties of a great professional game, without my having to do much work.

Jack Cary 6k Tops Vermont Moyo Madness

Published On 3/11/2013

Sixteen enthusiastic go players turned out for the Vermont Moyo Madness tournament held Saturday, March 9th. Players from 14 kyu to 2 dan participated. The winner was Jack Cary 6k, with a perfect 4 – 0 record. Second place went to John Elder 5k with a 3 –1 record. Third place was taken by Andrew Daudelin 14k also on 3 – 1. Trophies, books, and souvenirs were given out to the top four places plus the venerable "fighting spirit" award to the player who demonstrated a great attitude with or without a winning record. "The Vermont Go Club will be well-represented at St. Michael College's Spring Matsuri 2013 being held on Sunday, April 7th," adds tournament organizer Peter Schumer. "We hope to attract lots of new players!"

Published On 3/10/2013

Janice Kim, the popular 3-dan professional, will conduct a two-day go workshop in Berkeley, CA on Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5. She will focus on how research into what it takes to become an expert translates into reaching one’s potential in go. "I've adapted activities for the workshop from research and practice -- not my own, thankfully -- in fields as apparently diverse as competitive tennis, to body-building, to law school, to baking," says Kim. "I find a common thread, in my own observations in go as well, in concepts behind these activities. People appear to excel, without spending unrealistic amounts of time, when what they do follows these concepts." Janice Kim 3P is co-author of the award-winning book series Learn to Play Go, and her lectures at the San Francisco Go Club and past workshops have been very popular.

Pourkavoos tops Simsbury Tourney

Published On 3/10/2013

Aresh Pourkavoos took first place at the 1st Simsbury Open Scholastic Go Tournament, at the Simsbury Library, in Connecticut, on March 2nd. The tournament was held in conjunction with the Simsbury Scholastic Chess Tournament. "We had 6 fierce go competitors enter the tournament," reports Mike Spaner. "This was the first go tournament for all of the entrants. Our young players not only battled for 5 rounds, but they also took the time to teach many curious onlookers from the chess side of the playing hall (there were roughly 90 chess players). Although outnumbered, our young go ambassadors (all new AGA members) did a wonderful job promoting the game of go. The kids were all very excited to meet others who share their love for the game. Between rounds, there were some great hallway discussions on suggested playing strategies and tactics. One of the chess player’s parents had not played go for many years and was excited to get in a game between rounds.

Teacher of the Year Nominations Sought

Published On 3/9/2013

Nominations for the American Go Foundations Teacher of the Year award are now open. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week (during the school year) for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by April 30th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program.

Going to Extremes

Published On 3/9/2013

If regular go is getting too easy, you may want to check out the eXtreme Mindgame Challenge, which proposes to expand play to a staggering 57 x 57 board. “The goal of this project is to make this 4000 year old game really extreme,” say the project’s organizers, who say they’re planning to recruit two teams to eight players each to play on the biggest board in the world. “Players will be quite strong so that they can focus on the whole game,” they add. It’s not clear who’s behind the grandiose effort, which is trying to raise $5,000 for the summer 2013 project but has only attracted two supporters for a grand total of $60 thus far. With 3,249 intersections in a 57x57 board, project organizers calculate the number of possible game positions at 10 to the 2,000 power. - Thanks to Paul Barchilon for passing this along

Published On 3/8/2013

Europe’s top youth players are gathered in Budapest this weekend for the European Youth Go Championship, which runs March 8-10. They’ll compete in a 6-round main tournament as well as a 5-round side tournament; click here to see results. Game records and videos are also being posted on the EuroGoTV website.

Published On 3/8/2013

Csaba Mero 6D (left) won the 2013 Confucius Cup, played March 2-3 in Dublin, Ireland. Zebin Du 4D took second place and in third was Antoine Fenech 5D. Latest European tournament results available on EuroGoTV’s website.

Published On 3/8/2013

NJO Game Records? “Does anyone have access to the SGF for Andy Liu's win over Mingming (Stephanie) Yin at the New Jersey Open?” asks EJ reader Robert P. Due to unavoidable scheduling conflicts, top-board games were not broadcast or recorded this year; the E-Journal hopes to broadcast the NJO in 2014. Folding Board Query: “I was wondering if you have any more info on these boards (Whence the Seattle Portable Set? 9/2/2012 EJ),” writes Sergio Miranda Elmaleh. “I am considering of buying one of these and I was wondering what the durability of the folding seam is.” We never did get a response to the original report; if anyone has info, please email us at journal@usgo.org and we’ll pass it along.

Published On 3/8/2013

Late in February, the 3rd Huang Longshi Cup kicked off, pitting the five strongest women from China, Japan, and Korea against each other. Kim Chaeyong gave Korea a quick start, taking out Japan's Osawa Narumi 4P and Ishii Akane 2P, as well as China's Song Ronghui 5P and Chen Yiming 2P. However, 14-year-old Yu Zhiying 2P from China stopped Kim's run, and added two of her own, defeating Japan's Okuda Aya 3P and Korea's Kim Hyelim 2P. That leaves Xie Yiin 6P and Mukai Chiaki 5P for Japan, and Yu Zhiying 2P, Li He 3P and Wang Chenxing 5P (who won 8 games in a row in last year's tournament) for China.

Published On 3/7/2013

Park Junghwan continued Korea's dominance of the Nongshim Cup, defeating Jiang Weijie 9P to take home the 11th Korean win in the Cup's 14-year history. Park was the new anchor for Korea in the team tournament, handpicked by Lee Changho himself. Jiang was a newcomer to the tournament as well. The final round kicked off on February 26th, with Choi Cheolhan breaking his personal 8-game losing streak against Chen Yaoye. However, he lost his next game to China's Xie He 9P. Xie's record at the Nongshim Cup is 2nd best in the cup's history, and got him promoted to 9P in the first place. That left Park to face both Xie and Jiang, but he was able to pull out victories against them both and bring the Cup back to Korea after China won the tournament last year. Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click for game records and more information. Edited by Ben Williams

Published On 3/7/2013

Sixteen-year-old Fan Tingyu 3P defeated Park Junghwan 9P on March 6th to become the youngest winner of the prestigious Ing Cup. [caption id="attachment_182179" align="alignleft" width="330"] Fan Tingyu Left, Park Junghwan, Right[/caption] The Ing Cup, go's longest-running international tournament, has been called the Go Olympics, since it held once every four years. The semifinals, which took place last September, set up a showdown between Park and Fan in Singapore, where the first two games of the final were held.

Published On 3/7/2013

Almost exactly a year since co-directors Will Lockhart and Cole Pruitt decided to shoot a documentary on the game of go -- The Surrounding Game -- the team is moving into the next phase of the project. "We have come a very long way and the filming itself is almost complete, but we still have a long way to go to get to a finished film" says Lockhart. The team filmed at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress and AGA Pro Tournament last summer, traveled to China and Korea in the fall, and spent the winter organizing their extensive footage.

Published On 3/6/2013

While the U.S. team prevailed in a February 16-17 friendship match in Cuba, "the true victory was in realizing this rare opportunity for players from the two countries to come together," said trip organizer Bob Gilman. A team of 11 U.S. players competed with Cubans at the Academia Cubana de Go in Havana. The US players ranged from 5 dan to 24 kyu, and the Cubans had a similarly wide range. The event drew coverage on Cuban sports TV. "They are just a wonderful group of people and their passion for the game came through every minute we were with them," said AGA President Andy Okun. "When the barriers between our countries are gone, the North American go community will be that much richer."

Go Photo: At the Santa Monica Go Club

Published On 3/6/2013

Former AGA President Phil Straus (l) recently dropped by the Santa Monica Go Club where he played a game with go author, translator -- and Santa Monica Go Club member -- Richard Dolen. - photo by Jeffrey Tsao

Published On 3/5/2013

The upcoming Spring Go Expo, scheduled for March 23-24 in Boston, MA, will now be held at Harvard's Student Organization Center at Hilles (SOCH) on both days. The event will include a Chinese-American professional exhibition match between Andy Liu 1P and Chang Hao 9P, simultaneous games against professional players, a preview of the first feature-length documentary on go, "The Surrounding Game", public teaching and demonstrations, a youth go tournament, and lectures on the relevance of go beyond the board.

Andy Liu 1P Wins New Jersey Open

Published On 3/4/2013

The New Jersey Open -- held March 2-3 in Princeton, NJ -- had a near-record turnout of 114 players. Professionals participated for the first time in the 54-year history of the tournament, and the final round came down to Andy Liu 1P (US, at left) and Ming-ming (Stephanie) Yin 1P (CN, at right), with Andy Liu emerging victorious.

Published On 3/4/2013

NJO Results & Standings Posted: Our New Jersey Open report (Andy Liu 1P Wins New Jersey Open 3/3/2013) has been updated to include links to a full NJO tournament report, including prize-winners, and complete tournament standings, including updated ratings and all game results. photo by Rick Mott

Apple App Update

Published On 3/3/2013

iPad/iPod/iPhone user alert: In “SGFs and iStuff” (2/1/13), I looked at some issues related to viewing sgf files on iPods, iPads and other mobile Apple products. I managed to confuse some readers, so please note that I was referring specifically to apps for mobile devices, not desktop-based software. One reader disagreed at some length with my conclusion favoring Smart Go Kifu (SGK) over EasyGo, so I took a closer look at the two apps

In Memoriam: Teddy Feldman

Published On 3/3/2013

The American go community lost another longtime friend when Teddy Feldman passed away on Friday, March 1. Feldman -- along with her son Micah -- has been a familiar sight at go tournaments and events in the Northeast for many years, where she took an obvious delight in sharing the game with friends old and new. The funeral will be in New Jersey on Monday morning. - photo: Teddy Feldman (l), plays Todd Cesere at the Western Massachusetts Go Club's Spring 2011 tournament. photo courtesy the MGA

Newmiller Tops Davis-Sac Tourney

Published On 3/3/2013

Jeff Newmiller 1k (right) topped the Davis/Sacramento Go Club tournament last Saturday, March 2, with two wins. There were a total of seven players at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. Cha Tai-An 5k (left), won Division II with a perfect 4 wins. -

Americans Win Brunei Friendship Match

Published On 3/2/2013

The US has won the Brunei Friendship Cup, which was held Saturday Feb. 16th, on KGS. Sponsored by the American Go Honor Society, and the Brunei I-Go Society. "The match revived an earlier tourney last held in 2010, and renewed an international friendship with countries in Southeast Asia," reports tournament coordinator Andrew Huang. This year's event featured two teams from Southeast Asia, a team from Canada, and a team from the United States (selected by a qualifying event the prior week).

Published On 3/1/2013

Liu Xiaohan 7D (right) won the Bei Dou Xing Cup, the second leg of the recent North American Go Convention, held February 16-17 in Arlington, VA. Zhang Shujian 5D won the Expert division, Feng Wei 6K the Proficient division, Frederick Bao 13K the Intermediate, and Sarah Crites 20K (below left) the Novice. Zhou Xinyu and Zheng Xiangnan won the Pair Go championship in DC despite handicap disadvantage. Notably, in the Pair Go semi-final, Yukino Takehara teamed up with Benjamin Coplon and bested her big brother Keiju Takahara and partner Ziyi Ge. The Ge/Takahara and Rongrong Zhang/Nathan Epstein pairs took 3rd place.

Published On 3/1/2013

My memories of Don Wiener are filled with his kindness, a tenderness which was rarely seen. I especially remember some years ago when he was one of those in the go community who persuaded me to attend the annual U.S. Go Congress even though my husband Peter -- who initiated our family's involvement with go -- had died a few months before and I would be alone. When I arrived in Santa Fe, Don reassured me, got me through the registration line quickly and shepherded me through the maze of buildings to where the children would be playing.

Published On 3/1/2013

Kiseido Digital has begun publishing a new line of interactive go e-books. The first two books cover the eighth and tenth Kisei Title Matches, in 1984 and 1986, and include Go World's comprehensive commentaries on Cho Chikun's exciting matches against Rin Kaiho and Koichi Kobayashi. "Our books differ from other digital go materials in that they can be downloaded from many ebookstores and read on various ebook readers," says Kiseido Digital's Bob Myers. Currently, they are available on Apple's iBookStore, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Kobo bookstores. The Apple versions are fully interactive, meaning that sequences described in the narrative can be animated on the figures and diagrams by tapping them. The Kindle, Nook and Kobo versions are not interactive. "Kiseido Digital plans to make available additional great content in this format," Myers adds, "including additional commentaries, problem sets, and tutorials, from both its own library and other publishers.

Wenhao Liu 5d Wins Twin Cities Tourney

Published On 2/27/2013

Wenhao Liu 5d (right) topped a 32-player field to win the Twin Cities Winter Go Tournament on February 23. Players ranging from 5-dan to 20-kyu participated in the event, which was cosponsored by the Twin Cities Go Club and the University of Minnesota Go Club. The tentative date for the Twin Cities spring AGA ratings tournament is Saturday, April 20th. - report/photos by Aaron Broege

School Teams Tourney Deadline March 6th

Published On 2/27/2013

Time is running out to register for the American Go Honor Society's 14th annual School Team Tournament. On March 16th and 23rd, go clubs from across North America will compete online for glory and prizes. Each school may enter up to three teams, consisting of three players of any levels from the same K-12 school. There are multiple divisions, so teams of any level will be able to compete. A total of $3,000 in prizes will be awarded, with prizes in each division, but also to every team that has a high participation rate. Visit www.aghs.cc to register and to read important information about the new rules and prizes. The registration deadline has been extended to March 6th, so gather a team from your school and enter before it's too late. -Julian Erville, AGHS Vice President.

Published On 2/26/2013

Fifteen-year-old Andrew Lu 6d has just won the Senior Division of the US Youth Go Championships, dethroning Calvin Sun 7d, age 16, who has had a lock on this event for the past six years. Sun seemed almost sure to win again, emerging from the finals with a perfect record, and defeating Lu (at left) in the final round of the qualifiers. Both boys then started fresh in the four-player double-elimination finals, which began on Jan. 20th. Sun defeated Andrew Huang 6d in round 1, while Lu defeated talented newcomer Albert Yen 6d, who at just 12 years of age is proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Round 2 gave Sun another edge, defeating Lu, while Yen knocked Huang out. Yen then faced Lu a second time, and the victor would go on to face Sun. Although he fought his best, Yen was not able to prevail and was eliminated. This left Lu in the uncomfortable position of being out if he lost a game, but needing to defeat Sun twice in a row in order to win.

Published On 2/25/2013

The New Jersey Open, to be held at Princeton University in New Jersey March 2-3, will be the second of 2013's NAMT points qualifiers after January's Jujo Jiang Ing Goe tournament in San Francisco. A large tournament with a great history of more than half a century, the New Jersey Open is often a draw for strong players "and will be a fantastic opportunity for them to earn points," notes AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. As the first qualifier for the Eastern region, participating strong players will be eligible to earn points towards the North American Masters Tournament at this year's US Go Congress in Tacoma, Washington. Registration is 9-10A Saturday, March 3. Email co-director Mott for full details at rickmott@alumni.princeton.edu.

Published On 2/25/2013

The Ing Foundation has announced its qualifier tournament for the World Youth Go Championships (WYGC), to be held March 9th and 10th. The new tournament has changed many of the requirements, added new prizes, and created a two step process. The qualifiers will be open to youth under 21, of any strength, and will be held on KGS. Two winners in each age bracket (under 16 and under 12) will be invited to compete live in Menlo Park, CA, for finals on March 22 and 23. The winner will then be invited to compete at the WYGC, which will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, this August. Another addition is the inclusion of a "special recommendation" player, who can be any youth player 3k or stronger, who is recommended by their go club, teacher, or other organization. Details on the tournament, including registration information, can be found in the attached PDF file here: WYGC. The deadline to register is March 3rd.

Published On 2/25/2013

Shi Yue 5P took this year's LG Cup, and his first international title, defeating Won Soengjin 9P in two straight games in the best-of-3 final. Shi became a Chinese professional player 10 years ago, but an international title has eluded him until now. Per Chinese Go Association rules, he will now be promoted to 9D. His style has always fared well against Korean pros, like Won. Shi's record in 2012 was 17-2. This marks the 5th consecutive year China has taken the LG Cup title, beating Korea's previous streak of four, giving Korea even more of an incentive to try to take back the Cup next year. Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click for game records and more information. Edited by Ben Williams

Your Move: Select Your EJ Frequency

Published On 2/23/2013

“Is it possible to sign up for one email per week that has all the msgs concatenated together from the previous week?” wonders Bill Chiles. Absolutely; just go to "UPDATE YOUR PROFILE" at the bottom of your E-Journal and select the frequency you prefer.

Keith Arnold Remembers Don Wiener

Published On 2/23/2013

Don Wiener was the fourth person I ever met who played go, but he was my first go player, the first person who truly inhabited the game - he played, he studied, he taught and he organized. I had learned the game from a professor at college, and I knew of two other students who played. One January, back in 1980, the professor taught a month long course on the game. While I did not take the class, I showed up for Don's visit. After only experiencing the very laid back style of the prof, Don was a seismic shift. His energy was amazing and his laughter infectious. I recall he played the entire class 9x9 games with handicaps. I lacked 9x9 experience, so I was not one of the few winners, but I recall him complimenting my willingness to try to kill him. I failed, but he did not kill me either - I recall the final score was 5 to 2. Later I would learn that he was one of the strongest players on the East Coast. He was a mainstay of the American Go Journal staff back in those days.

In Memoriam: Don Wiener 6D

Published On 2/22/2013

Long-time go organizer and mentor Don Wiener passed away on February 21 after a struggle with lung cancer. “We will miss one of American go's true spirits,” said American Go Association President Andy Okun. Wiener (left), a 6-dan player, was one of the stalwarts of the Massachusetts Go Association, and an organizer of countless tournaments over a span of more than 30 years. At the beginning of each tournament, he always announced – with a straight face – the “special MGA rule” that “if you touch a stone you must play that stone.” Wiener taught so many players with so many high-handicap games that he often said “I don’t know how to play an even game.” He was also an important member of the New York group which powered the growth of the AGA in the late 70s and 80s. Beside his speed go and quick wit, Wiener's speed typing was a huge asset as an Assistant Editor of the American Go Journal from 1977 to 1987 when all of the text was done on an IBM Selectric typewriter.

Published On 2/22/2013

The second round of the Pandanet AGA City Leaguewill be held this Sunday, February 24. Round 1 winners in the A League were Greater Washington (d. Boston), Los Angeles (d. New York City) and Vancouver (d. Seattle). In B League, winners were Washington DC 1, San Francisco and Toronto. In the C League, winners were Washington DC 2, Memphis, Chicago and Pittsburgh. D League winners were Quebec, Southern California 2, Kentucky and Brentwood TN. Click here for Sunday’s pairings (check schedules for times for each league): A League; B League; C League; D League.

Published On 2/22/2013

U.S. pro Andy Liu 1P will play Lee Sedol 9P this Sunday, Feb. 24 (10a EST) in the latest round of the 10-game series between the AGA-Europe pro team and Lee, sponsored by go9dan.com. - photo: Andy Liu (right) receives his 1-dan professional certificate from Myung-wan Kim 9P at the 2012 AGA-Tygem Pro Tournament; photo by Steve Colburn

Published On 2/22/2013

“I am the go instructor for the Penn State University course mentioned in the article "Penn State Course Studying Go for Insight into Military, Cyber Threats" (2/20 EJ), writes Paul Wright. “The university press release was sent out with some incorrect information regarding myself and the name of the go club I represent. The correct name of the go club is ‘The Schlow Library Go Club’ and my role in the club is that of ‘Coordinator.’ The Schlow Library Go Club meets every Saturday at 1:30 in the Sun Room at Schlow Centre Region Library. For more information about the Schlow Library Go Club, please see our Sensei's Library page.”

Published On 2/20/2013

At Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST), Stan Aungst is employing the ancient Chinese game of go to help students gain new insight and new methods for countering attacks -- cyber and physical, both foreign and domestic -- and to hone new cognitive skills for the 21st century. “We’re using the game as a training ground to think strategically and tactically,” said Aungst, a senior lecturer for security and risk analysis (SRA) and senior research associate for the Network-Centric Cognition and Information Fusion Center in a Penn State press release February 7. The course that Aungst is teaching, “Using Serious Games to Promote Strategic Thinking and Analysis,” introduces students to thinking visually about attacks, attack patterns, spatial analysis with individual performance evaluation via interactive virtual scenarios/missions and gaming. Paul Wright, president of the State College Go Club, recently demonstrated the game for the students in the class.

Published On 2/19/2013

Despite the simplicity of its rules, go remains something of an open problem for the game AI community. In Playing Go with Clojure, Bay Area software developer and go player Zach Tellman discusses the inherent difficulties of the problem, provides a survey of current approaches, and explores how they can be efficiently implemented in Clojure, a dialect of the Lisp programming language. - Thanks to Steve Colburn for passing this along.

“Surrounding Game” Releases New Trailer

Published On 2/18/2013

“We’ve just put our new extended trailer on YouTube,” reports The Surrounding Game co-director Cole Pruitt. “Plus, thanks to help from several American go contacts, we're working with the Nihon Ki-in to schedule a trip to Japan sometime later this summer, hopefully to coincide with a big amateur go festival in August. In March, at the Spring Go Expo, we'll interview a Japanese 4p who will be coming to the US for a month for promotional purposes.”

Pair Go a Hit in Mexico

Published On 2/18/2013

The Mexican Youth Go Community drew 31 pairs to their first Pair Go Tourney, held in December in Mexico City. "The kids wanted to play go with their parents but they didn't know how, so they asked us for workshops and lessons," reports organizer Siddhartha Avila. "Then we thought, why not make go an activity that can be enjoyed by the whole family, this way each family will spread the game even when their kids grow up and leave elementary school. We had a great response, with pairs including the kids, parents, relatives, or friends," said Avila. Winners Report: 1st place Mariana (5th grader) and her mom; 2nd place Melanie (2nd grader) and her dad; 3rd place Diego Armando (1st grader) and his mom. A special thanks goes to the Principal Marcela Zepeda, Go teacher Marcos Arámbula and Israel Rodriguez President of Asociación Mexicana de Go, who helped us with the pairings. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Report and Photo by Siddhartha Avila.

Published On 2/17/2013

A new Korean comic book provides a view of Korean corporate life through the eyes of a former go player. In Misaeng, artist/author Yoon Taeho “ describes the claustrophobic interpersonal relations between employees of Korean corporations, focusing on the banality of everyday life and the little struggles and tiny victories of survival in a corporate culture,” writes Emanuel Pastreich on his blog, Korea: Circles and Squares.

Published On 2/17/2013

Robert Jasiek has released Positional Judgement 1 / Territory, designed to help go players accurately assess territories in a given position. It also “answers the fundamentally important questions: who is ahead and by how much, what are the potential strengths and weaknesses in the current position, and which sequence of moves gives the best result?” says Jasiek. Click here to download a sample from the book (EUR 26.5, 272 pp.).

Published On 2/17/2013

The Princeton Go Club will host the 54th annual New Jersey Open the weekend of March 2-3, reports co-director Rick Mott. The 2-day, 5-round event has been running for more than half a century, and on the Princeton campus for 23 years. Registration is 9-10A Saturday, March 3. Email co-director Mott for full details at rickmott@alumni.princeton.edu. Go has a long history at Princeton. The Princeton club was founded by Professor Ralph J. Fox of the Department of Mathematics in 1945, who continued to promote go in Princeton until his untimely death in 1973. Professor Fox brought a number of Japanese professionals to visit Princeton, and often hosted them at his house. His late wife Cynthia bequeathed some of his books, photographs and papers to the club archives.

Published On 2/16/2013

The Cacomo iPhone game is now available in the Apple app store, as of Feb 12th. Cacomo is a casual, go-like card game, where players try to capture each other's stones on a board, but unlike go, players can only play a stone on a spot if they have the card for that spot. Cacomo is perfect for relatives and friends who want to learn go but find its complexity intimidating, or for go players looking for a casual, portable go experience. The card game was invented by Hiroko Shinkai 5P of the Nihon Ki-in. It was made into an Apple app by Danielle Hyatt, a Seattle Go Center member. The two met at the Seattle Go Center Anniversary Party in September of 2012. - Brian Allen

Osaka Go Camp Update

Published On 2/16/2013

Thirty go players from North America, South America and Africa have already signed up for the Osaka Go Camp (Maeda Osaka Go Camp Details Released 2/8 EJ), June 30-July 20 in Osaka, Japan. Click here for details and to register before the camp fills up.

Published On 2/16/2013

“Most people go to the Hungarian Pastry Shop expecting a little peace and quiet—and maybe a shot of espresso,” wrote Tracey Wang in the Columbia Spectator on February 8 (Gamers find home at Hungarian Pastry Shop). “But on Tuesday nights, the shop on Amsterdam Avenue at 111th Street plays host to a more energetic crowd—a group of gamers who challenge each other in the ancient Chinese game of Go.”

Published On 2/15/2013

When a group of US go players (2013 US–Cuba Friendship Trip Planned 9/23/2012 EJ) arrives in Cuba this Friday, it'll be the second visit from the United States in as many months. Former AGA President -- and current American Go Foundation President -- Terry Benson (at left in photo) visited the Cuban Academy of Go on January 11 during a personal trip to the island last month. His report follows. I was picked up by Rafael Torres Miranda and Señorita Kenia, the professora de go at the Academy, who drove us 15 minutes to the school's location, west of Havana in the Playa district quite far from Old Havana and downtown. The Academy was established in 2009 with funding from Japan's Kansai Kiin, Benson says, and followed previous visits from various pros. The Academy occupies a space under the sports stadium and is supported by the government sports department.

Published On 2/15/2013

Little Rock, AR: The Little Rock Go Club has been re-started in Arkansas, reports Aulden Murch. “ We have six enthusiastic members so far but have not found a place to meet yet.” In the meantime, reach Murch at Littlerockgoclub@gmail.com or call 501-337-3451. Silver Spring, MD: The Arthur Lewis Go Club has moved to the Mid County Community Center (2004 Queensguard Rd, Silver Spring MD 20906); 240-777-6820 • montgomerycountymd.gov/rec where it meets Tuesdays from 6-8:45p. The AGA maintains go club contact info on our website; if you are the current head of a go club you can edit and update that information yourself. Just log into the membership database with your user account and you can not only be able to edit your own personal information but also your club's. Once you log in, look for "Manage [Go Club's Name]" where you can edit the club's data, which will automatically update the information on the club listings on the AGA's web site.

Published On 2/14/2013

SmartGo is sponsoring the February and March qualifiers for the KGS 2013 Meijin tournament. Smallbird won the 2012 KGS Meijin inaugural effort, with some of the strongest players on the server competing for the final prize: $500 and a special icon. The 2013 KGS Meijin season has already started, with Alex12 winning the first spot in the qualifiers (finals will be held starting in November). SmartGo's February round has 18 entrants thus far, with ranks up to 6 dan. The single-elimination tournament will take place February 16-17; see the tournament web page for more details.

Sun and Chiu Leading in USYGC

Published On 2/14/2013

The United States Youth Go Championships (USYGC), held Jan. 19th on KGS pulled in 63 players. The withdrawal of the Ing Foundation from the event did not appear to have any effect on attendance. Kids and teens competed in five different bands, with players ranging from 7 dan to the double digit kyus. First place winners will be receiving crystal trophies in the mail, while second place winners will get a Sai plushie. All players can also now claim $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to US Go Congress, on a first come first serve basis. The scholarships are courtesy of the AGF, which helps bring dozens of young players to the Congress every year.

Published On 2/13/2013

Aiming to keep its winning streak alive, Canada put on a thrilling come-from-behind victory at the 5th US-Canada Youth Friendship Match, held this past Saturday on KGS and viewed live by over 200 go fans. Featuring the strongest amateur youth players in North America, the match seemed to be locked in for the US, as Albert Yen 6d, Andrew Lu 6d, and Aaron Ye 5d won the first three games. However, Canada came storming back, with wins by Jianing Gan 8d and Oliver Wolf 5d, leaving the top board of Calvin Sun 7d versus Bill Lin 8d to be the deciding game. In the end, Bill prevailed, bringing the Canadians back to a 3-3 split in wins and a victory with the top board tiebreak secured. Next, the North American team looks for a repeat victory over the European youth in the Transatlantic Match that will be played this coming spring. Full results can be seen here. -Story, and tournament, by Lawrence Ku

Published On 2/13/2013

Lee Sedol 9P, the longtime #1-ranked player in Korea, has shocked the go world by announcing in a recent interview that he would “...definitely retire and move overseas within three years.” Lee, 29 years old, is still at the top level of competition, and will probably be able to compete at that level for another four or five years. But the decorated pro says he wants to end his professional playing career at its height, rather than facing a possible decline. “I’m going to quit while I’m still at the top,” said Lee in his recent interview, “I can still compete for a few more years, but what can I do after that? Competing and being at the top is an important part of who I am, as a fighter and a player.” Lee has ambitious plans for his retirement as well, however, planning to teach and promote go abroad.

Published On 2/12/2013

The North American Go Convention continues tonight as professional go players Myungwan Kim 9P and Joanne Missingham 6P (at right, playing Pair Go; click here for the game record) give lectures, play simuls or provide game reviews from 7-10p in Parsippany, NJ. The action shifts south tomorrow, moving to McLean, VA (8200 Greensboro Drive, Suite 900) and then to GMU in Arlington for the weekend (3351 Fairfax Dr.)

Published On 2/12/2013

After almost seven hours of intense competition, Xuyu Xiang 7D (at left in photo) won the 2013 Phoenix Chinese Week (PCW) Go Open on February 10 in Phoenix, AZ. Held on the Chinese New Year’s Day at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix, this was the ninth year for the PCW Open. Eighteen go players ranging from 15k to 7D competed in four divisions “and celebrated the Year of the Snake,” reports organizer Quan Li. “We had some young kids as well as a senior player close to 70 years old.” The Open attracted many spectators, Li reports, and winners were presented with specially-designed medals featuring a ying-yang logo made of titanium. “Every player enjoyed the games and friendship with other players,” Li adds, “We will meet again in the Year of the Horse.”

The Spirit of Play: "Nature vs Nurture"

Published On 2/11/2013

In my last column (The Spirit of Play: “What can I do to improve?” 12/31/2012 EJ) I discussed players who reach moderately high levels of play with little effort, especially regarding problem solving. Since those players often have a big effect on others, I think it would be valuable to delve deeper into the matter.

Published On 2/10/2013

GoGameGuru, the online go “hub” founded in 2010 by Australians David Ormerod, An Younggil 8P and Jingning Xue, started with a bang – literally. Ormerod and Xue were among the 469 passengers flying from Singapore to Sydney when one of the engines exploded four minutes into the flight. The captain was credited with averting what could have been one of the worst air disasters in history. In the wake of this narrow escape, Ormerod reassessed his life priorities, and dedicated himself to bringing go to the West, with the help of his two friends. “More than anything else, Western go needs a steady stream of new players,” Ormerod told the EJ. The result, GoGameGuru (GGG), is a rapidly-expanding nexus of useful information from the ground up, as well as premium services and products for everyone, especially new and intermediate players.

AGA Launches Pair Go Page

Published On 2/10/2013

The AGA has just launched its Pair Go Facebook page. Calling it “a work in progress,” Rachel Small is collecting Pair Go photos from over the years to include on the page, and encourages others to share their photos as well. She also plans to stream photos live from Pair Go events. "Like" it to get Pair Go news, and post on the wall to let others know if you're looking for a partner. This is the first time that the AGA has made use of online social networking to promote go, and Small notes that it’s appropriate that Pair Go is leading the way, “as it is an inherently social variation of the game.” Photo: Rachel Small with her Panda Net staffer partner at the Pair Go Friendship Match at the Tokyo Metropolitan Edmont Hotel in November 2012; photo by Steve Colburn.

Published On 2/10/2013

“There is a persistent problem with the thinking behind many go articles (The Spirit of Play: “I’m Stuck” 10/29/2012 EJ, for example),” writes Terry Benson. “Everyone eventually gets stuck at some level and can't get higher. Their game might change, but it doesn't get better. Whatever rank they are will be their high water mark. That's go and that's life. There are limits in our brains which we can test but not break. “So anyone who plays only because they are ‘getting better’ sooner or later will stop playing. Hopefully, before they give up, they'll realize that go is a great game with many types of puzzles to solve and a wonderful way to connect to other people.

NAGC Update (Saturday Night)

Published On 2/10/2013

The North American Go Convention continues on Sunday, February 10. Cut-off time is 8:45A for the first round. "Drive safe" urges organizer Edward Zhang. Highlights include 3-4 rated games in the Open, awards for day-trippers 4-win trophies and 3-Win certificate), the Blitz Go Final, Pair Go Final and the Award Ceremony. Four pros are on hand: Myungwan Kim 9P, Joanne Missingham 6P, Andy Liu 1P and Stephanie Yin 1P. Click here for photos from Day One or here for more photos on Facebook. Game records: Round 1: zhaonian-chen-xuzeyu Round 2: Cao-Ruxu-chen-zhaonian Round 3: wang-jun-chen-zhaonian Round 4: zhaonian chen-wang ruinan

North American Go Convention Launches

Published On 2/9/2013

The North American Go Convention launched Friday night with welcoming speeches from organizers and professionals and simuls at the Days Inn Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey. Action continues Saturday with tournaments, lectures, simuls and more. Call 703-888-9240 or 407- 810-4098 for info. photos by Errol Missingham; collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 2/9/2013

The World Go League Invitational (New Go Server Launches With 10 Top Pros in $100,000 Invitational 12/15/2012 EJ) is underway. Sponsored by new go server go9dan.com, the contest seeks to determine the strongest go player in the world in a battle between the top five Korean pros and the top five Chinese pros. The World Pro Go League, the first quarterly league, commenced the last week of January and will end in March or April. Click here to see the the latest results and playing schedule and here for game records. To read comments see go9dan.com's Facebook page. Here are the results in the first five games; the first player is white and the winner is in bold: 1. Lee Sedol-Chen Yaoye; 2. Shi Yue-Lee Changho; 3. Park Junghwan-Xie He (note from go9dan.com: the "future authority of Korean Go” Park Junghwan won by time against one of the super-powers of China Xie He at move 84. We confirmed with Xie that it was not a technical problem.

School Teams Tournament

Published On 2/9/2013

Are you enrolled in a go club at school? If so, this is your chance to challenge other go clubs from all over North America. Registration is now open for the American Go Honor Society’s (AGHS) 14th annual School Team Tournament. In March, go clubs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico will compete for $3,000 in prizes, with some for every club. Which club will take home the glory of being North America’s strongest go club? Register from now to March 1st to take your shot at being the best. Gather your team mates and play in various divisions ranging from Novice to Varsity level. Teams must be composed of three people who are in high school or below and are all younger than 20. Each member of each team must be enrolled in the same school or learning institution, and each school/learning institution can enter a maximum of 3 teams for the tournament.

Published On 2/8/2013

The AGA Board of Directors is seeking two new board members as current members Bob Barber and Daniel Smith take their departure. Barber, a much-loved Chicago go organizer, is known for his creatively-named – and very well-run -- tournaments and is a longtime AGA volunteer. “We owe Bob a huge debt of gratitude for his many years of dedicated work on behalf of the local and national go community,” said Board Chair Daniel Smith. Barber is leaving to focus on other new activities in his life and to provide an opportunity on the AGA board for someone with more current involvement in AGA activities. With more than a year left in Barber’s term, the Board has determined that its by-laws call for a special election; details will be forthcoming from AGA Elections Officer Arnold Eudell. Smith, meanwhile, is leaving his Illinois home to take a tech job in California and is giving up his Central Region seat per the by-laws.

Maeda Osaka Go Camp Details Released

Published On 2/8/2013

New details have just been released on the Kansai-Kiin's 3-week intensive go camp with Maeda Ryo 6P in Osaka this summer (Maeda Organizing 2013 Go Camp in Osaka 8/6/2012 EJ). It will be held at the Osaka University of Commerce from June 30 – July 20. Attendees will receive intensive training from Kansai-Kiin professionals, play against top amateur players and former inseis while they make friends and go sightseeing around historical cities like Kyoto, Nara, and Himeji. There are also some optional tours to Hiroshima and/or the Shusaku Memorial Museum in Innoshima. Register before February 28 and get a 5,000-yen discount. “Maeda is hoping -- and excited -- to show the best part of Japan and have great time with attendees!” reports Akane Negishi. - photo: Maeda at the 2012 US Go Congress; photo by Chris Garlock

EuroGoTV: February 1

Published On 2/8/2013

National Veteran Championship: The National Veteran Championship, played from 01/26-27 in Bucuresti, Romania, was won by Petru Oancea 4d, second was Lucretiu Calota 5d and third was Liviu Oprisan 4d... Cognifide Go Cup #1: The Cognifide Go Cup #1, played on 01/26 in Poznan, Poland, was won by Marek Kaminski 4d, second was Kamil Chwedyna 4d (right) and third was Marcin Majka 2d... Torneo citta` di Treviso: The Torneo citta` di Treviso, played on 01/27 in Treviso, Italy, was won by Stefano Babini 3k, second was Leonardo Giuliato 3k and third was Andrea Brancaccio 6k... 2013 Irish Championship League Kick Off: The 2013 Irish Championship League Kick Off, played from 01/26-27 in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, was won by Roman Pszonka 3d, second was Claas Roever 2k and third was Noel Mitchell 2d...

Published On 2/7/2013

Plans for this weekend’s North American Go Convention are proceeding as a winter storm bears down on the region. “Our three professionals have arrived on-site and we’ve arranged for shuttle service from both Newark Penn Station and the Park & Ride in Parsippany-Troy Hills,” says NAGC Commissioner Edward Zhang (at right with Joanne Missingham and her parents, Nan-Ping and Errol). Click here for a short video overview about the NAGC. Shuttle sign-up is strongly encouraged so the NAGC volunteers can plan accordingly and reduce wait time. Players may also stay at the Days Inn Hotel on Friday if they wish to avoid traveling on Saturday, when the storm is forecast to hit. “Keep in mind that there is a second chapter of the NAGC in DC from February 13-17, with same three Open, Blitz and Pair Go tournaments,” adds Convention Director Yue Zhang 7D.

US Canada Friendship Match Feb. 9

Published On 2/6/2013

The 5th US-Canada Youth Friendship Tournament will be held Saturday, February 9, at 4pm Eastern time (1pm Pacific) in the AGA Tournaments Room on KGS. Organized by Lawrence Ku, the popular transnational match pits the strongest youth in North America against each other, and often draws large crowds of observers. Canada has won for the past three years in a row, and the US is itching for a win. The current crop of contenders (with US players listed first) features Calvin Sun 7d vs. Bill Lin 8d; Hugh Zhang 7d vs. Jianing Gan 8d; Albert Yen 6d vs. Irene Sha 7d; Andrew Lu 6d vs. Andrew Huang 6d; Vincent Zhuang 6d vs. Oliver Wolf 5d; Aaron Ye 5d vs. David Fan. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 2/5/2013

"Regarding Roy Laird's article, 'SGFs and iStuff' (2/1 EJ)," writes Eric Anderson. "Please -- if you're going to do a comparative product review, please spend the effort to investigate the features. Otherwise, you're using your powerful and respected platform to spread casual (and misleading) opinions, and it's really quite unfair to your readers. Specifically -- 'Seems worth the extra cost unless you really need to import large databases.' Um, no. SmartGo Kifu is an excellent problem and game collection, combined with a Go playing engine. It includes a form of SGF editor; but that editor is not particularly suitable either for recording games or for constructing problems -- at least, not compared to EasyGo, which is specifically (and very well) designed to do ...

Yasui Santetsu Focus of New Film

Published On 2/5/2013

Insight Into the Universe is a new film about Yasui Santetsu, a go player and famous Japanese astronomer, better known as Shibukawa Shunkai. The creator of the Japanese Jokyo calendar and the author of many books about astronomy, he also played with his friend and rival, Honinbo Dosaku, in the "castle games." The famous game between Dosaku and Santetsu, where Santetsu opened on tengen, is depicted in the 2012 film, which was directed by Yojiro Takita and stars Junichi Okada, a Japanese actor, singer, and member of the pop group V6. The heroine in the film, played by Miyazaki Aoi, works at a shrine which still exists today; click here to see Cho U 9p dedicating some of his famous go problems to that shrine. An English-subtitled version of the film does not appear to be available at this time. - thanks to Go Game Guru

Published On 2/4/2013

Two German brothers are collaborating to create a free movie trailer to spread the game of go. Sven Walther is a go player and computer scientist, while his brother Lars is an actor and filmmaker. Sven says he’s driven to “inspire people with interesting stuff” while Lars is “wowed by the stories and the drama in a game that appears to be so simple.” The brothers have teamed up to crowd-source $8,000 “to make a short video clip, like a movie trailer, to promote the game of go.” Rather than explaining the rules of the game, the Walthers intend to work with real actors and real movie people to create a professional clip that will create a “fascinating atmosphere to represent the game. The novice will see it and say ‘Whoa, what's that game? Wanna learn more!’" They’ll make the video available on YouTube, so anyone “can use it to promote the game wherever you want.” With 50 days to go, the duo has already raised just over $2,200 in pledges.

Brunei Cup Deadline Feb. 6

Published On 2/4/2013

"This is the last chance to sign up for the Brunei Friendship Cup," reports Andrew Huang, AGHS Tournament Organizer. "Registration will close Wednesday night at midnight. The team is still short on female players for pair go, so ladies, I urge you to find a partner and try for pair go." More info can be found on the AGHS website. To register, follow this link. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Redmond Cup Open for Registration

Published On 2/2/2013

Young American go players can now sign up for the 20th annual Redmond Cup Tournament. For the first time, the tourney will be held on KGS instead of IGS. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids under 12 years old, and the Senior league for those under 18, on August 10 2012. The two finalists in each division win a free trip to the 2013 US Go Congress to play the final games in person. Competitors in the Senior League must have an AGA rank of 1 dan or higher, in the Junior 5 kyu or stronger. The participants must be members of the American Go Association or the Canadian Go Association and either residents of the U.S., Canada or Mexico, or citizens of the United States living anywhere in the world, provided that they are also members of the AGA. The tournament director for the Redmond Cup is Michael Bull; AGA rules for all games. To register e-mail youth@usgo.org with your name, phone #, date of birth, AGA rating, KGS ID, and citizenship.

SGFs and iStuff

Published On 2/1/2013

When I was reviewing Weiqi2Go (Weiqi2Go Update 1/29 EJ) and discovered that there was no "Import" function, I thought it strange. I assumed that most go apps include this function, but it turns out that a good sgf reader is surprisingly hard to find. Most apps just save the records the user creates. I found only two programs that allow the user to import games: Smart Go Kifu, priced at $19.99; and EasyGo, priced at $11.99. It’s easier to import a large number of files into EasyGo; Smart Go Kifu only lets you do one at a time. On the other hand, Smark Go Kifu already contains a library of 40,000 games, as well as a way to record your games, a tutorial, a pretty strong playing program, 2,000 problems, 30 annotated games, a joseki matching feature, and more.

Go Game Guru’s “Year of Go in Photos”

Published On 1/31/2013

Our friends at Go Game Guru have just posted their 2012 album of favorite go photos, which are great fun to look at – the captions are amusing too -- and many of which would make terrific screensavers or wallpaper. Click here for the 2011 collection.

Published On 1/31/2013

Although there were many familiar faces at the annual Jujo Jiang Ing Cup last weekend, there were many new faces as well. “This year Jujo brought a group from China, led by former LG Cup titleholder -- and Chinese National Team Coach -- Yu Bin 9P,” reports organizer Ernest Brown. “Also on the tour was Li He, current women's world go champion

Published On 1/30/2013

With the first-ever North American Go Convention just over a week away, over 110 players have now registered for the Feb. 8-17 event. The field is shaping up to be fairly strong, with 30 players 5 dan and above, another 32 players 1d-4d and 30 single-digit kyu players.

Published On 1/29/2013

Go is returning to Hollyhock after more than a decade as Janice Kim 3P leads a workshop at the learning center in British Columbia June 28 through July 3. Kim promises to “Increase your go skill through interactive lectures, small and large group exercises, game practice and analysis,” as well as help players “Develop critical thinking skills and improve your confidence while exploring effective and positive real world decision-making.” An award-winning author and professional 3-dan, Kim brings decades of experience to her acclaimed workshops; in 1984 she won the World Youth Go Championship, took second place in the 1985 Fuji Women's Korean Go Champion and in 2008 she placed 4th in the World Poker Tour Bellagio Five Diamond Classic. She’s also been a contributor to the American Go E-Journal, most recently contributing commentary at the 2012 Sport Accord World Mind Sports Games in Beijing.

Weiqi2Go Update

Published On 1/29/2013

In a recent E-Journal article about Weiqi2Go, the new iPod/iPhone/iPad app for viewing recent tournament games, we complained that the players were only listed in Chinese, limiting its usefulness to non-Chinese reading users, and we’re pleased to report that game lists now identify events, games and players in English. Some game descriptions are still only in Chinese; there is also a Chinese option, and Korean names can be viewed in Korean. Nearly 1,000 recent pro games are available on the server, which is continuously updated with the latest top tournament games, organized in a way that I found difficult to browse;

Kevin Chou Wins San Diego Championship

Published On 1/28/2013

Kevin Chou of Hillsborough, CA won the second annual San Diego Go Championship with a 3-0 record in the dan division. Nearly two dozen players contested for the $100 top prize at UCSD. Tying for first place in the single-digit kyu division with two wins were David Baran of Beverly Hills,Seth Cardew of Tennessee, Michal Lebl, and Peter D Schumer of Vermont. Julian A Koslow won the double-digit yyu division with a 3-0 record and Megan Elizabeth Duff of Orange won the women's division. “It was a wonderful day of go,” said Ted Terpstra, President of the San Diego Go Club. photo courtesy Ted Terpstra

Published On 1/27/2013

The first round of the Pandanet-AGA City League starts this Sunday January 27th. Tune in on IGS using the new GoPanda2 client and watch the opening round. Round and game information are posted on the Pandanet site's right navigation bar to help you keep track of your local and favorite teams. We will be posting game records once the games have completed as well. Tune in for some great games!

Published On 1/27/2013

El Salvador Go Contacts Wanted: Planning a trip to El Salvador in the spring and looking for go players to meet there to talk about go and perhaps play some games. Please send any information to pcelmer@earthlink.net. Early Go World Mags For Sale: Unique opportunity to complete your Go World Magazine collection. All the rare early Ishi Press issues of the Go World Magazine (#1 - #72) in perfect condition for $690 (as a set only). Email niwrexy@yahoo.de

AGA Board Sets 2013 Goals, Priorities

Published On 1/24/2013

Organizational priorities and goals for the year ahead were the main topic of discussion at the January 13th meeting of the AGA's board of directors. The top priority is to complete the rank certification program, followed by expanding the AGA's presence on go servers, and creating a mentoring program. Although not chosen as a priority per se, the board also intends to create a reasonable reserve fund policy. Also on the agenda were the AGA president's report and approving prize funding for the USYGC. An overview of the discussion of AGA priorities will be in the minutes, which will be posted as soon as they are approved at the next meeting, scheduled for February 3rd. - Daniel Smith

Published On 1/23/2013

The Pandanet-AGA City League officially starts this weekend, January 26-27. In its first year, the League features 28 teams from North American cities and regions, divided into four leagues. The teams in each league will play round-robin team matches on the Pandanet Internet Go Server. Each league’s top finisher moves up to the next higher league at the end of the season, while the bottom finisher moves down to the lower league, etc."Pandanet has provided a generous cash prize fund for the top leagues," reports Thomas Hsiang. In addition, the teams are encouraged to seek regional sponsors to pay for the players’ game fees and other team activities.

Published On 1/22/2013

Hopefully the third time with be the charm for go9dan.com. Technical snafus on Monday once again derailed the Andy Liu-Lee Sedol game, which had been rescheduled from Sunday, when lag problems on the server caused Lee Sedol’s clock to run out. The game is now scheduled for this Saturday, January 26 at 8a EST. "We presume that the tech team can get the major bugs out in a few days," says Michael J. Simon, CFO and Head of English Activities for 82 Limited, which is launching the new server. The Liu-Sedol game is the first in a 10-game series against the two new U.S. professionals, Andy Liu and Gansheng Shi, and Romanian pro Catalin Taranu 5P. The pressure is on, as the new server is also set to host the first World Go League Invitational game at 7a EST this Sunday, January 27 between Sedol and Chen Yaoye. Ten of the world’s top professionals will play for $100,000 in prizes.

AGHS T-Shirt Contest

Published On 1/22/2013

The American Go Honor Society is having a t-shirt design contest. Come up with any fun designs for the front of an AGHS t-shirt and yours could be the one worn by AGHS members throughout the nation. There are a few requirements:
1) The design must include "American Go Honor Society" somewhere.
2) Only use up to two colors.
3) The design should be created electronically, or if drawn should be sent in the form of an electronic copy.
The AGHS officers will vote on the best design, and the winner will be notified and given a free t-shirt of their own design. Send your submission to aghsregister@gmail.com by March 1st to be entered into the contest.
-Julian Erville, AGHS Vice President.

Published On 1/21/2013

Zhou Ruiyang 5P (at right, in photo) won his first international title in convincing fashion after taking down Chen Yaoye 9P (below left) 3-0 in the Bailing Cup on January 19th. Despite being rated only 5P, Zhou was one of China's strongest pros and has played on the Chinese team in the last two Nongshim Cups. However, an international title had eluded him in his ten-year career as a pro, until now. Chen is another player who is long overdue for an international title after dominant performances in Chinese domestic tournaments like the Chinese Tengen and Chanqi Cup.

Published On 1/20/2013

Living on their sailboat in Palm Coast, Florida, Mike and Daphne Ryan are looking for Gg players in Palm Coast, St. Augustine, and Daytona Beach. Contact them at dmryan7@mac.com

Published On 1/20/2013

Edward Kim 7d and Ho Son 7d -- both undefeated -- shared the first place honors for the open section of the 3rd Jin Chen Memorial Tournament, held Jan. 6 in Seattle, WA. Second place went to guest Xingshuo Liu 7d, who is a law student at Indiana University and said that she isn't playing much now, and that she "was probably a stronger player when she was 12 years old in China." The tournament attracted 32 players, with five 7-dans and three 6-dans in the open section.

Published On 1/19/2013

Kiseido has announced a sale of 10-15% off selected English-language go books, including Cho Chikun's Go: A Complete Introduction to the Game, Kano Yoshinori's Graded Go Problems for Beginners series, Graded Go Problems for Dan Players and more. Order three or four books and get 10% off the listed price with free shipping; order five books or more and get 15% off the listed price with free shipping. Sale books include the Mastering the Basics Series and the Get Strong at Go Series. The sale runs through February 28, 2013

Published On 1/19/2013

Looking for players at the US Patent Office, Alexandria (VA) Campus. Contact Ramon A. Mercado at rmercado@iastate.edu

Published On 1/19/2013

by Lisa Schrag As visiting Americans who help run the Bay Area Go Players Association, Roger Schrag and I wanted to see first-hand how go is taught in South Korea, a country where the population is as familiar with go (called baduk in Korean) as Americans are with chess. We visited Blackie's International Baduk Academy (BIBA), where we were greeted by friendly teachers Kim Seung-jun 9P “Blackie” (right) and Diana Koszegi 1P (left). Two years ago, they opened BIBA's doors in the bustling Sanbon neighborhood of Seoul. The school only accepts international students, yet the system of learning go is traditional Korean. While a student there, you are living and breathing go with a daily schedule that runs from 11 in the morning to about 10 at night.

Published On 1/18/2013

Registration for the upcoming N.A. Go Convention is nearing 100, reports organizer Edward Zhang. The week-long event February 8-17 spans two weekends, beginning in Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ (2/8-12) and then moving to Arlington, VA (2/13-17); click here for the full schedule. Organizers are welcoming daytrippers by rewarding 3-win and 4-win players, and Zhang says that with $3,170 in cash prizes, plus trophies, books, convention certificates, and rank certificates, "everyone will win something!"

Published On 1/18/2013

In a surprising series of upsets, three players, all under 16 and who turned pro earlier this year, have defeated some of the top-rated Korean players.

EuroGoTV: January 17

Published On 1/18/2013

12 and Under Russian Championship: The 12 and Under Russian Championship, played from 01/12-13 in Moscow, Russia, was won by Valerij Kulishov 1k, second was Mikhail Dobricyn 6k and third was Kim Shakhov 5k... Barnaul Open Tournament: The Barnaul Open Tournament, played from 01/12-13 in Barnaul, Russia, was won by Evgenij Gorbachev 3d, second was Pavel Pristupa 2d and third was Zoja Gorbacheva 4k... La Carboneria played on 01/12 in Sevilla, Spain, was won by Adrian Dominguez 9k, second was David Ciudad 12k and third was Raul Aguilera 7k... Helsingin Mestaruus 2013 Avoin: The Helsingin mestaruus 2013 avoin, played on 01/12 in Helsinki, Finland, was won by Arto Heikkinen 2d, second was Anttoni Maula 1d and third was Pekka Lajunen 3d (left)... Helsingin mestaruus: The Helsingin mestaruus, played from 01/12-13 in Helsinki, Finland, was won by Juri Kuronen 5d, secod was Vesa Laatikainen 5d and third was Javier-Aleksi Savolainen 5d...

Published On 1/17/2013

“I want an Android app for the smart go books!” writes Lee Frankel-Goldwater. “I'd like an Android version for SmartGo Books too,” responds SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf. “And I keep getting requests from people for Android versions of SmartGo Books and SmartGo Kifu. However, when looking at the costs of maintaining another platform, both in $$$ and in time that could be spent improving the iOS apps, it's not so clear. Several articles (The shocking toll of hardware and software fragmentation on Android development; Why we’ve decided to stop producing TNW Magazine for Android) highlight some issues with adding Android support. I'm not ruling out possible Android support in the future, but my current plan is to improve iOS support and add a Macintosh version before I consider adding any other platforms. Meanwhile, if you're desperate for SmartGo Books, an iPad mini may be the ticket.”

Published On 1/17/2013

At the upcoming January 26 Jujo Ing Cup, sponsored by Ing's Goe Foundation and organized by the Bay Area Go Players Association, players can not only compete for $3,000 in prizes, but strong players also have the chance to earn points to qualify for this year’s North American Ing Masters (NAIM) tournament. This year's NAIM will be held at the 2013 US Go Congress, set for August 3-7 in Seattle-Tacoma, WA. The Jujo Jiang Ing Cup will serve as the first Western region qualifier. Register online before the event and receive a $10 discount: click here to register.

Published On 1/16/2013

By John Pinkerton I knew I was in trouble as a game recorder when I saw the draw for Board 2 in the final round of the Gotham Go Tournament last Saturday. On one side of the board -- or I should say, “in one corner, with a quick right,” playing white -- was Lee Kyoung 7D, whose lightning-fast game had left me in the dust two rounds earlier. In that game, before I had time to enter a well-known joseki in one corner, the players finished josekis in two other corners and started a fight. At the same time, we lost our internet connection, so the live broadcast was dead and catching up became a largely moot point. Hardwired to KGS now, and with another round under our belt, I'd thought I was ready for the final round. However… In the other corner is the champion of speed himself, Andy Liu 1P, who often uses his speed as a lethal weapon.

Published On 1/15/2013

The ongoing development of electronic publishing is often framed as a battle to the death between two formats, hard-copy versus electronic. But the reality may be more complex, as creators and users seek to maximize the advantages of both formats in a rapidly-changing technological landscape. "The e-book version has the advantages of both printed books and a go file on the computer using a go program," says Michael Redmond 9P, a top player and author of many hard-copy go books, who has recently released 'Patterns of the Sanrensei', written specifically for SmartGo Books. "The greatest advantage of go file on a computer is the ease and speed with which one can view the moves and variations, without having to search for the next move, and no problems with misplaced stones.

Jason Clancy Tops MGA Winter Tourney

Published On 1/14/2013

Jason Clancy 6k (at left, in green sweater) took first place at the January 13 Massachusetts Go Association Winter Tournament, topping a 24-player field that ranged from 4 dan to 20 kyu. “Twenty three players pre-registered,” reports Tournament Director Eva Casey. “Three of those were no-shows, so twenty players got the pre-registration discount. The majority of the players joined or renewed membership in the Massachusetts Go Association, thus meriting an additional discount.” Casey thanked the Boylston Chess Club in Somerville for use of their premises. Winners: First Place: Jason Clancy 6k; Second Place: Elliot Stern 7k; Third Place: Alex Linden 12k. photo courtesy Eva Casey: left to right: Clancy-Peters; DaSilva-Linden; Nahabedian-Yamkovoy

Published On 1/13/2013

Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 7D (right) won the Gotham Go Tournament January 12, topping a capacity crowd that filled the Soho Room at the historic Hostelling International New York on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Chen's 4-0 sweep earned him the $300 top prize and included a convincing win over Andy Liu 1P (left) in the second round. Liu took second place and Kim Dae Yol was third in the open section. The field included a healthy mix of new players and "old-timers" who were happy to see tournament go returning to the New York go scene after a multi-year drought. The tournament drew from as far away as Washington, with DC organizer Haskell Small 2D making the journey up to play, and as near as 106th Street, as former AGA President Roy Laird 3K walked over to join the festivities. The American Go E-Journal's Chris Garlock and John Pinkerton broadcast top-board games (see links below) on KGS with live commentaries by Gansheng Shi 1P

Published On 1/11/2013

Live From Gotham: With 64 players -- including six 7-dans --registered, this Saturday's Gotham Go Tournament has maxed out, reports organizer Peter Armenia, "due to space and equipment limitations." However, you can follow the top-board action live on KGS starting at 10a EST, as the E-Journal broadcasts games with commentary by pros and top players, including Gansheng Shi 1P, Justin Teng and Hugh Zhang. Players will be competing for cash prizes and books from Slate and Shell. Berlekamp Confirmed for ACGA Spring Go Expo: Dr. Elwyn Berlekamp, co-author of 'Mathematical Go', has been confirmed as a featured speaker at the upcoming ACGA Spring Go Expo, which has now officially begun registration. More speakers and the expo schedule will be confirmed in the next couple weeks, reports organizer Cole Pruitt.

Published On 1/10/2013

"This February, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is looking to renew its relations with Brunei, Malaysia, and Canada in a reinstallment of the Brunei Friendship Cup," reports event organizer Andrew Huang 6d. "This tournament, aimed at go players in high school and younger, gives all players, regardless of strength, an opportunity to represent the United States in an international and friendly competition." A qualification tournament to pick the national team will be held on February 9-10, with the Brunei Friendship Cup set to take place on February 16. Players of all ranks and pair go participants are needed. For more information and registration, please visit the AGHS site, to register go here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo from xinwengolife.wordpress.com.

EuroGoTV: January 10th

Published On 1/10/2013

Bergen Winter Cup: The Bergen Winter Cup played, from 01/05-06 in Bergen, Norway, was won by Antti Tormanen 6d, second was Heming Hanevik 1d, and third was Paal Sannes 4d... Torneo della Befana 2013: The Torneo della Befana 2013, played on 01/05 in Milano, Italy, was won by Francesco Marigo 4d, second was Isamu Oka 3k and third was Paolo Montrasio 1k... 463 Velika Gorica weekend-go-tournament: The 463 Velika Gorica weekend-go-tournament, played on the 01/05 in Velika Gorica, Croatia, was won by Mladen Smud 1k, second was Robert Jovicic 2k and third was Nikola Primetica 4k... La Carboneria: The La Carboneria, played on 12/29 in Sevilla, Spain, was won by Jose-Manuel Vega 2k, second was Fran Garcia 9k and third was Francisco Carretero 6k... - adapted from EuroGoTV, which includes winner reports, crosstabs, game records and photos. Edited by Taylor Litteral

USYGC Deadline Jan. 13

Published On 1/9/2013

There are just a few days left to register for the US Youth Go Championships, which will be held Jan. 19th on KGS. All AGA members who are under 18, and live in the US are eligible, and there will be prizes awarded every five ranks. The top winners in the under 12 and under 18 brackets will receive a free trip to the US Go Congress! Winners in all bands will receive a beautiful etched glass trophy, 2nd place in each bracket gets a Sai plushie. Everyone who enters will be eligible for AGF scholarships to either the AGA Go Camp or the US Go Congress, first come first served. The scholarships are worth $400 at camp, or $200 at congress. You may enter at a rank higher than your official AGA rank, but may not enter at a lower one. The registration deadline is Sunday, January 13th. To register, e-mail youth@usgo.org with your name, rank, birthday, AGA ID, KGS ID, and citizenship. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 1/8/2013

The next in Tygem's series of live world championship commentaries by Myungwan Kim 9P will be this Wednesday and Friday as Zhou Ruiyang 5P and Chen Yaoye 9P vie for the inaugural Bailing Cup, the go world’s newest international title. Game One of the best-of-five series will start at 5:30p Pacific Standard Time (8:30p EST) on Wednesday (9:30 a.m. in Shanghai, where the games will take place.) Game 2 will be two days later at the same time. Kim’s live commentary can be seen on Tygem’s World Server, which organizers promise "will not have any crowding problems." Chen (right) is one of the strongest go players in the world and is currently number one in China. He plays very well in domestic tournaments but has not had success in world championship games, so this final will be a big chance for him to make his mark on the world stage. Chen showed his talent when he became pro at the age of ten and earned the rank of 9P at just 17.

Published On 1/8/2013

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook 2012 Member’s Edition Collection.

Published On 1/6/2013

“Recently I've discovered some information about programmers advocating go to their peers,” writes Steve Colburn, an IT professional and go organizer in Rochester, NY who’s also on the AGA website and EJ team. “The first one is a video from the Game Developers Conference in which Frank Lantz from the NYU Game Center gives a talk about Life and Death and Middle Pair: Go, Poker, and the Sublime (reported in the 10/30 EJ). The second part is part of the Clojure community. The head of the community Rich Hickey advocates the playing of go to people who code in this language. I know of a few active Clojure programmers (Eidogo and IGS programmers) who are all go players. At this year's Clojure Conj, Zach Tellman gave a talk about Playing Go with Clojure right before the keynote. It's great to hear go being publicized like this to our peers and those who do not know about go.”

Published On 1/6/2013

The N.A. Go Convention next month is attracting players from as far away as China, reports organizer Edward Zhang. “At least half a dozen Chinese players with strengths equivalent to AGA 6 dan and higher have registered in the past week,” says Zhang. They include Ruxu Cao (right), who won third place in the 2011 World Mind Sports Games amateur division, and Zhiyao Li, Heilongjiang Province Youth Go champion in 2004 and 2007. Click here to see who’s coming. Team spirit is also a big part of the Convention, which uses a “team score” measure similar to the Cotsen Open’s, in which individual player wins contribute to their team’s overall score as they compete for a $1,000 team prize in addition to individual awards and prizes. “Players don't need to be all strong players, and they just need to do well in their own divisions,” Zhang explains. Though most teams will likely be made up of players from the same area/city, that’s not required.

Ing Backs Out of USYGC

Published On 1/5/2013

In a surprise move, the Ing Chang-Ki Goe Foundation, sponsors of the World Youth Goe Championships (WYGC), have decided to hold their own qualification process, instead of accepting the US Youth Champion as their representative to the WYGC. "After a long and serious consideration," writes Executive Secretary Yang Yu-Chia, "[we] would like to inform you that the selection process of World Youth Goe Championships in North America will be conducted by the Foundation and its liaison office in Menlo Park, California, with the hope that we can expand our influence of promotions for the youth there in the future." No further reason was given. AGA President Andy Okun, in a formal response, stated that “The AGA’s practice is to support nearly all go activities in the US, regardless of who organizes them. For the most part, we welcome the Ing Foundation doing activities on its own. However, regarding international representation, this is one area where we do care who does what in the US.

Gotham Tourney Attracting Strong Field

Published On 1/4/2013

With a week to go, nearly three dozen players have already registered for the January 12 Gotham Go Group Tournament in New York City. Zhaonian Chen 7D, Jimmy Guo 7D and Xiliang Liu 7D top the field, and the E-Journal will broadcast top-board games live on KGS for those who cannot attend. Registration is still open for the 4-round AGA-rated tournament, which features prizes for all sections "and surprises for everyone!" promises organizer Peter Armenia. photo: playing site, the Hostelling International New York, at 891 Amsterdam Ave (btw 103rd & 104th).

EuroGoTV: January 3

Published On 1/3/2013

European Youth Go Championship: The 18th European Youth Go Championship, organized by the Hungarian Go Association in Budapest, Hungary, will take place 3/7-10... London Open: The London Open, played from 12/28-31 in London, United Kingdom, was won by Lukas Kraemer 5d (left), second was Matthew Cocke 5d and third was Volkmar Liebscher 3d... Austrian Championship 2012 Playoff: The Austrian Championship 2012 Playoff, played from 12/16-30 in Vienna, Austria, was won by Schayan Hamrah 4d (right), second was Viktor Lin 5d... Hungary New Year’s Tournament: Dominik Boviz 3d won Group A; second was Renato Tolgyesi 1k and third was Mate Matolcsi 6k; Barnabas Kollner 9k won Group B; second was Viktor Toth 14k and third was Judit Bovizne Detre 17k; Szilvia Toth 18k won Group C; second was Aniko Tothne Temesvari 18k and third was Nikoletta toth 18k…SM-finaali: The SM-finaali played 12/29 in Oulu, Finland, was won by Antti Tormanen 6d (left), second was Juri Kuronen 5d...

Published On 1/2/2013

Although I agree with most of the article on how to improve (The Spirit of Play: “What can I do to improve?” 12/31 EJ), I must -- tongue firmly in cheek -- object to the statement that solving go problems is ‘boring’. When I was a student at the Korean Baduk Association, the protocol for solving a problem was that you had to be willing to stake your life that your answer was complete and correct. 'Complete' is key, as you definitely didn't want to scramble for a reply if an alternate move in some sequence was suggested; the executioner may have itchy fingers. Solving problems to this day remains a high-octane, nail-biting affair for me, especially if it's not much of a reading challenge, so tempting then to omit steadying the nerves and triple-checking. You can hold yourself to a higher standard when practicing, and everybody loses sometimes so the pressure is off when playing, so you might think it's the actual competition that is the tedious part of go...”

Published On 1/2/2013

In a December 29 NPR story about differences between the way that the West and the East think about the process of intellectual struggle, Planet Money correspondent Robert Smith (r) notes that “I learned how to play the board game Go…And one of the things they tell you right at the beginning is to lose your first 50 games quickly; that the whole notion of learning this game is to start by losing a lot. And it reminds me a little bit of this, this theory that it's going to happen, so you need to embrace that. That is the important part.” Click here to hear the story: NPR Reporters On The Stories That Stuck In 2012; the story -- by science correspondent Alix Spiegel -- begins at 1:05 and Smith’s comment is at 2:45. Thanks to Eric Osman for passing this along.

Published On 12/31/2012

From time to time students ask me “What can I do to improve?” This is a funny question because I suspect what they really want to know is “What can I do to improve that doesn't involve solving problems?” When this subject comes up, someone invariably says something like "I know at 5-dan who never picked up a problem book." I know a few of these cases, too, and understand that the comment is not really about recognizing that player's natural skill but as proof that solving problems is not required to improve at go.

Go Spotting: Last Resort

Published On 12/30/2012

"Go was just featured on a U.S. TV series!" writes Alicia Seifrid. The game was featured in the ABC series "Last Resort," episode 10 ("Blue Water"), which aired last Thursday, December 13. "The series is about a renegade U.S. submarine crew on an island in the Indian Ocean," explains Seifrid. "In this episode, a Chinese diplomat named Zheng visits the crew offering humanitarian aid.

Published On 12/30/2012

Lee Sedol 9P, hot off his Samsung Cup win earlier this month, pulled off a stunning reversal to beat Baek Hongseok 9P for the Myeongin title. The Myeongin, the Korean equivalent of the Japanese Meijin title, is a best-of-5 match. After losing the first two games to Baek on December 17 and 18, Lee came back to sweep the remaining three games and capture the 41st title of his career. Many consider Baek to be Lee's natural enemy, because Baek's powerful fighting style usually works well against Lee's, as shown by their 6-4 record in Baek's favor before the tournament. This is the second time Baek has placed second in the Myeongin, losing last year to Park Yonghun 9P. Baek will be off the go scene for nearly two years, due to compulsory military service beginning on January 7th, 201. His departure comes at the end of a strong year following wins in the BC Card Cup and the Asian TV Cup. - Adapted from GoGameGuru's report; edited by Ben Williams

Published On 12/29/2012

There is still time to register for the US Youth Go Championships, which will be held Jan. 19th on KGS. All AGA members who are under 18 are eligible, and there will be prizes awarded every five ranks. Think you might be the best 22 kyu out there? Try your hand in the 21-25 kyu bracket. All games will be even within rank brackets of roughly five stones. All dan level games will be further subdivided by age - under 18 and under 12. Winners will receive a beautiful etched glass trophy, 2nd place in each bracket gets a Sai plushie. Everyone who enters will be eligible for AGF scholarships to either the AGA Go Camp or the US Go Congress, first come first served. The scholarships are worth $400 at camp, or $200 at congress. You may enter at a rank higher than your official AGA rank, but may not enter at a lower one. The registration deadline is Sunday, January 13th. To register, e-mail youth@usgo.org with your name, rank, birthday, AGA ID, KGS ID, and citizenship.

Go World Classics: The Go Burglar

Published On 12/29/2012

During the Edo period a go club, like a tea ceremony room or a kyoka poetry meeting, was a place where rank, station and sex were irrelevant: what mattered most was the skill of the participants. Such people came as close to forming a genuine meritocracy as was possible in class-conscious Japan in those days, and this must have been a large part of go's appeal to new players. The fact that go requires deep concentration over relatively long periods of time naturally leads to absent-mindedness in everything unrelated to the game at hand. The absent-minded go player is a stock joke in Japan like the absent-minded professor in the West. A fine example of this is the old story called Go Doro, 'the Go Burglar,' several versions of which are preserved in the public story-telling tradition of the Edo and Meiji periods.

Published On 12/28/2012

The SmartGo Books app has just added four more e-books for a total of 52 books in English. The latest titles include both volumes of Cho Hun-hyeon's Lectures on Go Techniques, Yilun Yang's Tricks in Joseki and In the Beginning from the Elementary Go Series. And for those who prefer Japanese or Spanish, Michael Redmond 9P has translated his Patterns of the Sanrensei into Japanese, and the Spanish version of Yuan Zhou's How Not to Play Go, translated by Brian J. Olive, has just been added. Readers can switch between English and the other language, or see both languages, "perfect for brushing up on your Spanish or Japanese," says SmartGo's Anders Kierulf. 38 Basic Joseki and The Endgame are also in the works, Kierulf adds.

Published On 12/27/2012

Expressing "heart-felt thanks" to the Nihon Ki-in, the Seattle Go Center on December 21 signed a new lease agreement with the Nihon Ki-in that runs through 2016, with an option to renew through 2021. The agreement ended a dispute over the possible sale of the Center (Nihon Kiin Urged Not to Sell Seattle Go Center 3/4/2012 EJ), "providing for our continued management and occupancy of the Iwamoto Building in support of our mission to promote the game of go and encourage cultural exchange in the spirit of Iwamoto-sensei," the Center said in a press release. "To a large extent," the release noted, "this new agreement simply formalizes the understanding the two organizations have always had, and ensures that misunderstandings will not occur in the future."

EuroGoTV: December 27

Published On 12/27/2012

Moscow Cup Final: The Moscow Cup Final, played from 12/22-23 in Moscow, Russia, was won Andrej Cheburkahov 5d, second was Natalia Kovaleva 5d and third was Vjacheslav Kajmin 2d... La Carboneria: The La Carboneria, played on 12/22 in Sevilla, Spain, was won by Adrian Arellano 6k, second was Nicolas Ballesteros 7k and third was Adrian Dominguez 9k... Three Dragons: The Three Dragons, played from 12/22-23 in Kyiv, Ukraine, was won by Volodymyr Kokozei 4d, second was Dmytro Yatsenko 5d and third was Andrii Denysenko 1k... Dnipropetrovsk Region Championship: The Dnipropetrovsk Region Championship, played from 12/22-23 in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, was won by Kostiantyn Lopatenko 3d, second was Andrii Vdovin 2d and third was Dmytro Shevchenko 2d... Velikogoricki jesenski go-turnir: The Velikogoricki jesenski go-turnir, played on 12/22 in Velika Gorica, Croatia, was won by Mladen Smud 1k, second was Lovro Furjanic 1d and third was Daniel Zrno 2k...

Published On 12/26/2012

The American Go E-Journal collaborated with Ranka Online and SportAccord to provide comprehensive coverage -- including our first-ever video broadcasts -- of the recent 2012 SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG), held December 12-20 in Beijing, China. See below for a selection of highlights of the E-Journal coverage or click here for all of Ranka's reports.

Published On 12/25/2012

Here's an exciting sign of the times: a stack of go sets in the "Classic Games" section of Barnes and Noble. And not just buried on the shelf, but stacked in the aisle, a higher-profile position, priced at $34.95 each. We found this display on New York's Upper West Side: other stores may not feature it as prominently, but according to the set, B&N commissioned a Chinese manufacturer to produce this set exclusively for them, so they must hope to sell a lot of sets. The board folds and locks to hold the 360 pieces (not 160 as listed on the B&N website) when not in use. The stones are made yunzi style (flat on one side). Many players prefer the double-convex stones, which are easier to pick up after a game, but yunzi stones have their fans; during post-game analysis, just flip them over to recall which moves were actually played in the game.

Published On 12/24/2012

Guo Juan's Internet Go School is now accepting enrollments for its online group class for the first term of the new year. The class begins January 19-20, 2013, and participants will also receive a 20% discount on a year's membership for Guo's audio lectures. The school's teaching faculty includes Guo Juan 5P, Jennie Shen 2P, Young Sun Yoon 8P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P. Click here for details and to register.

Published On 12/22/2012

SAWMG Go Tourney Makes a $plash: The SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) $400,000 in prizes makes the recently-concluded event the fourth largest international men's tournament in 2012 -- after the BC Card, Samsung and LG Cup tournaments -- reports International Go Federation (IGF) Vice President Thomas Hsiang, who notes that this year's go prize pool was doubled from last year. It's also the richest international women's tournament ($185,000 in prizes) and pair-go tournament ($66,000), Hsiang adds, as well as "the first international professional tournament run by the International Go Federation." photo: medalists in the Men's Individual tournament (l-r): Kang Dongyoon (silver, $40,000); Choi Chulhan (gold, $100,000); Lin Chi-han (bronze, $30,000); photo by Ivan Vigano

Free Lessons for Youth

Published On 12/22/2012

If you are under 18, there is still time to apply for free teaching lessons from professionals, through the American Go Foundation. Yi Lun Yang 7P, Janice Kim 3P, and Jennie Shen 2P, will offer lessons online to students who qualify. Applicants must be AGA members, currently in grades K-12, and not had private professional lessons before (attending a lesson at a previous congress is not a problem). Applicants will be judged on their demonstrated interest in go, their short essays and any letters of recommendation. Finalists may be asked to play a game against a strong amateur to confirm their enthusiasm. Six lessons will be provided to each player selected. The deadline for applications is January 1 2013. Apply to get stronger today, click here to download the form. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 12/22/2012

After Fan Ting Yu 3P’s decisive win over Park Jung-hwan 9P in the first game of the Ing Cup final, Game Two is set for Sunday evening, 8:30p EST (5:30 PST). The AGA’s Myung-wan Kim 9p will give another live commentary in English on the game, broadcast on Tygem's World Server, which has ample capacity for everyone who wants to watch. In Game One, Fan was ahead going into the endgame, Kim said. “White did make some mistakes in the endgame, but still black could not overcome the margin, so he overplayed and the result was a disaster for black.” Game Three, along with four and five if necessary, will be played in January. photo: Myung-wan Kim at the 2012 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock

Portland Go Club Now a 501c3 Non-Profit

Published On 12/22/2012

The Portland Go Club is now a 501c3 non-profit under federal tax code. "This means it is a charitable organization able to accept tax deductible donations and apply for foundation grants available to such organizations," reports Peter Freedman. The basis for the application was the club's active education and outreach program, both to the general public and particularly to children in schools. "The club has taught hundreds of children to play, in both public and private schools," says Freedman. Unlike many clubs, the club has not run tournaments for years; Oregon tournaments are run by the Corvallis Go Club and the Lewis and Clark Go club. The Portland club does, however, run matches between schools locally, where organizers teach, and between local schools and schools elsewhere (on KGS). Clubs interested in more detailed information can contact Freedman at peter.freedman@comcast.net.

EuroGoTV: December 20

Published On 12/22/2012

Alpar Kilinc Go Turnuvasi: The 2012 Alpar Kilinc Go Turnuvasi, played from 12-15/16 in ODTU - Ankara, Turkey, was won by Bertan Bilen 2d, second was Giray Erdi 2d and third was Fatih Sulak 2d (photo Ertug Akkol 1d)... Braila- Junior City Championship 2012: The Braila- Junior City Championship 2012, played on 12/15 in Braila, Romania, was won by Theodor Tomas 2d, second was Albert Trifan 13k and third was Ana Ruxandra Gavriliu 17k... Moscow Cup Semifinal: The Moscow Cup Semifinal, played from 12/15-16 in Moscow Russia, was won by Vjacheslav Kajmin 2d, second was Ivan Bojkov 1k and third was Sofia Mazlova 1d... Torneo di Udine: The third Torneo di Udine, played on 12/16 in Udine, Italy, was won by Leonardo Giuliato 3k, second was Andres Saro 4k and third was Dusan Milavec 5k... SRP go-tournament: The 11th SRP go-tournament, played on 12/16 in Zagreb, Croatia, was won by Kristina Sicaja 20k, second was Tomislav Spoljaric 20k third Karlo Caic 20k...

Help Build the Future of Go in the US

Published On 12/21/2012

The American Go Foundation's annual fund-drive is under way. "Every dollar you give is matched by the hundreds of hours AGF board members, mentors and volunteers spend on helping our programs and encouraging others to teach go," says AGF President Terry Benson. The AGF and AGA worked "more closely than ever to promote go" in 2012, Benson says, and "Now the AGF needs to rebuild our treasury."

Published On 12/21/2012

The first two games of the Ing Cup Final between Park Jung-hwan 9P and Fan Ting-yu 3P will be featured in the next installment of Myung-wan Kim 9P’s AGA/Tygem live commentary tonight, Friday, December 21, at 8:30p EST, and then Sunday, 12/23, at the same time. Many pros give a slight edge in the match to the 19-year-old Park (left), currently number two in Korea, but expect the match-up with the Chinese 16-year-old Fan (right) to be very difficult for both players. Park, once called “the future emperor,” has started to be called “the current emperor,” says Kim, adding that “Park has completed the perfect Korean style. He has assembled every good part of a strong Korean go player’s game. Lee Sedol's fighting spirit, Lee Chang-ho's endgame, Cho Hun-hyun's haengma.” Fan, meanwhile, has been called the future of China by many experts including the legendary Nie Weiping 9P. Fan started playing at age four, and in his short career -

Published On 12/21/2012

The best-performing team at the February 8-17 N.A. Go Convention will win a $1,000 prize, reports organizer Edward Zhang.“All you need to do is to team up with some friends and play the best go in your division,” Zhang says. A minimum of seven players fulfills team eligibility. Players will still play the 6 or 8-round weekend tourney individually, and as in the Cotsen Open, a team score will be calculated. To get the early registration discounted rate, register before 12/25 and you can add the team name later. Early registrants will also receive a go book. Romanian pro Catalin Taranu 5P will join U.S. professionals Andy Liu and Gansheng Shi in the 10-game series against Sedol Lee sponsored by the new go9dan.com server (New Go Server Launches With 10 Top Pros in $100,000 Invitational). The league will run from the end of January to April, and includes Lee Sedol, Lee Changho, Kong Jie, Xie He, Chen Yaoye, Park Junghwan, Kim Jisuk, Park Younghoon and Shi Yue.

Luo Tops Boulder Go Tourney

Published On 12/20/2012

Thirty players attended the Rocky Mtn. Winter Go Tourney, held Dec. 15 in Boulder, CO. Ten of the players were youth, and prizes were given in three brackets. Xian Wu Luo 2d topped the dan division with four wins, while Laurie Linz 8k was undefeated in the Single Digit Kyu Bracket, and Dave Thomas 14k won the double digit kyu bracket with three wins. Alex Tsalyuk 26k won the newcomers section, for players in the 20-30kyu range, which included both 19x19 and 13x13 games; Tsalyuk won a free go set as his prize. Winners Report: Dan Division: 1st place: Xian Wu Luo 2d; 2nd place: Yi Yun-Bo 6d; SDK Division: 1st place: Laurie Linz 8k, 2nd place: Kent Evenson 1k; DDK Division: 1st place: Dave Thomas 14k, 2nd place: Akrom Amanov 16k; Newcomers: 1st place Alex Tsalyuk 26k, 2nd place Jimmy Mason 30k. The TDs were Eric Moakley and Paul Barchilon -Story and photo by Paul Barchilon E-J Youth editor.

Tournament Go Returns to New York City

Published On 12/19/2012

Barely a year old, the Gotham Go Club of Manhattan is hosting its first AGA-rated tournament January 12th. “The go scene when I moved here in 2011 was moribund," says Club founder and two time Congress Director Peter Armenia. "For a city this big, diverse, talented and wealthy it was almost embarrassing.“ “People are always telling me ‘you can’t do this in NYC, or you can’t have a congress here in the city because it is too expensive,’ Armenia added. “Baloney. Both our weekly Gotham Go Group and our upcoming tournament are in venues that offer the space for free!” The 4-round tournament will be held in Hostelling International New York's historic building (891 Amsterdam Ave between 103rd & 104th), which offers a “beautiful, clean, quiet space on New York’s Upper West Side.” The hostel offers a range of affordable options for those who need lodging for the tournament. There will be an open section for strong dan players and prizes for all sections;

Published On 12/18/2012

Pair Go Tourney Final Features China-Korea Showdown: It's China vs. Korea in the Pair-Go final at the 2012 Beijing SportAccord World Mind Games, which will be held on Wednesday, December 19, beginning at 9:30A local time. The Chinese team of Jiang Weijie 9 and Li He 3P will face Choi Chulhan 9P and Choi Jeong 2P of Korea; watch for live broadcast on Cyberoro and Michael Redmond’s game commentary on the SAWMG Channel. The semi-final rounds on Tuesday afternoon featured some tremendously exciting games, including the China-Japan match (click here for Michael Redmond 9P's commentary), which was shaping up as an upset by Japan before a momentary lapse handed the win to China in the late endgame. Click here for Ranka's first-round and second-round reports; photo of the round 1 Hungary (l)-China (r) game by Ivan Vigano.

Published On 12/18/2012

The malls in Northern Virginia were a little less crowded on Saturday, December 15th, as 22 go players competed in the NOVA Slate and Shell Open for go books donated by Slate and Shell. The four-round tournament was topped by Justin Ching 3D with a 3-1 record. Other division winners were Julian Erville 3K (4-0), Dan Hiltgen 5K (2-2), Gurujeet Khulsa 6K (4-0), and Bob Crites 12K (3-1). Second place winners were Willis Huang 3D (3-1), Yukino Takehara 2k (2-2), Mohan Sud 6k (2-1), and Anderson Barreal 12K (2-0). All first and second place finishers received books. - report/photo by Gary Smith, TD/Organizer

Published On 12/18/2012

Jeff Newmiller 1k Allen Louderback 3k topped their divisions in the Davis/Sacramento Go Club Winter Quarterly Tournament on December 15 at the Arden-Dimick library in Sacramento. There was a field of eleven players, including two new AGA members. Newmiller (right) won the upper division, and Louderback (left) the lower, both with three wins. They were also the winners in their divisions of the annual club championship for having the most wins in the four tournaments this year. - Willard Haynes

Published On 12/18/2012

The 2012 International Go Symposium in Black Mountain, North Carolina attracted leading scholars and researchers from around the world for two days of presentations and discussions on the many aspects of the game of go. Hours of footage have now been edited down and posted online to accompany the conference papers. This 3-part series covers highlights of Symposium presentations by teachers, scientists, historians and anthropologists.

Historic 1982 Go Pic Available on DVD

Published On 12/16/2012

In 1982, a historic film appeared, the first ever co-produced between the Chinese and Japanese film industries. Mikan no Taikyoku, released in 1982 with English subtitles as The Go Masters, explores the impact of world events in the mid-20th century when a Chinese prodigy's father sends him to Japan. This is NOT the 2006 Go Seigen biopic The Go Master. In fact the current release is entitled “An Unfinished Chess (sic) Game,” which is actually closer to the original title (except for the chess part.)

Published On 12/16/2012

Round 7 Report The four players took their seats in the playing room at the Beijing International Conference Center ten minutes before the starting time of round 7. Choi Chulhan and Kang Dongyoon, playing for the men’s individual gold medal and $100,000 sat facing each other in stony Korean silence. Li He and Rui Naiwei, playing for the women’s individual gold medal and $40,000, chatted cheerily in Chinese. The silver medals come with awards of $40,000 (men) and $20,000 (women). Click here for the full report; winner's photos by Ivan Vigano

Published On 12/15/2012

Men's & Women's Finals Set for Sunday: The men's final in the 2012 SportsAccord World Mind Sports Games is an all-Korea final with Kang Dongyoon 9P against Choi Chulhan 9P, while the women's is all-Chinese, as Li He faces Rui Naiwei in the final round, which will be played at 3p (local time) on Sunday, December 16. Watch for live broadcast on Cyberoro and Michael Redmond’s game commentary on the SAWMG Channel. Semi-Finals: Round 6 began after lunch on December 15, with the same eight players playing as in the fifth round that morning.

Published On 12/15/2012

A brand new go server -- go9dan.com -- is launching with a bang, with ten of the world’s top professionals set to play for $100,000 in prizes in the World Go League Invitational. Also, in order to encourage the American Go Association’s new pro system, Lee Sedol will play a ten-game series against the two new U.S. professionals, Andy Liu and Gansheng Shi

Published On 12/15/2012

Top finishers at the upcoming North American Go Convention will earn Korean Baduk Association (KBA) certificates signed by Lee Chang-ho 9P and Cho Hunhyun 9P, which come with a handy wallet-sized KBA rank card. Myungwan Kim 9P has arranged for the certificates in coordination with the KBA. The N.A. Go Convention Feb. 8-17, 2013 takes place in both Parsippany NJ and Washington DC and will have nine open divisions ranging from 20+k to 6+d. The Convention also features a Blitz Go and Pair Go tournaments. Three professional players will play simul games and give lectures and game reviews.

Published On 12/15/2012

Men's & Women's Finals Set for Sunday: The men's final in the 2012 SportsAccord World Mind Sports Games is an all-Korea final with Kang Dongyoon 9P against Choi Chulhan 9P, while the women's is all-Chinese, as Li He faces Rui Naiwei in the final round, which will be played at 3p (local time) on Sunday, December 16. Watch for live broadcast on Cyberoro and Michael Redmond’s game commentary on the SAWMG Channel. Semi-Finals: Round 6 began after lunch on December 15, with the same eight players playing as in the fifth round that morning. This was the round that would decide third, fourth, and fifth places. On the top board China’s Lin Chi-han was playing Korea’s Kang Dongyoon, the winner to proceed into the men’s gold/silver medal final, the loser to take the third-place bronze medal. On the next board China’s Chen Yaoye was playing Korea’s Park Jeonghwan, the winner to finish fourth, the loser fifth. Beside them a similar fourth-fifth place playoff was set up in the women’s division, C

Published On 12/14/2012

"I have every issue of Go World except the newest one," writes Debbie Siemon. "I learned go in 1982 when I was 25 and was addicted right away. I used to lay out my Go Worlds on the rug in our condo and look at the colorful artistic covers (yes I was really in love with the game) When Tim and I read The Go Burglar by William Pinckard in the autumn 1986 issue (GW 45) we loved it and often quoted the theme when talking to other new or old go players. We could relate to the idea of being so immersed in the game that really nothing else mattered. You could burn the carpet or tell a burglar to sit down and make himself at home

Published On 12/14/2012

A professional exhibition match between new American professional go player Andy Liu 1P and Chinese pro Chang Hao 9P highlights the 2013 American Collegiate Go Association's Spring Go Expo.

Published On 12/14/2012

FJ and Smallbird will battle for the title of "KGS Meijin" in a best-of-three final December 15-17 on KGS. Each month this year KGS has run a tournament for dan players that resulted in 16 contenders who played off in two semi-finals in November, which FJ and Smallbird won. The finals will be played on KGS at 8AM GMT on December 15, 16, and 17; the winner will win the 2012 "KGS Meijin" title and get a $500 prize, while the runner up receives $100.

EuroGoTV: December 13

Published On 12/14/2012

Go Baron Title Match 2012: The Go Baron Title Match, played from 12/07-09 in Praha, Czech Republic, was won by Ondrej Silt 6d and second was Jan Hora 6d... Finale XXXIII Campionato Italiano 2012: The Finale XXXIII Campionato Italiano, played 12/08 in Firenze, Italy, was won by Francesco Marigo 4d and in second was Carlo Metta 3d (left)...

Published On 12/13/2012

Round 2: The Elimination Round Round 2 of the SportAccord World Mind Games began at 9:30 a.m. on December 12. Outside, the ground was still covered with snow, but the temperature was pleasantly warm within the playing venue at the Beijing International Convention Center. All 16 men were competing, eight in the main section, eight in the repechage, or loser's bracket; as this is a double-elimination tournament, four of these players would be out after this round. Eight of the 12 women were competing, including the four seeded players who had byes in the first round and the four who had won their first-round games.

Published On 12/13/2012

NOTE: Watch the AGA website for our Day 2 Update -- including Michael Redmond's analysis of the Park Jeongghwan (Korea)-Chen Yaoye (China) game -- which will be posted later this morning.

Published On 12/13/2012

On December 13, Lee Sedol 9p defeated Gu Li 9p 2-1, to win the match and the title, at the 17th Samsung Cup. Lee Sedol won the first game of the match on December 11 by half a point in an upset win. Gu Li seemed to be dispirited after losing, but he won the next game on the following day (December 12), scoring a one sided victory over Lee. The following day, Lee Sedol played black in the final, and he took an early lead for the first time in the series. However, Gu Li’s middle game was excellent and he managed to reverse the game. After Gu took the lead, however, he made some tiny mistakes in the endgame and Lee was able to claw his way back, little by little. The game became incredibly close, at which point Gu made a crucial endgame mistake, and Lee eventually reversed the game to win by half a point. As a result, Lee won the final series by a total of just 1 point -- half a point each in his two wins --to take home the 17th Samsung Cup. - Adapted from GoGameGuru

Published On 12/12/2012

The 2012 Samsung Cup is going to a third and final game to determine this year's title holder. Lee Sedol won the first game on Monday by a half-point, and Gu Li won the second round Tuesday by resignation (see below for reports). The final round will be broadcast tonight -- starting at 9p (EST), with Myung-wan Kim commenting the game on Tygem’s World server (NOT the Korea 1 server, as previously reported) as he has for the previous rounds. Kim’s live English-language commentary will be on the Tygem go server the first 15 minutes of every hour on Tygem’s ”Korea 1″ server. The game, which could last four or five hours, is set to start at 6p West Coast time (9p EST), on Dec. 12.

Published On 12/12/2012

The Hope Chinese School-Fairfax (HCS) bested an AGA team in a December 2 friendship match in Annandale, VA. Twelve AGA players ranked from 5k-5d participated in two rounds of 10-on-10 non-handicapped games against the HCS team, which scored 12-8 overall, with some games as close as half a point. HCS-Fairfax principal Ms. Li described the match as "a significant and exciting cultural event," and welcomed AGA players to come back next year. She and HCS team captain Mr. Gu awarded AGA team a trophy, and each AGA player also received a backpack.

News from the BGA: 12/10

Published On 12/12/2012

David Lee Wins Edinburgh Christmas Open: After last year's wobble, the Edinburgh Christmas Open has made a full recovery, with 32 players turning out for the December 8 event. From the five players at the top with three wins, the SOS tiebreak gave the whisky to David Lee (3d Dundee). The day after the tournament, twelve players gathered together for a day of studying (David Lee wins Edinburgh Christmas Tie 12/8). Norway Freezes Out UK in Pandanet Go European Team Championship Match: The United Kingdom's "disappointing" start to the Pandanet Go European Team Championship continued on December 4, with the UK team still seeking their first win of the season after a disappointing 1-3 loss to Norway on Pandanet, leaving the UK team on the bottom of the League with only one draw in four matches (Norwegians freeze us out 12/6).

Published On 12/11/2012

The second edition of the World Mind Games is about to start on December 12, with final preparations now in progress. This year’s event, hosted in Beijing, China, will include 8 days of competitions in five mind sports; go, bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), and xiangqi (Chinese chess). Players representing the different mind sports are some of the world’s best, including: GO: Jiang Weijie, Chen Yaone, Park Jeonghwan, Choi Chulhan; BRIDGE: Fu Zhong, Bauke Muller, Peter Bertheau and Fredryk Nystrom, Joe Grue, Ming Sun, Catherine d’Ovidio, Nicola Smith, Lynn Deas; CHESS: Humpy Koneru, Aronyan Levon, Rajabov Teymur, Karyakin Sergey, Hou Yifan, Muzychuk Anna; DRAUGHTS: Alexei Chizov, Alexander Georgiev, Zoja Golubeva; XIANGQI: Wang Tian Yi, Nguyen Hoang Lam, Lei Kam Fun, Ng Jun Ming, Chan, Chun Kit, Chen Li Chun, Jia Dan, Cao Phuong Thanh.

Go Worlds Going Fast

Published On 12/11/2012

Inspired by the announcement of plans to end publication of Go World, the superb quarterly that published top-level instructional material and analysis of more than 1,000 of the most important games over the past 35 years (Endgame for Go World Magazine After 35 Years 11/16 EJ), The American Go Foundation is now offering its massive inventory of the last available issues for sale to all AGA members (shipping within the US only). All proceeds from the sale go directly to the AGF to support their work promoting go in the US. "The response has been stronger than expected," according to AGF VP Paul Barchilon. "We're already out of several rare issues, and running low on others." The Feng Yun Go School alone has ordered more than 500 copies. "We have given back issues of Go World as prizes to better students for years," Ms. Feng says. "For many, they have never seen anything like it. It's a real eye opener.

Published On 12/11/2012

The 2012 International Go Symposium in Black Mountain, North Carolina attracted leading scholars and researchers from around the world for two days of presentations and discussions on the many aspects of the game of go. Hours of footage have now been edited down and posted online to accompany the conference papers. This 3-part series covers highlights of Symposium presentations by teachers, scientists, historians and anthropologists. Students of the long and fascinating history of go who attended the 2012 International Go Symposium were richly rewarded with presentations on anime, poetry, and history, while also learning about the development of the game itself, such as why and when the 19x19 board came into use, and the challenges involved in developing a universal set of rules. The most well-attended event of the Symposium took place on Sunday afternoon, when Hikaru No Go fans packed the lecture hall to see Hotta Yumi, the author of the wildly popular series.

E-Journal Website Team Members Wanted

Published On 12/10/2012

The American Go E-Journal team has a few immediate openings for dedicated, talented volunteers who want to help maintain and expand the American Go Association’s online presence and build the global go community. Positions include System Admin and MailChimp Admin, as well as website authors, editors and technicians. For more details on position duties and qualifications, email journal@usgo.org

Published On 12/10/2012

Lee Sedol 9P (l), the lone Korean to make it to the semifinals of the Chunlan Cup,will defend his title against Chen Yaoye 9P (r), the number one ranked player in China. Vying for his first international title, Chen was a child prodigy, becoming a pro at 10 years-old. He also broke a record for youngest player to become a 9-Dan professional, coincidentally after losing to Lee in the 2007 Asian TV Cup, the last time they played each other in an international final. Lee, on the other hand, has won every major international title except the Ing Cup. Last year he defeated China's Xie He in the final to win the Chunlan Cup. The quarter finals December 4-5 in Hangzhou, China included Jiang Weijie 9P, Piao Wenyao 9P, Kong Jie 9P, Won Seongjin 9P, Kim Jiseok 8P and Park Junghwan 9P. Chen defeated Jiang Weije 9P, and Lee bested Kong Jie 9P in the semifinals on December 6th to earn their spots in the final, a best-of-3 match early next year, though the exact dates have not yet been set.

Published On 12/8/2012

Kim Myung-wan 9p will be providing live game commentary on the upcoming contest between Gu Li 9P, one of China's strongest players, and Lee Sedol 9P, Korea's strongest player, in the final of the 17th Samsung Cup. The match will take place in Shanghai on Dec. 11-13, and Kim's live English-language commentary will be on the Tygem go server the first 15 minutes of every hour on Tygem's "Korea 1" server. The games, which could last four or five hours, are set to start at 6p West Coast time (9p EST), on Dec. 10, 11 and 12. In their lifetime record against each other, Gu Li has a slight lead of 15-14. photo: Kim Myung-wan 9p at the 2012 Cotsen Open/AGA-Tygem Pro Qualifier; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 12/8/2012

Sooil Kim (center) took first place in the December 1 Atlanta Mega Mart Go Tournament A section; Vladimir Rerikh (right) was second and Neirong Xiao (left) was third. The Atlanta Go Club hosted, with the sponsorship of Mega Mart, a local Korean supermarket. "This is the second time Mega Mart has sponsored a go tournament and it plans to continue to support go activity in metro Atlanta in the future," reports organizer Jeffery Kerlagon. Cash and gift cards totaling $700 were awarded as prizes to top winners winners in four divisions. The one-day, three-round event was attended by 35 players. "While the Georgia Bulldogs were getting defeated by Alabama in football, the Atlanta go community faced strong competition from Tennessee," says Kerlagon. Yin Huasong & Shawn Ray from Tennessee took 1st place in their respective divisions, while Sooil Kim was a repeat winner from last year in one of the High Dan Divisions.

Last Call for US–Cuba Friendship Games

Published On 12/8/2012

Time is running out to join a group of US players traveling to Havana, Cuba February 15 – 21, 2013. The trip is being organized to play go with counterparts in the Cuban go community as part of a “people to people” trip conducted under a US Treasury Department license for such travel. "Using go as a way to forge links between people of different countries, especially countries whose relations are as fraught as Cuba and the US, is very much in line with the vision of Iwamoto-sensei," says AGA President Andy Okun. "This is a wonderful opportunity." Besides a go competition February 16-17, the trip will also feature an itinerary of cultural/educational activities such as a visit to Finca Vigia, Hemingway’s home in Cuba. "It is still possible to add additional travelers, but it is necessary to act quickly," says organizer Robert Gilman. "Though there is not a definite deadline at this time, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to accommodate additional travelers.

EuroGoTV Update: December 08

Published On 12/8/2012

La Pedra Diciembre 2012: The La Pedra Diciembre, played on 12/01 in Barcelona, Spain, was won by Carles Mitjans 6k, in second was Gerard Morera 7k and third was Bruno Domenjoud 16k... Serbian women Go championship 2012: The Serbian women Go championship 2012, played on 12/01 in Nis, Serbia, was won by Marta Jorgacevic 9k, second was Maja Mitic 17k and third was Bilijana Mirkovic 20k... 38th Serbian championship: The 38th Serbian championship (r), played from 11/30-12/02 in Nis, Serbia, was won by Dusan Mitic 6d, second was Lazar Manjlovic 5d and third was Milosav Jukic 5d... Ukrainian Championship (Hight League) 2012 (12/05): The Ukrainian Championship (Hight League) 2012, played from 11/24-12/02 in Kyiv, Ukraine, was won by Andrii Kravets 6d (left), second was Bohdan Zhurakovskyi 5d and thrid was Volodymyr Kokozei 4d...

Published On 12/7/2012

Michael Redmond 9P will provide live commentaries on the SportsAccord World Mind Sports Games, scheduled for December 12-19. The live broadcasts will take place on the following YouTube channel. The go section of the daily coverage will be anchored by Chris Garlock of the American Go E-Journal, with Redmond providing live commentaries on the matches. Here’s the schedule of the go section of the live broadcasts: • 12 December: 15:30 – 17:00 local time; 7:30 – 09:00 GMT • 13 December: 17:00 – 18:00 local time; 9:00 – 10:00 GMT • 14 December: 16:30 – 17:15 local time; 8:30 – 09:15 GMT • 15 December: 16:15 – 17:00 local time; 8:15 – 09:00 GMT • 16 December: 17:00 – 18:00 and 20:00~ local time; 9:00 – 10:00 and 12:00~ GMT • 18 December: 17:00 – 18:00 local time; 9:00 – 10:00 GMT The full schedule of broadcasts is available here.

Sun Bests Irvington in Portland

Published On 12/7/2012

Sun Montesorri School beat Irvington Elementary School in a five person, three round, two team match, 11 wins to 4, on Sunday, Dec. 2nd. Peter Freedman and Fritz Balwit, Irvington and Sun Montesorri's coaches, respectively, co-directed the tournament. Irvington School Chess and Go Club Parent Coordinator Jessica Nesseler-Cass transported four of the Irvington players, and Ellis' mom contributed a loaf of banana bread. Leading the way for Sun Montesorri with three wins was Amos, with Holden and Hansen winning twice. Rakan, Hikaru, and Tessa played in a tournament for the first time. Rakan and Hikaru are both brand new to the game, and Tessa just began playing this summer. Hikaru's dad is very into Manga, which is where Hikaru found Hikaru no Go and wanted to learn the game. The venue was Mt. Tabor Church's Taborspace, where the church generously lets us play for free on Sunday afternoons.

Published On 12/6/2012

There are just two weeks left to join the new Pandanet-AGA City League. This new event features year-round regional competitions between teams of players from different North American cities or regions, with a prize pot of $15,000 for the A-League. Deadline to register is December 20, with the first season set to begin January 1, 2013 and concludes with a final round in Seattle during the 2013 US Go Congress. There are already teams registered from Brentwood TN, Memphis TN, Syracuse NY, Research Triangle NC, Boston, and Southern California. Additional teams are being formed in DC-NOVA, the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Monica and Vancouver. “Those from other cities and regions in US, Canada, and Mexico and interested in joining should get organized soon,” say League organizers. “We look forward to a full slate of exciting competitions from many teams!” Click here for more information, rules and registration. Email questions to cityleague@usgo.org.

Published On 12/6/2012

Joanne “Jiajia” Missingham (r) has been named Go Ambassador at the upcoming SportAccord World Mind Games, which begin next week in Beijing, China. Other ambassadors include Hou Yifan (chess), Sjoert Brink (bridge), Chan Chun Kit (Xiangqi) and Alexey Chizhov (draughts). Missingham will also participate in the North American Go Convention next February. Currently training in Taiwan, Missingham 6P was the runner-up at the first Bingsheng Cup Women’s World Championship in 2010. Her ranking in Taiwan Go Association has risen rapidly, putting her within striking range of top male Taiwanese players. Next year Missingham will be the only Taiwanese female playing in the Chinese Women’s A League, arguably the world’s top women’s go league. Missingham, born in Australia, lived in California for several years before moving to China in 2008 to study go, and joined the Taiwan Qiyuan in 2010.

Published On 12/5/2012

Yang Yu Chia, general secretary of the Ing Chang Ki Goe Foundation, will introduce his innovative method of teaching go to children and beginners on Saturday Dec. 15, 2012 at the American Ing Goe Center in Menlo Park, CA. Yang has years of experience with teaching kids, and organizes and supervises the World Youth Go Championships every year. The seminar is free and open to anyone teaching or interested in teaching go, and begins at 2:00 pm. The American Ing Goe Center is at 887 Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park, CA.

US Youth Championship Jan. 19

Published On 12/4/2012

The United States Youth Go Championships will be held Saturday, January 19th, on KGS. The tourney will determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 5-7 dan 1-4 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 -30 kyu (depending on number of registrants). The qualifiers will use several formats for pairing, and all dan level youth will compete in an open section. The top four eligible youth will then move on to a double elimination final held on January 20th, and continuing the following weekend. Contestants will also be entered into a pool to receive partial scholarships to either the AGA Summer Youth Go Camp, or the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, 16 Scholarships will be awarded. The Junior Division is for youth under 12, the Senior Division is for youth under 16 as of August 15, 2013.

China Holds Slight Edge in Nongshim Cup

Published On 12/3/2012

In the knockout battle of the 14th Nongshim Cup, the second round -- held November 26-30 -- saw all of the remaining Japanese players eliminated, leaving the two remaining Korean players and three Chinese rivals to battle it out for the title. The two players left for Korea are Choi Cheolhan 9P (left) and 19-year-old sensation Park Junghwan 9P, while China still has Jiang Weije 9P, Xie He 9P, and Chen Yaoye 9P – providing just the kinds of matchups China wants going into the final.

Kevin Zhou 5D Tops Chi Tourney

Published On 12/3/2012

Basking in the spring-like weather, 29 go players battled all day at the December 1 Entertainment for Menschen tournament in Chicago, IL. “It was so nice out that Shanthanu Bhardwaj 8k bicycled 37 miles to get there,” reports TD Bob Barber. Until Saturday, Zihang Yin had been undefeated in AGA play, and despite finally losing a game, the 8-year old Yin “was gracious enough to invite us all to join him at Legoland,” Barber says. “After some discussion, we opted for pizza and beer.” Winner’s Report: 1st Place Dan: ZHOU, Kevin, 5d (front right, in white shirt); 1st Place High Kyu: RUBENSTEIN, Mark, 4k; 1st Place Mid Kyu: BOYLAND, Peter, 7k; 1st Place Low Kyu: TORRES, Tim, 15k. photo by Mark Rubenstein; click here to see more tourney photos.

Finding the Move: Remembering Go World

Published On 12/3/2012

In a time when Newsweek cannot make a “go” of it as a print publication, it is hardly surprising to see the end of Go World. Still, a visceral sentimental sadness is hard to shake. Those of us who go back to the days of Go Review, or at least the pre-internet years, will doubtless find this passing much more of a milestone than younger folk. In the not-so-distant days when there were just a few new books a year, the quarterly arrival of Go World filled my weekend mornings as I carefully reviewed title matches and eagerly devoured the months-old ‘news,’ stale perhaps but as fresh as an English speaker could get at the time. So it’s hard for me to choose just one favorite Go World story (“My Favorite Go World Story” Contest Announced 11/26 EJ) from a magazine that was such a constant companion, in the car, in my briefcase, consulted whenever life lulled.

Published On 12/3/2012

“Thanks for mentioning the Go World Index (“My Favorite Go World Story” Contest Announced 11/26 EJ)” writes Jochen Fassbender. “As the GW indexer I'd like to call your attention to the fact that GWI is updated till #125, not #122, with some of the material in later issues already indexed. Users may also want to check out the GWI broad terms page which allows a hierarchical top-down approach to finding one's favorite articles. And there is an updated cumulative table of contents through #128. It will be interesting to see which articles may be the top favorite ones in the "My Favorite Go World Story" Contest, especially because there are many dozens of excellent articles. Also, many gems of early GW issues may not be known today.”

Go Art: Romantic Go Video

Published On 12/3/2012

While researching our recent story on go in Brazil (New Sao Paolo Go Club Opens with Style 11/25/2012 EJ), we came across a terrific romantic French go video, The Album Leaf Within Dreams, posted on Insei Brazil’s website. The wordless 6:36 minute video, made by Pierre Bellanger (DJPeter 3d KGS) for a class at the University of Montpellier Paul Valéry in France, beautifully shows the seductiveness of the game of go through the attraction of a soccer-playing boy to a studious female go player. Be sure to watch it all the way through to a perfect ending that could have been scripted by Nakayama Noriyuki.

Published On 11/29/2012

The SportAccord World Mind Games website has a new and updated design, with a number of useful options to improve user’s experience. Visitors can access the latest news about the upcoming event, results, schedule, players’ biographies, and photos, and the website will also have an option to be read in two languages; English or Chinese. During the event – which runs December 12-19 in Beijing -- live broadcast coverage will be available through the website as well. The SportAccord World Mind Games are a multi-sports event which highlights the value of mind sports, including go, bridge, draughts, and Chinese chess, featuring the world's best players delivering top-level performances and creating “new valuable experiences based on intelligence, strategy and exercise of mind,” says SportAccord, the umbrella organisation for 107 international sports federations and organisations.

EuroGoTV Update November 27-23

Published On 11/29/2012

Coventry 2012: The Coventry, played on 11/24 in Warwick University, United Kingdom, was won by Andrew Simons 3d, in second was Siu Fung Cheung 4d and third was Francis Roads 1d... Hungarian Championship Final: The Hungarian Championship Final, played 11/24-25 in Budapest, Hungary, was won by Csaba Mero 6d, second was Pal Balogh 6d and third place was Dominik Boviz 2d...

Li Wins Young Lions Tourney, Again

Published On 11/28/2012

Fifteen-year-old Yunxuan Li 5d once again led the pack of youth go players, with a convincing 4-0 record, in the annual Young Lions Tournament, held November 17th on KGS. "The final round of the tournament, with Li facing off against USYGC Champion Aaron Ye 5d, was especially breathtaking, with Li playing an exquisite tesuji combo while under time pressure to save his group from death and clinch the game," reports tourney organizer Hugh Zhang 7d. The tournament, hosted by the American Go Honors Society (AGHS), is one of the premier youth competitions in the US. "I think the AGHS did a great job with this tournament," Li comments, "they kept the tournament organized and fun, and made a good opportunity to play against youth players in America."

Published On 11/28/2012

The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson), the French film based on Muriel Barbery’s' novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog (GO SPOTTING: The Elegance of the Hedgehog 5/4/2010 and The Return of the Elegant Hedgehog 10/24/2010) is now available on Netflix for instant play. As in the novel, the main character is a precocious 12-year-old girl who comments acerbically about the adults around her and knows more about go than the father of a friend who is making a movie of The Girl Who Played Go. As Terry Benson noted in our previous report, “She uses go as a philosophic metaphor, saying that ‘One of the most extraordinary aspects of the game of go is that it has been proven that in order to win, you must live, but you must also allow the other player to live. Players who are too greedy will lose: it is a subtle game of equilibrium, where you have to get ahead without crushing the other player.

Published On 11/28/2012

Plans are underway for a brand-new major go event in the U.S. early next year. Organizers for the North American Go Convention (NAGC) plan to run the event from February 8-17, book-ended with weekend tournaments in New York City (February 9-10) and Washington, DC (February 16-17), with the overall winner declared NAGC Open Champion. Both weekend open tournaments offer 8 rounds of rated games for kyu players, and 6 rounds for dan. Like the annual U.S. Go Congress, the NAGC organizers also plan to include simuls, lectures and game reviews with professional players, who thus far include Joanne Missingham 6P, Stephanie Yin 1P and Myung-wan Kim 9P.

Published On 11/27/2012

Lee Sedol 9P seems to be fully recovered from his slump earlier this year, pulling off a classic hat trick in the Olleh Cup by defeating Choi Cheolhan 9P 3-1 in the final for his third straight Olleh championship title. It also makes Lee the only winner in this all-Korean tournament, which started just three years ago. In 2010 he defeated Kang Dongyun 9P and Lee Changho 9P in 2011. The final game was an exciting contest showing how professionals consider the whole board situation when playing and both sides fight for life throughout. The Olleh Cup not only features the best Korean players but also hosts a children’s tournament. Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click here for game records and more information. Edited by Ben Williams

Published On 11/27/2012

The 2012 International Go Symposium in Black Mountain, North Carolina attracted leading scholars and researchers from around the world for two days of presentations and discussions on the many aspects of the game of go. Dozens of hours of footage have now been edited down and posted online to accompany the conference papers. This 3-part series covers highlights of Symposium presentations by teachers, scientists, historians and anthropologists. Games may be a major key to learning, suggested keynote speaker Nolan Bushnell (right) at the 2012 International Go Symposium, August 4-5, 2012. The entrepreneurial wizard behind products as diverse as Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, Bushnell is now applying principles such as “thalamic engagement” and “spaced repetition” to develop Brainrush, a game-based learning app that aims to help students learn all kinds of material more effectively.

Published On 11/26/2012

by Gabriel Benmergui We have all had this experience in our own games. Right from the fuseki, the game looked to be in your favor, you have the fights in control and the lead is obvious and solid. Then it happens. The self-atari, the missed sequence, the time-pressure mistake. That you could so easily have avoided the mistake only deepens your dissatisfaction and regret. I can’t tell you how to prevent these mistakes, which even happen to professional players. But there is something you can do about what happens next. The emotional turmoil after such a mistake often causes more losses than the blunder itself. When you’re in control of a game your brain moves like a train. Straight. Direct. Unstoppable. When the blunder happens, it's like getting derailed. It feels like a total disaster and can cause a great shock. Our sense of the balance of the game gets skewed by nostalgia for the position before the mistake, we get angry and then we play badly.

The Secret History of Go (and Cheese)

Published On 11/26/2012

“People having been playing go for 4000 years,” says the Seattle Go Center. “And people have been eating cheese for 4000 years. But they were usually not the same people, until the Seattle Go Center invented Tuesday Pizza Night, where we play go and eat cheese pizza in the same room (but at different tables). We usually have fresh baked bread to share as well.” This week 40 players, ranging in age from 5 years old to over 80, turned out for pizza and some of Chris Kirschner’s freshly-baked loaves of bread. "Four visitors were new to the Go Center, but had played a little on their own,” reports club manager Brian Allen. “Millie is back after touring with her band. Alex is moving to New York City – he will be looking for go players there.” photo: at the November 13 Pizza Go Night; photo by Brian Allen

Published On 11/26/2012

With Go World ending publication (Endgame for Go World Magazine After 35 Years 11/16) we want to know which was your favorite Go World article. Click here to participate in the My Favorite Go World Story Contest. Page through your hard copies for reminders of all the great content over the years, or check out Go World’s handy Index for Go Worlds #1 to #122 if your memory needs jogging. Three winners will be selected to receive a choice of three GW issues, courtesy of the American Go Foundation. Deadline is 6P on Sunday, December 2.

New Sao Paolo Go Club Opens with Style

Published On 11/25/2012

Go clubs are generally pretty quiet places, where the most you might hear is the click of the go stones, perhaps the rattle of a teacup. But on November 15 the brand-new Paulista Go Center in Sao Paolo, Brazil rocked as visiting pro Murakami Akihide 2P (right) danced to South Korean rapper PSY's global hit Gangnam Style, now YouTube's most-watched-ever video. Earlier in the evening, Murakami – who was part of an 18-member delegation from Japan -- participated in a more traditional exercise, playing a game (left) with Wang Sen Feng (KGS wsfbr 5d), currently the strongest player in Brazil.

Special Go World Offer for AGA Members

Published On 11/25/2012

A few years back, the American Go Foundation came into possession of almost all of the remaining print copies of Go World magazine. Now that GW is ceasing publication, the AGF is offering its complete inventory for sale to all current AGA members. There have been other offers in conjunction with AGA membership drives, but several rare issues were held back. Now for the first time, any AGA member can purchase any issue in the AGF inventory -- while supplies last. First come first served! GW is also available digitally, but for those who like the real thing, this is it, and when they're gone, they're gone forever. We're just saying . . . If you want to round out your collection, you'll find back issues that have never been available before: in some cases, fewer than ten issues remain.

Published On 11/24/2012

DC-area go players are being invited to play in a free 2-round friendship tournament Sunday, December 2 against the Hope Chinese School (HCS) in Fairfax, VA. In addition to an opportunity for fun competition, organizers hope the event will help them recruit some local go teachers for the school. “We love to hold go classes in our school because we know go is great for students,” says principal Dinny Li. A national volunteer-run school system run by volunteers, HCS has six chapters in DC metro area, and HCS-Fairfax has nearly 1,000 students registered to study Chinese and extracurricular subjects on weekend, but was forced to discontinue its go program due to a lack of go teachers. The December 2 friendship tournament runs from 1-5p at Annandale High School, 4700 Medford Drive in Annandale VA. Registration is free but AGA membership is required. Click here to register; for more info, contact Edward Zhang at zhiyuanz@gmail.com. photo: at the 12th Chinese Culture Festival in 20120

Published On 11/24/2012

Six top KGS players battle it out today for a shot at the KGS Meijin finals. The winner of today’s first semi-final -- Cornel 7d, DuguXin 5d, fj 5d, Koffein 4d, kvv 4d or YellowBell 6d – will play the winner of next weekend’s semi in the Meijin playoff in December, with $600 in prizes at stake; $500 to the first-place winner and $100 to the runner-up. The online tournament to determine the online go server’s top player is run and sponsored by KGS founder Bill Schubert himself, reports KGS’ Akane Negishi. “Expect to see some exciting games!” she promises. In addition to the cash prize, “the winner gets a special icon and a KGS T-shirt,” Negishi adds. The 12 semi-finalists qualified in monthly tournaments on KGS this year.

EuroGoTV Updates: November 18-22

Published On 11/24/2012

Hungarian Open Championship 2012 (11/22): The Hungarian Open Championship, played 11/17-18 in Budapest, Hungary, was won by Pal Balogh 6d (right), in second was Csaba Mero 6d and third was Koichiro Habu 4d... Romanian Team Championship- FINAL 2012 (11/22): Romanian Team Championship- FINAL 2012, played on 11/10-11 in Brasov, Romania, was won by Lucretiu Calota 5d (left), in second was Ionel Santa 2d and third was Florin Laurentiu 1k... EuroGoTV is looking for a Sales Manager (11/21): EuroGoTV is looking for a sales and marketing representative; for more details contact sales@eurogotv.com...

Published On 11/24/2012

“Chen Zude was a man of many accomplishments and a pillar supporting go in China,” writes Feng Yun 9P. “I remember him well. (Chinese Professional Go Player and Pioneer Chen Zude Dies 11/3 EJ) Mr. Chen was among first three 9-dan professionals in China (the other two are Nie Weiping and Wu Songsheng). He was not only a great go player who led the Chinese go players to catch up to the Japanese in the 1960's but also a great leader of the Chinese Weiqi Association as well as of other mind games such as chess and xiangqi (Chinese chess). Mr. Chen is also well known as an author of many go books, especially his autobiography, Striving for Excellence, which at the time he thought would be both his first and his last book because he had been diagnosed with cancer. He continued his fight with cancer for thirty years. When I established my go school in New Jersey, Chen Zude wrote a letter of congratulations (right), which is posted on my website.

Published On 11/23/2012

Perfect Rules Are Possible: “I share Terry Benson's hope that ‘maybe someday the countries of the go world will agree on clear, logical, complete rules’ (Your Move/Readers Write: Spoiling a Masterpiece Unnecessarily 11/5 EJ),” writes Joel Sanet. “I would add to that list ‘perfect.’ For me ‘perfect’ means that there are no unnecessary rules. The AGA rules as they are currently constituted are not perfect. They contain an unnecessary rule forbidding suicide. As many people are aware, suicide can be a good ko threat. A rule that restricts a perfectly good move is a flaw in the rules. As far as I know, the only rule system that removes this flaw is the New Zealand rules. Maybe it's time for the AGA to join the progressives in New Zealand.” graphic courtesy Sensei's Library Getting Stuck is Normal: “It's normal to experience plateaus as we progress, (The Spirit of Play: “I’m Stuck” 10/29 EJ)” writes Peter St John.

AGF Offers New Support to AGA Chapters

Published On 11/21/2012

The American Go Foundation, devoted to promoting go in the US, has decided to work more closely than ever with AGA chapters. The AGF Store - containing unique and valuable promotional materials - has previously only been available to approved AGF teaching programs, but now any AGA chapter can purchase unlimited quantities of anything from the AGF's Teaching, Promotional, and Prize pages. So if your AGA chapter is in the market for a demo board, a beautiful go-themed ukiyo-e print or copies of The Way To Go, you're in luck. "We have put together a unique inventory of valuable materials for AGA chapters, so we hope they will use them to grow," said AGF President Terry Benson. Other benefits, including how the AGF can help you to do some serious fundraising, are described in full here. Note: playing equipment is still only available to teaching programs.

Published On 11/19/2012

An Younggil 8P reviews the deciding game between Choi Cheolhan 9P and Chen Yaoye 9P at the China-Korea Tengen in September. In this game commentary from Go Game Guru, the tremendously exciting game features two opposing styles of play, Chen's solid and territorial style and Choi's thick, fighting style. This game involves beautiful tesuji and unorthodox moves at every turn, and comes down to the wire with two desperation kos to finish the game. Chen won the first match in this best-of-3 series, so Choi was fighting for his life, as well as looking for revenge since he fell to Chen last year 2-0. He is 1-8 against Chen all-time – losing the last seven games in a row. - Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; edited by Ben Williams

AGA Funds College Go Programs

Published On 11/19/2012

The AGA Board voted to approve funding for the College Matching Program at its October meeting. Originally launched by former AGA President Mike Lash, the program allowed college clubs to receive financial support for starting go clubs. The program was canceled when the AGA lost Ing funding several years ago, but has now been re-approved. Colleges can apply to be AGF programs, which gains them access to go equipment from the AGF store. Although no equipment is provided free, the AGA will pay for half of any purchases, up to $50, or up to $100 if the program is also an AGA Chapter. As the AGF store is a non-profit, full board sets can be purchased for just $10. Equipment can only be used for in club play though, not for any specific individuals, and may not be resold. Colleges also gain access to items like Hikaru no Go for the library, go books, and a host of AGF resources for supporting clubs. More information can be found on the new AGF page for the program here.

Published On 11/18/2012

Three Peaks 2012 (11/13): The Three Peaks, played from 11/10-11 in Lake District, United Kingdom, was won by Matthew Cock 5d, in second was Andrew Simons 3d and third was Richard Hunter 3d... Kani 6 2012 (11/13): The Kani 6 (Rabbity Six), played in Tampere, Finland, on 11/10-11 was won by Juuso Nyyssonen 4d (r), in second was Oiva Moisio 3d and third was Juri Kuronen 5d... November Tournament (11/12): The 17th November Tournament, played in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on 11/10-11 was won by Lukas Podpera 5d, in second was Pavol Lisy 6d and third was Jan Simara 6d... Il Gladiatore (11/12): The Il Gladiatore, played in Rome, Italy, on 11/10-11 was won by Alessandro Pace 2d, in second came Andrea Mori 3k and third was Andriy Zakharzhevskyy 2d... Rahlstedter Tengen 2012 B (11/12): The Rahlstedter Tengen B, in Hamburg, Germany, on 11/10-11 was won by Manuel Jacobsen 6k, in second was Veronika Lyssenko 7k and third was Patrick Brunner 6k... Rahlstedter Tengen A (11/12):

Published On 11/18/2012

Contact Tony Hoffman, 661-747-9341, or tonymichelehoffman@gmail.com if you are in Marin County,CA and want to learn or play go. Tony is a resident of San Rafael and lives aboard his boat in the Loch Lomand Marina.

Published On 11/18/2012

The second SportAccord World Mind Games (SWMG) will be held December 12-19 in Beijing, China. The multi-sport event is intended to highlight the value of mind sports and features five games: bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), go and xiangqi (Chinese Chess). Coverage will be provided on the SWMG website, Ranka Online and in the E-Journal. The SWMG go tournament is held under the auspices of the International Go Federation (IGF), and 28 players -- 16 men and 12 women -- will participate. The competition format includes Men's Individual and Women's Individual events and a Pair Go event. The Individual events feature a double elimination in seven rounds, a time limit for each side of 1 hour, with three 30-second byo-yomi periods. Eight pairs will compete in the Pair Go event, a single elimination with two rounds each day and three rounds in total. The time limit is 1 hour each side, with three 30 second byo-yomi periods.

Published On 11/18/2012

Wayne B. Nelson didn’t even need komi to win our photo caption contest. His entry – “I should've started learning this game when I was little” – topped the runner-up, Solomon Smilack’s “Cross cut? I think I’ll try crawling instead” 36.7% to a distant 19.6%. Eric Osman (“But Daddy, I don’t think that ladder really works”) tied with Joel Olson and Teddy Terpstra (“Please turn the page”) at 18.4% each, while Terry Benson (“New Fuseki”) gets an Honorable Mention at 7%. The baby is Nathan Bengtson, son of Matt Bengtson and Seohee You. Now all of three months old, Nathan was “less than a month old and already studying hard!” says proud poppa Matt. No word on the tyke’s current rating… GOT PHOTO? If you've got a great go photo for a future caption contest, we want to see it! Email it to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 11/16/2012

Does Won Seogjin 9P’s promise to dance Gangnam style if he won in the Samsung Cup also apply to the LG Cup? Won (l), known as ‘Won Punch’ for his powerful haymaker, promised his fans he’d do his version of South Korean pop artist PSY's megahit if he defended his Samsung Cup title earlier this year, but the lighthearted hopes of many go fans were dashed when Park Junghwan 9P eliminated Won in the Samsung quarter finals. Now Won will play Shi Yue 5P for the LG Cup title, reigniting hopes that Won will have a chance to show off his dance moves if he wins the LG. Shi defeated Kang Dongyun 9P to advance to the final, marking another challenge by a member of the “Chinese Tiger Club Generation” so called because of their young age and fierce fighting styles. Won bested Choi Cheolhan 9P in his bid to repeat his championship run from last year. The 17th LG Cup will be decided by a best-of-3 match in mid-February 2013. Games will be broadcast live on Baduk TV.

Published On 11/16/2012

After 35 years, Go World will cease publication after the next issue. “We regret to inform you that there will only be one more issue, #129, of Go World published,” Richard Bozulich writes in a letter now being received by subscribers. “After that Kiseido will cease publication.” “By relieving ourselves of the burdens of putting out Go World, we can devote ourselves to putting out some other kinds of publications,” Bozulich tells the EJ. For example, “We will be publishing a new book on December 5 titled, Fight Like a Pro --- The Secrets of Kiai." And, adds Bozulich, “After I publish this book, I am going to work on another project aimed at teaching go to children, called How to Develop a Photographic Memory and Turn Your Child into a Genius. Of course there will be more than go in the contents, but go will be the centerpiece.”

Published On 11/15/2012

Almost three months after the 37th Meijin title match started, Yamashita Keigo 9P prevailed in the decisive final game on November 12 and 13 in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, successfully defending his Meijin title for the first time. As if trying to prove a point after Hane Naoki 9P forced a seventh game, Yamashita started a severe attack around move 60 and skillfully carried the momentum from one attack to another, winning convincingly in just 138 moves. No doubt Yamashita’s focus will now shift to taking the Honinbo title back from Iyama Yuta, but first, there should be a little time to sit back and enjoy some Yamanashi wine. - adapted from a report on GoGameGuru, which includes game records for all seven games.

Published On 11/15/2012

On November 12 and 14, Lee Sedol 9P of Korea and Gu Li 9P of China swept the 17th Samsung Cup semifinals, both defeating their opponents 2-0. Gu and Lee now proceed to the Cup finals, which will be played December 11-13 in Shanghai (not Korea, as originally reported) and broadcast live on Baduk TV. Interestingly, the two superstars have only met in two international tournament finals, which account for 7 of their past 30 games. The two are neck and neck at 4-3 in Gu’s favor in international finals; Gu won the 13th LG Cup in 2009 2-0 and Lee won the 3rd BC Card Cup 3-2 in 2011. Gu has a slight lead in their overall head-to-head, with a 15-14 record. This finals series will decide who takes the lead from here. Their 29th game during the Samsung Group Stage resulted in a spectacular quadruple ko, which was ruled a draw and Gu won the rematch to pull ahead by one game.

Published On 11/15/2012

“I recently went to the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego to see Allegiance, a musical about the Japanese internment camps in the US,” writes San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra. “Powerful stuff. They had an accompanying exhibit of artifacts of the camps in the Museum of Man next door. There was even a go board and stones that had been smuggled into the camp because ‘Japanese’ cultural things were prohibited. Note that the board has been used so much that the lines have been worn off.” photos by Ted Terpstra

Published On 11/15/2012

Just back from extensive filming in Asia, The Surrounding Game documentary team is now in post-production. “We’ve hired an assistant editor to prep us for the editing and organizational process,” reports co-director Cole Pruitt. “We're now in the process of transcoding, logging, and labeling all of our footage, which totals over 200 hours and includes several languages, countries, and of course, dozens and dozens of go players!” The filmmakers expect to begin fulfilling promised rewards to Kickstarter backers “as the materials trickle in,” Pruitt adds, while they continue to do “small bits of filming here and there” to assemble the last pieces. “We're extremely grateful for the continued support of the American and international go communities and are looking forward to the next several months of making the film,” Pruitt says. With some 30 hours of interviews in Chinese or Korean, the filmmakers are looking for translation help.

Published On 11/15/2012

by Dr. Roy Laird At Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, three out of every four students qualify for free lunch, but when it comes to spirit, support and pure brain power, some of them have plenty of resources. In fact, as we learn in Brooklyn Castle, the award-winning new documentary from Kelly Dellamaggiore, IS 318 is home to some of the strongest young chess players in the country; the school's teams have brought home nearly 30 national championships. As a longtime proponent of go in the schools, I found the film to be an inspiring reminder of what mind sports can do for kids. Brooklyn Castle follows five members of the 2009-2010 team, each with their own goal. Rochelle Ballantyne wants to be the first African-American female Master level (ELO 2000) player (11/18 update: she made it, with a new rating of 2057 following the recent World Youth Chess Championship in Maribor, Slovenia).

28 Great Go Talks Now Online

Published On 11/14/2012

What does it take to become a Chinese pro? How did Hotta Yumi get the idea to write Hikaru No Go? What is new in the history of go and its rules? Who was Atari founder Nolan Bushnell’s most famous minimum-wage employee? For answers to these and many other intriguing questions about the game of go, visit the 2012 International Go Symposium’s new website, where all the presentations are archived, along with links to associated papers and web pages, as well as a YouTube channel of video recordings of the event. Sponsored by The International Go Federation with additional support from The American Go Foundation, the conference was presented by organizers from the The American Go Association and the 2012 US Go Congress. This was the first such gathering since 2008, and 25 speakers eagerly seized the chance to present their latest findings to more than 100 registered participants.

AGF Sponsors Pro Teaching Program

Published On 11/12/2012

Thanks to a generous donor, the American Go Foundation is able to grant a select number of young players the opportunity to have a series of professional lessons online. Yi Lun Yang 7P, Janice Kim 3P, and Jennie Shen 2P, have generously agreed to support the program. Applicants must be AGA members, currently in grades K-12, and have never had a professional lesson before. Applicants will be judged on their demonstrated interest in go, their short essays and any letters of recommendation. Finalists may be asked to play a game against a strong amateur to confirm their enthusiasm. Six lessons will be provided to each player selected. The deadline for applications is January 1 2013. Apply to get stronger today, click here to download the form. -Report by Keith Arnold, Photo by Paul Barchilon: Yilun Yang teaching kids at the 2010 Go Congress.

Published On 11/12/2012

Players from as far as New Jersey and New York turned out for “a great day of go competition” at the Western Massachusetts Go Club Fall Tournament on Sunday, November 11th. “Bryan Denley scooted to first place, winning all four of his games,” reports TD William Luff. Willis Huang, Eric Osman, and An Tran tied for second. All the winners won one month's membership to BadukTV.com and should e-mail Trevor Morris at gotrevor@gmail.com to claim their prize. photo (l-r): Ian Tran 10K, Eric Osman 2D, Bryan Denley 10K, William Luff 2D (TD) and Willis Huang 3D

Young Lions Youth Tourney Nov. 17

Published On 11/11/2012

"Sign up now to play in one of the premier youth tournaments in the US," urges AGHS Vice President Hugh Zhang. "Past winners of the Young Lions Tournament have gone on to do extremely well in the United States Youth Go Championship. 2010 winner Vincent Zhuang went on the win the USYGC, while Yunxuan Li, the 2011 winner nearly made the finals. This year, there will be an open division with Aaron Ye 5d poised to make his move. Get ready to rumble, because it will be an awesome showdown to see who will lead the pack of young go lions," says Zhang. For more info, and to register, visit the AGHS website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Go Review: GoClubsOnline

Published On 11/11/2012

I've used several different tournament management software packages over the years that I've run the Portland (Oregon) tournament. For the past couple of years, I've been using GoClubsOnline (GCOL). This has certainly been the most stable, least frustrating option and I plan to continue using it and recommend it to others. GCOL works through a web browser and all data is stored remotely in the “cloud", so there's no worry of files being corrupted or lost.

Published On 11/10/2012

Girl vs. Monster: Go makes an appearance in the new Disney channel movie "Girl vs. Monster", reports Tyler Keithley. If anyone’s got more details and/or stills, send ‘em to us at journal@usgo.org Xbox LIVE’s Path of Go: Shawn Ray from Tennessee recently discovered Xbox LIVE’s go arcade game The Path of Go. Ray notes that “My mother, who is not even a go player, said ‘You know go is getting popular when it is on the X-Box.’" He says the game is “unique and fun,” adding that “the graphics are very well done and the board and stones are beautiful and portrayed in a way that you feel like you are playing with the go stones from ancient times.” In addition to useful beginner-level problems, Ray says there’s “a nice little story line with an interesting twist at the end.” He adds that “While most players who are well versed in the game might find the first few chapters boring and easy, it is worth it once you reach the later stages in order to find out what happens.

EuroGoTV Updates: October 13-November 7

Published On 11/10/2012

Trofeo Milano (11/07): The Trofeo Milano, played in Milano, Italy on 11/03 was won by Paolo Montrasio 1k; in second place was Gionata Soletti 4k and in third was Stefano Cavalieri 5K... Cluji Romanian Cup semifinal (11/06): The Romanian Cup Semifinal, played 11/3-4 in Cluji, Romania, was won by George Ganguta 1d, second was George Ghetu 3d and third was Sergiu Burzo 2d... The Austrian open 2012 (11/05): The Austrian Open 2012, played on 11/03 in Vienna, Austria, was won by Viktor Lin 5d (right), in second was Ondrej Silt 6d and third was Pavol Lisy 6d... Japanischer Generalkonsul-Pokal (11/05): The Japanischer Generalkonsul-Pokal, played 11/3-4 in Duesseldorf, Germay, was won by Franz-Josef Dickhut 6d, in second was Matthias Terwey 4d and in third was Bernd Radmacher 4d... Odense November 2012 (11/05): The Odense November 2012, played 11/03 in Odense, Denmark, was won by Kjeld Petersen 2k, in second was Ari Hietanen 1k and third was John Nielsen 6k...

Published On 11/10/2012

Sun Naijing of China will join other winners of online tournaments in bridge, chess, draughts, and xiangqi (Chinese Chess) in observing the world's best players in action at the SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) in Beijing next month. Sun won the trip in the online adjunct to the upcoming World Mind Games, out of a field of 688 go players from 48 countries, ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe, with more than half from Japan, which produced last year's online winner. Sun, who hails from Hefei in Anhui Province, started playing go at age nine and kept it up through university studies and subsequent employment. 'Go never leaves me,' he says. In a go career spanning nearly four decades he has won numerous provincial amateur tournaments in Anhui and has thrice finished among the top ten in the massive Evening News Cup, China's premier amateur event. In 1996 he defeated Chen Linxin 9P in the pro-amateur part of that event.

In Memoriam: Dr. Heidi Kirschner

Published On 11/8/2012

Doctor Heidi Kirschner died at her home in Seattle on November 1. She was 99 years old. A beloved elder of the American go community, Kirschner helped build the local go scene in Seattle, WA; and her son, Chris, is also a longtime local and national go organizer currently serving on the boards of the Seattle Go Center, the American Go Foundation, and the American Go Association. Heidi Kirschner was 9 kyu when she arrived in the US from Austria in October 1939, with her husband Franz, also a 9 kyu -- and the suitor who was willing to learn go from her. Clutching the then-customary single suitcase that could be squeezed out of Nazi-controlled Europe at that time, Kirschner was, even at 9K, probably the strongest Caucasian woman in the US at that time. In that suitcase was a cardboard go board with wooden stones on which her son Chris, born less than two days after her arrival in Seattle, would learn to play at age 6, shortly after the end of the war.

Published On 11/6/2012

Nineteen-year-old Li He 3P bested the legendary Rui Naiwei 9P on November 3rd to take top honors at this year’s Bingsheng Cup. She defeated Rui, arguably the best female player in the world, via resignation in the final to win the title. The former champion, Korean Park Jieun 9P was defeated earlier in a match with Chinese player Yu Zhijing 2P by a narrow 1.5 point margin. Held at Qionglong Mountain in Suzhou, China, the 4-round tournament is a women's knockout for 16 players, first held in 2010. The 2012 field included players from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, North America, and Oceania. The Cup was dominated by China, however, and after only two rounds the Chinese players had defeated participants from every other country. Li He took home about $32,000 US along with a promotion from 3P to 5P in addition to her title. Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click here for game records and more information.

Hurricane Aftermath Assistance

Published On 11/5/2012

“The American Go Association extends its deepest concern to members, their families, and the communities impacted in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy,” says AGA President Andy Okun. To assist members who may have been impacted and those who would like to contribute to the recovery efforts, the following websites may be helpful in finding assistance and contributing to the recovery: The Red Cross; United Way; Salvation Army; Charity Navigator. For those of you working on relief efforts, whether individually or as a club, please let us know about the support you are providing, the extent of the problem, where you are, and how others may help, including contact information, so that we can share with our readers. email us at journal@usgo.org

Pair Go “A way to form new friendships”

Published On 11/5/2012

Updated results in last weekend’s Pair Go Championships moved the US team up to 14th place. “Meeting different people was the best part” of the tournament, held in Tokyo,Japan. US team member Amy Su told the E-Journal. “It was very surprising to see so many countries participating,” added Su’s partner, Lionel Zhang. “It shows go is becoming more popular around the world. The informal goodwill match was great.” New US Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small agreed, noting that “I am a lot more aware of the international presence of Pair Go now and intend to encourage our strong women to play Pair Go. Overall, the event was inspirational. I see Pair Go as a way to form new friendships.”

Published On 11/5/2012

“What a shame that the Lee Sedol-Gu Li game (Quadruple Ko: Gu Li vs Lee Sedol in the 17th Samsung Cup 11/3 EJ) was left as an unsatisfying draw!” writes Terry Benson. “Starting in the 1920's and particularly with American rules experts Robinson and Olmstead in 1941, many of those interested in the rules of go have proposed a ‘super ko rule’ to treat all ko's - even complex ko's - as we do a simple ko: break the full board repetition with a ko threat. Traditional Chinese rules, Ing rules, AGA rules (now used in France and Britain), and the rules of New Zealand and Australia all have super ko in some form.

Published On 11/4/2012

The Korean Pair Go team of Jang Yun Jeong and Lee Hoseung swept to victory in the 23rd International Pair Go Championships, held over the weekend in Tokyo, Japan. Japanese pairs dominated the rest of the top-ten finishers, with only two other countries placing; Chinese Taipei in 8th and Russia in 10th. The U.S. team of Amy Su and Lionel Zhang was 15th, edged by the Thailand pair in 14th, while European Pair Go champs Klara Zaloudkova and Jan Hora were 17th. Click here for complete results as well as game records. Note: the Chinese team was unable to participate at the last moment, so their last-place result is because of forfeits, not on-the-board losses.

Published On 11/4/2012

Seung Joo Han of Korea won the 7th Korean Prime Minister Cup, held October 27-28 at Kwangju in Korea. Yuqing Hu of Chinawas second and Yongfei Ge of Canada was an impressive third, edging out by one SOSOS point Japan's Nagatoki Kinoshita (4th); Hong Kong's NaiSan Chan (5th) rounded out the top five winners . Matthew Burrall of the US was 32nd in a 70-player field (click here for final standings); click here for Ranka's interview with him. Ranka's coverage also includes tournament reports and includes interviews with Artem Kachanovskyi (Ukraine), Shirin Mohammadi (Iran), Mateusz Surma (Poland), Kinoshita Nagatoki (Japan) and Geert Groenen (The Netherlands). Yongfe Ge photo by Ito Toshiko.

Published On 11/4/2012

“I enjoyed the article about being stuck at certain levels (The Spirit of Play: “I’m Stuck” 10/29 EJ)” writes Pierre-Yves Laflèche. “In my experience the 2-kyu (or thereabouts) block has been the biggest one for my students. I've found that often, trying to power through with problems or reviews can leave the player frustrated if his efforts don't pay off. It’s one thing to recommend doing problems and game reviews to improve, but what if the student does that and still isn't improving? A complex situation like that would best be served by a teacher and lessons, but that isn't always possible with time and budget constraints. One solution that I've offered my students has been to change up their playing style, in an attempt to broaden their go horizons and get out of unproductive or unsatisfying habits. The classic example would be to emulate the great Takemiya Masaki's moyo play, but that is not the only path.

Published On 11/3/2012

Korea’s Lee Hobum 3P stopped the run by China’s Tan Xiao 7P to repeat his 4-win streak in this year’s Nongshim Cup. Tan racked up three wins before falling to the talented young Korean, who will face the next player in line for Japan when the tournament resumes in November. For the first time, Lee Changho, who won the first six Nongshim tournaments with 19 wins and 3 losses, won’t participate. Lee said he felt he wasn’t in top form and recommended that Park Junghwan 9P take his spot on the team. The Nonshim is a team event between China, Japan and Korea, which uses a win-and-continue format between 5-member teams. The first players of each team play each other and continue playing until defeated, when the second player then takes over and so on, until a team is out of players. Korea has dominated this event, winning it 10 times, while China has won twice and Japan just once.
Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click here for game records and more information.

37th Meijin Goes The Distance

Published On 11/3/2012

In a seesaw match that’s been fought over 3,500 miles, the venerable Meijin tournament -- one of the ‘big titles’ on the Japanese domestic circuit -- now comes down to one final match November 12-13.

Published On 11/3/2012

The U.S. team of Amy Su and Lionel Zhang (left) drew Finland for its first round game at the International Amateur Pair Go competition in Tokyo on November 3. The Finns, Eliza Pieniniemi and Antti Tormanen, chose black, “but after an unusually quiet game, the U.S. won comfortably,” reports Allan Abramson. “Sunday brings four intense rounds, so the U.S. has its work cut out to finish strong.” Click here for live game broadcasts and results. This just in (11:30p EST 11/3): The U.S. team lost its second-round game to the strong Czech team, while China lost its first two games to Ukraine and Japan (11/4 correction; the Chinese team was unable to attend, so these were forfeits, not on-the-board losses); Korea and Chinese Taipei look strong at 2-0. photo by Allan Abramson

Published On 11/3/2012

Chen Zude, one of the first Chinese nine-dan professionals, died of pancreatic cancer in Beijing on November 1. He was 68. “Though we’ve lost one of the go world’s brightest lights,” said AGA President Andy Okun. “We’re fortunate that Chen Zude inspired so many to follow in his path, leaving a community that, while saddened by this loss, is larger and stronger than ever.”

New AGA Board Has a Lot on Its Plate

Published On 11/1/2012

The AGA Board of Directors on Oct. 21 approved President Andy Okun's proposal to restore the College Club Funding Program; the program, which provides $50-$100 per college club annually to assist with organizing go activities, had been suspended in 2008. The Board also asked President Okun to develop formal policies regarding offshore chapters, waiving membership requirements for foreign nationals playing in AGA tournaments, and compensation and invitation practices for pros attending the Go Congress. President Okun reported that work continues to fix the AGAGD, which has been offline recently due to security issues. He also reported on efforts to sign up teams for the Pandanet City League. A committee of Edward Zhang and Gurujeet Khalsa was formed to research a policy for optimal management of AGA reserve funds. President Okun will draft a policy for dealing with long-unused funds that had been allocated to some past Congresses for use by local clubs.

How to Become an Insei

Published On 11/1/2012

“When I was webmaster I was often asked how to become an insei, or go student in training to be a professional,” writes Steve Colburn (What’s The Best School for Inseis? 10/22 EJ). “I never had a good answer, but recently I found some information on the Nihon Kiin's site about how to become an insei in Japan for those not of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, or Taiwanese descent.

Go Spotting: Hidden Treasure

Published On 10/31/2012

A go board is one of the treasures available for players to dig up in The Legend of the Golden Robot game on Kongregate. Thanks to EJ reader Corey McQuarters for passing this along!

Published On 10/30/2012

(Gamasutra) There's little doubt that music, literature, and film can all result in some incredibly meaningful works of art, but for whatever reason, the jury's still out when it comes to games. Veteran game designer, Area/Code co-founder, and Zynga New York creative director Frank Lantz, however, believes wholeheartedly that games can be just as beautiful and meaningful as any other media, and at the 2011 Game Developers Conference, he explained how some of history's oldest games demonstrate the real power of the medium.

Tesuji, Maybe

Published On 10/29/2012

One of the hits at this year’s U.S. Go Congress banquet was the performance of “Tesuji, Maybe” by Karoline Li and Samantha Fede. Sung to the tune of Carly Rae Jepsen's big hit 'Call Me Maybe' with new lyrics by Todd Blatt, the song was one of the winners of the 2012 US Go Congress Song and Poetry Competition. The sound is a bit low, so be sure to turn it up. Video shot by Nikolos Gonzales.

The Spirit of Play: “I'm Stuck”

Published On 10/29/2012

There are countless books, dictionaries and other materials aimed at expanding knowledge in go. But Argentinian champion and teacher Gabriel Benmergui 6D says that "what most of these resources don’t take into account is that there are many things that happen to the players, before, during and after the game that have just as much effect on the result." In this new column for the E-Journal, Benmergui goes beyond tactics and strategies to look at the player, with a goal of helping develop “an unshakable spirit.” This article is dedicated to Benmergui's first teacher, Franklin Bassarsky, “the greatest teacher I could ever become,” who recently passed away. “He was Argentina's greatest go teacher," says Benmergui, "creating generations and generations of go players here.”

World Student Oza Registration Open

Published On 10/29/2012

The 11th World Students Go Oza Championship will be held in Tokyo, from Feb 25 to March 1, 2013. Preliminary rounds will be held on the Pandanet IGS Go Server, and 16 students will be selected to proceed to the championship in Tokyo. Details are on the website for the event. "University/College students under the age of 30 can participate in the preliminary rounds," says Makoto Moriwaki from Pandanet, "we would like as many students as possible to participate in the internet tournament." The application deadline is Nov 25th, any questions can be directed to gakusei15league@gmail.com. The entry form is here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo courtesy of Student Oza website.

Irvington Elementary Program a Hit

Published On 10/29/2012

Longtime Portland organizer Peter Freedman has been devoting his efforts towards school programs recently, with notable success. "The photo is from the Irvington Elementary School Chess and Go Club," writes Freedman, "it has 30 students, in 2nd through 5th grades. The students can, play only chess; play only go; or, switch between chess and go each month. New students must play a month of go before they decide on their option. Go is played on KGS, and a self-pair tournament runs for go each month."

Published On 10/29/2012

Daniel Chou 6D (center, front row) swept the top Dan division at the October 27 NOVA Pumpkin Classic, undefeated at 4-0. The other first place winners in their divisions were: Kelsey Dyer 1D (3-1), Benjamin Hong 8K (4-0), Anderson Barreal 12K (3-1), and Caroline Scheck 14K (3-1). Second place finishers were Zhiyuan (Edward) Zhang 6D (2-2), Julian Erville 3K (3-1), Dan Hiltgen 5K (3-1), Bob Crites 12K (3-1) and Frederick Bao 13K (2-2). “First and second place winners and everyone going 2-2 got to take home a pumpkin!” reports Tournament Director Gurujeet Khalsa. photo: NOVA Pumpkin Classic winners with their prizes; photo by Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 10/28/2012

North America has three representatives at international tournaments this weekend: Matthew Burrall and Yongfei Ge at the 7th Korea Prime Minister Cup International Amateur Baduk Championship, and Sarah Yu at the Women’s Bingshen Cup World Championship. The Women's Bingshen Cup World Championship is an international championship for women, now in it's third year. It’s being held in Suzhou, China this year from October 28-November 4. Jin Yu (Sarah) studied go for 6 years in China, where her coach was Ruan Yunsheng 7P. She immigrated to Canada in 2005 and graduated from Queen’s University this spring and is now looking for work. In 2000, Yu placed second in the children’s group the national competition for girls in China and in 2009, she played for Canada in the International Amateur Pair Go in Japan with John Yu. She took bronze for Canada this summer in the World Mind Sports Game women’s individual.

Go Photo: Terpstra Tykes

Published On 10/28/2012

Two of the American Go Association's younger members, Brady (#20162) and Maddie (# 18087) Terpstra battling for ratings. The two are San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra (#754)’s grandchildren. Photo courtesy Ted Terpstra

Carlisle High Gets Hikaru

Published On 10/25/2012

A newly acquired set of the Hikaru no Go manga is on prominent display at the entrance to the high school library in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. “The students were fascinated by the go display,” says Capri Stiles (at right in photo), Carlisle High School librarian. “Expanding the knowledge of the students through authentic experiences is always a great way to promote literacy. The display encouraged students to start the series, and ninth graders who started reading them at one of our middle schools were delighted to be able to access the rest of them here. A playing board and a collection of go magazines really increased the interest in the books.” The American Go Foundation makes the popular manga series available to school and public libraries for free, with just a $20 charge for shipping, click here to order a set.

Published On 10/23/2012

Undaunted by autumnal rain, over two dozen players hunkered down for the 2012 Portland(Oregon) Go Tournament last weekend. The event, including a 7-round handicap tournament and a 5-round open, was held on the picturesque campus of Lewis & Clark College on October 20-22. A startling number of iPads were present, used to record games through Anders Kierulf's "SmartGo Kifu" app.

Published On 10/23/2012

SmartGo Kifu 2.0 includes fuseki and joseki matching: given any board position, it finds all the matching full-board or corner positions in 40,000 pro games and shows you how the professionals played. “Programs like SmartGo for Windows have long done this on the desktop,” says author Anders Kierulf. “Now you can have this capability in your pocket.” SmartGo Kifu runs on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, and is available in the App Store. Click here to read more about the newest changes.

Published On 10/23/2012

NoVA Pumpkin Classic Reminder: Register at www.novagoclub.org by 10P October 25 for the annual Pumpkin Classic in Arlington, VA. More details on the AGA-rated four-round tournament on the website.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012.10.23_FrenchChampionship.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012.10.23_FrenchChampionship.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Debarre Wins 3rd French Championship: Thomas Debarre 6d won his third French Championship title recently in Lyon, defeating Tanguy le Calve in the final. Here’s the game. - Alain Cano What’s The Best School for Inseis? Joy Craft wonders “what is the best school in the world for students who want to become pros?” Her son has been to a program in China and is looking into one in Korea and she’s curious what EJ readers would recommend. Email your suggestions to us at journal@usgo,org

Published On 10/18/2012

Looking for inexpensive go sets to donate at Christmas to various toy drives. Similar to the $1 chess set at the Dollar Tree store, made in China. Btw, , as chess instructions in those cheap chess sets are pretty bad, when I locate a go set, I'll probably stick a sticker on them with a website address for instructions; can't insert "The Way of Go" as the toy drives want new unopened, unwrapped gifts. Yutopian has a laminated paper board for $4 but no stones; Yellow Mountain Imports has a magnetic 13X13 set for $5. If anyone knows of any 19x19 go set, with stones, in one package for close to $1, please email badukvv@gmail.com

Young Lions Tourney Returns

Published On 10/17/2012

The popular Young Lions tourney, for school aged youth, is back with a new twist. Based on the tournaments in Hikaru no Go, where the newest professionals take on the top insei, the Young Lions has become one of the premier youth tourneys online. This year the winners will get a special treat though, 1st and 2nd place in the top bracket will get a chance to play a game with our very first crop of American pros, Andy Liu 1P and Gansheng Shi 1P. The event is run by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) and has developed a reputation for picking some of the top young players in the US. "Returning competitors, are you curious how much you have improved?" asks AGHS Promotion Head Junhee Kim, "new go players, are you up for the challenge? Come sign up for fun, experience, and most importantly because of your love for go!" The tourney will feature brackets for all levels, with prizes and glory for all skill levels. See www.aghs.cc for rules and registration.

John Kerpan Tops MGA Fall Tourney

Published On 10/17/2012

John Kerpan 1d took first place in the Massachusetts Go Association's Fall Tournament on October 14 in Boston, MA. Kerpan topped a field of 30 players. In second place was Mark Nahabedian 13k and in third was Chia Chan 5k; all three players were 4-0. Eva Casey directed. Photo courtesy Eva Casey.

Published On 10/15/2012

"We want more!" was the demand after last year's Portland (Oregon) Go Tournament. With that in mind, tournament director Peter Drake is working to cram even more go into this year's tournament, coming up October 20-21. First, there will be an open division for strong players. "So far four people have signed up for the open," Drake reports, Solomon Choe (AGA 5.9d), Robert Tirak (6.0d), Guozhong Zhuang (6.4d), and Nicholas Jhirad (6.4d). Second, the number of games in the main handicapped tournament has been increased from five to seven. This means that players will get in more games in two days than in the week-long US Open. "What the heck," Drake said, "You're not getting any work done that weekend anyway." The event will take place at Lewis & Clark College, a hotbed of computer go research that Drake says "is recognized as the second most beautiful campus in the country."

Published On 10/10/2012

The Capital Go Club (CGC) is hosting a workshop with Chinese pro Yang Shuang 2P (at left) this Saturday, October 13 in Fairfax, VA. Space is limited; click here to reserve your seat. Yang won 5th place in the Women’s World Go Championship in 1993, and in recent years has been focusing on teaching.

Published On 10/10/2012

EJ reader consensus is that the game in the “Gangnam Style” video (Go Spotting: Go Gangnam Style 10/8 EJ) is not go, but changgi, or Korean chess. “The player on the right appears to be contemplating moving a piece, not placing one,” points out Peter Drake. “More significantly, there are no bowls of stones visible.” Xinming Simon Guo notes that the pieces are all the same color, and his close-up screen capture seems to settle the question.

Published On 10/10/2012

The BadukTV free trial offer has just been extended to AGA Life Members, reports AGA president Andy Okun. Any interested Life Member should email him at president@usgo.org for details. Meanwhile, the limited number of free one-month trial subscriptions to BadukTV -- a $50 value – are going fast; join or rejoin the American Go Association this month to take advantage of the offer. BadukTV is the new online video service from GoGameGuru (GGG), featuring a live 24-video feed from BadukTV in Korea and a growing archive of English translations. AGA members also get the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal, which includes game commentaries. Click here to find out more about AGA membership or BadukTV.

Published On 10/8/2012

Dozens of 2012 U.S. Go Congress games, reports and photos – including galleries of players in top tournaments – are available online; our comprehensive coverage includes crosstabs of the U.S. Open, North American Ing Masters and Strong Players Open. See below for a selection of highlights of our coverage or click here for all our 2012 Go Congress reports.

Cho-U Go App for Kids now on iPad

Published On 10/8/2012

The Nihon Ki-in has just released an English version of Cho-U's 4x4 Go Puzzle. Cho-U 9P came up with all of the problems for the program, and has developed a clever system for introducing go to young children. The app is available for iPhone and iPad, and is being offered on the App Store at an introductory rate of just 99 cents, until October 19th, when the price will increase to $2.99. The app introduces a colorful cast of cartoon characters, including Minigo, a black cat, and Diego, a big white dog who is taking over the playground and won't let the cats into his territory.

Go Spotting: Go Gangnam Style

Published On 10/8/2012

Go seems to make an appearance in the "Gangnam Style" video, which has racked up over 28 million hits on YouTube since its release last summer, inspiring parody clips from all corners of the globe. At .52 in the video there’s a 2-second glimpse of two game players behind South Korean singer and rapper PSY; several EJ readers have suggested that it’s go but it’s hard to tell for sure, even on close inspection. However, given go’s huge popularity in Korea, and PSY’s (born Park Jae-sang) attendance at Boston University and Berklee College of Music in Boston – home to a longtime go club – the appearance of the game is probably not that far-fetched.

Published On 10/7/2012

The Greater Washington Go Club hosted “great turnout and an exciting game” on October 5 when Chinese professional Yang Shuang 2P played a 3-stone exhibition game with Josh Lee. “Josh was leading for most of the game, but then faltered in the endgame when a ko and seki developed, and lost on time,” reports GWGC President Haskell Small. “As it turns out, he would have won by a few points even with the seki. Jie Li 7D also attended the event, joining Ms. Yang in the analysis. “In the analysis, Jie commented that Ms. Yang's play was too slow, not harsh enough, but Ms. Yang stated she was consciously playing as if it was an even game, not trying too hard,” says Small. Click here for a couple of video clips. - photos by Edward Zhang; collage by Chris Garlock

GO Photo: Vintage Go

Published On 10/5/2012

The 2012 Vintage Go event lived up to its name, with participants enjoying plenty of wine along with their crackers and tesujis. The LLNL Go Club organized the festivities September 22 in Livermore, CA. photo by Bruce Bailey

Published On 10/4/2012

Chinese professional Yang Shuang 2P is paying a surprise visit to the metro Washington area Friday, October 5. Ms. Yang – who played a simul in DC earlier this year (Yang Shuang 2P Visits DC-Area Go Clubs 4/24/2012) – will play an exhibition game with Josh Lee, one of the Greater Washington Go Club’s strongest members, followed by analysis of the game. There will be no charge for the event, which will start about 8:30p at the GWGC, Cedar Lane Unitarian Church [downstairs room 15], 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda MD. A dinner will be held at the Aji Nippon restaurant in Bethesda starting at 7p; RSVP with Haskell Small by noon on Friday: haskell@haskellsmall.com

Free BadukTV Trial Sub Offer

Published On 10/2/2012

This month only, join or rejoin the American Go Association in October and get a free one-month trial subscription to BadukTV, a $50 value. BadukTV is the new online video service from GoGameGuru (GGG), featuring a live 24-video feed from BadukTV in Korea and a growing archive of English translations. "Why are Asian players so good?” asks GGG founder David Ormerod. “Access to better quality information. In Asia, people can watch go 24 hours a day. We want to bring that experience to the English-speaking world. " This valuable offer is available for a limited time: you must renew or join the AGA in October to receive your free one-month trial subscription. One trial per customer (sorry, not available to current BadukTV subscribers). AGA members also get the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal, which includes game commentaries.

Published On 10/1/2012

Eleven players -- including Marek Gotkowski from Ireland -- participated in the four-round Davis/Sacramento Go Club Fall Quarterly, held at the Arden Library in Sacramento, CA on September 29. Jeff Newmiller led the upper division with three wins; in the lower division there was a tie between Allen Louderback and Cameron Yu, both with three wins. - Willard Haynes photo (l-r): Cameron Yu, Jeff Newmiller, Allen Louderback

Published On 10/1/2012

Fox Chapel Elementary School from Germantown, Maryland topped a field of three schools in the First DC Metropolitan Area School Go Tournament on September 29, winning 7 out of 8 games. The DC School Tournament, organized by American Go Honor Society (AGHS) President Justin Teng (back left) and Vice-President Julian Erville (back right), is a youth tournament that promotes strengthening the youth go community between local schools in DC, Virginia, and Maryland. Gary Smith, organizer of the NOVA Go Club, hosted the tournament at George Mason University in Arlington, VA, and provided all of the equipment and pairings that made the tournament possible. D

Published On 10/1/2012

A gentle but temperate desert breeze ruffled the results slips as players from northern New Mexico vied for a place in the first Chamisa Flower Go Tournament. Held on Saturday September 22nd at the Aldea Community Center in Santa Fe the tournament brought in players from across northern New Mexico.

Go Photo: The Flume Tesuji

Published On 10/1/2012

San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra sent along this photo "found by one our my club's members, Fredd Broccard from a theme park north of Boston." If anyone has more info on the photo, please send it to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 10/1/2012

Wayne Nelson has just sent us a translation of Jorge Luis Borges’ wonderful poem about go. We’ve run it before but it’s so lovely that, like all great poetry, it bears repetition. Other than this poem, we don’t know anything about Borges’ connection to go, e.g. where he learned, whether he attended a club, or if he mentions it in other writings; if anyone has information along these lines, please send it to us at journal@usgo.org. Go Today, the 9th of September 1978, I had in the palm of my hand a small disk of the 361 that are required for the astrological game of Go, that other chess of the Orient. It is more ancient than the most ancient writing and the board is a map of the universe. Its black and white variations exhaust time. In it men can lose themselves as in love and in the day. Today, the 9th of September 1978, I, who am ignorant of so many things, know that I am ignorant of one more, and I thank my Muses for this revelation of a labyrinth that never will be mine. - by Jorge

Published On 9/26/2012

With events on two recent weekends, the Seattle Go Center celebrated 17 years of teaching and sharing the game of go. Hiroshi Yamashiro 9P, the V.P. of the Nihon Ki-in, and Hiroko Shinkai 5P, a former student of Go Center founder Kaoru Iwamato 9P, visited the Go Center from September 13 - 16, playing simultaneous games and giving lectures. They also attended the anniversary party, which featured the koto ensemble "Silk Strings".

Published On 9/25/2012

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to head to Korea to play go, the Kim-In Cup could be just the ticket. The 6th Kim-in Cup International Senior Baduk Competition, sponsored by both KBA and KABA, will be November 2-5 in Gangjin, Korea; players must pay their own way to Seoul “but food and accommodation is paid for and if you arrive on the right day, the bus to Gangjin is paid too,” says AGA President Andy Okun, who will head up the U.S. delegation. “They really want a good turnout from overseas,” Okun added. Men have to be 50 or older and women 30 or older to participate. There will be three events: the Men’s Team Tournament (4 players per team), a Women’s Team Tournament (4 players per team) and an Individual Tournament (1~5 Dan). Gangjin is in Jeollanam-do, known as a scenic and less-developed part of Korea, with towering mountains, rugged coastline and numerous islands.

2013 US–Cuba Friendship Trip Planned

Published On 9/24/2012

Playing go with Cuban players is part of a trip to Havana, Cuba being planned for February 15-21, 2013. “The highlight will be 2.5 days of go with Cuban players at the Academia Cubana de Go,” says Bob Gilman, who’s organizing the trip in association with the Academia Cubana de Go and Philip Peters of Antilles Resources and which will take place as a 'people-to-people' trip under a license issued by the US Department of the Treasury. The itinerary also includes three days of excursions involving substantial contact with the Cuban people, which may include a tour of Old Havana, the city’s colonial core, to see how its architecture is being restored and preserved, and to meet the people involved, and a visit to Ernest Hemingway’s home just outside Havana. While all trip participants are expected to participate in the itinerary, there will also be free time in the evenings in which to enjoy Havana or play informal games with Cuban players.

Published On 9/24/2012

Registration is now open for the inaugural season the Pandanet-AGA City League. Fully sponsored and funded by Pandanet, this new online tournament will provide players an opportunity for regional competition. "This is an exciting new opportunity to develop our go community here in the US," says AGA President Andy Okun. "Thanks to Pandanet for a great competition that will build up the US go community in new ways." Teams will consist of four players, three of which will play in each round on a rotating basis, and a non-playing team captain. Each team will represent a city or a region.

New Go Comics on Tiger's Mouth

Published On 9/24/2012

The American Go Federation's (AGF) youth website, tigersmouth.org, is publishing new comic strips weekly again. The most recent addition is Aji's Quest, by Collette Bezio, which features the adventures of a quoll named Aji and a tanuki named Tenuki. What's a quoll? Good question. To find out, check out the new strip here. Bezio runs an AGF program at her library, in Seymour WI, and is a writer as well as an artist. You can see more of her work on her website. The Better Move is another new comic available on Tiger's Mouth. Deftly illustrated by Maryland cartoonist Yi Weng, in a Chinese brush painting style, the strip features mini comics on different go themes. Liberty races, capturing the cranes in their nest, and how to play first capture go have all had their own stips, and the monkey jump is coming out soon. Tiger's Mouth will keep adding new strips weekly for the next few months, so check in on Saturdays for the latest updates.

Published On 9/24/2012

I'm looking to contact players in Pittsburgh, PA. In particular, someone involved in any local clubs there. I have some questions about the club that seems to be based at CMU and go life in Pittsburgh in general, but the contact information on the web site seems to be out of date since there are no responses there. Contact billchiles-gocenter@hotmail.com.

Go Spotting: Area no Kishi

Published On 9/24/2012

Go makes an appearance in Episode 24 of in an anime about soccer called Area no Kishi (The Knight in the Area). Thanks to EJ reader Benjamin Meoz who sent this in.

Published On 9/23/2012

By Lee Frankel-Goldwater Morning can be open, glorious and bright. It can also be foreboding, especially if the day ahead holds worries, uncertainty and concerns. Then there’s go. Open-ended yet with clear purpose. A desired result but sometimes an unclear path. Freedom within boundaries. Everything looks black and white, but often it isn't. Yet always a sense of focus, of peace, at the challenge as everything else melts away. Which brings me to the Online Go Server (OGS). When I first discovered the turn-based OGS and the accompanying Android app I was overjoyed at having finally found a way to keep up my playing in the context of a busy life. On the bus, go; on the train, go; in the middle of a cross walk, go. I soon became obsessed with the new playing medium, so much so that sometimes I would wake up, hit the alarm, and open my games. After a few days, I noticed something lovely; I felt more focused, more at ease, and clearer than in some time.

Published On 9/23/2012

by Roy Laird What does the world’s top player do when he’s not playing go? In the case of Lee Sedol, the answer turned out to be: write wonderful go books. In June 2009 Lee abruptly retired from tournament play in a dispute with the Korean Baduk Association, which was later resolved. During the break, as Lee reflected on his career, he reviewed several of his most important games in detail with his sister Lee Sena, a former female amateur Myeongin (Meijin), who had just returned from a long stay in Australia. Three books emerged from this collaboration, and, as we reported last week, the first has just been published in English by Baduktopia as Commented Games of Lee Sedol I.

Published On 9/21/2012

Pro Game App Released: Canadian software developer Wei Cheng has just released "Weiqi2Go," an Apple iOS app aimed at bringing the latest professional games from Asia into the hands of North American go fans. “Many of us (are now) forced to stay up late watching games on Tygem or other go servers which is neither good for our family life nor good for our work the next day,” Wei Cheng says. Weiqi2Go -- $4.99 in the App Store -- currently includes about 500 professional games from the past year. On the plus side, there are 650 pro games from 2011 and 2012 tournaments, and the app has handy auto-play and numbered-move options. Minuses: the app’s game interface is a bit clunky at this point: the board and stones are small and cannot be enlarged, and the forward and back arrows are not terribly responsive.

AGF College Scholarship

Published On 9/17/2012

Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation college scholarship. One of last year's winners, Rachel Daley (at left), writes: "I found that I was better at teaching the game than actually playing. Without even realizing it, I became more confident with strangers. . . . Go also taught me how to be comfortable in a room where I was the only female. I saw [the male players] as my peers and rivals instead of some different entity. This gave me the confidence to never feel intimidated by the male majority in my science and math classes. . . . I realized that this is how society changes – not by a sudden huge wave but by individuals not accepting degrading stereotypes and moving forward despite them.”

New Turn-Based Go Server Comes to U.S.

Published On 9/17/2012

The world of turn-based servers – the modern equivalent of postal go – has expanded with the addition of the International Network Go Organization (INGO). INGO, based in Japan, launched back in May 2011 and has since expanded to China, Taiwan, Korea, Australia, Germany and England. “We think we should invite the United States now,” says INGO Chairman Isao Yamashita. The advantage of turn-based go (TBG) is that “A player can think long or short as he likes,” notes Yamashita. “Thus a game may take a month or longer depending on the total number of moves of a game or how frequently each player sends his move.” Many turn-based players play multiple games simultaneously. Links to INGO and other TBG servers – as well as real-time servers – can be found on the AGA’s Internet Go page.

Published On 9/17/2012

Jan Simara 6D (CZ) won the European Go Cup Brno 2012 held September 7-9 in Brno, Czech Republic. Vanessa Wong 5D (UK) won the European Women's Go Championship, held in Brno the same weekend. Other top winners in the European Cup were Pal Balogh 6D (HU) in second place and Lisy Pavol 6D (SK) in third; click here for full results. Other top winners in the Women’s Championship were Rita Pocsai 5D (HU) in second and Natalia Kovaleva 4D (RU) in third; click here for full results and here for a photo album. - reported by Martin Kovařík

Go Spotting: Gosei Sentai Dairanger

Published On 9/17/2012

Gosei Sentai Dairanger which he describes as “Japanese Power Rangers with a much darker look.” In the show, a boy named akomaru is in trouble with a big guy named Gouma. “In the beginning of the scene we see the edge of a wooden floor goban with very dark go bowls. Later in the scene you can see Gouma placing stones on the board.” This is Albert’s second go spotting – his previous one was Bruce Lee and Go 9/25/2011 – if you spot go, be sure to let us know at journal@usgo.org!

Published On 9/17/2012

SmartGo Books now includes three classics from the much-requested Elementary Go Series (Kiseido). “Life and Death" and "Tesuji," both by James Davies, and "Attack and Defense" by Akira Ishida & James Davies. “These are books you read and re-read as you get stronger,” says SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf. Other recent additions include the first two volumes of Yilun Yang's "The Workshop Lectures" (Slate & Shell), with chapters on when to tenuki, choosing the direction of attack, how to invade, pincers, extensions, and more. Click here for details. SmartGo Books is a free app for iOS (iPad & iPhone), with 42 go books now available for in-app purchase.

Published On 9/16/2012

Looking for a local players to play face-to-face go in or around Victorville, California. Maybe we can form a club? email qmbd2-3253053079@comm.craigslist.org

Published On 9/16/2012

The 2013 U.S. Go Congress will be held August 3-10 at Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington, just south of Seattle. Stay tuned for further details as they’re available.

Published On 9/16/2012

In the new Appendix VII of his “Speculations” article in the Bob High e-Library, longtime go writer Peter Shotwell takes a closer look at financier Mark Spitznagel’s recent guest Forbes column “The Grand Shi Strategy of Ron Paul” (Ron Paul Using Go Strategy to Advance Agenda at GOP Convention? 8/26 EJ). Spitznagel likened the political strategies of losing presidential candidate Ron Paul to the weiqi strategy of shi, the building of initial influence for future profits instead of going for immediate gain. “The quintessential metaphor for shi is water,” wrote Spitznagel, “flowing ever downward in the most naturally powerful and effective way, ultimately overcoming everything in its path. Paradoxically, it is one of the softest and yet strongest forces in nature.” The fascinating workings, aims and political uses of this strategy throughout Asian history are quite extensive and complex, and Shotwell’s 8-page article fills in the gaps for those who are interested.

Published On 9/15/2012

The English edition of "Commented Games by Lee Sedol, Vol. 1: One Step Closer to the Summit" – which some are calling "a Korean version of Invincible" -- is the highlight of eight new books published recently by Korean publisher Baduktopia. Keenly awaited by his fans -- Lee wrote the 3-volume series during a leave of absence in mid-2009 when he temporarily stopped playing professionally -- the book doesn't disappoint. Over 320 pages Lee Sedol 9P comments in great detail on three of his own games; click here for sample pages. “Commented Games” also includes unusually honest and frank stories about Lee’s life, thoughts and emotions, providing rare insight into the mind of one of the world top players. There are three volumes of the Lee Sedol books, with three games in each for a total of nine commented games, the English translation of Volume II is scheduled for release in the first half of 2013.

Published On 9/15/2012

Seeking pictures from the 2012 U.S. Go congress. If you took pictures and have them online, please send the link to: paul@gocongress12.org We’re especially interested in any pictures taken of the winners of the U.S. Open holding their prizes at the banquet. - Paul Celmer, 2012U.S. Go Congress Co-Director

Published On 9/15/2012

The deadline American entries in the second WBaduk Intercontinental Team Cup (WBaduk Intercontinental Team Cup Seeks American Players 9/4 EJ) has been extended to October 13th. Anyone can play in this 3-continent tournament that pits players from each of the participating continents —America, Europe and Asia – in a last-man-standing prelim to choose three 5-player teams that will then play off in the finals. Free registration, $10,000 in prizes.

Published On 9/13/2012

Newly-elected members Steve Burrall, Edward Zhang, Bob Barber, and Gurujeet Khalsa were welcomed aboard at the September 9th meeting of the American Go Association’s Board of Directors via conference call. The board thanked outgoing members Chuck Robbins, Lisa Scott, Jie Li, and Andy Okun, and appointed Daniel Smith as Chairperson and Chuck Robbins as Secretary (a position appointed by the board). The board discussed President Andy Okun's report including the promising early organization of the 2016 World Mind Sports Games in Brazil, the Congress liaison/coordinator role, the proposed 2014 Congress in Vancouver and the related issue of travel by non-citizen U.S. residents to Canada and the appointment of Lisa Scott to the position of volunteer coordinator.

DC Metro School Tourney Set for Sept 29

Published On 9/13/2012

"The first DC Metropolitan Area School Go Tournament will be held at George Mason University in Arlington, VA on Saturday, September 29," reports American Go Honor Society Vice President Julian Erville. "Registration for the tournament is still open, and anyone is welcome to watch, or play self-paired games. AGA membership is not required, and all DC Metro schools are invited to attend," adds Erville. For information -- including about prizes -- contact Justin Teng at lightvolt@gmail.com. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 9/13/2012

Thirty European countries are fielding teams in the third Pandanet Go European Team Championship (PGETC). The PGETC is a traditional European Go Federation-style tournament in which national teams play in a league system on the Pandanet-IGS server in the EuropeanTeamChamp room. Teams are made up of up to 12 players, with four selected to play in each round. The teams are divided into three leagues and there will be nine rounds, beginning September 18. The top four teams will play in finals at the 57th European Go Congress in Olsztynin July 2013. Pandanet is currently organizing a similar AGA City League (AGA Announces New Pandanet-AGA City League 8/3 EJ) and is looking for players in cities to participate: email tournaments@usgo.org if you’re interested.

Published On 9/12/2012

Wednesday, September 12 is the deadline to register for the second SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament. This online tournament is sponsored by SportAccord, the city government of Beijing, Pandanet, and the International Go Federation. Top prize is an all-expenses-included trip to observe the Second SportAccord World Mind Games held in Beijing later this year. There are other prizes for sectional winners as well, plus three iPads as lottery prizes drawn among all players who finish the preliminary round.

Published On 9/12/2012

AGA Pro Tourney Game Records Posted: AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Tournament game records for both the main tournament and the Exhibition League have been added to the AGA Professional System page on the AGA website. To see the tournament draw – and download game records – scroll down to “Results.” Thanks to Dennis Wheeler and Steve Colburn for their work on this.

Published On 9/8/2012

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) announced their new officers for the 2012-13 school year on their Facebook Page. Run mainly by high school students, the AGHS organizes the School Teams Tourney and other events every year. The new officers are: Co-Presidents: Justin Teng and Eric Chen; Vice Presidents: Hugh Zhang and Julian Erville; Promotion Head: Junhee Kim; Tournament Organizer: Andrew Huang; Secretary: Viral Kotecha; Officer: Asa Euster. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Go Spotting: Billy Bat Manga

Published On 9/5/2012

“A friend that has a group in Facebook "Gakko No Go" discovered some characters in the Billy Bat manga playing go,” reports Siddhartha Avila. Billy Batt is a thriller manga series written by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki and illustrated by Urasawa. The story is set in 1949 and follows Japanese-American comic book artist Kevin Yamagata as he draws the popular detective series "Billy Bat". When he learns he may have unconsciously copied the character from an image he saw while serving in occupied Japan, he returns to Japan to get permission to use Billy Bat from its original creator. Upon arriving there, however, he becomes embroiled in a web of murder, cover-ups, and prophecy that all leads back to Billy Bat.

Published On 9/4/2012

American players are wanted for the second WBaduk Intercontinental Team Cup (WITC), with $10,000 in prize money at stake. Anyone can play in this 3-continent tournament that pits players from each of the participating continents -- America, Europe and Asia – in a last-man-standing prelim to choose three 5-player teams that will then play off in the finals. Prizes will be awarded in both the prelims and finals. Registration is free but the September 23 deadline for sign-up is fast-approaching, as play begins later this month. Click here for details and to see who’s signed up thus far.

Published On 9/4/2012

I want to start a Go club in Novi, Michigan and am looking for players in the Milford-Novi-Wixom area who are interested. Email Jonathan Hop: yithril@gmail.com

12-Year-Old Albert Yen Tops Chi Tourney

Published On 9/3/2012

Twelve-year-old Albert Yen 6d (at right in top photo, playing Changyu Han) took top honors in the September 1 “Me Tarzan” tournament in Chicago, IL, undefeated in the Dan division.

Published On 9/3/2012

Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting new students for group classes for the next term, which begins October 6/7. Group class participants also receive a 20% discount on a year’s membership for Guo Juan’s audio lectures. In addition to Guo Juan 5P, the school’s teaching faculty includes Jennie Shen 2P, Young Sun 8P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P. Click here for details on Guo Juan’s Internet Go School.

Hikaru Author Hotta Yumi Interviewed

Published On 9/3/2012

Hikaru no Go author Hotta Yumi was interviewed on film at the International Go Symposium on August 5th, 2012. For those who missed the live stream, the Tiger's Mouth website has printed the entire text of the interview. The AGF is currently editing the videos from the symposium, all of which will be available online at a later date. A few choice highlights from the Hotta interview are below, you can read the full article here.

Hikaru Trivia Winners

Published On 9/3/2012

Thirteen readers submitted answers to the E-J Hikaru no Go trivia contests, published on Aug. 6, but only four readers got all the answers right. The winners are Hena Garcia, Linden Chiu, Elizibeth Comer, and "Jeffrey" who did not provide a last name. All four win a free month of KGS+. The questions and answers are below. Q:Who drank his coffee black, even when he was in middle school? A: Kishimoto. Q: Who was Isumi’s roommate in China? A: Yang Hai. Q: What is Akira’s mother named? A: Akiko (best wrong answers: Mrs. Touya and Sue Me). Q: How is Hikaru able to take the Insei test, even though he missed the deadline? A: Ogata vouches for him. Q: On what day does Sai disappear, and how can you tell? A: Children's day, May 5th. You can tell because of the carp streamers in the window. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Questions by Paul Barchilon and Justin Teng.

Published On 9/2/2012

Whence the Seattle Portable Set? “In a world of on-the-go go, it is really difficult to find a portable go set that is satisfying to play with,” writes Ramon Mercado. “But I think I've managed to find it. I was searching for a set to take to the club meetings on the coffee shop, and to have available for a quick middle-of-the-day game break at work. Thus, one of those magnetic non-standard size sets was not enough; I wanted a full standard-size board. So imagine my excitement when one day a member of the Des Moines Go club shows up with this perfect folding go Japanese-standard board. No hinges or interlocking pieces, and when opened, the lines perfectly aligned. Great sounding wood too! I asked excitedly ‘where did you get this?" and was told ‘This board is from Seattle.’ Apparently the board dated back to the early days of the Seattle Go Center and the board’s owner has never seen anything like it again.

Frank Luo Wins AtlantaTournament

Published On 9/2/2012

Frank Luo won the Atlanta tournament August 25 when the Atlanta Go Club and the Chinese Go Association teamed up with a local Korean Baduk salon for a weekend one-day tournament. The tournament featured two divisions, a High Dan Division consisting of players 4-dan or greater and a Dan/Kyu Division consisting of players 3-dan or less to about 5 kyu. “Although this was not an AGA-rated event the 19 participants had a great time,” reports local organizer Jeffery Kerlagon. Each division played three rounds. “Luo’s final win in the High Dan division featured an exciting tesuji that captured his opponent’s corner,” reports Kerlagon.

Published On 9/2/2012

SmartGo Kifu is on sale for half-price until September 15. Building on the acclaimed SmartGo Pro for the iPhone, SmartGo Kifu offers a go board with tools to study go: professional game records, go problems, and annotated games enabling users to replay master games, solve problems, play against the computer, and record their own games. The first-ever sale for SmartGo Kifu, it may also be the last, says SmartGo author Anders Kierulf. “The main reason for the sale is to give SmartGo Pro users a fair way to upgrade to SmartGo Kifu. SmartGo Pro, now discontinued, was iPhone-only, and has since been superseded by SmartGo Kifu, which works on both iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide a solution to upgrade users from one app to another.” At the sale price of $9.99 -- instead of $19.99 – “This is your chance to upgrade to SmartGo Kifu, or simply get SmartGo Kifu at half off,” says Kierulf.

Jasiek Releases “First Fundamentals”

Published On 9/1/2012

Designed to “help beginners to rise above their current level and become intermediate players as quickly as possible,” First Fundamentals has just been released by author Robert Jasiek. The 212-page book (also available as a PDF) is also intended to help intermediate players “abandon their remaining mistakes,” says Jasiek, who notes that “A lack of awareness and understanding of mistakes is the by far greatest obstacle for improving.” First Fundamentals includes clear and simple principles about the fundamentals of strategy and tactics and illustrates the principles with examples from beginners' games. “Apply these principles and improve several ranks!” says Jasiek. Click here for sample pages.

U.S. Go Congress EJ Team Recognition

Published On 9/1/2012

The American Go E-Journal’s comprehensive coverage of the recently-concluded annual U.S. Go Congress has become such a part of the fabric of the event that the extraordinary amount of work that goes into broadcasting dozens of top games, commentaries, reports and photos is now routine and taken for granted. Our work is highly visible, while the workers themselves are largely invisible. Which is how we want it: the focus should always be on the players and the game we all love so deeply. Click here for pro game commentaries (scroll down to Game Review) and here for final results in the NAIM, US Open and Strong Player’s Open.

Published On 9/1/2012

“My wife Kathy Kline’s book group recently read The New York Times best-seller The Elegance of the Hedgehog” writes Terry Benson. “Pages 112-114 in Muriel Barbery’s book (translated from the French) have a wonderful go reference.” “The main character is a precocious 12-year-old girl who comments acerbically about the adults around her and knows more about go than the father of a friend who is making a movie of The Girl Who Played Go. She uses go as a philosophic metaphor, saying that ‘One of the most extraordinary aspects of the game of go is that it has been proven that in order to win, you must live, but you must also allow the other player to live. Players who are too greedy will lose: it is a subtle game of equilibrium, where you have to get ahead without crushing the other player. In the end, life and death are only the consequences of how well or how poorly you have made your construction.

Meng Tailing Wins 4th Quzhou Lanke Cup

Published On 8/29/2012

Meng TailingOn August 28, Meng Tailing 6P and Tuo Jiaxi 3P met in the final of China’s 4th Quzhou Lanke Cup. Despite a higher ranking, Meng probably entered the final as the underdog, because Tuo recently won the CITIC Bank Cup (previously the CCTV Cup – in July 2012). The game featured some unusual mimicry in the opening, where black and white repeatedly played tenuki (didn't respond locally) and created identical strongholds across the board from one another. In the end, the result hinged on a decisive ko fight. Tuo won the ko, but lost the game after Meng found adequate compensation elsewhere. Meng Tailing takes home his first domestic Chinese title and 500,000 Chinese RMB (about $80,000). Jingning; the game record and more photos are available in her original article: Meng Tailing's breakthrough: Winner of the 4th Quzhou Lanke Cup at Go Game Guru. Photo: Meng Tailing 6P in the final of the 4th Quzhou Lanke Cup.

Published On 8/27/2012

Go is the first example of “5 things your brain does better than a computer,” a recent post on the Mother Nature Network blog. “There are still a few activities that are too complex for a computer to bash its binary way through,” writes Shea Gunther. “In those realms, humans still reign. But don't get too comfortable; computers are getting faster and smarter by the year.” Gunther notes that “There are more than 10 times more scenarios in Go than there are atoms in the observable universe. Computers are good at handling big numbers, but that's just ridiculous. What's more likely is that humans will get better at designing computer programs that more closely replicate the human brain and its thought processes. But when that happens and the machines take over, I don't think we'll be all that concerned about losing a game of Go to a computer.” By the way, the other four things your brain does better than a computer? Solve crossword puzzles, play Starcraft, create art, and write.

Published On 8/27/2012

Ron Paul, the libertarian politician who ran unsuccessfully for this year’s Republican Presidential nomination, will have a disproportionate influence at the GOP’s convention this week thanks to his employment of shi (pronounced “sure”), “a strategy expounded and employed by Chinese philosophers and military strategists for thousands of years,” according to “The Grand Shi Strategy of Ron Paul,” a guest column in Forbes by Mark Spitznagel.

Published On 8/27/2012

The second International Children’s Go Art Painting Contest received almost seventy entries, submitting countries included Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The artwork was displayed at the US Go Congress in North Carolina, in the main playing area where everyone could enjoy it. Chen Yew Soo of Penang, Malaysia, took top honors in the 5-8 year old division; Elitica Ganeva, of Sofia, Bulgaria, won in the 9-12 year old bracket, and April Ye, of the US won in the 13-16 year old bracket. Ye is a repeat winner, having taken top honors las year in the 9-12 year old bracket, she also received an honorable mention for the second piece she submitted this year. Younger sister of US Jr. Go Champion Aaron Ye 5d, April is proving to be 5 dan when it comes to art. Both of her entries this year sold at auction at the Go Congress.

KGS Insei League Tweaks Curriculum

Published On 8/26/2012

Better. Faster. That pretty much sums up the latest version of Alexandr Dinerchtein’s Korean-style insei league on KGS. Dinerchtein is instituting several new concepts and rules changes as of September, including mainly reviewing professional games, rather than insei vs insei league games, as previously. In addition, Dinerchtein says he will “show the way of thinking, while playing,” discussing his moves, the moves of his opponent and his thoughts during the game. Insei vs insei game reviews, which used to take weeks, will now be returned in 24 hours with commentary by Dinerchtein. And beginning in September, “we will have fuseki/joseki lectures and lectures on other subjects, for example: invasions or attacking,” adds Dinerchtein. As before, the league will have simultaneous games with reviews by Dinerchtein and other teachers. Discounts are available for young inseis.

China Dominates World Youth - Again

Published On 8/25/2012

China won both divisions of the 29th World Youth Go Championship, repeating their victories in this event from last year. The week-long tourney wrapped up on August 21, and was sponsored by the Ing Foundation. Twenty-two young players came from all over the world to vie for the top slot in the Junior (under 12) and Senior (under 16) divisions. The tournament was held in Luoyang, China, a city with more than 3,000 years of history.

Published On 8/24/2012

Chinese professional Weitang Liang 9P put on a brilliant display of technical virtuosity for a captivated audience of 50 go fans in a special event at the Rockville United Church in Rockville, MD on Tuesday August 14. “The strength of a professional player is definitely fascinating,” event organizer Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang told the E-Journal. “In the 6-on-1 simul, players as strong as 5 dan had five to nine-stone handicaps, yet only one Korean player -- Insu Kim -- was able to win.” The event was a collective effort by the Capital Go Club of the American Go Association (AGA), the Great Falls Go Club, the Rockville Go & Chess Group (RGCG), and the Rockville Sister City Corporation (RSCC), and Transamerica Financial Advisors, Inc. Liang came to DC from his appearance at this year’s US Go Congress on behalf of the China Qiyuan and the Chinese Go Association.

Published On 8/24/2012

Twenty seven players ranging in age from eight to 72 came out to Palo Alto, CA on August 18 to play in this month's AGA ratings tournament organized by Bay Area Go Players Association. Ranks ranged from 20 kyu to 6 dan, with six players entering at a rank of 4 dan or above. Justin Shieh 5d and Lucas Baker 4d led the Dan division with four wins apiece, while Jay Chan 1k led the Kyu division also with four wins. Four-game winners and those playing in their first tournament ever got to take home a go book of their choosing, and long-time go teacher Herb Doughty gave beginner go lessons in the courtyard just outside the tournament hall. Next month's ratings tournament is coming up September 8, again in Palo Alto. Photo by Lisa Schrag.

Published On 8/24/2012

Here’s a chance to win a free trip to the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing. The International Go Federation is organizing the SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament September 16 through October 26, in cooperation with Pandanet and SportAccord. The winner will be invited to the World Mind Games, being held in Beijing this December, with travel and accommodations provided. There are also generous prizes for sectional winners, as well iPAD’s as lottery prizes for anyone who finished the preliminary round. Registration for the SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament is free but you must register by September 12; click here to register.

Go Classified: Go Players Wanted

Published On 8/24/2012

Fort Washington, PA: Come and join us on Sunday afternoons playing go at the Upper Dublin Township Library, 805 Loch Alsh Ave, Fort Washington, PA 19034. We play from 1P until 4 (or until we're thrown out). Players of all levels, including raw beginners, are invited to join us. There is always room for more! If you have questions, contact Neil Zod at nlzod@verizon.net. Go Classifieds are FREE and get results! Email yours to us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 8/19/2012

Chinese Taipei is dominating the World Mind Sports Games, winning six of the 9 medals awarded thus far, including gold, silver and bronze in the Men’s Individual, gold and silver in the Team, and gold in the Women’s Individual.Japan took silver in the Women’s,Canada took bronze in the Women’s, andSingapore took bronze in the Team. U.S. results in the Men's Individual: 17th: Zhao, Zhongxia; 28th: Song, Forest; 52nd: Ching, Justin; 57th Xu, Yang. U.S. results in the Women's Individual: 14th: Wang, Yinli; 15th: Shen, Cherry; 18th: Zhang, Yan (Tina). U.S. results in the Team: USA1 was 10th in Group A and USA 2 was 12th in Group B. Click here for latest WMSG results, medals, players & more. Harry van der Krogt's album of WMSG photos is posted here. photo: group shot of 2012 WMSG participants

Kaya Go Server Releasing Beta Version

Published On 8/19/2012

After 7 months of intensive development, the Kaya Go Server (Kaya Go Server Aims at Online Audience 9/19/2011) programmers are releasing the beta version. “Kaya has been growing a lot technically in the past six months,” reports lead developer Gabriel Benmergui. “We have made weekly releases improving and adding features, including automatic professional relay games, variation sharing and voiced countdowns, Fischer time system and many more since we came out on Christmas 2011.” The server can now broadcast simultaneous game video and commentary and the system’s been field-tested at several tournaments, with Guo Juan 5P using it for a lecture at this year's Canadian Open, which was broadcast on Kaya, courtesy of the Quebec Go Association.

Published On 8/18/2012

The AGA will hold simultaneous men's and women's selection tournaments to fill two U.S. slots at the 2012 SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing, China, from December 12-20. The two selected players – one male and one female -- will each compete in the Men's and Women's Individual tournaments, and then together as a pair in the Mixed Doubles competition.

Published On 8/18/2012

Congress Tournament Winners: In addition to winning the North American Ing Masters, Matthew Hu (right) won the 2012 U.S. Open at the recent U.S. Go Congress, collecting a set of jade stones and bowls donated by the Confucius Institute of Raleigh, North Carolina in addition to his cash prize and trophy. Evan Cho won the Strong Players Open. Click here for a PDF of the prize-winners in all the Congress tournaments, including North American Ing Masters, Strong Players Open, Pair Go, US Open, Continuous Self-Paired Tournament, Wednesday Die Hard Tournament, Midnight Madness, Wisonet Cup State Team Go Tournament, Michael Redmond Cup, Youth Team, Youth Room Tournaments, 9x9 Tournament, 13x13 Tournament, Crazy Go, Lightning Go. Click here for pro game commentaries (scroll down to Game Review) and here for final results in the NAIM, US Open and Strong Player’s Open. Also, click here for an album of Congress photos, posted by Co-Director Peter Armenia.

Published On 8/13/2012

Fresh from his appearance at the U.S. Go Congress, Liang Wei-Tang 9P will appear at an event in the Washington DC area on Tuesday, August 14. The Chinese professional’s visit is sponsored by the the Capital Go Club and Rockville Go & Chess Group. The event includes a simul with Mr. Liang, who will also do game commentaries and conduct a Q&A session. The event is free and all are welcome, but pre-registration is required. Area go players and others interested are also welcome to observe. Liang was born in Guangdong, China in 1963 and began learning go at 10. In 1999 he was rated among the top players in the country.

World Mind Sport Games Launch in France

Published On 8/13/2012

The second World Mind Sport Games (WMSG) opened on Friday, August 9 at the Lille Grand Palais in Lille, France. In all, about 2,000 players from five sports will compete in bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), go, and xiangqi (Chinese Chess). Go events started in full force on Monday, August 13. EuroGoTV and IGS-Pandanet are broadcasting daily games from the WMSG. In all, five gold medals will be awarded in the following go events: men’s and women’s singles and teams, pair, and youth.

Published On 8/11/2012

Kelsey Dyer 1D (right) and Yuan Zhou 7D (left) won the 2012 U.S. Pair Go Championships Thursday night at the U.S. Go Congress. They defeated Yukino Takehara 2k and Justin Ching 3D in the first round and then beat Amy Su 4D and Lionel Zhang 6D to clinch the title. They'll represent the United States later this year at the World Pair Go Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Su and Zhang took second; in third were April Ye 1k and Kevin Huang 7d and in fourth place were Yukino Takehara 2k and Justin Ching 3d. Todd Heidenreich directed, with Assistant TD Jesy Feliccia and special assistance by Dennis Wheeler and Steve Colburn. - photo by Chris Garlock

Matthew Hu 1P Wins 2012 Ing Masters

Published On 8/11/2012

In a dramatic game that saw the lead change hands several times 14-year-old Zi Yang (Matthew) Hu 1P (at right) prevailed over brand-new U.S. professional Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu 1P in the North American Ing Masters (NAIM) tournament final round Friday night. Hu had also defeated Liu in the 5th round of the U.S. Open Friday morning, his 5-0 record giving him a virtual lock on winning the Open, which has one more round on Saturday. Liu had a winning position coming out of the middle game, according to game commentator Yilun Yang 7P, but allowed Hu to start a ko that wound up erasing Liu's lead and he resigned shortly afterwards.

Go Congress Photo Album: Crazy Go

Published On 8/10/2012

Top right: spiral go; middle right: Galactic Go; Bottom Right: 4-color Go; Bottom left: Blind Go; Middle left: TD Terry Benson being interviewed by The Surrounding Game documentary crew; Top left: 3-color Go. all photos by Phil Straus except Terry Benson and Blind Go by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/10/2012

Top right: dancing to bluegrass music at the Wednesday night Live Bluegrass and Dessert event; bottom right: playing "Big Brother" go with Chinese professionals; middle bottom: playing in the Midnight Madness Tournament; bottom left: enjoying music at the Wednesday night Live Bluegrass and Dessert event; middle left: playing poker; top left: practicing for the Pair Go tournament; middle: playing go and picnicking atop High Windy Mountain. photos by Phil Straus, Chris Garlock & Steve Colburn.

Go Congress Photo Album: Pair Go

Published On 8/10/2012

At the 2012 U.S. Pair Go Championships, August 9 at the U.S. Go Congress (Dyer-Zhou Win 2012 U.S. Pair Go Championships 8/10/12 EJ). photos by Chris Garlock except center photo by Phil Straus; collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/10/2012

Andrew Lu Sweeps Congress Die Hard Tournament: Nearly a quarter of the Congress attendees -- 93 players -- participated in the Die Hard tournament instead of taking the day off Wednesday. Andrew Lu swept all his games, going 4-0 in the top section to win the tournament. The other 4-0 players were: Sun Daqiang 2D, E-Journal Tournaments reporter Lee Huynh 1D, Anand Sathya 2K, Yin Zihang 3K, and Rohde David 5K. - Andy Olsen, TD; photo: Lee Huynh (r) and friends study life and death problems Thursday night.

Published On 8/10/2012

Call it our very own Go Olympics. Top-seeded Zi Yang Hu (below right) and #2 seed Andy Liu (below left), already scheduled to play for the 2012 North American Ing Masters (NAIM) title tonight -- 7p on KGS, with live commentary by Mingjiu Jiang 9P (top right) and Yilun Yang 7P (top left) -- are 4-0 in the U.S. Open and thus likely to be paired in this morning’s 5th round action, which will be broadcast on KGS starting at 9:30a (EST) with live professional commentary. Mingming “Stephanie” Yin will play Beomgeun Cho in the Strong Players Open (SPO) final, which will be broadcast live on KGS starting at 7P. Other 4-0 winners in the Open are Jeremy Chiu, Aaron Ye, Yunxuan Li, Forest Song, Frank Salantrie, Linden Chiu, Jared Beck, Willis Huang, Vivek Chavda, April Ye, Raymond Jiang, Zihang Yin, Jason Preuss, Theodore B. Terpstra, Elliot Stern, Amanda Miller, Bryan Tan, Caroline Scheck, Edward James Lane and Zongren Huang.

Liu and Su Top Youth Adult Pair Go

Published On 8/9/2012

Amy Su 4d and Ge Liu 6d won the top table of Youth Adult Pair Go at the US Go Congress on Tuesday afternoon. Su is the daughter of Feng Yun 9P, and looks like she is becoming a strong player in her own right. Thirty-two players competed in the event this year, which included a few male/male pairs as well. The event often serves as a warm up for the regular Pair Go tourney on Thursday night, where pairs will compete for the right to represent the US at the World Pair Go Championships. Youth Adult Pair Go is one of many events in the Youth Room, which features daily prize tourneys.

Published On 8/8/2012

U.S. Open Round 3 Results: Zi Yang Hu, Andy Liu and Ge Liu head up the list of undefeated players in the U.S. Open after three rounds, setting up some tough match-ups later in the week when the Open continues after the traditional Day Off on Wednesday. Click here for all results -- and top-board game records – through Round 3. Click here for Shirley Lin 1P’s commentary on the Round 3, Board 1 game between Zi Yang Hu and Pengwang Song.

Published On 8/8/2012

Despite professional-level trash-talking – “Yeah, yeah, you got that wrong, didn’t you? But then you had so little time to think” – Keith Arnold won just one of his 20 games in the Keith Arnold Kyu-Killer Challenge Tuesday afternoon. “It was harder than I thought,” Arnold admitted to the E-Journal Tuesday night as he played multi-color go at Crazy Go with his daughter Melanie and friends. “I’d have been happy to win five games, but I didn’t expect to win only one. I do think, however, that some of those ranks were a bit suspect,”Arnold said, beaten but unbowed. photos by Phil Straus (left) & Chris Garlock (right)

Gan and Ye Shut Out Rivals in Redmond

Published On 8/8/2012

Photos by EJ photographer Phil Straus. Top left: EJ game recorder Richard Dolen; Top right: longtime Congress attendee Ken Koester (second from right) and fellow Lightning Tournament players await instructions from TD Keith Arnold; Bottom right: KGS Admin Akane Negishi shows off her go-themed earrings and nails; Bottom left: Triple-threat Tournament Director Karoline Burrall (TD for the U.S. Open, North American Ing Masters and Strong Players Open).

Maeda Organizing 2013 Go Camp in Osaka

Published On 8/7/2012

Maeda Ryo 6P, the popular Japanese professional who’s a regular attendee at the annual U.S.Go Congress, is organizing a 3-week intensive go camp in Osaka next year. “I guarantee a 3-stone improvement for kyu players,” Maeda (at left) smilingly told the E-Journal Monday, “and one stone for dan players.” Classes will run five days a week, with two days off for sight-seeing to places like the Shusaku Memorial Museum in Innoshima as well as Kyoto, Nara and Himeji. Campers will play league games in the morning, with teaching games with pros – 4-5 will be available daily -- in the afternoon, along with lectures, quizzes and simuls, and in the evening there will be casual games with local amateur players. Li Ting 1P -- another popular Congress pro -- is also helping organize the camp, along with Hayashi Kouzou 6P, with the support of the Kansai Ki-in. Email Osaka.go.2013@gmail.com for more info or to reserve your space. photo: Maeda giving a lecture Monday at the U.S. Go Congress;

Published On 8/7/2012

The AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Tournament finals were made possible by the work of many people who logged a lot of hours at Black Mountain last week, including: Myung Wan Kim 9P (event organizer, Tygem support, pro commentator), Andy Okun (event organizer), Allan Abramson (event organizer, game recorder), Jeff Shaevel (event organizer, tournament director), Todd Heidenreich (recording team leader, game recorder), Dennis Wheeler (game recorder), Richard Crandall (game recorder), Peter St. John (game recorder), I-Han Lui (game recorder), Terry McIntyre (game recorder), Andrew Jackson (game recorder). Also the tech teams at event sponsor Tygem, along with support from KGS. photo: Steve Colburn

Hikaru Trivia Contest Stumps Hotta Yumi

Published On 8/7/2012

Hotta Yumi, author of the award winning Hikaru no Go manga, delighted kids and teens in the Youth Room at the U.S. Go Congress on Monday. The second annual Hikaru no Go Trivia Contest was a huge success, with Hotta (seated) serving as the official judge. Fifteen kids competed in teams of three, trying to answer questions that were so difficult even Hotta was often stumped. Reigning Hikaru trivia champion Bijan Saniee (standing, far right, in photo below) led his team to victory, once again showing his profound knowledge of the most obscure bits of detail from the popular manga. Ten-year-old Austin Liao (at far left in photo at right) gave him a run for his money though, popping his hand up repeatedly, and correctly answering some of the most challenging questions of the afternoon.

Published On 8/7/2012

Tournament Results: Latest results – and top-board game records – in the U.S. Open; North American Ing Masters and the Strong Players Open are posted online. NEW! Watch the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat with our live video streaming of Board 1 games at the U.S. Open (9a daily) and NAIM (7p daily), available online at eurogotv.com.

Phil’s Portraits: Monday's Gallery

Published On 8/7/2012

Photos by EJ photographer Phil Straus. Top left: EJ game recorder Richard Dolen; Top right: longtime Congress attendee Ken Koester (second from right) and fellow Lightning Tournament players await instructions from TD Keith Arnold; Bottom right: KGS Admin Akane Negishi shows off her go-themed earrings and nails; Bottom left: Triple-threat Tournament Director Karoline Burrall (TD for the U.S. Open, North American Ing Masters and Strong Players Open).

Published On 8/7/2012

Dan: Brandon Zhou 2d; Andrew Zalesak 1d; Peter Zhang 3d; Willis Huang 1d; Amy Su 4d Kyu: Sathiya Anand 2k; John Redford 7k; Justin Cheng 4k; Alvin Chen 12k; Philip Brix 6k; Alex Kuang 22k; Zihang Yin 3k; Jerry Lu 10k. TD: Keith Arnold - Lee Huynh; photos/collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/6/2012

Tournament Reports U.S. Open: Canadian players played a leading role in some top-board upsets at the 2012 U.S. Open, which got underway Sunday morning at the Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC. Newly-minted U.S. pro Gansheng Shi of Canada lost to Canadian Go Association President James Sedgwick, while defending U.S. Open champion Yongfei Ge lost to Bill Lin; both are also Canadians. For complete Round 1 results from the Open, NAIM and SPO, as well as top-board game records, are available on the tournament crosstab. Click here for crosstabs and game records for NAIM and the SPO. Top-board Open games are being broadcast live daily on KGS from 9a-12p (EST); NAIM and SPO games are from 7-10p. photo: birds-eye view of the U.S. Open main playing area; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/6/2012

Hikaru no Go manga creator Hotta Yumi provided a fascinating peep behind scenes when she sat down Sunday with American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock to explain the process of creating the popular manga. With her editors needing final artwork eight weeks before publication, Mrs. Hotta said that months of painstaking work went into each new manga. Depending on the storyline, “I sometimes was working on three episodes simultaneously,” she said, through translator Akane Negishi. She would roughly sketch out the stories and then send them to Obata Takeshi, the artist who would turn them into finished artwork. At the same time, the rough drafts would go to the Nihon Ki-in, where staff would find games that would best illustrate the story, and the game records or positions would also go to Mr. Obata, who would add them to the finished artwork. “The go was of course taken very seriously,” Mrs. Hotta said, “That’s why so much effort was necessary.

Congress Photo Album: Sunday, August 5

Published On 8/6/2012

Top right: Pro simul with Chinese professional Weitang Liang 9P; Middle right: Mingjiu Jiang 9P lectures; Bottom right: Youth Lightning Tournament; Bottom left: Nolan Bushnell models his KGS t-shirt and American Go E-Journal cap while beating Chuck Robbins; Middle left: analyzing their round 1 U.S. Open game; top left: Wisonet Cup State Team Go Tournament organizer Ronghao Chen watches Round 1. Photos/Collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/5/2012

A standing-room-only crowd packed into Washburn Hall at the U.S. Go Congress opening ceremonies Saturday night, where – after a brief but entertaining Congress welcome from Congress Directors Paul Celmer and Peter Armenia -- Atari founder Nolan Bushnell regaled the rapt audience with tales of how he came to found the company that helped define the computer entertainment industry for years.

Redmond Cup Live at 3pm.

Published On 8/5/2012

The Redmond Cup finalists have arrived at the US Go Congress, and the stage is set for a showdown in both divisions. Calvin Sun 7d, age 15, will face off against Jianing Gan 6d, also 15, in the Senior; both boys just played in the first AGA/Tygem Professional certification tourney, and Gan made it all the way to the finals, where he was just one game away from becoming a professional. In the Junior Division ten year old titans Aaron Ye 5d, and Austen Liao 2d, will square off. Liao is a dark horse contender who made the finals by fighting his way up to second place, from a seed at the bottom of the 10 player field, knocking out two players ranked higher than him. Both games will be broadcast live on KGS, in the AGA Tournaments room, at 3pm EDT.
-Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 8/5/2012

Steven Burrall, Robert Barber, Gurujeet Khalsa and Zhiyuan [Edward] Zhang have won election to the AGA Board of Directors. Burrall (top left) will represent the Western region, Barber (top right) the Central, Khalsa (bottom right) the Eastern and Zhang (bottom left) is At-Large; the terms are for two years.

Published On 8/5/2012

The Seattle Go Center (SGC) has dropped its lawsuit against the Nihon Ki-in. “Representatives for both the Go Center and the Nihon Ki-in are in agreement that we can amicably resolve any issues in a manner that is beneficial to both parties, and that will allow both organizations to continue fulfilling our mutual goals of sharing, teaching and promoting go in the United States in the tradition of Iwamoto-Sensei,” the SGC Board of Directors announced on August 2.

Published On 8/4/2012

Gangsheng Shi (far left) defeated Jianing Gan Saturday morning to become the second US-certified professional in the AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Finals that concluded today in Black Mountain, NC. Shi and Andy Liu won professional certification and $1,500 each in prize money.

Published On 8/3/2012

Here are the full results of Thursday’s games from the AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Finals.

Published On 8/3/2012

The International Go Symposium kicks off a full schedule of presentations on the history and culture of the game of go at 9a (EST) Saturday morning in Washburn Hall at the US Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC. The Symposium – sponsored by the International Go Federation, the American Go Foundation and the American Go Association -- will also be streamed live online. Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari, the first computer game maker, will deliver the event’s keynote speech at 7:30p. photo: Symposium organizer Peter Shotwell (in flowered shirt) and Symposium Videographer Terry Benson (in cap) setting up Friday; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/3/2012

Andy Liu defeated Gansheng Shi on Friday morning to become the first US certified go professional, prevailing 2-1 in the final match of the AGA-TYGEMGO Pro tournament. Shi then defeated Jianing Gan Friday afternoon by 1.5 points in the first round of the three-game match to determine the other US certified professional. The second round will be held at 9a Saturday morning, with the third round (if necessary) to be held Saturday afternoon. Both games will be broadcast – with live commentary by Myungwan Kim 9P-- on TygemGo Korea1 Server and on KGS. "This was a really exciting Final," an exhausted Kim told the E-Journal.

Published On 8/3/2012

On the heels of the successful Tygem Pro Test Tournament, which wraps up Saturday, the AGA has just announced another new fully-sponsored tournament.

Published On 8/3/2012

The European Championships are down to their Final 4. In the latest sound, Simara (top left) defeated Burzo, Debarre (top right) won against Tormanen, Lisy (bottom left) beat Silt in a surprise upset, as Silt was favored to go to the final, and Shikshin (bottom right) won against Surma by 1.5 points after a very close game in which many strong onlookers had counted Surma ahead (game records are posted on the eurogotv1 account on KGS). Click here for latest results. - Alain Cano, special European correspondent for the E-Journal; photos by Olivier Dulac

Published On 8/3/2012

Hundreds of go players will converge on the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC today for eight days of go at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress. Congress registration is in the Blue Ridge Center lobby area. Click here for 2012 Go Congress Handbook, the 43-page guide to the biggest U.S. go event of the year. The pocket-sized handbook – easily viewable online as well as on your handheld device -- provides a comprehensive guide to the complete schedule of dozens of activities, from daily tournaments to pro lectures, as well as special events this year, including the first International Go Symposium to be held in North America, the Keith Arnold Challenge, Mountain Top Go, a Friday Night Campfire, pig picking and live bluegrass music.

Published On 8/2/2012

Results of Wednesday’s games from the AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Finals. The name in ALL CAPS is the winner (color played, next match). Wednesday morning (8/1): 3B (Game 3): GANSHENG SHI (B, 4A), Hugh Zhang (W, Exhibition)

Published On 8/2/2012

With the 2012 U.S. Go Congress just a few days away, organizers are putting the final touches on the biggest go event of the year. “Be assured there are many industrious, creative, and energetic volunteers (as well as a few tired ones) working every day to make your Congress experience well beyond the ordinary,” says Congress Registrar Arlene Bridges. “Many unique events and activities await you that do not usually happen at a Go Congress.” “But first,” Bridges adds, “you have to get there.” Click here to review a handy Congress Welcome PDF“to help you get to the Congress site on time and prepared to play!” The 20-page PDF includes info on what to bring, check-in details, Congress contacts, driving directions and a site map of the Blue Ridge Assembly (84 Blue Ridge Circle, Black Mountain, North Carolina 28711) Meanwhile, “there are still seats left on the Maryland team for the

Published On 8/1/2012

The knock-out rounds for the European Championship begin Thursday at the European Go Congress in Bonn, Germany. The eight players who have qualified for the quarters are Shikshin (Russia), Silt (Czech Republic), Burzo (Romania), Debarre (France), Tormanen (Finland), Surma (Poland), Simara (Czech Republic) and Lisy (Slovakia). Click here for latest EGC news, including top board games. Russia has won the European Pandanet team tournament, defeating the Czech Republic, Ukraine and France. - Alain Cano

Published On 8/1/2012

NOTE: Myungwan Kim 9P is doing live daily game commentaries at 10:30a and 5:30p EST (note updated times!) on the TygemGo Korea1 Server; some games are also being broadcast on KGS. For latest standings and game records, click here and scroll down to Results. Here are the full results of Tuesday’s games from the AGA-TYGEMGO Pro Finals. The name in ALL CAPS is the winner (color played, next match).

Published On 8/1/2012

The First AGA - Tygem Pro Finals -- under way now in Black Mountain, North Carolina -- are double-elimination. After the first round the contests are best-of-three matches. After his first loss a player drops to the second band; but the leader of the 2nd band, who at the end will have had only one loss, will play a match with the loser of the championship match, who also will have had only one loss, to determine second place.

Published On 7/31/2012

NOTE: Myungwan Kim 9P is doing live game commentaries at 10:30a and 5:30p EST (note updated times!) on the TygemGo Korea1 Server each day; some games are also being broadcast on KGS. For latest standings and game records, click here and scroll down to Results.

Published On 7/30/2012

Broadcast of the AGA-Tygem Pro Finals continues today, on both Tygem and, as of today, selected games on KGS as well. Myung-wan Kim 9P will provide live commentary starting at 10:30AM and 5:30PM (EST), an hour and a half after the games game start. Here are the results from the first two rounds on Sunday; the winner is indicated by all caps, the number is their seed position, followed by color played: MORNING GAMES (Sunday, 7/29): 1A: ANDY LIU (1,W), Edward Kim (9, B) 1B: Calvin Sun (5, B), JIANING GAN (13, W) 1C: SOOIL KIM (7, B), Ben Lockhart (15, W) 1D: ERIC LUI (3, B), Matthew Burrall (11, W) 1E: Curtis Tang (4, B), HUGH ZHANG (12, W) 1F: YUAN ZHOU (8, B), Justin Teng (16, W) 1G: GANSHENG SHI (6, B), Andrew Lu (14, W) 1H: JING YANG (2, B), Bill Lin (10, W)

AGA-TygemGo Pro Finals Launch Sunday

Published On 7/29/2012

Players have arrived at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain NC for the first AGA-TygemGo Pro Finals. Play starts Sunday morning with two rounds a day starting at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET. The plan is to broadcast four games in each round live in the AGA room on Tygem and then post game records of all the games, along with photos and the current tournament chart, each evening.

AGA 2012 Annual Report Released

Published On 7/28/2012

Although much of his vision remains to be realized, outgoing American Go Association President Allan Abramson remains bullish on the future of the AGA. As outlined in 2008 when he was appointed President, Abramson’s vision included more than 5,000 AGA members (current membership stands at 2,141), and operating budget of over $250,000 per year (the FY 2013 budget is under $60,000, a national schools tournament system (getting there but still not in place) and U.S. professionals being paid to provide instructional and training services to AGA clubs and strong players (still a hit or miss proposition). Still, as Abramson hands off the reins of leadership to income president Andy Okun, “It remains my vision for the AGA to reach and go beyond 10,000 members. This is the critical mass we need to ensure enough volunteers to make all your good ideas reality,” Abramson says in his 2012 Annual Report.

AGA Board Candidate Profiles: At-Large

Published On 7/26/2012

Ten candidates are running for four seats on the AGA’s Board of Directors in this year’s elections, which are now underway. To give members a better sense of who the candidates are, their experience and vision for the AGA, the E-Journal asked all ten to respond to a brief survey and are publishing the results in a 4-part series this week (this is the final installment).

Android Go Programs

Published On 7/25/2012

It has been a while since the E-J reviewed go programs available on the Android platform, and given that not all of us have iPhones, I thought it was time to do an update. I should note first that I love Apple, and have three Apple computers in my home. However, I hate the iPhone and iPod touch for go. Why? One simple reason: the screens are so tiny it makes me go cross-eyed; as for the iPad, it is too big to fit in my pocket. I have had several Android devices, and my current one is a Samsung Galaxy player with a 5" screen. It is small enough to carry easily, but big enough to see what I am doing. Another advantage Android offers is that it is open-source, which means people can develop and change apps very quickly.

Published On 7/25/2012

Ten candidates are running for four seats on the AGA’s Board of Directors in this year’s elections, which are now underway. To give members a better sense of who the candidates are, their experience and vision for the AGA, the E-Journal asked all ten to respond to a brief survey and are publishing the results in a 4-part series this week.

Published On 7/25/2012

With 17 days left to go, Jonathan Hop is almost a third of the way to his $800 goal to fund his go video series. The author of the "So You Want to Play Go?" books recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $800 to finish up his go studio, set up a website and advertise the online series. “The videos will be aimed at people of all levels and go over a variety of different topics to improve your game,” says Hop (at left in photo), who studied at the Yu Changhyuk Go Dojo in S. Korea for a year and runs a blog, Sunday Go .

Published On 7/24/2012

Ten candidates are running for four seats on the AGA’s Board of Directors in this year’s elections, which are now underway. To give members a better sense of who the candidates are, their experience and vision for the AGA, the E-Journal asked all ten to respond to a brief survey and are publishing the results in a 4-part series this week.

Published On 7/24/2012

Bay Area Go's monthly ratings tournament was held July 14 in San Francisco's Japantown Center. This month's event featured a field of 39 players ranging from 18 kyu to 7 dan. Linden Chiu 2d, who was awarded an honorary dan-level certificate from the Korean Baduk Association at last year's US Go Congress, swept the dan division with a 4-0 record. In the kyu division, Jay Chan 1k, Allen Louderback 4k, Cameron Yu 7k, and Ciaran Fitzgerald 18k all led with 3-1 records. "Next month's ratings tournament is scheduled for August 18 in Palo Alto, CA," reports organizer Roger Schrag. Photo by Karoline Burrall.

Published On 7/24/2012

The AGA Board of Directors will decide on a replacement for Western Region rep Gordon Castanza during the upcoming U.S. Go Congress. “but before the Congress Board meeting,” according to Board Chair Andy Okun. Castanza retired on July 13 (Gordon Castanza, Citing Health, Resigns from AGA Board, 7/14 EJ); his replacement will complete Castanza’s term, which runs through 2013. The Board will consider the unsuccessful candidates from the current Western Region board election as well as any other willing and eligible candidates nominated before the end of July by Western Region AGA members. “We think this will provide reasonable continuity of representation for the Western Region while interfering as little as possible with the current election,” Okun said.

Published On 7/23/2012

Ten candidates are running for four seats on the AGA’s Board of Directors in this year’s elections, which are now underway. All AGA chapters with two or more members can vote for the director in their region, and all full AGA members may vote for the At-Large Director. Ballots were mailed to all eligible voters in early July, and the results will be tallied and announced at the US Go Congress in Black Mountain,NC, during the first week of August. All ballots must be received by August 3. To give members a better sense of who the candidates are, their experience and vision for the AGA, the E-Journal asked all ten to respond to a brief survey, and will publish the results over the next few days, region by region. Click here for full election details, including candidate statements in their own words.

San Diego Kids Learn Go

Published On 7/23/2012

Youngsters in San Diego were treated to go lessons from Ted Terpstra, the new AGA Executive VP, at a summer camp at the Japanese Friendship Garden on July 18th. "This week it was first and second graders, next week is third & fourth graders and then fifth and sixth the week after," reports Terpstra. "It was the first time that the children had played the game; we started with 5x5 boards so they could get a feel for trying to surround territory and capturing. They had been exposed to go on Monday at camp when a couple of episodes of Hikaru no Go were shown on HULU. I used go sets and accessories from the AGF Class Room Starter set I just received for the La Jolla Library class I am teaching this fall. I also checked out several volumes of Hikaru No Go from the neighborhood library that the children eagerly read while waiting for the class to begin. I had wifi so I put up a game being played on KGS just to give the kids a feel for how a real game developed.

Published On 7/23/2012

The second International Children’s Go Art Painting Contest has received almost seventy entries. Submitting countries include Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Argentina, Mexico and the United States (including Hawaii). The deadline was July 13th, and the artworks are being exhibited at Espacio Japón, the Japanese embassy in Mexico city’s cultural center. Go workshops, talks and an Ukiyo-e Go prints exhibition are also featured. The panel of judges was composed of members devoted to arts and education, including Fumiko Nakashima, Alma G. Juárez, Yuko Kosaka (Yuro), Daniella Campirano, Miguel A. Ramírez and Lilian R. Romero. The judges made a final decision on three top places and two notable submissions for each category. The results will be announced August 5th at the International Go Symposium in Black Mountain, NC and the artworks will be on display during the U.S. Go Congress.

U.S. Fields 21-Player WMSG Team

Published On 7/23/2012

Four additions bring this year’s U.S. World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) team to a total of 21 players. “Some will be flying direct from the U.S. Go Congress in North Carolina to London or Paris and then by train to Lille, France,” reports Chris Kirschner, “arriving just in time to start Round 1 of the individual competition at 2 PM local time on August 13. As previously reported (“Youthful” U.S. WMSG Team Announced 7/16 EJ) the U.S. team is young - over half are under 18 – which Kirschner called “A good portent for our future competition in these games. Unlike in 2008, professionals are not permitted to participate this year, so our team has a good chance to do well.” The U.S. WMSG team line-up: Men's Individual: Hugh Zhang, Forest Song, Yang Xu, Justin Ching, Ricky Zhou; Women's Individual: Jasmine Yan, Yinli Wang, Tina Zhang and Cherry Shen; Team Go: Matthew Burrall, Guozhong Zhuang, Li Zhang, Philip London, Jerry Shen & Cherry Shen; Pair Go: Guozhong Zhuang, Wan Chen, Lionel Zhang,

Published On 7/22/2012

Iyama Yuta 9P won his first Honinbo title on July 19. Iyama bested the defending title holder Yamashita Keigo 9P, 4-3 in the title match series. Go fans who'd been anticipating the game were not disappointed. The pair produced an exciting and highly unusual game that kept observers on the edge of their seats, providing serious competition for the Tour de France. A series of kos in the early middle game resulted in a division where white (Iyama) took over 70 points of solid territory and black took thickness across the remainder of the board. White went on to win by 7.5 points after some impressive shinogi (fending off black's severe attacks). This year is also the 400th anniversary of the formation of the Honinbo house, making the tournament even more special than usual. David Ormerod; based on his original article Iyama Yuta becomes Honinbo at Go Game Guru. An Younggil 8P has commented game 5 and game 7 of the Honinbo title match.

Published On 7/21/2012

Saying “Welcome to our little gathering in the mountains,” U.S. Go Congress organizers today released a downloadable PDF of the 2012 Go Congress Handbook, the 43-page guide to the biggest U.S. go event of the year, coming up August 4-12 in Black Mountain, NC.

Eric Lui 7D Sweeps NOVA Congress Tuneup

Published On 7/21/2012

Eric Lui 7D took on all challengers at the NOVA Congress Tuneup giving handicaps of three stones and more and winning undefeated at 4-0. Second in the top dan division was Jimmy Yang 5D at 2-2. Other winners in the 28-player field were: Keiju Takehara 3D (2-2) and Kabe Chin 3D (2-2) in the 3D to 1K group, Julian Erville 4K (4-0) and Theodore Van Dyke 3K (3-1) in the 3K to 6K group, Mohan Sud 7K (2-2) and Garrett Smith 9K (2-2) in the 7K to 10K group, Tristin Tran 15K (4-0) and Elmer Martinez-Rivas 13K (3-1) in the 12K to 15K group, and Edward Lane 25K (3-1) in the over 20K group. - report/photo by Gurujeet Khalsa, TD

Published On 7/20/2012

Through July 31, Kiseido is offering 10-20% discounts and free shipping on dozens of books. Books on sale include the 4-volume Graded Go Problems for Beginners series, the Elementary Go Series, the 6-volume Graded Go Problems for Dan Players, 7-volume Mastering the Basics Series and more, including problem books, technique guides and game collections.

SmartGo Books Adds Three by Yilun Yang

Published On 7/20/2012

Just in time for players to get in shape for the upcoming U.S. Go Congress, SmartGo Books has added three more books, for a total of 38 designed to be read on the iPad. The latest batch is a trifecta by Yilun Yang 7 dan, "all based on his inspiring workshop lectures," says SmartGo's Anders Kierulf. “How to Destroy and Preserve” ($3.99) and “Sabaki – How to Manage Weak Stones” ($3.99) are out-of-print small books originally compiled and edited by John C. Stephenson. “The Workshop Lectures, volume 1” ($5.99) by Slate & Shell contains three chapters: When to Tenuki in the Opening, Choosing the Direction of Attack, and Playing Complicated Joseki. SmartGo Books is a free app for iPad and iPhone, with 38 Go books (including “Invincible”) available as in-app purchases. Kierulf tells the EJ that he hopes "to add at least two more highly requested books before the Go Congress."

Published On 7/20/2012

The Summer 2012 GoGoD (Games of Go on Disk) update is now available and on its way to subscribers, with a total of 72,644 games in the Database, reports T Mark Hall. "This is a landmark issue," says Hall.

Published On 7/19/2012

Over 50 players visited the Seattle Go Center on Tuesday, July 17. They ranged from complete beginners to 4 dan players. Tuesdays are always well-attended at the Go Center. "Even on slow weeks we will have 25 players. Our priority is teaching beginners and intermediates, but everybody can find a game." reports manager Brian Allen. Members also shared fresh bread baked by Chris Kirschner, caught up with old friends, and made new ones. Visiting AGA members are encouraged to come by on Tuesdays. "It's a tradition that makes Seattle special." Photo: 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night in April. Report and composite photo by Brian Allen. More info: seattlego.org

Published On 7/19/2012

Xihan Zhang 2d topped a field of 28 at the July 15 Skip Ascheim Memorial Tournament in Somerville MA. In second was Jason McGibbon 4k and Makio Ogawa 5k took third place. Eva Casey directed. photo (l-r): Makio Ogawa, Xihan Zhang & Jason McGibbon; photo courtesy Eva Casey

Traveling Go Board: Cortes Island, BC

Published On 7/18/2012

Former AGA President Phil Straus (l) and American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock play go July 8 at Manson’s Landing on Cortes Island in British Columbia, Canada while awaiting a seaplane to carry them to Seattle. The two were finishing up a week’s sojourn at the Hollyhock Lifelong Learning Centre. Photo by Alex Corcoran

Published On 7/17/2012

“The AGA website provided a search capability of members in your state under ‘Ratings’,” writes Sid Kobashigawa. “Is this capability available somewhere else now on the website? I want to be able to find if any new members in my state (Hawaii) join AGA.” While we haven’t added that capability to the new ratings page, those interested in finding out, say who the members of the XYZ go club are, or who’s rated between 4k and 2k, can download the TDListA file, open it in Excel, and then search and filter from there.

Published On 7/17/2012

“July 11 was Cory Massaro’s last night at the Santa Barbara Go Club,” writes club organizer Ed Lee. “Cory (2nd from left, with sunglasses on his head, in photo at right) has finished his graduate work at UCSB, and will start more graduate school in computer science at Brandeis University, Boston this Fall. Cory discovered the SB Go Club about a year ago, and we’ve been very happy to have him play regularly every Wednesday and sometimes on Saturday. The SB Go Club also said goodbye this week to another visitor, Alexander Taylor (in Durham Go Club t-shirt at left), who hails from Bristol, United Kingdom. Alex (about 2-dan in the U.K.) is a physics graduate student visiting UCSB for only a few weeks, but he also managed to find our little club, and we were very happy to have him.” photos by Ed Lee

Published On 7/17/2012

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/2012_07_10_risk_vs_reward_Kaz.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=175652" class="alignright"][/sgf] Published in the July 10, 2012 edition of the American Go E-Journal. Play through this partial game from one of my students to find and solve several problems of difficulty ranging from intermediate kyu to mid dan level. A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named "Lessons with Kaz". Kaz co-authored Kiseido's "Get Strong at Joseki", volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus. Kaz plans to start "Kaz Go Services" soon, for yet another way to improve your game. Watch for developments. And see Kaz's latest go advice on his blog. In this lesson, Kaz presents clear cut examples of weighing risk vs. reward. And along the way, Kaz throws in useful tesuji for you to know.

Published On 7/17/2012

American go players interested in playing in the upcoming Mind Games in France have one last opportunity to represent the US. “We have four open slots for players in the Men's Individual and one slot in the Women's Individual competition at World Mind Sports Games,” reports Chris Kirschner. The Games run August 13-16 in Lille, France. Players are responsible for all costs, estimated at $2,500 - $3,000. The AGA requires that applicants be an AGA member for at least the last year, and WMSG requires US citizenship. Slots will go first to anyone with WMSG qualification points (in point order). After that, it is first come, first on the list. Email tournaments@usgo.org; deadline is midnight PDT this Thursday, July 19. Those accepted must promptly provide their name as on passport, passport #, date of birth, name of accompanying adult (if under 18), tee shirt size, a short bio of your go life, digital head shot picture (similar to passport size).

Published On 7/16/2012

In case playing go isn’t thrilling enough, Go Congress organizers are offering a Zipline Adventure among the Day Off options. The course’s mile of suspended cable features ten zip lines, including one soaring 200 feet above the forest floor and one that is 1100 feet long, artfully-crafted platforms that nest seamlessly in large native trees, two rappelling experiences, two suspended sky bridges that span forest sections teeming with flora and fauna, and three short hikes. Participants “will enjoy a thrilling ride while learning about local culture, history, the natural environment, and perhaps more about themselves.” Other Day Off options include a tour of the Biltmore Estate, Whitewater Rafting, a Guided Waterfall Hike, Fly Fishing, Asheville On Your Own and Crafts At Your Own Pace. “Be sure to sign up early to ensure your place,” encourages organizer Cynthia Gaty.

Published On 7/16/2012

Frank Luo 7D won the second Emory University Chinese Student & Scholar Union Go Tournament, held at Emory University on July 7. Nearly 30 players with rankings from 9 kyu to 7 dan participated in the tournament, which was organized by the Atlanta Go Club, Atlanta Chinese Go Association, and Korean Oriental Chess Club. In the high Dan division, Feijun (Frank) Luo 7D won the championship and Ge (Johnny) Wang 6D and Yongming (Michael) Zhuang 5D were the 2nd- and 3rd-place winners, respectively. In the combined Dan and Kyu Division, Dalan Robertson and Zhou Li shared championship and Alexandros Salazar,

“Youthful” U.S. WMSG Team Announced

Published On 7/15/2012

The roster for the “youthful” U.S. World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) team has been released. “Nine of the team’s 17 players are under the age of 18” reports coordinator Chris Kirschner. The team also features strong go families, with a father son combination, Guongzhang and Vincent Zhuang, a sister/brother pair, Cherry and Jerry Shen, and Feng Yun's daughters, Amy and Gabriella Su. And despite the multiple Zhangs, none of the three are related. The team will compete in six events in Lille, France from August 13-23. The WMSG actually starts August 9, but the go competition was scheduled to avoid conflict with the US Go Congress. “Considering the high costs of travel, room and board, which the players have to shoulder, the team is to be congratulated for its commitment to representing us at the mind games,” said AGA Presient Allan Abramson. “We are proud of all of you!” The team, with the events they’ll play in: Matthew Burrall (Team), Wan Chen (Pairgo), Philip London (Team), Andrew Lu (You

Published On 7/15/2012

Six states -- New Jersey, North Carolina, California, New York, Virginia, and Maryland -- have been invited to compete in the first-ever Wisonet Cup State Team Go Tournament at this year's U.S. Go Congress. “This is an exciting new addition to the Congress tournament schedule,” says AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. If you’re a resident of NC, CA, NY, VA, or MD who’s attending the US Go Congress and interested in participating in this tournament, email stateteamtournament@gmail.com by July 20, with your home state in the subject line. The 5-round tournament will take place at 2:30p on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at the Go Congress. Each state may select a team of six players: three dan players, two kyu players, and an alternate between 5k and 4d who can play in any of the five team seats should a player be unavailable. The team from New Jersey has already been formed and is captained by Kevin Huang 7D and Larry Russ 3K. Other players on the team are Lionel

Published On 7/14/2012

Gordon Castanza, a Western Region representative on the American Go Association Board of Directors, announced his resignation from the Board on July 13, effective immediately. Castanza (l) said that his diabetes condition has worsened recently, necessitating his resignation “on the advice of my doctor and for medical reasons.” Regretfully accepting the resignation, AGA Board Chair Andy Okun thanked Castanza “for your years of work on the board, especially your focus on our financial issues, your careful attention to the interests of the West Coast chapters and the incredible work you did on systematizing our documents” and wished him “the best on your health.”

Go Classified: Goban for Sale

Published On 7/14/2012

For Sale: Vintage Japanese goban, approximately fifty years old. The board is 7 inches thick and stands 11.5 inches tall. The stones are shell and slate. email me for pictures. Price negotiable. bankcello@verizon.net

Published On 7/12/2012

The 67th Honinbo title match between Iyama Yuta 9P and Yamashita Keigo 9P is currently being contested in Japan. The match started in May 2012 and on July 9-10 Yamashita faced a kadoban (game that could decide the match) in Game 6. With his back against the wall, Yamashita fought hard and won by resignation. This levels the score at three all and leaves the Honinbo final to be settled by a decisive seventh game on July 18-19. Yamashita Keigo took the Honinbo title from Hane Naoki 9P in 2010 and successfully defended a challenge from Hane in 2011. Iyama Yuta is one of the top professional go players in Japan and this would be his first Honinbo title. More news to follow next week. Jingning; based on her original article Iyama Yuta and Yamashita Keigo deadlocked in 67th Honinbo on Go Game Guru. Photo: Iyama Yuta 9P (left) and Yamashita Keigo 9P.

Published On 7/9/2012

The winners in the recent AGA-Tygem Online Pro Prelim were Soo-il Kim, Matthew Burrall, Eric Lui, Daniel Chou, Bill Lin, Will Gan and Juyong Koh.

Published On 7/8/2012

Eighteen scholars and experts from around the world will convene next month on August 4-5, the opening weekend of the US Go Congress, at the AGA’s 2012 International Go Symposium, principal organizer Peter Shotwell announced recently. Nolan Bushnell, who started the computer-gaming movement when he founded Atari in 1972, will deliver the keynote address on Saturday evening, August 4. Hotta Yumi, the creator of Hikaru No Go (see graphic), will also give a talk and answer questions. Other featured speakers will include filmmaker Marc Moskowitz and Chinese pro Stephanie Yin 1P, who will discuss go in China today, with some clips from Moskowitz’s film Weiqi Wonders.

Go Photo: Go in 1956 Berlin

Published On 7/7/2012

The Syracuse Go Club's Anton Ninno sent along this "1956 Press Photo Japanese Game of Go Enjoyed By Berlin Youths" found on eBay on offer by HistoricImages, "one of the largest providers of original photos and negatives on the planet."

Published On 7/6/2012

Go makes an appearance in Allegra Goodman ’s 2006 novel Intuition, reports Debbie Siemon. “After the author introduces a couple of secondary characters as ‘geniuses,’ they show up at a picnic (at Walden Pond, no less),” says Siemon. The reference, on page 164, reads "Next to the drinks cooler, Jacob and Aaron sat playing Go on towels in the sand." The novel is “an intricate mystery and a rich human drama set in the high-stakes atmosphere of a prestigious research institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.” Spotted go somewhere? Let us know at journal@usgo.org!

Your Move: Readers Write

Published On 7/5/2012

“All of a sudden, I can’t get Java to work for me with CGoban,” writes Ray. “The message I get is ‘unable to launch application’. Can you help?” Sounds like there’s a problem with your KGS. We've seen this at the U.S. Go Congress when the network drops and we have no connection. Here are the steps we recommend to solve the issue: Uninstall KGS; Update Java to the latest version at www.java.com; Reinstall KGS from www.gokgs.com/download.jsp; Try to download and run the SGF file from usgo.org; If the above steps do not solve the issue then you should download the CGoban 3 without file extension and this will need to open cgoban first then load the sgf file. “Works like a charm!” Ray reported. “I had removed and reinstalled JAVA to try to fix but totally forgot that KGS was integral too. I definitely owe you a tall, cool one!”

Published On 7/5/2012

With less than two days to go, The Surrounding Game go documentary is within $4,000 of their fundraising goal. "We're in the final stretch," filmmaker Will Lockhart tells the E-Journal. The project, which is raising funding through Kickstarter, quickly achieved its initial goal (Go Documentary Expands Goals, Outreach 6/21 EJ) and with nearly 400 backers pledging over $21,000, is now tantalizingly close to the overall goal of $25,000, facing a deadline of 5:04 pm (EDT) this Saturday, July 7. "Thanks so much to everyone who's stepped up to help out," Lockhart adds, "With this final push we're confident the go community will put us over the top!"

Published On 7/4/2012

Ultimate authority at the American Go Association resides with an elected Board of Directors, who select the President. Four of the AGA's seven directors are up for election this year for two year terms. Ten candidates are running, Gurujeet Khalsa (top row, far left) and Feng Yun (top row, second from left) in the Eastern region, Bob Barber (top row, middle) and Lisa Scott (top row, second from right) in the Central region, Steven Burrall (top row, far right), Jeff Horn (bottom row, far left) and Chris Kirschner (bottom row, second from left) in the Western region and Jie Li (bottom row, middle), Chuck Robbins (bottom row, second from right) and Zhiyuan Zhang (bottom row, far right) for the At Large seat (Note: Thomas Hsiang has withdrawn his candidacy for the At-Large seat).

Traveling Go Board: Matsumoto Castle

Published On 7/4/2012

“I just returned from a couple weeks in Japan and though I didn't have an opportunity to play go, I did see some terrific traditional sets at various specialty shops in Kyoto and in Nagano, plus a nice one at the Edo Tokyo Museum,” reports Peter Schumer.

SmartGo Books 2.0 Released

Published On 7/3/2012

If you have an iPad or iPhone, reading go books just got even better. “SmartGo Books 2.0 improves the reading experience by moving the controls more out of the way, always showing the chapter title (iPad) and page number (iPhone), and speeding up navigation,” reports SmartGo author Anders Kierulf. Three new books bring the total number of SmartGo book to 35, and Kierulf says he hopes to have five more books before the upcoming U.S.Go Congress.

AGF Twitter Feed

Published On 7/2/2012

Part of the new AGF website is a Twitter feed, which drew the attention of #Engage365 for an interview with AGF VP Paul Barchilon last week. Learn more about the redesign, and the AGF's goals in the transcript of the interview here. The AGF hopes to build a voice on Twitter, by sharing information about new Go clubs and resources nationwide. Interested readers can follow the AGF at AGFgo on Twitter.

AGHS Seeks New Officers

Published On 7/2/2012

"Are you a good leader, and do you want to contribute to the future of youth go?" asks Justing Teng, Co Vice-President of the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), who run the popular School Teams Tournament every year. Applications are open for officer positions for the 2012-2013 school year including Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Promotion Head, Tournament Organizer, and Webmaster. These positions are limited to Go enthusiasts under the age of 18 and in grades 6-12. The window for applications closes on August 15. More information as well as the application itself can be found at the AGHS website (http://www.aghs.cc). "Feel free to email any questions to AGHSpresident@gmail.com," adds Teng. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

AGA Launches Revamped Website

Published On 7/1/2012

The American Go Association's new website launched on Saturday, June 30. While most of the new site's changes are behind the scenes and will provide a more up-to-date, robust and flexible structure for the site, users will also notice a cleaner and more streamlined visual design. Most of the old site's content has been retained, as well as cleaned up and updated where necessary, and is accessible via nested navigation bars along the left-hand side.

Published On 7/1/2012

With less than a week to go, the fundraising goal for the U.S. Mind Sports team is $8,000 short, reports American Go Association President Allan Abramson. The U.S. has been invited to compete in five tournaments at the 2012 World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France. “This is a great opportunity for our players to participate in such a high-profile event, but we need your support to get our team there. Please donate online.”

Published On 6/29/2012

The 2012 U.S. Go Congress is running a special registration promotion from now until July 15th. If you register and pay your bill by July 7th, you will receive your choice of either one hour of private game review and/or a lesson with a pro, or a Congress certificate for one book of your choice from Slate and Shell (up to $30 dollars in value). Each registrant should also send an email to the registrar at arlene@gocongress12.org indicating they are using the promotion and what reward they are choosing. And don't forget to check out the exciting trailer for "The Surrounding Game" documentary that will be filming at Black Mountain as well! "Thanks again, and hope to see you soon at the Congress!" say Co-Directors Peter Armenia and Paul Celmer. NOTE: this offer good only for those who registered after 7/1/2012.

Published On 6/28/2012

The field in the TygemGo Online Pro Prelim has been narrowed down to the final 21 players, six of whom are Canadians. The tournament’s last round will be this weekend, with the last seven players qualifying to go to North Carolina in late July for the 'face to face' final rounds with the other nine finalists. The top two winners in North Carolina will be the first American-certified pros. Myung-wan Kim 9P will provide live commentary on Tygem on Saturday and Sunday starting at 12:30p EST at Korea1 server. “I think observers will see very interesting games in this final round since the competition is getting tougher,” Kim tells the E-Journal. “I really enjoy the interactive live commentary with observers. If you come to my commentary, be sure to vote for the next move. It’s not only fun but also the better way to learn from my commentary. And of course, questions are always welcome."

Baduk TV Comes to Your Smartphone

Published On 6/26/2012

Go junkies rejoice: Baduk TV is now available on your smart phone. That’s right, you can now watch the same program Korean baduk (the Korean word for go) players watch 24 hours a day. The free Baduk TV app is available in Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Though currently only available in Korean, Myungwan Kim 9P says there may be an English translation version of the program available as early as the end of this year. “Many Korean go players first met go through Baduk TV,” says Kim, “The biggest reason prize money in Korean tournament has been rising for the last 10 years or so is because Baduk TV created so many fans and attracted commercial sponsors. I think it could make a huge difference to the go community here, as well.” For now, the service is free, though Kim says that may change later this year, and the rates will depend on how many users there are.

Published On 6/25/2012

3k seeks other players in Marquette, MI; will be visiting July 5- 20. Reply to roylaird@gmail.com. I hope to see you this summer!

Published On 6/25/2012

The American Go Foundation (AGF) launched its new website on Friday, June 22. "This is a complete redesign and makeover of the site," says AGF Vice President Paul Barchilon, who led the project. "We want to make it easy for any teacher, librarian or enthusiast to start a club in their community. We also want everyone to know about all our different services -- our newsletter; matching grants that help new programs get up to $400 worth of equipment; our free Starter Sets; Tigersmouth, our moderated online hangout for young players ; free Hikaru No Go manga for public libraries; fiscal agency; and more."

Jeff Horn Tops Davis/Sacramento Tourney

Published On 6/25/2012

Jeff Horn 1D won the Upper Division of the Davis/Sacramento Go Club’s Summer Quarterly Tournament, held at the Arcade Library in Sacramento on June 23. The Lower Division winner was Jeff Murphy, 4k. Both had 2 wins. - Willard Haynes

Published On 6/22/2012

This year's Teacher of the Year winner, Joe Walters of Pasadena, CA, learned go in the Navy. That is, he learned about go. “A buddy and I tried it and wound up bewildered, with two walls across the middle of the board,” Walters said. “I didn’t really start to understand go until the Ishi Press books began to appear in the 1970’s.” Walters' current rank is about 8K. Each year the American Go Foundation selects an outstanding go organizer as Teacher of the Year (TOTY). The recipient receives an all-expenses paid trip to the US Go Congress, where the TOTY leads a discussion among fellow organizers, sharing strategies and learning from each other.

Published On 6/22/2012

Justin Teng of Rockville, MD and Rachel Daley of Boulder, CO are the winners of the 2012 AGF College Scholarship, $1,000 awards to distinguished college-bound go organizers. Teng, the president of his local go club and the current VP of The American Go Honor Society, planned and presented a go demonstration as part of his Eagle Project, a requirement to become an Eagle Scout. In his essay, Teng described his discovery that go could even help disruptive kids: “One kid caught my eye, making disruptions and getting out of his seat every few minutes. Yet once he started playing a game of Capture Go with the student across from him, he was completely focused, like a whole different person.” Applicants are encouraged to write about how go has “affected you as a person." Daley’s essay was particularly striking in this regard.

Go Documentary Expands Goals, Outreach

Published On 6/22/2012

With 16 days to go, "The Surrounding Game" documentary team has already surpassed its initial fundraising goal (American Go Players Seek Support for Go Documentary, 6/12 EJ) and is now pushing for their second funding target of $25,000. "We are realizing that this is bigger than just the film" says David Glekel, 2d, who joined the team last month. "With the start of the American professional system and the first North American Go Symposium, this year is a golden opportunity for the American go community to make a major impact on public awareness."

Published On 6/20/2012

As Barack Obama and Mitt Romney vie for the Presidency and the major parties battle for control of Congress this year, another election has thus far escaped the media’s attention. Four of the American Go Association's seven Board directors are up for election this year, with a full slate of candidates contesting for the seats on the Board. In the Eastern region, running for the seat currently held by Chuck Robbins, three are running: Gurujeet Khalsa, Feng Yun and Thomas Hsiang. Bob Barber is challenging incumbent Central region director Lisa Scott, and Chris Kirschner, Jeff Horn and Steven Burrall are competing for the Western seat currently held by Andrew Okun, who was recently appointed President of the AGA.

2011 U.S. Go Congress Overview Released

Published On 6/18/2012

Hundreds of go players gathered in one place. Professionals from around the world playing simultaneous games with amateurs of all strengths. Tournament games daily.

Go Camps Offers Study & Fun

Published On 6/18/2012

"The AGA Summer Go Camp is excited to announce that both Slate and Shell and Kiseido have made a donation of books to the 2012 camp," reports Camp Director Amanda Miller. "Throughout the week of July 29, the camp will be holding small tournaments and other fun Go-related activities, such as 13 x13, pair Go, and team tournaments.

Published On 6/18/2012

The Caroline Campelo Cruz e Silva School in Palmas City, Brazil, has launched a full go program for kids, reports teacher Luciano Sanches Teixeira. Recent changes in organization and curricula at the school opened up space for new teaching activities, including a room equipped for teaching chess and checkers. "The first contact with go came about through research about (chess and checkers) on the Internet,” that led to the discovery that “there was another game, an oriental game played with glass spheres on a wooden board,” says Teixeira.

Published On 6/18/2012

Janice Kim 3P, popular go teacher, go blogger, and co-author of the Learn to Play Go book series, will teach a workshop in Berkeley, California this coming weekend, June 23 and 24. Those who signed up early turned in game records for Kim to review before the workshop so that she could tailor the discussion topics specifically to students' needs. "Course materials and game records will be provided in both print and electronic format so that students can take notes and annotate records on mobile devices or with pen and pencil," reports organizer Roger Schrag. Seats are still available, and the deadline to sign up is this Friday, June 22 at noon. Class size will be kept small so that everyone can get as much individual attention as possible. Learn more about the workshop and sign up on the workshop web page. Photo: Janice Kim lectures at the 2012 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock.

Published On 6/17/2012

Northern Virginia’s Capital Go Club is making its collection of World of Go (WeiQi TianDi) magazine available free for the asking. “World of Go is the most popular go magazine in China with hundreds of thousands of readers,” says Capital Go organizer Edward Zhang. The Capital Go Club -- an AGA chapter -- has a collection of nearly 400 issues of the magazine. “All you need to do is to fill the registration form and promise to return the magazine in a timely fashion,” says Zhang. While no deposit is required, Zhang does note that the magazine is in simplified Chinese.

Published On 6/17/2012

Winners Yongfe Ge Wins U.S. Open; Mingming Yin Wins Strong Players Open Zi Yang Hu 1P Wins N.A. Master’s Tournament; Board Auction Raises $1,000 for AGF Yongfei Ge Closes in on U.S. Open Title, Mingming “Stephanie” Yin Wins Strong Player’s Tournament 2011 U.S. Go Congress Crosstabs (includes game files except for the Die Hard) • US Open (includes game files) • North American Masters Tournament • Redmond Cup Junior Division • Redmond Cup Senior Division • Strong Players Open • Die Hard (no game files)

Published On 6/15/2012

Myung-wan Kim 9P (r) will provide live video and audio commentary Saturday on the AGA-Tygem Pro Online Prelim game between 'regular456' 9-dan and 'CptJack' 5-dan.The live commentary will be in Tygem’s World room starting at 12:30P (EST). “The live commentary feature is one of the favorite things Korean go players love in Tygemgo and I think US go players will also enjoy it,” Myung-wan Kim tells the E-Journal. “Regular456 seems to be much stronger than CptJack but observers will still enjoy the game, especially as regular456 is a somewhat famous and serious go player in the US who wants to be a pro.” photo: Myung-wan Kim doing online game commentary at the 2012 Cotsen AGA-Tygem Go Pro Prelim; photo by Chris Garlock

Children's Art Contest Deadline July 13

Published On 6/12/2012

The second International Children’s Go Art Contest is still accepting submissions. Organizer Siddhartha Avila urges kids to send their paintings as soon as possible. "Last year, almost all the entries arrived on the last days, making organization harder...we have received entries from Singapore, Argentina, Japan, and Mexico so far," reports Avila. The pieces will be exhibited at the U.S. Go Congress in North Carolina this summer. The event is sponsored by the Mexican Youth Go Community and the AGA, in honor of the International Go Symposium. Organizer Siddhartha Avila says “the contest will feature children’s artwork, in which they will be free to express their visions, emotions and ideas about go through painting. Its purpose is to make go culture flourish among children, and promote it through a creative exchange.” Last year’s contest drew submissions from Japan, the Phillipines, India, the US and Mexico. Submissions must be received in Mexico City by July 13th.

AGA Go Database OffLine

Published On 6/12/2012

Due to some technical issues, the American Go Association Go Database (AGADB) is currently offline. The AGA Ratings Database is still online and updated through June 3. We apologize for any inconvenience and will keep you updated about when the AGAGD will be back online.

Published On 6/12/2012

After several months of filming, AGA members making a new documentary about the game of go have just released a trailer and are raising funds to complete the feature-length film.

Published On 6/12/2012

Just a few days remaining before the deadline for nominations in the 2012 AGA Board of Directors election. Nominations are being accepted through June 15; email to elections@usgo.org. Nominated thus far are Lisa Scott in the central region, Gurujeet Khalsa and Zhiyuan [Edward] Zhang in the eastern region, Jie Li and Chuck Robbins for the at-large seat, and Chris Kirschner and Joe Walters for the west. Details on qualifications and procedures are available here.

Published On 6/12/2012

Top players from the US and Canada scored an impressive 8-2 victory against their counterparts in Europe, in the 4th annual Transatlantic Youth Team Tourney, held on KGS June 3rd. Ironically, USYGC champions Calvin Sun 7d and Vincent Zhuang 6d were the only North American players who didn't win, losing out to Pavol Lisy 5d and Mihai Serban 5d respectively. The other players from the Americas dominated though, for a convincing finish, with the top board drawing over 300 spectators. Europe won last year, but North America won the two years prior. The event was organized and run by Lawrence Ku. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Winners Report: (first player listed is from North America; second is from Europe); (W) Hugh ZHANG d. (B) Alexander VASHUROV; (B) Andrew LU d. (W) Stepan POPOV; (W) Peter ZHANG d. (B) Alexandru PITROP; (B) Aaron YE d. (W) Silvestru STATE; (W) Andrew ZHOU d. (B) Valerii KRUSHELNYTSKYI; (B) Calvin SUN lost to (W) Pavol LISY; (W) Bill LIN d. (B) Lukas PODPERA

Published On 6/11/2012

There’s still time to register for this year’s AGA Summer Go Camp. Camp directors Nano Rivera and Amanda Miller welcome all campers from the ages of 8 to 18 to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. This year’s professional teacher is Mingjiu Jiang 7P, who will be giving group lessons on a daily basis throughout the week. The camp also offers many other go-related activities, such as camp tournaments, and this year’s unique location will afford the camp with access to hiking trails and open outdoor areas for playing games, so everyone will be getting lots of fresh air! Currently, the camp has registered campers between the ages of 6 and 18 and within a strength range of 22-kyu to 1-dan. Need-based scholarships are still available, and parents are even welcome to attend with their children, if they’re not comfortable sending them alone.

Published On 6/11/2012

“The picture on the AGA website (Champagne Celebrates Go Congress Contest Win) is interesting in several ways,” writes None Redmond. “Not only is Nakayama there (at the 2006 US Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC) but also Yoshi looking over his shoulder on the right. My daughter in law, XianXian Niu herself a strong professional player is also placing stones on Nakayama's right and their children are looking on. Mr Nakayama styled himself the girls' Japanese grandfather since the American and the Chinese ones were so far away. Every time I look at it I remember how frail human lives are.” Click here for details on the 2012 U.S. Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC August 4-12; rates increase June 15.

Published On 6/11/2012

The American Go Association is looking for women who are interested in representing the USin the 2012 World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) in Lille, France, reports Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. The WMSG’s go competition will begin August 13 and end August 23rd, and will not overlap with this year's US Go Congress. Travel and accommodation expenses will not be provided by the WMSG or the host country. Players must have been continuous AGA members (full or youth) since January of 2011 and be US citizens to be eligible to participate. “At this point, there are still at least two seats specifically open for women,” Burrall tells the E-Journal. Anyone interested must email tournaments@usgo.org by Tuesday, June 18. “Should more players express interest than we have open seats, playoff games will be organized to select the representatives.” If you’re not interested or eligible, but know a female player who might be, Burrall urges you to pass this along to her.

How You Can Help American Go

Published On 6/10/2012

“It’s been an exciting year for American go and you can help make the next one even bigger,” says Edward Zhang, Volunteer Coordinator for the American Go Association (AGA). “We currently have some key volunteer positions open and invite you to join us and serve our community.” Highlights of the past year include the new professional system, more online tournaments and a greater variety of services to members of the AGA. “As little as a couple hours a week can make a huge difference,” says Zhang. If you have skills or interests in any of the following areas, click here and Zhang will follow up to match your skills and available time to the organization’s needs: public relations, assistant tournament director, website, news writer, photography, translation, ratings, accounting, chapter services, awards. In addition to being part of helping improve the national go organization, volunteers receive rewards for contributing their time and energy.

Published On 6/10/2012

Yet one more reason to attend this year's U.S. Go Congress is a brand-new state team tournament. The Wisonet Cup State Team GoTournament (WCSTGT) will feature six teams playing a 5-round tournament during the upcoming Congress in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Each team will have six players, including three dan-level players, two kyu-level players and one supplemental player between 5k and 4d, captained by a dan-level player. The tournament is sponsored by Wisonet Inc., which specializes in the design, development and sale of Pentominoes puzzles. The teams will compete for $1,500 in cash prizes and each player will receive a free "Super Pentominoes" puzzle. Six teams will be invited based on Go Congress registration by state as of June 15, “since there are often many players who register just before the rates increase,” says AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. Players should send any questions to tournaments@usgo.org.

Published On 6/9/2012

The 2012 Cotsen Open/AGA-Tygem Pro Qualifier was held April 28-29 in Los Angeles, CA. One of the major tournaments on the American Go Association’s annual calendar, the event is sponsored by Eric Cotsen and this year major organizational support was provided by Myung-wan Kim 9P and Andy Okun;

Published On 6/6/2012

West Coast go organizer Andy Okun (left) was appointed President of the American Go Association (AGA) by the AGA Board of Directors at its June 3 meeting. Ted Terpstra (right) of San Diego was appointed Executive Vice President. Their two-year term will begin on September 3rd. "Andy will be a great President," said outgoing AGA President Allan Abramson, "and Ted is a welcome addition as EVP."

Published On 6/5/2012

The U.S. has been invited to compete in five tournaments at the 2012 World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France. "This is a great opportunity for our players to participate in such a high-profile event," said American Go Association President Allan Abramson. Because expenses are not covered, Abramson is asking “every adult AGA member to consider donating $30, or the equivalent of one year's membership dues,” to support the U.S. Mind Games team. The second such event, the 2012 World Mind Sports Games is limited to amateur players -- professionals competed in the previous edition -- and the go competitions will be held August 13-23 so as not to conflict with the U.S. Go Congress. The U.S. has been invited to compete in the Men’s Individual, Women’s Individual, Pair Go, Team and Youth events. "Please be generous and act soon, as we must name our team members by the end of the month so that they can make travel arrangements," Abramson urged. Click here to donate.

Published On 6/5/2012

If you didn’t sign up by Sunday's deadline for the AGA-TygemGo Online Pro Prelim, there’s still time to participate in this historic tournament, joining over 100 who have already signed up. The registration deadline has been extended until midnight (EST) on Tuesday, June 5. "I'm playing in the AGA-Tygem tournament so that I can say, 'I tried to become a US Go professional'" says Devin Flake 11k, a Systems Administrator in Orem, UT. Monsoon Shrestha 18k, a student in Elmhurst, NY, signed up "To be part of history," while Peter Freedman 2D, a retiree in Portland, OR, wants to "Support the new ground-breaking American pro system."

Palo Alto Tops Bay Area Team Tourney

Published On 6/4/2012

Thirty three young players competed in the Bay Area Youth Team Tournament, held on May 28th in Cupertino, CA. A wide array of K-12 players from various go clubs competed, including 21 players from the Santa Clara Youth Go Club. In Division A, Palo Alto placed first, followed by the Mandarin Language and Cultural Center, and Joaquin Miller Middle School. Santa Clara Youth Go Club swept Division B (1k-15k) with their B1 team placing first and their B2 and B3 teams tying for second place. In Division C (15k-30k), Monta Vista High School took first place while the Santa Clara Youth Go Club's C1 and C2 took second and third. The event was organized by the Bay Area High School Go Association, and sponsored by the AGF. - Report and photo by David Su.

Future Teachers Learn About Go

Published On 6/4/2012

Chicago, IL, math teacher Xinming Simon Guo (at right in green shirt) introduced go to 10 pre-service teachers (teaching students) at National Louis University on May 22. "I began my introduction to go by pointing out the geometric shapes of circles and lines on the go board, allowing teachers to see connections between go and Number Theory," reports Guo.

“Go Public” Takes Go Into the Streets

Published On 6/3/2012

Imagine a group of go players walking – or driving -- through their community, stopping here to play for a while, then continuing to another place to play some more, finishing the evening playing in a local restaurant or pub. That’s the idea of “Go Public,” a project proposed at the European Go Centre that aims to literally bring go to the general public. “Places can include shopping streets, bars, restaurants etc.” says Andreas Neumann of the Bochum Go Club in Germany, who proposed the project.

2012 Maryland Open Winners

Published On 6/2/2012

Maryland Open/AGA-Tygem Prelim, May 26-27 Catonsville, Maryland 68 players; Sam Zimmerman, TD 2012 Maryland Open at a Glance: Report/Game Index Open Section: 1st: Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu 7D; 2nd: Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 7D; 3rd: Yixian Zhou 6D; 4th: Jie Li 7D; 5th: Kevin Huang 7D; 6th: Xie Rui 7D; 7th: Philip Waldron 6D; 8th: Eric Lui 7D; 9th: Yuan Zhou 7D; 10th: Lu Lin 7D A Section: 1st: Jimmy Yang 5D; 2nd: Craig Nelson 3D; 3rd: Andrew Jackson 4D; 4th: Mathew Hershberger 3D

Published On 6/2/2012

With space limited at the upcoming Santa Monica Coffee Cup, organizer Andy Okun urges interested players to pre-register to ensure a place in the tournament, which can hold up to 50 players. The 3-round Coffee Cup is set for Saturday, June 16, at the UnUrban Coffeehouse (3300 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA), where players will compete for hand-painted coffee cups and quality coffee beans. “In addition, for the heavy ordnance players among you, WMSG and NAIM points will be awarded,” Okun notes. AGA membership is required: click here to join or renew. The tournament fee is $10 “Unless you are Eric Cotsen, in which case, you play free,” adds Okun. Pre-register by e-mailing abc@okun.name.

Published On 6/1/2012

Maryland Open Champion Andy Liu 7D (hjekshdf 9D) will play Cotsen Open Champion Calvin Sun 7D (4ebz728 9D) in an East-West Coast Championship Exhibition Match on the Tygem server this Saturday, June 2 at 4P (EST), with live commentary by Myung-wan Kim 9P. This event is part of the 1st AGA-TygemGo Online Pro Prelim event series and will take place in the Tygem Competition Room. photo: Liu (right) & Sun (left); photos/photo collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 5/30/2012

The strongest north American kids will face off against their counterparts in Europe, this Sunday, June 3, on KGS. Canada and the US will play as a team, top players Calvin Sun, 7d, from the US and Bill Lin, 7d, from Canada will lead the fight taking on Pavel Lisy 5d and Lukas Podpera 5d. Each side will field ten players. Europe won last year, but North America won the two years prior. Spectators are welcome and can watch the action in the TransAtlantic Youth Go Tournament room. Due to the wide time ranges, the matches will take place at two different times. Group 1 will be at 11 am EDT, and group 2 at 2 pm EDT. The schedule and the players are all listed on the webpage for the event. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 5/30/2012

Youngsters in Portland, OR, defeated their rivals in Mexico City in a four-city school tourney held on KGS May 20th. Ann Arbor and Detroit MI also competed, with Academy of the Americas, in Detroit, notching up a win in the first round, but losing in the second. Students from Portland were eager for paybacks, as Mexico's Pipiolo Academy had defeated all comers in their first inter-city match this past February (see Mexico Schools Portland).

Published On 5/29/2012

Over 300 have now signed up for this year’s U.S. Go Congress, set for August 4-12 in Black Mountain, NC. Professionals confirmed thus far include Maeda Ryo, Jennie Shen, Cathy Li, Yilun Yang, Feng Yun, Mingjiu Jiang and – just confirmed today -- Liang Weitang 9P and Luo Jianyuan 5P from China. “Register and make your payment now to reserve your preferred accommodation,” urges Co-Director Paul Celmer, noting that registration costs rise $50 on June 15th. “Remember, your registration is not complete until you have made payment.” Other Congress features: the first ever U.S. pro certification tournament and the first International Go Symposium in North America.

Published On 5/29/2012

While a contested election is shaping up for the American Go Association's At-Large seat, with Jie Li and Chuck Robbins both nominated, there's thus far no candidate for the open seat in the Western region. Lisa Scott and Gurujeet Khalsa have been nominated in the Central and Eastern regions respectively. Nominations, including self-nominations, are being accepted now through June 15 and should be sent to elections@usgo.org, reports Arnold Eudell. Details on qualifications and procedures are available here.

Published On 5/29/2012

The Traveling Board: My Father’s Last Game

Published On 5/28/2012

The 39th Maryland Open and AGA-Tygem Go Pro Prelim was played May 26-27 in Catonsville, Maryland, just outside Baltimore, organized by the Baltimore Go Club, and sponsored by the American Go Association, Tygem, Yellow Mountain Imports and the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks.

Published On 5/28/2012

An Atlanta school is hoping that go will help its low-income students develop their critical thinking skills. At the Dekalb PATH Academy, in Atlanta GA, “our students are 76% Hispanic, 20% African-American and 87% are classified as low-income by federal government standards,” reports Assistant Principal Graham Balch, who launched the project. Balch says that at Dekalb “we have helped our children overcome the disadvantage of poverty,” noting that the school outperforms every other non-selective middle school in the local school system. “However, while we have done a good job of teaching them content, in my opinion, they still are behind on developing their analytical critical thinking.

Published On 5/28/2012

Myungwan Kim 9P (right) will be doing live game commentary on top games at the TygemGo Online Pro Prelim, which begins June 2 on the Tygem go server. Games will be played at 12:30p (EST) throughout the month of June. "Remember, everyone can play in this online prelim,” said President Allan Abramson. “Plus, you’ll get a button commemorating your participation!” Click here to register. Live commentary on Tygem includes audio and video feed and is one of the features of the Korea-based go server.

Published On 5/27/2012

"I saw this book today and thought the go community would be interested," writes E-Journal reader Tina Zhang about Shan Sa's 2003 novel The Girl Who Played Go. That sent us deep into the American Go EJournal Archive where we retrieved Roy Laird's 7/15/2003 review:

Published On 5/27/2012

Andy Liu 7D convincingly defeated Jie Li 7D in the last round to complete his sweep of the 39th Maryland Open and AGA Tygem Pro Prelim, winning all five games at the May 26-27 event in Baltimore, MD. ZhaoNian Chen 7D was second and Yixian Zhou 6D was third. Liu's win qualifies him to compete in the AGA Tygem Pro tournament this August in Black Mountain, NC. Other qualifiers thus far include Edward Kim (Seattle) and Calvin Sun and Curtis Tang (Cotsen). Two more will qualify in the AGA TygemGo Online Pro Qualifier, which starts in early June.

Maryland Open Kicks Off Saturday

Published On 5/25/2012

Registration runs from 9-10:30a at the 39th annual Maryland Open Saturday morning, with the first round scheduled for 11a. “Pre-registered or not, all are welcome!” says organizer Keith Arnold. The tournament in Catonsville, MD (just outside Baltimore), is also an AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim event for the AGA-Tygem Pro Final in North Carolina, which will be from July 28th to August 4th. The only other prelim is the AGA-Tygem Pro Online Prelim, also open to all, but sign up by Sunday, May 27. Top contenders this year include Yuan Zhou (who recently competed in the World Amateur Go Championships in China), Eric Lui, and Lin Lu; sources tell the EJ that Andy Liu and Michael Chen will be competing as well, so look for some exciting games on the top boards. The 2-day, 5-round tournament offers prizes at all levels, and top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal, starting around 11a (EST) Saturday.

EuroGoTV Updates: May 4-20

Published On 5/25/2012

Rhone-Alpes Challenge (5/24): The Rhone-Alpes Challenge, played on 5/20 in Valence, France, was won by Moran Guennou 1d...Turniej Majowy (5/24): The Turniej Majowy, played on 5/20 in Warszawa, Poland, was won by Pawel Koziol 7K...Scottish Open (5/24): The Scottish Open, played 5/19-20 in Dundee, United Kingdom, was won by Matthew Crosby 3d...Nevers Spring Tournament (5/24): The Nevers Spring Tournament, played on 5/12 in Nevers, France, was won by Augustin Avenel 2k...

Go Photo: Top of the World

Published On 5/25/2012

Dr. Frank Krause and Chul Wha Kim, M.D. played go at the North Pole in July 2006. Krause is a 66-year-old 1-dan who lives in Munich, Germany, and Kim is a lawyer in Washington, DC. - photo courtesy Dr. Krause

Published On 5/24/2012

Twenty six players ranging from 26 kyu to 5 dan came out to San Francisco's Japantown Center on May 12 to play in this month's Bay Area Go tournament. Qiangang Liu 4d and Richard Malcolm 3d led the dan division with undefeated records, while Martin Field 5k and Sybil Fu 14k led the kyu division. "Only three young children played in this tournament and less than one third of the players were under the age of 23," reports organizer Roger Schrag. "This is very unusual for the monthly Bay Area Go tournaments." Next month's tournament will be held in Palo Alto, CA, on June 9. "Bay Area Go's tournaments held in the Palo Alto / Menlo Park area usually have closer to 50% players under the age of 23," Schrag adds.

Maryland Open Field “Shaping Up Nicely”

Published On 5/24/2012

With pre-registrations already running ahead of last year’s – 47 as of Wednesday night – “the field is shaping up quite nicely” at the Maryland Open and AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim this weekend, reports organizer Keith Arnold. In addition the expected turnout of top amateurs, the low- and mid-dan ranks are well-represented, as are kyu players of all levels. The 39th annual Open will be held again in the Catonsville Senior Center in Catonsville, MD and this year includes the first AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim, in which the top finishing player with qualifying citizenship earns the right to compete for pro certification this summer in North Carolina. The 2-day, 5-round tournament offers prizes at all levels, and top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. Click here to register, see who’s coming, and for more information.

Published On 5/23/2012

All participants in the AGA TygemGo Online Pro Qualifier will receive a pin commemorating this first-ever Pro Qualifier competition. "The design is pretty neat," said President Allan Abramson. “Thanks to the Pro Committee for the idea, and the design.” Register here “and be sure to practice on Tygem for the June Qualifier!” adds Abramson. The pro qualifier is the American Go Association's pioneering effort to establish AGA pros in the international scene, supported by the Korea Baduk Association and Tygem. "Our joint view is a long one, creating the pros and opportunities for international competition and training, which will ultimately improve all US players," says AGA President Allan Abramson. "The goal is people who will be able to win internationally, in major tournaments. This may take years to achieve, but 2012 is the beginning."

Published On 5/23/2012

"The only time I went to Kyushu, I visited Kumamoto," writes Bob Barber in response to our May 16 report, The Nakazono Fan Club's Road Trip to Guangzhou. "I played in a tiny club there. They were pleased to show me a picture of Michael Redmond. Nice memories."

Published On 5/23/2012

Spring has brought an early crop of go books, some brand new and others re-issued in new formats. Here are six that have just been released, two each on joseki and tesuji, a historical look at tournament go in Japan and a bio of “Meijin of Meijins" Honinbo Shuei.

Published On 5/21/2012

With the deadline for early registration coming up on May 28, kids across the country are signing up for the AGA summer go camp. "To me this is not a vacation: this is more like a pilgrimage that I need to take, not just for fun or to improve my skills, but as a young go player who wishes to be a part of the go community as much as possible," writes Marcus Gould. The AGF is committed to helping youth who want to go but can't afford it, and is holding a fund raising drive to support the camp.

Chiang Wins Happy Cup Youth Tourney

Published On 5/21/2012

Sixth-grader Anthony Chiang 2d topped the Fifth Sunflower Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament, with four wins, on May 20 in Cupertino, California. “A record number of over fifty elementary and middle school kids gathered together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and played four to five rounds of 19×19 games,” reports Yanping Zhao, who co-organized the event with Wenguang Wang. Players earned prize tickets after each round, and then used them to exchange various fancy prizes. "It was our way to ensure a really fun experience for every kid,” reports Zhao. Each participant was also rewarded with a trophy and at the event’s conclusion, all the kids and their parents enjoyed a refreshing ice cream party. - Report by Wenguang Wang; photo by Andrew Tung: Anthony Chiang is in the blue shirt.

Published On 5/21/2012

Just back from his appearance at the recent World Amateur Go Championship in China, Yuan Zhou 7d (at right) is among the top amateurs -- others include Eric Lui 7d and, coming down from Canada, Phil Waldron 6d -- who’ll be competing this weekend in the Maryland Open and AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim. Dozens of players ranging from 7-dan to 18-kyu have already registered for the 39th annual Open, which this year includes the first AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim, in which the top finishing player with qualifying citizenship earns the right to compete for pro certification this summer in North Carolina. The 2-day, 5-round tournament offers prizes at all levels, and top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. Click here to register, see who’s coming, and for more information. photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 5/21/2012

Proving their "madness" by forgoing the day’s perfect spring weather to play in a windowless classroom all day, 15 players turned out for the NOVA May Madness tournament May 12 in Arlington, VA at George Mason U. Winners were: First place (all at 3-1): Kevin Chin 1K, Sam Zimmerman 5K, and Anderson Barreal 13K. Second place (all at 2-2): Kabe Chin 3D, Baifu Li 5K, and Gary Smith, 9K. - Allan Abramson

Go Photo: Federal Computer Week

Published On 5/21/2012

Go is the centerpiece of the cover art for the May 15 edition of the magazine "Federal Computer Week." Apparently there's no go-related story, the image illustrates a mobile strategy article. Thanks to Peter Wynn of the Syracuse Go Club for passing this along.

Published On 5/21/2012

Janice Kim, 3 Dan professional, will teach a two-day go workshop the weekend of June 23 and 24 in Berkeley, California. Berkeley is home to two go clubs and Bay Area Go Players Association, and is just across the bay from San Francisco. The workshop is open to go players of all strengths (players below 10 kyu may want at least a year's go experience to benefit from this workshop), and advanced registration is required.

Lee Wins Rocky Mtn. NAIM Qualifier

Published On 5/21/2012

Jung Hoon Lee 7d won the top division of the Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament, in Boulder, CO, May 12. Forty players competed in three sections, 10 of the players were under the age of 18.

Published On 5/17/2012

The American Go E-Journal and Ranka Online teamed up again this year to provide full coverage of the GAC Trumpchi Cup 33rd World Amateur Go Championship May 11-18 in Guangzhou, China. Round-by-round reports, game records, commentaries, feature stories and photos brought the annual gathering of 56 top amateurs from 55 countries to life for go fans around the world. Below is a handy overview of the coverage in both the E-Journal and Ranka Online; click here for final tournament results (or here for an easy-to-use WAGC Smart Crosstable by the EJ's Myron Souris, which includes several nifty features, including the ability to place cursor over a player name to highlight all opponent names and results).

China Wins WAGC; U.S. is 21st

Published On 5/16/2012

THIS JUST IN: China's Qiao Zhijian 7d, undefeated after eight grueling rounds, is the winner of the 2012 World Amateur Go Championships. In second place is Hyunjoon Lee of Korea, third is Chen ChengHsun of Tapei. US rep Yuan Zhou was 21st. Other Top 10 finishers: Chan Chi Hin (Hong Kong, 4th), Ri Kwang Hyok (DPRK, 5th), Pal Palogh (Hungary, 6th) and Juri Kuronean (Finland, 7th). In 8th place was Japan's Seizoh Nakazono, 9th was Lou Yuxiang of Singapore and Benjamin Teuber of Germany was 10th. "Overall, the tournament was an impressive display of teenage power," noted James Davies in his Ranka Online report. "Seven of the top twenty places went to teenage players, including all of the top four. Go seems to have a bright future, and not just in the Far East."

Published On 5/16/2012

With Lisa Scott running in the Central region AGA Board of Directors election and Gurujeet Khalsa in the Eastern region, the American Go Association is still seeking candidates for both the Western and At-large seats. Nominations, including self-nominations, are being accepted now through June 15 and should be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Go Photo: Unwinding at the WAGC

Published On 5/16/2012

What do go players do after competing all day at the World Amateur Go Championship? Review their games, of course. Here, U.S. player Yuan Zhou 7d -- a longtime go teacher and author -- analyzes a game Tuesday night in the Baiyun Hotel's 30th-floor bar/playing room with Sweden's Martin Li (center) and Pal Sannes of Norway, while Dragan Paunic of Bosnia-Herzegovina watches. - photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 5/16/2012

The registration deadline for this weekend's Oscar Wilde Liberation (OWL) Tournament has been extended to Thursday, May 17. A dozen players have registered thus far for the tournament, which will be run on KGS, and there are still slots available for interested players. This will be the second online tournament this year where players can earn points towards the North American Ing Masters tournament at this year's US Go Congress in North Carolina in August, and the World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France, also in August. Click here to register.

Published On 5/16/2012

Japan's player, Seizoh Nakazono 8d, brought something unique to the World Amateur Go Championships: his own cheering section. The group of a dozen supporters traveled to Guangzhou specifically to support Nakazono, who was not only their country's representative but a fellow graduate of the Kumamoto high school in Kyushu, Japan's third-largest island. E-Journal readers may also recall him from our report on a visit a few years ago to his Sunshine Go Club in Tokyo.

WAGC Game Report: Round 5

Published On 5/15/2012

Tuesday, May 15: On Board 2, China's Qiao Zhijian chose a variation of the Dosaku opening and played his first ten moves in less than one second each, quickly constructing a huge black framework in the bottom half of the board...There were fewer fireworks on Board 1, but after a good opening and a bad middle game, Korea's Hyunjoon Lee outplayed DPRK's Ri Kwang Hyok in the endgame and then won the final one-point ko to prevail by 2.5 points...

WAGC Game Report: Round 6

Published On 5/15/2012

In Round 6, Tuesday's afternoon round, China’s Qiao Zhijian (below right) immediately launched into the same Dosaku opening that he had used successfully in the morning round, once again playing his initial moves in less than one second each.

Published On 5/15/2012

One of just two women players at this year's World Amateur Go Championship, Chile's Leslie Perez (top left) says it was "destiny" that she learned to play go, taught by a classmate at university in Valparaiso where she was studying for her bachelor’s degree in computer science.

Published On 5/14/2012

The fourth-round contest between the US and Japan turned into a controversial and dramatic slugfest involving a series of severe attacks, both players in overtime, a key losing move in the late middle-game, a ko fight with both players in their last period of overtime and a sudden loss by Japan on time, complicated by a clock dispute that went all the way up to the tournament's chief referee. See So Yokoku 8P's commentary on the game to see what all the excitement was about. Click here for Ranka Online's complete reports on Rounds 3 and 4 (including a more detailed report on the US-Japan game), here for the latest results and here for Round 3 game records and Round 4 game records.

WAGC Game Report: Round 2

Published On 5/14/2012

Despite a good opening, the United States' Yuan Zhou 7d became the second seeded player to suffer defeat when he lost to 13-year-old Chen Cheng-Hsun 7d (at left) of Taipei in just 152 moves. "I wasn't prepared to play such a tough player on the first day," Zhou confided to the E-Journal. "But it's great to see such strong young players." When Cheng-Hsun competed in the WAGC in Hangzhou in 2010 he was thinking of going directly from primary school into a professional career.

Published On 5/14/2012

Daniel Smith 2d took top honors at the May 12 "It Was 20 Years Ago Today" tournament in Chicago, IL. Not a Beatles song reference, the title refered to this being the 20th anniversary -- to the month -- of Tournament Director Bob Barber's (at right, at work) first tournament. This was the indefatiguable organizer's 70th imaginatively-named competition and the 65-year-old -- who claims to have "never lost even a single game" at one of his tournaments -- says he plans to keep going "for at least another 20 years." He also noted that three people who played in his first event two decades ago were there this time as well: Ian Feldman, David Rockwell, and Chris Greene.

Published On 5/13/2012

The 33rd edition of the World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) began Sunday morning, May 13, in the gold-draped main playing hall of the Guangzhou Chess Institute ("chess" in this context refers to go, chess and Chinese Chess) in Guangzhou, also known as Canton, the capital city of Guangdong Province in South China. Fifty-six players (Poland's player missed his plane and has been replaced with a second Chinese player) have traveled from around the world to compete for the title as world's top amateur.

WAGC Orientation & Pairings

Published On 5/13/2012

By 2:35 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, most of the contestants in the 33rd World Amateur Go Championship had made a good start on recovering from jetlag, had sampled the breakfast and lunch buffets at Guangzhou’s Baiyun Hotel, and were ready for the orientation meeting. The meeting opened with an address by chief referee Hua Yigang 8P, who described go as a sport, an art, and a good platform for communication, and noted that east or west, Canton cuisine is the best.

WAGC Game Report: Round 1

Published On 5/13/2012

The World Amateur Go Championship games are played with basic time of one hour per player, followed by thirty-seconds-per move overtime, each player having three thirty-second periods to use. In Round 1 on Sunday morning, among the four seeded players, Qiao Zhijian (China), Lee Hyunjoon (Korea), and Yuan Zhou (U.S.A.) won handily, but Remi Campagnie (France) was upended by Pavol Lisy (Slovakia). This was a come-from-behind victory.

2010's Top 20 Professional Go Players

Published On 5/12/2012

For those of you who like to follow the professional go scene, An Younggil 8P (r) recently finished writing a year-long series of articles for GoGameGuru profiling the top 20 professional go players of 2010. Throughout the series, Younggil goes well beyond the usual historical details to write about players' personalities and go styles, as well as recounting his own meetings with many of them. Younggil's intention was to introduce his professional colleagues to a Western audience as humans, rather than just pro go players. He also shares many insights into the life of a professional go player and the go scene in Korea. It makes fascinating reading for any serious go fan. The full list of bios includes: Lee Sedol, Kong Jie, Park Junghwan, Choi Cheolhan, Kang Dongyun, Heo Youngho, Gu Li, Xie He, Won Seongjin, Li Zhe, Zhou Ruiyang, Tuo Jiaxi, Lee Changho, Qiu Jun, Kim Jiseok, Wang Xi, Cho Hanseung, Chen Yaoye, Park Younghun and Lee Younggu.

Published On 5/12/2012

Next up in the TYGEMGO Pro Prelim series is the Baltimore Go Club's 39th Maryland Open on May 26-27 in Catonsville Maryland just outside Baltimore. The top finishing player with qualifying citizenship earns the right to compete for pro certification this summer in North Carolina the week before the US Go Congress. Top players also earn points to represent the US in the World MindSport Games in France. "However," stresses local organizer Keith Arnold, "ALL players of ALL strengths are welcome to play and be present for this historic event." Click here to pre-register or contact Keith Arnold at hlime81@comcast.net with any questions.

Published On 5/11/2012

To a casual passerby it was just a couple of guys playing go on a Friday night. But this was the Friday night before the 2012 World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) in Guangzhou, China, and the go players were Hideo Otake 9P (right), Chairman of the Nihon Kiin Board of Directors and IGF President Zhenming Chang (left), Vice Chairman and President of the CITIC Group, a major Chinese firm dealing in finance, real estate, resource development, manufacturing and telecommunications. The two sat down for a quiet game in the lounge on the 30th floor of the Baiyung Hotel, where players from around the world continued to arrive and check in for the 33rd annual event, which begins Sunday and features players from 64 countries in an 8-round championship to determine the top amateur player.

Online Tygem Pro Qualifier Open to All

Published On 5/11/2012

President Allan Abramson called today for go players at all levels to play in the Tygem online pro qualifier, which begins the first weekend in June. Abramson said he was "encouraging everyone to participate in this history-making event, and tell your friends that you competed to become a pro!" All those interested should sign up to play on the Tygem server (see below). "Practice with the Tygem server now will make your online competition easier," he said.

Published On 5/11/2012

May isn't just a big month for US go players. The temperature is rising on the international go scene too. On May 4, Chen Yaoye 9P defended his Chinese Tianyuan (Tengen) title against up-and-coming player, Zhou Hexi 4P. Zhou faced off a strong field to top the 26th Tianyuan qualifiers for the second year in a row, but once again fell to Chen, who has now held the Tianyuan for four consecutive years. Meanwhile in Korea, Lee Sedol 9P fought back from a 2-1 disadvantage to defeat Park Younghun 9P in the (best of five) 17th GS Caltex Cup.

BadukMovies Launches Weekly Webcast

Published On 5/10/2012

Dutch go players Peter Brouwer 6d ('danoontje' on KGS) and Kim Ouweleen 4d ('Murugandi’) have launched a weekly webcast on their BadukMovies website. The short videos -- 10 min. max -- clearly explain and cover a wide variety of go topics, ranging from “A trick play without drawbacks” to “A Chinese tesuji against moyo” as well as detailed explanations about securing or destroying bases. Every Monday a new screencast is uploaded, with eight posted since the launch on March 20. The free videos are in English and Brouwer and Ouweleen say “Comments, feedback or new ideas for videos are more than welcome.

Published On 5/10/2012

Quaid Tseng 6d was the top winner at the second annual Sakura Matsuri Go Tournament, hosted by the Stony Brook Go Club May 5 at the Long Island Cherry Blossom Festival in the Wang Center of Stony Brook University in New York State. The Festival celebrates Japanese culture with martial art demonstrations, taiko drum performances, kimono fashion shows and other events. The Stony Brook Go Club offered $200 worth of prizes, including books written by professional go players, teacups, and a traditional Filipino squash sculpture made by Alex Wong and Christian Ang. Open to the public with no entry fee, entrants participated in four rounds and attracted 36 participants. The top seeds consisted of five-dan ranked players ranging from 3-dan to 6-dan. Other undefeated winners were Barbara Huang 7k, Mirza Basim Baig 20k, and Diana Huang 20k. - report by Christian Ang

Published On 5/9/2012

“My Father’s Last Game” Translated into Chinese: Betsy Small’s Traveling Board column in the March 29 E-Journal, “My Father’s Last Game” has been published in China, on the sina blog and major go websites, as well as in the publication Sports Fan, which has a circulation of about 150,000. “Some readers told me they were in tears after reading the story,” Simon Guo, who translated the article, tells the E-Journal. “Me too.” Cool Players: “I could be mistaken, but the men in that photograph (Go Photo: Cool Game 4/22 EJ) look like Igor Grishin (left) and Maksim Tikhomirov (right) from the Russian Go Federation,” writes Nikolas. “ Alexandre Dinerchtein sent me more photos of them” on the All About Go blog.

EuroGoTV Updates: May 4-7

Published On 5/8/2012

Britain Seeks New Leader: (5/7) After racking up 25 British Championship titles, Matthew Macfadyen has decided, for now, to retire from the UK Championship. The race is now on to see who will replace him...Apeldoorn 2012: The Apeldoorn 2012, a class C tournament, played May 6 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, was won by Rudi Verhagen 5d (left)...

Published On 5/8/2012

“Watching a young player, whose feet didn't even touch the floor, cling to his teddy bear while he beat opponent after opponent…sitting with Noni Redmond in North Carolina as she patiently taught an interesting craft to other non-players…the lack of greens on the menu in Rochester….the whitewater rafting kayak trip in the Chicago River when one of the players went overboard and had to get decontaminated…the players and non-players whom I've met and whom I look forward to seeing year after year after bloody year.

Published On 5/7/2012

Go features prominently in a couple of new films, one a drama, the other a documentary. In Tokyo Newcomer, Chinese go genius Yoshiryu (Qin Hao) comes to Japan to hone his skills in the game, but finds he's too busy earning a living to study go at all. One day, he meets an old woman hawking vegetables, who turns out to be a descendant of a prestigious go family.

Edward Kim 7d wins Seattle Pro Prelim

Published On 5/7/2012

Edward Kim (r) won all five of his games to win the first AGA-Tygem Seattle Pro Prelim, held May 5-6 at the Seattle Go Center. Ten players competed for the opportunity to go to the AGA-Tygem Pro Final in North Carolina, which will be from July 28th to August 4th. Second place was earned by Yixian Zhou 6d, who had a 4-1 record. Third went to David (Dong) Ma 6d, fourth (on a tie breaker) to young Vincent Zhuang 6d and fifth to Nicholas Jhirad 6d.

Published On 5/7/2012

Lilian Zavala 9k, age 12, defeated Ogam Shakti Rojas 15k, age 11, at the finals for the Mexican Youth Go Championship (MYGC), in Cuautla Morelos, near Mexico City on March 18th. "A full weekend trip was planned to this beautiful place," reports organizer Siddhartha Avila, "where kids, parents, teachers and friends could enjoy the natural surroundings and have fun with different activities outdoors.

EuroGo Updates: April 1-15

Published On 5/7/2012

Croatia: Robert Jovicic 2k won the 448th Velika Gorica Weekend Go Tournament, played on 4/21 Velika Gorica; second was Mladen Smud 1k and in third Nikola Primetica 4k. Result table. France: The Ile-de-France League organized the Youth Championship on March 24. This competition is the qualifier for the French Youth Championship held on May 5-6 in Cachan, a suburb of Paris. The League decided to call this event the "Zaza Cup" in honor of the memory of Michel "Zaza" Zaltzman; this edition of the Zaza Cup was accommodated by the Antony Club which was a big supporter of the organisation.

Published On 5/7/2012

Call it the Joseph Yao tesuji. The ripple effects of his recent donation of his collection of 300 go books to the AGA make Yao's move a tremendously skillful move, maximizing the use of his books on both a local and global level. A Boeing Jet Propulsion Laboratory retiree who lives in Los Angeles, Yao was a lifelong devotee of go, buying hundreds of books. “Since it was hard to get go books in the US, he sent $100 or more a month to Japan to buy the newest go books,” Andy Okun tells the E-Journal.

Published On 5/6/2012

Top amateur go players will compete in the 33rd World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) May 11-17 in Guangzhou, China, the first time that this event will take place in South China (click here for last year's reports from Japan). The American Go E-Journal and Ranka online are teaming up again this year to provide daily coverage. The field of 58 players will range in age from 13 to 67 and in official rank from 8 kyu to 8 dan. Nearly half will be newcomers to the WAGC, and eleven will still be in their teens.

Yang Shuang 2P Visits Princeton Go Club

Published On 5/5/2012

Yang Shuang 2P from Shenyang, China visited the Princeton Go Club on April 25 where she played simul games against allcomers during the evening. Earlier in the day, Yang Shuang visited her colleague Feng Yun 9P in Bridgewater, New Jersey and discussed her interest in teaching in the United States. photo: Yang Shuang 2P plays Jim Fredrickson at the simul; photo courtesy Feng Yun

Go Photo: King of the Goban

Published On 5/5/2012

Atop Roy Laird's goban in New York City is flame-point Siamese Kibi's favorite perch. photo by Mary Laird Got go photos? Send them to us at journal@usgo.org!

Kay Sweeps British Go Congress

Published On 5/5/2012

Winning both the main event and the lightning tournament at the 2012 British Go Congress, held in Durham on April 20-22, Andrew Kay 4d now has four British tournament triumphs for the year. Second and third places in the Open went to Andrew Simons 3d and Toby Manning 2d. Full results of the British Open are here; results of other events and further details are here. - adapted from reports by the BGA and IGF.

Published On 5/4/2012

For those interested in traveling north of the border, there are several events coming up in Canada. The Golden Key Cultural Centeris hosting the 2012 GTA Go Open Tournament May 19 at 2330 Midland Ave.,Toronto, On. With a resurgence of membership in the last year, the Toronto Go Club is celebrating by hosting its first tournament since 2008. The 1-day 4-round tournament will be held June 2 in Room 106 of the 519 Community Centre in Toronto, Canada.

May Madness Kicks Off This Weekend

Published On 5/4/2012

Go players looking for competition will find it every weekend this month, from coast to coast, and plenty of places in-between. From Seattle, WA to Santa Fe, NM and Chicago, IL to Baltimore, MD, no less than nine tournaments are being held, including several at which the top-finishing player with qualifying citizenship will earn the right to compete for pro certification this summer in North Carolina the week before the US Go Congress. Here’s a quick overview of the line-up: May 5, Santa Fe, NM: Santa Fe Spring Tournament May 5, Stony Brook, NY: Stony Brook Sakura Matsuri Go Tournament May 5-6, Seattle, WA: 1st AGA-Tygem Seattle Pro Prelim May 12, San Francisco,

Published On 5/4/2012

Four American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are up for election this year, The terms of four seats, one in each region and the at-large position, expire this September. Nominations are now being accepted and will close on June 15. Nominations must be made by email by full members of the AGA. Send to elections@usgo.org. For the regional positions members must reside in that region; click here for complete election information and qualifications. In other Board news, Daniel Smith reports that at the April 22 board meeting, "the Board spent most of its time discussing the fiscal year 2013 budget, which was approved. The Board also heard that the presidential search committee has identified some candidates and hopes to select the next AGA president at the June 3 board meeting."

Published On 5/3/2012

“Invincible: The Games of Shusaku,” John Power’s classic and widely-acclaimed masterpiece on one of the greatest go players who ever lived is now available in SmartGo Books. Originally published by Kiseido, the SmartGo Books edition of Invincible “includes the complete text, games, and diagrams of the print edition, painstakingly converted to digital format,” SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf tells the E-Journal. “

Published On 5/3/2012

It may not take quite a village, but it definitely takes a good-sized team to pull off a tournament like last weekend’s Cotsen Open. Tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen’s team this year included Tournament Organizer Jenna Stewart, lead coordinator Hunter Knight, Noah King, David Fein, Maile Fulton and masseuses Nini, Priscilla and Cindy.

Published On 5/3/2012

The Board of Directors of Nihon Ki-in America (NKA) and the New York Go Center (NYGC) have announced their support for the Seattle Go Center, which has sued the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo to prevent the sale of the SGC building in Seattle, WA.

Published On 5/1/2012

Brooklyn Go Club members at the April 28 Sakura Matsuri Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. photo courtesy Felice Simon

EuroGo Updates: March 24-April 1

Published On 4/30/2012

Romania: In-Seong Hwang 8d (right) won the 2012 Shusaku Cup Romania, winning all six games in the March 30-April 1 tournament. Hwang donated 200 Euro of his 1,200 Euro winnings to Romanian youth players. In second was Artem Kachanovskyji 7d (left) from Ukraine, who only lost to In-seong in an epic battle watched by more than 550 on KGS. Third place was won by another young talented Ukraine player, Arii Kravets 5d who bested many favorites like Cristian Pop 7d, Ondrej Silt 6d, Csaba Mero 6d and Pal Balogh 6d.

Published On 4/30/2012

The Oscar Wilde Liberation Tournament NAIM/WMSG Qualifier is set for May 19-20 in the AGA Tournament Room on KGS. This second online tournament will afford players another chance to win points towards the North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Tournament and the upcoming 2012 World Mind Sports Games.

Calvin Sun Wins ’12 Cotsen

Published On 4/30/2012

Calvin Sun won the 2012 Cotsen Open, sweeping all five rounds and earning an invitation to the AGA's first-ever professional certification tournament, which will be held at the US Go Congress this summer in Black Mountain, NC.

Go Symposium Call for Papers Closes

Published On 4/30/2012

From a Q&A session with Hikaru no Go creator Hotta Yumi to presentations on the state of the art of supercomputer go, weiqi in Chinese poetry, and designing a college go course, more than 20 talks have now been scheduled for the 2012 International Go Symposium. Organizers have now closed their Call for Papers to the Symposium, which will be held at this year’s U.S. Go Congress, August 4-12 in Black Mountain, NC. Click here for the full list of presenters and topics; short abstracts will be posted soon.

Bay Area High School Tourney May 28

Published On 4/30/2012

Bay Area k-12 schools are invited to compete in a half-day team contest in Cupertino, CA. Spectators are welcome, say organizers Kevin Huang and David Su, and competition should be strong among the local stars. Complete info is on the web here. The tourney will be held Monday May 28, (Memorial Day) from 12pm-6pm, at the ThinkTank Learning Center. Schools that register by Tuesday, May 1st get a reduced rate of $15, the fee is $18 after the 1st.

Cotsen Open Day 1

Published On 4/29/2012

Only three top players are undefeated after the first three rounds of the 2012 Cotsen Open: Curtis Tang, Calvin Sun and Chun-hong Chen. The final two rounds of the Cotsen will be held on Sunday, April 29 in Los Angeles, CA. Day One featured morning simuls with visiting Korean professionals, three rounds of tournament play, a lecture by Janice Kim 3P and broadcast of top boards on KGS, with pro commentary by Myung-wan Kim, Yilun Yang and Yoo Chang-hyuk. All the game records -- including the pro commentaries -- will be posted on the website soon. photos and collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 4/29/2012

“The team competition was fierce” at the April 22 Carolina Spring Go Tournament, reports organizer Owen Chen. The team competition for youth players was one of the unique features of the annual tournament in Raleigh, NC, organized by the Cary Go Club and the Chinese-American Friendship Association of North Carolina. The event drew 34 go players ranging from 6 to 70 years old. Four teams representing the Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language (RACL), Cary Chinese School (CCS) and the Chinese School at Chapel Hill (CSCH) competed in the team tournament.

Published On 4/29/2012

For a guy whose nickname is “The God of War” and who has amassed over 1,000 career wins, Cho Hunhyun 9P in person in actually pretty mild-mannered. In Los Angeles this weekend to help launch the American Go Association’s (AGA) nascent professional certification system at the Cotsen Open AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim, Cho took a few minutes out of a jam-packed schedule Saturday at the Korean Cultural Center to sit down for an interview with the American Go E-Journal. “This is a monumental moment for the AGA,” Cho said, “and I wanted to be here, on behalf of the Korean Baduk Association, to show our support.

Two Kims Add to Cotsen Pro Line-Up

Published On 4/27/2012

Two more professionals have been confirmed for this weekend’s Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, CA: Janice Kim 3P (at far right) and Kim Hyo-jung 2P (below at right). The American-born Janice Kim has long been a popular teacher at U.S. events, including the annual Go Congress, while Kim Hyo-jung is a well-known commentator and MC at Korean go events. That will make an impressive total of seven pros at the Cotsen, including Cho Hun-hyun 9P, Yang Jae-ho 9P, Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P, Myung-wan Kim 9P and Yilun Yang 7P, all of whom are expected to play in simuls with Cotsen attendees as well as give lectures and game commentaries. Registration opens at 8a Saturday (walk-ins are welcome), Saturday, 4/28 at the Korean Cultural Center (5505 Wilshire Blvd.Los Angeles,CA); Round 1 is scheduled for 10a PST, Round 2 for 1P and Round 3 for 4:15P. Live EJ game broadcast of top-board games on KGS begins with Round 1 and live commentaries should begin around 11a PST.

Cotsen Drawing Record Crowd in L.A.

Published On 4/26/2012

With several days to go, nearly 200 have already registered for this weekend’s Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, one of the year’s biggest and most popular go tournaments in the United States. With thousands of dollars in prizes, the April 28-29 tournament is bringing out players of all strengths, and competition will be especially tough on the top boards as players like Joey Hung 8D, Juyong Koh 8D, Danny Daehyuk Ko 8D, Curtis Tang 8D (at right; click here for the April 24 LA Times story on how this “Child prodigy took a pass on Go”) and Calvin Sun 7D battle it out. The E-Journal will be broadcasting top games on KGS, hopefully with commentary from one of the visiting Korea Baduk Association pros, Cho Hun-hyun 9P, Yang Jae-ho 9P, and Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P. The Cotsen also features big cash prizes for the clubs whose players win the most games, so a number of area clubs are sending teams to compete. photo by Gary Friedman/LA Times

Published On 4/25/2012

Twenty-six kids and adults gathered in Palo Alto, CA, on April 14 for this month's ratings tournament run by Bay Area Go Players Association. Players ranged in strength from 7 dan to 18 kyu, and four players won three games apiece: Yue Fang 1d, Tai-An Cha 5k, Bryan Tan 12k, and Sybil Fu 15k. As is usual at the Bay Area Go tournaments, go books were handed out as prizes to everyone playing in their first tournament and those who won all of their games.

Published On 4/24/2012

The Cotsen Open in Los Angeles this weekend just added another draw: special fans signed by all three attending professionals, Cho Hun-Hyun 9P, Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P and KBA Secretary General Yang Jae-ho 9P, who will be commenting, teaching and observing the opening phase of US pro certification process. That's in addition to the free food, shoulder massages, six Korea Baduk Association (KBA) rank certificates, sunny weather and field of hundreds of players at the Cotsen this Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29. The Cotsen, one of the biggest tournaments on the American go calendar, is being hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and this year includes the AGA-Tygem Pro Prelim, which will select two candidates for the AGA’s first-ever professional certification tournament at the U.S. Go Congress in North Carolina this summer. Click here to register now!

2012 AGA Board Minutes Posted Online

Published On 4/24/2012

Minutes of the American Go Association Board of Director’s 2012 meetings – including the January 21 special meeting to discuss the proposed “tap” on foreign prize winnings – have now been posted online. Click here for all Board minutes 2003-2012 or here for January 4, January 21 and February 27 minutes.

Published On 4/24/2012

Kevin Huang 7D took first place in the April 21-22 North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Qualifier Tournament in Somerset, New Jersey. Huang's win qualified him to participate in the NAIM at the 20120 U.S. Go Congress. The second place winner was Xinyu Tu 7D, who received qualifier points to NAIM and the 2012 World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) in France, and third place winner Lionel Zhang 6D also collected qualifier points to the WMSG. The final game to determine the first place winner was appropriately dramatic, reports tournament organizer Ronghao Chen. "Xinyu Tu put his 47th move at the center of the board and made a big moyo. Kevin Huang immediately invaded, attempting to make his group live and reduce Tu's terRitory. Kevin spent a lot of time trying to solve this very difficult problem, and at the end of his game he only had 31 seconds remaining.

Published On 4/24/2012

The Brooklyn Go Club will be staffing go tables at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens’ Sakura Matsuri Festival again this year on April 28-29. “Go doesn't technically doesn't start until 1pm, but BGC members can show up at noon at 1000 Washington Ave and help set up,” reports Marc Palmer.

Yang Shuang 2P Visits DC-Area Go Clubs

Published On 4/24/2012

Chinese Pro Yang Shuang 2P was in the metro Washington DC area last week visiting both the NOVA Go Club in Arlington,VA and the Greater Washington Go Club (GWGC) in Bethesda MD.“Ms. Yang received a warm welcome by AGA President Allan Abramson and club regulars” at the NOVA Go Club on April 16 reports Daniel Chou. “She graciously offered to play simuls with enthusiastic attendees led by Joshua Lee 6D and Haskell Small 4D,” followed by game analysis. The GWGC visit on April 20 “was a great success,” adds Haskell Small. “There were ten players in the simul, a number of others observing, and GWGC was rocking!” Ms. Yang plans to visit the Feng Yun Go School in New Jersey later this month. photo by Jie Li

Published On 4/24/2012

This year’s edition of the Amsterdam International Go Tournament includes a Rapid (Speed Go) Tournament that will be played on a boat that travels through/around the city of Amsterdam. The tournament – the 41st edition – runs Thursday, May 17th – Sunday, May 20th and is being presented by The Amsterdam Go Club, in cooperation with the European Go Centre – celebrating it’s 20th anniversary -- the Dutch Go Association, the EGF and EuroGoTV. This year’s tournament is part of the European Cup, level 5, the highest level, allowing top European finishers to earn points for the European Cup system. A large field is expected, with many players already pre-registered, including players from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Korea, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. In case of sufficient participants and interest commentary on the top games will be given by Cho Seokbin 7P from Korea.

Jiang to Teach Go Camp

Published On 4/23/2012

Mingjiu Jiang 7P will be returning to teach at this year's AGA Go Camp, reports camp director Amanda Miller. Jiang is an experienced professional player who has represented the United States in a number of international go tournaments. He has extensive teaching experience, and counts many of the strongest youth in the country among his students. Camp pricing and details can be found on the 2012 Camp Website here. For the convenience of the campers and their families, payments for the camp can be made online, although some forms must still be mailed directly to the organizers. The camp will take place the week before the Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. AGF needs based scholarships are again available for players who can’t afford the full cost, and youth who played in the USYGC are eligible for a $400 scholarship to camp. More details on AGF scholarships can be found here.

Published On 4/23/2012

Registrations for the 2012 U.S. Go Congress in Black Mountain, North Carolina, are coming in at a record setting pace, reports Congress Liason Chris Kirschner, with nearly 200 signed up thus far. "This is not surprising," Kirschner says, "given that the Black Mountain site has many unique aspects, including stunning natural beauty, proximity to Asheville's craft breweries and vibrant arts scene, relatively modest costs, and numerous recreational opportunities as well as traditional summer camp activities." In addition, the Congress is hosting the International Go Symposium, an academic conference investigating the educational, cultural, scientific, and literary aspects of the game of go. Given the high demand, Congress Co-Directors Paul Celmer and Peter Armenia warn that "to ensure that you will receive your first choice of accommodation, you must register and pay your Congress balance. Your rooms are not reserved until we receive payment."

Go Photo: Cool Game

Published On 4/22/2012

We came across this great photo posted 11/7/2011 on the V = I·R blog. Titled "Playing Go In Russia," the blogger finds some appropriate ice floe references in James Davies' Elementary Go Series, Volume 3: Tesuji: "A good player tries to read out [ahead] in his head before he puts the stones on the board. He looks before he leaps. Frequently he does not leap at all; many of the sequences his reading uncovers are stored away for future reference, and in the end never carried out. This is especially true in a professional game, where the two hundred or so moves played are only the visible part of an iceberg of implied threats and possibilities, most of which stays submerged." If you have more info on this photo or the blogger -- or want to send in your own go-related photo -- email us at journal@usgo.org 5/7/2012 Update: “I could be mistaken, but the men in that photograph look like Igor Grishin (left) and Maksim Tikhomirov (right) from the Russian Go Federation,” writes Nikolas. “

Published On 4/22/2012

“It’s a very deep game, easy to learn how to play, but very hard to get good at,” Syracuse Go Club president Richard Moseson told the Eagle News in a April 6 report on the recent Salt City Tournament . photo: 94-year-old Milton Sack of Fayetteville was playing in his second-ever go tournament. He’s pictured playing Syracuse resident Peter Day, who drove up from Columbia University.

Steven Wu 3D Wins MGA Spring Tourney

Published On 4/22/2012

Twenty-two players turned out for the April 15 Massachusetts Go Association’s Spring tournament in Somerville MA. Steven Wu 3D took first, Eric Osman 2D was 2nd and 3rd was split between Eva Casey 4K and Ralph St. Louis 8K. “Good turn out for a warm spring day,” reports TD Wanda Metcalf.

Seattle Go Center Sues Nihon Ki-in

Published On 4/20/2012

The Seattle Go Center filed suit against the Nihon Ki-in on April 19 in King County Superior Court. The suit charges the Nihon Ki-in with breach of contract and fraud in connection with the Nihon Ki-in’s recent decision to sell the Seattle Go Center building “in order to redirect these resources to the New York Go Center,” said the Center in a press release. The Nihon Ki-in closed the New York Go Center in November 2010, though it still owns the building it was housed in.

Published On 4/20/2012

With just over a week to go before he attends the April 28-29 Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, Cho Hun-Hyun 9P -- considered one of the greatest players of all time – has sent the American go community his congratulations “on starting your professional system and hosting the Cotsen Open,“ adding that “I hope the American go community develops further through this tournament and that many will enjoy go as a mind sport.

Published On 4/16/2012

The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth discounts to this year’s US Go Congress. Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty-Five scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Five scholarships are available to residents of Canada or Mexico. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships awarded at random from qualifying essays. The scholarships are available for youth who are under 18. For more information, and to apply, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Youth playing Four Color Go at the 2011 Congress, photo by Paul Barchilon.

Hikaru Author to Attend Congress

Published On 4/16/2012

Hotta Yumi, author of the best selling manga series Hikaru no Go is confirmed for the US Go Congress. Hotta will meet fans, sign autographs, and answer questions at the Go Symposium on Sunday, and will be a celebrity judge for the official Hikaru no Go Trivia contest in the Youth Room on Monday. When Hotta was learning to play go, she got frustrated at never being able to beat the professionals who taught her. "So I thought, wouldn't it be great if I had a strong supernatural ally, maybe then I could beat a pro someday," she told the E-Journal in an earlier interview. The result was the best-selling manga and anime series Hikaru no Go, which is credited with renewing or sparking interest in go worldwide in recent years. "I had no idea how popular it was outside Japan until I went to the European Go Congress two years ago and met so many people who told me they learned about go through Hikaru No Go," Hotta said, laughing. -Paul Barchilon with Chris Garlock, photo by John Pinkerton.

Published On 4/14/2012

Nearly 100 are already pre-registered for the Cotsen Open coming up April 28-29 in Los Angeles, one of the biggest tournaments of the year, with a strong field and this year featuring appearances by top Korean professionals including Cho Hun-Hyun 9P, Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P and KBA Secretary General Yang Jae-ho 9P, who will be commenting, teaching and observing the opening phase of US pro certification process. In addition to turnout by local players and clubs, a big contingent from Arizona is expected as usual and so far the player traveling the farthest (besides the Korean pros) is Vermonter Peter Schumer. Also signed up is SmartGo creator Anders Kierulf, coming in from Salt Lake City and longtime go organizer Jeff Shaevel from cedar Park, Texas. Unique among go tournaments anywhere, everyone who registers by 4/23 gets free lunch both days. photo: tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen and one of the masseuses, another unique feature of the tournament; photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 4/14/2012

All tournaments designated as North American Ing Masters qualifiers, as well as AGA-Tygemgo Pro Tournament qualifiers, are now tournaments at which strong players will be able to earn qualification points for the 2012 World Mind Sports Games (WMSG), scheduled to take place in Lille, France, from August 9-23, reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. Players interested in representing the U.S. at the WMSG must be U.S. citizens; all other AGA eligibility criteria for international representatives apply. Upcoming tournaments at which players can earn points are Ronghao Chen's NAIM qualifier and Self Paired Tournament in Somerset, New Jersey April 21-22, the Cotsen Open in Los Angeles on April 28-29, the AGA-Tygem Seattle Pro Prelim in Seattle, Washington on May 5-6, the Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament in Boulder, CO on May 12 and the Maryland Pro Tournament (details coming soon). Details are on the tournaments calendar.

Published On 4/11/2012

U.S. Go Congress organizers have just announced a drawing for a free 2012 Congress meal plan – a $225 value -- on April 25th. “Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch…and breakfast and dinner?!” said Congress Co-Director Peter Armenia and Paul Celmer. This year's Congress runs August 4 - 12 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Here’s how to enter:

Published On 4/11/2012

This month in the world of professional go... April 7: 13-year-old Yang Dingxin 3P is in the news in China after defeating Piao Wenyao 9P to win the 12th Ricoh Cup. Yang, born October 19, 1998, set a new record as the youngest domestic title holder in China. He may well have broken other records too. Any record buffs out there? Write in and let us know! Elsewhere, China's Wang Chenxing, extended her winning streak in the 2nd Huang Longshi Cup to eight consecutive games and was consequently promoted to 5P. The Huang Longshi Cup is an international win and continue tournament for women and Wang (almost single handedly) knocked out all of the Korean team and most of the Japanese team before Japan's Xie Yimin 6P finally put a stop to it.

Published On 4/9/2012

In case the free food, shoulder massages, sunny weather and tough competition at the upcoming Cotsen Open are not enough of a draw, as many as six Korea Baduk Association (KBA) rank certificates will be awarded to dan players between 1d and 6d, courtesy of Kim Myung-wan 9p and the KBA. The April 28-29 tournament also features a visit by Cho Hun-Hyun 9P, Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P and KBA Secretary General Yang Jae-ho 9P, who will be commenting, teaching and observing the opening phase of US pro certification process. Click here for complete details and to register – free lunch for all who register by 4/23 --or contact Andy Okun at sponsorship@usgo.org with questions. “Surfing conditions at the end of April are expected to be good,” promises Okun. photo: Tang Wenhua 6d [r] receives his 6d KBA certificate at the 2010 Santa Monica Coffee Cup from Myung-wan Kim 9P (l); photo courtesy Andy Okun

Highland Park Tops School Teams Tourney

Published On 4/9/2012

The American Go Honor Society's 13th annual School Team Tournament (STT) concluded on KGS last month. Over 150 avid go players duked it out in 54 teams from 40 schools in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Teams were sorted by their average rank, in four divisions, and played four rounds. Co-sponsored by the AGA and the AGF, the STT has become the largest national youth tournaments in the US. Leading the pack in the Varsity Division was Highland Park High School (NJ), who were undefeated. The school has participated in several past tournaments. "We finally achieved good results this year," said team captain Yang Xu 5d, "we've played in the tournament a few times in the past but lacked a consistent team."

Sedgwick Kids Learn Go

Published On 4/9/2012

"I presented the game of go to almost 100 elementary students in Sedgwick's Annual Discovery Day event," writes Wenguang Wang. "The kids seemed to enjoy the fun go facts and the several games they played." Sedgwick Elementary School is in Cupertino, CA; Wang brought his "Let's Play Go" event to four sessions of third-grade students on April 3rd. "In each of the half-hour session, the students learned some fun facts about go, the basic rules, and had a chance to play several games on 9x9 boards," adds Wang. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Karen Hersh: Wang, at right, instructs a table of students.

AGA Go Camp Registration Open

Published On 4/9/2012

Registration for the AGA East Coast Go Camp is now open. Pricing and details can be found on the 2012 Camp Website here. For the convenience of the campers and their families, payments for the camp can be made online, although some forms must still be mailed directly to the organizers. The camp will take place the week before the Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. "The AGA Summer Go Camp welcomes campers from the ages of 8 to 18 to attend for a week of go-playing and fun," says director Amanda Miller. AGF needs based scholarships are again available for players who can't afford the full cost, and youth who played in the USYGC are eligible for a $400 scholarship to camp. More details on AGF scholarships can be found here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Amanda Miller: Campers playing relay go.

Published On 4/8/2012

Daniel Chou 6D led a field of 43 at the NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament on Saturday, March 31 in Arlington, VA. Tournament Director Allan Abramson tested OpenGotha and reports that “The pairing software worked without a hitch” and urges other TDs to “try it for yourselves,” and send any comments to him at allango1@verizon.net. Winners Report: First place: Daniel Chou, 6D, (4-0); Craig Nelson, 3D; Ray Hunley, 1D; Joseph Lee, 4K; Baifu Li, 5K; Bob Bacon, 6K and Raymond Yeh, 6K (tied); Gary Smith, 10K, (4-0); Seung Yoon Oh, 18K (4-0); and Ash Abbas, 20K. Second place: Andrew Jackson, 4D; Hongchun Liu, 3D; Kevin Chin, 1K and Pascal Platteborse, 1D (tied); Joey Phoon, 4K; John Gipson, 5K, and Sam Zimmerman, 5K (tied); Mohan Sud, 8K (4-0); Anderson Barreal, 13K and Tariq Khan, 17K (tied); and Stephen Preston, 20K

Your Move: Go in American Samoa?

Published On 4/4/2012

“I will be a volunteer in American Samoa from July 2012 through to June 2013,” says David Stephenson. “I'm wondering do you know of any go activity over there? - I can't detect any from igolocal or other google searches. It would be good to find some over-the-board players.” Email journal@usgo.org

Published On 4/4/2012

The Breakthrough to Shodan - $30; The Go Player's Almanac 2001 - $25. Please add $5 shipping per book. Contact Anton Ninno, AGA #554, at anton(nospace)ninno@yahoo.com

Go Classified: DC Go Player Seeks Room

Published On 4/4/2012

25-year-old male, AmericanUniversity graduate student, avid go player, looking for room to lease for either 6 months or a year in the DC/VA/MD area beginning mid-August. Ideal room will have private bathroom, rent under $1000, available parking, relatively close to AU, and easy access to the metro. I'm a very laid back person, no smoking/drugs, modest drinking, sociable, clean, no pets aside from a small fish tank, and will be busy completing my graduate degree and also working part-time. If you have an available room, please contact me at joshlee.grad@gmail.com.

Published On 4/4/2012

North American representative Jing Yang 8D and European representative Alexandre Dinerchstein 3P were among the 16 players eliminated in the first two rounds of the 9th Chunlan Cup, which wrapped up on April 30. Now only 8 players remain. In Round One, Yang drew Choi Cheolhan 9P, a top Korean pro known as the 'venomous snake' because of his aggressive fighting style. Yang fought hard and gave Choi a difficult game, but eventually resigned in the early endgame (see game below). The Chunlan Cup is an invitational Go tournament for 24 top players from around the world, which uses a knockout format. Yang qualified as the North American representative in February this year. The quarter-finals will be held in late 2012, with no specific date set yet. - David Ormerod; based on his original article: Just 8 players left in 9th Chunlan Cup at Go Game Guru. Photo: Jing Yang (left) plays Choi Cheolhan. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Choi-Cheolhan-vs-Yang-Jing-2012

Hope Wins Tri-School Tourney

Published On 4/3/2012

The Hope School, in Portland OR, bested Irvington Elementary School and Sunstone Montessori in a three team, two game match on April 1st. Hope won 6 games, Montesorri 5, and Irvington 1 - saved from a sweep by its top player, McCaleb Nessler-Cass 15k. "One game was jigo on the board, so white won with a half point komi," reports organizer Peter Freedman. "I didn't think one stone was very important," said a disappointed Ben Snead 20k, the player who lost. "There's a good lesson for a new player," adds Freedman. The Hope team was led by Louie Liu 1d, and included Edward Yu 16k, and Ethan Zhuang, all of whom won both games. Vincent Zhuang 6d played teaching games with the odd man out. Winner's Report: 1st place: Hope School; 2nd place: Sunstone Montessori; 3rd place: Irvington Elementary. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 4/3/2012

Supporters of the U.S. team at the upcoming World Mind Sports Games (2nd World Mind Sports Games to be held in France; AGA Seeks Donations for U.S. Team 3/24 EJ) can now donate directly by clicking on the Mind Sports Games 2012 donate button. “Every donation helps and every contribution is appreciated,” says American Go Association President Allan Abramson.

Jared Beck 2D Wins Salt CityTourney

Published On 4/3/2012

With 27 players participating in this year's 5th annual Salt City Go Tournament in Syracuse, NY, Jared Beck 2D of Ithaca captured the top A division prize of $100 and SUNY Upstate student Chang Kim 3D took the $75 second place prize in that division. Peter Wynn 4K and Eric Hookway 18k, both ofSyracuse, won the B and C divisions respectively, both finishing with 4-0 records. Fifteen prizes, most of them books from Slate and Shell, were presented to the top game winners. Jim Gonnella won the coveted – and tasty -- cake problem prize. Photo: Beck (r) and Kim (l); photo by Richard Moseson

Published On 4/2/2012

The second International Children’s Go Art Contest is now accepting submissions, and will culminate in an exhibit of the pieces at the U.S. Go Congress in North Carolina this summer. The event is sponsored by the Mexican Youth Go Community and the AGA, in honor of the International Go Symposium. Organizer Siddhartha Avila says "the contest will feature children’s artwork, in which they will be free to express their visions, emotions and ideas about go through painting. Its purpose is to make go culture flourish among children, and promote it through a creative exchange." Last year's contest drew submissions from Japan, the Phillipines, India, the US and Mexico. Submissions must be received in Mexico City by July 13th. Complete information, including the submission forms and event details, can be found on the Go Symposium site. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

AGA Seeks Secretary

Published On 4/2/2012

The American Go Association is seeking a secretary. The secretary mainly takes minutes at AGA board meetings and schedules the occasional special meeting. “This is something you can do from the comfort of your own home while listening to the mellifluous sounds of the Board members' voices as we exercise our brilliant rhetorical skills,” joked Board Member Daniel Smith. The volunteer position require a time commitment of about 2-5 hours per month, plus a couple of hours at the US Go Congress if the secretary attends. To apply or inquire about the position, email agaboard@usgo.org.

ACGA Sponsors Boston Workshop

Published On 4/1/2012

The American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) is holding its first Spring Open event in Boston on April 7 and 8, at MIT's Whittaker Building, beginning at 10 AM. On April 7, Chinese 1p Stephanie Mingming Yin will lead an all-day workshop and review session, free for college students, and $20 for anyone else who attends - lunch will be provided, as well as the chance for questions and personalized review. On April 8, a sit-down tournament ($15, free for college students) will be held at the same location, complete with prizes and a chance to apply the learning from the previous day. "We strongly encourage any interested players in the New England area to attend," says ACGA organizer Cole Pruitt, "especially college students, for whom everything will be free." For more information on the event, check out the ACGA website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 4/1/2012

The latest release of GoClubsOnline offers an integrated tournament pairings module for all participating clubs, reports Robert Cordingley. “Now club volunteers and organizers can manage their tournaments from start to finish,” says Cordingley, “from online registration, through check-in and pairings to completing post tournament activities, like book-keeping and emailing results to the AGA or generating the 'EGD Wallist' for EGF rated tournaments.” Included in this latest release is a QuickStart mode that presents some of the most frequently needed tasks for tournament management, pairings, event management and club membership management. And for non-English speaking organizers, the developers have integrated Google Translate, which Cordingley calls “a not-perfect but potentially very useful machine language approach to making the site accessible in over 50 languages.”

Published On 4/1/2012

Charles Su 1k (left) won the Davis/Sacramento Go Club Spring Quarterly Tournament, held at the Arcade Library in Sacramento on March 31. “Despite the rain, there was a field of ten players from 4 dan to 15 kyu,” reports organizer Willard Haynes. Su won the Upper Division, while the Lower Division winner was Allan Louderback (right), 4 kyu. Both had 3 wins and 1 loss.

Published On 3/30/2012

The second and final Eastern North American Ing Masters Qualifier will take place at the Wisonet NAIM Qualifier and Self-Paired Tournament on April 21-22 in New Jersey. Ronghao Chen, tournament director and president of the Wisonet Go Club invites go players of all strengths to come to the Madison Suites hotel in Somerset, New Jersey, for a weekend of go and chance for dan players to earn points to qualify for the North American Ing Masters Tournament at the 2012 US Go Congress in August. Click here for tournament and registration details. Players in the NAIM qualifier must register by April 12. Players who wish to play in the free-pairing section will be able to play as many rated games as they like on either one or both days on their own schedule. All players who would like to register for this tournament in either section for one or both days, are encouraged to email Ronghao Chen at chenronghao@yahoo.com as soon as possible so he can get an idea of how many players will be there.

Published On 3/30/2012

The legendary Cho Hun-hyun 9P (right) will attend this year’s Cotsen Open, set for April 28-29 in Los Angeles, CA. Also attending and teaching will be Yang Jae-ho 9P, secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association, Yoo Chang-hyuk 9P, winner of many Korean and international titles, Kim Myung-wan 9P, one of the organizers of the American Go Association’s new pro system and Yang Yilun 7P, local South California favorite and renowned U.S. teacher.

Published On 3/29/2012

The American Go Association Board of Directors has announced that it’s now accepting applications from members of the American go community willing to be considered for the post of President. “The position involves a lot of work and a lot of responsibility,” says Board Chair Andy Okun, “but also the opportunity to join with the board, the chapters and the members of the AGA to build a remarkable future for our game and our organization.” Interested members should email a statement of candidacy to the AGA Board at agaboard@usgo.org by May 7. The Board hopes to make its appointment of the next AGA President by June 15. The applicants for President will be considered at the same time for Executive Vice President, a post intended to back up the President and share the workload. As with all AGA leadership positions, both posts are voluntary.

AGA East Go Camp Is a Go

Published On 3/27/2012

The AGA East Go Camp has been confirmed for the summer of 2012. The camp will take place the week before the U.S. Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location - the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Camp directors Nano Rivera and Amanda Miller welcome all campers from the ages of 8 to 18 to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. More information regarding the camp will be available on the AGA website, and registration will open within the next two weeks, so be sure to check back soon. - Story and photo by Amanda Miller, Camp Director. Photo: the 2011 Go Camp.

Salt City Tourney Takes the Cake

Published On 3/26/2012

A special attraction of the annual Salt City Go Tournament – scheduled for this Saturday, March 31 in Syracuse, NY -- is the "go problem" cake baked by local go organizer Richard Moseson’s wife Chris.

Go Expo Day a Big Hit in NorCal

Published On 3/24/2012

Bay Area Go Players Association held the third annual Go Expo Day on March 11 in Oakland, CA, and once again it was a big success. Over 50 people from diverse backgrounds converged on the Oakland Asian Cultural Center to learn how to play go, pick up a free 9x9 go set and Way to Go booklet, and watch games in the monthly AGA ratings tournament taking place in the room next door. "We need more teachers!"

Published On 3/24/2012

The International Mind Sports Association has announced that the second World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) will be held August 9-23 at the Lille Palais in Lille, France. International Go Federation (IGF) vice president Thomas Hsiang reports that the second WMSG will be an all-amateur event. “Once again, we will be depending upon donations to support sending our U.S. team to this prestigious competition,” says American Go Association President Allan Abramson. Due to the lateness in confirming the event site, the IGF will not be participating on as large a scale as in the first WMSG. The European Go Federation has been asked to organize the event. Supporters donated about $15,000 to send the U.S. team to the first Mind Games in China in 2008. “Can we ask you to match or exceed this amount for this Summer's games?” asks Abramson. Use the "donate" button on the AGA website, to contribute or get and use the AGA credit card.

Published On 3/24/2012

The father of the computer gaming revolution, Nolan Bushnell, will be the keynote speaker at the first US International Go Symposium, on August 4-5, 2012. The Symposium will bring together go scholars from around the world to explore educational, cultural, historical, literary, artistic, scientific and technological aspects of the game. Bushnell has called go a “wonderfully rich and powerful game” and his “favorite game of all time.” http://youtu.be/cR9yJNf6R7Y When he founded a pioneering computer company in 1972, Bushnell selected a go term, atari, for the company’s name. Atari’s game Pong became the first commercially successful computer game, opening the door to modern computer gaming. Organized by Peter Shotwell, noted go scholar and author, the symposium will take place on August 3rd and 4th during the first weekend of the American Go Association’s (AGA’s) 28th US Go Congress in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Published On 3/22/2012

“European Chess Competitions To Be Less Sexy With Strict New Cleavage Rules” reported Gawker on March 8. “Strict new rules govern the accepted wardrobe for woman's matches,” the report continued, referencing a more detailed report in Chessbase News.

Published On 3/20/2012

Taking just a four-stone handicap on a full board, the Zen computer go program defeated Takemiya Masaki 9P on March 17. The legendary pro played two games against Zen as part of the 6th E&C Symposium in Japan. In the first game Zen received a five stone handicap and won by 11 points. After that the handicap was reduced to four stones, but Zen surprised many by winning again, this time by 20 points.

China Steals Show at 4th BC Card Cup

Published On 3/20/2012

The 4th BC Card Cup is about to enter the round of 16. This year’s tournament has been full of upsets with favorites falling left and right in the early rounds. Two stand-out players so far have been 16 year old Mi Yuting 3P and 18 year old Dang Yifei 4P of China. In the first round, Mi defeated Korea’s young star, Park Junghwan 9P. Then in the round of 32, Mi caused quite a stir by defeating the legendary Lee Changho 9P.

Published On 3/20/2012

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook 2011 Member’s Edition Collection. This online resource enables you to quickly find the material you’re looking for on the month-by-month list below. Once selected, game records or PDFs open up quickly and easily for your review or download.

Published On 3/20/2012

Kiseido has just issued Modern Master Games, Volume One, The Dawn of Tournament Go in hard-copy; it was first released in September 2011 (Modern Master Games & More New Releases from SmartGo Books 9/19 EJ) in digital format by SmartGo Books. A survey of Japanese go from the founding of the Honinbo tournament in the 1940s to the Meijin and Judan tournaments in the 1960s, Modern Master Games was written by by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich, with historical notes by John Power. It includes 11 games, including the "Atomic Bomb Game" between Iwamoto and Hashimoto, analyzed in detail and tied together with a historical commentary by John Power. The games in this book were played in turbulent times.

Regginos Wins Cyprus Friendship Tourney

Published On 3/19/2012

Dimitris Regginos 1D (left in photo) won the Cyprus 2012 Friendship Go Tournament, held March 17-18 in Nicosia. Though just nine players participated, the tournament included some tough and interesting games. Runner up was Argyris Fellas 1k and Phedias Christodoulides 3k took third place. In the under-18 category, first place went to Lilia Regginou 12k, second place to Christoforos Kassianides 13k and third place to Markos Merkouris 13k. - Nicholas Roussos, EJ Cyprus Correspondent

Published On 3/19/2012

Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting enrollment for group classes for the 2012 second term, which begins April 28/29. “The group class participants will also receive a 20% discount on our Audio Lectures membership,” says Guo Juan. The school’s teaching faculty includes Guo Juan 5P, Jennie Shen 2P and Young Sun 8P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P.

Go Classified: “ABC of Go” Wanted

Published On 3/18/2012

Do you know where I could find a copy of “The ABC of Go: The National War-Game of Japan” by W. A. de Havilland, M. A. (Kelly & Walsh, Ltd., Yokohama, 1910)? Paper, hard cover or PDF is fine. Please email Larry J LeJeune at LLeJeune@dynamicmaterials.com

Published On 3/18/2012

Eighteen youngsters competed in the March 3 Colorado Youth Go Tournament at the Eloise May library in Denver. Playing strengths ranged from 4-dan to 40-kyu and ages from 5 - 14. Matthew Harwit 4D won the dan section, Tim Chang 20k won the kyu section and Andrew Huang won the majority of his games, and was the 5-and-under Colorado state champion. David Weiss and Alex Yavich were the TDs.

Published On 3/18/2012

E-Journal reader Ramon Mercado sent this along; it's from a series posted on BoardGameGeek. One commenter was surprised the Storm Trooper is playing white, "since storm troopers are on the 'dark side'". Send in your go photos or other go-related finds to us at journal@usgo.org

Euro Go Updates: March 10-18

Published On 3/18/2012

Cyprus: Dimitris Regginos 1d won the Friendship Go Tournament, held March 17-18 in Nicosia, Cyprus. In second was Argyris Fellas 1k, and third was Phedias Christodoulides 3k. Click here for results. Croatia: The 443th Velika Gorica weekend-go-tournament, played on 3/17 in Velika Gorica, Croatia, was won by Robert Jovicic 2k, in second was Mladen Smud 1k, and third was Mirko Primetica 10k. Click here for results. The first mini Tournament Karlovac 2012, played on 3/10 in Karlovac, Croatia, was won by Mladen Smud 1k; second was Lovro Furjanic 1d, and third was Vladimir Ribicic 20k. Result table .

Published On 3/14/2012

Frank Fukuda has tendered his resignation, effective immediately, as the Nihon Ki-in’s representative to the Seattle Go Center, a responsibility he accepted in 1995 as a condition for the Nihon Ki-in to create the Go Center. Mr. Fukuda’s resignation comes on the heels of an official letter from the Nihon Ki-in to the Seattle Go Center indicating their intention to sell the Go Center premises in the near future. The Seattle Go Center Board of Directors is currently determining how to respond to this notice.

Mingming Yin 1P Sweeps 2012 YKNOT

Published On 3/13/2012

After two weekends of fierce competition, Mingming Yin 1P of New York emerged as the champion of the Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT). Mingming Yin was the only player to win all five rounds in the tournament, which was hosted on KGS. Andy Liu 7D took second place, with third place going to last year's YKNOT champion Zhanbo Sun, both with 4 wins. Other division winners included Nick Jhirad 6D, Meng Lu 4D, Louie Liu 1k, Stephen Allen 6k, and Julian Erville 8k.

Published On 3/10/2012

With fundraising efforts underway to send the U.S. team to the Second World Mind Sports Games, American Go Association President Allan Abramson has an easy way for anyone to help. “Just apply for the AGA credit card and as soon as you use it once, the AGA gets $50!” CapitalOne also donates a percentage of all charges on each card, which has already generated $1,500, but with over $15,000 raised in 2008 to send the team to the first Mind Games, there’s a way to go yet this year. Another way is to donate directly to the AGA: click here to do so easily online. “Please help,” Abramson urges, “Whatever you can do makes a difference and is appreciated.”

Mero Wins Confucius Cup in Ireland

Published On 3/10/2012

Hungary's Csaba Mero 6D (at right in photo) won the Confucius Cup at the Irish Go Congress, held March 2-4 at the Teachers' Club in Parnell Square, Dublin. The Confucius Cup is sponsored by the UCD Confucius Institute. A total of 48 players took part in the tournament, with Mero's 5-0 wins extending his lead in the European Cup. In second place was Guochen Xie 8D, who is studying in Boston. Kim Ouweleen 4D of the Netherlands edged out UK student Chu Lu 4D by 1 SOS point to take third place. Players winning 4 games were Diana Blaszczyk, Frank Tan, Marek Gutkowski and Paul Kelly. Julien Renaud 1D won the Rapid Tournament on Friday night. The hard work of organisers Rory Wales, Arthur Cater, and Colin MacSweeny was much appreciated by all. Full results are available at this link. Click here for a photo album. - reported by Ian Davis, EJ Irish Correspondent

Published On 3/10/2012

SmartGo Books has released Yilun Yang's “Fundamental Principles of Go” (published by Slate & Shell), bringing the total number of e-books to 28. “Be prepared,” warns veteran player Joel Sanet, “Your approach to the game of go is about to be transformed.” Adds SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf, “The basic principles illustrated in the book cover virtually every situation and enable a player to find the best play with a minimum of reading.” SmartGo Kifu has been updated to be a universal app, working on both iPad and iPhone, and is up to 35,000 pro games, including 1,700 played in 2011. “New features make it easy to find a particular move in a game, and to correct a wrongly entered move,” says Kierulf. Click here for details on the latest SmartGo updates.

Published On 3/9/2012

The final rounds of the Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will be played Saturday, March 10 on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room. After three exciting rounds of play, seven players of the YKNOT 2, sponsored by Young Kwon, remain undefeated. The three undefeated players of the open section are Zhanbo Sun, a 2-dan professional and champion of last year's YKNOT, Mingming Yin 1- dan professional and winner of the Strong Players Open of the 2011 Go Congress, and Yue Zhang 7D. Other undefeated players include Meng Lu, Yunxuan Li, April Ye, and Julian Erville. “Special thanks to the tournament directors, Young Kwon for sponsoring, and KGS for hosting and tournament support!” says AGA Tournaments Coordinator Karoline Burrall. 3/11: Updated: Yue Zhang 7D was the third undefeated top player, not Andy Liu 7D, a past winner of the North American Ing Masters tournament and US representative overseas, who was 2-1.

Published On 3/9/2012

Go players of all levels will be able to play or watch top-level play April 21-22 when the Wisonet Go Club hosts both a North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Qualifier and a self-paired tournament at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey. The NAIM Qualifier will provide high-level competition for strong dan players, as well as qualification points for the 2012 North American Ing Masters Tournament, which will be held at the US Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC in August. Meanwhile, players of all strengths will be able to play in a simultaneous self-paired tournament organized by Wisonet Go Club President and Tournament Director Ronghao Chen. To be eligible for the Qualifier, players must US citizenship or a green card, full AGA membership for the past year, and have lived in the US for six of the last 12 months. Players in this section may attend one or both days to play AGA-rated games.

Published On 3/9/2012

With 20 players already signed up for Janice Kim 3P's April 6-8 workshop in Portland, OR, there are just five seats left, reports Portland Go Club organizer Peter Freedman. Workshop participant strength ranges from 12kyu to 2 dan. "Workshop size limited to 25," Freedman tells the E-Journal, "so there are still a few more slots." Email peter.freedman@comcast.net for more information.

Park Junghwan Wins 13th Maxim Cup

Published On 3/6/2012

On March 5, 2012, Park Junghwan 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P to take the 13th Maxim Cup two games to zero. The Maxim Cup is a 9 dan only invitational tournament in Korea. Like last year, the finals took place at the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage listed Jeju Island. It seems that reporters make a habit of giving the players a hard time at the Maxim Cup finals. Last year, Lee Changho was asked how he felt about losing his dominance over the Go world. This time, Choi was in the hot seat and got grilled about his upcoming wedding. Park was not spared either. Asked about his disappointing first round loss in the 4th BC Card Cup, where he started as one of the favorites, Park said that hopefully with this win, his performance will improve in future tournaments. Both games featured creative openings, followed by hard fighting. Jingning; based on her original article Park Junghwan wins 13th Maxim Cup at Go Game Guru. Photo: Park Junghwan 9P.

Insei League Expands

Published On 3/5/2012

Alexandre Dinerchtein's Insei League is reaching out to youth with discounts and free memberships. The league is run on KGS, and is structured the same way Korean kids train to become professionals. "We call for young players who are ready to devote themselves to the game and to compete later with Asian professionals," writes Dinerchtein 3P. "We have changed our pricing policy to encourage participation in the League for any promising children.

Published On 3/4/2012

Calling it “active and successful,” and “a gateway to/from Asia,” top leadership of the American Go Association on Feb. 27 urged the Nihon Kiin not to sell the Seattle Go Center (SGC), after rumors to that effect began to circulate. “The Center regularly hosts many tournaments, and provides playing space, teaching games, and lessons for both beginners and advanced players,” wrote Allan Abramson, AGA President, Andrew Okun, AGA Board Chairman and Thomas Hsiang, AGA International Vice President in a letter to Otake Hideo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Nihon Kiin.

Published On 3/4/2012

Members of the American Go Association may have noticed that the AGA membership database has not been updated since December 2011, and new membership cards have not been sent out since then. "The problem is that our membership database manager has been overtaken by real life and work, and has been unable to update the database,” says President Allan Abramson. “I’d like to extend our apologies to everyone. He now is back and catching up. We should be able to get started again by no later than April." Abramson added that to avoid recurrence of this problem he is looking for two additional volunteers to be trained on maintaining the membership database; those interested should contact him at president@usgo.org.

Teacher of the Year Nominations

Published On 3/4/2012

Nominations for the American Go Foundations Teacher of the Year award are now open. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by April 15 and should include a description of the teacher's activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Last year's winner Fritz Balwit, with his son Theo. Photo by Fritz Balwit.

EuroGoTV News: Feb. 18-26

Published On 3/4/2012

Czech Republic: The Paluba Club Handicap tournament, played on 2/18 in Prague, Czech Republic, was won by Petr Sykora 12k. Results. Denmark: The OGK-SATURDAY tournament, played 2/18 inOdense,Denmark, was won by Ari Hietanen 2k. Results. Hungary: The 6th Rabbity Six handicap tournament was played on 2/25 in Budapest, Hungary. Domonkos Albrecht 1k topped the A Group and David Fazekas 20k won Group B. A Group results; B Group results. (photo at left: Gyorgy Zahonyi 9k place 4 of 23 )

Go Spotting: Go Newsweek

Published On 3/3/2012

“In the latest issue of Newsweek there is a mention of go,” reports San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra. A sidebar to “Why Stephen Breyer and Other Power Players Love Bridge” lists games that celebs play, including bridge, scrabble backgammon, go and chess. Actor Omar Sharif (right) was so successful a bridge player "that he built a bridge empire, writing a column on the game for the Chicago Tribune and launching the traveling Omar Sharif Bridge Circus," the article reports. Under go, Newsweek notes that “The ancient Chinese board game ensnared Rod Stewart, Paul Giamatti, and Ursula K. Le Guin." photo courtesy Central Press-Getty Images

Published On 3/1/2012

Jonathan Chetwynd’s Peepo.com is a fascinating tool designed to visualize the complex relationships of real world objects. Using go as the delivery vehicle, Peepo uses each element to represent data relationships; e.g. shadows are stones in Atari, etc. Now ready for user testing on 9x9 and full-size boards, Peepo provides maps, hints, comments and score as you play against the pachi engine. “It works best with Firefox browser (version 9 or later) and has many features under development,” Chetwynd says.

Go Classified: Equipment For Sale

Published On 2/29/2012

McLean, VA: Amber Go Game stone set with wood bowls - $80; Go Game Marble bowls with glass stones - $40; Thick Agathis wood Go game board - $110; Go game Weiqi stone and wood bowl set in a case - $100; Go game stone YunZi set in wood box - $50; Go game wood folding board - $20 (McLean); Go game travel set - $20.

YKNOT 2 Kicks Off This Weekend on KGS

Published On 2/29/2012

The first three rounds of the second Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will kick off this weekend. A field of 70 players from 16 kyu to professional will vie for nearly $3,000 in prizes sponsored by former US Open Champion Young Kwon. The tournament will provide high-level competition for participants, and the open section will be scored as a North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Qualifier. The player field will include professional players Mingming Yin and last year's YKNOT champion, Zhanbo Sun, both of New York. Tune into the AGA Tournaments Room on KGS this weekend and next to watch the games. The tournament will be directed by a team including TD for Pairings Chris Kirschner, and online TDs Dennis Wheeler, Tina Zhang, Kevin Hwang, and Karoline Burrall. Tournament schedule and rules can be found at the tournament website.

New Jersey Open Standings Posted

Published On 2/29/2012

A tournament report – including updated ratings and all game results -- for the 2012 New Jersey Open (NJO) has been posted online. The final count for the NJO – held February 25-26 at Princeton University in Princeton, NJ -- was a record-shattering 131 registered players, including college students from Stony Brook, Cornell, Rutgers, and Princeton. Many current and former students of the Feng Yun Go School participated, including the overall winner, Michael Chen, and runner up, Ricky Zhao. Chen is a recent graduate of Princeton University, where the tournament is held and Zhao has been accepted by Princeton. In addition, the Bob Ryder Memorial Beginner's Prize, a fine complete go set, was given by random drawing to Daheng Shen 23k. The New Jersey Open was organized by Rick Mott and the Princeton Go Club.

Janice Kim Blogs On

Published On 2/28/2012

Teasers from several recent posts on Janice Kim 3P’s Learn To Play Go blog: To 3-4, or to starpoint – that is the question Whether ‘tis better in the endgame to suffer through gote and komi an outrageous half-point loss Or to take on a big dragon with only one eye And by opposing need to resign. To invade, to die… (The Opening Dilemma; Feb. 6) Once in a hot pink moon I’ll go on a Go bender, when I throw off the thin, thin, thin mask of normalcy and indulge in ergonomically disastrous, unlimited Go playing and reviewing, a reverse Matrix where I’m plugged into an espresso machine, existential crisis at bay and the good times rolling…

Published On 2/28/2012

Winner’s reports for the 2011 North American Ing Masters (NAIM) and the 2011 U.S. Go Congress Strong Players Open (SPO) have now been posted; a similar PDF report for the 2011 U.S. Open is expected soon. Click here for crosstabs on the major Congress tournaments 2008-2011.

Published On 2/27/2012

Lillian Zavala 9k and Ogam Shakti 15k led the top division of the Mexican Youth Go Championships, held Feb. 11 in Mexico City. 44 kids attended the event, which was limited to those under the age of 12. "We had the support of some of the pioneer go players in Mexico," reports Mexican Youth Coordinator Siddhartha Avila. "Dr. Marcos Arámbula helped organize, and Dr. Ricardo Quintero was the referee, both were active in the 80's, when the game was almost unknown in Mexico. The kids had a great time at Ekoji Buddhist Temple where the tournament took place, a special thanks goes to Rev. Todaka and the Temple's staff for kindly hosting the event. Before the tournament we saw kendokas training at their dojo, with them, the garden, the altar, the statues, tatami rooms, go boards, bowls and stones, the atmosphere took us for a moment on a trip to ancient Japan where Igo has been practiced for so long.

ZhaoNian Chen Wins New Jersey Open

Published On 2/26/2012

ZhaoNian Chen 7d (left) swept the 2012 New Jersey Open on Feb 25-26, winning all five games. The 53rd-annual event attracted a record 125 players to Princeton, New Jersey. See below for the 5th-round game between Chen and Xinyu Tu. photo by John Pinkerton [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012_02_26_NJOrd5bd1Tu-Chen.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/2012_02_26_NJOrd5bd1Tu-Chen.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

China Wins 13th Nongshim Cup

Published On 2/26/2012

On February 24, 2012, China won the 13th Nongshim Cup when Xie He 7P defeated Lee Changho 9P in the final game. The Nongshim Cup is a win and continue team event between China, Japan and Korea. The first two rounds took place in late 2011. Young players Tan Xiao 5P of China and Kim Jiseok 7P of Korea emerged as the early stars of the tournament, both winning four consecutive games. After eliminating Tan Xiao, Yamashita Keigo 9P, Piao Wenyao 9P and Gu Li 9P, Kim Jiseok was finally stopped by China's last man standing, Xie He. Next Xie defeated Won Seongjin 9P and finally Lee Changho, to bring the Nongshim Cup home for China. Congratulations Team China. Jingning; based her original article China wins 13th Nongshim Cup at Go Game Guru. Photo: Lee Changho 9P (left) plays Xie He 7P in the final game.

Collegiate Go League Forms

Published On 2/26/2012

The Collegiate Go League, a new competitive league for university go clubs, is attracting new schools and players. Funded by the Ing Foundation, the group was created by eleven college students from the US, who attended the first ever Shanghai Ing Foundation China Summer Go Camp. The team experienced Chinese culture first-hand and played friendly matches with students at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing Normal University, and Fudan University. "We organized our US league to create a stronger network of school-based go clubs," writes Brian Lee. "We've successfully held two rounds of matches, with 4, then 6 schools. We're in the process of inviting more schools, and we've got at least 8 teams slated for our next match on March 3rd." Matches are held on the KGS Go Server, in the “Collegiate Go League” club room.

School Teams Tourney Deadline March 1

Published On 2/23/2012

The deadline to sign up for the American Go Honor Society’s School Team Tournament is March 1. The tournament will be held online, March 17 and 24. Teams must have three students currently enrolled in the same K-12 school/learning institution, and may include an alternate player in case of no shows. Prizes include Go sets, Go books, and plaques for division winners, as well as Go bucks for all teams that play their games. Visit the AGHS website for more info. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Jasmine Yan: First Place plaque for Jr. Varsity Division, from last year.

New Jersey Open Coming Up Feb. 25-26

Published On 2/21/2012

Perhaps the biggest East Coast tournament of the year, the 53rd New Jersey Open Go Tournament is set for February 25/26 in Princeton, NJ. Last year over 100 players entered, from 30 kyu to some of the strongest amateurs in the U.S. While the tournament will be in the same site as last year --FristCampusCenter– it’s starting half an hour earlier than some prior years, and registration ends at 10a. “You must be there by 10a to be paired in the first round,” warns organizer Rick Mott. Pre-registration is not required, “but if you are reasonably sure you will attend please reply with your name and AGA ID, if you have one,” says Mott. “It will help us plan refreshments and speed up our data entry on Saturday morning.” Mott encourages beginning players to come, noting that “We make a special effort to make this event beginner-friendly, and have offered a beginner's prize for many years.” Contact Mott at rickmott@alumni.princeton.edu to register or for more info.

Published On 2/21/2012

Organizers of the 2012 International Go Symposium have issued a second call for papers and/or presenters (AGA to hold “Go Symposium” at 2012 Go Congress 10/24/2011 EJ). The Symposium, to be keynoted by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, will take place August 4-5 at the U.S. Go Congress. Presentations can include educational, cultural, historical, literary, artistic, scientific and other interesting aspects of the game (click here for records of a similar 2003 ICOB Conference in Korea, the 2008 Symposium in Sweden and research papers in these fields). Suggested timing is a half-hour presentation with a 15-minute question and answer period. Translators and editing can be provided. “For those unable to attend, we will augment the usual methods of presenting papers by using Skype and possibly other Internet forms of communication that would enable audience participation,” says Peter Shotwell.

Tom Boone 11k Wins Harrisburg Tourney

Published On 2/21/2012

Tom Boone 11k won the February 19 “Winter Tournament” in Harrisburg, PA, winning five of seven games played. Sponsored by the Harrisburg Area Go Club and Lancaster Go Club, the tournament attracted nine players, ranging in strength from 15k to 1k, from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The self-paired format allowed players to play as many games as they could handle, and everyone got in at least five rated games. The Harrisburg Area Go Club meets 7-10p Wednesdays at the Giant Marketplace Café, in Camp Hill, PA. The Lancaster Go Club meets 6-10p Mondays in Salunga, PA.

EuroGoTV News: Feb. 4-16

Published On 2/20/2012

Lithuania: The FORAS 2012, played on 2/16 in Moletai, Lithuania, was won by Andrius Petrauskas 4d; Result table. France: Junfu Dai 8d (right) won the Paris & Antony International Tournament, played 2/4-5 in Antony, France; Result table. Germany: The Erdinger Go-Turnier, played 2/4-5 in Erding, Germany, was won by Lothar Spiegel 4d; Result table. The Goettinger San-Ren-Sai Gruppe A (2/11-12) in Goettingen, Germany, was won by Volkmar Liebscher 2d (Result table); Klaus Blumberg 2k won Group B (Result table).

Ye Wins USYGC

Published On 2/20/2012

Nine-year-old Aaron Ye 5d, has done it again, defending his title as the US Youth Champion in the under 12 age bracket. Ye entered the finals in third place, having lost a game in the qualifiers to his rival Jeremy Chiu 4d, age 9, but went on to win all other matches and secure his spot on the US team at the World Youth Go Championships this summer. The qualifiers were held on Jan. 21 on KGS, with the top four youth moving on to double elimination finals.

Portland Elementary Schools Duel

Published On 2/20/2012

On Sunday, Feb. 19th, two eight player teams, from Irvington Elementary School and Sun Montesorri School, in Portland OR, played a two round match. The score was 8-8. Irvington was a player short and added a 'ringer' in Theo Balwit (organizer Fritz Balwit's son) to even the playing field. The players are in the 2nd through 5 grades and this is their first year in team play. Sunstone won 6 games in the opening round, Irvington 6 in the second. In a battle with big swings, Holden Anderson was able to hold out over Ellis Zehnder for a 2 1/2 point win. It's not clear which team won the game of tag after the go match. Both teams would like to play again.

Published On 2/20/2012

Discovery of a “surprising” financial loss at the 2011 U.S. Go Congress dominated the February 12 meeting of the American Go Association’s Board of Directors. The loss may be as much as $20,000; further details are expected soon from Congress Liaison Chris Kirschner and 2011 Congress Director Lisa Scott. The other main item was the proposed “tap” on foreign tournament winnings; feedback was roughly evenly split on the issue -- with slightly more comments opposed -- and AGA President Allan Abramson has decided to defer any final decision for at least one year, to allow for more discussion and consideration of other options for increasing income. In other reports, Board Chairman Andy Okun gave an update on the forthcoming pro system; the presidential search committee is running out of time and has not yet identified any candidates;

Published On 2/19/2012

Twenty one kids and adults came out February 11 to play face-to-face go at the Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament held at the home of the Palo Alto Go Club in Menlo Park, CA. Players ranged in strength from 20 kyu to 5 dan, and five players either joined or renewed their AGA membership in order to play in this tournament. In the dan division, Richard Malcolm 3d and Yue Fang 1d went undefeated with two wins apiece. In the kyu division, Bryan Tan 13k, Cieran Fitzgerald 19k, and Ben-Ami Lipkind 20k each won four games. Next month's Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament is set for Sunday, March 11, at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in downtown Oakland, CA. Photo by Lisa Schrag.

Published On 2/19/2012

Josh Lee 5D (at right in photo) went 3-1 to help usher in the Year of the Dragon at the February 11 NOVA Chinese New Year Tournament, an annual event organized by the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Go Club. Tied for second and also 3-1 were Yuan Zhou 7D and Hsien-Ho Chang 7D. The 1 to 3 dan section was won by Hongchun Liu 2D (3-1) with second place going to Haskell Small 3D (2-2). Pascal Platteborse 1K (3-0) won the 1 kyu section followed by Weiyu Yang 1K and Willis Huang 1K, each with 2-2 records. In the 2 to 3 kyu section Kevin Chin 1K had a perfect 4-0 while seconds went to Yukino Takehara 2k and Jerry Chen 2k at 2-2.

2012 U.S.Go Congress Registration Opens

Published On 2/19/2012

Registration for the 2012 U.S. Go Congress -- August 4-11 in Black Mountain, North Carolina -- is now open. “If you loved the 2006 Go Congress in Black Mountain, you are not alone,” says Congress Co-Directors Peter Armenia and Paul Celmer. “It was rated one of the best events in the entire history of the Go Congress, and our team of new and returning volunteers has worked hard to make 2012 even better.” In addition to the usual; cornucopia of go playing and professional instruction, the 2012 Congress features modest costs -- with accommodations for all styles and budgets -- a serene and scenic mountain setting, boutique arts and crafts shops in Black Mountain, nationally known brew pubs and a vibrant music and arts scene in nearby historic Asheville.

Published On 2/19/2012

Over 50 players -- including a professional -- have already registered for the upcoming Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT). Registration is open until Friday February 24 for the second YKNOT, sponsored by Young Kwon. All AGA members who have lived in the US for six of the last 12 months and all AGA life members regardless of where they live are eligible to register; there’s no citizenship or permanent residency requirement, and even those who have just joined the AGA are eligible. Click here for the tournament schedule and rules. There will be prizes in every division, totaling nearly $3,000, and the open section will be scored as a North American Ing Masters qualifier. Registration closes this Friday, February 24; click here for free registration.

Published On 2/16/2012

Collecting his first international title, Jiang Weijie 5P of China defeated Lee Changho 9P of Korea on February 15 in the final of the 16th LG Cup. The final started on February 13 and Jiang won the first game by resignation after unexpectedly killing a large white group late in the game. In Game 2, it was Lee who was on the attack. He put the 20-year-old Jiang through a severe test, but eventually resigned after 232 moves. Jingning; based on her original article: Jiang Weijie wins 16th LG Cup at Go Game Guru. Photo: Jiang Weijie 5P (left) plays go legend Lee Changho 9P.

Published On 2/14/2012

Workshop Game between anonymous kyu players[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012_02_14_anonymous-kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2012_02_14_anonymous-kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] January 4, 2012 Germantown, MD White: Anonymous 5k Black: Anonymous 6k Commentary: Yuan Zhou 7d SGF file created by Bill Cobb and Chris Garlock Published in the February 14, 2012 edition of the American Go E-Journal Both players make plenty of errors large and small in this game, which gives Yuan Zhou plenty of material to work with in this lesson. Yuan Zhou is one of the strongest players in the US. He has won many titles. Zhou is also a popular teacher, lecturer, and author. He lives in Germantown, MD, and can be reached at yuan.zhou@zhouyuan.com Black has reverse komi of 7.5 points in this game.

LA Go Club Moves to New Location

Published On 2/14/2012

Visitors to the LA Go Club recently might understandably have been worried by the vanished signs and tape over the door. Not to worry. Gary (Gun-ho) Choi’s venerable Koreatown playing location has moved to a new “and nicer” spot, reports local organizer Andy Okun.

Thawing “The Body Electric” in Chicago

Published On 2/14/2012

“Love was in the air for our Winter tournament,” reports Chicago go organizer Bob Barber, who directed the February 11 “I Sing the Body Electric” tournament. “Three young women playing in the tournament are getting married this year: Laura Kolb, Lisa Scott, and Karoline Burrall. We even got to meet two of the fiances, one of whom, Patrick Allen, also joined in the games.” The 42-player field was “a record breaking turnout for our new location, the Go Center in Arlington Heights,” Barber told the E-Journal. “For a while, I thought some might have to play outside in the 19 degree weather.

Published On 2/14/2012

To celebrate the Year of the Dragon, Phoenix Chinese Week and the Arizona Go Club jointly sponsored the 2012 Phoenix Chinese Week (PCW) Go Open on January 29.

2013 U.S.Go Congress Organizers Sought

Published On 2/14/2012

The American Go Association is looking for volunteers to organize the 2013 US Go Congress. “It’s a big job,” says Chris Kirchner, “but has great rewards for the organizers who step forward to join the elite class of Congress organizers,” like 2012 Congress Directors Paul Celmer and Peter Armenia. If interested, contact Kirschner at development@usgo.org. “Be aware that the organizing will start right now,” Kirschner warns, “as you will need to determine a site and come up with a preliminary budget to present at the Congress this year.” Click here for details about what’s involved in organizing a Congress.

Go Classified: Go Book Collection

Published On 2/14/2012

An extensive collection of go books, owned by an antiquarian bookman who studied the game, is being offered for sale. “All books are either Very Good or Near Fine…Many are extremely scarce. Others are out-of-print.” The collection, which focuses on titles from the 1960’s and ‘70s, is being offered for sale—in its entirety only—not individually. NO IMAGES ARE AVAILABLE. $350.00 plus shipping and handling. Email mmdoherty-legends@att.net for complete list.

Published On 2/14/2012

Three boards, all kaya or katsura wood from Japan. “They were acquired in the Little Tokyo in Los Angeles in 1960. Our family played in the Lil Tokyo Go Club for a number of years. There are slight signs of use but overall they are in great shape.” ($500 plus $35 s/h) Also available: go bowls & stones. Email mmdoherty-legends@att.net for complete list.

Published On 2/14/2012

More than two dozen – 27, to be exact – go books are now available in SmartGo Books 1.4. “In addition to including the full text and diagrams of the print versions, you can replay the moves directly in the diagrams,” reports author Anders Kierulf. A new feature includes inline diagrams, enabling many seemingly cryptic move sequences mentioned in the text to be tapped to display as a diagram (see image). Some of the new books offered include "The Games of Fujisawa Shuko" by John Power (Kiseido), which features all 40 games played by Shuko in the Kisei title games, with their Go World commentary.

Euro Go Congress Set for Germany

Published On 2/13/2012

The 2012 European Go Congress is scheduled for July 21 to August 5 in Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany. Nearly 300 have already signed up for the 2-week Congress, which will take place in the Bad Godesberg municipal hall and the city offers all kinds of stores as well as bars, restaurants and hotels, with the Rhine River just a few minutes walk. Several main tournaments and lots of side events, plus pros, local sight-seeing and more.

EuroGoTV News: Jan. 20 thru Feb. 11

Published On 2/13/2012

Spain: The La Carboneria, a class C tournament, played on 2/11 in Sevilla, Spain, was won by Raul Aguilera 7k; Result table. Romania: The 3rd Radu Baciu Grand Prix - stage 2, a class A tournament, played 2/4-5 in Giarmata, Romania, was won by Viorel Arsinoaia 2d. (photo Alice Trifu 5k place 4 of 25 ) Result table. The TrSeverin- Romanian Cup under 9 kyu, a class C tournament, played 2/3-5 in Drobeta TrSeverin, Romania, was won by Ionut Galbenu 9k; Result table.

AGA Chapters List Returns

Published On 2/13/2012

The American Go Association Chapters List is back up and running, reports Steve Colburn. “Anyone can join and I added all current chapters today,” Colburn said Monday night (2/13). "This is a great new system that will help support chapters in the coming years," Colburn added. "Please join the list so your message can be promptly posted to the group." Questions about the list can be sent to lists moderator Arnold Eudell at chapterservices@usgo.org

Published On 2/13/2012

Yuan Zhou 7D, a popular teacher and frequent competitor in top U.S. tournaments, will be the U.S. representative to this year’s World Amateur Go Championship, which will be held in Guanzhou, China in May. “I am excited to represent the U.S. and play in the WAGC,” Zhou (at right) told the E-Journal. “It took me lots of hard work and many tough matches to earn the right to become the U.S. representative.

2012 U.S. Go Congress Update

Published On 2/10/2012

(updated 2/10 11a) Contrary to our previously-published report, registration for the 2012 U.S. Go Congress is NOT YET open, according to Directors Paul Celmer and Peter Armenia. Please stand by for further updates as they become available. The 2012 U.S. Go Congress is set for August 4-12 in Black Mountain, NC. The largest go activity in the United States, the annual Congress happens once a year and spans a full week.

Redmond Cup Open for Registration

Published On 2/7/2012

Young American go players can now sign up for the 19th annual Redmond Cup Tournament. Preliminary games will be played on the Internet, courtesy of IGS-PandaNet, and the four finalists will be invited to the 2012 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for kids under 12 years old, and the Senior league for those under 18, on August 1st 2012. Competitors in the Senior League must have an AGA rank of 1 dan or higher, in the Junior 5 kyu or stronger. The participants must be members of the American Go Association or the Canadian Go Association and either residents of the U.S., Canada or Mexico, or citizens of the United States living anywhere in the world, provided that they are also members of the AGA. The tournament director for the Redmond Cup is Michael Bull; Ing rules of Goe for all games.

CGA Re-Issues KGS Leagues Invite

Published On 2/7/2012

A second invitation to play in the Canadian Go Association KGS Leagues has been issued to AGA players before the start of the next round on February 15th. “We have about 20 American go players so far from beginner to 8+ dan for a total of about 75,” reports Chuck Elliot. “We would welcome more.” The League games provide an excellent opportunity for players to play serious games year-round, meet friends, and get stronger. Last year's prizes totaled $450, which Elliot hopes will grow to $2000 in 2012. Visit the League website for more information, and to see the posted rounds. Click on Current Round to see the previous round; click on Annual League Schedule to see all. When you register, send an email saying “Chuck, I’m in” to Elliot at ChuckBrenda@shaw.ca. This offer will be open all year. - Karoline Burrall, AGA Tournaments Coordinator

Published On 2/7/2012

After a yearlong break, the Ing Goe Internet Class has started up again, reports Guo Juan 5P. The free lessons will run Sundays on KGS (Lessons - Ing’s Goe Internet Class) at GMT 3:30–5p. Teachers include Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Jujo Jiang 9P and Guo Juan 5P. “We owe a huge vote of thanks to the Ing Goe Foundation for its generous long term support!” says Guo Juan.

Go Photos: At the San Diego Go Soiree

Published On 2/7/2012

The winter 2012 San Diego Go Soiree attracted 23 go players to the home of San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra January 29 for seven hours of informal games. Players ranked from beginners to San Diego's only go professional, Shirley Lin, attended. Two visiting 7-dans from Japan were honored guests. Several members of the UCSD Go Club also attended, including Tyler Oyakawa, 2 dan, who beat many higher ranked players. photos: right: Mr. Kohmoto (l, from Japan) and Tyler Oyakama (r, UCSD) overlooking Mission Bay and the Pacific Ocean; left: part of the assembled crowd. Photos courtesy Ted Terpstra.

Mexico Schools Portland

Published On 2/7/2012

Four teams of elementary school kids in Portland OR and Mexico City, competed against each other in a friendly inter-school match on KGS, Jan. 21st. The kids from Mexico attend Pipiolo Art Institute, and are taught by Siddhartha Avila, who is building a vital Mexican Go community around his youth programs. In Portland, Peter Freedman is workingwith kids at the Irvington School Chess and Go Club. Each school fielded two teams of three kids, the youngest player was 6 years old.

KGS Announces Meijin Tourney

Published On 2/7/2012

Beginning this year, KGS will crown one player as the KGS Meijin annually. January through October, there will be monthly qualifying tournaments on KGS. Each month the qualifiers will be at a different time and will have a different setup, some qualifiers will be open signup, others will require an established rank on KGS. In each tournament, one or more participants will earn eligibility for the Finals. The Finals will run November through December. The final KGS Meijin winner will receive a cash prize and a special Meijin icon. The February Qualifier will be held on February 25th & 26th, in American daytime “and we would like to encourage as many AGA members to join,” says KGS admin and Meijin Qualifier TD Akane Negishi (sweety). Click here for tournament details.

Published On 2/6/2012

The final round of comments on the AGA's proposed "tap/fee" on international prizes was strongly against imposing the "tap," President Allan Abramson reports. "I will be reviewing all of the comments and giving my decision and recommendations to the Board at its next meeting on Sunday, February 12."

"So You Want to Play Go?" Released

Published On 2/6/2012

Jonathan Hop’s "So You Want to Play Go?" is now out. Targeted at single digit dan players, the new publication – the fourth in Hop’s series -- contains sections on joseki, positional judgment, and professional games, “and simulates my time studying at a professional dojo in Korea.” The book has been reviewed by Alexandre Dinerchtein and contains information about his insei league on KGS. Available on the Kindle and on Hop’s Sunday Go Lessons website. Click here for a free sample.

Published On 2/5/2012

Chizu Kobayashi 5P, the charming and enthusiastic Executive Director of the Nihon Ki-in, made a two-day visit to the Seattle area that combined teaching and administration. On Monday, Jan. 23, she visited the Microsoft campus, gave a lecture, and then went to the Seattle Go Center to meet with the Directors of the Center. On Tuesday, she toured the veterinary facilities of the Go Center's new tenant, Companion Pet Care. She then gave lectures in the afternoon and evening at the Go Center. Over 50 people came for her talks, which included her fond memories of the founder of the Seattle Go Center, Iwamoto Kaoru, group go games, and go problems. Photo: Frank Fukuda of the Go Center and Chizu Kobayashi 5P start the evening lecture. - photo/report by Brian Allen

AGA-Korea Agreements Posted

Published On 2/5/2012

The recent agreements signed by the American Go Association with Korea to promote a new professional players’ system in theU.S.have now been posted. Click on our original report -- AGA Inks Deals with Korea to Develop U.S. Pro System (12/26/2011 EJ) – for details on the agreements AGA Board Chairman Andy Okun signed with the Korea Baduk Association and the Korean go server TongYang Online (Tygem) December 19th in Seoul, Korea.

Published On 2/3/2012

The February 25 Year of the Dragon Winter Go Tournament in Atlanta, GA will be the first North American Ing Masters qualifying tournament of the year to be held in the East. The tournament starts at 9a at the Peachtree Executive Office Park. Be sure to register at least 4 days in advance; there’s a $15 entry fee, and prizes will be awarded in all divisions. The players of the high dan division are eligible to win points toward competing in the North American Ing Masters Tournament at the 2012 US Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC. See the Atlanta Go Club's Facebook page, GT Go Club@Atlanta for more details. - Karoline Burrall, AGA Tournament Coordinator

Published On 2/3/2012

The second Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) is set for March 3, 4, and 10. Registration is free. YKNOT is sponsored by Young Kwon, a former US Open champion dedicated to promoting go in the US (see "The Man Behind the YKNOT Tournament" 12/20/2010 EJ). Players will compete for a total prize purse of nearly $3,000 in one of the largest Western online go tournaments. U.S. players of any strength are eligible for free registration, as long as they are AGA members and have resided in the United States for six of the last 12 months. The tournament will take place on the KGS Go Server. Click here for the YKNOT schedule, tournament rules, and TD contact. Registration closes on Friday February 24th. Players new to KGS are strongly encouraged to review the AGA's KGS Tutorial and to play a few games on KGS prior to the tournament.

Your Move/Readers Write: Cuban Go?

Published On 2/1/2012

“Do you have any contact information for Cuban go players?” wonders Phil. “I'll arrive in Havana on Saturday, Feb. 4. I did play at the Havana club in 2003, but perhaps someone has more up-to-date information.” Email us at journal@usgo.org with any info/contacts, and muy gracias! “We have an Go Academy,” reports Rafael Torres Miranda; the address is: Academia Cubana de Go (Cuban Go Academy),Centro Deportivo ( Sport Center) Eduardo Saborti; 5ta Ave y 120. Playa. email: academiacubanadego@yahoo.com. Contact: Rafael Torres Miranda ( 57 5 2850452 ); rafael@supplyinbond.co.cu

Choi Jung Wins Female Myeongin at 15

Published On 1/31/2012

On January 26, 2012, Choi Jung 1P defeated Kim Miri 2P in Korea's 13th Female Myeongin. At only 15 years of age, Choi also became the youngest female title holder in Korea - just 18 months after turning pro. En route to the final, Choi defeated the likes of Park Jieun 9P and Cho Hyeyeon 9P, but lamented the fact that she was unable to challenge Rui Naiwei 9P, because Rui recently to returned China. The cheeky youngster even went so far as to joke that Rui had run away from her. The Myeongin is Korea's equivalent of the Japanese Meijin title. Choi's next goal for 2012 is to get selected by a team to play in the popular Korean Baduk League. Congratulations Choi Jung! - Jingning; Games and photos are available in her original article: Choi Jung makes her breakthrough in the 13th Female Myeongin. Photo: Choi Jung 1P (pictured) plays against Kim Miri 2P in the 13th Female Myeongin final.

Published On 1/31/2012

Spots are still available in the Chunlan Cup 2012 Selection Tournament for professionals and amateurs 6-dan and stronger. U.S. citizenship is required. Registration closes at midnight on Thursday, February 2nd. To register for this tournament, email tournaments@usgo.org. Click here for full details on the tournament schedule, rules and procedures.

Published On 1/31/2012

The latest round of comments on the American Go Association's (AGA) proposed "tap" or fee on international prizes includes strong opposition from many pros, reports AGA President Allan Abramson. Click here for an updated summary. Deadline for comments is midnight (EST) January 31; email president@usgo.org

Published On 1/30/2012

Fifteen year old Vincent Zhuang 6D won the 2012 Jin Chen Memorial Tournament on Jan. 8. The annual tournament attracted 42 players, and was the largest AGA-rated event at the Seattle Go Center in several years. Zhuang is a 10th grader living in Portland, Oregon. He won the 19x19 Iwamoto Youth Tournament at the Seattle Go Center two and a half years ago, when he was rated as a 1 kyu. This time he bested several 7 dans in the open section. The total prize money was $1,000, thanks to a matching donation from the Ourjin Foundation. Winners in the Open Section were: Vincent Zhuang - 1st, Dong Baek Kim - 2nd, Edward Kim - 3rd, Jon Boley - 4th, Dong Ho Kim - 5th. "A" Handicap section: Chris Kirschner - 1st, Daniel Top - 2nd, Takehito Furuyama - 3rd.

Sun Wins U.S. Youth Go Championships

Published On 1/30/2012

Fourteen-year-old Calvin Sun 7d reasserted his position as the strongest youth player in America this past weekend. He entered the double elimination finals for the US Youth Go Championships as one of four finalists, in the Senior Division, but went on to win every game in a dynamic show of force. Andrew Lu 6d was the only player to beat Sun in the qualifiers, also scoring a win against Hugh Zhang 7d, which gave him the top slot as the finals began.

Published On 1/30/2012

The American Go Association’s Board of Directors held a special meeting on January 21st to discuss reactions to the proposal to “tap” or tax players representing the AGA in certain international tournaments. The Board had previously authorized President Allan Abramson to implement a tap not greater than 30%, with the understanding that Abramson would solicit input before forming the final details, leaving the amount and whether to even assess a tap at all up to the President's discretion. Arguments were given both for and against the “tap.” The arguments against the “tap” included that it creates the impression that the AGA is "nickle and diming" players, or that the organization is "anti-strong players and pros"

Yearbook Contributors Wanted

Published On 1/28/2012

If you’d like to help put together the 2011 American Go Yearbook, email journal@usgo.org Experience with InDesign preferred. Be part of the team producing the annual collection of the best material from the American Go E-Journal.

Published On 1/23/2012

Are you enrolled in a go club at school? If so, this is your chance to challenge other go clubs from all over North America. Registration is now open for the American Go Honor Society’s (AGHS) 13th annual School Team Tournament. On March 17th and 24th, go clubs from the United States, Canada, and Mexico will compete for $3,000 in prizes, with some for every club.

Lu and Chiu Top USYGC

Published On 1/23/2012

The United States Youth Go Championships (USYGC) pulled in almost 70 players this past weekend on KGS. Kids and teens competed in five different bands, with players ranging from 7 dan to the double digit kyus. Dan level kids were also competing for entry into the four player finals, and the right to represent the US at the World Youth Go Championships this summer. Fifteen-year-old Andrew Lu 6d (at left) finished first in the qualifiers for the Senior Division (under 16) while nine-year-old Jeremy Chiu 4d (at right) placed first in the Junior (under 12). The finals are double-elimination, and the first two rounds were held Sunday. The finals continue next week on KGS for the Senior Division, while Jr. Division kids will square off in person on Feb. 11th, at the BAGPA ratings tourney in Menlo Park CA. For full qualifier results, go here; for schedule and results in the finals go here.

Published On 1/22/2012

THIS JUST IN: Registration is now open for the 2012 Chunlan Cup Selection Tournament, which will be held on KGS on Saturday Feb. 4 and Sunday Feb. 5. Professionals and amateurs 6-dan or stronger who are citizens of North Americaare eligible. The winner must be able to attend the Chunlan Cup, the first round of which will take place March 26-31 in China. To register, email tournaments@usgo.org with your name and KGS name. The Chunlan Cup Selection Tournament is a knockout tournament that will determine the North American representative; there are 12 reserved slots for US players, three for Canada and one forMexico. Should more than 12 players express interest, placing will be chosen by AGA rating. Citizenship is required to participate; besides this stipulation, eligibility to play will be based on the AGA guidelines for international representatives. Registration for the tournament will close on Thursday, February 2.

AGA Issues Call for Guest Officials

Published On 1/22/2012

Want to represent the American Go Association as a guest official in international tournaments? President Allan Abramson has issued the AGA’s annual call “for people who are interested in and able to represent us at events overseas, as an AGA official.” While Abramson notes that “Most of these events will have room and board paid for you, and some will include paid airfare, others will require you to pay your own way to get there.” Anyone interested should email Abramson at President@usgo.org; be sure to include at note describing why you wish to do this, how you have been involved in AGA matters, and why you deserve this recognition.

Published On 1/22/2012

Comments for and against the American Go Association's proposal to charge a "tap" or "fee" on prizes/playing fees in international tournaments “are rolling in," says AGA President Allan Abramson. With the January 31 deadline for submitting comments approaching, “I urge all those with a stake in this issue to send me your opinions." Comments thus far include: “I believe this is not the right time for a tax on professional earnings from international events” (Roy Schmidt); “(A) ‘Tax’ on the prize money is a traditional idea and a common practice in Asian Go.” (Curtis Tang); “I think that the ‘tap’ proposal, trying to pick already meager money from American players’ pockets, is outrageous!” (Feng Yun 9P); “I think this tap fee is a great idea.” (Zhaonian Chen). Click here for a summary of comments as of the middle of last week; additional comments will be posted by this Friday, and then again after the end of the month.

Published On 1/22/2012

Andy Zalesak 1d (right, in photo, playing Paul Celmer) took top honors in the top band of the Triangle Go Group's Friendship/Ratings tournament, held on Sunday, January 15, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Zalesak won three of his four games, with four others in this highly competitive band – two 6-dans, a 3-dan, 5-dan, and two 1-dans -- tied for second place with 2-2 results. In the second band, Thomas McCarthy was undefeated, going 4-0 for the day. Stephen Allen came in 2nd, with a 3-1 record. In the third band, another Zalesak, Matthew, won all 4 of his games. John Aiken won the three games that he played, but declined prize money, which was awarded to young Alvin Chen. As usual, all entry fees were returned as cash prizes. - report/photo by Bob Bacon, TD

Nihon Ki-in Releases Tsume-go App

Published On 1/22/2012

The Nihon Ki-in has launched a tsume-go (life-and-death) app for iPhone and iPad users called Nihon Kiin Tsumego Master. “There are 400 tsumego problems for levels from beginners to dan players,” the Nihon Ki-in’s Tomotaka Urasoe tells the E-Journal. “More than 100 problems are original, specially-made for the Tsumego Master app by young professionals who are noted tsumego creators.” Urasoe, who’s in charge of the overseas department at the Nihon Ki-in, notes that one of Japans top players, Yamashita Keigo 9P, current Meijin and Honinbo, “strongly recommends Tsumego Master to all amateur players and we want to introduce the app to American go players as well because these are really good problems that will help them to get stronger.” Urasoe adds that “We will continue to add more problems to the app.

EuroGoTV-News: December 31-January 17

Published On 1/22/2012

Poland: Kamil Chwedyna 4d (photo) won the Black Stone tournament, played 1/7-8 in Katowice, Poland. Click here for results. Lithuania: Gytis Vasiliauskas 1d was the winner at the 1/17 Trys Karaliai tournament in Vilnius, Lithuania. Click here for results. Spain: Sabina Rodriguez 9k topped the La Carboneria tournament played 1/7 in Sevilla, Spain. Click here for results. Croatia: Mladen Smud 1k won the Silvester tournament, played 12/31in Velika Gorica, Croatia. Click here for results. Zvonko Bednjanec 3k took first place in the Velika Gorica tournament 1/7 in Velika Gorica, Croatia. Click here for results. Upcoming European Tournaments: France: The 27th annual Antony Tournament, which also this year includes the 40th Paris Tournament (Antony is a Paris suburb) is set for 2/4-5. Romania

Published On 1/17/2012

It's going to be a busy online go weekend. On Friday, go fans can watch Myungwan Kim 9P comment on the Bailing Cup live on Tygem, as Chen Yaoye 9P (left) -- down 0-2 -- tries to stay alive in his battle for the title against Zhou Ruiyang 5P. And on Sunday, Andy Liu 1P will play Lee Sedol 9P on go9dan.com. Kim's commentary starts at 8:30p EST Friday, January 18 on the Tygem World Server, while the Liu-Sedol game is at 8a EST on Sunday, January 20 on go9dan.com. In his online reviews of the first two games, Kim said that although Chen, currently the top player in China and considered one of the strongest players in the world, was expected to have a slight edge, "he was not able to stand up to the pressure of the championship series."

Cole Pruitt 2k Wins MA Winter Tourney

Published On 1/16/2012

Cole Pruitt 2k took first place in the 2012 Massachusetts Go Association Winter Quarterly Tournament, held January 15th at the Boylston Chess Club Tournament Hall in Somerville, MA. Thirty-three players battled for three place prizes in this handicap tournament directed by Eva Casey 4k. Despite very cold temperatures (-15C) and changes to the nearby subway schedule players between the ages of 11 to 75 participated with people coming from all over New England and a couple of Mid-Atlantic states. MGA President David Kahn declared the tournament a great success. After four rounds, three people rose to the top. Taking 3rd 3 points was Chia Chan 7k; 2nd was won by Ralph St. Louis 9k and taking the top spot was Cole Pruitt 4k, with 4 out of 4 points.

Published On 1/15/2012

"I suddenly seem to be getting the daily EJ,” writes Roy. “How do I switch to the weekly?” At the bottom of the EJ, click on " UPDATE YOUR PROFILE" and then select the desired frequency.

Jung Hoon Lee 7d Wins Rocky Mtn Tourney

Published On 1/15/2012

Jung Hoon Lee 7d topped a field of 40 players competing in the Rocky Mountain Winter Go Tournament, January 14 in Boulder, Colorado. The players ranged in strength from 7 dan to 38 kyu, reports organizer David Weiss. Winner’s Report: Open Section: The winner of the open section was Jung Hoon Lee, 7d. Dan section: 1st: Luke Zhang 1d; 2nd: Huck Bennett 3d. SDK: 1st: Kent Evenson; 2nd: Robin Luo. DDK: 1st: Andrew Jung 16k; 2nd: Hannah Jung 15k. “In his first tournament, 5-year, 2-month-old Andrew Huang 38k won both of his games by a significant margin against 7- and 11-year-old players,” reports Weiss. “We expect him to become very strong very quickly.” photo: Huck Bennett (l) 3d vs. Oscar Vazquez Nunez 1d. Photo by Paul Barchilon.

Published On 1/15/2012

In a rerun of 2010's Shodan Go Bet match, John Tromp will once again meet the challenge from a top computer go program, in a best-of-five match this week. The challenger is Zen19, a program which has already surprised many by achieving a rank of 4-5 dan on KGS. Tromp, whose last known rank was EGF 2 dan, won a similar match against David Fotland's Many Faces of Go at the 2010 London Open Go Tournament, with a clean sweep of four games to nil. This time the match will take place on the KGS Go Server. Tromp will connect from his home in New York, while Zen19 (written by Yoji Ojima) will connect from Japan.

Go Art: Game AIs

Published On 1/15/2012

Reader Rich Newman sent this along, from the January 11 edition of XKCD, “A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.”

Go In The News: Forbes Influence

Published On 1/14/2012

Go makes an appearance in a January 4 Forbes post by Haydn Shaughnessy. The post is about social media influencers and go is employed as a graphic illustration of influence, with Shaughnessy noting that “Social media influencers seem to have alighted on good strategies to build and sustain influence.” Thanks to Peter Kron for passing this along.

Published On 1/13/2012

Park Dae-woong 6d topped the first league competition at the recently-opened New Han Kook Go Club in Garden Grove, CA. The two-week, 32-player competition ended Dec. 30th with Park Dae-woong 6d in first place, Han Sang-kook 1d in second and Chung Tae-wha 2d in 3rd, reported club owner Song Kim. Club members enjoyed a buffet dinner and a visit with simultaneous games from Kim Myung-wan 9P. Several league competitions a year are planned, Kim said. The new, well-appointed, non-smoking facility is the first 7-day-a-week club to open in Southern California for some time, according to local organizer Andy Okun. “It is a very pleasant place to play,” Okun told the E-Journal. The club’s hours are 11a to 9:30p; it’s located at 9738 Garden Grove Blvd., #6, Garden Grove, CA 92844. Telephone 714-530-5121.

Published On 1/10/2012

The E-Journal caught up with Jujo Jiang 9P and his wife Rui Naiwei 9P when the two top players made a special appearance at the Jujo Cup in San Francisco this past weekend (look for a tournament report soon). Jujo is the younger brother of Mingjiu Jiang 7P; he and Rui Naiwei -- who holds most of the major women's titles in Korea -- taught in the Bay Area during the 90s and early 2000s before going to Korea for a number of years.

Published On 1/10/2012

The Santa Barbara (CA) Go Club welcomed the New Year with players on five boards at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (3052 De La Vina Street) on Wednesday, January 4. - photo by Ed Lee Got local go news? Email it to us at journal@usgo.org!

Published On 1/10/2012

As previously reported, the future of American youth go camps is very much in question (U.S. Youth Go Camp Future in Doubt 12/17/2011 EJ). With no volunteers as yet stepping up to organize this year’s camps, “It may be time to recognize that the Congress itself has become the go camp, and that the AGA should not guarantee funding for a separate camp anymore," says American Go Association President Allan Abramson. Anyone interested in finding out more about running a camp in 2012 should contact Abramson at president@usgo.org by January 31. Photo: Kids take a break from studying to bury one of their counselors in pillows, photo by Amanda Miller (who is at the bottom of the pillow pile) from the 2010 camp.

Published On 1/10/2012

U.S. players have been invited to participate in the new Canadian Go Association on-line KGS leagues, reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. The leagues started in early January but if you miss the first round of 2012 the next league starts in mid February. AGA members have been invited to join the CGA and to participate in the leagues at no cost. “The games are serious,” says CGA’s Chuck Elliott, who promises “You will get stronger.” . Prize money last year was $450 and Elliott hopes it will grow to $2,000 in 2012. Click here for details and to sign up.

Minicomic Teaches First Capture

Published On 1/10/2012

Yi Weng, of the Rockville Go Club in Maryland, has made a minicomic that helps teach people about Go. Weng made the comic as an assignment in one of his classes, but decided to make it educational as well. The nine-page story makes a great introduction for kids, or anyone, and directions on how to play first capture are on the last page. The comic can be downloaded here: firstcapture. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

USYGC Deadline Jan. 15

Published On 1/9/2012

Just one week left to register for the US Youth Go Championships. Registrations have been coming in steadily, and several brackets are looking interesting. 23 Dan level kids are in the top two brackets so far, competition will also be tough in the 1-5 kyu bracket, with 11 kids at the moment. 6-10 kyu players will have their own bracket too, and more double digit kyu players are encouraged to register. To see who is signed up so far, go here. To register, e-mail youth@usgo.org with your name, AGA #, date of birth, AGA rating, KGS ID, and citizenship. You may enter at a rank higher than your official AGA rank, but may not enter at a lower one. The registration deadline is Sunday, January 15th. For more info, see the USYGC page. -Paul Barchilon E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 1/9/2012

Atari founder Nolan Bushnell’s appearance at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress and a proposed "tap" on prize winnings at international tournaments highlighted the January 4 meeting of the American Go Association board of directors, reports Daniel Smith. AGA President Allan Abramson reported to the Board that Bushnell (at right) has agreed to be the keynote speaker at this year's Go Symposium, part of the upcoming U.S. Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC. Abramson also reported that he’s requested comments on the proposal to institute a "tap" on prize winnings at international tournaments. The proposal has generated some controversy, with Feng Yun 9P, an outspoken opponent of what she calls a “tax” on top players, sending several lengthy emails to AGA chapters in recent months.

Published On 1/9/2012

While commending Boris Bernadsky “for his past and his current contribution to the go community in New York City (Go Renaissance in the Big Apple 12/26/2011 EJ),” Peter Armenia – Co-Director of both the 2006 and 2012 U.S. Go Congresses in Black Mountain, North Carolina -- writes to mention another thriving new AGA chapter in New York City, the Gotham Go Group, which meets Tuesdays from 7 -11p at the Hungarian Pastry Shop (1030 Amsterdam Ave between 110th and 111th). Armenia founded the Gotham club in October "and we have been getting 10-15 players a week. That is where I had the pleasure to meet Boris and we talked about doing tournaments.

Janice Kim Launches New Go Blog

Published On 1/2/2012

Janice is back! American professional Janice Kim 3P (at right), the popular go author, lecturer at many U.S. Go Congresses and former American Go Journal columnist (“Life in B-League”), has just launched a go blog. The idea of the Learn To Play Go blog, hosted by Kim’s Samarkand.Net website, “is that if AGA members want to have one of their games analyzed and would email it to me in sgf format -- along with any questions they have -- I will identify it in the grand scheme, incorporate it in a weekly go tutorial blog post, and cast both players as ‘spy vs. spy’ for complete anonymity,” Janice tells the E-Journal.

EuroGoTV-News: December 17-31

Published On 1/2/2012

UK: The 2011 London Open – held 12/28-31 in London -- was won by YoungSam Kim 7d who won all his games. Lingjun Miao 4d was second came and in third was Yunlong Liu 3d. Click here for a more detailed report and results. Austria: Schayan Hamrah (at left) won the Austrian championship finals in mid-December. Click here for an interview with him. Spain: Alejandro Lopez 5k won the December 28 La Carboneria tournament, played in Sevilla, Spain. Romania: The Cluj-Napoca- City Championship, played December 16-18 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, was won by George Ghetu 3d. Turkey: Ozgur Degirmenci 2d won the 19th Alpar Kilinc Memorial Tournament, played Dec 17-18 in ODTU/Ankara, Turkey. Switzerland: The 2011 Swiss Go Camp League, played Dec 16-19 in Montbonvon, Switzerland, was won by Semi Lee 4d. - Excerpted from reports – including full results — on EuroGoTV

Published On 12/27/2011

The American Go Association (AGA) in December signed agreements with Korea to promote a new professional players’ system in the U.S. AGA Board Chairman Andy Okun (right) signed the agreements with the Korea Baduk Association and the Korean go server TongYang Online (Tygem) December 19th in Seoul, Korea. “With the generous support of the KBA and Tygem, we are off to a great start,” Okun said. “These partnerships will help grow go in the U.S. and produce players who can win at the international level.

Published On 12/27/2011

Edinburgh Christmas Open: Yunlong Liu 3d (Stirling) was the best of the 24 players at the 12/3 tournament. West Surrey Handicap Tournament: Ten years after previously winning, Malcolm Hagan won the West Surrey Handicap Tournament on December 3, probably the last ever such event, with just 13 players turning up. Coventry Tournament: Andrew Kay beat Matthew MacFadyen in their third-round game on November 19, increase Kay’s current titles to five. Three Peaks Tournament: Andrew Kay stopped Matthew Cocke's run of three titles in a row at the Three Peaks Tournament in Grange-Over-Sands, November 12–13, giving Kay four current titles. East Midlands Tournament: Chong Han 5d from Loughborough was the winner in the November 5 tourney, beating Francis Roads, Jon Diamond and Tony Atkins along the way.

Published On 12/27/2011

Jujo Jiang 9P (right) and Rui NaiWei 9P are among those planning to play in the upcoming Jujo Jiang Goe Tournament. The first North American Masters' qualifier of 2012, the tournament will be held Saturday and Sunday, January 7-8 in San Francisco CA. The tournament is sponsored by Ing's Goe Foundation and the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco. Historically well-attended, the tournament will provide the opportunity for many strong players to earn points towards competition in the North American Masters' Tournament, which will be held at the 2012 Go Congress. Click here for details or to register.

Go Renaissance in the Big Apple

Published On 12/27/2011

Since the New York Go Center closed in 2010, New York City’s go scene has ironically been experiencing a bit of a go renaissance, reports local organizer Boris Bernadsky. “Perhaps it’s due to people no longer taking having a go club for granted that encouraged the go community to become more active in going out to play,” Bernadsky tells the E-Journal. The most notable addition to New York go is the mostly go club on meetup.com.

EuroGoTV-News: December 9-18

Published On 12/26/2011

Austria: Schayan Hamrah 2d won the Austrian Championship, played 12/9-12 in Vienna, Austria. Switzerland: In the 12/16-18 Swiss Go Camp League in Montbonvon, Switzerland, Semi Lee 4d took first place. Hungary: Rita Pocsai 4d (right) won the Hungarian Championship, played 12/17-18 in Budapest, Hungary. In the fifth Nostalgia Cup, held 12/18 in Budapest, Gergely Meszaros 2k won top honors. Turkey: Ozgur Degirmenci 2d won the 19th Alpar Kilinc Memorial Tournament, played 12/17-18 in ODTU/Ankara, Turkey.

Published On 12/26/2011

Grant Kerr of Canada recently received a PhD degree by successfully defending his thesis, "Exploring Project Management by Exploiting Analogy with the Game of Go." Kerr used go to explore and expand project management concepts, receiving a PhD degree from the Skema Business School, one of France’s grandes ecoles. Kerr, who studies go with Yuan Zhou, used 83 go proverbs to create analogies with project management, then developed project management strategies based on these proverbs for dealing with uncertainty, conflict, change, weaknesses, etc. One area of future research will be to gather feedback from other project managers on these ideas; if you would like to participate, contact Kerr at gkerr@cips.ca. photo: Kerr (at right) receives his PhD

Go Spotting: Andromeda TV Series

Published On 12/26/2011

A scene featuring 3-dimensional go was spotted in Andromeda, the Canadian-American science fiction television series based on unused material by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, which ran from 2000 to 2005. “In the Double Helix episode there's a scene where the captain is playing (starting at 5:27), not tri-level chess like Spock and Kirk, but rather tri-level go and they even refer to it as ‘go,’" reports Fr. Mark Lichtenstein of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Camp Hill, PA. “The game (portrayed) doesn't look like a real game though. Not that tri-level go is a normal variant like 9x9 or 13x13.” There's a last glimpse of the game in the first seconds of this clip as well.

US Youth Go Championships Jan. 21

Published On 12/20/2011

Qualifiers for the United States Youth Go Championships will be held Saturday, January 21st, on KGS. The tourney will determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 5-7 dan 1-4 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 and up kyu. The qualifiers will use several formats for pairing, and all dan level youth will compete in an open section. The top four youth will then move on to a double elimination final held on January 22nd, and continuing the following weekend.

Fujitsu Cup Ends After 24-Year Run

Published On 12/20/2011

After a 24-year run, the Fujitsu Cup has ended. The popular international tournament – won this year by Park Junghwan (right), the youngest 9-dan pro in the world -- featured top players from the Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Taiwanese professional go scene, joined by representatives of North and South America and Europe. “The Fujitsu Cup has been the most important event in promoting international go for the longest time,” said Thomas Hsiang, the American Go Association’s representative to the International Go Federation, where he's vice president.

E-Journal Delivery Restored

Published On 12/20/2011

A technical problem with our mailing lists, which had halted daily and weekly delivery of the American Go E-Journal to members and former members since December 10, has now been resolved. All readers should receive the proper edition of the E-Journal on Tuesday, December 20. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding. Very special thanks to Josh Simmons for his prompt, efficient and hard work fixing the problem. - Chris Garlock, Managing Editor

"Tony" Wen Wins Davis/Sac Tourney

Published On 12/19/2011

Hang "Tony" Wen 1d (l) took first place at the December 17 Davis/Sacramento Go Club Winter Quarterly Tournament at the Arcade Library in Sacramento, CA. Nine competitors attended from the San Francisco bay area to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Five players had two wins, with the results determined by tie breaks. Wen 1d placed first, Jeff Horn 1d was second, and Willard Haynes 1d was third. - Willard Haynes

EuroGoTV-News: December 10-12

Published On 12/19/2011

SPAIN: Joan Pons 2d won the Dec 10-12 Final del Campeonato de Espana 2011 in Spain. In The Legends Cadiz tournament, played Dec 10 in Cadiz, Arturo De Celis 13k took first place. HUNGARY: Hungarian Schoolkids Championship Preliminary: Zsigmond Tar 17k topped the December 11 Hungarian Schoolkids Championship Preliminary in Budapest, Hungary. ROMANIA: Romanian Female Championship: Larisa Popescu 3k (photo) won the Romanian Female Championship, played Dec 10-12 in Bucuresti, Romania. ITALY: Udine Tournament: Andres Saro 5k won the second Udine Tournament, played Dec 11 in Udine, Italy. PORTUGAL: Li Dong Fang, the only one to win all five matches, won the 2011 Oporto Open, which featured player participation from China, France, and Spain, besides the national representatives from Portugal. Daniel Tome was the best Portuguese player in the tournament. Click here for details. POLAND: In the Bydgoszcz tournament, played on Dec 10 in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Maksym Walaszewski 4k took first place.

Go Classified: Go Classes in IL

Published On 12/19/2011

Xinming Simon Guo is offering wei qi (go) classes at the Xilin Chinese School in Skokie, IL. Click here for a syllabus.

X-Mas Discounts at Go Shop

Published On 12/19/2011

The Go Shop is offering Christmas discounts on selected go-themed tumblers. The shop also offers tote bags with a go theme and – just in – a go keychain.

Jasiek Publishes “Capturing Races”

Published On 12/19/2011

Capturing races are complicated. Really complicated. Just to cite one example, there’s the five basic types of semeai with 93 possible cases and over 200 principles governing how to determine status and outcome. Robert Jasiek’s new book, Capturing Races 1 attempts to organize and address some of the basic issues involved in just 272 pages, though more volumes are planned. “Capturing Races” can be used as either a textbook for study or as a reference dictionary, Jasiek says. The book introduces terms and basic theory before applying it as well as including problems and answers so the reader can check on whether the theory’s been applied correctly. The book serves also as a dictionary, classifying capturing races into two basic groups. Click here to see sample pages and to order.

Published On 12/19/2011

“Assuming a player is serious and wants to make significant improvement with a dedicated effort, whom are the best teachers to partner with for serious improvement,” wonders Joy. “And where are the very best schools in California for making significant improvement for go for adults?” It’s impossible to say who’s "best," as that depends on so many unique variables. Start by asking around at your local club (click here for clubs in California) to see who’s working with which teachers and what their experiences have been. Next, try some lessons with different teachers to get a sense of the fit between their strengths and your goals. Check out the list of US pros here. Also, a lot of go students these days work with teachers online; KGS is a great source of information on such teachers as well as lectures and more. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Published On 12/18/2011

China took the gold medal in the SportAccord World Mind Games mixed doubles event, with Korea winning silver and Japan bronze. The U.S. team of Feng Yun and Jie Li (photo) defeated Europe’s Vanessa Wong and Catalin Taranu in the final. Click here for Ranka Online’s full coverage of the World Mind Games, which ended on December 16th.

U.S. Youth Go Camp Future in Doubt

Published On 12/17/2011

The future of American youth go camps is very much in question, American Go Association President Allan Abramson tells the E-Journal. "On the one hand, the camps can be a great experience for our young players. On the other hand, after the last three years' experience of low attendance and losing money each year, the Board and I have agreed that it may be time to recognize that the Congress itself has become the Go camp, and that the AGA should not guarantee funding for a separate camp anymore." The AGA is looking for organizers/directors for the 2012 go camp(s), Abramson says, but warns that “Those who take on the task of organizing and running the camp will need to plan carefully to break even financially, at least.” Those interested in attending a camp will need to register early, as well, to ensure the survival of the camps.

20th Jujo Jiang Tourney Jan. 8

Published On 12/17/2011

Mingjiu Jiang 7P, and the Ing Foundation, are again sponsoring the Jujo Jiang Tournament in San Francisco, CA. Last year's event drew 66 competitors, and similar numbers are expected this year. All levels are welcome, there will be prizes in four divisions: Open, Dan, Kyu, and Novice, this will be an AGA rated tournament.. Jiang Jujo 9P and Rui NaiWei 9P will be in attendance again this year. To register, and for more information, go to Gomasters.com, or e-mail Indagoe49@yahoo.com. - Paul Barchilon. Photo: Jujo Jiang (l) plays his brother, Mingjiu Jiang (r) at the 2011 Jujo Tourney.

Paging Bill Gates

Published On 12/17/2011

If you – or someone you know -- works in a high tech company or a company with business interests in Asia, the American Go Association’s National Fundraising Committee is looking for you. The Fundraising Committee wants to approach such companies with sponsorship proposals to energize the go community in the United States. “While our mandate is to raise funds,” says Committee Chair Peter Freedman, “our underlying goal is transforming the place of go in the American cultural landscape. You should be able to walk down the street, ask a stranger of they have heard about the game of go, and have them respond ‘Sure, it's that ancient Asian strategy game.’" To help raise the public profile of go, the Committee is also seeking for contacts within the media that can help get Hikaru No Go on the air.

Published On 12/14/2011

December 12 was a rest day for the go competition at the SportAccord World Mind Games, but for a dozen or so of the players and officials, it was an opportunity to pay an afternoon visit to the Zhang Guan Gun No. 3 Elementary School.

Published On 12/14/2011

Barring a miracle by the Americans against China, the winner of the Japan-Korea match in the SportAccord World Mind Games on December 14 will take the team silver while China takes the gold. China defeated Japan 4-1 in the 4th round Tuesday, while Chinese Taipei shut out the Americans, winning all five of their games by resignation. Korea swept the European team. The loser of the Japan-Korea match will take the bronze medal. The mixed doubles rounds are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. - Based on James Davies’ detailed reports on Ranka Online, where you can also follow live matches, check out the schedule, results and participants.

Published On 12/14/2011

S40Y Yuki Stones, 11.3mm thick (2nd biggest made): $700; Kaya Itame full-size slight branch mark on one side, otherwise perfect: $1050; Brand new, never played on or with. Free Shipping to USA from the Kiseido suppliers. Guaranteed. Peter Shotwell; pshotwell@gmail.com

Published On 12/13/2011

Thanks to Gayla Halbrecht of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Triangle Go Group has a new batch of go equipment to continue their outreach efforts in local middle schools and at their club locations. Halbrecht (at right in photo) donated her late husband Herbert's equipment to the Go Group. Herbert Halbrecht (at left), who took up the challenge of learning go in his ‘80s and wished to bring the game to his fellow seniors, "was an amazing, enthusiastic guy who was always looking for ways to stretch the conventional wisdom about the aging brain,” Paul Celmer tells the E-Journal. “He was an inspiration and it was a privilege to have met him." American Go Association President Allan Abramson added that "People like Herbert are what keep us working hard to spread go."

Published On 12/12/2011

In the third round of the team competitions at the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing, China, the United States finally scored a team win when Mingjiu Jiang forced Catalin Taranu to resign, after Andy Liu and Feng Yun won against Cornel Burzo and Vanessa Wong, reports Thomas Hsiang. Jie Li, however, lost by 2.5 points to Cristian Pop in a game that both players thought Jie had won. Kevin Huang then lost to Jan Simara, making the team score 3-2.

Published On 12/12/2011

The future of North American go was on full display this past Sunday at the 4th US-Canada Youth Friendship Match, held on KGS and viewed by over 250 go fans. With many exciting matches featuring intense middle games, the Canadians managed to pull away for the third year in a row, posting a 4-1 victory over the U.S. In a rematch of last year's top board, Ryan Li, the runner up to the 2010 and 2011 Canadian Opens, once again managed to best Calvin Sun in a close match featuring a territory versus influence battle. Intense fighting was the theme of the next few boards, with Gansheng Shi, Jianing Gan, and Andrew Huang of Canada posting victories for Canada, and the lone American win from USYGC Champion Vincent Zhuang. With such a strong showing overall, the North American team has a chance to reclaim victory against the European youth in the Transatlantic Match that will be played next spring. Full results can be seen here.

Published On 12/11/2011

Many employers have matching programs, where an employee's gift to a charity is matched by the company. The Seattle Go Center's relationship with generous go players at Microsoft, for example, is an important part of their funding base through the matching gift program. “With annual giving campaigns going on now, if your company has such a program, please consider a gift to the AGA or the AGF,” urges American Go Association’s National Fundraising Committee Chair Peter Freedman. Freedman notes that only the AGF is a 501c3 organization eligible for tax deductible donations; the AGA is a 501c4, and donations to it are not tax deductible. If your company needs an EIN number, the EIN for the American Go Association is 133643868 and for the United States Go Foundation the EIN is 133621764.

Published On 12/10/2011

Chapters and tournament directors are being sought to host qualifiers for the 2012 North American Masters' Tournament (NAMT), which will take place at the 2012 Go Congress in Black Mountain, North Carolina. “Up to eight qualifying tournaments will be sanctioned,” reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall, two in each region -- East, West, and Central -- and two online tournaments. “Because go players are so spread out across the country, hosting these qualifiers is essential to allow as many eligible players as possible to compete and accumulate points,” Burrall adds. Any chapter holding a tournament and interested in turning it into a NAMT qualifier can email Burrall at tournaments@usgo.org.

Published On 12/10/2011

“Today’s games were uneventful,” reports Thomas Hsiang from Day Two of the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing, China.

Published On 12/9/2011

Results from the first day's team competitions at the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing, China on December 9 went pretty much as expected, Thomas Hsiang tells the E-Journal, with China, Japan, and Korea winning against EU, US, and Chinese Taipei. “Chinese Taipei nearly pulled an upset when Chen Shih-iuan defeated Lee Sedol, and Hei Jia-jia (Joanne Missingham) won against Kim Hyemin. In the game that finished last, the young boy Wang Yuan-jun -- only 14! -- was leading in his game against Lee Younggo. Lee finally prevailed and dashed Chinese Taipei's hope for a big upset.”

Won Seongjin Wins 16th Samsung Cup

Published On 12/8/2011

After several months of preliminaries and finals, the 16th Samsung Cup wrapped up surprisingly quickly this week, with a three game match between Won Seongjin 9P and Gu Li 9P. The games were played over three consecutive days starting on December 5, 2011. Won clinched the third game on December 7, scoring a 2-1 win, as well as his first major international title

Published On 12/8/2011

Preparations for the first edition of the SportAccord World Mind Games are in full swing, reports Thomas Hsiang. The Games kick off on Friday, December 9

Published On 12/6/2011

The fourth annual US Canada youth friendship matches will be this Sunday, December 11 on KGS. Five of Canada's strongest will square off against the best young players in the US. The players include Calvin Sun 7d, Hugh Zhang 7d, Andrew Lu 6d, and Vincent Zhuang 6d and Jimmy Yang 5d, for the US side and Ryan Li 7d, Gansheng Shi 7d, Jianing Gan 6d, Daniel Gourdeau 6d, and Andrew Huang 6d, for the Canadian side. Matches will be held in the AGA Tournaments Room on KGS, at 4 pm ET (1 pm PT), and the public is welcome to observe.
- Paul Barchilon, EJ Youth Editor

Jimmy Yang Tops Slate and Shell Open

Published On 12/6/2011

Jimmy Yang 5d went 3-1 winning the high dan section at the 2011 Slate and Shell Open in Fairfax, VA on a tiebreak with Josh Lee 5d also 3-1. The sponsor, Slate and Shell, donated books which were awarded to the first and second place winners in each section. Kelsey Dyer 1d, playing in her first tournament since achieving a shodan rating, won the second section with a 3-1 score in a tiebreak with Arnold Eudell 4k (3-1). The other sectional winners were Garrett Smith 9k (3-1), and Anderson Barreal 14k (3-1) with second places going to Gurujeet Khalsa 7k (2-1), and Mohan Sud 10k (2-2). - Gurujeet Khalsa; photo: tournament winners holding their prizes from Slate and Shell

Published On 12/6/2011

Heather Wonder, one of the members of the Mountain Go Club in Hamilton, Ontario, made this go themed cake. “It was made to celebrate the one year anniversary of our growing club,” reports Nick Prince.

Published On 12/6/2011

American Go Association Board member Daniel Smith has been appointed "Board Liaison to the E-Journal" and will be reporting for us on topics of discussion at Board meetings.

Go Classified: Books for Sale

Published On 12/6/2011

The Breakthrough to Shodan, $50, paperback; Attack & Defense, $30, paperback; Go Players' Almanac, 2001, 2nd Ed, $30, paperback; Les Bases Techniques du Go (French), $10, paperback. Shipping, $5 per book. Buy all 4 books for $100 & $10 shipping. Contact Anton Ninno at: antonninno_@_yahoo.com

Jiang Weijie Wins 24th Mingren

Published On 12/6/2011

While Japan has already crowned its Meijin for 2011, the 39th Myeongin continues and 24th Mingren concluded this week, with Jiang Weijie (5p) defeating Kong Jie (9p) in five games. - GoGameGuru.com

Published On 12/6/2011

The first TRENDnet Southern California Go Championship was held December 3-4 in Alhambra, CA, under clear skies and cold dry Santa Ana winds. Inside the Southern California Chinese Broadcasting building, the atmosphere was warmer as about 50 players of all ages gathered for five rounds of go. The open section – and $500 top prize -- was won by Won Lee 7d. Lee, a veteran SoCal strong player not so active in recent years, put on a strong showing by edging out local strong youths Curtis Tang 7d and Andrew Lu 6d, according to tournament organizer Kevin Chao.

Li Wins Young Lions

Published On 12/5/2011

Yunxuan Li 4d topped a field of 51 players in the Young Lions Tournament on KGS last month. The tournament, organized by the American Go Honor Society, featured young players from all over the US, and a few from Canada and Mexico as well. As in previous years, the tourney brought some of North America's strongest youth together, including current Redmond and USYGC champion Aaron Ye 5d, and Oliver Wolf 4d, former Redmond Champ. “All the games i played were very tough,” Li told the Journal, “Aaron [Ye] has awesome attacking skills and Oliver [Wolf] has a very aggressive and flexible style.”

Published On 12/3/2011

New York City go players have organized a tournament to help victims of the floods in Thailand. Pre-registration is required for the December 18 Thailand Flood Relief Tournament. “The floods that started this summer in Thailand are still being cleaned up,” organizer Boris Bernadsky tells the E-Journal. “As many as 17 provinces of Thailand, including Bangkok are still underwater” after the worst floods in fifty years. Bernadsky organized a similar tournament last spring to help the victims of the Japanese tsunami. Prizes for the 3-round tournament have been donated and include membership in Breakfast's Insei League, a private lesson with Yin Ming Ming 1P, and gift certificate to local Thai food restaurants. $20 suggested donation; all funds collected will be donated to a charity benefiting the flood victims. Space is limited to 40 players, pre-register at Badukboris@gmail.com

Published On 11/29/2011

Edward Zhang has agreed to take over the American Go Association’s Volunteer Coordinator's position, after Nick Jhirad’ s recent resignation, reports AGA President Allan Abramson. Karoline Burrall has agreed to assume the Tournament Coordinator's position. “Our thanks to Nick for his efforts, and to Edward and Caroline for taking on these new responsibilities," said Abramson.

GoGoD Game Database Passes 70,000

Published On 11/29/2011

Go Games on Disk – aka GoGoD – has passed another milestone, with more than 70,000 games now in the sgf database of professional games. “Many of these are modern Japanese, Chinese and Korean games which are not published on the internet, but we have also been delving back into Korean history, to find early games by Cho Hun-hyeon, Seo Pong-su, Kim In, Cho Nam-ch’eol as well as a rare sunjang baduk game from the 1970’s to add to our existing collection of such games played under ancient Korean rules, and previously unknown games from a visit Takagawa Shukaku made to Korea,” reports GoGod’s T Mark Hall.

Published On 11/28/2011

The first SportAccord World Mind Games will be held December 8-16 in Beijing, China. The multi-sport event is intended to highlight the value of mind sports and features five games: bridge, chess, draughts (checkers), go and xiangqi (Chinese Chess). The SAWMG go tournament includes teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Europe, Japan, Korea and the U.S. The U.S. team (right), captained by Andy Okun, includes Feng Yun 9P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Ke Huang 7d, Jie Li 7d and Andy (Zhijuan) Liu 7d. Ranka Online will be covering the event, and you can also follow it on YouTube’s mindgameschannel.

Published On 11/28/2011

July 16: Today is Saturday, but the dojang is not open today because there is a tournament for the inseis. So Om, Chisu Yun, Cho Sun Ah, Masakito and I went sightseeing. We visited an old Korean palace which was really interesting and then we went biking near the lake even though it was raining really hard. There was also an awesome playground over near the river where we went zip-lining. Afterwards we went to the mall to eat and we spent some time inside a Korean music store listening to K-pop albums. When we got home there was a barbecue dedicated to the kids that went to the tournament. I can’t say Korean barbecue is good, but it was a good experience to be a part of a large gathering of celebration in Korea. July 19: Today is the day I go back to America. It’s sad that I have to leave just when I had just started to settle in. Before leaving I got to say bye to the handful of kids that are there in the morning.

Published On 11/27/2011

Pair Go is proud of its inter-generational appeal. Many young children, elderly players and all ages in-between are drawn to the handicap tournaments staged with the annual International Pair Go Championships, which recently took place in Tokyo (Koreans Win Pair Go Championships). For a number of years, the oldest player has been Ms. Imayo Matsuyo, who turned 90 this year and hails from Ehime prefecture on the island of Shikoku. Longtime go journalist and E-Journal contributor John Power had a chance to interview her between rounds.

Published On 11/25/2011

For Sale: Set of 8mm Japanese glass Go stones in wooden bowls for $60, plus $15 shipping. Worth much more. Contact Anton Ninno, AGA Member #554, Syracuse Go Club, Syracuse, NY at: antonninno@yahoo.com
Washington DC Go house, looking for 2-3 tenants. Beautiful Takoma Park, 1 mile over the DC border in MD. 2800 sq ft house overlooking Sligo Creek Park. Four bedrooms plus lower level bedroom 3.5 bathrooms. Partially furnished. With parking. For pictures or more information, or to see the house call Karen Gold (202) 422-4356 or email kgold@wjh.harvard.edu

Published On 11/23/2011

For once, Cork was not visited by some terrible natural disaster on the eve of its annual tournament, as it has been in recent years. The 2011 UCC Weiqi Tournament was won by Kim Ouleween (left), a professional artist from Amsterdam who's done some game commenting on EuroGoTV. His 5-game sweep kept the tournament in Dutch hands for the second year in a row. In second place on tiebreak was KGS star Ian 'Javaness' Davis, who collected more SOS than Spain's Matei Garcia. Also winning 5/5 was Thomas Shanahan from Galway. The 23 players were all grateful for organiser Justyna Kleczar's hard work. Click here for full results and a photo album photo: Kim Ouleween (left) Cao Tong Yu (right)

Koreans Win Pair Go Championships

Published On 11/23/2011

The Korean team of Kim HeeSue and Lee Hoseung (photo) won the 22nd annual International Amateur Pair Go Championships, held November 19-20 in Tokyo. The U.S. team -- Roxanne Tam and Yuan Zhou (left) -- finished 25th place with a 2-3 record. The U.S. pair "are disappointed, but determined to come back someday and produce a better result," reports AGA President Allan Abramson, who was a guest official at the event. Click here for results and game records.

Published On 11/23/2011

All 15 players at the November 19 Syracuse Self-Paired Tourney earned prizes for participating in the annual self-paired tournament, reports organizer Richard Moseson. The tournament was held at the Betts Branch Library in Syracuse, NY, and prizes included several books from Slate and Shell. photo: Leslie Lamphere (l) plays Jim Gonnella

Published On 11/23/2011

Elijah Kohrt 3k and David Rohde 5k tied for first place in the High Kyu division of the Fan Mail from Flounders tournament, held November 19 in Chicago, IL. David Muskovitz 8k took first place in the Mid Kyu division, while Crystal Lin 17k won first in the Low Kyu division. "All four of these players won all four of their games," reports TD Bob Barber, topping a field of 26 players. "Two of them are students of our local professional, Ms. Liping Huang. Lisa Scott brought a group from the under-appreciated South Side of Chicago. The highlight of the day was when Lisa's Mom, Laura Stith, joined us for pizza and soft drinks. She is a real gem, and her presence allowed us to talk about something other than go for a change. We've invited her back for the next tournament."

Published On 11/23/2011

The Tacoma Go Club re-instituted its annual Veteran’s Day Tournament this year after a two-year hiatus. Solomon Choe 6d topped the tournament, winning the Dan Division. For the first time, the Tacoma Go Club hosted the tournament, which was held on November 12th, in the Esther and Gene Grant and Ben B. Chaney Foundation Art Room in the Tacoma Art Museum. Relish’s Café provided box lunches for those who had pre-registered. "This was also the second time that the Tacoma Go Club used almost all of the features of the handy Go Clubs On-line, including registration, lunch orders, bookkeeping, pairing and reporting," reports organizer Gordon Castanza (at left in photo below).

Published On 11/22/2011

July 10: Sunday the dojang is closed so I went to Myongi with Om, an 18-year-old Thai player who has been there for a year. We went by subway and bus. The public transportation in Korea is quite complicated, and we had to transfer subways and buses a couple of times. When we arrived at Myongi we met with Om’s friend and we visited the Inseidong, the Korean Go Club. It fascinates me that there seem to be no weak players to be found in Korea. The club was filled with people 7-dan or stronger and there was a pro tournament on the third floor of the building. After visiting the Inseidong and shopping at Myongi we went to the cinema to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Photo (right): Very clean subway!

Cho Hanseung Wins 55th Kuksu

Published On 11/20/2011

Korea has a new Kuksu in town. On November 16, Cho Hanseung 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P in the deciding game of the 55th Kuksu title match. The two players exchanged blows in a five game series, in which black won every time. Cho finally triumphed, winning the series 3-2. The Kuksu is the most prestigious of the domestic Korean titles. The word corresponds to the Chinese characters (国手, guoshou), which literally mean ‘national hand’, but translate loosely to something more like ‘national treasure’. This is Cho Hanseung's first Kuksu title. He gained early discharge from compulsory military service after winning a gold medal for Korea in the 2010 Asian Games. Some say that since leaving the army he's been stronger than ever... - Jingning; based on her original article: Cho Hanseung wins 55th Kuksu in Korea. Photo: Cho Hanseung 9P.

Bruno Witte, 92, Passes

Published On 11/14/2011

“While Bruno Witte (AGA # 3885) did not play in AGA tournaments, I think he was the oldest active registered go player in the AGA” when he died recently at 92, reports Ted Terpstra. “He was a member of the San Diego Go Club for many years and I had a Thursday afternoon game scheduled with him for the last several years. He regularly beat me (5 kyu) with a three stone handicap.” Witte was a retired mathematician.

Published On 11/14/2011

Applications for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship are due November 20th. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community. To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Read about this year's winners, Jasmine Yan and D'Mitri Moore here.

Go Shop Offers Tumblers & Totes

Published On 11/14/2011

If go problems are your cup of tea, a new shop may have just the thing for you. The Go Shop carries a neat line of go “tumblers” or insulated beverage containers. The Fuseki Series includes the Chinese Opening, Kobayashi, Mini Chinese Opening and San Ren Sei, and there’s also a Corner Problems tumbler and a Go Board tumbler. All are offered in English, Chinese or Korean. To carry your tumblers, and other go materials, the Go Shop also carries a go-themed tote bag. “For us, every small move counts,” says the Go Shop.

Published On 11/14/2011

July 8: Today, I woke up, got ready and went to the dojang a little early. I’ve started changing my style from the traditional peaceful play found frequently in the States to the somewhat reckless fighting style of the Koreans. I think it’s the best way to improve because it forces you to read further. I have also found that life and death problems are a huge part of Korean go because they come up so often in their games.

Published On 11/13/2011

Over two dozen players – some in Halloween costume – participated in the 2011 Pumpkin Classic in Arlington, VA on October 29. The four-round handicap tournament was sponsored by the NOVA Go Club and Capital Go Club. Zhixiong Shi, Kabe Chin, Diego Pierrottet and Anderson Barreal won their respective divisions, taking home trophies as well as the traditional pumpkin. In the 3-round Winsonet Greater Washington Team Go Competition -- also held in Arlington on October 29 -- Team Chinese American defeated Team USA 3-1, Team Korean American 3-1 and Team Taiwanese American 2-2 in a tie-break.

Published On 11/13/2011

Eighteen-year-old Thomas Debarre 6d (r) won a third French Go Championship October 29-30 at Beire-le-chatel, near Dijon, France. Debarre beat Rémi Campagnie, a young Frenchman who lives in Canada in a final that was commented live on KGS by Fan Hui 2P. - reported by Alain Cano

Sempais Leading the Way in WV

Published On 11/13/2011

"In Glen Dale, West Virginia, an unlikely new program has attained a huge following at John Marshall High School: Go Club. With a membership of nearly 100 students, the club has grown by massive leaps and bounds in a way that no one thought possible. Go Club started two years ago with a handful of students in my study hall," writes school teacher David Will. "I had brought a board and a book of go problems with me to study hall one day to give me something to do while my students worked on homework. Three students approached my desk and inquired about the game, something that they had never seen before. Two of those students would go on to important roles in the club. In years past, I have always taken two or three days to teach the basics of go to my World History classes to close the chapter on ancient Chinese history.

Published On 11/13/2011

Neal Stephenson’s new novel Reamde has a reference to go, reports Ken Parel-Sewell. “On an iPad in portrait mode, the reference starts on page 271. The section starts with the words ‘Like any Russian, Sokolov enjoyed a game of chess.’ The next paragraph then starts talking about go. ‘He had heard somewhere, though, that mathematically speaking, the game of Go was more difficult than chess...’ It goes on to use go as a metaphor for a particularly difficult situation this character has found himself in. It goes on for a few paragraphs. Check it out.” Stephenson’s speculative fiction novel, set in the present day, centers on the plight of a hostage and the ensuing efforts of family and new acquaintances to rescue her as various captors drag her about the globe. Topics covered range from online activities including gold farming and social networking to the criminal methods of the Russian Mafia and Islamic terrorists, according to Wikipedia's post.

Allen Posts ’11 Go Congress Photos

Published On 11/13/2011

American Go E-Journal photographer Brian Allen has posted photos from this year’s U.S. Congress online. In addition to general photos of the 2011 Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA, there are albums of the Youth Awards and the Korean Baduk Association awards. There’s also a nice album of Allen’s shots from the 2008 U.S. Go Congress in Portland, Oregon. Allen, who also manages the Seattle Go Center, is a professional photographer, so please be sure to carefully observe his restrictions/permissions on use of his images. photo by Brian Allen

AGF College Scholarship Apps Due

Published On 11/10/2011

Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship.The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community . To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. The deadline for applicants is November 20th. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. To read about former winners, check out Sensei #6. - EJ Youth Editor Paul Barchilon

Richard Bozulich Not Dead After All

Published On 11/9/2011

Rumors of Ishi Press founder Richard Bozulich's death, as Mark Twain once said, have turned out to be greatly exaggerated. Bozulich was indeed hospitalized, sources tell the E-Journal, "but he is at home and OK now." In an email to Teddy Terpstra, Bozulich reported that "Although I was in the hospital for some surgery and experienced a minor glitch, I did survive. My 'biographer' did not wait around for the final prognosis and jumped to the conclusion that I had expired." A clearly amused Bozulich signed off "Best regards from beyond the crypt," with assurances that "I hope to be around for another 15 years or so."

Ishi Press Founder Bozulich Dead at 75?

Published On 11/8/2011

Reports of the death of Richard Bozulich (at left), Ishi Press founder and the father of the English-language go publishing industry, began circulating on the Internet last Saturday. Originating from a post on GoGameGuru, the report of Bozulich’s death at 75 quickly spread across Twitter and other social media and became a focus of discussion on Lifein19x19. The GoGameGuru post was based on an extensive obituary emailed to GGG which was marked "Special to the Japan Times," however, we have been unable thus far to either find the obit on the Times website or independently confirm Bozulich’s death through our sources in Japan. Stay tuned for further updates as more information becomes available. photo: Richard Bozulich (at left) with Neville Smythe, President of the Australian Go Association (center) and go writer John Power at the 2008 World Amateur Go Championships; photo by John Pinkerton.

Kevin Huang Tops Revived PA Open

Published On 11/8/2011

The Lancaster Go Club hosted the Pennsylvania Open last weekend for the first time in almost a decade. The venue, the Summit Grove Camp and Retreat Center, “was a hit,” reports organizer Michael Rhone II. "It was the best value for a go tournament ever,” Keith Arnold said, “five games … two meals. It was a total bargain." Players came from as far away as North Carolina, Delaware, and New Jersey, and there were over twenty players in attendance, with handicaps given in some instances, but many even games were played. There were plenty of choices for dinner locations at night, and rooms were right down the hall from the playing area.

Go Game Guru Launches Online Go Shop

Published On 11/8/2011

Go Game Guru -- an Australia-based go website featuring go news, commentaries and more -- has just opened an online go shop. “We want to make it easier and more affordable for everyone to buy go books,” GGG founder David Ormerod says. The GGG Go Shop catalogue currently includes two dozen popular Kiseido titles “and we have a go book competition to celebrate the opening of the shop,” Ormerod -- a frequent contributor to the E-Journal -- says. “If things go well we have plans for equipment, merchandise and on-demand video,” Ormerod adds. “We'll also expand the number of locations we can ship from to continue reducing postage costs for everyone.” GGG first trialed the go bookshop idea back in June and Ormerod says “Our goals haven't changed since then. Basically everything we're doing is aimed at either introducing go to new players or helping existing players get stronger.”

Ben Hakala Wins Portland Tourney

Published On 11/7/2011

Ben Hakala took top honors in the October 29-30 Portland Go Tournament. Twenty six players -- including three 6-dans and a 7-dan -- participated in the tournament, held on the campus of Lewis & Clark College. While organizer Peter Drake laments that “the award for top female player was not awarded, as all 26 players were male,” he reports that Akane Negishi did stop by long enough to offer KGS Plus memberships to the top single- and double-digit kyu players.” Other prizes -- books, boards, etc.-- were supplied by Yellow Mountain Imports and Slate & Shell, both of whom offered generous discounts. David Fotland also donated a copy of The Many Faces of Go. “Plans are already forming for next year's tournament,” Drake adds. “The strong players inquired about the possibility of an open division. There is also the possibility of increasing the number of rounds from five to seven -- more than the US Open, crammed into two days.

Published On 11/7/2011

The finalists for the 16th Samsung Cup were set on November 3. Won Seongjin 9P defeated Chen Yaoye 9P and Gu Li 9P eliminated Na Hyun 1P (a day earlier) in the quarter finals. The Samsung Cup quarter finals are played as a best of three match, rather than a straight knockout. Gu Li taught young talent Na Hyun a thing or two, defeating him in two straight games. Meanwhile, Won Seongjin and Chen Yaoye fought it out to the bitter end. Their third game was a 355 move epic, featuring numerous interesting moves and ko fights. This sets the stage for a China vs Korea final, which will surely be please the sponsor. The final will start on December 6, 2011. Check the Pro Go Calendar for details on the Samsung Cup and other tournaments as they're added. - David Ormerod; based on his original article: Gu Li to face Won Seongjin in 16th Samsung Cup final (which includes game records and more photos). Photo: Won Seongjin 9P (left) counts the second game with Chen Yaoye 9P.

New Mississippi Club Already Expanding

Published On 11/6/2011

The recently-launched Central Mississippi Go Club (CMGO) is expanding to the Madison/Ridgeland area, reports organizer Greg Smith. “We've been requested to make a location convenient to a core group of go players in the (Ridgeland) area,” Smith tells the E-Journal. “We're happy to comply!” Every fourth Tuesday, the club will meet at the Barnes & Noble off I55. “We had a great turnout” for the club’s first meeting November 1 at The Froghead Grill (off Springridge Road in Clinton), Smith adds. “We played a few games face-to-face, taught a new person how to play go, and we all planned to do it again next week. I couldn't ask for more.” The AGA’s “help really allowed me to assemble an easy-to-transport ‘Go Box,’ making it very easy to host a meeting with a professional feel,” said Smith.

Mini Goban Located

Published On 11/6/2011

The mini 9x9 goban (Cute Board? 10/31 EJ) has been tracked down. It’s available from Schaak en Go Winkel in Amsterdam, Scandinavia’s Mohsart (both offer 13x13 versions as well) and Jeu de Go.com in France. On the other hand, reader Dwight Anderson says the miniature goban "Would be easy to make. Just get someone to cut and plane a 2 x 10 board, draw the lines on with a permanent marker and finish with some varathane. You can buy the little legs at a local building supply."

Published On 11/6/2011

Sixteen-year-old Van Tran spent two weeks in South Korea at the Lee Sedol Baduk Academy earlier this year and sent the E-Journal his report, which will appear over the next few weeks. The high school junior lives in the Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, has been playing for two and a half years and is “about 3 dan.”

Published On 11/1/2011

If you enjoy researching go facts and are good with words, consider being on the AGA Website Transition Team! The AGA is revamping its website, and part of this project involves going through each existing web page and updating information to make it as current and useful as possible. We've already got a great team of volunteers working together on this exciting project, and could use a few more folks to finish up the project and get the new site launched. For example, our current World Amateur Go Championship page shows stats through 2010, so we need to track down who represented the U.S. at the 2011 WAGC and list how they did. No technical skills are required, and we expect this phase of the project to wrap up by the end of November. If you can help -- even with a limited time commitment -- contact Roger Schrag at rs1249@bayareago.org.

Your Move: Cute Board?

Published On 10/31/2011

“I just saw this 9x9 set shown in SPIEl 2011, Europe's largest board game conference," writes Ramon A. Mercado. "I was wondering if someone in the AGA would know where a set like this may be found in the U.S. This set would look great in the living room coffee table, or even in a desk at work. Imagine what a nice conversational item.” email journal@usgo.org with suggestions

Published On 10/30/2011

Go author Jonathan Hop is starting a video lecture website aimed at popularizing go and providing more resources for people who want to learn more. The website, Sunday Go Lessons "will eventually grow to have hundreds of lectures on various topics, from joseki to the middle game, and will present go in a fun and exciting way,” Hop tells the E-Journal. “Perfect for getting friends and colleagues acquainted with the game.” Looking for financial contributions from the go community to help get his dream off the ground, Hop is offering prizes for contributors, including free lectures and signed copies of his books. Jonathan Hop is a 4 dan amateur and studied at the Yu Changhyuk Baduk Dojo in Migeum, S. Korea and is also the author of the So You Want to Play Go?series, a primer for players of all skill levels. Click here for details on the new site.

Published On 10/30/2011

Leading networking company TRENDnet is sponsoring a brand-new tournament in Southern California. The first annual TRENDnet 2011 Southern California Go Championship will be held December 3-4 in Alhambra, California, reports Orange County Go Club organizer Kevin Chao. The five-round tournament includes a $2,000 prize pool and a $500 top prize for the open section. TRENDnet, a Torrance, CA-based global provider of award-winning networking solutions to small and medium size business and home users, has committed to sponsoring the tournament through 2013. Since its start in 1990, TRENDnet -- under the slogan “Networks People Trust” -- has built a diverse product line that includes wireless, fiber, wwitch, gigabit, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), keyboard/video/mouse (KVM), Internet camera, print server, powerline, Bluetooth, storage server, power over Ethernet (PoE), and multimedia accessories.

Published On 10/30/2011

SHREWSBURY TOURNAMENT, 2 October: The winner of this year's Shrewsbury tournament was Toby Manning, after a long struggle with Baron Allday. Kathleen Timmins also won three games. Although numbers were down on last year, those present enjoyed the tournament and commented that the shift to Sunday had made travel and parking troublefree. SWINDON TOURNAMENT, 18 September: The Swindon Tournament went well and attracted 36 players. Winning again after a gap of six years was Bei Ge (5 dan), who beat Francis Roads in the last round. Francis led the Wanstead club to victory in the team prize. The only other player to win all three games was young Aidan Putman (12 kyu) from Swindon, so a special prize went to Adan Mordcovich (2 kyu) for two good wins.

Published On 10/30/2011

Challenger Yamashita Keigo 9P (at right) won the Meijin title match last Friday, taking the title from defending Meijin Iyama Yuta 9P in six games. After Yamashita went up 3-1 in the seven-game match, Iyama was in a tight position. He successfully defended a kadoban (match-deciding game) in Game 5 to bring the score back to 3-2, but faced another one in Game 6. Iyama Yuta's fans hoped that he'd be able to stage a fight-back and defend the title but their hope was short-lived after Yamashita neatly wrapped up the series with a 3.5 point win as white on October 28. The final score for the series was 4-2. Yamashita Keigo now holds the Japanese Honinbo and Meijin titles simultaneously. Just the seventh player to do so, he joins Sakata Eio, Rin Kaiho, Ishida Yoshio, Cho Chikun, Cho U and Takao Shinji in the history books.

Published On 10/30/2011

Computer go has improved dramatically in recent years, For instance, a program named "Zen" recently earned a rating of KGS 4D by playing 83 games in 24 hours at that rating, and winning 60 of them. Peter Shotwell (l) has written about computer go for years, and covers all the latest advances in a thorough update of his article available from The Bob High Memorial Library, entitled, "A Time Line of Supercomputer Go: Temporal Difference Learning to Monte Carlo Programming." Also available are two appendices featuring interviews with some of the more prominent programmers.

Qiyun Zhu 8d Tops Lefler Memorial

Published On 10/29/2011

Two dozen go players turned out on October 29th in Rochester, NY to play in the seventh Greg Lefler Memorial Tournament. In three rounds of play the following winners emerged: Dan Section: 1st: Qiyun Zhu 8d; 2nd: Yidong Wang 5d; 3rd: Phil Waldron 5d. High Kyu Section: 1st: James Feinup 3k; 2nd: Jim Gonella 6k; 3rd: Sean Reeves 8k. Low Kyu Section: 1st: James Howard 19k; 2nd: Patrick Wesp 13k; 3rd: Angel Lomeli 20k. The tournament is held annually to honor Rochester go organizer Greg Lefler “who taught us all to love go and to promote it in anyway we knew how,” reports Steve Colburn. - photo courtesy Steve Colburn

Published On 10/29/2011

Zhiping You sent along this photo, “taken in my hometown, Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan province. I didn't take it personally, I got it from an article about home trip experience. The picture is a random photo in a park. Interestingly, many people in the picture are playing go (WeiQi). This shows how popular this game is in Chengdu. If go had this kind of popularity in the US, it would be great, wouldn’t it?”

GO Classified: Stones For Sale

Published On 10/29/2011

Set of 8mm Japanese glass Go stones in wooden bowls for $90. Free shipping. Worth much more, retail. Compare prices at Kiseido Online Shop. email antonninno@yahoo.com

Published On 10/28/2011

Deadline for registering for the 10th World Student’s GO OZA Championship is this Sunday, October 30. The Student’s Oza takes place in Tokyo, Japan February 27 to March 2. Founded in 2003, the tournament is for students throughout the world, and is organized by students. University/college students under the age of 30 can participate in the preliminary rounds on Pandanet, which start on November 6. Click here to register “It was an exciting event and an enjoyable trip,” says Yue Zhang 7D from Ohio, who played in the 9th World Student’s GO OZA Championship. Click here for results from the last event. The championship is organized and sponsored by the All-Japan Students GO Association, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Pandanet and the Nihon Ki-in.

Published On 10/28/2011

Ed Lee and Jennie Shen 2P stopped by the Nihon Kiin in Tokyo during a recent visit to Japan. “Yoda Norimoto 9P was playing in the Yuugen no Ma on the 5th floor, Kobayashi Kouichi 9P was on the 7th floor and we also ran into Michael Redmond 9P in the hallway,” Lee reports. “Jennie and I accidentally found quite a few go clubs,” during the two-week group tour October 2 - 16, with Lee’s karate sensei, “related to the 80th anniversary of Waseda University's karate club.” Click here to see more of Lee’s photos.

Published On 10/24/2011

The new Central Mississippi Go Club -- an official AGA chapter -- will start playing November 1st on Tuesdays in Clinton, MS. The club is just west of Jackson, MS off Springridge Road Exit near the Natchez Trace.

Young Lions Deadline Nov. 1

Published On 10/24/2011

Over 40 players have already signed up for the Young Lions Tourney, according to AGHS VP Justin Teng. Registration closes November 1, so sign up now if you want to play. Participants must be 18 or younger and have solid, KGS or AGA ranks. Prizes will be awarded to the top three players in each of four divisions, and all ranks are welcome. Youth who want to compete should sign up here, more info on the tourney can be found here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Your Move: Yearbook’s Hotlinks Updated

Published On 10/24/2011

A number of readers wrote in to advise us that not all the links in the 2010 American Go Yearbook (2010 American Go Yearbook Released 7/28/2011) were hotlinked. We’ve fixed the problem and uploaded and updated version of the Yearbook with clickable links. The 123-page full-color members-only PDF includes a wealth of material culled from last year’s reporting in the American Go E-Journal, as well as latest ratings, a list of AGA chapters, the 2009 Member’s Edition Collection and the 2010 Member’s Edition Collection. New material includes a 10-page Go Tools section covering go books, software and hardware; the 10-page Scoreboard section, with full-color photos from events held in 2010; a snapshot of ratings as of July 17; the top 50 players with most games/events from both 2010 and 1991-2010; bios, photos and contact info on America’s Teaching Professionals, and a photo gallery of U.S. Titleholders 2010.

Rockville Kids Discover Go

Published On 10/24/2011

Two classrooms of kids at Luxmanor Elementary School, in Rockville MD, were recently introduced to go by Edward Zhang 6d, and Justin Teng 4d. Teng, who is 15, created the project for his Eagle Scout Badge (the highest rank possible in the Boy Scouts). As the program is about leadership, Teng himself wasn't allowed to teach directly, but he organized the demonstration, found a volunteer to teach, secured support from the Greater Washington Go Club, and oversaw all aspects of the program. “The kids walked excitedly into the classroom,” Teng told the Journal, “gazing at the mysterious objects on their desks. Some of them immediately shouted, 'Oh! I know this game! Chinese Checkers!'

Published On 10/24/2011

Japanese American high school students are invited to apply with the Japanese Consulate for a free trip to Japan. "I would like to introduce an invitation program for Japanese-American students by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to you. This program invites Japanese-American students to Japan, and promotes mutual understanding between younger generations of both countries through 10 days stay in Japan," Consul Yanagida of the Japanese Consulate in Denver, announced. Five students from all over the United States will be invited from March 9th to 20th, 2012. American high-school students whose ancestral origins are in Japan can apply to this program. For details, see the Consulate webpage. Residents of any state can apply, but should do so to their local consulates, which are listed here. The deadline is November 30th. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 10/24/2011

The American Go Association is sponsoring the 2012 International Go Symposium, a scholarly conference to explore go’s rich educational, cultural, historical, literary, artistic and scientific dimensions. Papers are now being accepted for presentation during next year's U.S. Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC.

Published On 10/24/2011

Alexandre Dinerchtein’s Korean-Style Insei League on the Kiseido Go Server is a training league aimed at providing online participants with an experience similar to Dinerchtein’s insei training in Korea. Dinnerchtein, a 7-time European champion, holds a 3 dan professional ranking from Korea. Besides Dinerchtein, League teachers include Christian Pop (solaris on KGS) and Fernando Aguilar (aguilar on KGS), who are also regular teachers in KGS Plus. AGA 7 dan Andy Liu (bigbadwolf on KGS) has also participated as a teacher.

Published On 10/24/2011

Today's game review, by Feng Yun 9P, looks at a kyu level game between two young players who wish to remain anonymous. White is just eight years old, and improving quickly. His opponent is 14, and also a very quick learner. This match was played during one of the monthly Tiger's Mouth prize tournaments, sponsored by the AGF. Website members can join the tourney, and compete for $75 worth of prizes in three different brackets. Raffles are also held for the anime prize pack, and a complete set of Hikaru no Go manga (all 23 volumes). Youth players 18 and under are welcome at all TM tourneys, click here for more info. NOTE: The next TM tourney will be on October 29th, click here to register. Want to see game reviews every week? Sign up now for the E-Journal Member's Edition!

Published On 10/23/2011

The out-of-print Killer of Go: Technique and Preventative Measures by Sakata Eio (published by Yutopian) is now back to life in SmartGo Books. “It's a classic text on the theme of killing stones, featuring advice, game analysis, killing techniques, as well as shape and tewari analysis,” says SmartGo’s Anders Kierulf. The SmartGo Books edition “makes it easy to replay the moves in the diagrams,” Kierulf adds.

10-Kyu Tops MGA Fall Tourney

Published On 10/23/2011

Ralph St. Louis 10k (right) took first place in the October 16 Massachusetts Go Association Fall Tournament, held at the Boylston Chess Club in Somerville MA. St. St. Louis edged out fellow 4-0 winner Steven Wu 2d (left) to top the 28-player field. Third place went to Jason McGibbon, 4-kyu. photo by Tournament Director Eva Casey

Horn Sweeps Davis-Sac Fall Tourney

Published On 10/23/2011

Jeff Horn 1d (right) swept the October 15th Davis/Sacramento Go Club’s Fall Quarterly tournament, winning all four games. The 10-player field included first-timers Vlad Lopes-Campbell-Forbes, Zack Peach, and Shiloh Pfeifer. - report/photo by Willard Haynes

Published On 10/22/2011

Les Lanphear reports that he spotted go in the 2010 China-Hong Hong epic mystery film “Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.” “Toward the end of the movie there is a go board that seems to have 19 lines and colored pieces on the board,” says Lanphear. “The colored pieces seemed to be in the shape of chocolate kisses and in a translucent colored substance. One of the general’s was playing with someone. It was too short to determine if the setup was real or not.” Tsui Hark directed the fictional account of Di Renjie, one of the most celebrated officials of the Tang Dynasty and the basis for the character of Judge Dee, made famous in the West by Robert van Gulik, who wrote 17 new Judge Dee mysteries between 1946 and 1967.

Go Photo: One Final Game

Published On 10/22/2011

Two friends play one final game while awaiting internment, in San Francisco, California, in early 1942. From The Atlantic’s August 21 photo essay “World War II: Internment of Japanese Americans,” part of a weekly retrospective of World War II. Thanks to Steve Colburn for passing this along.

Young Lions Roar in November

Published On 10/17/2011

Do you have what it takes to be the leader of the pride? Registration is now open for the Young Lions Tournament, run by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS). Last year's winner in the dan division, Vincent Zhuang 6d, went on to represent the US at the World Youth Go Championships. Will this year's tourney predict our next US Champions as well? The tourney is scheduled for November 12-13. Participants must be 18 or younger and have solid, KGS or AGA ranks. All matches will be played on KGS in the AGHS Tournament room (Room List –> Tournaments). Prizes will be awarded to the top three in each division. Spectators are welcome, and the E-J will highlight some of the more interesting match ups. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Korean Pro Visits Mexico

Published On 10/17/2011

The Hankuk Kiwon (Korean Go Association) sent Chun Poong Jho 9P to Mexico this month, in honor of the XIII Iberoamerican Go Tournament. Chun has promoted go internationally for decades, and speaks several languages. Local organizer Siddhartha Avila reports: "Mr. Chun visited the Pipiolo Art School and was received by teachers, parents and students. During the day the kids presented a Mexican song performance, and we had a visit from the Public Education Zone Supervisor as well, who learned about the great benefits of teaching go in kindergarden and elementary schools.

Published On 10/16/2011

The 2nd Bingsheng Cup came and went this week and Park Jieun 9P chalked up another international win. The Bingsheng Cup is a competition for the strongest female go players worldwide.

In Memoriam: Rick Peterson, 1958-2011

Published On 10/10/2011

Virginia and Washington DC players mourn the passing of longtime player Rick Peterson, who passed away at his home earlier this year. Rick first learned go from his fraternity brothers as a student at Northwestern University. He played throughout his life and is remembered fondly by players who knew him in Milwaukee, San Francisco, Durham, Chapel Hill and finally in Lexington, VA. He was especially proud to teach go to his son Cobb in the last few years of his life while battling brain cancer; Cobb now plays regularly. One of his last projects was refinishing a gorgeous old goban he bought on eBay, to pass down to his son. From his obituary: "In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you hug the people you love and make a donation to your favorite charity." Rick's wife Mary sent a "Go Angel" donation of $1000 in his memory to The American Go Foundation. "We are honored to get Rick's help; now we can spread his go legacy even further."

Crystal Lake High Students Learn Go

Published On 10/10/2011

Crystal Lake South High School Chinese Club, in Illiinois, launched its first event of the semester with an introduction to go (weiqi) by Chicago teacher and weiqi enthusiast Simon Xinming Guo, on Sept. 22nd. Guo came at the invitation of Ms. Lin Hsieh, the Chinese language teacher at the school. Ms. Hsieh hopes to use Weiqi to help her students to understand Chinese culture and to learn strategic thinking. Altogether, about 110 students from Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove High school learned about weiqi in their Chinese language classes. Check out Guo's page for the event for more info. -

Published On 10/10/2011

D’mitri Moore, of Detroit, MI, and Jasmine Yan, of Edison, NJ, have each won $1,000 towards their college expenses, from the American Go Foundation. The scholarship recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community, and is awarded annually.

Published On 10/10/2011

Earlier this year, we covered the skeptical reaction to Henry Kissinger's claim, in his new book On China, that principles of go -- or weiqi, as it's known in China -- influence Chinese military and political thinking. (Click here to view the article. ) The Economist, The Wall Street Journal and others found the comparison shallow and superfluous. Noted go author Peter Shotwell disputed the historical basis for Kissinger's assumptions here. Now Richard Bozulich, the founder of Ishi Press and Kiseido and author or publisher of dozens of the finest go books in English, goes even farther, in an essay available for download exclusively on the AGA's Bob High Memorial Library. In Richard Bozulich on Kissinger on China and Go, he presents a set of facts to support the view that in fact China pursues particularly unreasonable, unyielding policies, while the US and even chess-playing Russia sometimes apply "commonsense" principles

Published On 10/4/2011

A small -- 8 players – field nonetheless enjoyed “a fun and spirited go tournament” in Middlebury, VT on October 2. The eight players represented Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, reports TD Pete Schumer. Three players finished with 3-1 records. Based on SOS tie breaking, 1st place went to Eric Osman 2d, second place to Josh Ackerman 1k, and third to David Felcan 1d. Lunch and snacks were provided as well as trophies and prizes for all participants.

Published On 10/4/2011

Jung Hoon Lee 7d won the Rocky Mountain Fall Go Tournament on Saturday, October 1, which was held at the Highlands Ranch Public Library in Colorado. The 41 players ranged from 25 kyu to 7 dan.In the top section, Jerry Mao 7d took 2nd place. In the dan/single-digit-kyu group, Michael Wanek 3d took 1st place, George Angelos 8k was 2nd, and and Larry LeJeune 3k was 3rd. In the double-digit-kyu section, Hannah Jung 17k was 1st, Abby Cupec 25k was 2nd, and Alan Newman 25k was 3rd. Both Cupec and Newman were playing in their first tournaments. “The Springs Go Club donated money for the tournament prizes in memory of their long time member Leonard Kane who passed away last week,” reports organizer David Weiss. photo: dan section, by Larry LeJeune

Published On 10/3/2011

It was a lot of fun teaching go at the recent Anime Syracuse 2011 Festival. Ten of our members helped to teach at the festival. We were given a room with four 8' tables, and had a minimum of 7 beginner sets and three full size sets throughout the day. Several of our members brought along their go sets. On one full size set we set up Richard Moseson's "Basic Life and Death Shapes". Dick and Breck Borges brought some beginner go books, Eric Hookway brought along a beginner go book, Hikaru no Go vol.1, and a Hikaru no Go dvd, and Jim Gonnella also brought a Hikaru no Go manga. A lot of people were dressed up at the festival.

Ing's Youth Cup October 23rd

Published On 10/3/2011

The 14th annual Ing's Youth Cup Goe tournament will be held October 23rd, at the Chinese Cultural Center, in Sunnyvale California. The popular tourney is organized by Mingjiu Jiang 7p, and sponsored by the Ing Foundation. Last year's event drew over 100 youth, who enjoyed prizes and trophies in ten different bands, sorted by rank. There is also a 13x13 tournament for newer players. Registration is $35, including lunch, but goes up by $10 if you register after October 10th. For more information, and to register, go to Gomasters.com. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Last year's tourney, from the Go Masters site.

Published On 9/27/2011

This year's Portland Go Tournament – set for October 29-30 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR -- will involve no less than four 6-dans, reports organizer Peter Drake. “Guozhong Zhuang, his son Vincent -- who recently represented the U.S. in the World Youth Go Championship -- Nicholas Zhirad, and Solomon Choe (self-promoting from 5.9),” says Drake. “Lesser dans and single- and double-digit kyu players should also be present in abundance.” The two-day, five-round handicap tournament is the largest annual tournament in Oregon and is again being held at Lewis & Clark College, recently ranked as the second most beautiful campus in the country by the Princeton Review. The tournament director is experimenting with the new software from goclubs.org, which was used successfully at the Tacoma Go Club's recent Back-To-School tournament. Click here for details on online registration.

Published On 9/26/2011

To mark their 16th anniversary, the Seattle Go Center had a party on Sept. 10, and a tournament on Sept 17. About 40 people came to the party, which featured sushi, fresh bread from longtime local organizer Chris Kirschner, a go game cake by Vicki Wheeler, a silent auction, and a mesmerizing koto concert by Shiho Kurauchi and Chiyusa Kitai. All the music had been composed since 1970.

MacFadyen Retains British Open Crown

Published On 9/26/2011

In a nail-biting game, Matthew Macfadyen beat Nick Krempel on September 17 in London to retain the title of British Go Champion. "In an exciting third and deciding game, Macfadyen killed a group early on and held on against everything Nick Krempel could throw at him," reports Tony Atkins. "Eventually Nick had to resign allowing Matthew to be champion for another year." Game records of the championship match are available in the KGS Archives. Other recent news from the British tournament scene is available here.

France: Strasbourg Wins Master Lim Cup

Published On 9/26/2011

With 22 dan players lined up on their team, it came as no surprise that the Strasbourg Go Club kept the French Champion title last Sunday, September 25 at the Master Lim Cup. Motoki Noguchi 6d, Thomas Debarre 6d, Frédéric Donzet 5d and Antoine Fenech 5d led Strasbourg and only Nantes and Toulouse managed to score a win with the defeat of Donzet against Desvaux and Noguchi against Fan (see the game record below). The ninth edition of the Master Lim Cup was considered a success in all respects, with no less than 14 teams present in Piriac-sur-Mer, and the clubs sending their best players to fight under the bright sun, including François Mizessyn, Alain Kerbrat, Bernard Helmstetter, Toru Imamura

Go Classified: Go Set For Sale

Published On 9/26/2011

For Sale: Traditional Japanese-made Go set with 7mm glass stones, wooden bowls, and either a 1.5cm lighter-color folding board (like new), Or a 1.8cm darker-color, older folding board (nice, well-used). $100, plus $15 shipping. Anton Ninno antonninno@yahoo.com

Seattle Go Center Gets Matching Grant

Published On 9/25/2011

All donations made to the Seattle Go Center in the month of September will be matched by another donor, reported Manager Brian Allen at the Center's 16th anniversary party. "Our anonymous benefactor will match donations up to a total of $10,000", he said. Some donors may also trigger matching grants from their employers, since the Go Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit. Center supporters can donate online using the website donation page: donate. Now that the downstairs of their building is rented out, the Go Center has been gradually increasing programming and outreach, often with volunteer help. The Seattle Center is open 5 days a week; two days a week for classes, and three days a week for games and informal lessons. It is also open on Sundays for tournaments about twice a month. "This is a great time to support the Center and help us get back to teaching and promoting go full time" noted Allen.

Published On 9/25/2011

An otherwise normal game in the main tournament of the 39th Myeongin has become a sensation. This is because amateur go player, Cho Insun 7D, just turned pro under the Korean Baduk Association's new points system. On September 20, 2011, Cho Insun began his Myeongin game with Park Jeonggeun 4P in more or less the usual way. However, he knew that if he won the game he would be allowed to turn professional. And so did everyone else. Despite the pressure and anticipation of others, Cho played an excellent game, grabbing a win as well as the points he needed to take his tally to the crucial number, 100. Under the new system, amateur players can accumulate points for performing well in the professional tournaments that allow amateurs to qualify and compete. Some examples of these are the LG Cup, the Samsung Cup and, of course, the Myeongin. Cho is the first player to reach 100 points under this system and become pro. Perhaps his story will inspire other aspiring amateurs worldwide?

GO SPOTTING: Bruce Lee and Go

Published On 9/25/2011

E-Journal reader Michael Albert spotted go in Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection), the 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film starring Bruce Lee in his second major film. “When a scene came up with a go board in it, I was a little skeptical at first,” says Albert, “but then after reviewing the scene a couple times -- and watching to go board get thrown at someone's face -- I realized that I was seeing the real deal. A previous scene shows to people placing stones on the board. I can't tell you if they were playing a real game or just placing random stones on the board.”

Published On 9/22/2011

The American Go Association will host a qualifier on KGS this weekend for the Second Qiong-Long-Shan World Women Championship. China is hosting the Qiong-Long-Shan Championship October 8-14. Sixteen strongest female players throughout the world are being invited to attend in Suzhou China. Top prize is RMB 200,000 (about $30,000). Prize per game is RMB 6,000. The AGA will host a qualifier on KGS this weekend. All female players with ratings above 5.0 are welcome. AGA membership and US citizenship are required (UPDATE: green card holders are now eligible!) except for CGA representatives. Web camera and KGS accounts are required. The tournament will be during September 25-28 with flexible schedule as long as both players agree, otherwise players must be available to play 3 rounds on 8 PM ET/5 PT on 9/26, 9/27 and 9/28. Basic time is 1 hour. Overtime is 5 periods of 1 minute. Please write to tournaments@usgo.org to register by 8 PM ET on Saturday 9/24.

Piao Wenyao Wins 13th Ahan Tongshan Cup

Published On 9/21/2011

Piao Wenyao 9P won the 13th Ahan Tongshan Cup yesterday, defeating Chen Yaoye 9P in the final (on September 20, 2011). The Ahan Tongshan Cup is a rapid tournament in China, which is also sometimes referred to as the Agon Cup, because it shares a sponsor with the Japanese Agon-Kiriyama Cup. The time allowed for play is slightly unusual, with players receiving 30 seconds per move and 10 x 60 second byo yomi periods. The byo yomi can be used if the players need more than 30 seconds on a particular move. Those who follow professional go may recall that Piao also won the 15th LG Cup, in February 2011. - Jingning; based on her original article: Piao Wenyao defeats Chen Yaoye to win 13th Ahan Tongshan Cup on Go Game Guru. Photo: Piao Wenyao 9P reviews the final game.

Published On 9/20/2011

Fourteen players competed in the September 18 Tacoma (WA) Go Club’s annual Back-To-School Tournament at the Seattle Go Center. “Players from as far away as Portland, Oregon, braved the I-5 slog to participate,” reports club organizer Gordon Castanza. For this tournament the Tacoma Go Club inaugurated its use of Go Clubs On-Line for pre-registrations, lunch orders, and beta testing of the GCOL pairings program.

Published On 9/20/2011

Changlong Wu 7d swept the 11th Triangle Memorial Tournament, held at the traditional outdoors setting at Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina. A total of 38 players participated, and as is customary for this event sponsored by the Triangle Go Group, all the entry fees were returned as cash prizes. In addition the players were treated to a full lunch and daylong snacks prepared by tireless Arlene Bridges, “who added to the warmth of Southern hospitality by stoking a blazing fire in the fireplace of the picnic shelter to fend of an early fall chill,” reports TD Charles Alden.

Kaya Go Server Aims at Online Audience

Published On 9/20/2011

Those who have attended Congresses will be familiar with seeing top board games computer projected onto a large screen, relayed to on-line audiences around the world. Many more people will have played on-line. A new go server aims at these online fans. The Kaya Go Server aims to improve accessibility, especially for newcomers, by making it simple to play in a web browser. There is also an emphasis on making community features readily available. For details there’s an interesting interview with Kaya’s lead developer, Gabriel Benmergui , a leading Argentine player, as well as comments in Finnish champion Anntii Törmänen’s blog and there’s also overall information on on-line go servers. - Bob Gilman

Go Classified: Blogger Wanted

Published On 9/20/2011

Bob Terry and Mark Lass have launched Go Wizardry and "are looking for someone to keep an up-to-date blog on news events in the world of go." Contact them at info@GoWizardry.com.

Go Classified: Students Wanted

Published On 9/20/2011

Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting enrollment for Group Classes for the 3rd term 2011, beginning on October 1/2 2011 and ending on November 19/20 2011. The group class participants will also receive a 20% discount on the Year Membership of our Audio Lectures. "Our students and teachers wish to meet you! Our very experienced teaching faculty includes Guo Juan 5P, Jennie Shen 2P and Young Sun 8P." For details visit Internet Go School.

Published On 9/20/2011

SmartGo Books has just released "Modern Master Games, Volume One: The Dawn of Tournament Go," a new Kiseido book by Rob van Zeijst and Richard Bozulich. “Master Games” features detailed commentary on eleven masterpieces by some of the great players of the post-war era. It starts with the atomic-bomb game between Iwamoto and Hashimoto, Takagawa's dominance of the Honinbo title, the rise of Sakata and Fujisawa Shuko, Fujisawa Hosai and his imitation go strategy, and more.

Upcoming European Event Calendar

Published On 9/20/2011

September 24th, Master Lim Cup (French Club Championship, held in Piriac) October 29th, French Championship Finals (held in Dijon) October 29th, 26th Brussels Tournament November 10th, Rennes Tournament November 19th and 26th, Paris Meijin - Nicolas Puyaubreau, special to the E-Journal

Xuyu Xiang 6d Tops Chicago Tourney

Published On 9/19/2011

Xuyu Xiang 6d (l) took first place in the September 3 Form Follows Function Tournament in Chicago, IL. “We had some new players and some old players,” reports organizer and TD Bob Barber (at right in photo at left). “In particular, Jeff Pratt took a short break from raising four boys to join in the fun. And Steven Harris reappeared after a hiatus of fifteen years. Great to reconnect.” Winner’s Report: 1st Place Dan: XIANG, Xuyu, 6d; 1st Place Hi Kyu: WALL, Philip, 4k; Tie First Place Low Kyu: LIN, Crystal, 17k & LIU, Amy, 20k. 33 players participated. photos by Dan Smith (wearing his official E-Journal cap)

Published On 9/19/2011

Want to win a free trip to the SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing this December? Enter the brand-new SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament for your chance at the trip! Registration is now open for the tournament, which will be held on the Internet Go Server (IGS) under the auspices of SportAccord, supported by Samsung and Rado and organized by the International Go Federation and Pandanet. The winner of this all-amateur event will be invited to observe the first SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG), scheduled for December 8-17 in Beijing (RANKA online will present reports and up-to-date news from the venue on game results and other items).

Published On 9/19/2011

The first WBaduk Intercontinental Team Cup -- another new online tournament -- is now recruiting players from three continents, including the Americas. The Team Cup “is a last-man-standing tournament with five representatives from each participating continent,” Semi Lee of the Cyberkiwon Corps’ WBaduk Team tells the E-Journal. “Each player who wins continues to play opponents from the other two teams, alternating between them, until there are no more opponents left. The last surviving team wins the Cup!” Registration -- open through the end of the month -- is free, over $10,000 has been budgeted for the tournament and organizers are offering “special prizes.”

Harrisburg Tourney Canceled!

Published On 9/9/2011

The go tournament scheduled for this Sunday, September 11 in Harrisburg PA has been canceled. "The heavy rainfall has caused flooding in the city," reports Jason Long, "and that has made our venue unavailable."

Hoboken Open Canceled

Published On 9/7/2011

The Hoboken Open scheduled for September 18 has been canceled, reports organizer Larry Russ.

Published On 9/7/2011

Go player Joanne Missingham 5P, who plays professionally in Taiwan as Hei Jiajia, is protesting against discrimination in the professional go world. Missingham has been photographed (right) carrying a fan with the words 'protest gender discrimination' inscribed on it in Chinese calligraphy. The catalyst for this was the recent Qiandeng Cup. The Taiwanese Go Association decided not to pay female go players the match fee of 2000 Yuan, while the men still received payment for their games. All four of the women involved withdrew from the competition in protest and Joanne can be seen in the photo taking the 'protest fan' to games a week later. You can join the discussion about Joanne Missingham's protest at Go Game Guru. - Jingning, based on her original article at Go Game Guru. Photo: Joanne Missingham 5P plays Ding Wei 9P.

Published On 9/5/2011

"To read Yilun Yang's Life-Death Lecture in the E-Journal I click 'download SGF file' and allow Windows Explorer to download the file," writes AGA member Bong Joon Yoon. "Then I only get the screen saying 'Copyright 2002-2011 Google Inc'; obviously I need to install a software to read SGF files. Can you advise me which software is good for this purpose?" Our Computer Go page has links to a number of go programs, including many that read sgf files, and others that play go. http://www.usgo.org/resources/computer.html

International Go Art Contest

Published On 9/4/2011

"The 1st International Children's Go is Art Painting Contest received submissions from the US, Mexico, Japan, the Philippines and India," reports Alma G. Juarez, of Mexico City. "We wanted to make go culture flourish among children, and promote it through a creative exchange with the painting contest," Juarez told the Journal, "there were three categories A, B and C from 6 to 15 years old, and kids were free to use any technique they wanted for their artworks. All the paintings we received were amazing and we could see the creativity and love that these children have for go." The submissions are all online, and can be seen here.

Chicago Teens Learn Chinese and Go

Published On 9/4/2011

"This summer, fifty high school students from the Chicago area attended the Startalk Learn Chinese program, and filled their summer vacation with an intensive college-level Chinese language experience," reports Xinming Simon Guo, "sure, they were immersed in activities typical of a language program: listening, speaking, reading and writing in Chinese. What the students did not know they were in for was the use of weiqi (go) to help them understand Chinese culture and thinking. What’s the relationship between Chinese language learning and weiqi? Research from Wellcome Trust showed that Mandarin Chinese speakers use both sides of their brains to understand language, whereas English speakers use just the left hemisphere.

Simons Says Belfast

Published On 9/3/2011

As August drew to a close, go players descended upon Northern Ireland to do battle. The 2011 Belfast Open once again took place at Belfast Boat Club, with a total of 23 players, and n0 boats taking part. The winner was Andrew ‘Uberdude’ Simons, taking the title with a perfect score. Second place went to 2009 winner Matthew Crosby, while James Hutchinson salvaged some local pride with 3rd place. Winning performance prizes for 4 wins out of 5 were Justyna Kleczar (who had just won the Galway Open), and Marek Gutkowski from Dublin. Click for the Results Table. - Ian Davis

Published On 9/3/2011

More than 60 go players have already registered for the next Insei League. “Our September League will be even stronger than usual,” reports Alexandre Dinerchtein. “We will have Fernando Aguilar (aguilar on KGS) and Pavol Lisy (cheater on KGS) fighting for first place in our supergroup.” Prizes in the League’s five groups total $750 (USD) with a special prize for the most active insei: Japanese green tea set with free shipping from Japan. Insei League teachers include An Younggil, Cristian Pop, Alexandr Dinerchtein, Andy Lui, Hwang Inseong and many 5-6d amateurs. There are a few spaces remaining in the League; click here for details.

Published On 9/3/2011

The Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) is inviting international participants to the 5th Kim-In Cup International Senior Baduk Competition, to be held November 4-7 in Gang Jin City, Korea. Dan players (male - born before 12/31/1961, female - born before 12/31/1981) are welcome to form teams of four to enter. They may also enter as individuals. Cash prizes will be given. Players are responsible for their own air tickets to and from Seoul, Korea; all other expenses are borne by the sponsors. Contact Thomas Hsiang, AGA Vice President for International Affairs at igf@usgo.org if you're interested.

Published On 9/3/2011

The International Go Federation (IGF) is in the process of applying for membership in the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The decision was made at the IGFâ€™s annual general meeting in May of this year. Preparations are proceeding well and the IGF expects to participate in the 2015 Summer Universiade event in Gwangju, Korea. -- reported by Thomas Hsiang

The SportAccord World Mind Games

Published On 9/3/2011

Preparation for the First Sport Accord World Mind Games is proceeding rapidly. This event, to be held December 8-17 in Beijing, features six top international teams made up of four men and one woman each from China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea, the European Union, and the U.S. Two medals items will be played: team and pair go. The U.S. team has been formed and is made up of Jie Li, Andy Liu, Mingjiu Jiang, Kevin Huang, and Yun Feng. Yun Feng and Jie Li will also represent the U.S. in the pair-go tourney. Several exciting side events to promote the main tournament will be held in the next two to three months. Details should be forthcoming soon. -- reported by Thomas Hsiang

Samsung Cup Group Stage Results

Published On 8/30/2011

The group stage of the 16th Samsung Cup finished on August 26. Unlike other go tournaments, the Samsung Cup doesn't use a straight knockout in the round of 32. Instead, the players compete in groups of four, with two players advancing from each group. Go Game Guru has a more detailed explanation of how the Samsung Cup round of 32 works. Lee Changho 9P made it through to the next round after receiving a wildcard qualification for the group stage, which he initially expressed reservations about accepting.

NEW IN PRINT 2011: A Mixed Bag

Published On 8/24/2011

by Roy Laird During this year’s annual visit to the vendor room at the U.S. Go Congress, I added four new titles to my collection. I’m interested in pretty much anything John Fairbairn has to say, so I was excited to see that his ongoing partnership with Slate and Shell has produced two in which he focuses on a single important game played by Shusai , the last hereditary head of the Honinbo school. Old Fuseki vs. New Fuseki describes Shusai’s 1933 encounter with Go Seigen , while The Meijin’s Retirement Game covers the 1938 contest immortalized in Kawabata’s The Master of Go.

YOUR MOVE: Congress Ratings?

Published On 8/23/2011

“When will the ratings be updated?” wonders Andreas. “Looks like the first two rounds of the main Congress tournament are in there, but nothing after Wednesday, none of the Self-Paired.” In general, tournaments are rated within a week of our receiving the tournament results report from the tournament director. From time to time there are delays as we have to clarify some of the results with the tournament directors...its very easy to transpose a number in a players AGA ID, for instance. Please rest assured that we will rate the tournaments as quickly as possible. - Jonathan M Bresler, AGA Ratings Coordinator photo: at the 2011 U.S. Open in Santa Barbara, CA; photo by Chris Garlock

Go Game Guru Marks 1st Anniversary

Published On 8/23/2011

Go Game Guru -- a frequent contributor to the E-Journal -- celebrated its first anniversary on August 22

Published On 8/22/2011

Fifteen go players attended the Fifth Annual NC Guo Juan Workshop, held August 12-14, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Published On 8/22/2011

Ting Li 1P visited the Chicago area after the recent U.S. Go Congress and paid a visit to the Schaumburg Go Club.

Published On 8/22/2011

Park Younghun 9P took the World Meijin title for Korea on Saturday (August 20), defeating China's Jiang Weijie 5P and Japan's Iyama Yuta 9P. The 2nd World Meijin tournament - officially called the China Changde Cup, World Mingren Championship - was a contest between the domestic Meijin title holders in China, Japan and Korea. In China and Korea the titles are called Mingren and Myeongin respectively. The format of the tournament was similar to the recent Bosai Cup. There were three rounds and two wins were required to take the title. In the first round, Park defeated Iyama, securing a place in the final. Jiang, who drew a bye in round 1, eliminated Iyama in round 2. Park won the final in 132 moves, after successfully fending off Jiang's last ditch attempt to kill one of his groups. Congratulations Park Younghun!

Updating Your E-Journal Profile

Published On 8/21/2011

Top tourney results…opportunities to participate in international events…upcoming events…to keep you up-to-date on world go news, the E-Journal now publishes whenever go news breaks. If that works for you, you don’t need to do anything. However, if you prefer the once-a-week compilation of the previous week’s posts, simply click on the "Update Your Profile" link at the bottom of each EJ and click on “Weekly.” In that same screen, you can update your email address, renew your AGA membership, check your rating or start receiving the Members' Edition of the AGA E-Journal. NOTE: be careful to click on the “Update Profile” button when you’re finished and NOT the “Unsubscribe” button (unless that’s what you want)!

Published On 8/21/2011

American go players are being invited to participate in the 2011 Hangzhou Commercial Cup City Invitational Go Tournament, which will be held in Hangzhou October 28-November 1. One of the biggest annual amateur go tournaments in China, the Hangzhou Commercial Cup City Invitational features top competitors from all over the world, with the top prize of about $4,000. Spots are limited; if you’re interested, please contact Xingshuo Liu 7d at liuxingshuo@gmail.com. Players must pay for their own transportation and accommodation.

Go Classified: Stones/Bowls for Sale

Published On 8/21/2011

FOR SALE: Three sets of slate & shell stones: Jitsuyo 9.2 mm (irregular grain) $220, Tsuki 8.0 mm (curved grain) $160, and Yuki 7.5 mm (straight grain) $160. Molded red & black bowls (hold up to 10 mm stones): one with carved dragons on side, one with carved flowers $40/pair. Lovely marble bowls (hold up to 9.5 mm stones) one pair colored brown & tan, one pair colored white & tan $135/pair. All items never used. Email me at gerratt5@aol.com and I'll send you photos. All prices plus shipping and insurance.

Published On 8/20/2011

Cherry Shen 6d reports on her experiences this summer: I've traveled to China several times before but none of my trips were quite as insightful or fun as this one. On July 22-30, a team of 11 American undergraduates and graduates had the amazing opportunity to attend the 1st U.S.-China Go Camp/College Student Exchange, simultaneously playing go and learning about China's rich culture and history.

Never Too Much Go in Bay Area

Published On 8/20/2011

A diverse playing field ranging from 7 dan to 26 kyu gathered in Palo Alto, CA on August 13 for the Bay Area Go Players Association monthly AGA ratings tournament. "I was worried that most of our regular players would still be recovering from the US Go Congress and wouldn't make it," admits tournament organizer Roger Schrag. But 29 kids and adults played in the tournament, more than half of them having just returned from the US Go Congress less than a week earlier. "Perhaps the Congress energized these players and reminded them how rewarding face to face go play can be," Schrag suggests. Tony Xie 5d (playing White on the middle board in the photo) swept the dan division with an impressive 4-0 record. In the kyu division, Raymond Feng 6k and Bryan Tan 13k led with four wins and one loss each. The next monthly AGA ratings tournament in the San Francisco Bay Area will be held September 10 in Palo Alto. Photo by Lisa Schrag; click here for more photos.

China Sweeps World Youth Championships

Published On 8/17/2011

Thirteen-year-old Ki Jie 2p and his compatriot, ten-year-old Liao Yuanpei have conquered the World Youth Go Championships, shutting out 11 other nations who sent representatives to Bucharest, Romania, to compete. The semi finals, held this morning, August 17th, saw Ke take down Chen Cheng-Hsung 7d of Chinese Taipei in a pay-back match. Chen was the only player to beat Jie in the previous rounds, but couldn't do it a second time. Meanwhile, Korea's Song Sang-Hun knocked out Japan's Koyama Kuya, setting the stage for the final showdown this afternoon.

Published On 8/16/2011

E-J Youth Editor Paul Barchilon reporting live from Romania.

U.S. Go Congress EJ Team Recognition

Published On 8/16/2011

As this year’s U.S. Go Congress drew to a close, someone suggested to me that perhaps the E-Journal team is doing our job a bit too well and that some folks are staying home from the Congress because our coverage provides such a great experience of this annual event.

Published On 8/14/2011

”I'm writing to thank you and the E-Journal gang for your great coverage of the U.S. Go Congress,” writes Vermont go organizer Pete Schumer. “This summer I'm in Shanghai teaching a bunch of math classes at East China Normal University and I really miss the Congress. But it was fun to check in each day to see what I'm missing. It makes me long for next year's Congress already! In fact, I've been so busy I haven't even had time to check out the local go scene yet. Just for fun, in case you need an extra go picture sometime, I'm enclosing a nice go scene from a Qing Dynasty vase (actually it's a famille-rose lantern-shaped zun or ceramic wine vessel from the Yangshang period 1723 - 1736) This piece is on display at the I.M. Pei designed Suzhou Museum in Suzhou, China.

Published On 8/14/2011

Park Junghwan 9P (below) won the 24th Fujitsu Cup on August 14, defeating Qiu Jun 8P by resignation in 223 moves. The game, which was full of creative moves and severe fighting, ended in an enormous life and death struggle that Qiu lost. At just 18 years old, Park has not only taken his first major international title, but has also broken Lee Sedol Park Younghun 9P's record as the youngest player to win the Fujitsu Cup. However, he is not the youngest ever to win an international title; that record is still held by Lee Changho 9P. En route to the final, Park also defeated Ogata Masaki 9P, Chen Shiyuan 9P, Piao Wenyao 9P and Iyama Yuta 9P. Qiu, for his efforts, will be promoted to 9P for reaching this final. - Jingning;

GO SPOTTING: Star Trek

Published On 8/14/2011

Go makes an appearance in Season 2 Episode 22 of Star Trek Enterprise, reports EJ reader Michael Rhone. In this episode, "Enterprise encounters the Vissians, a more technologically advanced species, and Trip finds himself transfixed on the fact the Vissians are a three-sexed species, befriending one of them with tragic results."

Published On 8/13/2011

E-J Youth Editor Paul Barchilon reports live from Romania. Some of the strongest kids in the world have gathered here in Bucharest, Romania, for the 28th annual World Youth Go Championship, which began this morning August 13. 22 children, from 13 different countries, have all come to the beautiful Parcul Herestrau, Bucharest's equivalent of Central Park, with the sponsorship of the Ing Goe Foundation. Players arrived from all over the world on Friday, some as late as midnight local time. Activities began with a Team Leader meeting in the morning, where first round opponents were selected by lottery, this was followed by a presentation on the Ing Rules from Yang Yu-Chia. The first round began at 3 pm, and was broadcast live on both KGS and EuroGoTV.

Appreciation for AGA Lifetime Members

Published On 8/10/2011

American Go Association Board Chairman Andy Okun and None Redmond hosted lifetime AGA members at a special appreciation luncheon on Tuesday, August 2 at a restaurant in Santa Barbara, CA. "Our thanks to these generous visionaries who are thinking many moves into the future," Okun said. Top row (left to right): Andy Okun/Mike Lash, Darrell Malick, Mark Fraser, Steffen Kurz/Lee Anne Bowie, Haskell Small, Cynthia Gaty Bottom row (l-r): Yoko Ohashi/group shot, None Redmond, Terry Benson, Phil Straus/Eric Jankowski - photos by Phil Straus (except Straus by Brian Allen); collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/9/2011

Above left: Youth All Stars Tournament Award, with TD Paul Barchilon cheering them on Top right: Korean Baduk Association Award Winners, 1 Dan to 6 Dan Bottom right: Korean Baduk Association Award winner, 2 Dan photos by Brian Allen

Published On 8/8/2011

Yongfei Ge 7d (left) won the 2011 U.S. Open, edging out ZhaoNian Chen 7d and ZiYang Hu 7d, who were also 5-1. Ge – who defeated pros ZiYang Hu 1P and Mingming Yin 1P (right) -- collected $2,000 for the title while Chen won $1,000 and Hu $500. Yin, who came in fourth in the Open, won the Strong Player Open, winning $500, with Gangshen Shi in second ($400) and Cathy Li third ($300). Other top winners in the U.S. Open were Mengchen Zhang (5th) and Tianyu (Bill) Lin (6th); other top winners in the Strong Player’s Open were Tianyu Lin (fourth) and Hugh Zhang (5th).
Image Links:

Published On 8/8/2011

After 9 months of cool cloudy weather in Seattle, this photographer greatly enjoyed the clear skies and mild temperatures of the Santa Barbara Go Congress. People were playing go everywhere, and a trip to the nearby beaches was always refreshing. -report/photo by Brian Allen

MASTER’S FINAL TONIGHT! LIVE NOW ON KGS

Published On 8/6/2011

MASTER’S FINAL TONIGHT! LIVE NOW ON KGS

Published On 8/6/2011

Twenty pro game commentaries -- and 55 top-board game records -- have now been posted online; including reviews by Michael Redmond 9P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Maeda Ryo 6P, Hajin Lee 3P, Jennie Shen 2P and Li Ting 1P.

Getting Frank with MingJiu Jiang 7P

Published On 8/6/2011

MingJiu Jiang 7P was in good form on Friday afternoon at the U.S. Go Congress with spirited and frank game analysis for players 5k - 3d. Some excerpts: "Black played here?" "Yes" "Are you black?" "No" "Good! That's a very slow move!" later: "Ey!! You didn't block? Are you sure?" "Ooh! New joseki again!" "Cut?? (Only) if you want to die! - report/photo by Brian Allen

Redmond Plays Redmond

Published On 8/6/2011

Michael Redmond 9P treated the winners of his namesake tournament to a special simultaneous game at the US Go Congress Friday August 5th. The six players were current Redmond Cup champions Aaron Ye 4d, age 9, Calvin Sun 7d, age 14; last year's winners: Redmond Meijin Curtis Tang 7d, age 18, and Oliver Wolf 3d, age 12; and current runners-up Gansheng Shi 7d, age 17, and Sammy Zhang 4d, age 11. It was the Junior Division that scored points though, with both Ye and Wolf notching wins against Redmond, at 4 stones, while all of the Senior contestants lost! - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Published On 8/6/2011

Zi Yang Hu 1P won the North American Master’s Tournament Friday night before a combined crowd of over 500, as hundreds packed into the main playing area at the U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara CA and hundreds more watched online on KGS.

Published On 8/6/2011

Yongfei Ge’s five straight wins make him a near shoo-in for this year’s U.S. Open, which wraps up with the sixth and final round Saturday, August 6 at the U.S. Go Congress. And Mingming “Stephanie” Yin 1P (l) won the Strong Player’s Tournament Friday night with a strong 4-0 record. Here are the 5-0 winners in the U.S. Open: Ge Yongfei; Yuxuan Ye; Aaron Ye; Oliver Wolf; Solomon Smilack; Yunxuan Li; Kevin Fang; Stephen Tung; April Ye; Jordan Betcher; James Carter; Vincent Ma; Michael Lash; James Johnson; Kalinda Fraser. CLICK HERE for complete final standings in the Strong Players Tournament.

Published On 8/6/2011

Dazed and exhausted, I rose from my three-hour slugfest in Round 5 of the US Open Friday with an opponent who had traveled all the way from Japan to torment me with moves I had never seen before. As I left the playing area, I knew what I needed – more go books! Luckily, the annual Go Congress features a roomful of go books, equipment and more. The trick is know where it is. As I left the playing area, I happened to look up, and caught a glimpse of a sign in a second floor window – “vendors here.” Twenty-three steps up and two rights later, voila – the promised land.

Brian’s Photos: Pro Game Analysis

Published On 8/5/2011

Feng Yun 9P (l) & Murakami Akihide 2P giving lectures on Thursday, August 4 at the U.S. Go Congress. photos by Brian Allen

Published On 8/5/2011

Curtis Tang 7d will take on Zi Yang Hu 1P in the North American Master’s Tournament final Friday night. Eighteen-year-old Tang, Redmond Meijin – he won the Redmond Cup five times – will play Hu, the newly-minted 13-year-old 1-dan pro from China who’s been causing a sensation at the U.S. Go Congress this year. The game will be broadcast live on KGS starting at 7P (PST) with pro commentary. -photos by Steve Colburn

Published On 8/5/2011

2011 US Open Round 4, Board 3 August 4, 2011 W: Zhaonian Chen 7d B: Calvin Sun 7d Game Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.08.04_usopenround4board3-redmond.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.08.04_usopenround4board3-redmond.sgf" class="alignleft"][/sgf] Game recorded by Richard Dolen Commentary transcribed by Chris Garlock Photo: Redmond at a lecture at the Go Congress on Thursday afternoon, in which he reviewed two Honinbo games between Hane Naoki and Yamashita Keigo; photo by Phil Straus

The Go Congress Remembers Yoshi Sawada

Published On 8/5/2011

At a memorial set up for Yoshi Sawada – the popular go player and translator who died unexpectedly in late February – attendees at the 2011

SmartGo Books Releases Three More Books

Published On 8/5/2011

Just in time for the Go Congress, SmartGo Books has released three new books from Hinoki Press, reports SmartGo author Anders Kierulf (l). In Vital Points and Skillful Finesse for Sabaki, Yoda Norimoto 9P takes a look at sabaki, one of the most intriguing techniques in go. “In the hands of accomplished players it can seem like pure sorcery. At times the stones can appear to dance with life. While playing lightly hither and yon, the opponent's forces can end up ineffective, over-concentrated and misdirected.

Published On 8/4/2011

U.S. Go Congress Game Records, Pro Commentaries, Pairings & Results (thru 8/4)

106 Clock in for Die Hard Tourney

Published On 8/4/2011

While other Go Congress attendees were taking advantage of Southern California’s great weather and many attractions on Wednesday, 106 players put in a full day on the boards in the 4-round Die Hard Tournament. Five players scored a perfect 4-0 result: Oliver Wolf 3d; Yunxuan Li 2d ; Linden Chiu 1d; Jeffrey Zhang 4k and Garrett Smith 11k. - Andy Olsen, Die Hard Tournament Director; photo by Daniel Smith

Published On 8/4/2011

Roxanne Tam 3d and Yuan Zhou 7d (top left) will play Amy Su 2d and Lionel Zhang 6d (top middle) for the North American Pair Championship on Saturday, August 5. 43 pairs participated in Tuesday night’s popular Pair Go Tournament at the U.S. Go Congress. Yoshi Sawada’s widow Keiko Komura played with Japanese pro Ryo Maeda 6P (top right). Todd Heidenreich directed, with Jessy Felicia. - photos by Steve Colburn; collage by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/4/2011

Go players at the U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA enjoyed the nearby beach, sunshine, a light breeze, perfect temperatures -- and of course a game of go -- on Wednesday, the traditional Congress mid-week rest day. Other beach-going go players watched porpoises, sea lions, and pelicans diving for fish. - photo: Congress Director Lisa Scott (l) enjoys a rare moment of relaxation; photo by Brian Allen

Shusaku Number, Corrected

Published On 8/4/2011

In our recent "Shusaku Number " article (What’s Your “Shusaku Number?”), we mistakenly reported that Hoensha founder Honinbo Shuho faced Shusaku in four of the "Castle Games." Shuho actually never had the chance to play in those matchups. However, records of 38 games between the two masters have been preserved. The oldest dates from 1850, when Shuho was just twelve years old; most notable is the ten-game series (jubango) that Shuho and Shusaku played in 1861. In that series, playing mostly Black with no komi, Shuho managed six victories and one tie. For more details including copious historical material and several commented game records, you can consult Invincible: The Games of Shusaku, generally regarded as one of the most important go books to ever appear in English. - Roy Laird

Published On 8/4/2011

The Youth/Adult Pair Go Tournament strong room was held outdoors on Monday afternoon. photo by Brian Allen

Published On 8/3/2011

2011 US Go Congress North American Masters Tournament Round 2 Board 4 [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.08.02_namtround2board4-maedashen.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.08.02_namtround2board4-maedashen.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] W: ZiYang Hu 1p b: ZhaoNian Chen (Mike) 7d Commentary by Maeda Ryo 6P, Jennie Shen 2P, transcribed by Chris Garlock Recorded by Solomon Smilack

Phil’s Portraits: Familiar Faces

Published On 8/3/2011

Tuesday's gallery of photos from EJ photog Phil Straus:

Zen, Go bot and The Daily

Published On 8/3/2011

"A recent victory for a program called 'Zen' — which last month beat a highly ranked amateur player from Taiwan — has the Go programmer community buzzing," reported Benjamin Carlson in the July 31 edition of The Daily. Carlson notes that "In games ranging from chess to 'Jeopardy!' powerful computers are making short work of human champions — with one notable exception." “Can this be a turning point in the history of Go?” asked Zen co-creator Hideki Kato in a Go forum after the victorious results. The "Go bot" story -- which discusses recent advances in go and AI through Monte Carlo Tree Search -- goes on to quote Jie Li 7D, who calls go "one of the most artistic board games” as well as go programmer David Fotland, who says "“It’s so hard to look at a position and figure out who is winning.”

Published On 8/3/2011

Brian’s Go Photo: Outdoor Lesson with Yilun Yang 7P

Published On 8/3/2011

Tuesday afternoon (August 2) at the U.S. Go Congress. photo by Brian Allen

Sun and Ye Sweep Redmond

Published On 8/3/2011

Calvin Sun 7d and Aaron Ye 4d both won their second round matches in the Redmond Cup Tuesday, Aug. 2nd, at the US Go Congress. Sun, who placed second to Gansheng Shi 7d in the qualifiers, ended up sweeping the finals with two wins in a row. Redmond finals are a best two out of three matches, so there will not be a third round. In the Junior Division, Sammy Zhang 4d fought valiantly, but was overwhelmed by Ye in both matches. All four kids won a free trip to congress to compete, and will split a $1,000 prize fund from the AGF. This year they will receive a special treat as Michael Redmond 9p will present the Redmond Cup in person at the awards banquet at the US Go Congress. Sun's second round win is below, all of the final matches are on the crosstab. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Gansheng Shi (l) and Calvin Sun (r).

Published On 8/3/2011

Living in the corner for double digit kyu players. Prizes were joseki handkerchiefs from Kansai Kiin. photo by Brian Allen

Congress Game Records Posted

Published On 8/3/2011

If you haven't had a chance to catch any of the live broadcasts from the ongoing U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA -- and even if you have -- check out the wealth of game commentaries and game records we've posted online:

Pandanet-IGS Announces New Client

Published On 8/3/2011

Next February, IGS (the Internet Go Server) will be twenty years old. In those two decades, IGS has gone through many major changes, especially since it was acquired by Pandanet. These days, in addition to hosting hundreds of players at any hour of the day or night, IGS simulcasts many major tournaments, attracting as many as 1,500 online observers, hosts two of its own online events (The Pandanet Cup and the Cho Chikun Tournament.) On Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Go Congress, nearly forty Congress attendees gathered for a presentation from Pandanet-IGS on the latest upgrade.IGS President Hiroko Taki (in E-Journal hat and Pandanet t-shirt in photo) and Pandanet staffers Hidekazu Hirai and Keiko Sota , who had traveled from Japan announce that PandaGo, a new, improved, Java-based client, was released in April.

Strong Players’ Open: Photo Gallery

Published On 8/2/2011

This tournament provides a forum for strong players ineligible for the North American Masters Tournament to compete in a high-level tournament at the U.S. Go Congress.

Published On 8/2/2011

“Today's ‘Lesson with Kaz’ (Lessons with Kaz: Tesujis 7/27 Member’s Edition) was just perfect for me,” writes EJ reader Grant Kerr. Struggling to get off the 4k plateau, it opened my eyes to how I should be changing the way I think. Thanks, Kaz, eJournal, and AGA!” Open your eyes to new ways of thinking about go; sign up for the Member's Edition EJ today!

Published On 8/2/2011

Table winners: Ben Lockhart 6d; Kento Nikaido 5d; Keith Arnold 4d; Mathew Harvit 4d; Roxanne Tam 3d; Hal Small 3d; Kevin Fang 1d; Jeff Horn 1d; Jordan Betcher 2k; Larry Qu 2k; Vincent Ma 3k; David Niu 6k; Mike Lash 6k; Zong Li Huang 11k; Charles Polkiewcz 13k. 90 players at 8 dan tables & 7 kyu tables; directed by Keith Arnold, hka. - photos/collage by Chris Garlock

Congress Connects KGS Neighbors

Published On 8/2/2011

Two go players who had often played each other on KGS, without knowing much about each other, discovered at the U.S. Go Congress that they have similar names -- Bryan and Ryan -- and that they live close to each other. - report/photo by Brian Allen

Phil’s Portraits: Monday, August 1

Published On 8/2/2011

Here's the latest collection of portraits of go players at the U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA from E-Journal photographer Phil Straus:

Janice Kim on the 3 Rules of Go

Published On 8/2/2011

"There are only three rules of go," said Janice Kim 3P at her Monday afternoon lecture at the ongoing U.S. Go Congress, "and I can't remember the other two, but if your stones are in trouble make a base on the third line, rather than an outpost on the fourth." - report/photo by Brian Allen

Published On 8/1/2011

Celmer, Castanza and Smith Win in AGA Board Elections Paul Celmer edged out Zhiyuan 'Edward' Zhang for the Eastern seat on the AGA’s Board of Directors in the just-concluded election; Celmer received 26 votes, or 53%, to 22 – or 44% -- for Zhang. Gordon Castanza (Western) and Daniel Smith (central) were unopposed and won with 92% and 87%, respectively.

Published On 8/1/2011

U.S. Open Round 1 Board 1 July 31, 2011 W: Dae Hyuk Ko 7d B: Bill Lin 7d Commentary by Mingjiu Jiang 7P, transcribed by Chris Garlock It's not a good idea to leave the scene in the middle of a fight. That's the lesson of this game commentary by Mingjiu Jiang, who applies his usual sharp eye and dry sense of humor to the game. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.07.31_usopenround1board1-jiang.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011.07.31_usopenround1board1-jiang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Game recorder: Dennis Wheeler Broadcast on KGS

Published On 8/1/2011

US Open Round 2 Board 2 August 1, 2011 W: Calvin Sun 7d B: Yongfei Ge 7d Commentary by Li Ting 1P (& Ryo Maeda 6P), transcribed by Chris Garlock Recorded by Chris Burg[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011_08_01_usopenround2board2-ting-maeda.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011_08_01_usopenround2board2-ting-maeda.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Stick to your plan (even if it's not necessarily the best plan). That's the lesson of this commentary, in which Sun begins building a moyo only to switch horses in mid-stream. Li Ting 1P (with an assist by Ryo Maeda 6P), shows the costs of inconsistency.

Published On 8/1/2011

U.S. Open Round 2 Board 1 August 1, 2011 W: Yuan Zhou 7d [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011_08_01_usopenround2board1-maeda.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2011_08_01_usopenround2board1-maeda.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] B: Dae Hyuk Ko 7d Commentary by Maeda Ryo 6P, transcribed by Chris Garlock Recorded by Dennis Wheeler; photo by Phil Straus Ladders wind up playing a key role at several crucial points in this game; Maeda Ryo 6P explains why.

Published On 8/1/2011

Enjoying the Yearbook: “Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy the PDF of the 2010 Yearbook,” writes Dan Bensky. “Keep up the good work!”

Sun and Ye Leading in Redmond Cup

Published On 8/1/2011

Calvin Sun 7d and Aaron Ye 4d both won their first round matches in the Redmond Cup this afternoon. Sun, who is 14, battled Gansheng Shi 7d, age 17, in the senior division, while Ye (at left above) squared off against Sammy Zhang 4d (at right) in the Junior Division. Ye, who is only 9 years old, took his afternoon nap before the 3 pm match against Zhang, who is 11. The games were broadcast live on KGS, and Redmond Meijin Curtis Tang 7d, provided live commentary. Tang, who has won the Redmond Cup five times, has competed against both Sun and Shi, and knows their styles well. Hundreds of observers checked out the action in the English Game Room, where E-J staff broadcast the games on USGO1, 2, and 3. Tangs commentary is attached in this game, the Jr. Division match is up on the congress crosstab.

Published On 8/1/2011

The North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Championship is the North American continental championship. Featured in a variety of formats over the years, this year's tournament -- which kicked off Sunday night at the U.S. Go Congress -- is a 16-person, 4-round Swiss tournament that will determine the North American Masters Champion. This tournament is invitation only, and participants are determined by qualification tournaments played over the six months before Congress begins.

Published On 7/31/2011

Obituary removed at the request of family.

Published On 7/31/2011

The American Go E-Journal's live broadcasts on Day One -- Sunday, July 31 -- of the 2011 U.S. Go Congress include: - U.S. Open: top boards in Round 1 will be broadcast live on KGS starting around 9a PST (12 noon EST) - Redmond Cup: the four finalists in the 2011 Redmond Cup will compete live from the U.S. Go Congress in a special E-Journal broadcast at 3p PST (6p EST) Sunday on KGS. The players are Gansheng Shi 7d vs. Calvin Sun 7d and Aaron Ye 4d vs. Sammy Zhang 3d. - North American Ing Masters: top boards in this 16-player tournament will be broadcast live on KGS starting at 7p PST. photo: Calvin Sun (l) plays Gangshen Shi in the 9x9 tournament Saturday night; photo by Steve Colburn

2011 U.S. Open Underway

Published On 7/31/2011

7/31/2011; 10a PST) The first round of the 2011 U.S. Open is now underway at the U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA, with the top three boards being broadcast live on KGS every morning starting around 9a PST. Pairings and game records -- including game commentaries -- can be found online. Check back for updated pairings, results and game records throughout the week!

Phil’s Portraits: Sunday, July 31

Published On 7/31/2011

E-Journal photographer Phil Straus will be posting portraits of go players each day this week; here's his first collection

Published On 7/30/2011

Now you can follow all the action at the 2011 U.S. Go Congress -- which runs July 31-August 6 in Santa Barbara CA -- in a number of ways: - AGA website: we'll be posting updates each day throughout the week, including news, photos and games - E-Journal: daily reports drawn from the previous day's website posts - Twitter: follow us @gocongress for updates by the EJ's Steve Colburn - KGS: top boards at the U.S. Open every morning and top boards at the Ing Masters every night Photo: American Go Association President Allan Abramson (r) enjoys a casual game Saturday morning as the 2011 U.S. Congress gets started on the UCSB campus in Santa Barbara, CA. photo by Steve Calburn.

Published On 7/30/2011

The 2011 US Go Congress begins Saturday in Santa Barbara, CA, but attendees are already arriving from around the world. "This year, many attendees have opted to arrive early and enjoy the air, the beach, and the other go players before anything official starts," says Congress Co-Director Andrew Jackson (at left, playing the UK's Francis Roads on Friday night). "They are as excited as we are to greet the 20 attending professionals and nearly 500 fellow go enthusiasts who will be coming to Santa Barbara this year." Not signed up yet? It’s not too late; click here for details and to register. - photo by Chris Garlock

2010 American Go Yearbook Released

Published On 7/29/2011

The complete 2010 American Go Yearbook is now available for download. The 123-page full-color PDF includes a wealth of material culled from last year’s reporting in the American Go E-Journal, as well as latest ratings and a list of AGA chapters.

Published On 7/29/2011

“Episode 49 of Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple said a little about go,” reports EJ reader Asa Euster. “Not much,” Euster adds, “the show was just using go as an example of a game of territory.” Kenichi is an anime based on the Japanese manga by Syun Matsuena. Night Train is “a low-budget thriller about how greed can drive a person to do terrible things, and it features go!” writes Will Lockhart. “The film (starring Danny Glover, Leelee Sobieski and Steve Zahn and available on Netflix) takes place on an overnight train somewhere in Northern Europe. A man commits suicide by overdosing on pills, and when two other passengers and the conductor discover that he has a box containing precious jewels, they hatch a plan to dispose of a dead man's body and take the box. The film periodically cuts back to two Asian men on the train, playing go, though the game looks like a fairly weak kyu game.

Han Tops Milwaukee Tournament

Published On 7/29/2011

It was a beautiful venue for a go tournament: the Calatrava extension to the Milwaukee Art Museum, located right on the shore of Lake Michigan, on a gorgeous sunny day.

Published On 7/28/2011

On a gorgeous, blue-sky Seattle Sunday July 24, 12 intrepid contestants, including two 5-dans, assembled at the Seattle Go Center for the second Tacoma Go Club hosted tournament in a row: the 2011 Congress Tune-Up, with Gordon Castanza as the tournament director. Originally scheduled for four rounds, the players decided that missing the rest of a day on which temperatures rose to 82° F was too much to endure. Consequently, after three rounds, everyone was looking for the exits, and even the Tacoma Go Club’s pizza lunch couldn’t keep the contestants indoors. The final standings saw Solomon Choe 5d and Eric Feiveson 3k finishing the tournament with three wins apiece. Both Joshua Hall 9k and Jon Boley 5d won two out of three games. - Report and photo by Gordon Castanza

Published On 7/28/2011

How can I make my registration go quickly and smoothly? The easiest way to speed up the registration process is to register for tournaments and events, turn in any paperwork, and pay your remaining balance before you arrive. You will be able to make changes once you arrive, but registration will go much more quickly if your changes are already made. Where is registration? Registration will be in Corwin Pavilion (r), the Congress’ main playing area.

Published On 7/28/2011

Click here to see all the 2011 U.S. Go Congress reports, including recent tips on Checking In/Registering, Other Games, Transportation & Parking, Arrival/Registration, Sign Up Online for Congress Pair Go and more.

Snapshots from the European Go Congress

Published On 7/27/2011

E-Journal photographer John Pinkerton stopped by the European Go Congress -- now underway in Bordeaux, France -- the other day and sent us these snapshots. - photos by John Pinkerton; collage by Chris Garlock

Go Congress Joseki: Other Games

Published On 7/27/2011

Shocking as it seems, there are apparently a few games other than go that get played at the annual U.S. Go Congress which starts this Saturday in Santa Barbara, CA. Soccer: Longtime Congress soccer organizer Terry Benson reports that there will be soccer “Every afternoon except the first Saturday and Wednesday” most likely at 4:15, at a site to be determined. “Come one, come all!” Benson urges. Tennis: Chris Garlock and Lisa Schrag are also planning to organize tennis around the same time; watch for updates as details get nailed down this Saturday. Bring your racquets or rent them at the College. Poker: No details have surfaced yet but it’s a sure bet that poker will be played at the Congress, most likely in the usual late-night sessions; email us at journal@usgo.org if you have details on this or any other such activities Congress-goers should be aware of.

GO SPOTTING: Mr Nice Plays Go

Published On 7/26/2011

Danish E-Journal reader Martin Liechti spotted go in the new film Mr. Nice, a 2010 crime film – now in limited release in the U.S. – about Howard Marks, a notorious Welsh drug smuggler played by Rhys Ifans (a friend of Marks in real life) and also starring Crispin Glover and Chloë Sevigny. Liechti sent us this screenshot of a scene in which a woman is sitting by a goban. The Danish subtitle says: What's that?

Published On 7/25/2011

How do I get from the Santa Barbara Airport to the Congress? UCSB will provide a free shuttle to and from the Santa Barbara Airport for Congress attendees. Call 805-893-2772 when you arrive, and the shuttle will pick you up shortly. Attendees arriving on Friday, July 29 may also use this shuttle service. Depending on the number of attendees needing these shuttles, shuttles may be available on other days as well. This shuttle will only drop off at the Santa Rosa Residence Hall, steps from registration.

Published On 7/25/2011

Ten of America's young players competed against Japanese insei online last Thursday, July 21, in the first-ever youth friendship matches between the two countries. The insei, who are studying professionally at the Nihon Kiin, walloped the US team with a 7-3 record. The insei played live from the Nihon Kiin, while their US counterparts were competing from all across the country. The matches were held on the Japanese Yugen no Ma Go Server, which is accessible in English through wBaduk.com.

What’s Your “Shusaku Number?”

Published On 7/25/2011

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a trivia game based on the concept of the small world phenomenon and rests on the assumption that any individual can be linked through his or her film roles to actor Kevin Bacon within six steps. Now there's the Shusaku number, which represents the "distance" between a go player and Honinbo Shusaku, measured in go opponents.

Euro Go Congress Underway in France

Published On 7/25/2011

The Zhuyeqing Tea European Go Congress started last Saturday in Bordeaux, France. You can follow the EGC games live on EuroGoTV1 and IGS. The EGC main tournament started Sunday and can also be followed on KGS. Click here for the complete

Published On 7/25/2011

The new tenant at the Seattle Go Center has begun renovations by taking out some old walls. The recent work has pleased the Board and staff of the Seattle Go Center. "We are happy to see that Companion Pet Clinic is on schedule to open this fall" reports manager Brian Allen. The long term lease with the veterinarians will be a big help to the Go Center budget. Rent payments begin in December; the downstairs was empty for over a year.

GO CLASSIFIED: Go Boards for Sale

Published On 7/25/2011

1 folding 19x19 Goban. 0.75 inches thick. Mustard yellow color. Will take Japanese/Korean size stones. USD $30 plus shipping. 5 one-piece 9x9/13x13 beginner boards. ¼" thick. Will take 23mm stones. All 5 for USD$10 plus shipping. For details contact Arian I. at ai3131@yahoo.com

Published On 7/25/2011

As part of its Summer of China programming, the Milwaukee Art Museum not only recently presented a spectacular nevermore-to-leave-Beijing exhibit of newly restored artifacts from the Forbidden City, but also a two-day Chinese culture festival on that included a go tournament and a go demonstration table on July 23.

Yamashita Keigo Wins 66th Honinbo

Published On 7/23/2011

amashita Keigo 9P has won the 66th Honinbo in Japan, after a hard-fought seven game match with Hane Naoki 9P. Yamashita won the first three games in the final, but Hane fought back to win the next three. This took the Honinbo to a 7th game decider. Hane (playing black) seemed to have the advantage after the first 100 moves and it looked as though he would win the title. However, Yamashita met Hane's move 115 with strong resistance and the game quickly became complicated. As the dust settled it was clear that white was ahead, and Yamashita won the game by 4.5 points. This is Yamashita's first successful defense of the Honinbo, which he won from Hane Naoki in 2010. E-Journal readers may also be interested in An Younggil's commentary of the Honinbo game. - David Ormerod; based on his original report: Yamashita Keigo defends his title in 66th Honinbo at Go Game Guru.

Published On 7/23/2011

The E-Journal will publish a special series of updates this week on the 2011 U.S. Go Congress, which begins next Saturday, July 30 in Santa Barbara, CA. If you have any questions about the Congress, email Lisa Scott at lisa.scott@gocongress.org and watch the E-Journal this week. Congress registration will not officially open until 10a on Saturday morning, but anyone arriving on Friday, July 29 should check in to get their key when they arrive. “You can find us in the Corwin Pavilion before 5p, and the Santa Rosa Entry Hall after 5p,” says Congress Director Lisa Scott. “Anyone arriving early should call the Congress phone number -- 805-769-USGO -- to let us know that you have arrived."

Jiang, Yang & Li Lead in SAMG Qualifier

Published On 7/21/2011

Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Huiren Yang 1P and Jie Li 7D are leading the way in the Sport Accord Mind Games qualifier after three rounds. East Coast rivals Jie Li and Andy Liu battled it out in Round 3 on Monday, July 18, with Li exacting revenge on Liu, who had dethroned Li last November as U.S. rep at the Fujitsu Cup; Li had been the Fujitsu rep three times. Mingjiu Jiang 7P from San Francisco defeated California amateur champion Danny Ko 7D on Monday and Huiren Yang 1P from Boston managed to handle former Japanese insei Sorin Gherman in 290 moves. Click here for current standings and game records. Round 4 starts on Thursday 7/21 at 8p ET.

Sign Up Online for Congress Pair Go!

Published On 7/21/2011

The North American Pair Go Championship is not only a great opportunity for people to have fun and play Pair Go, but also a chance for top pairs to compete to represent North America internationally. The top eight pairs will compete to earn a trip to the International Amateur Pair Go tournament in Tokyo from November 18-22. Winners will receive complimentary hotel and meals while there, and must cover only a small portion of their airfare. Anyone interested in playing in the Pair Go Tournament can sign up online. Pairs interested in competing for the trip to Japan should also email tournaments@usgo.org to express their interest.

Published On 7/19/2011

Matthew Crumb 3k topped a field of 24 players at the Massachusetts Go Association's Skip Ascheim Memorial Tournament, which was held July 17 in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Published On 7/19/2011

Josh Lee 4d (in photo at right) went 4-0 to win the top section at the annual NOVA Congress Tuneup tournament held July 16 in Fairfax, VA. Lee says he is ready for Congress now even if his score means he will likely be competing at 5d in Santa Barbara. Second place in that section went to Jimmy Yang 5d 2-2 on a tie breaker with Xinlin Yang 2d. Other sectional winners in the tournament were Don Allison 1k at 3-1, Willis Huang 5k at 4-0, and Tristan Tran 16k with a 4-0 record. The other second place winners were Kabe Chin 1k 2-2, Joey Phoon 6k 2-2, and Michael Rhone 15k 2-2. All winners received certificates good for free internet lessons at Guo Juan's Go School. - Gurujeet Khalsa

Published On 7/19/2011

It was a rough weekend for U.S. teams. The Japanese women's soccer team beat the U.S. team in the World Cup and Canada edged out the U.S. 8-7 in the third Gerry Cup mixed-team tournament. Click here for details on the Gerry Cup; your local sports section has reports on the women's soccer match.

Published On 7/19/2011

Rohit Prabhavalkar 9k and Bill Thompson 16k topped the July 17 Tacoma (WA) Go Club's Congress Warm-up tournament, posting 3-1 records

Published On 7/19/2011

With just twelve days left before the year’s biggest go event on the continent, there’s still time to register for the 2011 U.S. Go Congress – July 30-August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA – and to sign up online for Congress tournaments and events! "This year's Congress is proving truly exciting,” says Congress Director Lisa Scott. “Between tour groups from three countries, new tournaments, tons of trips to local attractions, and nearly 20 pros, we're beyond pumped!" - photo of the University of California, Santa Barbara, site of the 2011 U.S. Go Congress

Published On 7/18/2011

Hane Naoki 9P has staged a dramatic comeback against Yamashita Keigo 9P in the 66th Honinbo, taking the title match to a 7th game. Yamashita appeared to be on track to defend the title, which he took from Hane last year. He won the first three games of the best-of-seven Honinbo final, needing only one more win to clinch it. However, Hane fought on to win the next three games, leaving the series tied at 3-3 on July 14, 2011.

Published On 7/18/2011

Multi-talented go promoter Blake Haber (aka Mr. Go) recently lost everything in a house fire at his home in Santa Barbara, California. Haber was the cartoonist for the American Go Journal (at right), has made go videos (including this one), as well as created go blogs and websites. In addition to all his other belongings, he lost his go library and equipment including several handmade boards. Any contributions of go books or equipment, or money to help him get back on his feet, would be much appreciated. He can be reached at the following email address: . - From an article at EuroGoTV, which includes links to reports on the fire.

Published On 7/18/2011

Mexico City drew 71 kids to it's recent youth tournament, held June 4th. "The children were from different schools and clubs, and ranged in rank from 30k to 10k," reports organizer Siddhartha Avila, "this was a great opportunity to round up the majority of young players in the same place, and to make new friends. After this we're looking forward to consolidating the existing go clubs, and to eventually create more go programs for youth in México.

Balwit Named Teacher of the Year

Published On 7/17/2011

Portland go teacher Fritz Balwit has been selected as the American Go Foundation's Teacher of the Year. "My selection is a great honor," says Balwit, "it has been a unique privilege to introduce go to children. They immediately recognize its magical properties, and are receptive to its aesthetic allure at an intuitive level. I have found that it brings people together in friendly collaboration based on respect and shared appreciation. I hope to continue working with kids in schools and to create a space at our local go salon where kids can discover the beauty of the game. I teach go daily at Portland English Language Academy where I also teach English as a second language. We have a very lively group that plays for fun. Many of the Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese students are newly introduced to their traditional game. These are mostly younger adults and a few teenage kids.

US Youth to Play Japanese Insei

Published On 7/17/2011

Ten of America's youth players will compete in the first ever friendship matches with Japanese insei this coming Thursday, July 21st. The insei are youth that are studying to become professionals in Japan, their lifestyle has been portrayed in the Hikaru no Go manga and anime, inspiring countless American kids to reach for the stars themselves. Insei in classes B through D will compete, as will the top four high school players in Japan, according to Nihon Ki-in Overseas Coordinator Tom Urasoe. The match has been organized by AGA Youth Coordinator Paul Barchilon, who chose the ten member US team based on both playing strength and dedication to the go community. The matches will be held on the Japanese Yugen no Ma Go Server. An English language version of the client is available at Wbaduk.com games will be held in the Japanese Go Room. The US team, and a list of their opponents, can be found on Tigersmouth.org.

Published On 7/17/2011

Mind Go Club organizer Shavit Fragman recommends that Big Pharma executives study go in his recently published article Pharma Business avalanche, Modeling Through the strategy game of Go. Shavit is President and CEO of MindPharma, a healthcare consulting firm. With $100 billion in Big Pharma revenues set to evaporate in the coming years due to patent expirations and generic substitutes, Fragman uses the Avalanche joseki (or nadare) as a metaphor for the potential impact of patent expiration on big pharma revenues and profits. Noting that an avalanche is a risk when climbing Everest, Fragman says that “Experienced climbers know how critical every step” is and how “One small mistake may lead to" disaster. "High skill is a must for high mountain climbers,” he notes, “Similarly in the game of go.”

GO PHOTO: Go Gnomes

Published On 7/17/2011

E-Journal reader Eric Moakley recently spotted these go playing lawn gnomes in a Rite-Aid in Boulder CO. “Though no one in the store knew the game, I was happy to see go out of a normal context, says Moakley.

GO PHOTO: Go In Old Japan

Published On 7/17/2011

Some fascinating photos of go in old Japan have been posted on Flickr, including two geishas playing go, children learning the game, a Shinto priest and an actor playing, a master teaching two geisha and two samurai playing. The photos were posted by Okinawa Soba, a permanent resident of Japan. “I really can't stand the captions and descriptions on this guy's Flickr stream (many are insensitive at best, racist at worst, and a lot of sleazy sexual speculation),” notes Xeni Jardin on boingboing “but the images are rare and fantastic.”

New GoGoD Released, Coming to Congress

Published On 7/17/2011

This year’s U.S. Go Congress attendees will be able to meet GoGoD authors T Mark Hall and John Fairbairn when the two bring copies of the brand-new Summer 2011 edition of the GoGoD database and encyclopaedia to the States. “The crop of new games for various top players has been unusually large this year,” Hall tells the E-Journal. “We have new games for Kitani Minoru, Takagawa Kaku, Hashimoto Utaro and Sakata Eio.” Hall also says that “with much eye-rubbing,” they’ve found Honinbo Jowa's earliest known game. Additions to the latest CD also include a number of New Fuseki games from Autumn 1933, “a key period in this movement, and these will illuminate the period especially for those who have our latest book: Old Fuseki vs. New Fuseki.” Another sidelight on that period is provided by the very large number of games by Segoe Kensaku just added.

Dango: A Go-based Card Game

Published On 7/17/2011

A new game called Dango combines the rules of go with the mechanics of a card game. Players use two kinds of cards, representing either go shapes or "actions". The go shapes are used to play stones on a goban, while the actions allow (or require) players to do various things, like remove opponent's stones, lose their turn, or block a move that an opponent wants to make. Cards can be downloaded and printed out or sets can be purchased from Alexander Dinerchtein.

Published On 7/16/2011

Calling it "an indispensable study tool and reference work," Kiseido has just released the 21st Century Dictionary of Basic Joseki, Volume 1 in English. The Dictionary “is a thorough updating and complete rewriting of the Yoshio Ishida Dictionary of Basic Joseki published in the mid-70s,” according to Kiseido. “Like the Ishida work, it thoroughly analyses the various components of josekis, such as tesujis and good style and good shape, and focuses in depth on such themes as securing momentum and building influence.” This first volume of the dictionary covers not only long-established josekis familiar to players of all levels but also the many new variations of old josekis, such as the Magic Sword and the Large Avalanche, that have been developed in recent decades, including the first decade of the 21st century.

AGA Launches Online Membership Database

Published On 7/15/2011

Checking, updating and renewing your membership in the American Go Association just got a whole lot easier. Each AGA member can now review their personal current membership info on the AGA’s membership page; just click on Join, renew, or update your information online. The first time members access the new online membership site they’ll just need to enter your email address and will then be able to set the password for secure access to their membership record. From then on, members will be able to view or update their membership info directly; “No more multiple emails about changed mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses!” says AGA President Allan Abramson.

Andy Liu Sweeps Wisonet Cup Finals

Published On 7/15/2011

Andy Liu 7d (l) defeated Minshan Shou 7d (r) in the Wisonet Cup finals held on July 10 in Somerset, New Jersey. Liu’s convincing 2-0 sweep “shows that he is a young American go star,” said Cup organizer Ronghao Chen. Liu won both games without needing to count or go into overtime. “In the second final game Minshan Shou had a chance to kill a 15-stone group of Andy’s,” reports Chen, “but he didn't know that he could kill this group and missed his opportunity to win immediately” and force a third round. Chen tells the E-Journal that the Wisonet Cup Go Tournament will run again in Spring 2012.

Published On 7/13/2011

Myung-wan Kim 9P reports that the Korean Baduk Association has decided to award rank certificates to the winners of all six dan divisions of the US Open at the upcoming U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara. “The 1d up to 6d certificates are handsome, suitable for framing, and quite hard to obtain,” reports AGA board member Andy Okun. photo: Tang Wenhua 6d [r] receives his 6d KBA certificate at the 2010 Santa Monica Coffee Cup from Myung-wan Kim 9P (l); photo courtesy Andy Okun

THE AMERICAN GO YEARBOOK: 2010

Published On 7/12/2011

The 2010 American Go Yearbook is being issued in an online PDF version only, and we’ve been releasing sections as they become available. See below for the nine sections already published; a single PDF will be published when the 2010 Yearbook is completed.

Published On 7/12/2011

This month's AGA ratings tournament in the San Francisco Bay Area was held July 9th in Palo Alto, CA. The playing field consisted of 24 players, including young players and adults ranging in strength from 20 kyu to 4 dan. Tournament organizer Roger Schrag estimates that at least half of the players will be heading to Santa Barbara soon to play in the upcoming US Go Congress. Kaiyang Liu 1d led the dan division with four wins, and Cieran Fitzgerald 20k led the kyu division, also with four wins. Next month's ratings tournament is scheduled for August 13, also in Palo Alto. Photo by Lisa Schrag.

Published On 7/12/2011

With this year’s U.S. Go Congress just a few short weeks away – July 30 through August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA – attendance is shooting up faster than summer temperatures.

Published On 7/12/2011

Tengxiao Yang 6d (l) of Valparaiso, IN won the July 9 North American Ing Masters qualifier in Chicago, topping an 8-player field that attracted some strong local Korean players. In second place was Tae Young Rhee 8d. TD: Bob Barber directed, ably assisted by Lee Huynh and Daniel Smith.

Redford Perfect in Austin

Published On 7/12/2011

John Redford (front left) drove all the way in from Arkansas to score a perfect 4-0 and win the July 9 White Crane tournament in Austin, Texas. Tied for second place with 3-1: John Andrichack, Sang Ho Lee, Roger Strain, Landon Dyer, and Ian Mitchell. Click here for an album of tourney photos. Photo: John Redford (l), playing Ray Heitmann; photo by Tracey Su

Published On 7/12/2011

Black to play: The marked white stone attacks Black's corner. What to do?[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2011_07_12_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/2011_07_12_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com

News from the Shanghai Go Camp

Published On 7/12/2011

Antonio Egea has reported back from the Shanghai Go Camp, which is currently underway in China. After two weeks of daily go training, at Shanghai International Studies University, the participants are ready for their next challenge. "It looks like the tough part will start now," says Egea, "we are going to Hangzhou to receive training with the local go students." Participants have also had time for some sight-seeing. They've visited The Bund - a world famous section of Zhongshan Road in Shanghai - and also Zhou Zhuang, which Egea describes as "a Venice-like city". Based on Antonio's report, direct from Shanghai Go Camp at Go Game Guru. Photo: Go Camp participants enjoy dinner together at a hot pot restaurant.

Shi and Ye Top Redmond Cup Qualifiers

Published On 7/12/2011

Gansheng Shi 7d and Aaron Ye 4d placed first in the Redmond Cup qualifiers, held online over the past few months. The Senior Division, for kids aged 12-17, was dominated by Shi, a 17 year old Canadian, who won the Redmond in 2008 and 2009. He was undefeated in the qualifier, but faced very strong competition from his own country, with Tianyu Lin 7d, age 14, and Jianing Gan 7d, age 15, almost making it to the finals. From the U.S., three-time Redmond champion Calvin Sun 7d, age 14, fought his way into the top four. Sun got off to a a rough start, losing in rounds 2 and 3, but then rallied, defeating both Gan and Lin in a playoff to earn the right to face Shi at the Go Congress. In the Junior Division, for kids under the age of 12, nine-year-old Aaron Ye 4d was undefeated.

Published On 7/12/2011

With three professionals, six North American Ing Masters champions and four top Canadian reps you won't want to miss the opening rounds of the Sport Accord Mind Games (SAMG) qualifier this week on KGS starting at 8p EST. Pairings include top-seeded Feng Yun 9P vs Yuan Zhou 7d, Mingjiu Jiang 7P (seeded 2) vs Gansheng Shi, Andy Liu (4) vs Calvin Sun, Huiren Yang 1P (5) vs Hugh Zhang, Juyong Ko (7) vs Daniel Chou, Sorin Gherman (8) vs Lionel Zhang and Kevin Huang (9) vs Xianyu Li. Dae Hyuk Koh (6) will play Bill Lin at 10p EST. In the two SAMG matches on Sunday, July 10, Jie Li (3) defeated I-Han Lui and Seung Hyun Hong (10) won over Yinli Wang. The top five players will represent the U.S. in the SAMG this December in Beijing, China. Watch KGS for schedule details: Rounds 1 & 2 are this week; Rounds 3 & 4 are next week and Round 5 will be the week of July 25; the updated schedule will be posted on the AGA’s website.

AGA Board Ballots Due by End of Month

Published On 7/12/2011

Chapter reps should have received their AGA Board ballots via email by now, reports elections coordinator Arnold Eudell. All completed ballots must be received by July 29. Click here for details on the election, includes candidates and statements.

Waldron Weds

Published On 7/12/2011

Phil Waldron (3rd from left)– former President of the Canadian Go Association and a longtime contributor to American go as well – tied the knot with Cindy Pearson on June 11 in Ottawa, Canada. “Thomas Hsiang (2nd from right) and Steve Colburn made it from Rochester, and I'm grateful to Keith Arnold (far left) for making the long trek from Baltimore to join us,” Waldron reports. “Cindy's not a go player but has learned the rules. She's quite indulgent, however, and happily joined me at a tournament in Rochester last year when we were dating. Having discovered the local shopping opportunities in the city, she may be convinced to do it again. I think we're unlikely to make the U.S. Go Congress this year, but next year looks like a much better possibility.”

IN MEMORIAM: Remembering Chester

Published On 7/11/2011

By Keith Arnold, hka I am a go player, and I love go players, but we are an odd bunch at times. It is not unusual for us to know a person's rank, but not his name, his name, but not his job, or his KGS handle and not whether he’s married or single. So when Mark Rubenstein posted on Facebook about the passing of longtime Chicago go mainstay Chester Zawacki (r) on June 19, I was sad, truly. I remembered him from many Congresses, and I remembered him as a 2 kyu, but it was not until I looked up his obituary that I knew of his wife and children.

Go Classified: Books for Sale

Published On 7/11/2011

All in very good condition! $15 - Basic Techniques of Go – hardcover; $20 - Modern Joseki & Fuseki, Volume 1 - hardcover (2-book set); $20 - Modern Joseki & Fuseki, Volume 2 - hardcover (2-book set); $40 - Strategic Concepts of Go – hardcover; $40 - The 1971 Honinbo Tournament – hardcover; $40 - The Middle Game of Go – hardcover; $40 - The World of Ki – hardcover; $10 - 38 Basic Joseki – paperback; $40 - Appreciating Famous Games – paperback; $40 - Attack & Defense - paperback ; $5 - Go & Go-Moku – paper; $5 - Go as Communication – paperback; $5 - Go for Beginners – paperback; $5 - How to Play Go - paper, spiral-bound ; $5 - In the Beginning – paperback; $40 - Invincible: The Games of Shusaku – paperback; $10 - Kage's Secret Chronicles of Handicap Go – paperback; $10 - Les Bases Techniques du Go - paperback, French;$10 - Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go – paperback; $10 - Life & Death – paperback; $10 - Tesuji – paperback; $50 - The Breakthrough to Shodan - paperback; $10 - The Endgam

Published On 7/11/2011

Five young students, and their teacher, Xinming Simon Guo, took advantage of Chicago's recent Family Fun Festival to introduce go to a larger audience. The Chinese-American Museum of Chicago prepared an assortment of activities to promote Chinese art and culture for visiting families and day-camp groups. Guo and his students staffed a booth on June 25 and 26, and taught over 60 visitors how to play. "The highlight of the weekend is no doubt the story of a fourth grader from Springfield IL who visited the event tent on Saturday," reports Guo. "He said he was pretty good at chess and won the champion in the tournament for 7th graders.

GO SPOTTING: Go, Poker and the Sublime

Published On 7/10/2011

When Frank Lantz thinks about games, he doesn’t play around.

Hikaru Anime Online

Published On 7/8/2011

The Hikaru no Go anime series is now more available then ever, thanks to Hulu, Netflix, and iTunes. Although Viz intitially canceled the series and stopped the English dubs at Volume 11, the show has become increasingly popular online in the subtitled versions. Recently, iTunes has added the last two seasons, dubbed in English. This makes the entire run available without subtitles for the first time. Hulu first made the show available last year, and Netflix added it for free streaming a few months ago. To watch on Hulu, go here, For Netflix, search for Hikaru no Go. Viz media also has the entire series streaming on their website, although you have to put up with ads, click here for their server. Fans of the dubbed version can pay for each episode, on iTunes. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 7/4/2011

Andy Liu and Minshan Shou will play for the Wisonet Cup on July 10. Liu beat Kevin Huang and Shou defeated Xinyu Tu in the June 19 semifinals in earn their berths in the Cup final. The first round starts at 9a sharp at the Madison Suites Hotel, 11 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, New Jersey and are open for free viewing by spectators. The Wisonet Go Club is also hosting rated games at the same time; registration ($10 per round) starts at 8:30a, with the first game at 9:30a (1.5 hours BT) and the second game at 1p.

Published On 7/4/2011

With one win each in previous matches, whoever wins this Sunday’s Gerry Cup USA-Canada mixed team tournament will take the lead in the North American showdown. The third Gerry Cup will be held on KGS this Sunday, July 10 beginning at 1p (EST) in the USA vs Canada Team Tournament room. The U.S. team features Yinli Wang, Xingshuo Liu, Chaelim Kim on the women’s side and Yuan Zhou, Yue Zhang, Kevin Hong, Guochen Xie, Yunzhe Zhang, Jie Liang, Minshan Shou, Michael Chen, Lu Wang, Dae Hyuk Ko, Huiren Yang, Zhanbo Sun on the men’s. Changlong Wu and Carson T are substitutes. Cathy Li, Sarah Yu, Irene Sha are playing on the Canadian women’s team, while Jing Yang, Juyong Koh, Ziyang Hu, Ryan Li, Bill Lin, Hank Xie, Xiandong Zhang, Tiger Gong, Jefferey Phung, James Sedgwick, Daniel Gourdeau and Hao Chen are on the men’s. The tournament is organized by Boston Go School and the Toronto Go Center and sponsored by Greater Boston Chinese Culture Association and Newton Chinese School.

Published On 7/4/2011

Jimmy Yang 5d (left front) won the June 26 Triangle Go Group's Friendship/Ratings tournament in Durham/Chapel Hill, NC, topping a field of “18 friendly players,” reports organizer Bob Bacon. Yang was the only participant to go 4-0 for the day. New AGA member Yongman Kang took second place with a 3-1 record, losing only to Yang. Triangle Go Group veteran Peter Armenia won the B section with a 3-1 record. Second in this section was another youngster, Brian Wu, with a 3-1 performance, losing only to Armenia. The C section was dominated by the older generation, with (not so old) Russell Herman taking first, at 3-1, and Steven Manning coming in second, at 2-2. “Great games, great friends, great go!” says Bacon.

Published On 7/4/2011

(UPDATED!) More than a dozen strong players have already signed up for the five-round Swiss qualifier to represent the U.S. in the Sport Accord Mind Games (SAMG) in December 2011. The registration deadline is 8P (EST) Tuesday, July 5.

Published On 7/4/2011

Korea’s Lee Sedol 9P (l) has added the Chunlan Cup to his already stuffed trophy case.

Published On 7/4/2011

Go and libraries are natural partners, not just because of longtime efforts to stock libraries with go books but because libraries have also often hosted go clubs. Which is why the AGA’s Chris Kirschner, 2008 AGF Teacher of the Year Vincent Eisman and I found ourselves among 20,000 librarians at the American Library Association's (ALA) annual conference last week in New Orleans.

Shotwell Updates Go! More Than a Game

Published On 7/4/2011

Go writer Peter Shotwell reports that he recently updated Go! More Than a Game with a brand-new chapter covering recent developments in the go world. New material in Go! -- first published in 2003 by Tuttle -- includes Computer Go Turns into Supercomputer Go, Surreal Numbers and Combinatorial Game Theory, Go Combinatorics: The Maximum Number of Possible Go Positions, Games and their Length, Asian Professional Go, Two Giant Tibetan Go Boards and A Re-dating and Re-interpretation of the Pre-Han Confucian Go Passages. Because of space limitations, the section on beginner's use of The 36 Strategies has been dropped from the latest edition, “however they will soon appear in the AGA e-library” Shotwell says, adding that he’s now at work on a review for the EJ of the use of go in Henry Kissinger's new book On China and Scott Boorman's The Protracted Game.

Adan Wins UK Go Challenge

Published On 7/3/2011

Adan Mordcovich from London was the new champion of the UK Go Challenge, held June 26 in Aston. He also won the Under-18 Boys section forcing Aston's Mazhar Warraich to take second in the section and overall. Hamzah Reta, also from Aston, was third overall and Under-16 Boys Champion. Aston also won the schools trophy and their Ibraheem Mustafa won Under-12 Boys. Thomas Meehan from Solihull won the Under-14 Boys. Milton School players cleaned up in the younger age groups and won the Junior School Cup. Roella Smith was Top Girl winning Under-12 and her sister Kelda won Under-8. Their brother Edmund, aged 6, won the Boys Under-8 and Mark Slatter won the Boys Under-10. There were prizes too to many others for good results or solving puzzles. A special award of UK Go Challenge Meijin Organiser was given to Mr Mike Lynn for supporting the event from its start up to his forthcoming retirement. Click here for results. - Tony Atkins

Instant Go Set Now Available

Published On 7/3/2011

For anyone wanting to play go, but without a goban handy, the Instant Go Set could fill in that gap. David Ormerod has announced the free PDF of a go board and stones that can be printed and then cut out for a quick game. Ormerod says: "When people learn go, it's important for them to start playing quickly, so they remember what they've learned. Of course, you can play go online or against your computer, but not everyone wants to do that. Some people just want to play go with their friends and family. We created the Instant Go Set to give away with our free go course with this in mind. Now we want to make it available to everyone. Anyone who wants to learn go, teach go or just wants a free go set is welcome to download it."

Published On 7/3/2011

If you need another reason to read David Mitchell's spellbinding new novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, the game of go plays a key and major role in the story. Indeed, one entire section of the book is entitled "The Master of Go" and not only does go strategy drive part of the novel's structure, but the game itself -- in fact, a specific game, the board and pieces -- play a dramatic role at the climax of the riveting novel.

Published On 6/28/2011

Princeton undergraduate Michael Chen 7d swept the field as sixteen strong players competed June 25-26 on KGS in the second online North America Ing Masters (NAIM) qualifier for the opportunity to be in the top 16 in this year's NAIM, which will be held in at the U.S. Go Congress in August. Kevin Huang 7d, Calvin Sun 7d and KuoRuey Han 6d finished 3-1. A playoff between 3-win players Vincent Zhuang and Kevin Chao was set for Monday, June 27. Tremendous efforts by Tournament Director Tengxiao Yang and Changlong Wu helped players show friendship and high class as they accommodated an AGA player who had to temporarily travel to China. - National Tournament Coordinator Zhiyuan 'Edward' Zhang

Capital One Offers New AGA Visa Card

Published On 6/28/2011

Wouldn’t it be cool if every time you used your credit card you also helped to promote go, support tournaments, chapter services and the U.S. Mind Games team?

Published On 6/28/2011

With registration for the 2011 U.S. Go Congress -- July 30 - August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA -- on a record-breaking pace, every playing attendee who registered by 11:59pm PDT on June 1 “will receive our first discount of $15 off registration!” reports Congress Director Lisa Scott. “Register by 11:59pm PDT on July 5 to be eligible for our second discount of $15 off every playing attendee!” Scott adds, noting that all current registrants will also receive this second discount as well. Email Scott at lisa.scott@gocongress.org with any questions.

MyGoFriend Program Ties Top Pro

Published On 6/26/2011

The MyGoFriend program scored a 2-2 result against Kim Young Sam 8P in a June 16 9x9 exhibition match played during the recent Kido Cup in Hamburg, Germany and broadcast live on KGS

Published On 6/26/2011

“Forget chess,” said the Wall Street Journal on June 11. “To understand geopolitics in Taiwan or the Indian Ocean, U.S. strategists are learning from Go.”

Published On 6/25/2011

The 13th Iberoamerican Go Tournament will be held in Mexico City October 8-10.

GO SPOTTING: Yojiro Takita’s New Film

Published On 6/25/2011

Yojiro Takita’s next film has an interesting historical connection to the game of go.

Published On 6/25/2011

Serbian go player Zeljko Veselinovic would like to meet local go players during his visit to Atlanta (GA) July 22 – August 3.

GO IN THE NEWS: Tampa Go Club

Published On 6/25/2011

The Tampa Go Club was included in a May 20 St. Petersburg Times write-up on area gaming clubs: The board game Go has been around for more than 2,000 years and enjoys widespread popularity in East Asia. But around here, there's just one game in town. John Russell, a 28-year-old librarian, formed the Tampa Go Club nearly two years ago. The weekly meeting attract upwards of 15 people who play on three board sizes, the largest being the most difficult.

Published On 6/21/2011

Black: 4k White: 1k Commentary by Guo Juan 5P Published in the June 21, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal White, the stronger player, makes several mistakes early on, but the weaker Black player makes much larger and more fatal errors [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011.06.21-1k-4k_Game_GuoJuan.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011.06.21-1k-4k_Game_GuoJuan.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]later on. Guo Juan 5P, a regular contributor to the American Go E-Journal, provides in-depth commentary and variations on the game. Learn more about Guo Juan -- a popular go teacher based in Amsterdam -- on her website.

Zhou/Chou Top DC/VA NAIM Qualie

Published On 6/21/2011

Last weekend’s DC-area North American Ing Masters (NAIM) qualifier spanned two states and as many days.

Published On 6/21/2011

The American Go Association has been invited to send a team to the Sport Accord Mind Games in December in Beijing.

Published On 6/21/2011

Starting this week 2011 U.S. Go Congress attendees will be able to register online for tournaments, the first time this has been possible. “We really want TDs and attendees to get a better idea of what tournaments there are and how they can participate in as many as possible before the Congress starts,” Congress Director Lisa Scott tells the E-Journal. “Attendees will be able to sign up for other events in the next few weeks as well.” In addition to these new features, the Congress transportation information has been updated to include more airline discount codes, resources for land travel, and information about bikes and other rentals in Santa Barbara. “We are so excited about everything that this year's Congress has to offer … we can't wait for it to start!” says Scott. Reach her at lisa.scott@gocongress.org with any questions.

Feng Yun 9P Offers Summer Go Workshop

Published On 6/21/2011

Registration is now open for Feng Yun 9P's August 22-26 Summer Go Workshop in New Jersey. “This is a good opportunity for players of all ages to study go with a 9 dan pro in a relaxed atmosphere with a lot of personal attention,” reports Paul Matthews. Workshop registration is limited; click here for more details.

IN MEMORIAM: Tim Huang

Published On 6/20/2011

Tim Huang, longtime member of the Vermont Go Club and a tireless promoter of the game of go passed away June 14 after a long battle with leukemia and its after-effects.

Go Camp Discounts Offered

Published On 6/20/2011

The AGA East Coast Go Camp is still on, but time is running out for kids to register. With the AGF needs-based scholarships, kids can attend camp for as little as $500. Every summer since 1998, kids from 8 to 18 from all over the US and abroad, have met for a week to study and have fun at the AGA Go Camp. Play and instruction are supplemented by many typical camp activities. Experienced camp organizers are in charge, so the children who attend camp are safe and well cared for. Everything is organized to the last detail, beginning from the pickup at the airport to the last moment when staff take kids to the home-bound flight.

Published On 6/19/2011

WORLD AMATEUR GO CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL EDITION 18-page full-color PDF report on the 31st annual World Amateur Go Championship held May 24-31 in Hangzhou, China. The Special Edition is a compilation of the coverage of the WAGC by the American Go E-Journal/Ranka Online team — suitable for online viewing or printing out — and includes reports, photos and embedded clickable links to game commentaries by Michael Redmond 9P and the complete online coverage by both the E-Journal and Ranka. U.S. GO CONGRESS SPECIAL EDITION 31-page full-color PDF report covers the 21st annual U.S. Go Congress, held August 1-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The American Go Yearbook Special Edition is a compilation of all the coverage of this year’s Congress by the American Go E-Journal and includes reports, photos and embedded clickable links to game commentaries by visiting professionals. Also included are clickable links to U.S. Open and Ing crosstabs.

LG Cup Yields More Surprises

Published On 6/18/2011

The 16th LG Cup has continued to defy the predictions of go fans, creating a very interesting tournament going into the quarter finals. As we mentioned last week, Lee Sedol 9P, Gu Li 9P and Kong Jie 9P were all knocked out in the first round of the main tournament. Round two took place on June 15, 2011. Piao Wenyao 9P - the defending LG Cup champion - was eliminated by rising Korean star Kim Jiseok 7P. Some readers may remember Kim Jiseok's explosive play against Gu Li in the BC Card Cup. Many are expecting Kim, who turned 22 last week, to break through on the international stage any day now.

BruGo Releases iPad Joseki App

Published On 6/18/2011

The author of the BruGo online joseki dictionary has just released an iPad Joseki application. "The Brugo Joseki iPad version is fast and reliable and contains more sequences than you could ever dream of," says author Bram Vandenbon.

Malcolm and Tang Lead NorCal Monthly

Published On 6/17/2011

Twenty-six adults and children came out to San Francisco's Japantown Center to play in the monthly ratings tournament held June 11. Players ranged in rank from 20 kyu to 5 dan. Richard Malcolm 2d (right in photo) led the dan players with a 4-0 record, and Ryan Tang led the kyu players with a 5-0 record.

Frank Luo Wins Record Atlanta Tourney

Published On 6/15/2011

In the biggest turnout in Atlanta go tournament history, 46 players participated in the June 11 Emory University

Published On 6/15/2011

From the Hollywood Hop On Hop Off Tour to the La Brea Tar Pits (r), Deep-Sea Fishing, Whale Watching and Tandem Skydiving, this year's U.S. Go Congress has a record number of local activities planned for non-players. Click here for the complete line-up. "We are really excited to have so many events that will help our attendees explore southern California!" says Congress Director Lisa Scott. The Congress will be held July 30 through August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA. "We are particularly excited to have arranged for golf events at the Santa Barbara Golf Club,” Scott added.

Published On 6/14/2011

East Coast go fans will be able to watch top players compete -- as well as play themselves -- in the June 19 Wisonet Cup semi-final in Somerset, NJ.

Published On 6/14/2011

Cherry Shen (cherrysaur on KGS) and Curtis Tang (cjheaven) will play Lin Lu (crazybbbb) and Edward Zhang (feamed) for the 2011 [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_12_OnlinePairGoTournament2_Wang-Zhou-Shen-Tang.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_12_OnlinePairGoTournament2_Wang-Zhou-Shen-Tang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Online Pair Go Tournament championship next Saturday on KGS , June [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_12_OnlinePairGoTournament_Lu-Zhang-Wang-Zhou.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_12_OnlinePairGoTournament_Lu-Zhang-Wang-Zhou.sgf" class="alignleft"][/sgf] 18 at 8p (EDT) on KGS. In rounds last weekend, Lu/Zhang defeated Yinli Wang (Fairy2009) and Yuan Zhou (GMD; see game at left) and Shen/Tang beat Wang/Zhou in an impressive comeback win (see game at right).

Published On 6/14/2011

Jung Hoon Lee won the North American Ing Masters qualifier last Saturday, June 11 at the Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament in Boulder, CO. Eric Moakley took first place in the main section of the tournament and Anthony Zhang was first in the double-digit kyu section. Forty players ranging from 7 dan to 31 kyu participated. Winner’s Report: NAIM qualifier: 1st: Jung Hoon Lee; 2nd: Yun Bo Yi; 3rd: Philip London Main Section: 1st: Eric Moakley; 2nd: Bob Sorenson; 3rd: Xian Wu Luo DDK Section: 1st: Anthony Zhang; 2nd: Akrom Amanov; 3rd: Tim Chang

Published On 6/14/2011

Black to play. The situation is strange, but the attack must be reasonable. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_14_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_14_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignleft"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the AGA; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary, but please do not distribute.

Published On 6/14/2011

April 2011[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_14_anonymous-5kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_14_anonymous-5kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Gaithersburg, MD Anonymous 5 kyu players Commentary: Yuan Zhou 7d SGF file created by Bill Cobb and edited by Myron Souris Black makes a joseki mistake at move 13 but White immediately follows up with “a clear case of playing too close to thickness” in today’s game between two five-kyus, as Yuan Zhou 7d takes his usual in-depth look at the good moves, the bad and the missed opportunities. FREE GAME COMMENTARY! If you'd like to have your game commented by a top amateur or pro, just send us a recent sgf file at journal@usgo.org Yuan Zhou 7d is one of the strongest players in the US. He has won many titles.

Published On 6/13/2011

Author in the process of producing new go works in electronic format needs assistance. Three works currently available on the Amazon Kindle. Two new works are in finished HTML format with completed sgf/eps diagrams, but help is needed for final electronic conversion. Any help would be appreciated. Contact: Robert Terry; 562-420- 9503; rjterry100@hotmail.com

Published On 6/13/2011

U.S. representative Eric Lui 7d placed third in the 2011 World Amateur Go Championship, the highest finish ever achieved by a U.S. player. Eric sent along this report on the tournament, as well as the exciting final-round game -- with his comments -- that clinched the 3rd-place win.

GO SPOTTING: The Origin of Atari

Published On 6/13/2011

Many go players know that video game pioneer Atari was named after the go term, but how many know that this was actually the second choice for the company's name? "Sente" was the first choice by Nolan Bushnell (r) and his partner Ted Dabney, according to By Any Other Name: The Origin of Atari on the CHEGheads Blog by Shannon Symonds, Acquisitions Cataloger for the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.

Published On 6/12/2011

German 5-dan Robert Jasiek has released the second volume of his series on joseki, which focuses on joseki strategy. Jasiek describes the goals for the book in his review: "The book serves the two purposes of teaching joseki strategy in particular and strategy in general. While the majority of examples shows josekis or other corner situations and only some examples illustrate the middle game, almost all principles, concepts and methods are equally applicable during opening and middle game." The first volume of the three-volume series (with Volume 3 still to be completed) came out in 2009 and looks at the fundamentals of joseki. Both volumes are 250+ pages with an average of four diagrams per page. Jasiek is well-known in international go circles for his work on go theory and his research into go rules.

AGA Board Nominations Deadline June 15

Published On 6/12/2011

Just days remain before AGA board nominations close this Wednesday, June 15. Gordon Castanza and Daniel Smith are running unopposed in the western and central regions respectively while Paul Celmer and Edward (Zhiyuan) Zhang compete in the eastern region. If you are a full member of the AGA you may nominate, or self-nominate, a candidate in your region by writing or email at elections@usgo.org. Details of the qualifications for office and election schedule are online. Chapter representatives must check there for special instructions due to mailing list problems. - Arnold Eudell

Danny Ko Scores Second Coffee Cup

Published On 6/7/2011

It was a quiet, almost decaffeinated day in Santa Monica, with a turn-out of 30 players for the 5th Annual Santa Monica Coffee Cup on June 4. “That’ll teach me to schedule it just before finals,” noted organizer Andy Okun. First place went to Danny Ko 7d, who took home his second hand-painted victory mug and a pound of organic Peruvian coffee after winning a tough final-round game with second place finisher Calvin Sun 7d. Third and fourth place in the top Espresso Division went to Yixian Zhou 6d and Andrew Lu 6d. Next year’s theme color is expected to be purple, Okun reports.

16 Pros Confirmed for U.S. Go Congress

Published On 6/6/2011

Sixteen professionals have been confirmed for this year's U.S. Go Congress, set for July 30 - August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA. The line-up includes popular American-born professional Michael Redmond 9P (l), Feng Yun 9P, Seo Neong-Wook 9P, Wang Qun 8P, Kong Xiangming 8P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Yilun Yang 7p, Ryo Maeda 6P, Guo Juan 5P, Janice Kim 3P, Lee Ha-Jin 3P, Jennie Shen 2P, Cathy Li 1P, Huiren Yang 1P, Xuefen Lin 1P, and Li Ting 1P as resident pros at the weeklong Congress. "It's great to be able to bring such a great group of professionals to the Congress," says Congress Director Lisa Scott. "We're committed to providing Congress attendees with as many opportunities as possible to attend lectures by pros and to participate in simuls with the professionals." There are 376 people registered for the Congress, including 159 kyu-level players and 155 dan-level players.

Published On 6/6/2011

Yuan Zhou Workshop Game Anonymous 4 kyus May 2011 Gaithersburg, MD Anonymous 4 kyu players Commentary by Yuan Zhou 7D SGF file created by Bill Cobb and Chris Garlock[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_06_anonymous-4kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/2011_06_06_anonymous-4kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] White goes wrong with W18 in this 4-kyu game commentary by Yuan Zhou 7d. Zhou -- a popular teacher, lecturer, and author and regular contributor to the American Go E-Journal -- shows why it's a bad move and also what the proper move for White in this situation to "connect all his stones and build a large area of influence. All of White's stones would be working together." Yuan Zhou 7d is one of the strongest players in the US. He has won many titles. His most recent achievement was placing fifth in the Korea Prime Minister Cup--

Zhuang Sweeps NAIM Online Qualifier I

Published On 6/6/2011

Ten strong players battled on KGS last weekend in the North American Ing Masters (NAIM) 2011 Online Qualifier #1, with Guozhong Zhuang sweeping the June 4-5 four-round tournament and securing his place in the NAIM this August at the Go Congress in Santa Babara, CA. Zhuang's son Vincent finished 3-1, losing only to his father. Daniel Chou also finished 3-1. Click here for details. Another NAIM online qualifier on KGS is scheduled for June 25-26; deadline for registering for Qualifier 2 is June 10. Email agatd2@gmail.com to register. For strong players there are two remaining in-person NAIM qualifiers, hosted by AGA chapter clubs: DC-Baltimore, June 17-18, hosted by GWGC, NOVA and CAPA (this event also offers free play of rated games for AGA players of all levels) Greater Chicago area, July 9, hosted by Evanston Go Club and Korean Go Center (cash prize available). – Tengxiao Yang 6d and Changlong Wu 7d

Ke Huang 7d Wins 2011 Maryland Open

Published On 6/6/2011

Ke Huang 7d won this year's Maryland Open, held May 28-29 in Baltimore, MD.

Go World Offer Deadline Extended!

Published On 6/6/2011

Wouldn't it be great if, just as your final overtime period was about to expire, you suddenly got another 5 minutes to play? That's exactly what's happened with our special Go World offer. Join or renew your AGA membership by June 8 (extended from May 31) and we'll send you up to 1,700 pages of great stuff! Go World magazine, Kiseido's quarterly go publication, is the ultimate source of go knowledge in English. Each 64-page issue is packed with extensive review of at least ten major title match games by top professionals as well as problems, instructional articles and series, and coverage of historical, cultural and other aspects of the game. Even if you're already a member, now's the time to add more years, and the more you add, the better it gets!

Published On 6/6/2011

SmartGo Books has just released two new iPad/iPhone books, including one by Michael Redmond 9P specifically designed to take advantage of the power of the iPad. In Patterns of the Sanrensei, Redmond reviews six basic plans for the sanrensei opening, and illustrates the strategy and tactics of these patterns in twenty of his own games. Written for SmartGo Books and only available for the iPad and iPhone, Patterns of the Sanrensei enables readers for the first time to easily replay the moves in the book's diagrams, peeling the moves back to see how a given diagram developed, as well as the ability to adjust fonts and layout.

Published On 6/6/2011

After nine weeks practicing and studying go, students at Dixon Elementary School in Dixon, NM finished up the 2011 Spring Semester with a knock-out tournament. Everyone who participated received a copy of The Way to Go and the top three players -- Liam (1st), Brooklyn (2nd) and Emmett (3rd) -- received a copy of Peter Shotwell’s Go! More Than a Game. Shotwell’s book was chosen as an excellent tool for building skills as well as providing concise discussions on go history and culture. The awards were presented at the school’s Awards Day, May 29th, attended by students, teachers and parents. "We are much indebted to the school librarian, Ms. Maggie Durham for championing go in the school’s art program," said Santa Fe Go Club member Robert Cordingley, who ran the class. Cordingley also extended thanks to the school staff for their support, particularly Head Teacher Ms. Kiva Duckworth-Moulton and the AGF for their help with equipment and materials.

Teuber Sweeps Amsterdam

Published On 6/6/2011

Benjamin Teuber 6d (r) swept the 2011 Amsterdam Go Tournament, held June 2-5. Click here for EuroGoTV's coverage, which includes round-by-round reports, photos and game records.

Published On 6/6/2011

On June 1 2011, China’s Baoxiang Bai (in photo at right) won the 32nd World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) with a triumphant clean sweep of 8 wins. South Korea’s Woo Soo Choi finished in second place with an impressive 7 wins – losing only to Bai in round 5. Arguably, Bai’s match with Choi in round 5 determined the winner of the tournament. Eric Lui of the U.S. claimed third place with 6 wins, the best-ever result for the U.S. Interestingly enough, in last year’s 31st WAGC, China and Korea also met in round 5 to battle it out for the championship. Korea won last year’s championship (the 31st WAGC). Other than Choi, Bai also defeated Hirata of Japan

Openings on AGA Web Team Available

Published On 6/5/2011

If you'd like to help make the best English-language go website in the world even better, the AGA webmaster team now has a few openings available. The workload is shared so no-one gets overloaded and we're looking for folks with good skills and fresh ideas on how to improve the AGA's website. If interested, please email journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/5/2011

Henry Kissinger 's understanding of go strategy informs his latest book, On China. However, according to a recent review in The Economist, Kissinger's book "is marred by three related flaws. The first is Mr Kissinger’s insight that Chinese strategists think like players of wei qi or Go, which means that, in the long term, they wish to avoid encirclement. Westerners are chess-players, tacticians aiming to get rid of their opponents’ pieces 'in a series of head-on clashes', he writes. 'Chess produces single-mindedness; wei qi generates strategic flexibility.'” The review, entitled No go points out that "This conceit has been used by other authors. It appears every few pages here like a nervous tic.

Scot Wins Scottish Open

Published On 6/5/2011

For the first time in many years, the Scottish Open was won this year by a Scottish-born player. Local native Sandy Taylor 2d (Durham) won all five games to take his first tournament title at the Open, held May 28-29 in Dundee. The closure of long-term sponsor Real Time Worlds and a local wedding anniversary contributed to a drop in attendance, with 23 players participating. A new sponsor, Denki -- a locally-based "digital toy factory" -- ensured that, as ever, all players took away a jar of Dundee's famous marmalade. Prizes were also awarded to David Lee 2d (Dundee) and Dieter Daems 9k (Leuven) for four wins out of five, and to Martha McGill 2k (Edinburgh), Boris Mitrovic 2k (Edinburgh), Tom Croonenborghs 1d (Antwerp), Eugene Kee-Onn Wong 4k (Glasgow) and Andrew Thurman 7k (Durham) for three wins. Edwin Brady 1k (St Andrews) and Sandy Taylor 2d (Durham) jointly won the Lightning tournament with three wins out of four

Published On 6/5/2011

Janice Kim's article about go stones in a Japanese internship camp (GO SPOTTING: ‘The Archaeology of Internment’ 5/9) prompted roving E-Journal contributor Peter Shotwell to send along some excerpts from Holly Uyemoto's 1995 book Go: A Novel, which focuses on generational differences among Japanese-Americans. The sketches below -- which are not part of the novel -- are from the George Hoshida Collection on the Japanese American National Museum website.

Ian Marsh Organizes and Wins Bracknell

Published On 6/4/2011

Ian Marsh, the organizer of the Bracknell Tournament, was also the winner. Marsh 1k (Bracknell) was the best of the 28 players at the May 15 UK tournament. Also winning all three were Xinyi Lu 4k (Maidenhead) and Laurence Anderson 7k (Bracknell). Poland's Marcel Zantman 6k won two and then had a last round jigo. Bahareh Afshari won the problem solving, Mike Charles won the 13x13 and Peter Collins won the caption contest. - Tony Atkins, based on his report on the BGA website

Published On 6/4/2011

Matthew Macfadyen, the 2010 British Champion, has won all seven games in the Challengers' League May 27-30 to earn the right to defend his title. This year he will be playing Nick Krempel 3d (London), who won five games in the League, in a best-of-3 final. Hui Wang and Alistair Wall just missed out on playing for the title by one win each. - Tony Atkins, based on his report on the BGA website

Russian Go Congress Set for July 1-11

Published On 6/4/2011

The 14th Russian Go Congress will be held in Saint-Petersburg from July 1-11. "All foreign go comrades are welcome," says Maxim Podolyak.

GO CLASSIFIED: Go Books for Sale

Published On 6/4/2011

"After moving go books coasts, cities, and apartments, its time to reduce some dead trees," reports Robert Ferguson. "I have a huge number of books for sale, including the Get Strong series, Dictionary of Basic Tesuji, vol. 1, 2, 3 and much much more. Will give a discount for multiple books or best offer." email robert.ferguson@gmail.com for complete list.

Published On 6/4/2011

Desperately looking for players in the Greenville, SC area; email plugfactice@gmail.com

Published On 6/1/2011

Round 4 of the 2011 World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) began at 1:30p on May 30 with referee Yasuhiro Nakano giving the signal to start. With only seven undefeated players remaining, the competition was beginning to tighten up. Two of the three games among those undefeated players ended quickly. Choltit Rattanasetyut of Thailand made an early and serious mistake against Baoxiang Bai of China, and Morten Ofstad of Norway made a major mistake in the middle game against Tsung-Han Wu of Chinese Taipei, giving Bai and Wu easy wins.

Published On 6/1/2011

Round 6 began at 1:30pm on May 31 with China’s Baoxiang Bai and Chinese Taipei’s Tsung-han Wu squaring off. One of those two was about to lose his unbeaten status. Next to Bai and Wu, Korea’s Woo-soo Choi was paired against Poland’s Kamil Chwedyna (photo at right). One of those two players was about to lose his second game of the day, after four straight wins in the first half of the tournament. The Polish player drew white and placed his first three stones on the 9-10, 11-10, and 4-2 points, while the Korean occupied three corners. On three other boards in the main playing room, Japan’s Hironori Hirata was playing Spain’s Joan Flos, Thailand’s Choltit Rattanasetyut was playing Vietnam’s Kanh Binh Do, and France’s Thomas Debarre was playing Eric Lui of the US. The winners of these games would still be very much in contention, provided one of them could manage to beat the winner of the Bai-Wu game.

Published On 5/31/2011

THIS JUST IN: Click here for all the latest news from the 2011 World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) live from Japan, including a report on Round 4 results, reported by our colleagues at Ranka Online, the bulletin of the International Go Federation. Round 2 of the 2011 WAGC started just after 1:30 on May 29 with all players present. This time the bye went to Mykhailo Halchenko of the Ukraine. The player with the bye receives a teaching game from one of the referees, so Mykhailo 5D found himself playing Yasuhiro Nakano 9P at two stones.

Published On 5/31/2011

The semi-finals of the first Wisonet Cup Go Tournament will be held at 1p on June 19 at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, NJ. It will feature two matches between 7D players: Andy Liu vs. Kevin Huang and Minshan Shou vs. Xinyu Tu. The basic time limit will be 2 hours with 60 seconds of byo-yomi. If there's a big enough audience, organizers may arrange to relay the game(s) on a a large go display board in the conference room and possibly broadcast the games on KGS

First Alabama Go Championship Held

Published On 5/31/2011

The first Alabama Go Championship was held May 28 in Montgomery, Alabama and drew 10 players. There was a first place tie between Jacob Dennis 20k and Marlin Taylor 7k. Second place went to Daniel High 10k, while third place was also a tie between William Ott 3k and Thomas Walcutt 8k. - Thomas Walcutt

Published On 5/30/2011

Honinbo Final preliminary, Round 1 April 21, 2011 W: Matsumoto Takehisa 7P B: Michael Redmond 9P Commentary by Michael Redmond Edited by Chris Garlock Published in the May 30, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal Matsumoto is a strong fighter, and plays an interesting opening. In this game we are playing in the Honinbo tournament, final elimination section, 1st round of 3. The 4 winners of this section will be the new participants in the 67th Honinbo league. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the AGA; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary, but please do not distribute. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011.05.30-Redmond-Matsumoto_Redmond.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011.05.30-Redmond-Matsumoto_Redmond.sgf" ][/sgf]

Published On 5/30/2011

If you missed the May 28 deadline for signing up for the NAIM Online Qualifier 1 tournament, you still have time to sign up for Qualifier 2. Deadline for registering for Qualifier 2 is June 10; email agatd2@gmail.com Click here for NAIM details. - Tengxiao Yang, NAIM Online Qualifier Co-director

Published On 5/30/2011

How did 2011 U.S. Go Congress co-director Lisa Scott attend last year's Congress for less than $600, including travel? Here are some of her tips on how to save money on this year's Congress, set for July 30 - August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA. "Registering early to get the full discount is a must," Scott notes. This year, that means registering by June 1. “Next, I usually find a cheap way to stay offsite, staying with a friend who lives nearby or with friends in a nearby hotel.

World Go News May 2011

Published On 5/30/2011

36th Kisei League
Joanne Missingham turns 17
32nd World Amateur Go Championships begin

Published On 5/29/2011

The playing area on the third floor of the Shimane Prefectural Assembly Hall is divided into a main inner room with nineteen boards, fourteen of which have official game recorders, and a smaller outer area with ten boards

Published On 5/24/2011

The Capital Go Club and Greater Washington Go Club (GWGC) will host a North American Ing Masters (NAIM ) qualifier in the DC metro area June 17-18. The opening round will be on Friday 6/17 in the evening at the GWGC in Bethesda, MD, and the remaining three rounds on 6/17, so that players do not have to squeeze four games into one day. Email agatd1@gmail.com to register. All levels are welcome to watch and/or play free or rated games. Stay tuned for details. - Zhiyuan 'Edward' Zhang, NAIM Co-Director

1st-Round Winners in Wisonet Cup

Published On 5/24/2011

Winners in the recent first round of Wisonet Cup Go Tournament were Minshan Shou (defeated Forest Song); Xinyu Tu (d. Xiruo Liu); Kevin Huang (d. Benjamin Lockhart); Andy Liu (d. Qiyun Zhu). Stay tuned for details on when Round 2 will be held. - Ronghao Chen, TD

Published On 5/24/2011

This is the LAST WEEK to receive the full discount for the 2011 US Go Congress! Sign up by June 1 at www.gocongress.org!

Published On 5/24/2011

The fifth annual Santa Monica Coffee Cup -- which has just been designated an NAIM Qualifier -- will be held Saturday, June 4 at the UnUrban Coffeehouse in Santa Monica, California. There is an absolute limit of 50 players so pre-registration is essential. The tournament fee is $10, plus AGA membership or renewal if necessary. Send an e-mail to Andy Okun at abc@okun.name with your name and AGA number if you have one. "Eric Cotsen, should he attend, plays free,:" reports Okun. "The temperature is liable to be cool and comfortable and the sky an attractive blue, as usual." This year's theme color is Orange.

AGA Board Nominations Closing Soon

Published On 5/24/2011

There's now less than a month before AGA board nominations close on June 15. Things are off to a quick start with Gordon Castanza and Paul Celmer nominated in the western and eastern regions respectively. If you are a full member of the AGA you may nominate, or self-nominate, a candidate in your region by writing or email at elections@usgo.org. Details of the qualifications for office and election schedule are online. Chapter representatives must check there for special instructions due to mailing list problems

Stony Brook Hosts First-Annual Tourney

Published On 5/24/2011

The Stony Brook (NY) University Go Club hosted its first annual tournament on May 7. The 4-round tournament attracted 28 players and was held during Stony Brook University's Sakura Matsuri celebration, which included a number of other Asian cultural events which tournament goers were able to enjoy between matches. Anthony Garcia won the tournament. The tournament boasted free entry, AGA sanctioned games and $250 worth of prizes. “If all goes well, the SBU Go Club will host another tournament at the same time next year,” reports SBU Go Club President-Elect Sean Burton.

Published On 5/24/2011

The first online NAIM tournament qualifier will be held on June 4-5. It will be a 4-round online tournament and there will be two rounds (12 PM EST, 6 PM EST) each day. Email tournaments@usgo.org to register. Please inform TD of your status (Skype ID, KGS ID, AGA ID, Green card holder or US Citizen) when you register. The deadline for registration is 8 PM EST May 28. Online qualifier 2 will be on KGS during June 25-26, and the deadline for registration is June 10. - Tengxiao Yang, NAIM Online Qualifier Co-director

Kids Get Ready For Go Camp

Published On 5/23/2011

As summer beckons, young go players across the country are looking forward to the annual Youth East Coast Go Camp. AGF Scholarships to the Camp are still available. "If I get really strong at go camp I might be able to place in Go Congress... maybe even be an insei and then a pro. Who knows? I also want to meet old friends, and make new ones," wrote Chance Reimer in a previous scholarship essay. "It was a great experience being around players as interested in go as I am," wrote Matt Palumbo, "It was great to meet a pro too! I liked all the people there, and made a new friend who I continue to keep in touch with." Parents like camp too: "The happiness he brought back from camp was radiating all over as soon as we picked him up from the airport, and his happiness is our happiness too," wrote one parent after the event. The AGA East Coast Go Camp will be held at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey, July 23-30.

Evanston Go Club Gets Animated

Published On 5/23/2011

The Evanston Go Club taught over 100 people to play go May 21-22 at Anime Central at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois.

Iyama Yuta Wins Bosai Cup for Japan

Published On 5/19/2011

Iyama Yuta 9P has surprised many in the Go world, defeating first Lee Sedol 9P and then Gu Li 9P, to bring the Bosai Cup home for Japan. The 1st Bosai Cup was an invitational even held in Chongqing, China. The format is similar to the Super Meijin, with one player from each of China, Japan and Korea being invited. Three matches were played to determine the winner. In the first match, Iyama beat Lee in 205 moves, to take his place in the final. Gu then knocked Lee out of the competition and challenged Iyama. On May 18, Iyama continued his good form, winning the tournament in 208 moves. Is this the final step in Iyama Yuta's rise to the top? Japanese go players and Iyama's fans around the world certainly have something to celebrate today. Congratulations Iyama Yuta! For more details, visit: Iyama Yuta defeats Gu Li, Japan wins Bosai Cup at Go Game Guru. - David Ormerod;

Published On 5/17/2011

Black to play: to attack White, the first move is key.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_16_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_16_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Published in the May 16, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the AGA; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary, but please do not distribute.

Published On 5/17/2011

This year's U.S. Go Congress at beautiful beach-side UC Santa Barbara has attracted many families with events for non-players and families, as well as players who want an afternoon off from the go board. Events for this year's Congress – July 30-August 7 -- include local Santa Barbara attractions, such as a golf excursion on Monday and buses to the local art fair, as well as trips to LA attractions like the La Brea Tar Pits and tours of Hollywood. "Santa Barbara is such an attractive vacation spot, we really wanted to give families a reason to come and enjoy themselves!" say Congress Organizers Lisa Scott and Andrew Jackson, "Of course, everyone will benefit more from future price discounts prices if they register early, so we are encouraging people to register before June 1 for the best price."

2011 NAIM Online Qualifiers Scheduled

Published On 5/17/2011

Two online qualifying tournaments for the North American Ing Masters have been set for June 4-5 and June 25-26. “The event will be similar to previous ones,” says National Tournament Coordinator Edward Zhang, noting that this year players will be required to use a web camera. Email tournaments@usgo.org to register. Similar to local qualifiers -- Andy Liu 7d and Curtis Tang 7d have won two local qualifiers in Boston, MA and Alhambra, CA -- the online qualifier winners will each be guaranteed a place in the NAIM main event. "Professional players in U.S. and Canada should also email tournaments@usgo.org to let us know your playing status in the 2011 NAIM," Zhang added.

Iyama Yuta defeats Lee Sedol

Published On 5/16/2011

This year's Chongqing International Golden Buddha Mountain Tourism and Cultural Festival (in China) features a three-way invitational tournament between the world's top pros. The tournament is being called the Bosai Cup and Korea's Lee Sedol 9P, China's Gu Li 9P and Japan's Iyama Yuta 9P are competing. These three are facing one another in a series of three exhibition games. Gu drew a bye in the first round, so Lee and Iyama played today (May 16 2011). Iyama beat Lee by resignation and took the first spot in the final. In a rematch of last month's 3rd BC Card, Gu will play Lee for the second spot in the final.

Seattle Go Center Goes for Pets

Published On 5/16/2011

After ten months without a tenant, the Seattle Go Center has leased the downstairs of their building to Companion Pet Clinic - UDistrict. "This deal does not solve our financial needs by itself,” says SGC Manager Brian Allen, “but it makes our situation a whole lot better, and much more predictable.” Allen adds that with continued support through memberships, donations and volunteering “we will be able to increase our hours and expand our outreach from current levels." The veterinary group will be renovating their space this summer and moving in late this fall. The Go Center will be doing outreach at the UDistrict Street Fair this weekend -- the third festival that it has attended this spring. - photo: Tuesday night at the Seattle Go Center; photo by Brian Allen

Go Expo Day a Hit in NorCal

Published On 5/16/2011

Nearly 100 people of all ages came out to the Oakland Asian Cultural Center on May 14 for the second annual Go Expo Day. The event, organized by Bay Area Go Players Association, is really two go events under one roof. "Go Expo Day is a monthly ratings tournament coupled with our biggest go outreach event of the year," explains organizer Roger Schrag. Nineteen players arrived in the morning for the all-day AGA-rated tournament. "Players ranged in rank from 30 kyu to 5 dan, and in age from under ten to over 70," reports tournament director Steven Burrall.

Blacksburg Go Club Hosts 1st Tournament

Published On 5/16/2011

The Blacksburg (VA) Go Club held its first tournament on April 23, attracting a field of 13. Jimmy Yang 4d took first place in the top bracket and Robert Meyer 7k was first in the second bracket. Keenan Moukarzel 3k took second place in the top bracket and Caleb Vickers 7k was second in the second bracket. “Because of this success, the Blacksburg Go club looks forward to hosting the tournament again next year,” said organizer Dan Monahan. “We thank Jimmy, Xinlin and their family for coming all the way from Charlottesville to play in our tournament. We expect to have even more people and fun next year.” photo courtesy Dan Monahan

8 Top Players to Vie in 1st Wisonet Cup

Published On 5/14/2011

Andy Liu 7d (l) heads up an 8-player field in the invitation-only Wisonet Cup Go Tournament, which starts Sunday, May 22 at the Quakerbridge Learning Center in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. The tournament features a longer playing time – 2 hours per player – and just three rounds played over several months. The second round will be held in June, and the final round may be held in September, says Ronghao Chen, president of Wisonet and tournament organizer. The longer time is intended to permit greater preparation time for the players as well as allowing the audience “to learn and discuss more about the tournament. We hope that we can achieve very interesting games with good quality,” Chen tells the E-Journal. Doors open at 9:30a and tickets for watching the games are $5 each. The pairings for the May 22 round are: Minshan Shou 7d (2011 New Jersey Open Champion) v.s. 12-year-old Forest Song; Xinyu Tu 7d v.s. Xirou Liu 7d;

Go Congress Hosts Sought

Published On 5/14/2011

With turnout at this year’s U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara heading for a record, the American Go Association is already looking ahead to future Congresses. If your chapter might be interested in hosting a Congress – click here for full details on what’s involved in organizing the AGA's premier event of the year -- contact Chris Kirschner at development@usgo.org or 206-579-8071 for more information. The 2012 Congress is set for North Carolina, but from 2013 forward is currently up for grabs.

Readers Write: Kindle Go Update

Published On 5/14/2011

“Any plans for a game of go version for Kindle?” wondered Dave Gagne here back in March (Kindle Go? 3/28 EJ). We’ve subsequently had two Kindle go sightings: Cristian sent us a link to Adrian Petrescu’s blog; Petrescu’s most recent post on May 5 says that “KindleGoban (r) and KindleChess will both be released this summer.” And Mike Yankee reports that “all three volumes of Cho's Encyclopedia Of Life And Death (as well as other tsumego collections) are downloadable as .pdf files here; these can be viewed directly on the Kindle although the diagrams are small.”

Published On 5/14/2011

Don Winslow’s Satori is based on Trevanian’s Shibumi so it’s not surprising that the novel has go references. “The whole book uses references to go for all its plot twists and turns,” reports Rusty Brown. “The author learned go in college, but said he wasn't proficient at the game.” A sample from the novel: “When the immediate situation is untenable, Nikko, what do you play for? Time, Otake-sama. Play for the long game.”

GO SPOTTING: Go on the History Channel

Published On 5/13/2011

GO SPOTTING: Go on the History Channel: Reader Drew Chuppe recently caught a go reference on a History Channel program called “The Art of War.” “They were talking about how the teaching of Sun Tzu could have helped Robert E. Lee win the Civil War,” Chuppe writes. “To my surprise, the narrator remarked that on the final day at Gettysburg, ‘Lee abandoned his go strategy and reverted to chess strategy’ and stated that the charge up Cemetery Ridge was dictated by chess strategy.” Go “teaches us to stay away from the opponent’s thickness and look for weaknesses in his position,” says Chuppe, noting that “Ordering a charge across a broad, open field into cannon fire is the battlefield expression of placing a stone next to your opponent’s strong wall. As an aside, I have read The Art of War but I do not recall any overt reference to go (though) there are a few strategic statements that could apply.”

Published On 5/10/2011

"The 2011 congress has blown past 200 registered attendees, on a record setting pace!" say organizers Lisa Scott and Andrew Jackson. "We're really looking forward to giving discounts to our early registrants, so be sure to register before June 1 to be eligible for the discount!" Professional go players who have confirmed their attendance so far include Michael Redmond 9P, Feng Yun 9P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Guo Juan 5P, and Jennie Shen 3P, say the organizers, "but keep an eye on the Congress website to see if your favorite pros have registered yet!" Click here to register online.

Published On 5/10/2011

Anders Kierulf is fairly well-known in the go community as the author of SmartGo, but he also invented the widely-used sgf format, was the U.S. Othello champion in 1992 and is also an avid joggler. Go Game Guru recently published an extensive interview with Kierulf, who last month launched SmartGo Books for iPad and iPhone.

Published On 5/10/2011

The 32nd annual World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) will be held later this month in Matsue City in Japan's Shimane Prefecture. Seventy top amateur players from 70 countries and territories will compete to be the best amateur in the world. The tournament runs Thursday, May 26 May through Friday, June 3, and for the third year the E-Journal and Ranka Online are teaming up to bring you complete coverage of this exciting event, with daily updates including game records, commentary, photos, player profiles and news about the tournament.

Published On 5/10/2011

As in Paris, the 40th Prague Tournament was easy prey for Yuanbo Liu 2P (r), better known as MilaMilan, who swept again with a 100% score. Best of the West was Ondrej Silt 6d, losing only to Liu. This year's European Youth Champion under 20, Pavol Lisy 5d, only lost to Yuanbo and came in third. Young talents Lukas Podpera 4d, 2010-2011 European Youth Champion under 16 Mateusz Surma 5d and Jan Prokop 4d came in 4th, 5th and 6th in this 101-player field. - EuroGoTV

Published On 5/10/2011

“Readers may be interested in the current May/June issue of Archaeology magazine,” reports Janice Kim. “There is an article ‘Archaeology of World War II’ that includes a section ‘The Archaeology of Internment’ that describes some findings at the Kooskia camp in Idaho, where American citizens of Japanese ancestry were interned during World War II. It notes that archaeologists ‘... are uncovering evidence that people not only survived, but also struggled to maintain their identity and dignity even in the most restrictive and dehumanizing environments’, with a picture of go stones discovered at the site. In light of recent events I think it's important to reflect on this chapter in our history, and I was heartened by the Journal's reporting of fundraising events for Japan by the US go community.” - photo: go players in the Wyoming Heart Mountain internment camp in 1943; photo by Tom Parker, The War Authority via The National Archives

Published On 5/10/2011

Black to play: White's position is lovely but does not have two eyes yet.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_09_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_09_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Published in the May 9, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 5/10/2011

This is the latest installment (click here or on image below right to view/download PDF) of a new series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” by Haruyama Isamu 9P (Haruyama is the author of Basic Techniques of Go). McGuigan translated another series earlier, based on writings of Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, called “What’s Wrong with that Move?” This material is used by permission of the Nihon Kiin which published the original text in 1979. Haruyama says that his primary audience is players who are aiming for shodan.

2011 EJ Game Collection Editor Wanted

Published On 5/10/2011

The E-Journal is seeking a volunteer to help post the 2011 collection of game commentaries online as part of the 2011 American Go Yearbook. No coding involved; all the files have already been uploaded, and you’ll be working with 2010 collection editor Brian Kirby and Yearbook Managing Editor Chris Garlock. This is a great opportunity to provide a great service to the go community with a small investment of time. If interested, send us a note at journal@usgo.org

Published On 5/10/2011

The "Go Player's Guide to the World" section of the 2010 American Go Yearbook has just been released (click here or on graphic at right). The 3-page PDF includes both of Paul Barchilon's reports on teaching go in prison and Roy Laird's report on the Chess and Checkers House in New York City's Central Park. We've also included handy clickable links to our Traveling Board reports from China last year as well, previously released in the 2010 WAGC special report. As previously reported, the Yearbook is being issued in an online PDF version only this year, and we’re releasing sections as they become available, as well as the entire Yearbook PDF when it’s completed.

Jimmy Yang 4D Sweeps NOVA May Madness

Published On 5/9/2011

Jimmy Yang 4D went 4-0 to take the top section at the annual May Madness tourney in Fairfax, VA on May 7. The May Madness event is known for its gift exchange where each player brings a wrapped gift and takes a different one home. A new feature was the Life and Death contest where players received a set of five life and death problems at registration and had until the start of the first round to complete them. Ethan Baldridge 2D took home the prize for Dan level problems, and Kevin Chin 1k, with the only perfect score of five correct, won the prize for kyu level. The other sectional winners in the tournament were Kelsey Dyer 2K 4-0, Robert Ehrlich 5k 3-1, Alan Chen 11k 3-1, and Yang Tang 28k 3-1. Second place winners were Wesley Wu 3D 2-2, Yukino Takehara 2k 3-1, Joey Phoon 6k 2-2, Jason Long 8k 3-1, and Anderson Barreal 22k 3-1. - Gurujeet Khalsa, Tournament Director

Chinese Go Leaders to Visit New England

Published On 5/9/2011

The Ing Foundation, MIT Go Club, and the Massachusetts Go Association are joining forces to co-host an unusual event on May 19 featuring visiting Chinese go leaders working to promote go across the world. “The President of the Chinese Qiyuan (Chess Institution), the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Ing Foundation, and the Former Chinese University Tournament champion will be visiting Boston in May to gain insight into how to promote a thriving New England go community,” reports Walther Chen. On May 19 at MIT in Boston, from 6:30-10p, “there will be a special event to honor our Chinese guests as well as provide opportunities for networking and, of course, playing go,” says Chen. RSVP by May 10 with your rank to help setting up matches: americaninggo@mail.com

Published On 5/9/2011

More on Have Gun, Will Travel: “The screen shot from "Have Gun Will Travel" looks to me to be 5-in-a-row and not go,” wrote Richard Dolen, among others responding to our May 2 “GO SPOTTING: Have Gun (and a go board) – Will Travel” post. “Even though the word "seki" is mentioned in the dialogue; here it probably means that nobody won, but they used a word from go to describe it.” And Jeffry Finer notes that “The Have Gun Will Travel episode was #186, not 171 (episode 30 of season 5). It aired in 1962.”

4th Yuan Zhou Workshop Held in NC

Published On 5/9/2011

“Go is not just a a simple game,” said Yuan Zhou 7d (r) at the 4th Yuan Zhou North Carolina Go Workshop, held May 6-8 in Raleigh, North Carolina. “It is deeply connected to the philosophy of life. That is one reason why parents want their children to learn go. It teaches values and decision making skills that are important.

Zhang Wins Morning Star Tourney

Published On 5/8/2011

Fifth-grader Wilson Zhang topped the Fourth Morning Star Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament with five wins on May 7 in Santa Clara, California. “A record number of over forty elementary and middle school kids gathered together on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and played five rounds of 19×19 games,” reports Yanping Zhao, who co-organized the fourth-annual event with Wenguang Wang. To ensure “a really fun experience for every kid,” Zhao reports that players earned prize tickets after each round, “and used these tickets to exchange various fancy prizes.” Each participant was also rewarded with a trophy and at the event’s conclusion, “all the kids and their parents enjoyed a refreshing ice cream party.” Click here for more photos. - photo by Wendou Zhao; Report by Wenguang Wang.

AGA Seeking Hosts For NAIM Qualifiers

Published On 5/3/2011

The American Go Association (AGA) is looking for chapters interested in hosting qualifiers for this year’s North American Masters' Tournament (NAIM). The AGA will sanction as many as eight local NAIM qualifiers – which usually draw large crowd of strong players -- and two online events over the next two months. All participants of the qualifiers accumulate points for the NAIM, and the clear winner of each event is guaranteed a place in the main NAIM tournament at the 2011 US Go Congress at Santa Barbara, CA this August. If your chapter is interested in holding a NAIM qualifier during May and June, contact National Tournament Coordinator Edward Zhang at tournaments@usgo.org

Published On 5/3/2011

Judan Final Preliminary March 31, 2011 W: Michael Redmond 9P B: Han Zenki 7P Commentary by Michael Redmond[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_02-JudanPrelim_Redmond-Han_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011_05_02-JudanPrelim_Redmond-Han_RedmondCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Published in the May 2, 2011 American Go E-Journal Han Zenki, Pan Shanqi in Chinese, studied at Mr Oeda's house, so we share the same school. He participated in the Honinbo league in 2004, and the Meijin league in 2005. This was the final game in the preliminary sections of the Judan tournament. Winning this game placed me in the final section, which usually has 16 participants. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the AGA; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary, but please do not distribute.

NYC Tsunami Relief Tourney Raises $400

Published On 5/3/2011

”Last week’s Tsunami Relief Tournament in New York City raised over $400 dollars that will be donated through the Japan Society in New York,” reports organizer Boris Bernadsky. Over 30 players attended the April 23 event, some of whom had just started playing earlier this year, including four from the newly-formed Lycee Francias De New York go club. Ben Lockhart 6D won first place with a 3-0 record, winning a month of participation in the KGS insei-league, donated by Alexander Dinerchtein. Other prizes were teaching games donated by Goh Juyeon 8P and Lee Hajin 3P of Korea. The playing space was donated by Randy Au of Meetup.com, whose NY Mostly Go Club meets semi-regularly. Click here http://www.meetup.com/mostlygo/photos/1361253/22934425/ for tournament photos. - photos by Randy Au.

Bordeaux to Host ’11 Euro Go Congress

Published On 5/3/2011

If you like world-class wine with your go, this is the year to plan to attend the European Go Congress. The Zhuyeqing Tea 55th European Go Congress is set for July 23rd to August 6th in Bordeaux, France. The EGC will host two major events this year in addition to a 10-round main tournament – which determines the 2011 European champion – the usual side tournaments, workshop and simuls with professional players. The Pandanet Go European Team Championship will hold its finals during the first weekend, and the China Weiqi League will also play a round during the EGC. Sightseeing will be organized during days off during the two-week event, and Bordeaux offers world-famous vineyards, including in the village of St Emilion, architectural sights, an interesting city center as well as many lakes and rivers and the ocean, which are located nearby. There are also plans to organize tours to the famous Pyla sandhill.

Osman Wins in Western MA

Published On 5/3/2011

Eric Osman 2d (l) edged out a win in the Western Massachusetts Go Club Spring 2011 tournament on April 30. The tournament in Amherst, MA “had a modest turnout of 16 hard-core players not lured away by one of the most beautiful spring New England weekends yet this season,” reports organizer Trevor Morris. Three players went into the final round undefeated “but none were able to convert to 4-0 and we ended up with 7 players at 3-1” and Osman won on tiebreak to claim the top prize on a month membership to the KGS Insei League. Other first place finishers were Richard Buckman 5k and Stan Silver 14k. Additional 3-1 winners were Micah Feldman, Joseph Chaves, Ralph St. Louis and Ruban Mitchel. “Thanks to the sponsorship of the KGS Insei League, we'll be donating over $100 in proceeds from the tournament to Japan relief efforts,” adds Morris. Click here for photos.

Nominations Open For 3 AGA Board Seats

Published On 5/3/2011

Three American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are up for election this year, reports Arnold Eudell, who’s coordinating this year’s election process. The terms of three seats – one in each region – expire this September. Nominations are now being accepted and will close on June 15; nominations must be made by email by full members of the AGA. Send to elections@usgo.org Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Clock Ticking on Free Go World Offer

Published On 5/3/2011

Nearly 100 go players have already taken advantage of the American Go Association’s special membership offer of as much as 1700 pages of Go World. “Don't wait until the last day,” urges AGA President Allan Abramson, “join or renew now!” For a limited time – offer expires May 31 -- the AGA is offering as many as 27 issues of Go World magazine to those who join, re-join or renew their memberships. Go World, Kiseido's quarterly publication, is the ultimate source of go knowledge in English, each 64-page issue is packed with extensive review of at least ten major title match games by top professionals as well as problems, instructional articles and series, and coverage of historical, cultural and other aspects of the game. Click here for complete details on how to take advantage of this offer – made possible by the American Go Foundation-- plus download a free sample of Go World.

Published On 5/3/2011

Lee Sedol 9P has won the 3rd BC Card Cup World Baduk Championship, defending his title against Gu Li 9P, in an exciting five-match showdown. At press-time last week, the E-Journal reported that the 3rd BC Card Cup final was tied at one all. What an exciting week fans of professional go have had since then! Lee pulled ahead in Game Three, staging a surprise reversal after Gu led for most of the game.

Published On 5/2/2011

A limited number of scholarships are available and the application deadline is May 30. Up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Applications received after the deadline will be placed in a lottery, along with other applicants who were not selected in the first round. The remaining scholarships will be awarded by chance. Needs-based scholarships to the Go Camp are also available. To apply for Go Camp, click here. To apply for Go Congress, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Eight-year-old Aaron Ye, 2d, reviews his US Open game with Yilun Yang 7P, at the 2010 Go Congress in Colorado Springs.

Published On 5/2/2011

In Episode 171 ("The Coming of the Tiger", episode 30, season 5, available in streaming video on Netflix) of the classic TV Western Have Gun - Will Travel, the hero, Paladin (Richard Boone) is shown playing a game of go in San Francisco, reports David Saunders. “To the dismay of his Japanese opponent, Paladin announces that the position is seki,” Saunders writes. “The game is interrupted by a crisis and resumed at the end of the episode. I was amazed to see this in a national TV show from c. 1961.” Screenshot at left courtesy Paul Barchilon

Published On 4/26/2011

In this game played by two American players between 2 to 3 dan, Guo Juan 5P's commentary begins when Black over-extends at B31 and[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_25-Anonymous2d-Game_Guo-Juan-commentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_25-Anonymous2d-Game_Guo-Juan-commentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] White correctly invades but chooses the wrong spot. Find out how one line can make a difference in Guo’s thorough commentary. Click here to find out more about Guo Juan's Internet Go School. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 4/25/2011

The finals of the 3rd BC Card Cup started this week, with Lee Sedol 9P of Korea facing off against Gu Li 9P of China. Lee is the defending champion, and qualified for the finals by beating up-and-coming countryman Park Junghwan 9P. Meanwhile, Gu defeated Heo Yeongho 8P to challenge Lee in the final. The first two matches were played on April 23-24 and the score is currently tied at one game apiece, with Lee evening the score in the second game. This leaves many go fans waiting in suspense to see how the match continues, with the head-to-head record between these two players deadlocked at 12-12. Even the readers at Go Game Guru are evenly divided over who will win the final, with a poll about the outcome split at 50/50 at press-time. Lee Sedol was in high spirits at the pre-final press conference and banquet in Seoul, admitting to the media that he was no match for Gu when it came to drinking.

Pray for Japan Festival Raises $1,300

Published On 4/25/2011

The Mexican youth go community helped raise funds for the Japanese at their Pray for Japan Festival on April 16th. "It was a great event," reports organizer Siddhartha Avila, "we had 50 people participating, both children and adults, at the go workshop. Ranging from absolute beginners to dan players, everybody was teaching and learning, the public came by to learn about go during the day and we held the tournament at the end. It was a cultural event with many activities like painting, sculpture and photography exhibitions, conferences, music, movies, and workshops where children taught go and gomoku to the public. All the artistic and cultural activities at the festival raised approximately $1,300 (in US dollars). The funds were transferred to the Japanese embassy in México City." More photos from the event are here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Siddhartha Avila.

Children’s Programs Flourishing

Published On 4/25/2011

Elementary school go programs are on the upswing, with organizers across the country launching programs for young kids. Xinming Simon Guo used the Chinese New Year last February to introduce 64 second-graders at Hawthorne Elementary, in Chicago, IL, to the game. "We celebrated a special Chinese Spring Festival. Besides having delicious food for the celebration of the Chinese New Year, the students were treated with 'delicious' Chinese culture in the game of weiqi (go)." Guo reports that some of the kids will soon join his weekly program at the local Chinese school.

Published On 4/24/2011

“Go computers are not even close to human capability,” reported Andrew Moseman last February in Discover Magazine . In “Who's Smarter, a Human or a Computer?” Moseman reviews “the ways that humans can still out-think our computational creations—for now.” On the eve of the IBM's supercomputer thumping of Jeopardy champions, Moseman looked at checkers, chess, poker and go, as well as Scrabble and Risk, which are also games where humans still do better than computer programs. "There won't be any major popular game solved for a while now," University of Alberta professor Jonathan Schaeffer -- a member of a research team that created a poker-playing AI that can best human players in limit Texas hold 'em -- says. "There's a gap." photo: Watson faces its human rivals in a practice round. Image: Jeopardy / IBM

Yearbook “Instruction” Section Released

Published On 4/24/2011

The “Instruction” section of the 2010 American Go Yearbook has just been released (click here or on graphic at right). The 8-page PDF includes samples of game commentaries by Michael Redmond 9P, puzzling life and death problems from Yilun Yang 7P, Haruyama Isamu 9P’s “Questions From Actual Play,” Kazunari Furuyama’s “Lessons With Kaz,” kyu game reviews by Yuan Zhou 7-dan, translations from Weiqi World, and excerpts from Go World appearing in the American Go E-Journal in 2010. Throughout the PDF we've included handy clickable links to the 2009 and 2010 game collections.

Free Go World Offer

Published On 4/24/2011

New or renewing members of the American Go Association can pick up as much as 1700 pages of Go World in a special membership offer. For a limited time, the AGA is offering as many as 27 issues of Go World magazine to those who join, re-join or renew their memberships. Go World, Kiseido's quarterly publication, is the ultimate source of go knowledge in English, each 64-page issue is packed with extensive review of at least ten major title match games by top professionals as well as problems, instructional articles and series, and coverage of historical, cultural and other aspects of the game. “If you’ve been thinking about joining, now’s the time to do so,” says AGA President Allan Abramson. “And even if you're already a member, this is a great opportunity to renew and collect a nice bonus; and the more ears you add, the better it gets!” Click here for complete details on how to take advantage of this offer, plus download a free sample of Go World.

Published On 4/24/2011

This year's Salt City Go Tournament, held April 16 in Syracuse, NY “was remarkable for the efforts that several made to attend it,” reports organizer Richard Moseson. Brandon Mills traveled the farthest, driving six hours up from Pittsburgh, PA and returning home that evening, while teenagers Justin Gagne and Lyndon Whitney caught an early train from Rochester and then skateboarded (!) the final eight miles to the tournament.

Published On 4/24/2011

Over 1,000 spectators showed up to cheer on their favorite youth players at the 3rd Transatlantic Youth Match, held Sunday, April 17 on KGS. From the start, it was a very close match, as the two under-12 boards split their games 1-1 early on in the first series. While the North American side took the lead with victories by Andrew Lu and Jianing Gan, the Europeans quickly answered, tying the match 3-3 at the end of the series with Ali Jabarin's victory over Bill Lin. The second series was equally nail-biting.

Published On 4/19/2011

Pandanet Go European Cup Finals. The Pandanet Go European Cup finals will be held in Paris, April 23-25, in conjunction with the 39th annual Paris Go International Tournament. The first two boards will be broadcast on EuroGoTV, and all the top games will be relayed to IGS, along with one game each round that will be relayed to KGS. Over 200 players from 20 countries are expected at the tournament. Greece-Cyprus Go Match. Alexios Voudouris 3D of Greece and Dimitris Regginos 1D of Cyprus, who are among the top players for their respective countries, are playing a ten-game series on KGS. The games will be played weekly and the first was a win for Regginos by resignation on April 14.

Published On 4/19/2011

As aftershocks continue to hit Japan, more go tournaments are raising funds to aid in the earthquake/tsunami recovery efforts. This Saturday the Tsunami Relief Tournament will be held in New York City; space is very limited, so you MUST pre-register: email Badukboris@gmail.com And thanks to sponsorship of the April 30 Western Maryland Go Club Spring Tournament by the Insei League on KGS, “we will be able to donate the majority of the entry fees to the tournament to Japan relief efforts,” reports Trevor Morris. Pre-registration is not required, but if you think you might be coming, let them know on Facebook. The recent Go4 Japan tournament – usually known as the Antwerp Go Tournament – raised $800 for the Japanese Red Cross Society. The April 9-10 event in Antwerp, Belgium drew 30 participants from Belgium and Holland, and “we made both the regional newspaper and television, which is nice as well,” reports Joost Vannieuwenhuyse.

Published On 4/19/2011

1st Igo Masters Cup 2nd round March 31, 2011 W: Takemiya Masaki 9P B: Cho Chikun 9P Commentary by Alexandr Dinerchtein 3P Published in the April 18, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_18-IgoMastersCup_Takemiya-Cho_DinerchteinCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_18-IgoMastersCup_Takemiya-Cho_DinerchteinCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] This game was played in new Japanese tournament, so called "Old Stars Cup." This event gathered together the best Japanese players of 70's-90's, including Rin Kaiho, Ishida Yoshio, Kobayashi Koichi and many other big names from the history of the Japanese Go. We don't have such events in Korea. There is the Maxim Coffee cup, open only to 9-dans, but young 9-dans are also allowed to take part.

Published On 4/19/2011

Black to play: At such an important moment, where should Black start the attack?[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_18_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_18_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Published in the April 18, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal. Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com . This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 4/19/2011

Registration for the 2011 U.S. Go Congress is approaching 200, with 174 registered, including 96 kyu-level players, 57 dan-level players, and 20 non-players. “Initial deposits must be paid by June 1st to ensure the lowest price!” say organizers Lisa Scott and Andrew Jackson. The Congress runs July 30 - August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA, and the registration thus far “suggests that turnout is going to be very high,” say Scott and Jackson, “and also that the discount we'll be able to offer will be high as well.” Click here for details and to register. photos by Gen Zhang & Edward Zhang at the 2010 U.S. Go Congress

Published On 4/18/2011

The 25th Tianyuan Tournament has ended with Chen Yaoye 9P successfully defending his title against up and coming Chinese player, Zhou Hexi 4P. [caption id="attachment_94522" align="alignright" width="560" caption="Chen Yaoye 9P (left) vs Zhou Hexi 4P"][/caption] Zhou was tipped by punters to have a good chance against Chen in this challenge. He was one of three 'tiger cubs' who made it to the semi final and he won the right to challenge Chen by defeating stalwart and Chinese head coach, Yu Bin 9P.

Published On 4/18/2011

On April 9th, 16 players from around the Pittsburgh area and from Ohio and West Virgina gathered at Carnegie Mellon University for the Pittsburgh Spring Tournament. Eric Lee 2d won the upper division with a record of 3-0, and Josaih Odhner 10k won the lower division with a record of 3-0. - Kim Warzinski

Published On 4/18/2011

Jimmy Yang 4d (front, left) of Virginia swept the Open section of the annual Carolina Spring Go Tournament, while the Cary Chinese School Team B won the team event. The April 10 event was organized by the Cary Go Club and the Chinese-American Friendship Association of North Carolina and held in Raleigh, attracting 30 go players from 7 to 70 years old. For the first time in the tournament's 8-year history, reports organizer Owen Chen, a team event was organized for the youth players. Each team consisted of three players, with each team member's individual score being accumulated for the team score. Twelve go class students from the Cary Chinese School formed three teams while three students from the Raleigh Academy of Chinese Language formed the remaining team.

AGA Go Camp Confirmed for Summer Fun

Published On 4/18/2011

The AGA East Coast Go Camp has finalized details for this year's camp, which will be held at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey, July 23-30. Mingjiu Jiang 7p and Yuan Zhou 7d will be the primary teachers. Jiang, one of the driving forces behind the incredibly successful Bay Area (CA) scene, and organizer of the Zhujo Jiang youth tourney every year, has a proven track record with kids. He counts some of the strongest youth in the country among his students. Zhou, one of the most popular teachers on the East Coast, is also well known for his many books on go.

Ye Sweeps WYGC Qualifier

Published On 4/18/2011

Eight-year-old Aaron Ye 3d (at left) fought his way to victory in the Jr. Division qualifier for the World Youth Go Championships (WYGC), and will be going to Romania to represent the US in August. The initial rounds were held online, with a live final at the BAGPA ratings tourney in Palo Alto, CA, on April 9th. Ye faced serious competition throughout the event, and almost lost to Jeremy Chiu 1k (at right) who is just nine years old himself.

Published On 4/12/2011

Chong Han Edges Out Kay & Wong in British Open: Chong Han 5d (Loughborough) won the April 8-10 British Open, the British Go Congress’ main tournament, beating out Andrew Kay and Vanessa Wong on a SOS tie break. The Swindon Go Club hosted this year's Congress in the historic town of Malmesbury, and many players took advantage of the early summer weather to visit the Abbey and Abbey House Gardens. Andrew Kay did not go away empty-handed, having won the Friday Evening British Lightning tournament. Additional prizes were awarded to the four players in the Congress’ two “perfect games” resulting in jigo. Click here for full results and here for the original report. Second Matthew Wins Arundel: Matthew won Arundel again this year. Matthew Cocke 5d (Epsom) was the best of the 26 players in the March 27 UK tournament, taking the first previously won by Matthew Macfadyen.

Sawka Tops Davis/Sacramento Tourney

Published On 4/12/2011

Greg Sawka 3d topped the March 26 Davis/Sacramento Quarterly tournament in Sacramento, CA. In second place, also with three wins, was Jeff Horn 1d, with Steven Burrall 5d in third.

Published On 4/12/2011

Nearly a quarter of the players at the recent Orlando Go Tournament were aged 16 or under, providing “much-appreciated energy and enthusiasm to the event, and more often than not some pretty tough competition as well,” reports Paul Wiegand. Kurt Lin 5d topped the five-round, two-day tournament – the 5th annual -- held April 2-3 on the campus of the University of Central Florida in Orlando. Miki Hirama 1k took first in the Lower Kyu division, Shannon Jones 5k topped the Middle Kyu Division and 10 year-old Heather Crawford 16k won first place in the Upper Kyu Division. A total of 13 prizes were awarded, donated by Yellow Mountain Imports and Slate & Shell.

Published On 4/12/2011

Go was spotted everywhere last year, from television shows to French novels and of course films. In Go Spotting, our latest 2010 American Go Yearbook release, we’ve collected our reports on go’s appearance in popular culture, from popular television shows like Criminal Minds to philosophy books -- A Thousand Plateaus – as well as films -- The Taste of Tea and The Warlords and a best-selling French novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog and even a blog entry, Eyes of Wood, Hands of Stone, Heart of Paper.

Published On 4/12/2011

Calling it the “dawn of a new era,” SmartGo has just released SmartGo Books for the iPad and iPhone. The new format enables users to read go books on an iPad, replay moves directly within diagrams, and zoom diagrams to see the context. “With comments and long figures broken into logical sequences, this is the way go books were meant to be read,” says SmartGo author Anders Kierulf. SmartGo Books’ launch includes eight books by four publishers, with more in the works. The SmartGo Books app contains a free chapter for each book, which can also be read on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Published On 4/12/2011

With four months to go, early online registration has already boosted sign-up for this year’s US Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA -- July 30-August 7 -- to over 150 people. “Although I'm extremely pleased with registration and the personal attention that we have been able to give to attendees thus far,” Congress Co-Director Lisa Scott told the E-Journal, “I'm still encouraging people to sign up early, since when attendance climbs above 500, we’ll be able to start giving more discounts to all attendees.”

Published On 4/12/2011

Top youth players from North America will square off against their European counterparts this Sunday in the third Transatlantic Youth Match, which will be held April 17 on KGS at 11am and 2pm. “Come out and support the North American side, featuring past Redmond Cup champions and US/Canadian representatives to the WYGC, as they take on the European youth,” urges organizer Lawrence Ku. Sunday's line-up: 1500 GMT (8a PST/11a EST) Ali Jabarin vs. Bill Lin; Mihai Serban vs. Jianing Gan; Alexander Vashurov vs. Peter Zhang; Roman Ruzhanskyj vs. Andrew Lu Vladyslav Verteletsky vs. Aaron Ye; Stepan Popov vs. Oliver Wolf 1800 GMT (11a PST/2p EST) Thomas Debarre vs. Ryan Li; Pavol Lisy vs. Gansheng Shi; Mateusz Surma vs. Ricky Zhao Vanessa Wong vs. Hugh Zhang; Lukas Podpera vs. Daniel Goureau

Published On 4/12/2011

Black to play: How to attack White? The first move is is crucial. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_11_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_11_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 4/12/2011

This is the latest installment (click here or on image below right to view/download PDF) of a new series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” by Haruyama Isamu 9P (Haruyama is the author of Basic Techniques of Go). McGuigan translated another series earlier, based on writings of Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, called “What’s Wrong with that Move?” This material is used by permission of the Nihon Kiin which published the original text in 1979. Haruyama says that his primary audience is players who are aiming for shodan.

Park Younghun Wins 12th Maxim Cup

Published On 4/11/2011

On April 7 2011, Park Younghun 9P won the 12th Maxim Cup, beating Lee Changho 9P by half a point in the second match. Park won the first match several weeks ago (March 21), and with two wins he took the best of three title.

School Teams Tourney Draws 50 Teams

Published On 4/11/2011

Mandarin Language and Culture School from California took top honors in the 10th annual North American School Team Tournament. Organized by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), the tournament was held on KGS over the weekends of March 5 and March 12. More than 50 teams and about 190 players from America, Mexico, and Canada signed up for the largest national youth team tournament, with over $3,000 in prizes provided by the AGF and AGA. Justin Teng, one of the nine officials and a tournament participant, said, "People were pretty excited and pumped up. They were in quite a competitive spirit, encouraging and rallying their teammates while battling against other schools." More AGHS tournaments, including the Doubles Tournament for Pair Go, are in the works. AGHS Presidents Jack Ye and Jasmine Yan directed the tournament – many thanks to Meredith Leu, Joshua Wu, Ryan Ngoy, Viral Kotecha, Rebecca Cheng, Eric Chen, Tommy Liu, Justin Teng, and Tim McCaffrey for their invaluable assistance!

Published On 4/11/2011

Today's game review by Feng Yun 9P -- created for E-Journal readers -- covers the exciting final at last week's World Youth Go Qualifiers. Dark-horse candidate Vincent Zhuang 5d pulled off a series of upsets to square off against Andrew Lu 6d. Zhuang, who doesn't get to AGA rated tournaments very often, looks like he has made a major step forward. He will be traveling to Romania to represent the US in the World Youth Go Championships (WYGC) in August, as a direct result of this win. His last appearance at a physical event, six months ago in Portland, saw him defeat three 6-dans, including his father. He also made a splash in November, winning the online AGHS Young Lions Tourney. Zhuang has taken lessons from Feng Yun 9P over the internet, and it seems to be paying off. Andrew Lu is a very strong contender, and represented the US in the WYGC in 2009.

Published On 4/5/2011

The annual NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament on April 2 raised $702 for disaster relief for Japan, “which will be split into equal donations to the Kansai Kiin and Pandanet relief funds,” reports organizer Allan Abramson. Fifty-nine players participated in the NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament, with Daniel Chou 6d topping the field. “This was our first Cherry Blossom in the new George Mason University Founder's Hall, now that the beautiful Sumner School in DC (longtime Cherry Blossom tourney site) closes on weekends,” Abramson added.

Park Jieun Wins Jeongganjang Cup

Published On 4/5/2011

In a much anticipated match between two of the strongest women go players in the world, Park Jieun 9P defeated Rui Naiwei 9P by resignation in the final round of the 9th Jeongganjang Cup on March 28. Rui was the favorite going into the final game, defeating all three of her challengers in the previous rounds. In the end it came down to the last two remaining players from China and Korea and Team Korea prevailed, pulling out a remarkable victory in this historic tournament. - JustPlayGo; edited by Jake Edge

Published On 4/5/2011

Sometimes a hane is not a hane. Sometimes it’s a "hane-dashi," which is not a tesuji, but a mistake. Kaz calls it "quasi-hane" and in today’s Lesson he shows why it’s a mistake. Please jump to W20 to begin the lesson. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_04_Lessons-with-Kaz-the-quasi-hane.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2011_04_04_Lessons-with-Kaz-the-quasi-hane.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] These are lessons for go players ranging from 4-dan to 10-kyu. A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named Lessons with Kaz. Kaz co-authored Kiseido’s Get Strong at Joseki, volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Zhuang Sweeps World Youth Qualifier

Published On 4/4/2011

Dark horse candidate Vincent Zhuang 5d pulled off a surprise victory in the World Youth Go Qualifier this past weekend on KGS. Zhuang, who is 14, only narrowly made it to the finals at all. A last -minute change in the age requirements by the Ing Foundation disqualified two older players with better records, allowing only kids under 16 next August to compete. Interestingly, the AGHS Young Lions Tourney in November of last year foreshadowed this result, with Zhuang beating two of the same finalists who would compete in this year's WYGC qualifier. On Saturday, April 2, Zhuang got off to a great start by defeating Hugh Zhang 7d, who was the top seed in the four player double elimination finals.

Published On 4/3/2011

The quarterfinals of the 3rd BC Card Cup concluded on April 3 with Gu Li 9P defeating Kim Jiseok 8P. In other quarterfinal results, Park Junghwan 8P defeated Zhou Ruiyang 5P, Lee Sedol 9P defeated Chen Yaoye 9P and Heo Yeongho 8P defeated Zhong Wenjing 5P, leaving Gu as the only Chinese player in the semi finals, facing off against three Korean players. In the semifinals, Lee will play Park and Heo will play Gu, setting up a possible Lee versus Gu final.

Mexican Youth Sponsor Contest

Published On 4/3/2011

Mexico is hard at work on developing a serious go community among kids, an effort led by Siddhartha Avila, a teacher at Pipiolo Art School in Mexico City. "Last December we organized an open tournament for children, and 37 kids participated from 4 different schools, " reports Avila, " those 37 kids are 90% of the youth go players for the whole country." Avila's group, Comunidad Mexicana de Go Infantil y Juvenil, are sponsoring an international art contest for kids to help boost the community. More information, including an application, can be found here. Go among kids is "growing faster than with adults, where the national tournaments haven't had more than 40 players ever," said Avila.

Adspace Available in 2010 Go Yearbook

Published On 4/3/2011

Advertisers in the American Go Yearbook now have an exciting opportunity to interactively promote their go-related products to readers of the American Go Yearbook. The 2010 Yearbook is being released as a PDF this year, enabling the inclusion of clickable links that take readers directly to websites. “So, for example, an advertiser can now not only include a clickable link to their main website but links to specific product pages they’d like to promote,” reports Yearbook Managing Editor Chris Garlock. Sections of the 2010 Yearbook are being released as they’re complete, with the entire Yearbook to be released upon completion of all the sections, and the Go Tools section -- currently in production -- will feature a wide selection of the E-Journal articles on go books, software and hardware, and is an especially good location for go-related ads this year. Deadline for ads in the Yearbook Go Tools section is April 17; email journal@usgo.org for rate and ad spec details.

Published On 4/3/2011

(updated with details on the 4/23 NYC tourney and a PayPal account for the Kansai Kiin) "Many go players and clubs have asked where they could send money for disaster relief in Japan," reports American Go Association President Allan Abramson. "For example, New York City go organizer Boris Bernadsky and other New York players are planning an April 23 Tsunami Relief Tournament to raise funds for relief, and next week's NOVA Cherry Blossom tournament also will be dedicated to disaster relief." "For direct donations, here is what I have learned so far,” Abramson tells the E-Journal: The Kansai Kiin has a disaster relief fund. Bank name: The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ, Kawaramachi Branch (Branch Code:003); Account No.: Ordinary Account 311018, Account Name: Kansaikiin

Published On 3/31/2011

Ilya Shikshin 7d (l) swept the 8th annual Japanese Council Cup, held March 25-27 in St Petersburg, Russia. Mitsubishi was the tournament’s main sponsor, providing a rich prize purse as well as covering travel and hotel expenses for the top players.

Yearbook Youth Section Published

Published On 3/29/2011

AGA youth had a great year in 2010, and some of the highlights are compiled in this week's release of the American Go Yearbook Youth section. The 2010 Yearbook, which will be published in PDF only, is being released section by section as they're completed; click here for an overview of the previous releases. From Team Tiger's Mouth taking on the Internet Insei League, to Calvin Sun's first-person account of his matches in the World Youth Go Championships (Sun finished fouth, beating out Japan, and we provide a commented game record from Team Leader Mingjiu Jiang 7P). Other highlights of the Yearbook Youth section -- which is twice as large in 2010 as it was in 2009 -- include the Redmond Cup, with Curtis Tang 7d, named the new Redmond Meijin; highlights from the US Go Congress Youth Room, and reports on the School Team Tourney.

Published On 3/29/2011

Iyama Yuta Evens the Judan. In the second round of the 49th Judan final on March 24, Iyama Yuta 9P tied the series 1-1 by defeating Cho U 9P by resignation. The third round will be played on April 7th. Park Yeonghun Takes Game 1 in Maxim Cup Final. In the first round of the 12th Maxim Cup final on March 21, Park Yeonghun 9P (l in photo) defeated Lee Changho 9P (r) by resignation. The Maxim Cup final is a best of three series and the second game will be played on April 7th. - JustPlayGo; edited by Jake Edge

Published On 3/29/2011

More than 120 young players turned out for the 15th annual Jujo Jiang Cup Youth Goe tournament last Sunday at the Chinese Culture Center in Sunnyvale, California. The players were all under the age of 21 and ranged in strength from 6 dan to 29 kyu. Zhirui Yang 6 dan, a visitor student from Jilin province, China, led the A division by winning all his games, while local player Aaron Ye 3 dan took 2nd, losing only to Yang. With a growing go population in the Bay Area, the event also drew local news media, including KTSF26, the World Journal, and SingTao Daily, for onsite reporting. In the 19x19 division, players were divided into nine different groups from Group A (6-3 dan) to Group I (26 – 29 kyu) according to players’ strength. With the goal of prompting interest in go among little children, the tourney also had special 13 x13 board division which attracted 50 beginners around age of 5 or 6.

Published On 3/29/2011

8-Kyu Game[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_28_8-Kyu-Game_GuoJuan.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_28_8-Kyu-Game_GuoJuan.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Commentary by Guo Juan 5P Published in the March 28, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal. In this detailed commentary, Guo Juan 5P focuses on missed tactical and strategic opportunities by two 8-kyu players. Guo's comments and variations are easy to understand and will be especially useful for players ranging from 10k to 5k. Guo Juan 5P is an Amsterdam-based professional widely known in the United States, where she's held workshops for many years and has also appeared at many U.S. Go Congresses. She also teaches online through her Internet Go School: http://internetgoschool.com If you have a game you'd like considered for pro commentary -- all levels welcome

Michael Redmond 9P Reports from Japan

Published On 3/29/2011

“It is fortunate that Japanese people seem not to be inclined to show their stress and frustration in violent acts,” reports Michael Redmond 9P -- who's just been confirmed as a participating professional in this year's U.S. Go Congress -- from his home in Japan outside Tokyo. “Instead people did hit the stores with heavy shopping, stockpiling basic foods such as rice, milk, bottled water, etc. Most of these are back in the stores now, but water is still difficult to get. “After the quake there was a local gas shortage including the Kanto (Tokyo) area as well as the earthquake-damaged northeast. In the damaged areas the problem was compounded by difficulty in the logistics of getting it there. Since the victims in the disaster area need fuel to keep warm and to evacuate they will be helped first, and we will be waiting a bit longer for the gasoline to arrive.

Published On 3/28/2011

Like the Capistrano swallows, Guo Juan 5P is returning to The Woodlands for another workshop Memorial Day weekend. Guo -- a popular teacher and longtime E-Journal contributor -- has held twelve workshops at The Woodlands in Round Top, New York over the last seven years. The workshop start with a lecture late on Friday evening May 27 and ends Monday, May 30 after lunch. The format is the typical workshop format with a mixture of lectures, games and game analysis. The Woodlands is an informal inn with over 20 bedrooms. Click here for details and to register.

YOUR MOVE: Kindle Go? No Go All at Once

Published On 3/28/2011

KINDLE GO? "Any plans for a game of go version for Kindle?" wonders Dave Gagne. "I have chess on my Kindle, but would really like to get a game of go. Have you heard anything?" Though there have definitely been go books published for the Kindle we haven't yet heard of go playing software for the popular e-reader; email us at journal@usgo.org if you have. NO GO ALL AT ONCE: “Is there a way to download the Members Game Collections all at once or by month/quarter rather than one by one,” asks Larry. Sorry, Larry, but the game files must be downloaded one at a time from the annual collections of Member’s Edition material.

Published On 3/28/2011

The 9th Jeongganjang Cup ended today with a final showdown between Rui Naiwei 9P (playing for China) and Park Jieun 9P of Korea. Rui resigned after 160 moves, but not before plenty of middle game excitement. With this, the Korean women's baduk team have won their fourth Jeongganjang Cup. Last week Rui stood alone against four Korean opponents and managed to fight her way to Park in a three game streak. Unfortunately for Rui she fell just short of making it four wins (in four days) and taking the Cup back for China. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Rui Naiwei (left) and Park Jieun review the game"][/caption] A special mention needs to go to Moon Dowon 2P, who set a new record by winning seven consecutive matches in stage one of this tournament. Moon single handedly eliminated most of the Japanese and Chinese teams, setting things up nicely for Korea.

Takemasa Miyoshi Wins Groesch Memorial

Published On 3/27/2011

Takemasa Miyoshi 9k topped the 6-player field at the John Groesch Memorial held on Sunday, March 20 at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. Takemasa (l), currently a Research Assistant Professor in the department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science at UMD was undefeated in the three-round tournament. “The final game against Nate Eagle 10k was a nail-biter,” reports organizer Steve Mount (r), “which Takemasa won by a half-point.” Other two-game winners were Gurujeet Khalsa 9k and Zarathustra Goetzel 10k.

U.S. Youth Go Championships Held

Published On 3/27/2011

The United States Youth Go Championships (USYGC) drew 58 kids and teens on March 26. Contestants vied for the top slot in five different sections. Dan level youth also competed for entry into a qualifier for the World Youth Go Championships, which will be held next week. Calvin Sun 7d again topped the Senior Dan Division, with a perfect record. Sun, who has represented the US four times in a row as USYGC champ, is required to take a year off from the WYGC, and will not be competing in the qualifier. The Ing Foundation, which sponsors the event, just changed the age limit to under 16 for the Senior Division.

Published On 3/22/2011

David Ward 3d won his local tournament, the Cambridge Trigantius, without having to share the title as he did in 2000. Thirty six players took part in the March 12 event at St Columba's Church in the center of Cambridge, England. Other players winning all three games were Michael Charles 1k (St Albans), Brook Roberts 4k (Cambridge) and Jan Poslusny 6k (Prague). The 13x13 was won by Juan Leonardo Martínez-Hurtado 15k (Cambridge) and the animal puzzles were solved by Patrick Batty (South London). Nine novices, including four complete beginners, attended the parallel novices' event. No prize was awarded, because the tournament turned into another teaching session instead, but special commendations must go to Jack Chen, Sam Austin and Mark Slatter for their progress during the day. - Jon Diamond

Published On 3/22/2011

This week's Member's Edition content is being provided to all E-Journal readers as a sample of the great game commentaries and other special content provided each week to Member's Edition subscribers. Please consider subscribing to the Member's Edition today and ensure that you're getting the latest and best content and supporting the world's most widely-read English-language go publication. Click here for details and to subscribe today!

Published On 3/22/2011

Member’s Edition game commentaries can be reviewed online by clicking on the Member’s Edition headline in the E-Journal, which will take you to an online game record, where you can easily click through the moves. You can also download files three different ways: click on “download SGF file” in the E-Journal and save the file to your computer; click on “link” below the online game record; or click on “download sgf” in the online game record (on the right-hand side, beneath the slider bar). We hope this is helpful; let us know if you have any questions at journal@usgo.org

Go Players Rally Support for Japan

Published On 3/22/2011

BELGIANS LAUNCH "GO4JAPAN": A go club in Belgium has “switched our upcoming tournament to a support rally for the people of Japan” in the wake of the recent earthquake/tsunami, reports local organizer Joost Vannieuwenhuyse. “Already countries like Germany, Spain and Czechia are thinking about, or planning to host similar events,” Vannieuwenhuyse tells the E-Journal. Hoping to make this “a global initiative in the go-playing community,” the Belgium club has launched a Facebook page under the name "GO4 Japan" where others who want to organize their own local events can communicate and coordinate efforts.

Published On 3/22/2011

Twenty five adults and kids escaped the pouring rain this past Saturday to play in the Bay Area Go Players Association monthly ratings tournament. The event, held May 19 at the Ing Goe Center in Menlo Park, CA, drew players ranging from 7 dan to 20 kyu. Four played in a rated tournament for the very first time. The young ones ruled the day, with six of the eight top game winners under the age of 12. In the Dan division, Zhirui Yang 6d and Richard Malcolm 2d each won three games. In the Kyu division, Larry Qu 3k and Ciaran Fitzgerald 20k (right, in photo) won four games apiece. The next Bay Area Go tournament is coming up April 9 in Palo Alto, CA. - report/photo by Roger Schrag

Warraich Tops UK Youth Championships

Published On 3/22/2011

Mazhar Warraich of Aston was the overall winner at the May 20 British Youth Go Championships in Oxfordshire, England. Warraich topped a field of 24 competitors aged 7-18, with strengths from 2 dan to 30 kyu. Thanks to Pelican Books and author Chris Bradford, the main prize winners received copies of "The Ring of Water" and as the result of a collection, together with the proceeds from the event, £150 was sent to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. Click here for full results. - Jon Diamond

YOUR MOVE: Where’s the WAGC?

Published On 3/21/2011

“When and where will the next WAGC be held?” wonders Joel Sanet. The 2011 World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) are scheduled to be held May 27 through June 1 in Matsue City in Japan’s Shimane Prefecture. At press-time we don't have any post-quake updates on the status of plans for the tournament; we'll keep you posted as we learn more. Eric Lui 7d will be the U.S. rep at the WAGC, where 70 amateur players from 70 countries and territories compete, and which will be covered in the E-Journal again this year with daily reports, photos and game records. photo: Matsue Castle, built by the first Lord and founding father of Matsue, Yoshiharu Horio in 1611

GoGrinder Released for Android

Published On 3/21/2011

GoGrinder has just been released for Android, reports Tim Kington. “Practicing your reading is one of the best ways to get stronger,” Kington says, “Now you can have thousands of go problems in your pocket and fit a little practice in whenever you have a few minutes to kill.” GoGrinder uses problems in SGF format, and lets you easily add your own problem sets.

Aylanc Sweeps Cyprus Friendship Tourney

Published On 3/21/2011

Nurman Aylanc 1k (r) swept the Friendship Go Tournament in Nicosia, Cyprus with perfect score. Dimitris Regginos 1d was second, and Argyris Fellas 2k third in the event, held March 19-20 at the Parnassos Strovolou Club House with a field of 9. Before the start of the first round on Saturday, one minute of silence was observed, in memory of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. - report/photo by Nicholas Roussos

Published On 3/20/2011

Andy Liu 7d overcame Jie Liang 7d in the last round of the first Annual New England Open to emerge undefeated and take home the $250 first prize. The tournament was held on Sunday, March 6, at the MIT student center in Cambridge, MA. Forty six players competed across four divisions: 5d+ Open, 1d-4d Open, 1k-15k Handicap, and Beginner. Andy Liu will also receive an invitation to the North American Ing Masters tournament. The 1d-4d division was won by Ruoshi Sun 3d, the 1k-15k division by Yuan Kao 7k, and the beginner division by Qian Long 20k. “Congratulations to all those who participated,” says organizer Walther Chen, “there were a lot of very well-played and close games, and we hope to see you at next year's tournament.”

BC Card Cup Quarterfinalists Set

Published On 3/20/2011

Gu Li 9P (l) has taken the final spot in the quarterfinals of the BC Card Cup, defeating Cho Hanseung 9P (r) in the round of 16. The quarterfinals are scheduled to start on March 31 2011. The other quarterfinalists include Lee Sedol 9P, Park Junghwan 9P, Heo Yeongho 8P and Kim Jiseok 7p of Korea and Chen Yaoye 9P, Zhou Ruiyang 5P and Zhong Wenjing 5P of China. - Jingning; adapted from her original report on Go Game Guru (which includes the game record) For all 8 of the third-round match game records, go to JustPlayGo

Published On 3/15/2011

Bar Karma, a show on Current TV, mentioned seki and discussed it on a recent episode, reports EJ reader Laurie. And in the Jan/Feb issue of Film Comment, Bob Barber reports that a headline on page 8 that says "Triple Ko." Although Barber says “I couldn't make out the connection, I'm happy to see go terminology creeping into American English.”

Published On 3/15/2011

“I survived the earthquake!” Michael Redmond 9P told the E-Journal on Friday from Japan. We’ve also heard from our colleague at Ranka, editor Ivan Vigano, who says “Everything is OK here (in Nagoya), just a very long shake,” though he adds that he’s very concerned about the rapidly-developing situation at Fukushima’s nuclear power station. Popular EJ columnist Kaz Furuyama say's "In Tokyo we are not out of power fortunately... at least so far." And on the day of the earthquake (March 11), Cho U 9P was able to capture his second Kisei title in a row against Iyama Yuta 9P, winning the series 4-2; see Cho U Wins the 35th Kisei in today's World Go News section for the complete report. We’ll continue to post updates here and on Twitter about how the go community in Japan is managing post-quake; please email us your news at journal@usgo.org

Published On 3/15/2011

Curtis Tang 7d (8.32) weathered tough competition to take top honors in the 2011 Southern California championship, reports tournament organizer Kevin Chao. The overall turnout of 54 included five 7 dan players, including three with ratings above 8, and many 6 dan players. Tang (at left) was undefeated in the five-round tournament, held March 5-6 in Alhambra, California, at Mr. Abel Pa's Southern California Chinese Broadcasting building. First prize was $600 along with a handsome trophy. The main event was followed Sunday night by a "youth mini-tournament" won by Ezana Berhane 5k. Full results: Top three in the open section: Curtis Tang 7d (5 wins), Danny Ko 7d (4-1), Yixian Zhou 6d (3-2). Dan section: Yunxuan Li, 2d (5 wins), Andrew Okun 1d(4-1), and tied for third, Jerry Shen 4d (3-2) and Tim Chi 1d (3-2). High Kyu section: Preston Hutchins 2k (4-1), Alex Lee 3k (3-2), Jeffery Zhang 4k (3-2). Mid Kyu section: Andrew Hong 5k (4-1), Cyris Sargon 8k (4-1), David Baran 9k (4-1).

Published On 3/15/2011

by Chris Garlock, Managing Editor, American Go E-Journal Like so many of you, I have been mourning the untimely and sudden recent loss of Yoshi Sawada (IN MEMORIAM: Yoshi Sawada 2/28/2011). One of Yoshi’s greatest gifts was his indefatigable cheerfulness and his unbridled enthusiasm about the game of go and everyone who plays it, from the newest beginner to the strongest pro. Yoshi was living, smiling, joking proof that this game is always about the people first and the game itself second. Yoshi had a very special place in the hearts of everyone who met him, but especially those of us on the Go Congress E-Journal team, which made him an official member a few years ago – complete with EJ cap and Congress Staff t-shirt – thanks to his indispensable role as translator, pro wrangler, drinking buddy and all-round fixer.

Published On 3/15/2011

The “Year in Headlines” section of the 2010 American Go Yearbook has just been released (click here or on graphic at right). The 4-page PDF includes selected headlines and color photos from reports appearing in the American Go E-Journal in 2010; click here for our online archive, where you can search by category, month or keyword. As previously reported, the Yearbook will be issued in an online PDF version only this year, and we’ll be releasing sections as they become available, as well as the entire Yearbook PDF when it’s completed.

Published On 3/15/2011

Park Junghwan Defeats Choi Cheolhan in Siptan. In a relatively short match, Park Junghwan 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P by resignation after 133 moves in the quarterfinals of the 6th Siptan on March 12. Park now advances to the semifinals to face Kang Yootaek 3P. Park is the defending Siptan champion after he defeated Lee Changho in last year’s title match, two games to one. Cho U Wins the 35th Kisei. On the day of Japan’s strongest recorded earthquake (March 11), Cho U 9P (r in photo) was able to capture his second Kisei title in a row against Iyama Yuta 9P (l), winning the series 4-2. It was a close match with Cho defeating Iyama by only a point and a half. The match was played in the town of Izu in the Shizuoka Prefecture, which is south of Tokyo and a little over 500 kilometers from Sendai, the city closest to the epicenter and one of the worst hit areas.

Published On 3/15/2011

Peter Shotwell and Paul Celmer are putting out a preliminary call “for contributors to a conference on the influence of go in international history, art, literature, philosophy, science, education, politics, peace, warfare and more.” The two say they’re “trying to determine the feasibility of an international academic conference at the 2012 Go Congress in North Carolina.” The conference would expand on the highly successful symposium held in Sweden in 2008. “We will be looking for sponsors, but first we need to know how many people would be interested in presenting papers if expenses were fully funded, partially funded or not funded at all except for room and board for the days of the conference. If interested, write pshotwell@gmail.com and be sure to mention possible topics and estimated travel expenses.

TYGEM Launches English Go Server

Published On 3/15/2011

The Korean go server TYGEM’s English version has been launched. It’s still in its beta stage, “so events and contests are still not that common,” reports Anthony Daniel Adria, who notes that “there will be many updates and eventually more events and contests down the line.” You can check it out – and download the client – on TYGEM’s English website.

Published On 3/14/2011

Guo Juan's Internet Go School is currently accepting enrollment for Group Classes for the 2011 second term, which begins April 9/10. The group class participants will also receive a 20% discount on annual membership for her Audio lectures. The teaching faculty includes Guo Juan 5P, Jennie Shen 2P and Mingjiu Jiang 7P. For details visit the Group Class website.

Published On 3/12/2011

Judan section A[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_14_Judan_Kenmochi-Redmond_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_14_Judan_Kenmochi-Redmond_RedmondCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] February 17, 2011 W: Kenmochi Jo 7P B: Michael Redmond 9P Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P This game finishes the Judan A section for me, and there will be a final preliminary section before the 16 player Honsen that decides the challenger. Kenmochi is known for his thick attacking style. I think he played true to his style in this game. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 3/12/2011

Yilun Yang's March Hard Life and Death Puzzle[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_14_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_14_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Black to play: White has a nice position. The first move is the key. Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com

Published On 3/12/2011

This is the latest installment (click here or on image below right to view/download PDF) of a new series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” by Haruyama Isamu 9P (Haruyama is the author of Basic Techniques of Go). McGuigan translated another series earlier, based on writings of Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, called “What’s Wrong with that Move?” This material is used by permission of the Nihon Kiin which published the original text in 1979. Haruyama says that his primary audience is players who are aiming for shodan. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 3/8/2011

Lee Sedol Advances to Siptan Semifinals: In the 6th Siptan quarterfinals on March 6, Lee Sedol 9P defeated Jen Youngkyu 5P by resignation. The Siptan is Korea’s equivalent to Japan’s Judan and is sponsored by the Wonik Group. Cho U Wins NEC Cup: Cho U 9P defeated Yamashita Keigo 9P by resignation in the 30th NEC Cup final on March 5. This is the third NEC Cup title for Cho. His first was in 2005 and the second in 2007. In addition to the NEC Cup, Cho currently holds three other titles, the Oza, Judan, and Kisei. Yamashita, only one title short of Cho, holds the Honinbo, Agon Cup, and Ryusei.

Published On 3/8/2011

"By far we've received more questions about the Congress pricing than anything else" say organizers Lisa Scott and Andrew Jackson. "We want to bring unprecedented levels of transparency to Go Congress pricing, and we understand that can make it a bit difficult to budget. In our ‘worst-case’ scenario, adult registration will be $365. Students (19-25) will be $315, youth between 13 and 18, $265, and kids under 13 are $215.” As sponsorships, fundraising, and costs finalize in the coming months, Scott and Jackson say, “we will be able to cut these prices, perhaps by as much as $100! However, only those who register before May 1st will receive these discounts -- the sooner we know our numbers the better we can make this for everyone, so register online today!" Comments and feedback are welcome at andrew.jackson@gocongress.org

Published On 3/8/2011

The just-concluded 2011 Russian Pair Go Championships featured the strongest field ever, reports Alexandr Dinerchtein 3P, who also participated. “For the first time in history Svetlana Shikshina 3P (front left), took part, paired with her brother Ilya Shikshin 7D (back left) and it was quite obvious from the start that it would be too hard for other pairs to fight with the Shikshins team” and the siblings indeed swept the tournament 5-0. Dmitriy Surin 6d and Natalya Kovaleva 5d, the strongest Russian and European pair for many years straight, shared second place with Artem Dugin 5d and Aigul Nureeva 3d, from Kazan, both pairs scoring 4-1.

Published On 3/8/2011

Black to play: How to attack the white corner? The first move is obvious.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_07_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_03_07_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 3/8/2011

The 2011 Irish Go Congress proved to be one of the biggest on record, with a total of 62 players in attendance. As with all Pandanet Tour events, it was truly a multinational event, clocking up a total of 11 different countries in play. At the top was one of Europe's rising stars, Antti Törmänen 6d, who tied for first place with local hero Wei Wang 6d on 4 wins from 5. In joint third were Ondrej Silt 6d (l) and Pavol Lisy 5d on 3 wins. Full results. The Rapid tournament on Friday night was won by Irish President Ian Davis (at left rear, recording), in a noble effort to save the local economy. Click here for photos. photo: Ondrej Silt 6d (l) play's Finland's Juri Kuronen 5d as Ian Davis records the game. photo by Tiberiu Gociu

Sung Yeo 4d Solves Chi Riddle

Published On 3/7/2011

Sung Yeo 4d solved the “Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery” tournament held March 5 in Chicago, Ill, taking top honors. “I asked everyone to play in the spirit, and with the enthusiasm, of Yoshi Sawada (IN MEMORIAM: Yoshi Sawada 2/28). To remember that go is fun,” reports TD Bob Barber. “Although on crutches, and dulled by painkillers, Mark Rubenstein managed to win four of his five games,” Barber notes. “Adding a bit of color to the tournament, Peter Martin and Asha Nagaiya drove in from Louisville, KY to compete,” Barber added. “Finally, over pizza and local brew Half Acre, Kyle Blocher entertained us with the endgame theories of Elwyn Berlekamp.” Each player was given a copy of O Rissei's book Catching Scent of Victory, furnished by the publisher Hinoki Press. WINNER’S REPORT: 29 players; 1st Place Dan: YEO, Sung 4d; 1st Place High Kyu: ROHDE, David 5k; Tie 2nd Place High Kyu: KOLB, Laura 2k; RUBENSTEIN, Mark 4k; 1st Place Low Kyu: BROWN, Duncan 12k.

Published On 3/7/2011

David Felcan 1d topped a field of “ten very enthusiastic players from Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York” with a 3-0record at the Go for Broke tournament held in Middlebury, VT on Saturday, March 5th, reports organizer Peter Schumer. Karen Ogg 1d finished second on SOS with a 2 - 1 record; others with 2-1 records were Lihu Ben-Ezri Ravin 4k, Jie Gu 5k, and Laura Wu 8k. Six participants won prizes. photo: Rich Chalmers plays Karen Ogg; photo by Peter Schumer

Published On 3/7/2011

Simon Lee (r) and John Ruder won the 4th annual Wildflower Classic held March 5 in Austin, Texas. “The host store Great Hall Games was filled with 23 go players, some traveling 3-4 hours from surrounding cities Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio,” reports organizer Andy Olden. More results: Simon Lee 2k 4-0; John Ruder 6k 4-0; Jonathan Gehrkin 1d 3-1; Mark Penner 1k 3-1;Tracey Su 5k 3-1; Damon Hoffman 17k 3-1 photo by Tracey Su. Click here for more photos

Published On 3/6/2011

Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community . To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. To read about former winners, check out Sensei #6. - EJ Youth Editor Paul Barchilon. Photo: 2010 scholarship recipient Cherry Shen.

Published On 3/6/2011

Two early qualifiers for the 2011 North America Ing Masters Qualifiers (NAIM) are being held in Boston, MA and Alhambra, CA this weekend, March 5-6. Click here for the southern California event and contact Ben Lerner at mitgoclub-tournament@mit.edu for the MIT tournament. Every year, top players from Canada, Mexico and United States are invited to the NAIM, which is getting more competitive each year, as recent NAIM champions are either professional players, or have had to defeat a few pros to win. “Except for professionals and seeded players, US players must accumulate points through a series of qualifier events throughout the US and/or two online qualifiers.” Says National Tournament Coordinator Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang. “Clear (untied) winners of qualifiers though, are guaranteed a place in the NAIM main event in the 2011 US Congress at Santa Barbara, CA July 30 to August 7,” Adds Zhang.

Published On 3/6/2011

If three weeks of studying go in China sounds good to you, check out the new Shanghai Go Camp. The intensive program runs June 24 to July 18 at the Shanghai International Studies University and is being organized by a 20-person team including Chinese professionals and 6-dan and 5-dan Chinese amateurs, including Zhao Fan 5d (r). “These guys really know their go and can really help you improve quickly,” writes Antonio Egea in a guest post on Go Game Guru. Egea was the Spanish representative to the 2010 World Amateur Go Championships in Hangzhou, China. The planned schedule includes focused study and play as well as visits to local go clubs, traveling and sightseeing. And with over 300 restaurants near the camp venue, there will plenty of opportunities to explore Chinese cuisine. Click here to download the registration form with full details.

Tiger Cubs Storm into Ricoh Cup Final

Published On 3/6/2011

The march of the Chinese “tiger cubs” continues in China as Tan Xiao 4P and Li Zhe 6P stormed into the final of the 11th Ricoh Cup last week. Li Zhe 6P (l) defeated Wang Lei 6P in the semi-finals to reach the final, while Tan Xiao 4P (r) – a student of Nie Weiping 9P (playing Tan Xiao, at right) -- defeated Hu Yaoyu 8P in the other semi-final. This is the first Ricoh Cup final where the tiger cubs have reached the final and yet another milestone for the group of rising young go professionals that the Chinese media has affectionately dubbed “the tiger cubs generation.” Earlier last month, Zhou Hexi 4P, another tiger cub, became the challenger for the 25th Tianyuan title. The Ricoh Cup final will be held in late April in China; the Ricoh Cup is a Chinese domestic tournament, not to be confused with Ricoh Pair Go, which is a Japanese tournament.

YOUR MOVE: Keith Arnold Remembers Yoshi

Published On 3/6/2011

I like to think I am careful in my judgments, and, therefore, rarely wrong - at least away from the go board. But one of my greatest misjudgments was Yoshi Sawada. When I ran the US Go Congress in 2001, I was vigilant in keeping costs down and trying to pass those savings on to my guests. I was particularly frugal with comps - fighting the AGA to limit them, and even charging myself for room and board. And so when the powers that be insisted that Yoshi Sawada be comped, I balked. I mean, he was just a translator, and I had several Japanese speaking people on my team; I disagreed strongly with the expense.

Amberly Elementary Gets Go

Published On 3/6/2011

Kids at Amberly Elementary School, in Portage MI, learned about go this year. "Each year Amberly offers an opportunity for parents and members of the community to teach classes for an after school enrichment program," writes Jason Preuss, whose daughter attends the school. "I decided it would be a great opportunity to introduce go. The class met once a week for six weeks and had six students ranging from 1st to 5th grade. It was enough time to cover the material in the first Level Up book. The students enjoyed the class and the parents gave positive feedback. For my first time out I was pleased with how the class went. I would like to thank the AGF for their support, in particular the classroom start up kit." - EJ Youth Editor Paul Barchilon. Photo by Jason Preuss photo (l to r): Jason Preuss, Deidra Preuss, Alyson Koh, Jonathan Koh, Jonathan Ballard, Jacob Ballard. Not pictured: Zyad Wallace.

USYGC and World Youth Updates

Published On 3/6/2011

The United States Youth Go Championships will be held March 26, with finals on the first weekend in April. The tournament will be held online, and will select the US representatives to the World Youth Goe Championships, in Bucharest, Romania. The Ing Foundation has just announced that the Senior Division will be limited to under 16, not under 18, as has been the case in the past. The USYGC will still allow youth under 18 to compete for the US titles, and will determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 5-7 dan 1-4 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 and up kyu. Contestants will be entered into a pool to receive $400 scholarships to this year’s AGA Summer Youth Go Camp, courtesy of the AGF, 16 Scholarships will be awarded. The Junior Division is for youth 11 and under, the Senior Division is for youth under 16 as of August 17, 2011

Published On 3/5/2011

OXFORD TOURNAMENT: On February 12, after a two year gap, the Oxford Tournament returned, on the same day as the Cheshire, and attracted 51 players. Andrew Simons beat three London players to win the event. Others winning three games were Sue Paterson 4k, Brook Roberts 6k, Peter Harold-Barry 6k, Richard Wheeldon 9k, Julia Woewodskaya 9k, and Kieran Smith 24k.

Published On 3/1/2011

Kong Jie’s slump continues. Kong Jie 9P suffered another loss on February 27 when Wang Lei 6P defeated him by resignation after only 103 moves in the quarterfinals of the 11th RICOH Cup. This loss eliminates Kong from the tournament and from defending his RICOH Cup title. BC Card Cup 2nd round. There were no big surprises over the February 26-27 weekend in the second round of play in the 3rd BC Card Cup tournament. Of the 16 players left in the tournament, Korea enjoys a considerable advantage with 11 players going into the third round while China has only 5 players left in competition. This does not at all suggest that China is out of the picture.

IN MEMORIAM: Yoshi Sawada

Published On 3/1/2011

Yoshi Sawada (l) passed away last Friday after a brief and unexpected illness. “Many Go Congress participants will remember Yoshi best for the extremely popular lecture series he gave every year with Maeda Ryo 6P (r),” says Steve Burrall. “The lectures were on ‘The Maeda Method,’ and the term ‘translator’ does not begin to describe the way in which Yoshi brought the concepts to life for the audience. Those of us who were blessed to have him as a close part our lives know that his constant desire was to help people and make them happy, and he was amazing at it.” American Go Association President Allan Abramson called Sawada an "invaluable asset, working behind the scenes to avoid and to smooth over many problems. His honesty was unparalleled. His willingness to help unexcelled. His laughter a delight. This is both a personal loss and a great loss for the go community."

Minshan Shou 7d Wins NJ Open

Published On 3/1/2011

Minshan Shou 7d is this year’s New Jersey Open champion, topping a field of 109 players competing for $1,600 in prizes last weekend in Princeton, New Jersey. Xiruo Liu 7d took second place and Andy Liu 7d was third. Click here for the complete list of winners. photo: Xiruo Liu (l) and Minshan Shou (r) were the only players with 4-1 records going in to the last round. Zhaonian (Michael) Chen has white on Board 2 (center), playing Kevin Huang (not visible, at right, behind Minshan Shou). Both are former New Jersey State champions, as is Andy Liu on board 3 (to Chen’s right, behind water jug). Photo courtesy Rick Mott

Feng Yun 9P to Lead Workshop in China

Published On 3/1/2011

Feng Yun 9P is conducting a small-group workshop at the Hangzhou Qi Yuan in China this summer. “This is a great opportunity to study in a beautiful setting, and get stronger just before the U.S. Go Congress,” Feng Yun says. Click here for more details.

Daniel Chou 6d Tops NOVA Tourney

Published On 3/1/2011

Daniel Chou 6d (l) took top honors in the NOVA Chinese Lunar New Year tournament on on Saturday February 26 at the George Mason campus in Arlington, VA. Over 50 participated, including many youngsters. “As usual, Master Ching-Sung Chin (r) brought out many from the Chinese community,” reports organizer Allan Abramson. Sponsors included the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, AXA Advisors of Falls Church, GEICO, and the Hui Hua Community Center.

Marketing/PR Experience Sought

Published On 3/1/2011

The AGA's fundraising committee is looking for a volunteer with marketing or PR experience who can “help us with the design, look and feel of the printed materials we use to seek corporate and institutional support,” reports AGA Board member Andy Okun. If you’re interested or would like to know more, get in touch with Okun at abc@okun.name.

Published On 3/1/2011

Yuan Zhou Workshop Game[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_02_28_anonymous-5kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2011_02_28_anonymous-5kyus_yuanzhou.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Anonymous 5 kyus September 2010 Gaithersburg, MD Commentary by Yuan Zhou 7D SGF file created by Bill Cobb and Chris Garlock Published in the February 28, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal. Yuan Zhou 7d is one of the strongest players in the US. He has won many titles. His most recent achievement was placing fifth in the Korea Prime Minister Cup--the highest finish ever for the USA representative. Zhou is also a popular teacher, lecturer, and author. He lives in Germantown, MD, and can be reached at yuan.zhou@zhouyuan.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 3/1/2011

Chong Han 5d (Loughborough) won his first UK tournament by taking the 8th Nottingham with ease. Also winning three games were Roger Daniel 5k (London), Maria Tabor 6k (Nottingham), David Crabtree 9k (Chester) and Andrew Russell 12k (Birmingham). Mike Charles won the 9x9 prize and Toby Manning the quiz prize. Click here for results. - Tony Atkins

Teacher of the Year Nominations

Published On 2/28/2011

Nominations for the AGF Teacher of the Year are now open. The award is presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress and recognizes an outstanding American teacher. The winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to the congress. To be eligible, a teacher must be a member of the AGA, have been teaching go to children for at least two hours a week for two years, have started a go club or organization for youth, and have helped their students enter appropriate tournaments, if possible. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, e-mail agf@usgo.org.

Published On 2/26/2011

“I recently traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia, for my job,” reports former American Go Association President Mike Lash (r, in photo). “It was my first return since 2006, when I found the International Saint-Petersburg Go Club and met its dedicated manager Maxim Podolayak. He welcomed me back and I visited his club on a very snowy cold night. Since it took me 70 minutes in a taxi while I could have walked there in 35 minutes, I only played one game with a local player. Maxim was kind enough to take me back to my hotel via the subway -- a mere 15 minute walk/ride -- before he returned home. Pictured are my game and Maxim (facing the camera, at left) in one of his teaching games.”

Published On 2/22/2011

Piao Wenyao wins game 1 in Lg Cup final. The 15th LG Cup final began on February 21 with two of China’s top players battling for the title. Piao Wenyao 9P won the first game in the three-game series, defeating Kong Jie 9P by resignation after only 123 moves. Kong is the defending LG Cup title holder. Piao, while not having many titles to his name, is still ranked fairly well (12th) among Chinese professionals and is looking for his first international title. Rui Naiwei wins the Female Myeongin.

Published On 2/22/2011

Boyi Cui 4d upset Karl Wei 5d to win the Chinese New Year Festival Go/Weiqi tournament February 12 in Columbus, OH. Wei had won the dan division the previous two years and was expected to repeat again this year, but in the second round, he came up against Boyi and in a hard-fought game that came down to time, Boyi took the victory and ultimately 1st place in the dan division. This year marked the third year that the Tesuji Go Club of Columbus has partnered with the the Central Ohio Chinese community to organize the Chinese New Year Festival Go/Weiqi tournament.

Published On 2/22/2011

Honinbo A section[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/2011_02_21_Ito_Redmond_HoninboA_Redmond.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/2011_02_21_Ito_Redmond_HoninboA_Redmond.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] January 27, 2011 W: Ito Masashi 1P B: Michael Redmond 9P Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P Edited by Chris Garlock Published in the February 21, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal The Honinbo league has a total of 8 players. "I need one more win to finish my block of the A section, and then there will be a final section of about 36 players (3 or 4 rounds) to select 4 winners who enter the league," says Redmond. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 2/22/2011

Three young Chinese players who reached the Tianyuan semi-finals last week -- Zhou Hexi 4P, Li Haojie 4P and Shi Yue 4P -- are part of a group of rising young professionals that the Chinese media has affectionately dubbed “the tiger cubs generation.” The three cubs were joined in the semi-final by stalwart Yu Bin 9P. Yu, who has been the Chinese National Coach since 2009, is extremely pleased with the progress of the younger players.

Chen Zude 9P Battling Cancer Again

Published On 2/21/2011

The legendary Chen Zude 9P underwent a successful operation for pancreatic cancer last week, reports David Omerod of Go Game Guru. Chen, the current president of the Chinese Weiqi Association, was the first Chinese professional to become 9 dan after the introduction of professional ranks in China. “He is now recovering in hospital, where he has been visited by the Chinese Women's Weiqi team,” Omerod tells the E-Journal. “He is in high spirits and intends to start playing weiqi again soon.” Credited with popularizing the Chinese fuseki, Chen also wrote a popular autobiography, 'Beyond Self', which was inspired by his first battle with cancer 30 years ago.

Youth Go Championships

Published On 2/21/2011

The United States Youth Go Championships will be held March 26 and 27, with finals on the first weekend in April. The tournament will be held online, and will select the US representatives to the World Youth Goe Championships, in Bucharest, Romania. The finals will also determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 5-7 dan 1-4 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 and up kyu. Contestants will be entered into a pool to receive $400 scholarships to this year's AGA Summer Youth Go Camp, courtesy of the AGF, 16 Scholarships will be awarded. The Junior Division is for youth 11 and under, the Senior Division is for youth under 18 as of August 1, 2011.

Published On 2/21/2011

The 3-volume "So You Want to Play Go?" series is available for Kindle, the Ipad, and the Barnes and Noble Nook, reports author Jonathan Hop. The series provides a general primer on the game, from 9x9 play to the opening, overconcentration, attacking and more. "Gives you a lot to think about in terms of larger strategy," says Alex Dinerchtein 3P.

Published On 2/21/2011

Two dozen players ranging from 19 kyu to 7 dan met up in Palo Alto, CA on February 12 for a relaxed but serious ratings tournament. Continuous pairing is used in the Bay Area Go monthly tournaments so that players can play as many or as few games as they want, without having to wait around for slower players to finish their games before the next round can begin. Henry Zhang 1d (right in photo) and Linden Chiu 1d (left in photo) led the dan division with three wins apiece, while Larry Qu 4k swept in the kyu division with a 4-0 record. Next month's ratings tournament is scheduled for March 19 in Menlo Park, CA. Photo by Lisa Schrag

AGF Upgrades Shipping Services

Published On 2/21/2011

The American Go Foundation (AGF) has moved into a new warehouse in Colorado. With a continuously expanding number of school-based go programs, AGF warehousing and shipping activities were being stretched to the limit at their former location in Pennsylvania. New and inexpensive items from China had become available in quantity, but a loading dock was needed in order to receive these shipments. In mid-December, after months of preparation, a truck rolled up to the loading dock at Key Fulfillment, a Colorado-based order fulfillment specialist, and offloaded fourteen pallets of boards, stones, magazines, and other paraphernalia the AGF uses in it's educational efforts. Key has hundreds of customers, and a staff of 40, but provides customized packaging and shipping with a computerized inventory system. Mail sorting can be seen in the photo above, and hundreds of pallets are stored in giant racks in the rear.

Winston Jen Donates 1,000 Hikaru Sets

Published On 2/21/2011

Winston Jen, who previously donated thousands of dollars worth of anime (cartoons) and manga (comics) for AGA youth programs, is now donating 1,000 sets of the Hikaru no Go manga series. At 23 volumes of roughly 200 pages each, this represents 23,000 books. The series follows the adventures of a 12-year-old boy in Japan, who becomes a professional go player. Reading the series sparks tremendous interest in playing go among children (and adults too). The AGF is handling distribution of the sets, and is providing them for the cost of shipping to school and public libraries. The AGF is also using the donation as a springboard for major outreach to libraries, and will be attending the American Library Association's annual convention this June, in New Orleans.

Brett Kelly 6d Wins Phoenix Open

Published On 2/21/2011

Brett Kelly 6d won the Phoenix Chinese Week Go Open held February 13 in Phoenix, AZ. “As part of celebration for Chinese New Year, the Phoenix Chinese Week (PCW) Go Open has been an annual event at Phoenix Chinese Cultural Center for seven years,” reports organizer Quan Li 3d. The event is co-sponsored by Phoenix Chinese Week and the Arizona Go Club. Players ranged in age from 12-70 with ranks ranging from 14k to 6d. Winners Report: Division A: 1st: Brett Kelly 6d; 2nd: Leon Luo 4d. Division B: 1st: Eric Lin 1k; 2nd: Canh Tsen 3k. Division C: 1st: Jeffrey Luo 8k; 2nd Richard Hardy 5k. Division A: 1st: Howard Liu 13k; 2nd: Charles Polkiewicz 14k. Four junior players -- Eric Lin, Canh Tsen, Jeffrey Luo and Howard Liu, all students of Quan Li 3d -- won three gold medals and one silver medal. “All the competitors had a very enjoyable day for playing some serious go games and celebrating the Year of Rabbit,” reports Quan Li, noting that the tournament also attracted many spectators.

Traveling Board: GalapaGo

Published On 2/18/2011

Just back from Ecuador and the Galapagos, former American Go Association President Terry Benson reports that "I didn't have a go board but I did have my iPhone with the SmartGo app. The problems kept me occupied in airports and ports and odd times. The touch board -- especially for playing 9x9 -- is great. And it's not a bad opponent, either; at two stones on the 9x9, I have to be cleaver to win." While visiting the Galapagos, Benson showed the game to Dan Matzat of Chicago. "I had to get a picture after I thought of 'GalapaGo'," said Benson. "Here we are playing at 'Los Gemelos' on Santa Cruz island. Dan had never heard of the game but enjoyed it."

“Fun and Games”

Published On 2/17/2011

Many of you caught the go joke Robert Cordingley spotted in the Go Daddy First Impressions ad, when CEO Bob Parsons (l)catches the flying shirt button and says “Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye.” (One reader also suggested that the sound of Parson catching the button "sounds like a stone hitting a goban pretty hard" which seems like even more of a stretch) While this is a common expression among go players referring to the need for eyes to live, Richard Moseson points out that “if you do a search on this phrase in Google, there are over 100,000 non-go-related hits, some claiming that the expression comes from wrestling matches in Ancient Rome,” leading him to wonder “Is this truly a go-related expression?”

Published On 2/15/2011

Choi Cheolhan wins the Kuksu. Choi Cheolhan 9P (l in photo) added yet another title to his growing list this year by defeating Lee Changho 9P (r) by resignation in the fourth round of the 54th Kuksu on February 14. Choi won the series 3-1. This also marks an unfortunate milestone for Lee Changho, who is currently without a title. It’s the first time since the late 1980s that Lee has not held a single title. Did Lee Changho resign too early? In the 24th Fujitsu Cup preliminaries on Februrary 9, Lee Changho 9P lost to Won Sungjin 9P by resignation in the first round of play, thus eliminating him from the main tournament. This will be the first time since 1994 that Lee Changho has not participated in the main tournament. The controversy surrounding this particular game is the question of whether Lee resigned too early.

Young Kwon Tourney Winner’s Report

Published On 2/15/2011

Nearly 300 watched 2010 NAIM champion Huiren Yang 1P and newcomer Zhanbo Sun 2P (see our profile elsewhere in this edition) battle it out February 5 in the Young Kwon National Online Tournament February 5 final on KGS. After several complicated battles and unfathomable trades, Sun managed to squeeze a 5.5-point victory to sweep the tournament, while Calvin Sun took second place in the tie-breaker. The tournament’s prize purse was donated by Young Kwon, with dan certificates generously supplied by the Korean Baduk Association, through coordination by Myungwan Kim 9P. KGS-AGA liaison is Akane Negishi; Assistant tournament directors were Binquan Wang, Hua Lin, Xingshuo Liu, Zhenying Gu and Jon Boley. Tournament directors were Chris Kirschner, Yixian Zhou and Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang. Winners are pictured at right:

Published On 2/15/2011

This year’s U.S. Go Congress organizers are – for the first time – accepting contributions to support the attendance of professional go players. “Show your appreciation for the professionals who attend Congress by donating to support their attendance and hard work!” urge 2011 Congress Directors Andrew Jackson and Lisa Scott. Those who donate $2500 or more will receive two tickets to attend the Pro Dinner, as well as a complimentary lesson with an attending professional. Donations may also be made by a group of people; anyone who donates at least $200 will receive a mention in the 2011 US Go Congress Handbook. Targeted donations can also be made towards the support of specific attending professionals. For complete details, email andrew.jackson@gocongress.org photo: Japanese pro Ryo Maeda 6P at the 2010 U.S. Go Congress; photo by Jake Edge

Published On 2/14/2011

Despite reduced hours and a vacant rental space, the doors are still open – and the lights still on – at the Seattle Go Center. “Tuesday nights continue to be very popular at the Go Center, with over 30 players attending,” reports Center manager Brian Allen. “The Yang Yilun workshop this weekend had 20 participants, with a good mix of old friends and new faces.” Although the Center’s downstairs rental space is still empty, income has matched expenses for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which started last July. “We have had a big increase in donations, matching grants from employers, and lifetime memberships,” says Allen. “And we reduced expenses by limiting our hours, and relying more on volunteers. Of course, we are working hard to get the downstairs rented out, which would give us additional income. We had one negotiation get as far as a letter of intent, but now that deal seems unlikely." photo by Brian Allen

TYGEM Launches iPad App

Published On 2/14/2011

The Korean Go server TYGEM has just launched their English language go app for the iPad. Search for tygem on iTunes. In addition to free services on TYGEM, sources tell the E-Journal that TYGEM plans to offer go servers on an English website by March.

Published On 2/14/2011

The American Go Association has issued it’s annual call for self-nominations to be guest officials abroad for the AGA, President Allan Abramson announced today. "Each year a few opportunities arise to send people overseas as guest officials,” said Abramson. “An open call for people to nominate themselves is the fair way to go." Nominations should be sent to president@usgo.org, with a short statement of the contributions to U.S go that would merit selection as a guest official. The deadline this year is Sunday, February 27.

EJ Profile: YKNOT Winner Zhanbo Sun 2P

Published On 2/14/2011

Young Kwon National Online Tournament winner Zhanbo Sun 2P (l) is something of a mystery man to the North American go community, never having appeared previously in an AGA tournament. The 24-year-old Sun hails from Daqing in Heilongjiang Province, which borders Jilin in the south, Inner Mongolia to the west, and Russia to the north and east. Sun began playing go when he was six years old and became a professional in 2000. He has trained with Wenyao Piao 9P, who’s currently ranked 12th in China, and Jiaxi Tuo 6P, who’s ranked 7th. He captained Tsinghua University’s go team from 2005 to 2009 and is now a Ph.D. candidate in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY, majoring in Transportation Engineering. Sun’s hobbies include music and snooker.

Published On 2/14/2011

Feijun (Frank) Luo 5d (r) topped a record field of 38 players who turned out for the February 5 Year of the Rabbit Go Tournament in Atlanta, GA. Players aged seven to over sixty competed over four round in three divisions. The tournament was held in the new office building of the Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy (ACCA), with Zhiqiang Liu, Board Chairman of the ACCA welcoming all go players to the event. Liu praised go as “the most interesting and intellectually challenging board game” and encouraged further collaboration among the Atlanta Go Club, Atlanta Chinese Go Association and ACCA. The one-day, four-round tournament generated a number of intense games, including the championship game in Division I (4d-5d) between Feijun (Frank) Luo 5d and Geng (Eric) Wang 5d, who each won a go tournament championship in Atlanta in 2010.

Published On 2/14/2011

Calling it “reliable go equipment that won't break the bank,” Shodan Imports has introduced a new economy-priced line of go equipment. “Selected for their attractiveness, practicality and value,” items available include a roll-up go board ($9.99), magnetic travel set ($19.99), Jujube bowls and Yunzi stones ($34.99) and a $52 club set that includes a bamboo board, Jujube bowls and Yunzi stones. The new line supplements Shodan Imports “premium line of high-end Japanese go equipment.”

GO VIDEO: Inside Joke?

Published On 2/14/2011

EJ reader Robert Cordingley spotted a go joke in one of the ubiquitous Go Daddy ads that have been airing on TV lately. Check out the First Impressions ad and email us at journal@usgo.org if you spot it.

Published On 2/14/2011

Yilun Yang's February Easy Life and Death Puzzle Black to play: Even though the white group on the lower right is dead, can Black survive on the lower side?[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/2011_02_14_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=82772" class="alignright"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 2/14/2011

This is the fifty-sixth installment (click on image below right to view/download PDF) of a new series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” by Haruyama Isamu 9P (Haruyama is the author of Basic Techniques of Go). McGuigan translated another series earlier, based on writings of Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, called “What’s Wrong with that Move?” This material is used by permission of the Nihon Kiin which published the original text in 1979. Haruyama says that his primary audience is players who are aiming for shodan. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

2/8 E-Journal Delayed

Published On 2/9/2011

This week's edition of the American Go E-Journal, which normally would have been published Tuesday (2/8) morning, was delayed due to technical problems beyond our control. We expect it to appear Wednesday (2/9) morning and apologize for any inconvenience to our readers. - Chris Garlock, Managing Editor

Published On 2/9/2011

Zhanbo Sun 2P (r) defeated 2010 North America Ing Master champion Huiren Yang 1P last Saturday, February 5 to win the first Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YNOT). Click here for current standings and Round 5 results. "The number of technical issues regarding webcam, Skype or KGS dramatically decreased as over 100 players got more familiar with online tournament through YKNOT," reports Co-Director Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang, noting that "online TD’s received few requests for assistance during the second weekend." Nearly $3,000 in cash prizes is being awarded in YKNOT by former US Open champion Young Kwon 7d from New York. The Hankuk-kiwon (Korean Baduk Association), in coordination of Myungwan Kim 9P, is also awarding three dan-level certificates to winners in the 1-2k, 1-3d and 6d division. "Quite a few new AGA members enjoyed the online tournament, and have inquired and expressed excitement about the upcoming US Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA," adds Zhang.

Published On 2/8/2011

Organizers are working to make the 2011 Go Congress “as affordable as possible.” How affordable? That depends on how many sign up. "The sooner we know how many people we'll have, the cheaper we can make it for everyone,” organizers Andrew Jackson and Lisa Scott tell the E-Journal. “Bottom line: if you register by May 1st, you'll get the greatest discount." Click here for more info and to register online.

Harwit Twins Top Colorado Youth Tourney

Published On 2/8/2011

Nathan and Matthew Harwit took top honors in the Colorado Youth Go Tournament, held Saturday, February 5 at the Eloise May Public Library in Denver, Colorado. Two dozen youngsters aged 7 - 17 competed, including kids from the Boulder, Highlands Ranch, Denver, and Colorado Springs clubs. Tournament directors were David Weiss and Alex Yavich. Winner’s Report: Dan Division: 1st: Nathan Harwit; 2nd: Matthew Harwit. Kyu Division: 1st: Akrom Amanov; 2nd: Adrian Fisher. - photo courtesy David Weiss

Published On 2/8/2011

Jason Long 8k swept the January 30 “Bye Week Tournament” in Harrisburg, PA, winning all five games played. Sponsored by the Harrisburg (PA) Area Go Club and Lancaster Go Club, the tournament attracted seven players, ranging in strength from 12k to 3d. The self-paired format allowed players to play as many games as they could handle, and 8-year-old Willis Huang 9k's seven games was the record for the event. Huang was also the furthest traveled, coming from New Jersey, with the rest of the players residents of Pennsylvania. The Harrisburg Area Go Club has seven active participants and meets 7-10p Wednesdays at the Borders Bookstore Café, in Camp Hill, PA.

Published On 2/8/2011

With or without web skills, Spanish speaking go players are invited to participate in translating usgo.org materials. The response from those with web skills from recent ad was great so the project has expanded to trying to translate the whole site. If interested, please email Peter Shotwell at pshotwell@gmail.com

AGA Offers Volunteer Assistance

Published On 2/8/2011

Recognizing that local chapter organizers may feel like the American Go Association is more focused on ranks, large tournaments and funding than small tournaments and club atmosphere, AGA Volunteer Coordinator Nicholas Jhirad says “We also strive to meet chapter personnel needs” that “may be as simple as a coder to develop a club website, a few people to help with outreach, or those vital extra hands at a tournament. If you have an idea for your chapter and you want a few boots on the ground, let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate and put you in touch with those resources that we have!” Reach Jhirad at volunteer@usgo.org, which is also where go players interested in volunteering should contact him.

Published On 2/8/2011

Looking for players in the Silverdale, WA area. Contact Pat at barrauss@hotmail.com

Published On 2/8/2011

Iyama Yuta takes lead in Kisei. Iyama Yuta 9P (r in photo) took a one-game lead in the 35th Kisei when he defeated Cho U 9P (l) by 1.5 points in the third round on February 3. Iyama now leads the seven-game series 2-1. The fourth round will be played on February 17-18. Maxim Cup semifinal contenders set to go. Lee Changho 9P and Choi Cheolhan 9P each won their respective third-round matches on February 1, rounding out the 12th Maxim Cup main tournament play and setting the stage for the semifinals. Both Lee and Choi defeated their third-round opponents, Cho Hunhyun 9P and Kim Dongyeop 9P respectively, by resignation.

Published On 2/1/2011

Registration for the 2011 US Go Congress launched last weekend. The Congress website -- where nearly 200 have pre-registered -- is now accepting registrations, and a $75 deposit will confirm registration. Pre-registrants have received advanced notification that they may now register, and all others interested in attending the Congress – which runs July 30 – August 7 in Santa Barbara, CA – may also do so as well. “Information on tournaments, events, and room and board prices has also been updated,” reports Congress Co-Director Lisa Scott. “Look for room and board registration later in February!” Information for ensuring the well-being of registered youth (children under 18) is available as well. Email questions about registration to registrar@gocongress.org. “We look forward to seeing you this summer!” adds Scott.

Published On 1/31/2011

BC Card Cup main tournament begins. The 3rd BC Card Cup main tournament began January 31 with 64 participants from Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan all competing to make it through the first round. Several first-round matches resulted in upsets for top contenders. Kong Jie 9P lost to Tan Xiao 5P, Cho Chikun 9P lost to Yan Huan 5P, Kim Hyunseob 2P lost to Korean amateur Hong Moojin and, while not an upset per se, last year’s BC Card Cup runner-up Chang Hao 9P lost to Lee Younggu 8P. Round two will begin on February 17th. Choi Cheolhan wins the Chunwon.

Tacoma Club Resumes Meetings

Published On 1/31/2011

After a year-long hiatus, the Tacoma Go Club is resuming meetings. The Washington state go club will be hosted by the Tacoma Art Museum’s Workz Cafe on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 11a to 5p. “This new offer allows the TGC to resume meetings in one of the most sought-after venues in Tacoma,” brags local organizer Gordon Castanza. “Come and enjoy the fine art collection of this museum, which includes the world-famous Dale Chihuly glass sculptures.” Free parking is available at the Tacoma Dome Transit Center, from which you catch the fare free Tacoma Link light rail and get off at the Tacoma Art Museum.

Learning from Ants

Published On 1/31/2011

Could stronger go-playing programs draw their inspiration from ants? A recent article in the Journal of Experimental Biology showed that Argentinian ants were able to solve a maze generated by the Tower of Hanoi mathematical puzzle, working together to optimally find their way to food, and researchers hope that computerized optimization algorithms can adopt the ant’s biological algorithm. Israeli go player Shavit Fragman, in turn, wonders “What can we learn from biological systems to solve the go maze?” Seeking to bridge the gap between the Towers of Hanoi and solving a life and death problem, Shavit offers a challenge to “translate a tsumego into a problem of finding the shortest path in a maze and program an algorithm mimicking the ant’s behavior to find the solution.” Click here to read more about this.

YKNOT Draws Large Online Field

Published On 1/31/2011

Over 20 players remained undefeated after first two rounds of Young Kwon National Online Tournament, held January 22-23 on KGS. Topping the all-time largest AGA online tournament in the 7d+ division are Dae Hyuk Ko, Zhanbo Sun, Jie Liang and Jing Guo. Suo and Sun are first time players in an AGA national event. In other dan and kyu sessions, AGA rookies Tommaso Mason 12k, Tengxiao Yang 6d and Travis Neil 2k have perfect scores thus far. Click here (ngol.us/Downloads) for complete results and Round 3 pairings. YKNOT resumed last weekend on KGS; watch the AGA website (www.usgo.org) for latest updates.

GO SPOTTING: Summer Wars

Published On 1/31/2011

“Nine and a half minutes into the movie Summer Wars there is a character replaying a game of go,” reports Steve Colburn. “The board is seen again at 53 minutes into the movie. Summer Wars is from the director who made ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.’”

School Teams Delayed for NJ Open

Published On 1/25/2011

The AGHS School Teams Tourney has been pushed back one week, to avoid the New Jersey Open. The event will now be held on March 5 and 12. Full information, including registration, can be found on the AGHS website.

Published On 1/25/2011

Discussing China on CNN Sunday, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that "One has to understand the Chinese intellectual game, which is what we call go (and) they call weiqi." Explaining that "it's a game of strategic encirclement," Kissinger said that "our intellectual game is chess. Chess is about victory or defeat. Somebody wins." Kissinger contrasted chess in which "all the pieces are in front of you at all times, so you can calculate your risk" with go, where the pieces "are not all on the board, and your opponent is always capable of introducing new pieces." Historically, Kissinger said, the Chinese use strategic analysis based on "the go way."

Published On 1/25/2011

Kim Yunyoung vs. Rui Naiwei in Female Kuksu final. Rui Naiwei 9P defeated Kim Hyeoilim 1P by resignation in the 16th Female Kuksu semifinals, which was held on January 20. Rui, the defending Female Kuksu title holder, will face Kim Yunyoung 1P in the title match. This should be an interesting three-game series. Kim has defeated Rui in the past, most recently in the first round of the 4th Female Gisung where Kim went on to capture the title. Lee Sedol falls to Mok Jinseok in Maxim Cup.

Canadian Cities Face Off Online

Published On 1/25/2011

Hanxi Zhang has organized a Canadian online super go competition on KGS between top players in Ottawa/Gatineau and Montreal/Quebec City. The next game -- round 3 -- will be this Wednesday, January 26 at 9p EST, when Yingzhi Chen (Yingzhi) will play Pascal Tremblay (Pasukaru). You can follow the games online on KGS and on Twitter.

Published On 1/25/2011

Twenty go players ranging from 4 dan to 12 kyu attended the Evanston Go Club's recent Winter Workshop with Yilun Yang 7P. "Mr. Yang is uniquely able to present concepts that are equally applicable to players of all levels," reports local organizer Mark Rubenstein. One of the workshop's highlights was a lecture on the second day. Yang "noticed in the game reviews that most of us were confused about when to make a one-space jump from a stone on or near the side star point, and when not to," says Rubenstein. "He was able to give us some simple concepts to guide our decision in any situation. That's the beauty of his teaching methods

Published On 1/25/2011

Judan Section A W: Michael Redmond 9P B: Haruo Kamimura 9P January 6, 2011 Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P Published in the January 24 edition of the American Go E-Journal[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011_01_24-Redmond-Kamimura_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=78782" class="alignright"][/sgf] The Judan tournament has a small Honsen (the final section of the tournament that determines the challenger in the main tournament) of only 16 players -- the Oza and Judan Honsen are 16 players, Tengen and Gosei are 32 players give or take a few -- which causes more preliminary rounds. After this first round of the A section I will play one more round in A, and next will be a final preliminary section of two rounds to get into the Honsen.

GoClubsOnline Adds Features

Published On 1/25/2011

GoClubsOnline now has "dozens of new features and extra options to make GoClubsOnline easier to use for club organizers and volunteers," reports Robert Cordingley. Highlights include a new dashboard to add tables and charts enabling club organizers to follow statistics and review historical trends of club membership, tournament attendance levels and tournament finances. Also added: more Membership Card Options, more themes, and Tournament Publish, so that tournament organizers can mark a tournament as "published" when it's ready to be viewed by site visitors."GoClubsOnline has over 300 subscribers waiting to register online for your tournaments!" adds Cordingley.

Missingham Promoted to 5 Dan

Published On 1/23/2011

Teen go prodigy Joanne Missingham, better known in China as Hēi Jiā Jiā, has had a very good year. She took 2nd place in the first Bing Sheng World Ladies cup, scored 2-1 at the Asian New Star Cup -- where she was the only Taiwanese player to win in the Korea-Taiwan match -- and won the qualification league of the 3rd Qisheng cup with a perfect 5-0 score. The Taiwan Qi-Yuan has now promoted her to 5 dan in recognition of her accomplishments. Missingham turned pro in 2008, at the age of 14, (E-J 7-28-08) and is proving herself a formidable international competitor. UnlimitedGo has reported on her activities several times, and one can see her recent victory against Lin Yuxiang here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Hei Jiajia at the 1st Bingsheng Cup

Published On 1/21/2011

by Allan Abramson, AGA President It was cloudy and cold early Wednesday morning, as we went through the White House security lines. Feng Yun 9P and Paul Matthews had risen at 2 am in northern New Jersey to drive to DC and Paul Celmer and Frank Salantrie had driven in from North Carolina on Tuesday. Feng Yun and Paul had to wait an hour for clearance, as her name had been reversed on the guest list for the welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Published On 1/18/2011

Moon sweeps stage 1 in Jeongganjang Cup. Moon Dowon 2P (r in photo) swept the first stage, seven-game series in the 9th Jeongganjang Cup. In the last game on January 14, she defeated Japan’s Suzuki Ayumi 5P (l) by 3.5 points, leaving Team Japan with only one player (Yoshida Mika 8P) left going into the second stage.

Published On 1/18/2011

Black to play: Is there any defect in white's corner?[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011_01_17_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=76602" class="alignright"][/sgf] Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com Published in the January 17, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 1/18/2011

KGS Insei League[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011_01_17_ywhuang_ErgoProxy_Dinerchtein.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=76662" class="alignright"][/sgf] W: ErgoProxy 6d (Javier Savolainen) B: Yen-Wei Huang 7d Commentary by Alex Dinerchtein 3P Published in the January 17, 2011 edition of the American Go E-Journal Yen-Wei Huang, PhD student at University of Illinois, (AGA 7d) won the December Insei League (supergroup) with a perfect score. This is one of the deciding games. Yen-Wei has decided to join the team of the Insei League teachers. He will teach and play with DGS inseis, replacing Natalya Kovaleva, Russian 6d. It was hard for Natalya to play 40 DGS games straight, so she went down from DGS 5d to DGS 2d after losing most of her games in the autumn league. For DGS inseis it will be harder to fight with Yen-Wei, who is currently DGS ranking #1 and 7d DGS.

Published On 1/18/2011

Fittingly – and not surprisingly – it was the Brothers Jiang who battled it out for the top prize at the recent Jujo Jiang Tournament, held January 8 in San Francisco, CA. MingJiu Jiang 9P prevailed in the climactic 4th-round game against his brother -- and tournament namesake -- Zhujiu "Jujo" Jiang 9P (at left in photo) , winning the championship, which was sponsored by ZhiQiang Guo. “Mr. Guo participated in the tournament two years ago and enjoyed it so much that he decided to be a sponsor this year,” reports organizer Ernest Brown. The final was broadcast live on KGS. There were eight prizes in each of four divisions in the handicap portion of the tournament as well as four cash prizes in the open section.

Torrey Tops MGA Winter Tourney

Published On 1/18/2011

Becci Torrey 1d (at right, in photo) won the January 16 Massachusetts Go Association's Winter Handicap Tournament, topping a field of 32 at the club in Davis Square, Somerville. Players ranged in strength from 18 kyu to 7-dan, and in age from 14 to septugenarian, reports TD Eva Casey, “with every decade in between represented.” The players traveled from Western Massachusetts and Cape Cod, as well as Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and Rhode Island. “Seven women participated if you include the TD,” adds Casey. Gus Heck 2k and Doug Frantz 12k tied for second, while Laura Wu 12k came in third. Click here for photos. Photos courtesy Eva Casey.

YKNOT Tourney Launches Saturday on KGS

Published On 1/18/2011

More than 120 members of the American Go Association will vie for nearly $3,000 in prizes in the inaugural Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT), which begins this Saturday. The field includes AGA Life Members from Asia and Europe as well as AGA members in the United States – click here for complete list -- and dan winners will be awarded Korean Baduk Association’s Dan-level certificates. Nearly twenty players applied or renewed their AGA membership to qualify to play YKNOT, and over a dozen players tested their web camera and Skype during the Q/A session last Saturday. With many players are new to online tournaments, co-director Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang is strongly recommending that all players familiarize themselves with the relevant software. “A reliable internet connection is critical,” Zhang adds.

Published On 1/18/2011

When President Hu Jintao of China arrives at the White House this Wednesday, the U.S. go community will be there. President Obama brought President Hu a go board and glass bowls when he visited China last year, and has invited Feng Yun 9P, who donated a set of go stones given to her when she left China, North Carolina’s Frank Salantrie – who made the board -- the West Coast glass blower who made the bowls, and American Go Association President Allan Abramson and AGA Board member Paul Celmer to participate in the arrival ceremony. “Obviously, we’re incredibly thrilled and honored that go is playing such a visible role in this high-profile event,” said Abramson.

School Teams Tourney Registration

Published On 1/17/2011

Registration for the AGHS School Teams Tournament is now open. There will be four rounds: Round 1 (12 pm ET) and Round 2 (5 pm ET) will be on February 26; Round 3 (12 pm ET) and Round 4 (5 pm ET) will be the next Saturday, March 5. Players must still be in High School, or younger, and no older than 20 as of February 26. Schools can register a maximum of three teams, each with three players and one alternate. Returning players, please note that the rules have changed for the 2011 tournament: only learning institutions, where a subject other than go is taught are eligible. Regular go clubs are NOT eligible unless they are based at a school. Players are encouraged to form teams from their public/private schools. Registration closes February 12.

Published On 1/17/2011

Recent go spottings in films by EJ readers include Dangerous Moves, a 1984 French film (La Diagonale de fou) about a couple of chess grandmasters.

Published On 1/17/2011

The Yu Go Club and Santa Monica Go Club teamed up to teach dozens of anime fans the basics of go at the recent Anime Los Angeles (ALA) convention, reports Samantha Davis. “The interest from con-goers was amazing, and go at ALA was a huge success!” The clubs ran three go demonstrations and a panel over the course of the three-day convention. photo courtesy Samantha Davis

Flying Finn wins London Open

Published On 1/17/2011

Antti Tormanen 6d (l) of Finland bested favorite Wang Wei 6d in the London Open at the end of December. Wang, who had just moved from Cork to London, but is originally from China, was favored for the Open – held December 28-31 -- after being the previous year's runner up, and indeed, after four rounds only he and Tormanen were unbeaten at the top. But when the two players faced off in round 5, the Fin won after an epic battle, and then won his last two games to complete his sweep and take first place. Wei Wang also won the rest of his games to end on six wins and take second place.

GO CLASSIFIED: Players Wanted

Published On 1/17/2011

Southern Arkansas: Looking for go players in the mid to southern Arkansas area for practice matches and tournament partners. Anyone interested email me at go_demon@yahoo.com

Published On 1/17/2011

“The 2009 Yearbook, mailed out in the spring of 2010, did not include the CD, which was still being produced,” writes AGA member John Pellegrin.”I don’t recall that I ever received it subsequently. Did I miss it, or was there some other arrangement?” 2009 GAME COMMENTARY COLLECTION: all the 2009 EJ member's edition material is collected here online for easy access anytime; this replaces the CD that used to be published with the annual American Go Yearbook. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 1/16/2011

By setting up tables in the corridor at Hebrew University’s mid-December “Japan Day” in Jerusalem, go organizers Shavit Fragman and Barak Gluska “trapped many of them in ‘geta’ and made them stop, look, ask and learn about go,” reports Fragman. A Hebrew University graduate, Fragman said the school’s spacious Maiersdorf building – where the Japan Day activities were held – was “an ideal place to promote go.” Some students were new to game, while others had played it years ago, and Fragman says that “Some were very enthusiastic about opening a club at the campus.”

Wilde About Go

Published On 1/11/2011

Tron: Legacy actress Olivia Wilde was apparently the inspiration for the inclusion of go in the holiday hit. “That was my nerdy idea because Go is the one game that humans consistently beat computers at,” Wilde said in a December 16 interview in the Times-Union. Taking on an “excited nerd voice,” Wilde said “We should have something about Go, because people who know about it will know computers can't beat humans and it'll be this cool reference to what humans can do that computers can't. So we had that line where I say, ‘Flynn usually beats me.’ I think that people who know might get a little bit of a chuckle out of that.

Published On 1/11/2011

With large cash prizes and free registration, why not sign up for the YKNOT? Nearly 100 have already signed up, and the registration deadline for the Young Kwon Online Tourney (YNOT) has been extended to this Thursday, January 13. “All levels are welcome,” says organizer Edward (Zhiyuan) Zhang, adding that “There are only a small number of players 5k and below enrolled.” Click here for free registration; AGA life members who live outside of U.S. are also eligible. The five round tournament is scheduled for January 22, 23, 29, 30 and February 5; 1p EST for dan divisions and 6p EST for kyu divisions. Basic time is 1 hour for dan and 30 min for kyu players and overtime for both is 5 periods of 30 seconds. Sponsor Young Kwon 7d believes that “kyu players can improve their strength quickly by recognizing the shapes and patterns, rather than reading/solving the problems.”

Redmond Cup Registration Opens

Published On 1/11/2011

Young American go players can now sign up for the 19th annual Redmond Cup Tournament. Preliminary games will be played on the Internet, courtesy of IGS-PandaNet, and the four finalists will be invited to the 2010 US Go Congress to play the final games. There are two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for those aged less than 12 years and the Senior league for those 12 and older, but younger than 18, on August 1st 2011. Competitors in the Senior League must be playing at dan strength, in the Junior 5 kyu or stronger. The participants must be members of the American Go Association or the Canadian Go Association and either residents of the U.S., Canada or Mexico or citizens of the United States living anywhere in the world, provided that they are also members of the AGA. The tournament director for the Redmond Cup is Michael Bull; Ing rules of Goe for all games.

Xbox’s Path of Go The New Hikaru No Go?

Published On 1/11/2011

Judging by the flood of fan mail we received over the holiday break, The Path of Go -- the new Xbox LIVE game – is quite the gaming hit, at least in the go community. “I just played The Path of Go with my 8 year old grand daughter and we could not get her to stop,” writes longtime go player and organizer Ernest Brown. “The three year old wanted to try also. This should be a great thing for promoting go. In fact I believe we will get a bump in people wanting go lessons similar to the Hikaru No Go phenomena.

Yilun Yang’s 2011 Life and Death Puzzle

Published On 1/11/2011

For over a decade Yilun Yang 7P has been creating these annual original brain-teasing life and death problems based on the digits of each [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2011_01_10_yilunyang-newyearpuzzle.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=75272" class="alignright"][/sgf] new year. Here's the latest; enjoy! Non-members: get this kind of great content every week, from pro game commentaries to lessons and amateur game commentaries from top pros created just for the EJ! Sign up for the Member's Edition today and start getting it next week!

Published On 1/11/2011

More than two dozen go players recently celebrated Jin Chen 7d’s life by playing the game Chen loved. The Seattle Go Center hosted the 2011 Jin Chen Memorial Tournament on January 2, with 26 players from across the country competing in the 3-round event. Many more visited the Center to watch the tournament and to pay their respects to the parents of Jin Chen, “a near master of one of the most complex strategy games in the world,” who accidentally fell to his death in January 2009. The tournament was held the day before what would have been Chen’s 24th birthday. The event showed that “friends and family of Jin Chen are moving on and celebrating,” Shan Chen told the E-Journal. “The Seattle Go Center has a great history and cultural values, and we are proud that Jin is part of it.” Click here for the Bellevue Reporter’s account and here for more photos of the tournament.

Published On 1/11/2011

Even players as strong as 2-dan are often reluctant to pressure their opponent’s weak stones, fearing counter-attack. In today’s lesson -- for players 4k-2d -- Kaz shows how to make the strongest move and handle the common overplay that often results. Please jump to W14 to begin the lesson.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2011_01_04-Lessons-with-Kaz_Pressuring-Weak-Stones-Handling-Overplays.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=72392" class="alignright"][/sgf] These are lessons for go players ranging from 4-dan to 10-kyu. A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named Lessons with Kaz. Kaz co-authored Kiseido’s Get Strong at Joseki, volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus

Ventura Go Club Goes West

Published On 1/10/2011

Go west, go players. The Ventura County Go Club has moved 10 miles west to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffeehouse in Camarillo, CA after the Borders in Thousand Oaks – where the LA-area club has met for six years – closed recently. “We will continue to meet Wednesday evenings, at the new time of 6:15-9:45p,” says organizer David Whiteside. Meetings at the new location -- 824 Arneill Road in the Central Plaza Shopping Center -- started January 5.

Published On 1/10/2011

Moon Dowon continues her winning streak in Jeongganjang Cup: Korea’s Moon Dowon 2P (r in photo) kept Team Korea on top with her win over Japan’s Chinen Kaori 4P (l) in the third round of the 9th Jeongganjang Cup on January 10th. This was another decisive win for Moon, defeating Chinen by 10.5 points. Round four will be played January 11th. Game records from earlier rounds can be found here.

YOUR MOVE: No More Reviewed Games?

Published On 1/10/2011

“Unless my mail program is duping me somehow, I don’t think you’ve sent out a reviewed pro game in many many months, if at all in 2010?” writes AGA member Bill Chiles. “Maybe my mail program is not showing attachments, or you are inserting links now, which means I wouldn’t see the games since I don’t read the E-Journal. I don’t even open the message unless there are attachments.” The weekly Member’s Edition of the E-Journal always includes game records, either pro game commentaries, reviews of amateur games or life and death problems. Since May 2010 these are no longer attachments (which caused some emails to be blocked as spam), but are accessed by opening the E-Journal, scrolling to the game description and either downloading the linked sgf file or playing through the games using the handy online viewer. NOTE: As previously reported, AGA members also have access to a wealth of member's-only material published online in 2010.

Published On 1/10/2011

Longtime American Go Association member Samuel P. King died in early December in Hawaii. “Judge King published one of the first English go books called "The Theory and Practice of Go" written by Oscar Korschelt (1880) which he translated from German to English with George Leckie,” reports Sid Kobashigawa of the Honolulu Go Club. The 94-year-old King, a leading figure in Hawaii – click here to read more about his fascinating life – was an AGA member for more than 35 years; his AGA membership number is 415.

Jujo Jiang Goe Tournament Jan. 8

Published On 12/28/2010

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, Guo, and ZhiQiang, are sponsoring the 2011 Jujo Jiang Tournament. This will be an AGA rated, one day, four round tournament, with prizes in 5 divisions: Open, High Dan, Expert, Intermediate, and Novice. The entry fee is $35 for all ages, with a $10 discount for current AGA members. More information can be found on the GoMasters website.

Published On 12/24/2010

In this special year-end edition of the Member's Edition of the American Go E-Journal, we wanted to remind you of the wealth of member's-only material published online in 2010. From the complete collection of 2009 game commentaries to the 2010 WAGC, US Go Congress and Cotsen Open commentaries as well as all the 2010 game commentaries published in the E-Journal, a treasure trove of great go material is just a click away! See below for links. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the AGA; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary, but please do not distribute.

Path of Go Available on Xbox

Published On 12/23/2010

"The Path of Go" is now available on Xbox LIVE for 400 Microsoft points ($5). "It looks from the screenshots like it plays a 9x9 game," reports Chris Hayashida. "It uses your Xbox LIVE avatar. I haven't tried it yet, but I might over the break." If you've played The Path of Go, we'd love to hear what you think; send us your review at journal@usgo.org!

Follow the E-Journal on Twitter!

Published On 12/23/2010

The American Go E-Journal is your best source for keeping up with the go news happening 24/7 around the world: now you don't have to wait for the weekly or daily E-Journal or even have to check the website for updates: follow the EJ on Twitter and you'll get a tweet whenever we post a report on the AGA's website! Click here to sign up or follow us @theaga or text "follow theaga" to 40404 in the United States (click here for codes for other countries)

Tron, Captured

Published On 12/23/2010

The appearance of go in Tron: Legacy (GO SPOTTING: Tron: a Legacy of Go 12/20) has generated a lot of excitement and email from the go community. Several EJ readers sent in screencaps of the board position in the game (r). "It definitely looks like an actual amateur game, with 103 moves, black to play," writes Linden Chiu, who notes that it doesn't match any pro games in his database.

Published On 12/21/2010

Guo Juan 5P Double-Digit Kyu Game Commentary: The Lesson of the 2nd-Line Move This game commentary is by Guo Juan, a 5-dan Chinese professional who lives in Amsterdam and is an active participant in European tournaments. Guo is a regular at the annual U.S. and European go congresses and also conducts popular workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere each year. She also teaches online at Guo Juan’s Internet Go School. If you'd like a game considered for professional review in the EJ (can be anonymous if you wish), just send us the sgf game record at journal@usgo.org along with your AGA member number. White plays far too many moves on the second line far too early in this game, and pays the price. Be sure to check out all the variations.

Holiday Break: Next EJ January 11, 2011

Published On 12/21/2010

This is the last edition of the American Go E-Journal for the year; we’ll be on holiday break for the next two weeks. The first edition of 2011 will appear on Tuesday, January 11. Special thanks to all our dedicated contributors this year, who continue to make the E-Journal required reading for go players around the world. In addition to bringing you the latest go news, features and instructional material in the New Year, we’ll be introducing more regular contributors as we work to make the EJ ever more useful to you (send in your games for professional analysis! They can be anonymous if you prefer; all strengths welcome!). Thanks for your interest and support: from all of us at the EJ and the American Go Association, we wish you happy, relaxing and safe holidays, and good aji in the New Year. - Chris Garlock, Managing Editor American Go E-Journal

Canada Wins 3rd Youth Friendship Match

Published On 12/21/2010

Over 300 go fans showed up on KGS to watch the future of North American go display their talent at the 3rd US-Canada Youth Friendship Match. Neither team disappointed, with many exciting games featuring intense fighting. The 7-player Canadian team won all but the last two boards, repeating their dominance of the U.S. in last year's edition of the friendship match. On the top board, Calvin Sun, the U.S. WYGC representative, battled Ryan Li, the runner-up in the 2010 Canadian Open. Li gained an early edge, claiming a lot of territory, but a weak group during the midgame gave Sun a chance. However, Li squeaked out life, and Sun could not gain any advantage while attacking the group, giving Li the victory. The Canadians asserted their dominance in the next few boards as well, with Gansheng Shi, Tianyu (Bill) Lin, Jianing Gan, and Andrew Huang all claiming commanding victories, leaving Ben Lockhart and Vincent Zhuang as the only victorious members of the U.S. team

The Man Behind the YKNOT Tournament

Published On 12/21/2010

Open to U.S. players of all levels and featuring a prize purse of nearly $3,000, the new Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) is being billed as one of the largest western online go tournaments yet.

Published On 12/21/2010

Double-Digit Kyu Game Commentary: White plays far too many moves on the second line far too early in this game, and pays the price. Be sure to check out all the variations. This game commentary is by Guo Juan, a 5-dan Chinese professional who lives in Amsterdam and is an active participant in European tournaments. Guo is a regular at the annual U.S. and European go congresses and also conducts popular workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere each year. She also teaches online at Guo Juan’s Internet Go School. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_20-DoubleDigitGame1_Guo-Juan-Commentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=73822" class="alignright"][/sgf] If you'd like a game considered for professional review in the EJ

Published On 12/21/2010

Double-Digit Kyu Game Commentary: In this game both players ignore simple but strong moves, or play extra moves that are unnecessary; often it's best just to play calmly. Be sure to check out the variations for Guo Juan's comments. This game commentary is by Guo Juan, a 5-dan Chinese professional who lives in Amsterdam and is an active participant in European tournaments. Guo is a regular at the annual U.S. and European go congresses and also conducts popular workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere each year. She also teaches online at Guo Juan’s Internet Go School. If you'd like a game considered for professional review in the EJ (can be anonymous if you wish; all strengths welcome) just send us the sgf game record at journal@usgo.org along with your AGA member number.

Published On 12/21/2010

January 12-13, 2005 Played at the Hotel Okura Niigata in Niigata City W: Hane Naoki 9P B: Yuki Satoshi 9P Commentary by Kobayashi Satoru 9P; report by Akamatsu Masahiro. Published in Go World #106 (Winter 2005-06) and excerpted with permission for the December 20 edition of the American Go E-Journal; sgf created by Brian Kirby and edited by Chris Garlock [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_20-29thKiseiGame1_HaneNaoki-YukiSatoshi_GoWorld106.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=73952" class="alignright"][/sgf] Go World is a quarterly magazine covering the international go scene. Each issue contains a comprehensive news coverage of all major go events in the world, in depth commentaries of games from recent international and national tournaments, and instructional articles. Click here for details on how to subscribe.

GO SPOTTING: Tron: a Legacy of Go

Published On 12/20/2010

Go makes a brief appearance in the new movie Tron: Legacy. “One of the players comments to an observer that her opponent's patience usually overcomes her more aggressive strategy,” reports reader Alicia Seifrid. “What a great movie to incorporate go into!” The game’s being played on “a nice floor board,” adds Alf Mikula, “it was too quick to get a good grasp of the position, but it did look like a real game in progress.” Thanks to everyone who passed along this sighting!

Published On 12/20/2010

They knew that go originated in China and that black makes the first move, but the contestants on a recent Jeopardy stumbled on the question of which warrior class emerged in Japan at the same time as go, and all three were stumped by a question any beginning go player would know instantly: “A stone that is threatened with capture is said to be "in" this; the makers of Pong chose it for their company name.” Click here to see how you score on the go-related questions on the December 13 Jeopardy: scroll down to the Double Jeopardy! Round and it’s the last column on the right; answers are revealed by hovering over the amount in the box.

Published On 12/20/2010

Third time’s a charm for Iyama Yuta’s Daiwa Cup win. Iyama Yuta 9P (r in photo) was finally able to capture his first Daiwa Cup championship by defeating Cho U 9P (l) by resignation in the 6th Daiwa Cup final. This was Iyama’s third Daiwa Cup title match (2007, 2009, 2010) and Cho’s second (2006, 2010). The Daiwa Cup is sponsored by Daiwa Securities Group, with a winners’ purse of 1,500,000 Yen (approximately $18,000).

Published On 12/20/2010

WEST SURREY HANDICAP: December 4. Despite the snow the tournament happened, a small cosy affair with only 13 entrants and 3 power cuts. It was won by Sue Paterson with 4/4; she beat Jonathan Reece (3/4) in the final round. Also on 3 were Philippe Bourrez and Max Bourget, and on 2.5 Dawn Street. The 13*13 was won by Xinyi Lu on 9/9 wins. Pits was won by Sue Paterson and the 'identify the birds quiz' by Tony Atkins. After the tournament, 6 of the players had a pleasant and filling meal at a nearby curry restaurant. West Surrey Go club wishes to thank all those who made the effort to attend in the face of the all the snow.

Dundee Tops BGA League Tourney

Published On 12/20/2010

Dundee won the top division of the British Go Association’s online League Tournament’s second season, edging out the Central London Go Club (GLGC) Team A when Yohei Negi beat Yangran Zhang on December 15th. In Division 2 the Billericay Dickies took top honors, while the GLGC Team B won Division 3 and Edinburgh 3 topped Division 4. The BGA’s League Tournament was originally a team-based go league designed to be played mainly over the Internet to encourage interaction between players in different areas of the country and to encourage online play among members of the BGA. Thanks to its success, the BGA is starting up an individual league in January 2011. - reported by John Collins

Bordeaux To Host ’11 Euro Go Congress

Published On 12/20/2010

Go players and wine-lovers alike are rejoicing that the 2011 European Go Congress – the 55th edition -- will take place in the city of Bordeaux, France from July 23rd to August 6th. “Aside from the main tournament, the usual side tournaments will be organized, and professional players will be available to give workshops or simultaneous games,” reports main organizer Astrid Gaultier. And for those who might want to take a break from two weeks of go, Gaultier assures that “sightseeing will be organized during the days off.” Nearly 250 have already registered; click here for more info and details.

Grantwriter/Fundraiser Sought

Published On 12/20/2010

The AGA Board of Directors is forming a committee to seek corporate and institutional support for special events and projects. “We are searching for a volunteer with grant-writing and/or fundraising experience to serve on the committee,” reports Andy Okun. If interested, contact Paul Celmer at pcelmer@earthlink.net

Published On 12/19/2010

Twenty five players ranging from 20 kyu to 4 dan played in the San Francisco Bay Area's December 11 monthly ratings tournament. Some just dropped in for a game or two, while others played as many as six AGA-rated games. Zhi Rui Yang 4d led the dan division with five wins, while Jay Chan 3k led the kyu division with four wins. Aaron Ye 3d, Lucas Baker 3d, Herb Doughty 4k, Victor Wang 7k, Joseph Ehrlich 17k, and Bryan Tan 20k won three games apiece. "We won't be holding a monthly ratings tournament in January," reports organizer Roger Schrag. "Be sure to check out the Jujo Jiang Goe Tournament instead." Monthly ratings tournaments in the San Francisco Bay Area will resume February 12. Photos by Lisa Schrag.

Published On 12/17/2010

Continuing its 40-plus year practice publishing some of the best go books in English, Kiseido recently brought three new titles to market. The latest installment in the Mastering The Basics series is Attacking and Defending Moyos, in which authors Richard Bozulich and Rob van Ziejst lay out the fundamental principles of building territorial framework, and attacking the opponent's framework, then illustrate using examples from professional games, ending with 151 problems.

Myung-Wan Kim 9P Added To EJ Roster

Published On 12/17/2010

Now your AGA membership could win you a free pro commentary! Send in your dan-level game record by next Monday and it could be chosen for a commentary by three-time U.S. Open champion Myung-wan Kim 9P (r), the latest addition to the E-Journal’s growing roster of contributing professionals and top players.

Published On 12/16/2010

Registration is now open for the first-ever Young Kwon National Online Tournament, featuring a prize fund of nearly $3,000. The tournament, sponsored by Young Kwon, will be held online beginning January 22, 2011. “The purpose is to promote the game of go in the United States,” Mr. Kwon told the E-Journal. The 5-round tournament is open to all current AGA members, from 35 kyu to professionals, and eligibility rules include at least six months of residence in the U.S. in 2010. Registration deadline: January 7, 2011; Click here to register. - Edward Zhang, AGA National Tournament Coordinator

Wheeler & Zhou Join AGA Tourney Team

Published On 12/16/2010

The AGA Tournament Coordinator team welcomes Dennis Wheeler of Seattle and Yixian Zhou of Los Angeles on board as Assistant National Tournament Coordinators. Wheeler (l) has been actively assisting the AGA for many years, and is a “veteran” director of online qualifiers. Zhou, 7d (r), is both a strong player and a go activist. He assisted in organizing the 2008 Toyota Denso Oza, and co-directed the 2010 N.A. qualifiers of both the Fujitsu Cup and BC Card Cup. Both are active and well-known in their regions. The new Assistant Tournament Coordinators will help bring more tournaments, fun, convenience and value to AGA members. - Edward Zhang, AGA National Tournament Coordinator

“Go On The Go” Photo Contest Announced

Published On 12/16/2010

The Mind Go Club in Israel is sponsoring a “Go on The Go” photo competition. With many go players traveling for the upcoming holidays, organizer Shavit Fragman anticipates plenty of waiting time due to lines, weather delays and so on. “Playing go is a wonderful way to spend such time,” says Fragman, urging go players around the world to snap photos while playing “on the go” and send them in. Prizes will be awarded and a selection of photographs will be posted online during the contest, which runs through February 28, 2011. Email photos to GoOnTheGO@go-mind.com; click here for full contest details. Playing go while traveling “is also a wonderful way to promote go,” notes Fragman.

Published On 12/14/2010

Black to play: A very unusual situation. Can Black live unconditionally?[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_13_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=67672" class="alignleft"][/sgf] Published in the December 13, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal as a member benefit for American Go Association members Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 12/14/2010

“I often see White defending his five-space extension with White 1. However, isn’t the balance better when White defends at A? In other five-space shapes White 1 is used to defend. What is the reasoning behind this?” Haruyama Isamu 9P explains what’s going on in Questions from Actual Play #54, the latest installment of a series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” CLICK HERE to download This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 12/14/2010

Gosei Tournament (C Section)[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_13-GoseiCsection_Redmond-Tahara_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=71352" class="alignright"][/sgf] W: Michael Redmond 9P B: Tahara Yasushi 6P Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P Published in the December 13 edition of the American Go E-Journal Game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 12/14/2010

The 23rd Fujitsu Cup Final: Kong Jie vs. Yi Se-tol (Lee Sedol) July 5, 2010, Nihon Ki-in, Tokyo Based on a public commentary by Kobayashi Satoru. Many of the comments are the result of persistent questioning by Rob van Zeijst. Published in Go World #123 (Autumn 2010) and excerpted with permission for the December 14 edition of the American Go E-Journal; sgf created by Brian Kirby and edited by Chris Garlock [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_14-FujitsuFinal_KongJie-LeeSedol_GoWorld123.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=70202" class="alignright"][/sgf] Go World is a quarterly magazine covering the international go scene. Each issue contains a comprehensive news coverage of all major go events in the world, in depth commentaries of games from recent international and national tournaments, and instructional articles.

Published On 12/14/2010

China’s Gu Li 9P prevailed against South Korea’s Heo Yeongho 7P to win the 15th Samsung Cup. In the third and final match held December 10, Gu (r in photo) won by resignation to take the title 2-1. In the second match on December 9, Heo won by resignation to force the third match. Korea’s Choi Cheolhan 9P defeated Japan’s Takao Shinji 9P by 1.5 points in the final match of the second stage of the 12th Nongshim Cup, giving Korea the stage win.

Andy Liu 7d Wins N.A. Fujitsu Qualifier

Published On 12/14/2010

The online North American Fujitsu Cup Qualifier featured exciting games and a few surprising upsets last weekend on KGS. In the early rounds, 17-year-old Curtis Tang 7d knocked out Feng Yun 9P in a hard-fought match late Thursday night. Huiren [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_13-N.A.FujitsuFinal_Ko-Liu.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/2010/12/andy-liu-7d-wins-n-a-fujitsu-qualifier/2010_12_13-n-a-fujitsufinal_ko-liu/" class="alignleft"][/sgf]Yang 1P ran short on time in byo-yomi to advance Dae Hyuk Ko 7d to the final, and Andy Zhiyuan Liu 7d defeated Jie Li 7d by just 1.5 points to advance to the final. On Sunday, Liu defeated Dae Hyuk Ko to win the right to represent North America in the upcoming 2011 Fujitsu Cup. Edward Zhang and Oren Laskin handled the extensive organizing and scheduling logistics for the event and directed the early rounds.

Published On 12/14/2010

The 3rd US-Canada Youth Friendship Tournament will be held Sunday, December 19, on KGS. The popular team tourney pits the best youth in the US against the best youth in Canada. The US won the first tournament, two years ago, but were crushed 6-2 in last year's event. The matches will be held in the AGA Tournaments Room on KGS, at 4p Eastern time (1pm Pacific), spectators are welcome. The US team features Calvin Sun 7d, Ricky Zhou 7d, Will Zhou 7d, Hugh Zhang 6d, Andrew Lu 6d, Ben Lockhart 6d, and Vincent Zhuang 5d. The Canadians have Ryan Li 7d, Gansheng Shi 7d, Tianyu Lin 7d, Jianing Gan 7d, Andrew Huang 6d, Daniel Gourdeau 6d, and Irene Sha 6d. Tune in this Sunday to catch the action and root for your favorites. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Published On 12/14/2010

Want to be part of the 2011 U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara? Volunteer positions are now available, from Registration Volunteers to Tournament Directors. Click here now to see what’s available! Nearly 150 attendees are already signed up for the 2011 US Go Congress and the Congress site has updated transportation information, photo credits, and contact information. “Watch for more updates, including pricing information, by the New Year,” promises Congress Co-Director Lisa Scott.

Published On 12/14/2010

Kyu players: send in your games and you could win a free commentary by popular teacher Guo Juan 5P! Email your game (10k plus; sgf file required) to us at journal@usgo.org with “Guo commentary” in the subject line BY MIDNIGHT DECEMBER 20. Please be sure to include your AGA number, as this is a member’s-only benefit.

Chit-Chatting About Go

Published On 12/13/2010

Chicago go organizers Bob Barber and Mark Rubenstein checked out Pecha Kucha recently and Barber thinks it may be “an opportunity for go proselytizers.” Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", Pecha Kucha rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds, a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

Published On 12/13/2010

Won Suh 6d (lower left) edged out fellow 6-dans James Park (r in upper right) and Edward Zhang (l in upper right) on tie breaks to take the trophy at the NOVA Slate and Shell Open in Arlington, VA last Saturday, December 11. The field of 22 players battled for books and cash prizes supplied by sponsor Slate and Shell. The top three players in the dan division, all with 3-1 records, split the cash prize and were awarded books. Other winners included undefeated Kelsey Dyer 2k, Gurujeet Khalsa 9k, Joseph Lee 10k, and undefeated Tariq Khan 19k, who also earned trophies, books and cash. Second place finishers George Wilson 5k, Joey Phoon 7k, and Deirdre Golash 13k received books. - reported by Garrett Smith; photos by Gen Zhang

Published On 12/13/2010

Despite dire weather warnings, “29 players fearlessly came to the December 11 Chicago Winter Tournament,” reports TD Bob Barber. “New players from Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and even Romania, by way of Northern Ireland,” turned out. “Noticeably absent was Rich Brown from Madison, WI, who chose cautiously to stay at home,” Barber notes. Tengxiao Yang 5d took first place in the dan division. Other results: 1st Place High Kyu: ROHDE, David, 5k; 1st Place Low Kyu: MARTINEZ ORTEGA, Jorge, 9k; 2nd Place Low Kyu: BOYLAND, Peter, 10k. “This was the first AGA tournament for Yang and Boyland,” says Barber. “We hope to see a lot more of them in the future.” - photo by Mark Rubenstein

Couldn’t Hurt, Might Help

Published On 12/13/2010

Notice anything unusual about the female go player in the photo at right? Closer inspection reveals that she’s got acupuncture needles in her head. The photos is from the recent Asian Games, and sources tell us that “Many players on the Korean Pair Go team -- Lee Chang Ho included -- have used acupuncture needles to improve their performance.” For the record, the strong Korean team won three gold medals and a bronze at the Asian Games. The World Anti-Doping Agency does not prohibit acupuncture.

Published On 12/13/2010

Our Go Online post on E-Books And Steganography (12/5/2010) has been updated with correct links for Peter Shotwell's writings and the steganography article as well as to a recently-posted short version of Shotwell’s Appendix V of the Origins article, the one that revamps early go history. Also, in that same post "Amazing Happenings in the Game of Go," Volumes 1 & 2 are available on the iPad, not the Kindle, as we reported. “In fact," says author Bob Terry, "I specifically wrote them for the iPad. The Kindle does not display color, and these books are filled with color photographs of Japanese festivals, television programs and other picturesque events that make use of the iPad's capabilities. I want these books to reach as many people as possible, not just go players, so that they bring more people into the game. I hope that making go attractive in this way will help in that.”

GO SPOTTING: Go Makes Quiz Show

Published On 12/13/2010

The Double Jeopardy round of the quiz show Jeopardy for Monday December 13 had go as one of its categories, reports Joel Sanet. “The head of the column had a go grid and stones in the background,” Sanet told the E-Journal. “The answers in ascending order of value were China, black, samurai, atari, and liberties. The clues are left as an exercise for the student.”

Latest Issue Of GoGoD Released

Published On 12/13/2010

The Winter 2010 issue of the GoGoD Database and Encyclopaedia has just been released and sent to subscribers. “This issue contains over 65,000 games in the database, including previously unknown games of Go Seigen, Kitani Minoru, Hashimoto Utaro and many others,” reports T Mark Hall.

Published On 12/13/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Questions from Actual Play #54 - by Haruyama Isamu 9P, translated by Robert McGuigan

Published On 12/12/2010

“I don’t know whether or not I’m a genius. Even if they call me a genius, I am not sure if it is a suitable term. And even if it is a suitable term, you really have to like go in order to keep playing. But I do like go very much. In that sense, anyone who keeps playing go could be called a genius.” “If a player has a natural source of momentum and vigor, I believe that somehow changes into luck. So in a sense there is a vigor in me that just wells up. I think that is the source of my strength.

Published On 12/8/2010

Irish Go Association President Ian Davis 1d beat clubmate James Hutchinson 1k 2-0 on November 27 in Belfast to take his third Irish Championship title. A week later, Willen-Koen Pomstra 5d (r, in red shirt) of the Netherlands won the UCC Cork tournament. The Cork tournament continues to be plagued by natural disasters. Several years ago the playing room was damaged by storm winds, and the entire city was flooded the next year. This year, record snowfall brought the entire country to a standstill. Still, nearly 30 stouthearted go players braved the storm and cold for the December 5 tournament, making it the biggest go tournament to be held in Cork.

Published On 12/7/2010

Matthew and Karoline Burrall topped their respective divisions in the December 4 Davis/Sacramento Winter Quarterly Tournament in Sacramento, CA. A dozen players participated, including one who was playing in his first tournament: Dong Hoang won one game playing as a 12 kyu. Matthew Burrall 7d won the upper division (1kyu and above) with a perfect 4 wins and no losses while his sister Karoline, 5k, won the lower division, also with 4 wins. Jeff Newmiller directed, and when he was called away, Willard Haynes assumed his duties.

SMARTGO RELEASES KIFU 1.3 FOR THE IPAD

Published On 12/6/2010

SmartGo Kifu 1.3 for the iPad is now available in the App Store, reports author Anders Kierulf. “The main improvements are in Book View, which is designed to present annotated games with diagrams and comments like a book,” Kierulf tells the E-Journal. Click here to see examples. “And unlike a book, you can replay the moves within a diagram,” Kierulf adds. Click here for more information.

Published On 12/6/2010

This week's Lesson is the continuation of the two joseki and tesuji patterns Kaz explored in previous lessons. "There are still some things I haven't mentioned," Kaz notes. These are lessons for go players ranging from 4-dan to 10-kyu. A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named Lessons with Kaz. Kaz co-authored Kiseido’s Get Strong at Joseki, volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_06-Lessons-with-Kaz_Reducing-Liberties-Maximizing-Aji.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=67512" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 12/6/2010

Black to play: What is the correct move in this situation? [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010_12_06_easylifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=67632" class="alignleft"][/sgf] Published in the December 6. 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal as a member benefit for American Go Association members Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

GUO JUAN 5P TO DO COMMENTARIES FOR EJ

Published On 12/6/2010

Popular teacher Guo Juan 5P (r) has joined the E-Journal’s growing roster of contributing professionals and top players. Guo, a 5-dan Chinese professional who lives in Amsterdam and is an active participant in European tournaments, is a regular at the annual U.S. and European go congresses and also conducts popular workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere each year. She also teaches online at Guo Juan’s Internet Go School.

Published On 12/6/2010

Israel’s Mind Go Club is hosting go presentations, teaching and demonstrations of Japanese arts at the upcoming Japan Day, scheduled for Monday, December 13 at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “Some interesting lectures by Prof. Ben Ami Shiloni and others will be given,” reports Shavit Fragman. Also featured are workshops on go, tea ceremony, ikebana (flower arranging), sushi making and origami. Admission is free.

COLBURN WINS FIRST CORNELL OPEN

Published On 12/6/2010

Empty Sky Go Club organizer Steve Colburn 5k took first place in the first annual Cornell Open last Saturday, December 4 in Ithaca, New York. Colburn, who won all his games, also lent the club go equipment for the tournament. “The Cornell Go Club was very happy to host this event, and looks forwards to hosting more tournaments in the future,” reports local organizer David Glekel. photo by Bryant Garcia

NY GO CENTER CLOSES MANHATTAN SITE

Published On 12/5/2010

After fifteen years, the New York Go Center closed its East 52nd Street location on November 30. However, leaders and members pledged to keep the Center's go community going until a new physical location can be established. The Center opened in 1995 when the Nihon Ki-in purchased the four-story building with a generous bequest by Honinbo Iwamoto Kaoru 9P, who also founded centers in Brazil, Amsterdam and Seattle.

GO ONLINE: E-BOOKS AND STEGANOGRAPHY

Published On 12/5/2010

It was only a matter of time. The e-book revolution has come to the world of English-language go books. Translator Bob Terry has just published not one, but two books available only on the Kindle, Amazon's e-book reader. The Startling Beauty of the Game of Go contains 200 problems from every aspect of the game, the "cream of the crop" from Kido magazine, the resource of choice for Japanese players for decades, while Amazing Happenings in the Game of Go -- also drawn from the pages of Kido -- "is packed with material that has rarely been seen in the West," Terry tells the E-Journal.

ACCESSING “MEMBER’S ONLY” CONTENT

Published On 12/5/2010

In the current EJ Reader Survey, a number of members asked for easier access to previously-published game commentaries and other E-Journal content. That’s a cool feature built into our new online system; here’s how: For all general EJ reports, go to our news site and then select the area you’re interested in, under Categories. For example, simply clicking on Go Classified brings up all the classified ads, GO NEWS: U.S./North America brings up U.S. news and so on.

Published On 12/4/2010

Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P has won his first Russian Championship. Playing in the Russian Championships for the first time in several years, Dinerchtein swept the tournament with a perfect 7-0 score. Ilya Shikshin was second with 6-1 and will represent Russia in the 2011 World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC), and Oleg Mezhov took third with 5-2 and will play for Russia in the 2011 Korean Prime Minister’s Cup (KPMC). All three are teachers on Insei-League.com. Dinerchtein had bypassed the tournament in recent years because as a pro he couldn't win the right to represent Russia in international events like the WAGC or KPMC, but as of 2010 he could play for a place on the Russian team in the European Team Championship.

Published On 11/30/2010

To make the 2011 U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA easier -- and more affordable -- for those attending from far away, the Congress has contracted discounts with major airlines. Discounts of 5-10% are now available with American Airlines and United Airlines for anyone flying into Santa Barbara -- and in some cases LAX -- within three days of the start or end of the July 30-August 7 Congress. Additionally, rental car discounts of up to 20% are available when booked at the time of flight reservations. Arrangements have also been made for those interested in flying on Southwest for any groups of 10 or more with the same itinerary. Look for sign-ups for airports coming soon and check out the 2011 Congress website for more details. - reported by Lisa Scott, 2011 Go Congress Co-Director

Published On 11/28/2010

Black to play: What is the correct way to attack White in this situation? Published in the November 29, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2010_11_29_hardlifeanddeathpuzzle_yilunyang.sgf" theme="problem" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=66032" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 11/26/2010

It has now been almost a year since I first visited the Federal Correctional Institute in Englewood, CO, and I am pleased to report that they now have a weekly go club with regular attendance of 10 to 20 inmates. My first article on this program sparked a tremendous outpouring of support from the go community: Slate and Shell donated over 20 books for the inmates, Yellow Mountain Imports sent a treasure trove of nice playing sets and books, SmartGo donated free licenses for the full version of their program, Janice Kim sent more copies of the Learn to Play Go series, and of course the AGF provided free sets and matching funds as well.

REGGINOS WINS 2010 CYPRUS CHAMPIONSHIP

Published On 11/24/2010

Dimitris Regginos 1d (r) is the 2010 Cyprus Champion, a title he’s held since 2003 when the Cyprus Go Association was formed, with only exception being in 2008. In second place was Argyris Fellas 3k and in third place Nurman Aylanc (l). The Championship was held November 20-21 at the English School Old Boys and Girls Association Clubhouse in Nicosia, Cyprus. - Nicholas Roussos

NY GO CENTER FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Published On 11/23/2010

The New York Go Center will close its doors this Sunday after fifteen years of operation on East 52 St. in Manhattan, according a message sent to their mailing list last Friday. The Center began operations in 1995, in a building donated by Kaoru Iwamoto 9P with the mission of promoting go in New York. In a letter informing the Center of the intent to close, the Nihon Kiin declared their “desire to continue to promote go in the New York area even after the sale of the Center.” Representatives of the Nihon Kiin will fly to New York next week to begin plans for this occur.

SYRACUSE FALL RATINGS TOURNEY

Published On 11/23/2010

The Syracuse Go Club hosted its Fall Ratings Tournament at the Betts Branch Library on Saturday, November 20. Seventeen players participated in this event, and although some were more successful than others over the goban, all players departed at the end of the day with new go books presented as door prizes, thanks to Slate and Shell. - report/photo by Richard Moseson; photo: Ben Gonnella (foreground left) plays Jared Beck and Nick Jerge plays Jim Howard

ZHAO JU TOPS TACOMA TOURNEY

Published On 11/23/2010

After a two-year hiatus, the Tacoma (WA) Go Club hosted a four round, Thanksgiving/Veterans' Day tournament at the Seattle Go Center on November 21, attended by 13 participants. Zhao Ju, 5d, took first place in the dan/high kyu players division. Daniel Top, 2k took 2nd place, and Peter Mooyman, 4k took third place. Ken Masutomo, 11k took first place in the lower kyu division. Job Betcher, 8k took second place, and his brother, Jordan Betcher, 8k took third place. - Gordon Castanza

GO CLASSIFIED: Webmaster Wanted

Published On 11/23/2010

WANTED: AGA webmaster! Please submit statements of interest and qualifications to Andrew Jackson, VP, Operations at operations@usgo.org with a copy to president@usgo.org by Tuesday, November 30.

Published On 11/23/2010

Michael Redmond 9P takes a look today at his recent Judan Section B Final Round against Tahara Yasushi 6P. “In the previous Judan tournament I won against Hashimoto Yujiro 9p in the B final, and lost to Oya Koichi 9p in the A section," says Redmond. "One win would have seeded me into A, but as I lost my first game in that section I fell back to B. This win puts me back in A,” adds Redmond. “My opponent was Tahara Yasushi and you probably haven't heard of him, but the game was a tough fight and was interesting in that I finally got split into seven groups.” [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/2010_11_23-JudanSectionBFinal_Redmond-Tahara_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=65642" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 11/21/2010

The Huaxia Chinese School in West Windsor-Plainsboro, New Jersey is organizing its first mindsports games competition on December 5. The competition -- open only to students, parents and teachers at Huaxia – already has about 200 players registered for half a dozen events, including chess, go, xiangqi (Chinese Chess), checkers, bridge and gobang. Feng Yun 9P is coordinating the event and Kevin Huang 7d is one of the favorites, reports organizer Rulin Sun. The largest school of its kind in the United States, Huaxia consists of 19 branches, serving over 7,000 students in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut areas.

WON SUK SUH 5D WINS MOON CHA MEMORIAL

Published On 11/20/2010

The tournament is named after Moon Cha, a DC area go player who passed away in September 2003. A theoretical physicist with the Naval Surface Weapons Center in White Oak MD, Moon Cha had a major influence on the local, national, and international go communities, mentoring generations of area go players. Winner’s Report: First Section (Open): 1st: Won Suk Suh 5d; 2nd: James Park 5 d; 3rd: Juan Pablo Quizon 5d; 4th: Keith Arnold 4d; 5th: Zhenying Gu 5d. Second Section (Handicap): 1st: Todd Blatt 1k; 2nd: Joseph Contarino 2d; 3rd: Samuel Zimmerman 5k. The tournament is a fundraiser supporting the Rockville Sister City Corporation and promoting public awareness of go. - Justin Teng (l) plays Juan Pablo Quizon; photo by John Goon

WHY DID MY RATING CHANGE?

Published On 11/20/2010

How can your rating change even if you haven't played any games? When an earlier tournament is submitted after more recent tournaments have been rated, we go back and recalculate all tournaments starting with the newly submitted one, explains Ratings Coordinator Jonathan Bresler. This may cause some ratings to move in non-intuitive ways. If there's a path of played games from you to at least one player from the earlier tournament, your rating will change as a result of the newly submitted tournament. This ensures that the ratings system is not held up by delayed tournament reports. You can check your current rating here where you can also check the list of rated tournaments. You can also review your own tournament history or that of other players -- in the American Go Association Go Database.

Published On 11/20/2010

How to Fix A Board? The Boise Go Club recently acquired a lovely but badly damaged 3" floor board. Refinishing all six sides and the feet is necessary. We have access to tools and skills to remove the surface with abrasives or planes. Which might be better? Once we strip and smooth this great block of wood, we must apply a grid and I'd rather not do it with a black Sharpie; should I try to find someone with a CNC plotter? Anyone used laser etching? Perhaps readers of the E-Journal can help us with some advice or point us toward some resources. David Bogie dbogie@idahopower.com

LIU WINS N.A. BC CARD CUP QUALIFIER

Published On 11/16/2010

Andy Liu 7D (r) defeated Curtis Tang, Eric Lui and Hugh Zhang in the November 13-14 North American BC Card Cup qualifier. Liu will be the U.S. representative at the third BC Card Cup, which will be held in Korea in January 2011. The qualifier was held on KGS and nearly 400 watched the final match online. Click here for complete results. Sponsored by Korea’s leading credit card company, the BC Card Cup features a strong field, including Korean insei. Liu was the 2006 US Open champion and 2009 NAIM champion and has clearly been maintaining his go strength while studying at New York University. “Mid-January is a good time,” Liu told the E-Journal, confident in his upcoming performance in Korea. CREDITS: Online associate TD’s: Yixian Zhou 7d, Binquan Wang 5d, Wei Sun 5d, Yue Zhang 7d. KGS Go Server. N.A. BC Card Cup TD: Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang. photo by John Pinkerton

YE AND QU SWEEP NORCAL MONTHLY

Published On 11/16/2010

Twenty nine players got in a nice day of face-to-face go at the November monthly ratings tournament this past Saturday in Palo Alto, CA. The highest-ranked player was a 10-year-old 5-dan visiting from China. Aaron Ye 3d led the dan division with four wins and no losses, and Larry Qu 5k led the kyu division, also with four wins and no losses. Justin Shieh 4d, Kersam Liu 2d, Jay Chan 3k, Kfir Dolev 3k, Sile Chen 4k, Roger Schrag 5k, Eric Tran 7k, and Ciaran Fitzgerald 19k picked up three wins apiece. "We signed up seven new AGA members and got three expired members to renew their AGA membership," reports tournament organizer Roger Schrag. Next month's Bay Area Go tournament will take place December 11 in Menlo Park, CA. Photo by Lisa Schrag

GO PHOTO: Sasaski in LA

Published On 11/16/2010

Tadashi Sasaki 8P at one of his events in Los Angeles last week. photo by Samantha Davis

SASAKI WORKSHOPS A HIT IN NORCAL

Published On 11/15/2010

A total of 19 players ranging from 17 kyu to 2 dan attended a pair of one-day workshops recently with Tadashi Sasaki 8P in San Francisco and Menlo Park, CA. This was Sasaki's first visit to Northern California in over 20 years, and he was pleased to finally get to ride the San Francisco cable cars. His last visit was shortly after the 1989 earthquake and the cable cars were not running. Each student got to play a teaching game with Sasaski, including review and analysis. The small class size each day allowed students to ask lots of questions and get individual attention. Click here for more photos. Asked what he enjoys doing when he isn't playing go, Sasaski laughed and said "Teach go, of course." - photo by Paul Goodman

ZHUANG TOPS YOUNG LIONS TOURNEY

Published On 11/15/2010

Vincent Zhuang 5d took top honors in the 2010 Young Lions Tournament on Saturday, November 6. Organized by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS), the tournament was held on KGS. More than sixty youth go players signed up for the tourney. There were four divisions: Dans, Low Kyus, Middle Kyus, and High Kyus. One of the participants described the tournament as “a hectic but fun experience” and another described it as the “highlight of my week.” More AGHS tournaments, including the annual School Teams Tournament, are in the works. AGHS Presidents Jack Ye and Jasmine Yan directed the tournament, and were assisted by Rebecca Cheng, Eric Chen, Tommy Liu, and Viral Kotecha.

GO PLAYING TEEN WINS SIEMEN’S PRIZE

Published On 11/15/2010

A striking advance in mathematical game theory earned top honors for the team of James Pinkerton 1d (l), and Rafael Setra (r) in the recent Region Five Finals of the 2010-11 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, a premier science research competition for high school students. Pinkerton, an avid go player, and Setra are seniors at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Published On 11/15/2010

Three hundred players from 29 countries -- the strongest tournament ever played in Europe – will participate in the Pandanet Go European Team Championship beginning next week. “This is the greatest push ever seen on the European go scene,” says European Go Federation President Martin Stiassny. “Everyone who knows the European go scene and looks at the players in the A League and B League is overwhelmed” by the number of top players. Strong European players are eligible to play in the tournament, which is a 9-round team tournament in three leagues played on Pandanet IGS with the finals set for the 2011 European Go Congress 2011 in Bordeaux, France.

BERLIN GO-WEEK LAUNCHES FRIDAY

Published On 11/15/2010

The annual Berlin Go-week kicks off this Friday in Germany and features two major tournaments and lectures by top professionals. The Go to Innovation tournament runs November 19-21 and features a 3,000-euro prize pool and top players including Seok-Bin Cho 7d, In-Seong Hwang 7d, Viktor Lin 5d and Javier-Aleksi Savolainen 5d. Board 1 games will be broadcast live by EuroGoTV on KGS. Next week there will be a “super mega simul” as well as lectures by Sung-Ji Hong 8P (photo; he defeated Sedol Lee 9P and Changho Yi 9P recently), Young-Sun Yoon 8P and Ju-Yeon Ko 8P. Young-Sun Yoon 8P will do commentary on the 2010 Berlin Championship final, broadcast by EuroGoTV live on KGS. The Kranich tournament, one of the biggest tournaments in Germany, wraps up Berlin Go-week, and includes commentary by strong players like Young-Sun Yoon 8P, a party, calligraphy course, sushi and an Empty Triangle stand. - Harry Weerheijm, EuroGoTV

Published On 11/11/2010

The first SportAccord World Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China, in September 2011. The brand-new event will feature top players from six mind-sport games -- bridge, chess, draughts, go, Chinese chess, and duplicate poker -- and was announced on November 10 by Hein Verbruggen, President of SportAccord. "This event is different from the World Mind Sport Games in that it features only a small field of top players, rather than the general representation from all nations as in WMSG," says Thomas Hsiang, Vice President of the International Go Federation and Secretary General of the International Mind Sport Association, "it is also different from the current international go competitions such as the LG Cup or Fujitsu Cup in that the new event will include top Western players, women players, and youth representation." The technical details will be worked out in the next few weeks, says Hsiang.

MEYER TOPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN TOURNEY

Published On 11/9/2010

Francis Meyer 7d won last weekend’s Rocky Mountain Fall Go Tournament, topping a field of 64, which included 22 kids. Winner’s Report: Open Section: 1st Francis Meyer 7d; 2nd Jung Hoon Lee 7d. Main Section: 1st Philip London 5d; 2nd Nathan Harwit 3d; 3rd Ted Brandt 2k. Handicap Section: 1st Matthew Cahn 25k; 2nd Lionel Di Giacomo 12k; 3rd Anthony Zhang 26k. David Weiss directed.

Published On 11/9/2010

China Locks Up LG Cup Semifinal Slots: After knocking Korea out of LG Cup contention November 8, China now has all four spots in the 15th LG Cup semifinals. The only game that did not pit China against Korea was between Kong Jie and Hu Yaoyu, who are both Chinese players. This is the first time in LG Cup history that the semifinals will be played exclusively among Chinese players. It’s also very possible that we will see two mid-level dan players in the final. Here are the third round results: Kong Jie 9P defeated Hu Yaoyu 8P by resignation; Meng Tailing 5P defeated An Choyeong 9P by resignation; Wang Yao 6P defeated Lee Changho 9P by resignation; and Piao Wenyao 5P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P by resignation. The semifinals are scheduled for November 10th. Kong Jie will play Meng Tailing, and Wang Yao will play Piao Wenyao.

Published On 11/8/2010

Sixteen top players will face off this weekend in the North American BC Card Cup qualifier. The 4-round online tourney starts at 1p (EST) this Saturday, November 13 on KGS, with Round 2 set for 6p Saturday, Round 3 at 1p Sunday 11/14 and Round 4 at 6p on Sunday. The winner will go on to compete in the preliminary tournament in Korea in mid-January 2011, and winners there will join a large group of professional players to fight for the 54 places in the main tournament.

Published On 11/7/2010

Andrew Lu 6d won the 13th Ing’s Cup Youth Goe Tournament on Sunday, October 24 in Sunnyvale, Northern California. The tournament -- an annual one-day event organized by Mingjiu Jiang 7P (below) and Joe Lee -- drew more than 135 young go players under the age of 21, including players from neighboring states and China. Players were divided into ten 19x19 sections and multiple groups for 13x13 play according to player’s rank. Trophies were awarded to the top four winners for each section while each section’s top six winners could pick from prizes including scooters, skating boards, basket balls and more.

Published On 11/7/2010

Tadashi Sasaki 8P will give two separate teaching events this week in Los Angeles as part of his West Coast tour. Sasaki, a professional go player from the Nihon Kiin, was a pupil of the late Eio Sakata. Both events will feature simultaneous 3-on-1 games with Sasaki, followed by a game analysis. Players not involved in a teaching game are free to watch, or to play a game with others which will be analyzed later. “Those who have attended Sasaski’s lectures at the annual U.S. Go Congress or at his previous workshops in Washington and Los Angeles will testify to his straightforward answers to questions and his gentle sense of humor,” says organizer Richard Dolen. “His comments are useful for all levels of go strength.” Come early for the best chance to play Sasaki.

Published On 11/6/2010

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook 2010 Member’s Edition Collection. This online resource enables you to quickly find the material you’re looking for on the month-by-month list below. Once selected, game records or PDFs open up quickly and easily for your review or download. This 2010 Yearbook collection also includes bonus files not originally included in the E-Journal. We hope that you will find this collection a valuable and useful resource; comments and suggestions are welcome at journal@usgo.org These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership.

Published On 11/4/2010

ACCESSING MEMBER'S CONTENT (I): “I became an AGA member yesterday online,” writes Benoît Cordoba. “I think the notice said that I would receive membership credentials in the mail but I was also under the impression that I could browse existing magazine issues online, presumably with a logon credential. Is there such a logon credential for members. I am especially interested in reading the article by Michael Redmond that was advertised on the site.” Thanks for your query and thanks also for becoming a member of the American Go Association. We're currently compiling all our 2010 member content so that it can be easily accessed by our members; currently each week's material must be separately accessed. The compilation -- including the Redmond commentaries -- is due to be published soon; we appreciate your patience. ACCESSING MEMBER'S CONTENT (II) "How do you download the Special Editions?" writes an AGA member.

TENG TOPS IN NOVA PUMPKIN CLASSIC

Published On 11/3/2010

The competition was fierce for large orange vegetables as a field of 43 competed at the NOVA Pumpkin Classic in Arlington, Virginia on October 30. Justin Teng 4d (r) won the dan division with a 4-1 record, while the 2009 winner, Jing Guo 7d, came in second. First places in the kyu divisions included an undefeated Kelsey Dyer 2k, David Reed 6k (also undefeated), Joey Phoon 7k, Kenny Huynh 10k, Joseph Lee 15k (undefeated), Tristan Tran 17k (undefeated), and Tariq Khan 26k (undefeated). Second places in the kyu divisions included Kevin Chin 3k, Robert Ehrlich 5k, Daniel Monahan 8k, Julian Erville 11k, Jake Altizer 14k, and Jordan Howar 17k. The popular Team Tourney was back and Team Phoooon (below) decimated the competition by winning 15 out of their 16 games.

â€™11 CONGRESS PASSES 100 MARK

Published On 11/2/2010

The 2011 U.S. Go Congress has just passed its first 100 registrants, including 41 dan and 52 kyu players, ranging from 7-dan to 20-kyu (click here to see who's coming). The Congress is set for July 30 - August 7, 2011 in Santa Barbara, CA. The U.S. Go Congress is the largest go tournament in the United States, an annual 8-day event. Events include the US Open -- the largest annual go tournament in the US â€“ the North American Ing Masters -- 32 of the strongest amateur and professional players in North America -- the Redmond Youth Cup, pro lectures, simuls and more.

Published On 11/2/2010

The American Go Yearbook has just published its third Special Edition of the year, covering the September 19-20 Cotsen Open in Los Angeles. The full-color 5-page Cotsen Open Special Edition -- a members-only benefit for American Go Association members -- compiles all the E-Journal's 2010 Cotsen coverage, including clickable links to 20 game records -- including several game commentaries -- photos and the complete final winner's report. Click here to download the PDF now! Previous 2010 Special Editions include the World Amateur Go Championship Special Edition and the U.S. Go Congress Special Edition.

GO PHOTO: Miami Go Club

Published On 11/1/2010

Sky, Joel Sanet, and Alan Salzmann at the Miami Go Club’s new location at Loehman’s Plaza in North Miami. Photo by Alex Feldstein

Published On 11/1/2010

An unusually strong field of 30 players entered last weekend’s Heartland Harvest tournament organized by the Bradley Go Association and the Quad Cities Go Club in Peoria, IL. Austin Kupon 3d went 5-0 in a Dan division headed by two 6-dan players. Second place went to Xuyu Xiang 6d with a score of 4-1. In the second division (1-7 kyu), Myron Souris 1k took first on tie-breaks over Ken Crumpler 6k and Stephen Choung 7k, all at 4-1. David Muskovitz 8k won the third division (8 kyu and below) on tie-break over Matt Mueller 11k, both with a score of 4-1. Clark Wierda was awarded a special prize of black and orange go stones in jack-o-lantern bowls for traveling the greatest distance for the tournament. "More than half the field benefited from the generous merchandise prizes provided by Kiseido/Yutopian, Slate and Shell, sundaygolessons.com and Yellow Mountain Imports," reports TD Roy Schmidt.

Published On 11/1/2010

Yuki Satoshi Wins First Round in Tengen: Yuki Satoshi 9P defeated defending title holder Yamashita Keigo 9P by resignation in last Friday’s first round of the 36th Tengen. This is the first Tengen title match for Yuki and the seventh for Yamashita, who has won it twice. The second round will be played on November 9th. Tuo Jiaxi New Changqi Cup Champion: In his first national title win Tuo Jiaxi 3P defeated Zhou Ruiyang 5P – who was charged with a penalty -- in the third and final round of the 7th Changqi Cup title match by three points last Friday, October 29, winning the title match 2-1.

Published On 10/31/2010

Sunday October 31st is the last day to register the N.A. BC Card Cup. The Cup winner will be fully sponsored to go to Korea and represent the U.S. in the main qualifier event in January 2011. The qualifier tournament will be on KGS during the weekend of Nov. 13-14. BC Card is one of the largest credit card companies in Korea. Click here for more about BC Card Cup World Baduk Champhionship. Thus far a strong group of 17 players has registered, including several former U.S. champions. Click hereto register. The AGA Tournament Coordinator Team has openings for online tournament assistance and tournaments reporting, a great opportunity to serve the AGA and learn how to run tournaments. If interested, contact National Tournament Coordinator Zhiyuan Zhang at zhiyuanz@gmail.com

STRAIN TOPS IN AUSTIN

Published On 10/31/2010

Roger Strain topped the field of 16 players, going undefeated 4-0 at the 4th annual Cicadas Sing tournament Saturday, October 30 in Austin, Texas. Four players tied for 2nd place at 3-1: John Zhang, Tracey Su, John Ruder, Peter Enyeart. Click here for a photo album. - Andy Olsen; photo by Rob Smith

CONFERENCE EXPLORES EFFECTS OF GO

Published On 10/31/2010

Exciting new research on the effect of go in the social sciences were among the presentations at the 7th International Conference on Baduk (ICOB) in South Korea on October 24. “Although there have been numerous academic studies involving baduk in the mathematics, artificial intelligence and computer science fields,” Dr. Ernest Brown (l) told the E-Journal, “this conference presented exciting research in social science, psychological and cognitive areas of study.”

JHIRAD TOPS PORTLAND TOURNEY

Published On 10/26/2010

Nicholas Jhirad took top honors in the Portland Tournament, held October 23-24 at Lewis & Clark College. 29 players participated in the 5-round tournament, directed by Peter Drake. Winner’s Report: Dan: 1st: Nicholas Jhirad; 2nd: Vincent Zhang; 3rd: Ben Hakala. Single-digit kyu: 1st: Dylan Wiggins (only undefeated player); 2nd: Mike Malveaux; 3rd: R.Q. Yang. Double-digit kyu: 1st: Nick Sylvester; 2nd: Gordon Castanza; 3rd: April Hersey. Youth: Vincent Zhuang; Female: April Hersey.

GOGRINDER FOR IPHONE RELEASED

Published On 10/25/2010

“As we all know, practicing your reading is one of the best ways to get stronger,” writes programmer Tim Kington. “To that end, the popular program GoGrinder has just been released for iPhone and iPod Touch. Now you can have thousands of go problems in your pocket and fit a little practice in whenever you have a few minutes to kill. GoGrinder uses problems in SGF format, and is the only app that lets you add your own problem sets.” The iPhone and iPod Touch versions of GoGrinder are available in the iTunes store.

Published On 10/25/2010

Dahzi Xu 5D won The NY Go Center's "Falling Leaves" tournament last Saturday, October 23, directed by Boris Bernadsky. Runners-up were David Shainok 1D and Mohammed Saqif Noor, a 10-year-old 10K with pro aspirations. During a break between rounds, Bernadsky introduced "Stephanie" Ming-Ming Yin (l), a Chinese 1P who is also an Adelphi University freshman business major.

UK TOURNEY REPORTS, August 22-October 2

Published On 10/24/2010

Click here for details of forthcoming UK tournaments. SHREWSBURY, 2 October. Charles Fisher and his brother Freddie won half of the prizes at Shrewsbury. Charles, 1 dan London, was the event winner, beating the organiser, Gerry Mills, in the final. Freddie, 10 kyu Shropshire, was one of two players on 2.5. The other was Pat Ridley, 11 kyu Chester. Pauline Bailey won a special prize for being Pauline. 32 players took part. SWINDON, 19 September. Alistair Wall (3 dan Wanstead) won Swindon Tournament. The only other of the 28 players to win all three was Xinyi Lu (4 kyu Maidenhead). Two Swindon players, Aidan Putman (14 kyu) and Michael Fotheringham (30 kyu), got special prizes for their jigo.

Published On 10/24/2010

A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named Lessons with Kaz. Kaz co-authored Kiseido’s Get Strong at Joseki, volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2010.10.25-Lessons-with-Kaz.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=56982" class="alignright"][/sgf]

GET THE LATEST GO NEWS!

Published On 10/24/2010

Are you just finding out that ‘Killer Of Go” Sakata Eio died last Thursday? Or that there’s still time to sign up for the upcoming workshops with Tadashi Sasaki 8P? Switch your E-Journal subscription to get the EJ whenever news is posted! Just click on “Update your profile” at the bottom of the E-Journal and you can choose either the daily (much shorter updates several times a week) or weekly editions, as well as your preferred format. That way you’ll be the first to know when U.S. REP JIE LIANG 7D TAKES FOURTH IN KOREAN P.M. CUP or XIE HE 7P GIVES CHINA 1ST STAGE IN NONGSHIM CUP (both reported in yesterday’s EJ). PLUS: Member’s Edition content is often published several days ahead of the weekly EJ, and you’ll get that early as well.

Published On 10/24/2010

Go Kinect: A mini go board and stones appears in the very first scene of the October 19 TV ad launching Kinect for Xbox 360 (Paul Barchilon) TechCrunching Go: The major tech blog TechCrunch recently featured a website called Go vs Go in an article about RoR development; CLICK HERE to check it out.

Published On 10/24/2010

The 2009 American Go Yearbook Member’s Edition Collection has just been released online. In previous years, this material -- game records, commentaries and more – was distributed on CD but is now presented in an online format that’s much easier to access. Instead of searching through multiple menus, you can now quickly find the material you’re looking for on a month-by-month list. Once selected, game records or PDFs open up quickly and easily for your review or download. The Collection also includes bonus files not originally included in the E-Journal.

Published On 10/24/2010

Jie Liang 7D (r), the U.S. representative to the Korean Prime Minister's Cup, finished in fourth place with a 6-1 record, reported American Go Association President Allan Abramson on Sunday, October 24. Liang defeated Italy, Hungary, Serbia, Indonesia, Israel, and Slovakia, losing to 18-year-old Artem Kachanovskyy of the Ukraine in the sixth round. Artem played for the championship, but lost to the undefeated champion, Sang-Hun Lee of Korea. Yoshiyuki Tschimune of Japan took second, and Yuqing Hu of China took third, both also with 6-1 records.

MIAMI GO CLUB MIGRATES A MILE

Published On 10/24/2010

The Miami Go Club has migrated down the street to the café of the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Loehman's Plaza in North Miami. The club was displaced when its former home at Borders closed (MIAMI GO CLUB MARKS “END OF AN ERA 10/18). “For those in the know, it's about one mile south of the old location off Biscayne Blvd,” reports organizer Joel Sanet.

Published On 10/24/2010

The Cyprus Go Championship is set for November 20-21. The venue will be the new ESOBGA club house, in the same premises where the old club house used to be. Argyris Fellas 3k is in Korea to represent Cyprus in the 5th Korea Prime Minister Cup, taking place in Changwon City October 21-27. - Nicholas Roussos, Cyprus Correspondent for the E-Journal MISSING YOUR COUNTRY'S GO NEWS? Become an EJ correspondent! The E-Journal is the largest, oldest and most reliable source of world go news, with correspondents around the world; email journal@usgo.org to find out how you can join the team!

MANY FACES RELEASES IPAD APP

Published On 10/24/2010

The Many Faces of Go iPad app, “Igowin HD” is now available in the iTunes app store. The app plays with an adjustable AI strength ranging from 18 kyu to the full-strength Many Faces of Go engine of “about 1 dan on 9x9 and about 3 kyu on 19x19,” says author David Fotland.

Published On 10/24/2010

Xie He 7P defeated both Lee Sedol 9P and Japan’s Sakai Hideyuki 8P last week in rounds three and four of the 12th Nongshim Cup. Both games were won by resignation, giving China the first stage in this three stage international tournament. The second stage will begin on November 29th. - JustPlayGo for game record

GO CLASSIFIED: Players Wanted

Published On 10/24/2010

Triad North Carolinians wanting to socialize and get together for live action in wonderful surroundings can meet with us from 6-10p, Monday nights at the Border's Book store in Winston-Salem. Beginners to dan players always welcome for informative lessons and insightful play. Email us at vinrn@bellsouth.net, or deaconjohnwinstonsalem@gmail.com.

Published On 10/24/2010

The Return of the Elegant Hedgehog: “I suppose that by now, everyone knows that in the recent best selling book The Elegance of the Hedgehog there is a mention of the game go as well as Hikaru No Go and The Girl Who Played Go,” writes None Redmond. Though we did report this previously (GO SPOTTING: The Elegance of the Hedgehog 5/4/2010), it’s worth noting again. The mention is on pages 112-114 of Muriel Barberry’s captivating, lovely and philosophical novel, and includes this passage: “Any game where the goal is to build territory has to be beautiful.

Published On 10/23/2010

What if you had the chance to play tennis with Andy Roddick? Or have Lebron James critique your basketball game? Go players in Northern California will have such an opportunity the first weekend of November when Tadashi Sasaki 8P of the Nihon Ki-in comes to San Francisco for the first time in 20 years to teach two one-day workshops. "I would have thought we would have sold out by now," reports organizer Roger Schrag, "but we still have some seats available." The workshops take place Saturday, November 6 in Menlo Park and Sunday, November 7 in San Francisco. Students can sign up for one day or both days. The earlybird registration pricing has been extended through October 24. More information is available here.

‘KILLER OF GO” SAKATA EIO DIES AT 90

Published On 10/23/2010

The legendary Sakata Eio 9P died Thursday, October 21 at the age of 90. Perhaps best-known in the West as the author of the indispensable Killer of Go, Sakata -- nicknamed "The Razor" -- became a professional go player in 1935. In his first title match -- the 1951 Honinbo – Sakata was under pressure to win the title back for the Nihon Ki-in and though he won the first three matches, Hashimoto Utaro fought back and won the final four games to keep the Honinbo title.

Published On 10/19/2010

Three Koreans & One Chinese Player Advance to Samsung Cup Semis. In second-round play on October 14, Kim Jiseok 7P, Park Junghwan 8P, and Heo Yeongho 7P of Korea and Gu Li 9P of China advanced to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will be played November 1-4 as three-game series with Kim Jiseok playing Gu Li and Heo Yeongho playing Park Junghwan. In the second round, Kim Jiseok defeated Kong Jie 9P, Gu Li defeated Lee Sedol 9P, Park Junghwan defeated Won Sungjin 9P, and Heo Yeongho defeated Wang Lei 6P (game records). In the first round, played on October 13, there were no major surprises. Kong Jie defeated Lee Changho 9P by resignation in a fairly short game of 142 moves.

SCHUMER TOPS MASS FALL TOURNEY

Published On 10/18/2010

Pete Schumer 2k took first prize in the October 17 Massachusetts Go Association's Fall Tournament, topping at 26-player field. Second prize to Jed Strohm 8k, and third was Becci Torrey 1d. "Pete and Jed both won all their games," reports TD Eva Casey, "Becci lost only to Pete." Players ranged in age from 8 (Kevin Xiong, 9kyu) to over 70. Two 4-dan's participated (Keith Crews and Micah Feldman), and five women (Becci Torrey, Karen Ogg, Wanda Metcalf, Su Co Chon Duc, and Eva Casey). The Massachusetts Go Association's next tournament will be held Sunday January 16, 2011.

NY GO CENTER LAUNCHES LEAGUE

Published On 10/18/2010

The New York Go Center has just announced the New York Go Center League. The League is a month-long competition meant to encourage serious games as well as to push participants to improve. League games will be held every Wednesday and Sunday evenings starting at 5PM and 3PM, respectively. Click here for details.

MIAMI GO CLUB MARKS “END OF AN ERA”

Published On 10/18/2010

"The Borders bookstore where we have met for the last 15 years or so has closed its doors permanently, another victim of the recession (and the Kindle)," reports Miami go club organizer Joel Sanet. "We are still looking for a replacement site. Stay tuned."

GO IN THE NEWS: Playing Lightly

Published On 10/14/2010

At the Digital Contents Expo 2010 in Tokyo – which goes through October 17 – a man plays go as the images of the pieces are placed and moved by a projector with motion-sensitive camera sensors. Photo courtesy Reuters. Thanks to Mark Gilston for passing this along.

YEARBOOK GOES ALL-ELECTRONIC

Published On 10/11/2010

Beginning with the 2010 edition, the American Go Yearbook will be published as a full-color PDF with clickable links, rather than the hard-copy edition as previously. The American Go Association Board of Directors recently approved the change as a cost-saving move. "The AGA’s budget has been under severe strain because of the twin financial impacts of declining membership and the loss of the longtime and generous Ing support for go in the U.S." said AGA President Allan Abramson.

Published On 10/11/2010

The go books are from Kiseido, Ishi Press and Yutopian Enterprise. All kinds of go equipment including antique go boards and stones, magnetic sets and huge display boards are for sale. Also classic life and death, Maeda's joseki books and others in Japanese are available. Please contact Sangit Chatterjee at s.chatterjee@neu.edu or call 617-230-9942.

IYAMA YUTA SWEEPS MEIJIN

Published On 10/11/2010

Iyama Yuta 9P (l) defeated Takao Shinji 9P by resignation on October 6 and 7 in game four of the 35th Meijin title match, winning the title 4-0. This is Iyama’s second consecutive Meijin title win. - JustPlayGo

GO PHOTO: Facebook Founder a Go Player?

Published On 10/11/2010

Zuckerberg has been in the headlines a lot recently, thanks to his less-than-flattering portrayal in David Fincher’s new film, The Social Network and Zuckerberg’s $100 million contribution to Newark schools on September 25. We haven’t checked with the American Go Foundation (AGF), but we’re willing to bet that for a fraction of Zuckerberg's generous investment in education – say 1% -- the AGF would be happy to expand its go-in-the-schools programs. That's assuming our friends in the chess world haven't already beaten us to the punch...

Published On 10/11/2010

Although Redmond takes the lead fairly early in his May 20 Tengen Honsen tournament game against Yoda Norimoto, “One of Yoda's strengths is his ability to play solidly even when he is behind.” Watch as Redmond explains how Yoda “calmly settles his weak group, and patiently waits for a chance later in the game.” Redmond displays his usual incisive analysis in this exciting commentary on a game in which, “suffering from the delusion that I have a sizable lead,” he discovers that “the game is closer than I realize.”[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2010_10_11_TengenHonsen_Redmond-Yoda_RedmondCommentary.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/?attachment_id=53342" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 10/11/2010

Victor Chow won the 2010 South Africa Closed Championship last month. The tournament was held in the library of Bergvliet High School in Cape Town September 24th to 26th. Of the 8 players who qualified, four were based in the Cape and four in Gauteng. Chow, being so much stronger than the others, was given special permission to play his games beforehand, and as usual, there were a number of upsets, time pressure finishes, wins against the run of play and exciting battles. Notably Konrad Scheffler finished most games in byo-omi, his game against John Leuner requiring 8 moves in just 12 seconds. Second-place finisher Welile Gogotshe also won the 2010 Soweto Open Go Tournament, held on September 12.

YOUNG LIONS TOURNEY REGISTRATION OPENS

Published On 10/11/2010

Registration is now open for the Young Lions Tournament, run by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS). The tourney is scheduled for November 6-7. Depending on turnout, there will be a qualifying event on October 30. A list of pre-qualified players from the AGHS School Team Tournament is here. Participants must be 18 or younger and have solid, KGS or AGA ranks. To register, email your name, rank, and KGS username to aghsregister@gmail.com by October 23. All matches will be played on KGS in the American Go Honor Society room (Room List --> Social --> American Go Honor Society room).

Published On 10/11/2010

Won Sungjin Wins Round 1 in Caltex Cup. Won Sungjin 9P defeated Park Yeonghun 9P by resignation in the first round of the 15th GS Caltex Cup challenger decision match. The winner of this best-of-three series will face Cho Hanseung 9P who is the current Caltex Cup title holder. Last year’s Caltex Cup title match was between Cho Hanseung and Park Yeonghun, with Cho winning 3-1. Park Yeonghun vs. Won Sungjin in Myeongin Title Match.

Published On 10/10/2010

New York's Central Park, the most-visited city park in the U.S., seems to have everything -- meadows, ball fields, tennis courts, three theaters, two lakes, a reservoir, a skating rink, a carousel, a zoo, even a castle. Frederick Law Olmsted called his creation "a democratic development of the highest significance" because it had something for everyone. As a longtime New Yorker, after decades of exploring the park, I thought I had seen everything.

Published On 10/10/2010

New Moves, Not Trick Moves: “In his September 20 New In Print 2010 round-up, Roy Laird suggests that Alexander Dinerchtein’s New Moves (Slate and Shell) is about trick plays,” writes Slate and Shell publisher Bill Cobb. “This is not an accurate description of most of the moves in New Moves. In most cases, Alex and Younggil An agree that the moves are perfectly legitimate, not ‘swindles’. That is, the player of the new move does not think that there is a "refutation" that would make the move a bad one. Just the opposite; they think that most of the moves are good, solid new ideas and that there is a legitimate and even response. The advantage the player may get is that if the opponent is unfamiliar with the move, he may make a mistake.

Published On 10/9/2010

Tuttle, the mainstream publisher of three books on go by Peter Shotwell, has added another title, but this time, he is only the co-author, while the principal author is none other than Richard Bozulich, the architect of the Kiseido catalog. Winning Go, like his Kisedo publications, is a problem book. But whereas other problem books usually focus on a a single subject -- joseki, tesuji, life-and-death -- Winning Go gives us a little of everything. Problems from all aspects of the game are organized into one book, designed to help kyu-level players discover their strengths and weaknesses, with suggestions for further study. Personally, I prefer the Kiseido format, where several problems appear on one page, and you turn the page to see the answers. Here the answers appear below the problems--cheaters beware! If you have made it solidly into the SDK range, you should easily solve most of the problems; but it's a unique resource for advanced beginners.

Published On 10/5/2010

The American Go Yearbook’s new 2010 U.S. Go Congress Special Edition is now available. The 31-page full-color PDF report covers the 21st annual U.S. Go Congress, held August 1-8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Special Edition is a compilation of all the coverage of this year’s Congress by the American Go E-Journal and includes reports, photos and embedded clickable links to game commentaries by visiting professionals.

Published On 10/5/2010

Xie He wins the Quzhou-Lanke Cup. On September 30, Xie He 7P (r in photo) defeated Jiang Weijie 5P by resignation to become the new Quzhou-Lanke Cup Champion. The tournament, which started in 2006, is held in alternating years, with total prize money at one million Yuan. The winner receives 500,000 Yuan (approximately $75,000) and the runner-up 150,000 ($23,000). In 2006 and 2008, the Quzhou-Lanke Cup champions were Yu Bin 9P and Gu Li 9P, respectively. In the semifinals, held on September 28, Xie defeated Zhou Ruiyang 5P by resignation, while Jiang had a 2.5 point victory over Yang Dingxin 2P. Lee Changho stays alive in Myeongin. In the Myeongin semifinals, Lee Changho 9P evened the series at 1-1 by defeating Park Yeonghun 9P by resignation on September 30. The first game of the match was won by Park by resignation on September 28.

Published On 10/5/2010

Game Link Problem: "Due to the broken Eidogo 'Download SGF' link I can't get any of the commentaries or game records except to view them on the website in the pitifully small Eidogo viewer," writes Ethan Baldridge. There was a glitch in last week's EJ with the sgf links, but it's been fixed now and Member's Edition readers should be able to either view the sgf files online or download them for review in your sgf reader. REMEMBER that you must click on the word "link" to go to the sgf file.

Published On 10/4/2010

Perennial champion Changlong Wu 7d was joined on the Triangle Memorial Tournament’s winner’s podium by Jeff Kuang 5d and Jimmy Yang 4d as co-winners of the Triangle’s Open section. The tenth annual edition of the Triangle Memorial Tournament was held in Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina September 25.

NEW GO GAME VIEWER DEVELOPED

Published On 10/4/2010

Neil Moffatt reports that he’s developed an “HTML5 canvas based go game viewer and rudimentary editor.” Says Moffat, Secretary of the Cardiff Go Club in Wales, UK, “It embraces ideas such as access to key moments in games via a list of clickable position descriptions, and a list of alternative move sequences by description.” The site includes games for beginners, josekis, “guess the next move” and game commentaries

COMPUTER GAME OLYMPICS HELD IN JAPAN

Published On 10/4/2010

The International Conference on Computers and Games (ICGA) Computer Game Olympics, which included a computer go championship, were just held in Kanazawa, Japan. There were 9x9, 13x13, and 19x19 tournaments, with professional commentary and an exhibition match against a pro on Saturday, the last day of the conference. Many Faces of Go won the 13x13 tournament; stay tuned for results of the 9x9 and 19x19.

JOHN LEE’S GO PLAYER SURVEY

Published On 10/4/2010

Former U.S. Champion John Lee is looking for participants in a survey of go players. “I am currently conducting a study about the relationship of go with other mind sports,” Lee tells the E-Journal. Lee was an active US go player “until changes in life took me away from the scene. I learned go in Chicago when I was 12 and became the US Champion when I was 16. I represented the US in many international tournaments including the World Amateurs, World Pairs tournaments, the Fujitsu cup and was invited to the European Ing Cup as the US Ing Cup Champion.” Lee’s survey takes about 2~3 minutes to complete, “and I’m hoping to collect completed surveys from 1,000 go players,” so he urges go players to also pass it out to their go-playing friends. “Thank you very much and I hope to see you all again back in the go scene sometime soon.”

Published On 10/4/2010

by Haruyama Isamu 9P, translated by Robert McGuigan CLICK HERE to download This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 10/4/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Questions from Actual Play #53 - by Haruyama Isamu 9P, translated by Robert McGuigan

MOON CHA MEMORIAL TOURNEY PLANNED

Published On 10/3/2010

The Moon Cha Memorial Tournament will be held on behalf of the Rockville Sister City Corporation on Saturday, November 13, at the Rockville United Church in Rockville, Maryland (355 Linthicum Street, Rockville, MD). Details/flyers are still being finalized, but organizers report that "the basic plan is will be to conduct an AGA sanctioned tournament -- pre-registration required -- as well as an informal walk-in workshop for new players and the general public."

PHILLIPS WINS BELFAST OPEN

Published On 9/28/2010

The Belfast Open saw a fair crowd of 18 players and 1 ghost turning out to do battle September 25-26 in Belfast, Ireland. The winner was David Phillips 1d of the Isle of Man, who gracefully lost his last round game thus creating a four way tie for second. Claas Roever 1k and James Hutchinson 1k shared second place on SOS, just ahead of Daniel Paraschiv 1d and then Colin MacSweeny 2k. On 4 wins was Julian Dragomir 7k, visiting from Romania, and Costin Camarasu 15k. - Ian Davis, Irish Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 9/28/2010

Quzhou-Lanke Cup Semifinalists. Xie He 8P, Zhou Ruiyang 5P, Jiang Weijie 5P, and Yang Dingxin 2P each won their respective 3rd round matches in in the 3rd Quzhou-Lanke Cup and now advance to the semifinals, which will be played on September 28th. Iyama Yuta 3-0 in Meijin. Iyama Yuta 9P defeated Takao Shinji 9P by resignation in the third round of the 35th Meijin. Yuta has won all of the first three matches in the best of seven series. The next round will be played on October 6th and 7th. - JustPlayGo; edited by Jake Edge

Published On 9/28/2010

Dan Smith 1d (l, in green shirt) took first place in the September 25 Fish Amnesty Tournament in Chicago, IL. Smith topped a field of 26 players. “We were honored to have the entire Central Region Board of Directors at this tournament, Laura Kolb and Lisa Scott,” reports TD Bob Barber. “Lisa has moved to Chicago to study, and plans on a good long stay. Joining her from the University of Chicago was Shanthanu Bhardwaj, who bicycled the 30 miles to the tournament. And went on to win half his games. Perhaps the two of them will be the core of a vibrant go scene on the South Side, something we've always lacked.” Thanks to the generosity of Chris Green, Barber adds, “each participant was given a copy of ‘Perceiving the Direction of Play’ from Hinoki Press. Chris plans to repeat this performance, with different titles, for upcoming tournaments. So, in effect the entrance fee will approach zero.” Barber also noted that “Lisa Scott will also co-direct the 2011 U.S

Published On 9/28/2010

A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, we’re very pleased to welcome former insei Kazunari Furuyama back as a regular, now in sgf files. Kaz co-authored Kiseido’s Get Strong at Joseki, volumes 2 and 3 and is now teaching on KGS Plus. His lessons have always emphasized how to avoid basic common mistakes, and will be even easier to study and understand in sgf format. The well-known proverb tells us to "Play away from thickness." In this lesson Kaz explores what that means and how to apply this to actual play. NOTE: CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE OR "read more" BELOW TO SEE THE GAME RECORD. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute.

Published On 9/28/2010

“In the game Black creates a solid group on the lower side, changing the balance of power in the lower left,” says Michael Redmond 9P in this review of his recent Tengen Honsen Round 2 game with Ishida Atsushi 9P. “In return I get a strong position on the right side.” Check out the game record for the rest of Redmond’s commentary. NOTE: CLICK ON THE TITLE ABOVE OR "read more" BELOW TO SEE THE GAME RECORD. This material is provided as a benefit of membership in the American Go Association; you are welcome to download as many copies for personal use as necessary; please do not distribute. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010.09.27-Tengen_Redmond-IshidaAtsushi_Redmond-Commentary.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010.09.27-Tengen_Redmond-IshidaAtsushi_Redmond-Commentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 9/27/2010

Cherry Shen 6d, and David Su 1d, have been chosen for the 2010 AGF College Scholarship. The $1,000 awards are presented each year to outstanding youth who have been active go organizers or teachers. “Although I enjoy the competitiveness of go,” said Shen, “there are other aspects of the game that I enjoy just as much: volunteering, teaching kids, and meeting a diverse group of people bridged by one game.” Su, an active high school organizer in the San Francisco Bay Area, told the Journal “I started playing Go in 7th grade and then joined my school's go club in freshmen year, but I did not foresee that I would be leading the club 2 years later.”

Published On 9/26/2010

The top section of the September 19 Hoboken Open turned into a struggle for the $400 first prize among perennial stars Kevin Huang and Carson Tu, youngsters Lionel Zhang and Andrew Huang, and newcomer Xiruo Liu. In the third round (r), Zhang outfought Kevin Huang in a tense mid-board capturing race setting up a climactic final round.

DAE HYUK KO 7D WINS ’10 COTSEN

Published On 9/21/2010

Dae Hyuk Ko 7d (l) won the Cotsen Open last weekend in Los Angeles, California, besting a very tough Open section in which a lot of hard-fought games were played over the course of the two-day tournament. More than 150 players turned out for the 20th annual competition, one of the biggest and richest on the annual American Go Association tournament calendar. The popular event, founded and run by longtime local go fan and entrepreneur Eric Cotsen, is also a unique tournament, the only one to feature free shoulder massages from roaming masseuses, a free catered lunch on both days, a club competition with a $1,500 prize pool and full refund of registration fees to players who attend both days of the tournament.

Published On 9/21/2010

The September 18 NOVA Go Club Back to School Tournament drew 33 players, including “a whole carload of Hokies who came all the way from Virginia Tech and joined the AGA for the first time,” reports organizer Gary Smith. Zhenying Gu 5d was undefeated in the 4-round tourney in Arlington, VA and won place first in the upper dan division. Tournament Director Edward Zhang again organized a team tournament, with the Capital Go Club walked away with the prize money, while NOVA and nOObpunzors tied for second.

Published On 9/21/2010

Longtime go organizer, author and teacher Milton Bradley passed away Saturday after a long illness. “Milt's passion for go was unstoppable,” said American Go Association President Allan Abramson, who had played a weekly game online with Bradley over the last year. "We hope that the enormous amount of energy he put into encouraging go players is inspiring to a whole new generation of teachers. Milt will be missed." An avid chess player, Bradley’s interest in go was sparked “after I read the first few issues of the American Go Journal at the Marshall Chess Club in 1950,” Bradley told the EJ earlier this year. “At that point I immediately -- instinctively, it seems -- grasped go's depth and profundity, as well as its great superiority to chess, which until then had seemed to me to be the perfect game.”

EJ GETS SERIOUSLY SOCIAL

Published On 9/20/2010

Share it, save it, post it. All E-Journal reports can now easily be emailed, bookmarked or posted to Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Just click “read more” on the story in the EJ and then click on “Share/Save” when it comes up in your web browser. It’s just that easy!

LISA SCOTT’S CENTRAL LESSONS

Published On 9/20/2010

Reaching out to the region which just elected her, new American Go Association Central Region Board Director Lisa Scott (l) recently wrapped up a 13-state 7,000-mile tour of more than 30 go clubs. Scott’s goal was to “offer an opportunity for clubs to meet me in person and let me know how the AGA can help them.” Local club organizers from Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Iowa welcomed Scott to their clubs, and were happy to share their thoughts with her about ways in which the AGA could support their efforts. Among Scott’s findings are that “These clubs need assistance in organizing events, and in finding teachers who are strong players.”

Published On 9/20/2010

First off, Slate and Shell added three more important titles to their catalog this year. Magic On The First Line is a compendium of eponymous oddities that only the great Nakayama could have come up with. In Understanding Dan Level Play, Yuan Zhou 7d continues his popular "Understanding . . . " series by analyzing his own games as the US representative in the 2009 Korea Prime Minister's Cup. And with New Moves, Slate and Shell adds an important new author to its roster -- Alexander Dinerchtein, a 3P in the Korean system, better known as "breakfast" on KGS. By "new moves", the author seems to mean trick plays. Dinerchtein charges $3-$5 per trick on his hamete.net site -- by that measure, 25 plays for $18 is quite a bargain. The burgeoning Korean English-language publishing industry has produced a full thirty titles titles in the past few years, all of which are available from Yutopian.

VISITOR FROM PARIS LEADS NORCAL MONTHLY

Published On 9/20/2010

Twenty six kids and adults played in the September monthly ratings tournament this past Saturday in Palo Alto, CA. Jean-Baptiste Chaubet 1d (right in photo), visiting from France, led the field of a dozen dan-level players with three wins. In the kyu division, Eric Hoffman 2k, Jay Chan 3k, Roger Schrag 5k, Tom Rike 6k, and Eric Sumner 17k picked up two wins apiece. Next month's Bay Area Go ratings tournament is scheduled for October 16 in San Francisco.

10-GAME RULE DROPPED

Published On 9/20/2010

The American Go Association’s 10-game requirement for international representation has been dropped. In a special meeting Wednesday night, reports AGA President Allan Abramson, the AGA Board voted to drop the rule requiring that potential participants in international events have played at least ten rated games in the preceding year. Pressure to drop the rule had been mounting, most recently by Feng Yun 9P, and the Board had agreed to review its status (AGA Board To Review 10-Game Rule 9/13 EJ). A statement by Board Chairman Andy Okun is expected to be issued soon.

Published On 9/20/2010

Won Sungjin Advances to Myeongin Finals. In the 38th Myeongin semifinals, Won Sungjin 9P defeated Kang Dongyun 9P by resignation to take the series 2-0. Won will now face either Lee Changho 9P or Park Yeonghun 9P in the title match. This could certainly be a repeat of last year’s title match between Won and Lee, when Lee prevailed by winning the title series 3-1. Park has been playing very strongly of late, though, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he defeated Lee in their semifinal bout, which begins on September 29th.

Published On 9/19/2010

2010 COTSEN OPEN Photo Album: Saturday, September 18

Published On 9/19/2010

Clockwise from top right: kids work on solving Yang’s life and death problems; Juyong Koh 7d (l) and Seung Hyun Hong 7d review their Round 3 game; group effort on solving the life and death problems; Yilun Yang 7P plays Yigang Hua 8P from China live online; Congress Directors Lisa Scott & Andrew Jackson discuss the 2011 U.S. Go Congress with local players; young players review their game. Photos by Chris Garlock

Published On 9/13/2010

Samsung Cup loser's tournament 1st round W: Min Sangyoun 1k B: Hane Naoki 9P Commentary by Alex Dinerchtein 3P Published in the September 13, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010.09.13-MinSangyoun-HaneNaoki_Dinerchtein.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/2010.09.13-MinSangyoun-HaneNaoki_Dinerchtein.sgf" class="alignleft"][/sgf]Min Sangyoun is a 15-year-old Korean insei who beat Mok Chinseok 9P - who’s in Korea’s Top 10 -- in the Samsung Cup’s preliminary stage. He also beat two other professionals and entered the tournament’s main stage. In the Samsung main stage, he lost twice to world #1 Gu Li, but beat Hane Naoki, who is currently one of the top players in Japan. Usually it's a big stress for top players to lose like this. Hasegawa and Yoo Kagen were top class Japanese pros, but had bad results in Japanese events after they lost to Fernando Aguilar in the Toyota

EUROPEANS FORM PRO LEAGUE

Published On 9/13/2010

Twenty of Europe's top players have decided to form The European Professional Go Organization, in partnership with EuroGoTV, according to a press release that followed a meeting at this year's European Go Congress. The founders include four players with Asian pro certification --Guo Juan 5P, Catalin Taranu 5P, Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P and Diana Koszegi 1P -- along with sixteen other top players. EPGO will organize a yearlong European Professional Go League, resulting in annual certification certification of 12 EPGO "pros." As we understand it, this will differ from the semi-permanent certification process in Japan, China and Korea. Pros will have to re-earn their status each year or face decertification.

THE RETURN OF BADUKBOOKS

Published On 9/13/2010

Alexandra Urban’s Badukbooks is back in business. Badukbooks specializes in a veritable treasure trove of Korean go books, many never seen – or very hard to find – in the West. A wide range of material, from the Baduk Nara book series for beginners to life and death books – choose from the just-published Hye-Yeon's Creative Life & Death I, the 4-volume Sahwal series or the 20-volume Classic Life & Death collection – to Lee Chang-ho’s 2-volume “Brilliantly Beautiful Endgame,” and the "New Moves, New Shapes" yearbooks from 1999 and 2000. Though many of the books are in Korean, some are in English, and each are clearly marked on the site. After a year-long hiatus, Urban says she’s back in Korea “this time at least for 3 years,” and is willing to try to track down any Korean go book Western players are interested in.

AGA BOARD TO REVIEW 10-GAME RULE

Published On 9/13/2010

In its monthly meeting Sunday, the American Go Association’s Board of Directors had a preliminary discussion of Feng Yun 9P’s objections (AGA’S 10-Game Rule Assailed By Feng Yun 9P 9/6) to the 10-game rule for international eligibility, according to board member and chair-elect Andy Okun. The board agreed to continue the discussion at a special meeting set for this Wednesday, September 15. “We set the special meeting because we want to have enough time to go in depth into the issues raised by Feng Yun, as well as to the extensive debate her comments sparked on the AGA chapter e-mail list, which we have all been reading,” Okun said. “A number of people want to hear from us on this question and the time we had in the regular meeting wouldn’t have allowed us to do it justice.” Board members have also been following the thread on the topic on Life in 19x19.

Published On 9/13/2010

Park vs. Hei in Bingshen Cup finals. In the 1st Binshen Cup (AKA the Qionglong Cup), Park Jieun 9P (r) of Korea and Hei Jiajia 1P representing Oceania (Australia) both won their semifinal matches and will face each other in the title match September 14th. Park defeated China’s Tang Yi 2P by 7.5 points, and Hei defeated China’s Zheng Yan 2P by resignation. One of the more notable first-round matches was between Rui Naiwei 9P and Tang Yi, with Rui losing to Tang by 5.5 points. The Qionglong Cup is a women only international tournament. (game records)

CATHY LI 1P KNOCKED OUT OF BINGSHEN CUP

Published On 9/13/2010

North American representative Cathy Li 1p was knocked out by Park Jieun (Chieun) 9P in the first round of the Bingsheng Cup, a new international women's tournament. The Bingsheng Cup is held at Qionglong Mountain in Suzhou, China. Click here for standings, game records and more on the tournament, which wraps up on September 14. Li, of Vancouver, Canada won the right to represent North America in online qualifiers held last month on KGS. The online qualifying matches were dominated by Canadian players, as disputed AGA tournament regulations (AGA’s 10-Game Rule Assailed By Feng Yun 9P 9/6 EJ) and little advance notice for this new event prevented many US women from being eligible to participate. - Dennis Wheeler

Published On 9/13/2010

The 2010/11 Interprovincials -- a competition based around Ireland’s four traditional provinces, or kingdoms -- kicked off on KGS last weekend. Munster’s coach had sacked the entire team after their wooden spoon finish in last year’s competition, bringing in a novice squad full of fresh blood. Ulster meanwhile had chosen much the same team, the only new player being Karl Irwin, currently teaching maths in China. The novice Munster squad, captained by Anthony Durity, used their handicap stones very well and pulled off a well-earned victory 2-1. Dangerously for them though, they suffered some rank promotions in the course of their victory. Perhaps this will tell in their games against Leinster and Connaught. In other Irish go news, the Belfast Open is coming up in two weeks. - Ian Davis, Irish Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 9/6/2010

Serious study of go causes actual physical changes in the brain. That’s the stunning finding of a Korean group of neuroscientists who studied the difference between “long-term trained players” and“inexperienced controls.”

Published On 9/6/2010

Myeongin Semifinals in Place. Lee Changho 9P defeated An Kukhyun 2P by 1.5 points in the 38th Myeongin League A playoff match. He now advances to a three-round semifinal match against Park Yeonghun 9P. In League B, Won Sungjin 9P defeated Kim Kiyoung 5P by resignation in their playoff match. Sungjin also advances to a three-round semifinal match against Kang Dongyun 9P. The winners of each semifinal best-of-three series will face one another for the Myeongin title.

JUSTIN TENG WINS UMD TOURNEY

Published On 9/6/2010

Justin Teng 3d (r) won the 2010 University of Maryland Back to School Go Tournament on Saturday, September 4 in College Park, MD. Twelve players participated in the 3-round tournament. Teng’s only loss was a four-stone handicap game against 8 year-old Yunhuang Zhao (l). Wayne Zhang 20 kyu and Kevin Chin 4 kyu were both undefeated, with three points each. Steve Mount was the Tournament Director. photo by Steve Mount

Published On 9/6/2010

MISSING GAME FILES? “If its not a membership issue (MEMBER’S EDITION? 8/24 EJ),” writes Dennis Wheeler, “then maybe instead of looking for attachments, look for links.”

Published On 9/6/2010

The past year has produced a notable bumper crop of books for beginners and newer players -- the so-called DDK (double-digit kyu) range. Jonathan Hop, a 3D amateur, published So You Want To Play Go?, a three-volume series that aims to give the reader the knowledge to improve ten ranks per book; if it works, at the end you'll be ready to aim at shodan. Click Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Three to learn more about each book. 21st Century Baduk for Beginners is the latest offering from Sung-rae Kim, the author of several other works in the growing number of English-language works from Korean publishers. Some of these early efforts suffered somewhat from clumsy English, but Diana Koszegi 3P helped with this translation, suiting it more fully to the idioms of the English language. Finally, we note the publication of Go Made Easy by Sam Sloan.

Published On 9/6/2010

The American Go Association’s 10 rated games requirement is again under fire, this time from Feng Yun 9P. In a lengthy posting to AGA chapters on Friday, Feng Yun – whose go school in New Jersey has trained many of the new generation of top players -- said that the rule, which requires that potential participants in international events have played at least ten rated games in the preceding year, excluded her from play in the Bingsheng Cup World Women’s Weiqi Championship, a new international women's tournament to be held in China. While extending congratulations to Canadian Cathy Li, who won the qualifier, Feng Yun said that “the AGA decision not to allow the top US women to compete is shameful.” There was no official AGA response by press-time Monday night; look for a follow-up report on the AGA website later this week and in next week’s E-Journal.

GUOCHEN XIE WINS BOSTON OPEN

Published On 8/31/2010

Guochen Xie (front left) won the Boston Go Open on Sunday, August 29, topping a field of 26. "It's a really competitive tournament and no player won all four games," reports organizer Ke Lu. Three players were 3-1 in the open division, with Guochen Xie winning on SOS, Yunzhe Zhang runner-up and Jie Liang in third. The top four in Division A: 1st: Eric Osman; 2nd: Rebecca Torrey; 3rd: Eva Casey; 4th: Danny Yoo. Top three in Division B were: 1st: Bowen He; 2nd: Deguang He; 3rd: Marjorie E. Hey. Click here for more photos. photos courtesy Ke Lu.

Published On 8/30/2010

Han Zenki and Tsuruyama Atsushi advance in Daiwa Cup: Surprising second round results from the Daiwa Cup have two of Japan’s top professionals being defeated by less well-known 7 dans. The first was Han Zenki 7P who defeated current Daiwa Cup title holder Kono Rin 9P by resignation. The second was Tsuruyama Atsushi 7P who defeated O Rissei 9P by resignation. Han became a pro 1996 at age 19, while Tsuruyama turned pro in 1999 at the age of 18.

Published On 8/30/2010

Question Diagram: I was aiming at invading at Black A and White played the diagonal attachment at White 1. I had a bad feeling about what White might be aiming at in the corner. What should I do to defend? This is the fifty-second installment (click here to download PDF) of a new series of studies brought to us by Robert McGuigan in translation from “Jissen ni tsuyoku naru 80 dai (80 questions for getting strong at real play)” by Haruyama Isamu 9P (Haruyama is the author of Basic Techniques of Go). McGuigan translated another series earlier, based on writings of Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, called “What’s Wrong with that Move?” This material is used by permission of the Nihon Kiin which published the original text in 1979. Haruyama says that his primary audience is players who are aiming for shodan. by Haruyama Isamu 9P, translated by Robert McGuigan

Published On 8/30/2010

TARANU WINS ROMANIAN MASTERS: Catalin Taranu 5p won the 2010 Romanian Masters, held August 25-29 in Iasi, capital of the Romanian province Moldavie. Artem Kachanovskyj won the first edition of the Iasi Cup, held August 27-29 in the same place. SHIKSHIN NARROWLY WINS LEKSAND OPEN: Ilya Shikshin won the August 10-12 Leksand Open in Sweden, just a point ahead of Kyoungnang Kang. EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENTS WANTED! The E-Journal is seeking correspondents to report on European go news; if interested, email journal@usgo.org - based on reports on EuroGoTV

Published On 8/30/2010

DUDE, WHERE ARE MY CLASSIFIED ADS? “Ever since you changed the format of the E-Journal from weekly to daily, I've been unable to find the classifieds,” writes Craig Brown. “I've even gone back to the weekly newsletter thinking this would help, but I don't see the classifieds there either. Have you discontinued this part of the newsletter, or am I maybe just not finding it?” The classified ads run in both the daily and weekly editions of the EJ and the complete list can always be found on our news page in the Go Classified section (click on the Go Classified tab at right). Ads appear in the next daily edition after initial posting and then in the next weekly edition (but not in subsequent weekly editions).

Published On 8/29/2010

To play go,” writes programmer Reg Braithwaite, “one needs a huge amount of humility and patience. At first I thought I lacked these qualities, but then a funny thing happened: I purchased my first-ever mountain bike. In cycling, I receive regular positive feedback. I can measure my improvement with little things like occasionally feeling myself hit the balance point when working on a ‘1/2-1/4 to manual wheelie drop.’ Or popping the front wheel up onto a bench and driving the rear wheel up and under me. In go, I received no such affirmation. I play, I lose, and games are too long to be able to identify the specific mistakes without extensive personal coaching. I simply don't know whether I am succeeding or failing when I make a move unless it's a spectacular blunder.”

Published On 8/28/2010

Strolling through the vendor area at this year's U.S. Go Congress, I realized that it's time for some updates on what's happening recently in the small but active world of go publishing. Watch for posts over the next few weeks and feel free to email me with suggestions of 2010 go books I should mention.
The first thing I noticed was that it's been a busy year for GoGoD co-author John Fairbairn, who has embarked on an ambitious project with his publisher, Slate and Shell: a series of books on the ten-game matches Go Seigen played when he was at the top of the go world. Drawing on multiple original sources, each book provides extensive historical material, and integrates game commentary from a variety of sources. Kamakura, covering Go's first matchup during WW II with Kitani Minoru, came out last spring. It was followed by Final Summit, describing the last jubango, against Takagawa Shukaku in 1955-56.

Published On 8/28/2010

During the August 7 closing banquet at this year's Go Congress in Colorado Springs, Myung-Wan Kim 9P (r) again donated $500 of his US Open prize winnings to the American Go Foundation (AGF). “The American go community is very fortunate to have Myung-Wan Kim living and teaching here,” said Paul Barchilon, AGF Vice President and Youth Coordinator for the American Go Association (AGA). “And his support of our youth activities is a testament to his commitment to the future of go in this country.”

BY 2.5, SAKAI HIDEYUKI IS THE NEW GOSEI

Published On 8/27/2010

Cinderella story, Sakai Hideyuki 7P has become the new Gosei by defeating Cho U 9P by 2.5 points in the fifth and final round of the 35th Gosei, winning the series 3-2. This is Sakai’s first major title win, which also ended Cho’s four consecutive years of holding the Gosei title. Sakai's only title win prior to this was the Kansai Ki-in Championship in 2003. For a long time, he was the strongest amateur go player in Japan, and by winning his first major title at 37, he has defied those that say that only youth can accomplish such things. When he won the World Amateur Go Championship in 2000, he was awarded professional 5 dan by the Kansai Ki-in (after defeating two 5D and two 7D players). He was also the first player in Japan to be awarded a special amateur 8 dan diploma. - JustPlayGo.com

Published On 8/26/2010

Barely a month after launching, IgoLocal already has more than a thousand users. IgoLocal enables players to find and contact each other, and there are now 1131 users in 62 countries, with 449 of those in North America and 570 in Europe. The network is growing at 35 new members each day, reports founder Chuck Thomas, “and that number is trending upwards.” Users "are still figuring out how to use the system to the best benefit of their communities,” says Thomas. “1,100 users may sound like a lot of go players, but it's actually an absurdly tiny number when spread throughout the entire planet."

Published On 8/24/2010

This game from the recent European Go Congress features the top two European players, Ilia Shikshin 7D and Artem Kachanovskyy 6D. This was the second game they played at the Congress; the previous one was won by Ilya so both are prepared to battle hard, and do so. Even after what looks like a devastating loss in the middle game, the game is still quite close. The game commentary is by Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010.08.23-EGC-Illya-Shikshin-Artem-Kachanovskyy_Dinerchtein.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010.08.23-EGC-Illya-Shikshin-Artem-Kachanovskyy_Dinerchtein.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 8/24/2010

Peter Shotwell, author of Go! More Than a Game, has published two articles based on subjects in the upcoming update of his book to the AGA's Bob High library. The first [PDF] is a look at his re-dating and re-interpretation of early Confucian thoughts on go, and the second article [PDF] covers some research done on the statistical properties of go games by Dr. John Tromp. Traditionally, the Confucian ideas about go have been thought to be quite negative, but Shotwell took account of the fact they were actually written in a small area in northeastern China over a period of only about 50 years in the late 3rd to early 2nd centuries B.C.E, (instead of the usually-thought "hundreds of years").

KISEIDO OFFERS VOLUMES OF PROBLEMS

Published On 8/24/2010

There's theory and there's practice. In go, practice means studying problems. Kiseido is five volumes into an ambitious seven-volume series of problem books for dan-level players originally published in Japanese by the Japan Go Association. Now available: Graded Go Problems for Dan Players; 300 Life-and-Death Problems, 5-kyu to 3-dan; 300 Tesuji Problems, 5-kyu to 3-dan; 300 Joseki Problems, 1-dan to 3-dan; 256 Opening and Middle Game Problems, 1-dan to 7-dan. These problems are designed to develop your intuition and to provide exercises for developing your ability to analyze positions deeply and accurately. "These are not problems that you can skim through in a couple of days," Kiseido warns. "Each problem requires serious thought to obtain the maximum benefit." Click here for details and to order.

Published On 8/24/2010

Applications are now being accepted for the 4th Kim-in Cup International Senior Baduk Competition. The tournament is being held November 5-8 in GangJin City, Korea and is open to male go players 50 and older and female players 30 and older. It’s sponsored by the Korea Baduk Association and the Korea Amateur Baduk Association; KBA provides hotel, meals and domestic transportation for all players, who must cover their own travel costs to Korea. email iris@baduk.or.kr for details and to register.

WORLD GO NEWS ROUND-UP August 16-23

Published On 8/24/2010

Sakai Hideyuki evens Gosei 2-2 with Cho U. Sakai Hideyuki 7P defeated Cho U 9P by 3.5 points in the fourth round of the 35th Gosei title match. The series is now tied at 2-2, with the final game to be played on August 27th. Lee Changho defeats Lee Sedol in Myeongin league play. In the final regular League A game of the 38th Myeongin, Lee Changho 9P defeated Lee Sedol 9P by resignation. Sedol’s loss eliminates him from the main tournament, finishing with a 2-3 league record. Lee Changho finished with a 3-2 league record but will now enter into a playoff match with An Kukhyun 2P, who also finished at 3-2. The winner will join Kang Dongyun 9P in the main tournament.

Published On 8/24/2010

This game from the recent European Go Congress features the top two European players, Ilia Shikshin 7D and Artem Kachanovskyy 6D. This was the second game they played at the Congress; the previous one was won by Ilya so both are prepared to battle hard, and do so. Even after what looks like a devastating loss in the middle game, the game is still quite close. The game commentary is by Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010.08.23-EGC-Illya-Shikshin-Artem-Kachanovskyy_Dinerchtein.sgf" theme="full" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/2010.08.23-EGC-Illya-Shikshin-Artem-Kachanovskyy_Dinerchtein.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 8/23/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION? "I noticed that my recent E-Journals have not included any attachments," writes John Russell. "I wanted to make sure I am still getting the full member E-Journal version" The Member's Edition content only appears in the Tuesday morning edition of the E-Journal, not the other, briefer editions that appear during the rest of the week as news updates are posted. If your Tuesday edition does not include Member's Edition content -- game commentaries and/or problem files -- your membership may have lapsed; please email membership@usgo.org to get it updated. CHOOSING YOUR EJ EDITION: "An article mentioned being able to change my profile to receive the Journal either weekly or daily," writes Denis Pelletier. "How do I access my profile?" Just click on "Update your profile" at the bottom of the E-Journal and you can choose either the daily (much shorter updates several times a week) or weekly editions, as well as your preferred format.

GROSS AND YE TOP NORCAL MONTHLY

Published On 8/19/2010

Samuel Gross 1d and April Ye 3k each won four games to lead the pack at the Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament on August 14 in Palo Alto, CA. The playing field consisted of 35 players ranging from 5 dan to 30 kyu. Everyone got to play an average of three rated games, although some managed to fit in as many as five. For many, the monthly tournaments offer an opportunity to come out and play face to face go with players of similar strength. "Face to face go can be so much more social, fun, and rewarding than playing online," observes tournament organizer Roger Schrag. Next month's ratings tournament is scheduled for September 11, again in Palo Alto. Click here for more photos. Photo by Lisa Schrag

ALL ABOUT GO SPONSORS GO ART CONTEST

Published On 8/19/2010

The All About Go website is sponsoring a contest to build its collection of go-related art, photography, digital images, stories, and poetry. The new site “is intended to provide a high-quality service to all go enthusiasts, to introduce the game to beginners in the most effective way possible, and to promote the knowledge, culture and beauty of go worldwide” and includes a gallery showcasing go photos and literature. The winner in each category will receive a free teaching game from Csaba Mero, European 6-dan and ex-insei. Hajin Lee 3P will help judge the contest. There’s no entry fee and no limit on how many pieces you can enter. All submissions should be sent to gallery@allaboutgo.com on or before Monday, September 13. More details and full contest rules are available here. Photo by César Riquelme

Published On 8/19/2010

Korean players dominate the professional go scene these days and now amateurs have some new opportunities to study with top Korean pros. The Yang Jae-Ho Baduk Dojang is recruiting foreign players to study go in Korea. The dojang, or training center, plans to offer English-speaking instructors, and the pro instructor roster -- in addition to founder Yang Jae-Ho (l) -- includes Yi Sang-Hun 9P, An Dal-Hun 8P and Yi Jung-Wu 7P. The Dojang currently houses over 80 students and school founder Yang Jae-Ho 9P is the director of the Korean team for the Asian Games. Accommodation and training at the Dojang is 750 Euro/$1000 US per month; a 10% discount is available to groups, or students staying for over three months.

WORLD GO NEWS ROUND-UP: August 10-15

Published On 8/16/2010

Jiang Weijie & Li Zhe Advance to Mingren tournament finals. Jiang Weije and Li Zhe will battle it out in the 23rd Mingren challenger decision match for the right to face Gu Li 9P. Jiang Weijie 5P defeated Zhong Wenjing 5P by resignation and Li Zhe 6P defeated Chang Hao 9P by resignation. Of the 32 players in the tournament, only five were 9-dan pros, with only Hao surviving to the semifinals. (more info and game records) Cho U Defeats Hane Naoki in NEC Cup Second Round.

WOLF WINS REDMOND CUP

Published On 8/16/2010

Oliver Wolf 2d, age 11, won the Junior Division of the Redmond Cup at the recently concluded US Go Congress. His opponent, Henry Zhang 1d, also 11, took second place. Wolf won the first round match, held Aug. 2, but Zhang rallied to come from behind in round 2, winning by 3.5 points. The decisive match was held on Aug. 5, with Wolf winning the game, and the title of Redmond Champion. Both boys received a special honor when None Redmond, founder of the Redmond Cup, and tireless youth go advocate for decades, presented the trophies in person at the final awards banquet at the Go Congress. The boys also won $350 for first place, and $250 for second, as well as a free trip to the Go Congress to compete.

TANG NAMED REDMOND MEIJIN

Published On 8/16/2010

Curtis Tang 7d, was named Honorary Redmond Meijin at the final awards banquet at the US Go Congress, Aug. 7th. Tang, now 17 years old, has a long history of success in the Redmond. He took the Junior Division championship in 2001, 03, and 04, and then again in 2006 in the Senior Division. This year marks his fifth win in the Cup, and also the last year he is eligible to play in it. The only other person ever to win five times is Eric Lui, 7d, who won his fifth time in 2001, and was also named Redmond Meijin. The title is honorary, and for life, so both young men are now Honorary Meijin. None Redmond herself presented the Cup to Tang. His winning matches in the finals are available online.

SHIKSHIN 2010 EUROPEAN GO CHAMPION

Published On 8/13/2010

Ilya Shikshin 7d (l) of Russia is this year’s European Go Champion, winning the main tournament at the recently-concluded European Go Congress in Tampere, Finland. Click here for complete results in all EGC tourneys, including the Weekend, Rapid, Pair Go and more. Six Congress Bulletins with reports on the EGC were published and are available online as well. Click here for Congress photo albums and news. There are also some reports on EuroGoTV. photo of Shikshin by Judith van Dam, EuroGoTV

IYAMA YUTA 9P'S VERY GOOD YEAR

Published On 8/13/2010

Iyama Yuta 9P, the young turk among Japanese pros, is doing well in his first year as Meijin. He is about to start his first defense of that title against Takao Shinji 9P and has played in every Japanese tournament this year, except for those restricted to women and members of other branches of the Nihon Ki-in. Here's his record this year in the top seven Japanese titles: in the Kisei League B, he is the only player with two victories

Published On 8/10/2010

Earlier this week, Keith Arnold jokingly asked me if the E-Journal Congress Team was as big as the 32-player Ing field yet. Actually, it’s larger, as it turns out (see below for the complete list; not all are pictured). Forty terrific volunteers contributed to 56 hours of broadcasts, 55 game records, 11 game commentaries and 38 reports published in the E-Journal and on the website. I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with such a great group of people, from the main broadcasting team -- the Todds, Steve, Akane, Matt, Sol, Chris B and Richard -- to the game recorders, professionals, reporters and photographers, all of whom played a key role in bringing this year’s Go Congress to the world and I thank them on behalf of go players everywhere.

WORLD GO NEWS ROUND-UP: August 2-9

Published On 8/10/2010

Lee Sedol vs. Lee Changho in Price Information Cup: Lee Sedol 9P defeated Won Sungjin 9P by resignation in their semifinal match on August 8 to advance to the finals of the Price Information Cup. The title match is a best-of-three series that will begin on September 1. The winner will challenge current title holder Kim Jiseok for the 2010 Price Information Cup title. More information and the game record can be found at JustPlayGo.com.

BRESLER APPOINTED AGA RATINGS VP

Published On 8/9/2010

Jonathan Bresler has been appointed Vice President for Ratings of the American Go Association, AGA President Allan Abramson announced. "We’re confident that Jonathan will do an outstanding job in the care and feeding of our ratings system,” Abramson said. “It’s an honor to build on the more than 20 years of work by Paul Matthews, as well as Phil Waldron’s recent updates and work to further integrate the ratings code with the AGA Go Database,” said Bresler. “We now have an updated, open source ratings system downloadable from the ratings website, and Phil's latest work is the "Provisional Ratings Calculator." Bresler says “There are other projects in the works and more in the planning stages: stay tuned!”

Published On 8/7/2010

Peter Shotwell, author of Go! More Than a Game, stopped by the U.S. Go Congress Friday evening to talk about some of the updates coming in a new revision of the book due in the next few months. In the seven years since the publication of the first edition in 2003, Shotwell has done additional research in several areas that will appear in the new edition, including a re-examination of the attitude of Confucians toward go, advances in computer go, the combinatorics of go, and the possible spiritualization of Tibetan go. It was long presumed that the Confucians did not think very much of the game of go, said Shotwell, identifying it with gambling and laziness, but a better dating of some of the source documents has led him to see an evolution in their thinking -- including seeing some value in the game by the time of the last mention.

Published On 8/7/2010

Huiren Yang 1P won the North American Ing Masters tournament last night, defeating Eric Lui 7D in a thrilling 3-point 4-hour marathon viewed by a rapt crowd of hundreds at the U.S. Go Congress as well as a worldwide audience that watched commentary by Yasumasa Hane 9P, Shigeko Hane 1P and Ryo Maeda 6P broadcast live on KGS as well as a live video feed of both the Board 1 game and the game commentary. After the game, the board used by the two players – a brand-new 2-inch Korean hiba table board – was signed by the players and pros and will be auctioned off at the Congress Banquet tonight to benefit the American Go Foundation.

CONGRESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Published On 8/7/2010

Organizing Go Congresses takes a huge amount of hard work by a lot of people who volunteer their time and energy to pull together the annual gathering of hundreds of go players, professionals, go club and AGA volunteers. Here’s a few of the folks who helped make this year’s Go Congress a reality

THE KGS TATTOO GALLERY

Published On 8/7/2010

Official E-Journal broadcasting partner KGS tattoos were ubiquitous this week at the 2010 U.S. Go Congress. The temporary tats showed up on the most unexpected people -- including Cyberoro and Tygem commentator Seong-Yong Kim 9P and in the most unlikely places, including, according to some reports, some nether regions, but we were unable to get to the bottom of this story. - photos by Chris Garlock & Steve Colburn

Published On 8/7/2010

This game between Ing finalists Eric Lui 7d and Huiren Yang 1P -- the first Ing final appearance for both -- was projected on two large screens in the main playing area of the 2010 U.S. Go Congress to a crowd of several hundred attendees,while hundreds more watched on KGS: on one screen was the actual game and a cloned game with Hane's commentary, on the other was a live video feed showing the players. Hane began the game commentary and eventually it was taken over by Maeda and Shigeko; all three -- with the able assistance of translators Yoshi Sawada and Shoji Honsono -- kept everyone entertained and engaged.

Published On 8/7/2010

Myung-Wan Kim 9P repeated as U.S. Open Champion Saturday, sweeping all six games and collecting his third straight Open title. He finished off his perfect run this week with a 161-move win by resignation over Canadian James Sedgwick 6D. His toughest challenge was from Tianyu (Bill) Lin 7d, the Canadian 13-year-old who held a lead for 90 moves in the first round but fell behind after missing a tesuji. Jie Liang 7D and Francis Meyer 7D also gave him a run for the money but were behind on points, while both Yongfe Ge 7D and Eric Lui 7D lost big groups to lose by resignation. The E-Journal’s complete Congress tournament coverage online includes the US Open crosstab and results, including game records, the North American Ing crosstab and results as well as Redmond Cup game records and commented US Open and Ing games. The complete final winner’s reports for all the Congress tournaments will be posted online and in the EJ soon.

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Friday Photo Album

Published On 8/7/2010

photos by Chris Garlock & Andrew Jackson

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Thursday Photo Album

Published On 8/7/2010

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Thursday Photo Album

Published On 8/7/2010

Congress-going youth have had an exciting week in the Youth Room, with pro simuls, mini tournaments and prizes, prizes, and more prizes. Thanks to the generosity of Winston Jen, every kid at the Congress has won a free set of all seventeen volumes of the Hikaru no Go manga. DVD sets of popular series like Hunter x Hunter and Fruits Basket, piles of Hikaru no Go merchandise, Audio Go Lessons from Guo Juan, and donations from Art of Problem Solving.com and Wolfram Mathematica rounded out the prize pool as well. Eight-year-old Aaron Ye 2d (center, in photo at left) enjoyed his game review with Yilun Yang 7p, and so did the crowd that gathered round to watch.

WALL-TO-WALL CONGRESS TOURNEY COVERAGE

Published On 8/6/2010

The E-Journal’s complete Congress tournament coverage online includes the US Open crosstab and results, including game records, the North American Ing crosstab and results (also including game records) as well as Redmond Cup game records and commented US Open and Ing games: Round 1 - Myung Wan Kim (w) vs Tianyu (Bill) Lin (b), commented by Jennie Shen 2P; Round 2 - Curtis Tang (w) vs Eric Lui (b), commented by Maeda Ryo 6P and Round 4 - Eric Lui (w) vs Myung Wan Kim (b), commented by Cheng Xiaoliu 6P. Also included is a photo album of all 32 Ing players. - photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/6/2010

Thirteen-year-old 7 dan Calvin Sun (at right in his match against Korea) placed fourth in the recent World Youth Go Championships, representing the U.S. Nine-year-old Kevin Fang 1d was the Junior Representative, placing eighth. "I am happy to have this opportunity to be in the exciting WYGC tournament," Fang told the E-Journal, "I got to play with the top junior players in the world. I did not reach my goal this time, and ended up with the youngest player award. I hope I will do better next time." The boys won a free trip to Penghu, Taiwan, to compete at the finals, July 22 - 28. Mingjiu Jiang 7p went as team coach (see below for his commentary on Sun's critical Round 4 match against Czechia). "This was my sixth time representing USA in the WYGC," writes Sun, "I placed fourth in the senior division this year and Kevin tied for eighth in the junior division--which is a very good outcome considering he was the youngest player participating in the competition.

Published On 8/6/2010

Some of the U.S. Go Congress Wednesday Day Off activities (top left clockwise): Pick-up game; Myung-Wan Kim 9P declares victory over the mule; Deep thinking at the Royal Gorge; EJ Brew Pub & Go Marathon Tour. photos: Pick-up photo by Akane Negishi; Myung-Wan Kim & Deep thinking by Roy Laird; Bew pub by Chris Garlock; background landscape photo by Steve Colburn.

Published On 8/6/2010

UNDEFEATED: U.S OPEN 4-0 WINNERS: With two rounds to go, the following players are undefeated thus far in the U.S. Open: Terry Benson, Tucker Burgin, Gordon Castanza, William Gundberg, Albert Guo, Albert Hu, Colin Liu, David Niu, Jesse O'brion, Joel Olson, Jeff Putney, Larry Russ, Roger Schrag, Andrew Shang, Daniel Smith, Myron Souris, Darrell Speck, Myung Wan Kim, April Ye, Peter Zhang. Click here for complete standings/results in the U.S. Open through Round 4. PHILLIPS & FRANKEL DOMINATING SELF-PAIRED: William Phillips and David Frankel together are leading in four of the Self-Paired tourney events.

Published On 8/6/2010

Yongfe Ge 7D unsuccessfully tries to avoid fighting with Myung-Wan Kim 9P in this U.S. Open Round 5 game. Cathy Li 1P (r) shows how two of Ge’s moves early on enable Kim to get a three-way attack going that determines the flow of the rest of this exciting game.

Published On 8/6/2010

Wan Yu Chen 4D and Curtis Tang 7D are the 2010 U.S. Pair Go champions and will represent the U.S. at the World Pair Go Championships later this year. Yukino Takehara 4k and Keiju Takehara 2d were second in the popular annual event, held Thursday night at the U.S. Go Congress. Table winners: Table 1: Cathy Li 1P & Bill Tian Yu Lin 7d; Table 2: Yinli Wang 6d & Matt Burrall 7d; Table 3: Shigeko Hane 1P & Shoichi Sugita 1d; Table 4: Roxanne Tam 2d & Tom Xu 4d; Table 5: Rachel Small 8k & Ryo Maeda 6P; Table 6: April Ye 3k & Aaron Ye 2d; Table 7: Ranka Hane 1k & Takashi Hoshi 1k; Table 8: Eileen Hlavka 7k & Dave Weimer 3d; Table 9: Michiyo Yamamori 1k & David Rohde 5k; Table 10: Xiao-Feng Ha 3k & Sathya Anand 7k; Table 11: Chris Hlavka 14k & Jim Hlavka 2d; Table 12: Melanie Arnold 30k & Keith Arnold 4d. Todd Heidenreich took a break from his EJ Team duties to once again serve as Tournament Director.

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Pair Go Photo Album

Published On 8/6/2010

At the Pair Go Tournament, Thursday, August 5. Photos by Steve Colburn

BONUS ROUND WITH RYO MAEDA 6P

Published On 8/6/2010

"Don't try to fight too much, some people really like to fight, but go is a peaceful game," Ryo Maeda 6P said in his lecture on Friday at the U.S. Go Congress. Due to popular demand, a fifth lecture was added -- four were originally scheduled -- and Maeda picked up where he left off on Thursday with techniques for attaching to the 4-4 point. "The simpler you play, the less mistakes you make, and your chances (of winning) increase -- simple is better," he said.

Published On 8/5/2010

Cheng Xiaoliu 6P (center) was born in 1949 and became a 6-dan pro in 1982. His achievements include 5th place in the 1977 National Individual Championship, 3rd place in the 1981 National Individual Championship, Challenger in the 4th New Sports Cup, Top 4 in the 1988 Meijin Tournament

GETTING ATTACHED WITH RYO MAEDA 6P

Published On 8/5/2010

An alternative to making an invasion at the 3-3 point -- the subject of Tuesday's lecture -- is the attachment to the 4-4 stone, which was the topic for Thursday's U.S. Go Congress lecture by Ryo Maeda 6P (r). He started out by sheepishly admitting that he had made an attachment to a 4-4 stone in a simul on Tuesday and the stone got killed. Maeda went on to demonstrate various positions where the attachment works, and how to use it effectively. The positions all had black on the 4-4 and side star point, with a black stone in between, either a one-point jump from the 4-4 on the fourth line or the knight's move on the third.

5 MINUTES WITH: The Harwit Twins

Published On 8/5/2010

Twin brothers Matthew and Nathan Harwit finish each other’s sentences, are virtually the same strength and are hardly ever seen apart but they’re quick to tell you that Matthew’s the older one. “Two minutes,” the twelve-year-olds say together. Matthew’s 4d and Nathan is 3d but they both agree they’re very close in strength and indeed Nathan won when the two were paired in Tuesday’s third round of the North American Ing Masters tournament. They’ve only been playing a couple years, learning the game after seeing it played at a chess tournament at their elementary school in Boulder, Colorado. “We thought it was cool,” says Matthew, “and the go players were friends of our mother,” adds Nathan.

Published On 8/4/2010

Born into the famous Matsuoka go family, the pressure on Shigeko Hane 1P (r) to succeed as a professional from an early age – she learned when she was 6 years old – was intense. “Winning was the #1 priority,” Hane told the E-Journal in an interview Sunday afternoon in the E-Journal office at the U.S. Go Congress. Now, as the wife of former Kisei, Honinbo and Tengen title holder Naoki Hane 9P and mother of four -- Ranka 1k, Rinka 4k, Ayaka 1k and 3-year-old Kazuya, of whom great things are also expected – she says she just wants “to enjoy the game.” As a go teacher at an elementary school in Aichi Prefecture, she says she emphasizes the “positive aspects” of their play to encourage them.

CRAZY, MAN, CRAZY

Published On 8/4/2010

Quotes & snapshots from Tuesday night's Crazy Go event, directed by Terry Benson "Do I even have eyes?"

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Tuesday Photo Album

Published On 8/4/2010

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Tuesday Photo Album

Published On 8/4/2010

JIANG, YANG, GE & ERIC LUI LEAD ING: Undefeated after three rounds in the North American Ing Masters are Mingjiu Jiang 7P; Huiren Yang 1P, Yongfe Ge 7D and Eric Lui 7D. XUEFEN LIN ING COMMENTARIES POSTED: The North American Ing Masters Round 2 game files (Boards 1-5) now include commentary by Xuefen Lin 1P! The U.S. Open crosstab has been updated through Round 3. SELF-PAIRED CURRENT SCORES: The Champion: William Phillips (8 wins - 1 loss = 7); The Hurricane: William Phillips (8 wins); The Giant Killer (Dan Killer) David Frankel (5 wins against dan-level players); The Keith Arnold (Kyu Killer): Jeffrey Horn (4 wins against kyu-level players); The Straight Shooter: William Phillips (5 consecutive wins: -8, -6, -4, -3, -2, -1, 1); The Dedicated: Gordon Castanza (14 games); The Teacher: Gordon Castanza (8 games against weaker players); The Philanthropist: Gordon Castanza (7 losses). There have been 109 games played so far.

Published On 8/3/2010

U.S. OPEN/ING RESULTS, PHOTOS & GAMES ONLINE: Click here for results and game records from the U.S. Open and North American Ing Masters as well as a photo gallery of all 32 NAIM players. MATTHEW BURRALL TOPS LIGHTNING: Matthew Burrall 7D; Philip London 4D; Aaron Ye 2D; Mark Gilston 1D; Jesse O'Brion 1D; Henry Zhang 2k; April Ye 3k; John Gipson 5k; Sathya Anand 7k; Betsy Small 11k; David Niu 8k. GILSTON & ANAND WIN 13X13: Winners: Mark Gilston 1d, Sathya Anand 7k. TD: David Weiss. IT'S MATT BURRALL & ALBERT HU IN 9 x 9: Dan winner: Matthew Burall 7d; Kyu winner: Albert Hu 3k. PLUS: Tune in to KGS on Tuesday morning at 10A Mountain time for Xuefen Lin 1P’s live game commentary on a Round 2 Ing game from Monday night.

AGA BOARD ELECTION RESULTS ANNOUNCED

Published On 8/3/2010

Lisa Scott (l) , Chuck Robbins, Andrew Okun and Jie Li have won election to 2-year terms on the American Go Association Board of Directors, reports Arnold Eudell. Scott – who received 20 votes to Daniel Smith’s 9 and current Director Roy Schmidt’s 3 -- will represent the Central Region, Robbins – who edged out Andrew Jackson 28-25 – the Eastern, Okun the Western and Jie Li is At-Large. Okun and Li were unopposed and all were incumbents, except for Scott. Click here for details on the election and candidates.

TANG WINS REDMOND CUP

Published On 8/3/2010

Curtis Tang 7d (r) won both Redmond Cup games, shutting out Jianing Gan 7d in the Senior Division. Gan had been favored to win, placing first in the qualifiers, while Tang placed third, and was only selected to play when second place finalist Gansheng Shi was unable to attend the Congress. Tang, now 17 years old, has a long history of success in the Redmond. He took the Junior Division championship in 2001, 03, and 04, and then again in 2006 in the Senior Division. Both finalists won a free trip to the US Go Congress to compete, and will receive cash prizes as well, and this year None Redmond herself will present the Redmond Cup at the awards banquet. Click here for both game records (under Redmond Cup Senior Division). - Paul Barchilon, Youth Editor

HANDLING 3-3 INVASIONS THE MAEDA WAY

Published On 8/3/2010

Making how to handle 3-3 invasions "clear for everyone" was the topic of Tuesday's lecture by Ryo Maeda 6P, the third in his 4-part series at the ongoing U.S. Go Congress. As he explained in Monday's edition, the key to living is to make six points of space: "if you try to make two eyes, chances are you may fail." The invasion at the 3-3 point must be responded to by attaching on either side, but that's not just true for 3-3 invasions, "you must do that, no matter where it happens on the board." Maeda then went through the standard invasion pattern, showing how it corresponded to the Maeda method for making six points of space in the corner.

RUDE, CRUDE AND INCREDIBLY ENTERTAINING

Published On 8/3/2010

Go commentator Seong-Yong Kim 9P once got a very long and formal letter from a viewer admonishing him to “Be quiet!” Kim chuckled happily. For fifteen years he’s been shaking up the go commentary world with his pungent – and entertaining – commentaries. “People call me rude and say ‘that guy’s too loud,’” Kim told the E-Journal Tuesday afternoon at the U.S.

Published On 8/2/2010

IGOLOCAL GOES VIRAL: ”I wanted to take a moment to offer my heartfelt gratitude for your story on Igolocal in the E-Journal,” writes Chuck Thomas. “The result from the story (NEW WAY TO FIND GO PLAYERS DEBUTS 8/1 EJ) was an astounding success, with more than 150 registrations within 10 hours. The great registration flood is over, but the steady stream has begun - Igolocal has gone viral and now the users are the medium.”

Published On 8/2/2010

“This opening has been going on and on for over 15 years,” says Jennie Shen 2P in her U.S. Open Round 1 game commentary, “I think they should do something else.” Youngster Tianyu (Bill) Lin 7d (r) comes up with an unusual move in a common joseki and dukes it out with Myung Wan Kim 9P (l) in the Board 1 game from the first round of the 2010 U.S.

POGO’S PROBLEMS: White To Move

Published On 8/2/2010

“I told Pogo (yes, that's his real name) that I'm going to the 2010 Go Congress,” says Weekly Go Problem Editor Myron Souris. “After doing his happy dance over being rid of me for a week, he gave us a couple of his favorite tsumego problems as exercises. By the way, Pogo is the one on the left.” Adds Souris, “You might be impressed with Pogo's go playing ability, but he's not that good. With three stones, I can beat him more than half the time. Even worse, a rabbit in the yard interrupts a game for 5 minutes.” See below for this week’s problems. Be the first kyu-rated, active AGA member to submit correct solutions to both problems and win the prize of a back issue of Go World magazine. Plus: another Go World will is available to the first kyu-rated 2010 Go Congress attendee to submit solutions. Email solutions to potw@usgo.org; the Problem Editor's judgment is final.

Published On 8/2/2010

GU LI IS THE NEW SUPER MEIJIN: In a close and well-battled final round, Gu Li (l) came out on top defeating Lee Changho by 1.5 points in the first Super Meijin Tournament on July 26. Gu Li had lost to Lee Changho in the first round, defeated Iyama Yuta in the second, and came back in the final round to win (click here for an interview with all three players). LEE CHANGHO ADVANCES TO PRICE INFORMATION CUP FINALS: Lee Changho 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P by 2.5 points in the semifinal match of the 6th Price Information Cup on Saturday. The other semifinal match between Lee Sedol 9P and Won Sungjin 9P will be played on August 8th. The Price Information Cup title match is a best-of-three series. The winner of this tournament will challenge current title holder Kim Jiseok for the 2010 Price Information Cup title. KUKSU UNDERWAY: The 54th Kuksu is now underway. Two of the eight first-round matches were played on July 26th and 28th.

Published On 8/2/2010

There was a lot of laughter at the Nakayama Noriyuki 7P memorial service Sunday. Just as sensei would have wanted. Nakayama, who was a popular visitor at both the European and U.S. Go Congresses for over two decades, died on February 16. The service began with a solemn kenseki ceremony, in which Nakayama – whose portrait overlooked the gathering at the U.S. Go Congress in Colorado Springs, CO -- took white and mourners each placed a black stone on the go board, slowly filling it up. Then the mourners took turns remembering Nakayama and it quickly became clear that Nakayama’s legacy is as much in the hearts of the many go players he touched over the years as it was on the go board.

LIFE AND DEATH WITH RYO MAEDA 6P

Published On 8/2/2010

The key to making a living shape is "not two eyes, but six points," Ryo Maeda 6P said in the second of his four-part U.S. Go Congress lecture series. He went through various sizes of eyes, saying that most players need to "reset" their thinking. For example a group with a three-space eye "is not dead, it just has one eye." He showed the four-space "mountain" eye, as well as the four-space square eye, which he called "baka" ('stupid' in Japanese). He then went on to the bulky five shape (stupid eye plus one) and the rectangular six, which is alive. Only the "flower six" (or rabbity six) is dead, but Maeda said not to worry about that shape as it has never come up in one of his games: "before you get in flower six, you do something else."

Published On 8/2/2010

“This is a really interesting and exciting game,” says Ryo Maeda 6P in his U.S. Open Round 2 game commentary, “with many mysterious and interesting moves.” The game features a non-joseki variation that winds up being an even trade and then a ladder plays a critical role in the fighting that follows, with an attack on Black’s central group, more ladders and finishing with a nailbiting semeai with just one period of overtime left.

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Monday Photo Album

Published On 8/2/2010

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Monday Photo Album

Published On 8/2/2010

"It took begging on my knees to get into schools," said Marjorie "Su Co" Hey 19k (l), the American Go Foundation's Teacher of the Year, in a Monday afternoon presentation about her methods of teaching go. Once she did get into schools, though, teachers "found that the kids that were playing go were behaving better in classes -- suddenly I was very popular." Double-digit kyus make better teachers, she said, because they don't complicate things. "If you give the students too much information, they'll get confused, and they probably won't come back." She is not a fan of "capture go" as a teaching method, because "by the time you get around to showing them all the rules, they've lost interest," so she teaches the full rules of go. Hey said that she ensures that new players win their first game, no matter what, because they won't come back if they don't enjoy it, and "worse yet they won't tell anyone."

Published On 8/1/2010

NORTH AMERICAN ING ROUND 1 CROSSTABS/GAMES: Click here for complete first-round results – including 10 game records -- from the North American Ing Masters tournament. 13X13 TABLE WINNERS: Henry Zhang 2k, Yukino Takehara 4k, Sathya Anand 7k, Charles Polkiewicz 14k, Oliver Wolf 2d, Mark Gilston 1d and Kory Stevens 5d. Takehara, Anand, Gilston and Stevens are all in the finals. 14 dan players total; 24 kyu players total. - Lee Huynh & Laura Kolb; photo: at the 13x13 tournament 9X9 TOURNAMENT: Dan division: Matthew Burall 7d plays Josh Larson 3d; Kyu division: Scott Abrams 2k plays Albert Hu 3k; Smith Garrett 12k defeated Sathya Anand 7k and will play the winner of the Abrams-Hu game. - Lee Huynh & Laura Kolb TANG WINS FIRST ROUND IN REDMOND CUP: Curtis Tang 7d won his first round Redmond Cup game against Jianing Gan this afternoon. Tang, the only player to defeat Gan in the qualifiers, had arrived at Congress at 3a Sunday morning, and played in the US Open a few hours later.

2010 U.S. GO CONGRESS OPENS

Published On 8/1/2010

The 2010 U.S. Go Congress formally launched Saturday as hundreds of go players gathered from across the country and around the globe. As players checked in at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the main playing area filled up with go players engaged in friendly games and there was even an impromptu simul as Qiao Shiyao 1P played a 3-on-1. Later, there was a taiko drum performance, welcoming ceremonies – including the official Go Congress Director plaque transfer from last year’s Congress Director Todd Heidenreich to this year’s Co-Directors Karen Jordan and Ken Koester. - report/photos by Chris Garlock

Published On 8/1/2010

“The future of American go looks very bright,” Yasumasa Hane 9P told the E-Journal in an interview Sunday morning. “You have so many young serious players.” Hane is the Nihon Kiin’s official representative to this year’s U.S. Go Congress, and he’s accompanied by his family, including wife Masami 1k, daughter Michiyo Yamamori 1k. daughter-in-law Shigeko Hane 1P, and Shigeko’s daughters Ranka 1k, Rinka 4k and Ayaka 1k (YASUMASA HANE 9P & GO FAMILY TO ATTEND U.S. GO CONGRESS 6/18 EJ).

RYO MAEDA 6P ON ATTACK AND CAPTURE

Published On 8/1/2010

Understand the Maeda method and you’ll get very good at the middle game and won’t lose fights, Ryo Maeda 6P (r) said in his Sunday afternoon lecture. He described four different ways to attack and capture a third-line stone. The key is "how to make your stone more effective than your opponent's," Maeda said. It’s important to protect weak stones: "If you have a weak stone, you protect it -- that's it." In addition, "if you want to capture your opponent's stone, make your group stronger, then good things happen." Use the normal move in most cases, Maeda advised, “and leave the best move to professionals.” Looking at contact fights, Maeda pointed out that nearby friendly stones can be liabilities in such situations, as weak and strong positions can get reversed. Stones or groups with two liberties are considered weak, and with one liberty, "it's too late." However, "when you atari but can't capture, it's usually a bad move."

EURO GO CONGRESS UPDATE

Published On 7/31/2010

Ilya Shikshin 7D is leading the European Go Championship after the first week of the European Go Congress in Tampere, Finland. Click here for results through Round 5, as of July 30. Shikshin also won Wednesday’s 13x13 Tournament (r). Chin-seok Mok 9P and Klára Žaloudková 3D are the 2010 EGC Pair Go Champions, after forcing Laura Avram 2D and Ilia Shikshin 7D to resign. Click here for EGC news and results and here for EuroGoTV reports.

WAITING FOR THE CONGRESS TO BEGINâ€¦

Published On 7/31/2010

Players are beginning to arrive at the 2010 U.S. Go Congress in Colorado Springs, CO. Hundreds are expected for the yearâ€™s biggest go event in North America. The website will be updated on an ongoing basis, and the E-Journal will be sent out daily with updates. - photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/30/2010

Janice Kim 3PProfessional player Janice Kim 3P addressed "stone capturing disease" and other go problems at a weekend go workshop in San Francisco, CA July 24-25. Students provided game records in advance so that Kim could prepare material geared to the specific needs of the students. Based on the records, Kim discussed blunders (such as losing the game when you are ahead), self-defeating moves (sente moves with obvious responses that don't provide significant benefit), and "stone capturing disease". Kim co-authored the popular book series Learn to Play Go, and is one of only a few western women to be recognized as a professional by the Korea Baduk Association. The workshop was organized by Bay Area Go Players Association, which puts on monthly rated tournaments and periodic pro workshops in Northern California. - Roger Schrag

Published On 7/30/2010

Wolfram Research, makers of the renowned Mathematica technical and symbolic computing software, announced today that it’s donating ten student editions of Mathematica to be used as US Open prizes at the Colorado Springs U.S. Go Congress, which begins Saturday. The current plan is to hold a drawing at the prize banquet from among the currently enrolled college students who won or placed in their division of the Open, though some may be used as prizes for other events.

OLDSTER IS A GAME CHOMP-ION

Published On 7/29/2010

An elderly man bit the thumb off a 71-year-old foe during a fight over a board game at a Queens senior center, authorities said yesterday. Bok Jin Kim, 74, allegedly began taunting his victim, Sang Lee, as Lee was playing Go -- a Chinese game of strategy -- with a pal at the Korean American Senior Center in Corona the afternoon of July 15. "Why did you make that move?" Kim allegedly snipped at Lee. "You're going to lose!" Lee angrily responded, "It's none of your business," and the pair started heatedly arguing, law-enforcement sources said. Kim then allegedly grabbed Lee by the shirt, leaned over and chomped down on his victim's thumb so hard that the tip, including the thumbnail, was severed, the sources said. Lee was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors were unable to reattach the piece of thumb, according to the police report. Kim was charged with assault. - reported by Jessica Simeone in the July 28 edition of The New York Post

GRESS, YEO & HUYNH TOP CHI TUNE-UP

Published On 7/28/2010

Brandon Gress 5d, Sung Yeo 4d and Lee Huynh 1d shared top honors at the July 24 Congress Tune-Up in Chicago, Illinois. There were 29 players, half of whom “came out for pizza, setting a new record,” reports TD Bob Barber. “And some got to show off their I-Pads,” adds Barber. Results: First Place Dan: GRESS, Brandon 5d, YEO, Sung 4d, HUYNH, Lee 1d; First Place High Kyu: NORMAN, Matthew 9k; First Place Low Kyu: SEIFRID, Alicia 16k.

Published On 7/27/2010

Where Are The Classifieds? "Is there still a classified ad section of the EJ?" writes Roy. "I can't find it in the new format." Yes, new classifieds appear in the daily and/or weekly editions of the E-Journal and are posted on the AGA website's news page as well, under "Go Classified" Liking The New Clean Look: "Just wanted to send a quick heads up to say that I really like the new clean look of the E-Journal these days," writes Chris. "Good work!" Love The Interactive Game Apps: "Just wanted to let you know I really love the way you have implemented the game commentaries as interactive web apps," says Mark. "They're great! Mark

Published On 7/27/2010

California Sate Senator – and Speaker Pro Tem -- Leland Yee came to the San Francisco Go Club on Sunday, July 18th to present Mingjiu Jiang 7P with a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate in honor of the Ing Chang-Ki Goe Foundation and their continued sponsorship of the World Youth Goe Championship. This year's contestants are both students of Jiang and he will accompany them to Peng Hu, China for the tournament along with Paul Barchilon. There Jiang will present the Certificate to Ing Ming Hao and Yang Yu Chia of the Ing Foundation at the opening ceremonies of the tournament. Pictured l-r: Dr. Alfred Lee, Vice-President San Francisco Go Club, Senator Leland Yee, Ph.D., and Mingjiu Jiang 7P; report/photo by Ernest Brown

YUSUKE OEDA 9P: 1935-2010

Published On 7/27/2010

Yusuke Oeda 9P has died. Born in 1935, he was a student of Nobuaki Maeda, and was Michael Redmond 9P's dojo mentor. "In addition to his work with young players, he was a prime mover in international go," says Barbara Calhoun, former director for the International Go Federation. "Through his efforts, the Meijin Tournament came to New York City for the first time, in 1987, and many other such exchanges have followed."

U.S. GO CONGRESS: Day One Photo Album

Published On 7/27/2010

(clockwise from bottom center) Huiren Yang 1P simul; Yilun Yang 7P simul; Cathy Li 1P simul; Mingjiu Jiang 7P group game commentary; strong player game analysis (center). Photos by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/27/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Questions from Actual Play #52 - By Haruyama Isamu 9P, translated by Robert McGuigan

TANG TO PLAY IN REDMOND CUP

Published On 7/26/2010

Curtis Tang 7d (r) will be competing in the Redmond Cup at the upcoming U.S. Go Congress. Gansheng Shi 7d was slated to play, but was unable to attend Congress. Tang, who placed third in the finals, will face Jianing Gan 6d in a best-of-three match in the Senior Division. In the Junior, eleven-year-olds Oliver Wolf 2d and Henry Zhang 1d will square off. All Redmond games will be broadcast live on KGS in the AGA Tournaments room. The action starts Sunday August 1 at 3p MTN time, with additional matches on Monday at 3p, Tuesday at 7p, and Thursday at 3p. - Paul Barchilon, Youth Editor

NEW EMPTY SKY T-SHIRTS AVAILABLE

Published On 7/26/2010

The new Empty Sky Go Club t-shirts are now available. “This was designed by our very own Becky and it looks great,” reports club president Steve Colburn. The Hanes Tagless t-shirts in Kelly Green can be pre-ordered now; orders will ship by the end of the September, “just in time for the go tournament season!” adds Colburn. CLICK HERE to order.

WORLD GO NEWS ROUND-UP: July 16-25

Published On 7/25/2010

Gu Li Stays Alive in Super Meijin (7/25): In the second round of the Super Meijin Tournament, Gu Li defeated Iyama Yuta by 4.5 points. The third and deciding round will pit Gu Li against Lee Changho on July 27th. Lee Changho defeats Gu Li in Super Meijin First Round (7/24): In the first game of the new Super Meijin Tournament, Lee Changho defeated Gu Li by resignation. Kang Dongyun Advances to Myeongin Semifinals (7/23): In League A of the 38th Myeongin, Kang Dongyun 9p pulled off a coup by defeating Lee Sedol 9p in their second-to-last league game. Third Round Results in Caltex Cup (7/21): In third-round play of the 15th GS Caltex Cup tournament, Won Sungjin (9d) advanced to the semifinals by defeating An Choyeong (9d) by resignation. Cho U takes 2-1 lead in 35th Gosei (7/20): Cho U 9p is one game away from winning the Gosei for the fifth year in a row. He defeated Sakai Hideyuki 7p by resignation in the third round.

Published On 7/22/2010

Marjorie "Su Co" Hey has been chosen as the AGF’s Teacher of the Year. An ordained Buddhist nun, she is in good company, joining Honinbo Sansa, the 16th century founder of the Honinbo House, among notable go playing Buddhists. Hey, who lives in Medford, MA, has been a dedicated go teacher for the past seven years, with go programs at elementary schools, libraries, and Boys and Girls Clubs, often running five or six separate clubs each week.

Published On 7/16/2010

Dates for the annual Cotsen Go Tournament – which features over $5,000 in prizes – have just been announced. The tournament, sponsored by Lloyd Eric Cotsen (r) with the American Go Association, will be held September 18-19 at the Los Angeles Center Studios. The tournament also features a the popular go club competition, free buffet lunch both days, game commentary by Yilun Yang 7P, and – unique among tournaments anywhere else in the world – free shoulder massages by professional masseuses. Plus, all entry fees are fully refunded Sunday afternoon, for those who pre-register. Email GoTournament@thelec.com for more info. photo by Chris Garlock

Published On 7/16/2010

Park Yeonghun 9P is moving toward accomplishing an undefeated record in League B of the 38th Myeongin. Yeonghun has won all three of his league games so far, notching his latest win against Won Sungjin 8P. He has two league games left to play, one against Cho Hanseung 9P and the other against Kim Kiyoung 5P. Yeonghun is currently ranked #4 among Korean professionals, with Cho Hanseung ranked #6 just behind Choi Cheolhan at #5. A victory against Hanseung would give Yeonghun a solid base going into the Myeongin finals. Park Yeonghun faces Cho Hanseung on August 9th. - JustPlayGo

Published On 7/16/2010

Like Park Yeonghun 9d in League B, Kang Dongyun 9P remains undefeated in League A of the 38th Myeongin. He defeated Baek Hongsuk 7d by resignation on July 15, which eliminates Hongsuk from a spot in the Myeongin semifinals. Dongyun, however, is facing a significant obstacle in maintaining his undefeated league record: his next opponent is Lee Sedol, who is in a must-win situation if he expects to make it into the semifinals. Sedol currently stands at two wins and one loss in league play and will face Kang Dongyun and Lee Changho in his final two games. At this stage in the tournament, there are four remaining players competing for two semifinal spots in League A: Lee Changho 9P, Lee Sedol 9P, Kang Dongyun 9P, and An Kukhyun 2P. - JustPlayGo

OUR YOUNGEST MEMBER

Published On 7/16/2010

The American Go Association's youngest member, 8-month-old Madelyn Terpstra -- AGA #18087 – tries out her new go set, a birthday present from proud grandfather Ted Terpstra (AGA #754). Click here for membership info; send your membership stories to us at journal@usgo.org

PARK JUNGHWAN WINS CHINA-KOREA TENGEN

Published On 7/14/2010

Park Junghwan 8P won the 14th China-Korea Tengen Tuesday, defeating Chen Yaoye 9P by 1.5 points in the final round. This is Park Junghwan’s first C-K Tengen title win and the eighth time Korea has held the title. Chen Yaoye won the title last year, giving China six title wins. - JustPlayGo for game records and an interview with Park Junghwan

Published On 7/13/2010

Agon Kiriyama Cup, 2nd Round July 8, 2010 W: Michael Redmond 9P B: Yamashita Keigo 9P Commentary by Michael Redmond 9P Published in the July 12, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal "This is is a good example of how devastating one careless mistake can be," says Redmond in his commentary on this game.[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2010.07.12-AgonKiriyamaCup_Redmond-Yamashita_Redmond.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2010.07.12-AgonKiriyamaCup_Redmond-Yamashita_Redmond.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

Published On 7/13/2010

Park Junghwan 8d (r) defeated Chen Yaoye 9d (l) by 2.5 points in the second round of the 14th China-Korea Tengen on Monday, July 12. The series is now tied at 1-1; the final game will be played on July 13th. - JustPlayGo

JIANPING WANG WINS ASCHEIM MEMORIAL

Published On 7/13/2010

Jianping Wang 3D (r, with son) took first place in the July 11th Skip Ascheim Memorial Tournament at the Massachusetts Go Association in Somerville, MA. In second was Graham Higgins 6k, also with 4-0 and Pete Martin 4k and Brian Lee 1k tied for third, both with 3-1. There were 26 players, including TD Eva Casey and Mary Powers, who played one game apiece to fill in for late arrivals or early departures, so that no one would have to take a bye. photo courtesy Eva Casey

Published On 7/12/2010

In the first game of the 14th China-Korea Tengen match, China's Chen Yaoye 9P defeated Korea's Park Junghwan 8P by resignation earlier today. The Tengen is an annual best-of-three match between the respective winners of the Chinese Tianyuan and Korean Chunwon tournaments. The second game will be played on July 12th. - JustPlayGo

Published On 7/12/2010

“Uno de los atractivos de ser un jugador kyu es la facilidad con que puede mejorar su juego—algo mucho más difícil para jugadores dan,” says Yuan Zhou in Como No Jugar al Go, a just-issued Spanish translation of Zhou’s popular How Not to Play Go in which he clarifies the common kyu level misunderstandings of how to play which hold kyu players back from reaching dan level. Brian J. Olive of Orlando, Florida did the translation and Slate & Shell publisher Bill Cobb reports that “there are also plans to translate How Not to Play Go into other languages.”

WALDRON WINS "GO FOR ALL" GAME SUMMIT

Published On 7/12/2010

Phil Waldron 6d (r) won the 2010 GO for All Game Summit Open tournament, which drew a diverse field of players triple the size of last year’s event. The event – held amid a gaming convention -- was held in Ottawa, Canada on June 13. Waldron withstood fierce challenges from “Summer” Xià 5d of China – who took second place -- along with Howard Chang 4d (3rd place), Grigory Poselentsev, a 2-dan from Russia, and Benson Lai 2-dan. Slate & Shell Publishing sponsored the event and provided prizes. “After studying the texts, the competition is sure to be even more fierce next year!” reports Tyler Reynolds of GO for All and Vice-President of the Canadian Go Association (Grants & Youth).

DIVERSE PLAYING FIELD IN NORCAL

Published On 7/12/2010

Thirty five players came out for the Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto, CA on July 10. Lucas Baker 3d topped the Dan division with three wins, while Larry Qu 5k and Eric Sumner 17k led the Kyu division with three wins apiece. "Players ranged from seven years old to 72, and from 7d to 30k," reports Tournament Organizer Roger Schrag, "making for quite a diverse playing field." The next Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament is scheduled for August 14 again in Palo Alto. photo by Rene Griffith

EUROPEAN RESULTS: June 18-20

Published On 7/11/2010

Jie Guo 4d won the 31st Kieler Go Tournament, played June 19-20 in Kiel, Germany. Bernd Lewerenz 2d came second and Hans Nelki 1k 3rd. In Freiburg, Leon Stauder 3d won the Freiburger Go Turnier. Tommy Schladitz 3d took 2nd and Michael Palant 5d was 3rd. Bruno Walaszewski 6k took top honors in the kyu players-only Bydgoszcz Tournament on June 19 in Bydgoszcz, Poland. Ignacy Przech 15k came second and Maksym Walaszewski 8k third. In the 3-round Katowice Tournament on June 20, Radoslaw Jachym 4d was the winner in Katowice, Poland, followed by Bronislav Snidal 2d from the Czech Republic and Tomasz Slazok 2d of Poland. Sejichi Nemoto 6d won the June 19 Siberia-Hokkaido Cup in Novosibirsk, Russia. In the June 19-20 Turun Monni in Turku, Finland, Miika Nikula 4d was the winner, with Samuel Ritakallio 3d in second and Oiva Moisio 2d third. Jan Hora 6d notched a perfect score to win the Slovak Go Festival June 18-20 in Piestany, Slovakia. Radek Nechanicky 5d was second and Petr Cipra 3d third.

Published On 7/11/2010

Bernd Schütze 4d swept the 2010 German Championship Preliminary, held June 25-27 at the Chinese Culture Centre in Berlin, Germany. That same weekend, Lei Chen 6d won the China Cup, also held at the Chinese Culture Centre. Nils Ole Timm 3d was second and Andre Städtler 2d third. And in Finland, local players warmed up for the upcoming European Go Congress at the Tampere Championship Cup June 17 in EGC host city Tampere. Markku Jantunen 3d won, just ahead of Tuomo Salo 3d and Oiva Moisio 1d. Lovro Furjanic 4k was the winner of the "403. Velikogoricki vikend go-turnir 2010", a 1-day tournament held June 19 in Velika Gorcia, Croatia. In second place was Stjepan Mestrovic 5k. - EuroGoTV NOTE: the E-Journal is looking for European go news editors; if interested, email us at journal@usgo.org

SAKAI HIDEYUKI WINS GAME TWO IN GOSEI

Published On 7/11/2010

Sakai Hideyuki 7P defeated Cho U 9P in the second game of the the 35th Gosei title match. After losing the first game by resignation in late June, Sakai Hideyuki rallied this Friday, winning by 2.5 points. - JustPlayGo

CHINESE AGON CUP GETS UNDERWAY

Published On 7/11/2010

China’s twelfth annual Agon Cup is now underway. In the set of first-round matches held Thursday, July 8, Sun Tengyu, Qiu Jun, and Gu Li all won their respective games. Sun Tengyu 4d, the defending Agon champion, defeated Sun Li 4d by resignation; Qiu Jun 8d defeated Meng Li 3d by 2.5 points; and Gu Li 9d defeated Cao Xiaoyang 3d by resignation. The Agon Cup is a blitz tournament in which the Chinese winner faces off against Japan’s Agon Cup title holder in an annual China-Japan Agon Cup game between the two go powers. Last year’s winner was Sun Tengyu, defeating Hane Naoki by 3.5 points. - JustPlayGo

BBC ON “WHY GO?”

Published On 7/10/2010

After go, says the British Museum's Dr Irving Finke, "you could argue that the world's board games went downhill." BBC Radio aired a 30-minute program on “Why Go?” on May 13 in which reporter Chris Ledgard “explores the world of Go, talking to experts in the East and West about the game's history and culture, and examining some its ancient artifacts.” Although the audio is no longer available online, an overview of the show is available.

AGA ISSUES NEW MEMBERSHIP CARDS

Published On 7/10/2010

New permanent membership cards are now in the mail to members of the American Go Association. "These cards will replace the old paper cards we have all received over the years," says AGA membership staffer Sam Zimmerman. "The new card will be issued only once for each member, so please, hang onto it." Because the new cards are permanent, they no longer include the player's rating or membership expiration date. To find your AGA rating and/or the date of your membership expiration, click on the AGA's rating page. If you have comments or questions, contact Zimmerman at szimmerman@ctipc.com

Published On 7/8/2010

Lee Changho increased his chance of reaching the 38th Myeongin semifinals on Tuesday, defeating Kim Seongjae 4P by resignation. Changho now stands at 2-2, and will play his final league game against Lee Sedol. Kang Dongyun is currently in the strongest position with a 2-0 record, but he too has yet to play against Lee Sedol. With two players anticipating potentially critical games against him, it will be interesting to see if Lee Sedol's recent loss to Kong Jie has any visible effect on his game. - JustPlayGo

LEE CHANGO BREAKS MYEONGIN SLUMP

Published On 7/6/2010

Entering his third game in league play of the 38th Myeongin without a single win, Lee Changho (9P) managed a victory last Tuesday, defeating Baek Hongsuk (7P). It was a decisive victory for Lee Changho, with Baek Hongsuk resigning after only 103 moves. Lee Changho’s next league game will be against Kim Seongjae (4P), on July 6th, and his final league game will be against Lee Sedol (9P), at a date to be announced. - JustPlayGo

YAMASHITA KEIGO WINS FIRST HONINBO

Published On 7/6/2010

Yamashita Keigo 9P won his first Honinbo title on Tuesday, June 29, defeating Hane Naoki 9P by 7.5 points in the fifth and final round of the 65th Honinbo for a decisive 4-1 record. - JustPlayGo

FIREWORKS IN THE OLLEH KT CUP

Published On 7/6/2010

Although An Choyeong 9P became disagreeable during the scoring phase of last Tuesday's match in the Olleh KT Cup, requiring a tournament official to mediate the dispute, he was ruled the winner, defeating Song Taekon 9P by 3.5 points in the game. - JustPlayGo

KONG JIE WINS FUJITSU CUP IN A BIG WAY

Published On 7/6/2010

Kong Jie (r) won the Fujitsu Cup Monday, defeating Lee Sedol by a massive 12.5 points in the 23rd Fujitsu Cup title match. This is the first Fujitsu Cup title for Kong Jie, adding to an already impressive list of international titles. Following some unfavorable exchanges early on, Lee Sedol fought to reverse the flow and come from behind. Kong Jie, nevertheless, stayed the course and was successful in shutting him down. This is obviously a major win for Kong Jie, solidifying his #1 status on the international stage. - JustPlayGo

AGA BOARD ELECTIONS UNDERWAY

Published On 7/6/2010

Voting is now under way in the 2010 AGA Board elections, reports Election Coordinator Arnold Eudell. "All chapters and eligible members should have received their Ballotbin voting codes through email," says Eudell. Anyone who has not received their ballot should contact elections@usg.org

Published On 7/6/2010

With Lee Changho last week finally breaking his slump in league play of this year's Myeongin (see story in this week's EJ), this week's game commentary is a timely in-depth look at his Chunlan Cup first-round game against Chang Hao last year. The commentary is by Chang Hao 9P from Weiqi World, translated for the E-Journal by Yuan Zhou 7d, one of the strongest amateurs in the US. He has written many books, holds workshops regularly, and has students via the Internet. He lives in Germantown, MD, with his wife and son. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2010_07_06_changhao_leechangho_weiqiworld.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2010_07_06_changhao_leechangho_weiqiworld.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

WANTED: MEMORIES OF NAKAYAMA

Published On 7/4/2010

U.S. Go Congress organizers are putting together a special memorial ceremony in honor of Nakamaya Noriyuki 7P at this year’s Congress. “Many have special memories of Nakayama’s love of go and he will be sorely missed,” says Director Karen Jordan. Send your Nakayama photos, stories, articles and remembrances (max 200 words) to Jordan at Director@gocongress.org with Nakayama Memories in the subject line. Deadline is July 10 for inclusion in the Nakayama scrapbook. The memorial ceremony is scheduled for the Go Congress on Sunday, August 1 at 3p. “The scrapbook will be available for viewing all week and will be presented as a gift for the Nihon Kiin at the Saturday Awards Banquet,” says Jordan. photo by Phil Straus

ONLINE SOFTWARE FOR MANAGING YOUR CLUB

Published On 7/2/2010

"Who wants to be spending time organizing your go club when you could be playing go?" asked Santa Fe go club organizer Robert Cordingley Monday evening. Cordingley conducted a presentation on his online software GoClubsOnline, which simplifies the process of registering players for tournaments, sending email to club members, uploading data to the AGA, tracking a club library, and more. Clubs can register with GoClubsOnline for $95/year for up to 30 members, though Cordingley is offering a discount for the duration of the Congress to $80/year for attendees. - Report by Jake Edge

NEW WAY TO FIND GO PLAYERS DEBUTS

Published On 7/1/2010

IgoLocal is a new way to find go players in your community or when you’re traveling. Creator Chuck Thomas – who also runs Shodan Imports -- calls IgoLocal “the first physical go server and location service,” and the free online service -- which just launched -- makes it easy to find local go players who match your rank, challenge them to games at a specific time and location and create open games for anybody in your area to accept. IgoLocal is also designed to help go players find and join local go clubs, create a go club that will be seen by the entire world and manage your local schedule of go-related activities. “Register now so that other go players in your area can find you!” urges Thomas.

Published On 7/1/2010

The “Impossible” Tian Yuan Tower problem (5/27 EJ) is “Far from impossible,” writes John Fairbairn, “especially once[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TowerProblemSOLUTION.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TowerProblemSOLUTION.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] you know the name of the problem, Shenlong Guotu, or Divine Dragon Shedding Its Bones. The Daoist phrase ‘shedding bones,’ or variants such as ‘shedding a skin’, always signify it's an under-the-stones problem,” says Fairbairn, a longtime go writer and co-author of the Games of Go on Disk encyclopedia (GoGoD). Fairbairn was one of just eight readers to correctly solve the problem

EJ CONGRESS TEAM HAS OPENINGS

Published On 6/28/2010

The American Go E-Journal’s Congress Team has a few openings left for game recorders, photographers and reporters as we again this year provide wall-to-wall coverage of this year’s 26th annual U.S. Go Congress, live from Colorado Springs, Colorado. We’ll broadcast top-board games in both the U.S. Open and North American Ing Cup every day on KGS, as well as publish reports, photos and game records daily on the website and in the E-Journal. If you’re interested, please email journal@usgo.org

Published On 6/28/2010

Redmond won this first-round Agon Cup game by half a point on June 19. In his commentary for the American Go E-Journal, he takes an[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.28-Redmond-Cho-AgonCup_RedmondCommentary.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.28-Redmond-Cho-AgonCup_RedmondCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] in-depth look at the fuseki, explaining both the moves and the thinking behind them.

SEVENTH-GRADER ON QUEST FOR GO CREDIT

Published On 6/28/2010

Will Hamilton, a 7th grader at Crane School in, Montecito, CA, scored big with go this year. Students were assigned a Quests Explorations Discoveries (QED) project, which is an "opportunity to explore an interest, embrace a challenge, make a 'quest' into a new area of interest, or work toward a personal goal," according to the school's website. Will contacted Ed Lee of the Santa Barbara Go club, who agreed to act as his mentor, and the two met weekly for five months.

Published On 6/28/2010

Jian Liu 1d (r) topped the NOVA Congress Tune-up Team Competition in Arlington, VA on June 26. The Great Falls Go Club C Team -- Ching-Sung Chin 3k, Jerry Chen 4k and Ethan Hsiao 33k -- won the team competition, a new feature of the quarterly 4-round handicap tournament in which 3-6 players can form a team and the team with the most wins per player wins $100 cash prize. The team competition -- sponsored by NGOL.US -- inspired players to check team scores frequently and come up creative team names like Muse, Richmond Rogues and Bamfs. The NOVA and GFGC-A Team were close behind with seven wins each. Click here for more photos.

Published On 6/28/2010

After three weeks of intense competition, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has named seventeen members to the US Junior National Team, who will compete in the 2010 Brunei Friendship Games later this week. Six students had earned berths directly for superior performance in the School Team Tournament, while the remainder were selected by a qualifying tournament. "From last year’s gold medal winning squad, we’re glad to welcome back two members who earned berths in the qualifying event," reports organizer Ashely Wilson; "we look forward to repeating our performance and taking top honors again. Games will be played on KGS, so we hope you all will come out in support of the Red, White, and Blue against Southeast Asia." For more information, go to the AGHS website.

Published On 6/28/2010

Team Posco Chemtech -- Kang Changbae 2P, Park Yeonghun 9P and Baek Hongsuk 7P -- defeated Team Tbroad in KB League play on June 26. They won three out of their five games, putting them dead even with Team Marble in second place. Kang Changbae’s win over veteran pro Mok Jinseok was somewhat of a surprise: Changbae was an amateur player from 2005 to 2008 and the South Korean representative in the 2007 Korea Prime Minister Cup World Baduk Championship, winning the tournament undefeated. - JustPlayGo for the game record between Park Yeonghun and An Choyeong

Published On 6/28/2010

Today’s game commentary is on the decisive game in this year’s Kisei title match. Cho U 9P plays Yamashita Keigo 9P with commentary by Wang Lei 8P, translated from the March 15, 2010 Weiqi World by Yuan Zhou 7d. [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_06_28-chou-yamashitakeigo_weiqiworld.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_06_28-chou-yamashitakeigo_weiqiworld.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]

U.S. PAIR GO PLAYERS WANTED

Published On 6/28/2010

"Once again, the AGA is looking for eight pairs to play in a knockout tournament, for the right to play at the International Amateur Pair Go Championships in Tokyo, October 14-19," Pair Go Coordinator Allan Abramson announced today. The knockout would start with two Sunday online rounds, July 18th and 25th. The final match would take place at the Go Congress in Colorado Springs. Pairs must meet the AGA's requirements (see below), and the finalists must attend this year’s U.S. Go Congress. Interested pairs should register with tournaments@usgo.org, giving names, AGA member ID's, telephone numbers, and IGS nicknames, by 11 July.

KONG JIE ELIMINATED FROM CHANGQI CUP

Published On 6/26/2010

Zhou Ruiyang 5P defeated Kong Jie 9P by 5 points in the second round of the 7th Changqi Cup on Thursday, June 24. Zhou Ruiyang will now face Piao Wenyao in the third round on June 26th. The Changqi Cup is a relatively new tournament sponsored by the Ing foundation, which had its beginnings in Beijing in 2004. The tournament name ‘Changqi’ is the first name of the late Taiwanese millionaire (Ying Changqi) who sponsored the Ing Cup world championship. The tournament is open to all Chinese professionals. - JustPlayGo, based on reports on go4go

CHO U TAKES GAME 1 IN GOSEI

Published On 6/26/2010

Cho U 9P defeated Sakai Hideyuki 7P by resignation in the first round of the 35th Gosei on Thursday, June 24. Cho U is the defending titleholder, and has won the Gosei four consecutive years, 2006-2009. The Gosei is Sakai Hideyuki’s first major title match. The second round will be played on July 9th. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/26/2010

In the third round of the 15th GS Caltex Cup, Park Yeonghun 9P defeated Kim Junghyun 2P by resignation Wednesday, June 23, eliminating Junghyun from tournament play. Only a few weeks earlier, on June 11th, Kim Junghyun had eliminated Lee Changho by defeating him in the second round. Park Yeonghun now advances to the Caltex Cup Semifinals to face either Heo Yeongho 7P or Lee Younggu 8P. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/26/2010

"Recognizing our volunteers is so important," says American Go Association President Allan Abramson. "The AGA is a volunteer organization, and we want to publicly recognize those who contribute so much to everyone's playing enjoyment." Nominees thus far include Jonathan Bresler for his work on ratings and James Story and David Drexler, for outreach/promotion. The deadline for nominating volunteers for special recognition is June 30. Please send their name(s) and a nomination statement to aga@usgo.org

CONGRESS SIGHTSEEING TRIPS

Published On 6/26/2010

There’s lots to do in and around Colorado Springs besides play go at the upcoming U.S. Go Congress, and Congress organizers are putting together the following sightseeing trips during the traditional Wednesday Day Off: tours of the Garden of the Gods, U.S. Air Force Academy, Manitou Cliff Dwellings (r), Cave of the Winds, Castle Rock Factory Outlets, Six Flags Elitch Gardens Theme Park, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver Zoo. Look for your chance to sign up at the Congress.

Published On 6/24/2010

Carlo Metta 2d won the 2010 Turin Go Tournament, held June 12-13 in Torino, Italy, with a 5-0 record. Alberto Zingoni 4k (4-1) was second, while Mirco Fanti 1k (3-2) was third. In Vienna, Austria, Viktor Lin 5d swept the Alfred Nimmerrichter Gedenk Turnier 2010 which was also held on June 12th and 13th. Bernhard Scheid 5d was second at 4-1 and Ondrej Kruml 4d was 3-2 for third place. Weiying Soerlin 5d won the Stockholm Open 2010 by going undefeated in the tournament held in that Swedish city. Victor Damberg 2d only lost to Soerlin for second, while Erik Ouchterlony 3d lost to Soerlin and Damberg for third. Karel Kral 20k won the Northern Bohemia Cup, which is a handicap tournament that was held June 12-13 in Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. Kral had 4 wins in 5 rounds as did Katerina Babicka 8k, who came in second, and Martin Cech 4k, who came in third.

Published On 6/22/2010

In today’s game commentary, new regular E-Journal contributor Michael Redmond takes a detailed look at his May 6 Agon-Kiriyama [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.22-Redmond-Hironari_RedmondCommentary.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.22-Redmond-Hironari_RedmondCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] Cup preliminary final against Nakano Hironari 9P. “This win got me into the final (honsen) of the Agon-Kiriyama Cup,” says Redmond.

GET THE LATEST GO NEWS FIRST!

Published On 6/22/2010

Want to get the latest go news first? Switch to the daily edition of the American Go E-Journal, the most widely-read English language go publication in the world! Each daily edition has just a few brief reports on the latest go news from around the world, an easy and quick way to stay on top of breaking stories like Michael Redmond’s exciting win in the Agon Cup last Friday. Switching is simple: just click on “Update Your Profile” at the bottom of the E-Journal and then click on “Daily.” We think you’ll find the shorter daily updates easier to digest than the weekly E-Journal, but if at any time you want to switch back, just update your profile again!

GO SPOTTING: A Thousand Plateaus

Published On 6/21/2010

”In chapter 12 of their book A Thousand Plateaus- Capitalism and Schizophrenia," Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari use go in opposition to chess as a model to begin describing their concept of 'nomadology' (pp.352-53),” writes Marc Willhite. “Not the lightest reading to be sure, but it certainly gave me a new appreciation for the qualities that make go the confounding and fascinating game that it is.”

KYEONG-NANG SWEEPS IN BUDAPEST

Published On 6/20/2010

Kyeong-nang Kang 7d swept the 2010 Hungarian International Tournament, going 5-0 at the June 4-6 event in Budapest. Pál Balogh 6d was second and Pavol Lisý 4d took third, both coming in just ahead of long-time teacher Csaba Mérõ 6d, and all with three wins. There were 44 participants in the tournament. - EuroGoTV

Published On 6/20/2010

Michael Redmond 9P defeated Cho U 9P by half a point in the first round of the 17th Agon Cup on Friday. Stay tuned for more details as they become available. This week’s Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal will include Redmond’s commentary on his May 6 win against Nakano Hironari 9P which got him into the 16-player Agon Cup final. CLICK HERE for the E-Journal’s recent interview with Redmond. - includes reporting by JustPlayGo

Published On 6/20/2010

With his fourth-round win in the Honinbo on Friday, Yamashita Keigo 9P has taken a 3-1 lead over Hane Naoki 9P. This would be the first Honinbo title for Yamashita; Hane has held the title for the past two years. The fifth round will be played on June 28-29. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/20/2010

FINDING MEMBER GAME COMMENTARIES: “I just recently started receiving the AGA journal for members,” writes Denis Pelletier. “The main reason for doing so was for the commented games. How do I go about finding the commented games?” Game commentaries are marked as Member’s Edition content in the E-Journal; click on “read more” to play through the game in an online viewer or click on “link” to download the .sgf file (you’ll need an sgf reader).

Published On 6/20/2010

Frank Janssen 6d (r) was perfect through seven rounds to win the 2010 Dutch Korean Ambassador's Cup, held June 12-13 in Delft. Michiel Eijkhout 6d, Willem-Koen Pomstra 5d, and Rudi Verhagen 5d were all 5-2, each having lost to Janssen and once to each other, and came in 2nd through 4th respectively. There were 14 players in the tournament, which is a qualifier for the Dutch representative to the Korean Prime Minister's Cup. - EuroGoTV

SMUD WINS BUNDEK OPEN

Published On 6/20/2010

Mladen Smud 1k (r) won the four-round Bundek Open Go Tournament, held June 12 in Zagreb, Croatia. Vedran Vasiljevic 2d was second, losing only to Smud (who was a strong 4d fifteen years ago), while Vigor Grego 1d was third, losing only to Vasiljevic. This was the final tournament of ten in the first Croatian Go League, which was won by Matthew Zakanj 3d with Smud in second. - EuroGoTV

RACES HEAT UP IN AGA BOARD ELECTIONS

Published On 6/19/2010

Contested seats in the Eastern and Central regions highlight this year’s AGA Board of Directors election. Andrew Jackson is challenging incumbent Chuck Robbins in the Eastern region while current Central Region board member Roy Schmidt is being challenged by Daniel Smith and Lisa Scott. Andrew Okun is unopposed in the Western Regon, as is At-Large member Jie Li. Current AGA chapters are eligible to vote in the election, weighted by membership; ballots will be sent to each current chapter on June 21 and must be returned by July 30. The votes will be counted at the U.S. Go Congress and the results announced. CLICK HERE for candidate statements (if any; there are none as of press-time), voting procedures and rules. “Chapter representatives should have received their current voting rights,” reports Arnold Eudell. Report any discrepancy or your current contact information to him at elections@usgo.org

Published On 6/18/2010

While top professionals do lose big games now and again, it seems a bit unusual for so many to be struggling at the same time. In the past few weeks, Korean pro Lee Sedol 9P has lost a few important games he was expected to win, and Lee Changho 9P has been in a painful slump. Now, it looks possible that things could get rocky for a few Chinese players as well. Kong Jie 9P, Chang Hao 9P, and Nie Weiping 9P were all eliminated in the first round of the 3rd Quzhou-Lanke Cup, which ended this Wednesday. Nie Weiping's loss to Shi Yue 4P was not too surprising, as Shi Yue is one of China's better mid-level pros and may move to the top level in the future.

LEE CHANGHO TO MARRY YI DOYUN

Published On 6/18/2010

Lee Changho 9P announced his engagement to Cyberoro reporter Yi Doyun on Tuesday. Miss Yi Doyun is a strong baduk player as well, and the couple said they plan to have between one and three children. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/15/2010

Yamashita Keigo 9P took a 2-1 lead in the 65th Honinbo Wednesday when he defeated defending title-holder Hane Naoki 9P by resignation. The fourth round will be played on June 17-18. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/15/2010

"Register for this year's 2010 U.S. Go Congress by midnight June 30 and save!" says Congress Director Karen Jordan. Base costs increased $50 after 6/15 and will increase $75 after 6/30 and $100 after 7/17. Registration for the Congress -- set for July 31 - August 8 in Colorado Springs, CO -- has now passed 300, including 12 professionals, 113 dan players and 138 kyus. Click here for the latest list of attendees. The Congress website is being regularly updated with new Congress information, like the Go Congress group rate for people coming to the Congress site from Denver International Airport. Click here for the website of the Congress shuttle service; the e-mail address is aairshuttle@aol.com. You may sign up and pay online. Questions about the Congress? Click here for answers to frequently asked questions.

Published On 6/15/2010

The American Go Yearbook has just published the first-ever World Amateur Go Championship Special Edition, an 18-page full-color PDF report on the 31st annual World Amateur Go Championship held May 24-31 in Hangzhou, China. "We're tremendously pleased to be able to provide our members with this timely and comprehensive report on amateur go's major world event," said Yearbook Managing Editor Chris Garlock. The Special Edition is a compilation of the coverage of the WAGC by the American Go E-Journal/Ranka Online team -- suitable for online viewing or printing out -- and includes reports, photos and embedded clickable links to game commentaries by Michael Redmond 9P and the complete online coverage by both the E-Journal and Ranka.

LEE CHANGHO UPSET IN GS CALTEX CUP

Published On 6/14/2010

Lee Changho 9p's troubles continue to plague him. Playing in the second round of the 15th GS Caltex Cup on Saturday, Kim Junghyun 2P defeated Lee Changho 9P by resignation. Kim Junghyun is relatively new to the professional scene, turning pro in 2009 and gaining the rank of 2 dan on April 8th, 2010. - JustPlayGo

Published On 6/14/2010

“My study of the endgame actually had more effect on my opening,” Michael Redmond 9P told the E-Journal during a recent interview during the World Amateur Go Championships in Hangzhou, China. Redmond, who this issue becomes a regular game commentary contributor to the E-Journal (Member’s Edition only; click here to join), shared his tips on studying, improving, and thoughts on the differences in professional training in Japan, China and Korea. Over the last year or so, Redmond has been studying the classic Castle Games, with special attention to close games.

SIX WIN IN U.S. YOUTH GO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Published On 6/14/2010

Six young go players have won national titles in the recently-completed U.S. Youth Go Championships, which were held online. Curtis Tang 7d led the High Dan (5-7d) division, narrowly defeating former champion -- and current World Youth Representative -- Calvin Sun 7d. In the Low Dan (1-4d) division, which had both senior and junior sections, Justin Shieh 4d took top honors in the senior, while seven-year-old Aaron Ye 1d won the junior. Van Tran is the new Single Digit Kyu Champion in the 1-4k range, while Larry Qu won in the 5-9k range. The Double Digit Kyu Champion is Raymond Liu 10k. The new title holders will receive trophy plaques with their name and title, and partial scholarships to the Go Camp or Go Congress. Everyone who entered will also receive free audio go lessons, courtesy of Guo Juan's Internet Go School. Click here for full standings in each division.

Published On 6/14/2010

U.S. youth competing for Team Tiger's Mouth eked out a narrow 9-8 victory over Alexandre Dinerchtein's Insei League Sunday on KGS. Seventeen youth from the U.S. and Canada faced off against the Inseis, who were mainly European. The top board featured a close battle between 13-year-old U.S. champ Calvin Sun 7d and 17-year-old Ukranian KGS star Artem Kachanovskyj 7d, with Sun prevailing. Canadian 13-year-old Jianing Gan 7d, lent a hand to his U.S. friends, scoring a win against a Russian 5 dan, while Yang Xu 5d, Justin Shieh 4d, Justin Teng 3d, Aaron Ye 1d, April Ye 3k, Gilbert Feng 3k, and Maher Qandil 5k, all notched up wins for Tiger's Mouth as well. The top board, and full standings, are available here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J. Youth Editor

Published On 6/14/2010

Tang Wenhua 6d (r) claimed top place in the 2010 Santa Monica Coffee Cup’s Espresso Division last Saturday after a tense final-game win over the Santa Monica Go Club's own Yixian Zhou 7d, the 2009 US Open 6d Division winner. In addition to a pound of dark roast and the eponymous hand-painted coffee cup -- in this year's theme color of avocado green -- Tang was awarded certification as a 6-dan amateur by the Hankuk Kiwon, courtesy of the Kiwon's go ambassador, Myung-wan Kim 9P (center).

Published On 6/14/2010

Zipei Feng 7d took first place in the June 12 Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament in Boulder, Colorado. “We had 43 players attend,” reports David Weiss, “including five people who drove all the way from Salt Lake City, and drove back immediately after the tournament was over.” Victor Traibush 3k won 2nd place, Yun Bo Yi 6d was 3rd and Lenny Den 15k won 5 of 6 games in his second tournament to take first place in the handicap section.

IN MEMORIAM: Edmund Havens

Published On 6/14/2010

Edmund Havens was killed in an automobile accident in Spain on May 28. Greater Washington Go Club (GWGC) organizer Haskell Small says Havens was a “kind, elderly gentleman who has come to the club several times in the past year or so. I knew him from way back in the GWGC’s early years, and I was happy to see him return. I will miss him.” Havens was a “Proud father, devoted husband, intrepid traveler, avid reader, movie buff, puzzle addict, veteran Marine, retired civil servant, arts patron, and Past Master,” according to Haven's obituary in the Washington Post, which includes details about calling hours Tuesday night, the memorial service on Wednesday and interment Thursday.

Published On 6/14/2010

“Miyazawa is a strong fighter, and also likes to go for territory,” says Michael Redmond 9P in today’s commentary on his Honinbo A[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.14-HoninboALeague-Redmond-Miyazawa-Redmond.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.06.14-HoninboALeague-Redmond-Miyazawa-Redmond.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]League game against Miyazawa Goro 9P on January 28. “In this game my plan was to play for thickness and hope to fight in my own sphere of influence.” Check out Redmond’s commentary to see how the plan plays out. Redmond, the American-born top pro, this issue becomes a regular game commentary contributor to the E-Journal.

AGA BOARD NOMINATIONS CLOSE JUNE 15

Published On 6/14/2010

Deadline for nominations to the American Go Association’s Board of Directors is Tuesday, June 15. “This is a great opportunity to contribute to the current running and future direction of the AGA,” says President Allan Abramson. Deadline for nominations is June 15. Email nominations to elections@usgo.org Nominees must be full AGA members, as must be those who make nominations; CLICK HERE for details on nomination procedures and candidate qualifications.

TARUMI TOPS IN DARMSTADT

Published On 6/10/2010

Jun Tarumi 5d (l) topped a field of 113 players to win the Darmstaedter Go-Tage 2010, played June 5-6 in Darmstadt, Germany. Tarumi was undefeated in the five-round tournament, while Torsten Knauf 4d and Thomas Kettenring 3d came out on top of six players with 3 wins for second and third places. There were 80 kyu level players in the huge field. - EuroGoTV

Published On 6/10/2010

The British Go Association (BGA) has recently completed a project to get all issues of the British Go Journal into an on-line archive. Each issue since 1967 is available as a PDF file, with many issues having some of their content translated into web pages. Making article web pages is an ongoing project, and issues will only become available to the general public once they become a year old. There are 148 issues currently available with games and instructional articles for kyu through dan-level players.

Published On 6/10/2010

Korea exacted a measure of revenge Wednesday when Korea’s An Choyeong defeated China’s Gu Li by a half point in the second round of the 15th LG Cup. Gu Li had defeated Lee Sedol in the first round, eliminating Korea’s strongest player in this tournament. Lee Changho, who defeated China’s Tuo Jiaxi by resignation, is now Korea’s leading hope in winning this year’s LG Cup. Choi Cheolhan is also a strong contender for Korea and is currently playing extremely well. In a rather surprising outcome, China’s Hu Yaoyu defeated fellow teammate Chang Hao by resignation. Of course, China’s Kong Jie is the defending title-holder and the favorite to win the LG Cup for a second year in a row.

Published On 6/10/2010

Catalin Taranu 7d (c) swept the finals of the 2010 Romanian Cup to notch his third consecutive title. Cristian Pop 7d (r) went 5-1 to come in second, while Cornel Burzo 6d (l) was one of four with a 4-2 record and came in third. The tournament was held June 4-6 in Pitesti. - EuroGoTV

Published On 6/10/2010

Valerij Krushelnyckyj 7k went 6-0 to top the field of 19 at the Rivne (Ukraine) Open Championship for those under 12. Vladyslav Verteleckyj 8k was second at 5-1 and Andrij Pylypchuk 11k was third at 4-2. The tournament was held June 5-6. - EuroGoTV

RECENT UK TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Published On 6/10/2010

Recent UK tournament highlights previously unreported: YOHEI NEGI IN A JAM AT SCOTTISH OPEN: Yohei Negi from St. Andrews made it three in a row with his win at the 2010 Scottish Open, May 29–30 in Dundee. Second was Chi Pan Yau from Hong Kong, who only lost to Yohei. All players with three wins won cash prizes plus a bottle of Cairn O’Mohr local fruit wine and all 27 players took away a traditional pot of marmalade. In the Friday evening rapidplay, Jennie Radcliffe got the prize for the best win/games ratio with 5/7, and Robbie Goetschalckx took the endurance prize having played a dozen or more games. “ORIENTAL” WINS LONDON INTERNATIONAL TEAMS SPRING MATCH: With Cambridge withdrawing on short notice, only the “Oriental” and “Occidental” teams competed in the April 25 London International Teams Spring Match at the Nippon Club in London.

Published On 6/8/2010

Argentina’s Fernando Aguilar 7d had a chance to counter-attack strongly in his Round 8 World Amateur Go [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.05.30-WAGC-Rd8-Argentina-Singapore-Redmond.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010.05.30-WAGC-Rd8-Argentina-Singapore-Redmond.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf]Championship game against Yuxiang Lou 5d of Singapore, but failed to capitalize on the opportunity, according to Michael Redmond 9P. See his Member’s Edition game commentary for several major points and variations.

QUALIFIERS SET FOR 2010 N.A. ING CUP

Published On 6/7/2010

Qualifiers for this year’s North American Ing Cup (NAIM) tournament have been scheduled. The NAIM features the largest prizes in North America as 32 of the continent's top players meet each year at the US Go Congress for an exciting week of competition. First up is the June 12 Santa Monica Coffee Cup in Santa Monica, CA. Pre-registration required; abc@okun.name THIS JUST IN: also on June 12, the KGC Summer Tournament will be held in Kalamazoo, MI; register at paul@kzoogo.info The New York Go Center NAIMT Qualifier will be held June 13 in New York City; pre-register at badukboris@gmail.com The first KGS NAIM Qualifier is set for June 19

Published On 6/7/2010

Lee Sedol 9P (l) ranks well above second-ranked Lee Changho 9P in the Korean Baduk Association’s ranking system’s latest standings. Lee Sedol has 9732 points to Lee Changho’s 9598 points, with Park Junghwan 7P and Park Yeonghun 9D close behind at 9581 and 9580 points, respectively. CLICK HERE for the complete Top Ten list. - JustPlayGo

KONG JIE WINS ASIAN TV CUP

Published On 6/5/2010

KONG JIE WINS ASIAN TV CUP

5 MINUTES WITH: Carlos Joels, Peru

Published On 5/30/2010

Stuck at home sick a few years ago, Carlos Joels 1k of Peru was channel surfing when he came across a strangely fascinating game being played on Japanese TV. He had been a chess player, but was bored with it because of the constant repetition of the moves and, seeing the go board he realized that this offered more scope for innovative play and decided to learn the game. The 25-year-old -- who has just graduated with a degree in economics -- has now been playing go for a year and a half, playing every day and going to the go club in Lima every week where there are about 10 players. Next year, he plans to go to Taiwan to learn Chinese. "Of course," he says with great excitement, "there is a go club there where I hope I will improve very fast." - None Redmond, special correspondent to the E-Journal; photo by John Pinkerton

KOREA WINS 2010 WAGC

Published On 5/30/2010

With a perfect 8-0 score, Hongsuk Song 7d of the Republic of Korea is the new World Amateur Go Champion. Click here for complete results. CLICK HERE for James Davies' complete Ranka online report on the Round 8 action: "On the top board, Korea’s undefeated Hongsuk Song faced Czechia’s Ondrej Silt. On the second board, China’s Chen Wang faced Hong Kong’s Naisan Chan. All four of these young players were virtually assured of finishing in the top eight, and one of them would be the new world champion..." - Chris Garlock; photo by John Pinkerton

5 MINUTES WITH: John Gibson, Ireland

Published On 5/30/2010

Dubliner John Gibson has an unusual claim to fame, even for a go player. He once played go with Ira Einhorn the infamous "The Unicorn Killer" now serving a life sentence for the 1977 murder of Holly Maddux. In the early ‘80s, Gibson was introduced to “Ben Moore” – a pseudonym of Einhorn’s, while he was on the run -- by the Secretary of his Dublin chess club, “and we played a number of games,” says Gibson. “He was about 7 kyu.” Gibson has been playing go for 34 years and participated in the first World Mind Sports Games in 2008. He attends one of the two Dublin go clubs at least once a week and reports that there are ongoing serious efforts to teach go in Ireland, although go is not supported by the Irish government and so they have to supply all their equipment themselves. - None Redmond, special correspondent for the E-Journal; photo by John Pinkerton

U.S. GO CONGRESS DEADLINE EXTENDED

Published On 5/30/2010

The early registration deadline for this year’s U.S. Go Congress has been extended to June 15. The original deadline was May 31, but “Due to a programming error, we didn’t have rooms available for about a while,” says Congress Director Karen Jordan. “Sorry about that!” Click here to register and you can visit the Springs Go Club website for more info as well. Late payment fees will be $50 after 6/15, $75 after 6/30 and $100 after 7/17.

Published On 5/30/2010

GO PHOTOS: Contemplating the Next Move, Bogdan Zhurakovskyi, Ukraine

WAGC GAME COMMENTARIES: Round 8

Published On 5/30/2010

See below for Michael Redmond 9P’s commentaries on three Round 8 game records (click on “link” to download the sgf or “read more” for the online viewer): Song Hong Suk 7d (S Korea) vs Ondrej Silt 6d (Czechia) (photo at right); Wang Chen 7d (China) vs Nai San Chan 6d (Hong Kong); Fredrik Blomback 5d (Sweden) vs Cheng-Hsun Chen 6d (Chinese Taipei). CLICK HERE for James Davies’ complete Ranka online report on the Round 8 action & CLICK HERE for latest standings, courtesy of Alain Cano

WAGC CREDITS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Published On 5/30/2010

We hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s expanded coverage of the World Amateur Go Championship, as the E-Journal and Ranka online teamed up again this year. It would not have been possible without the support and help of many dedicated people and organizations, first and foremost the International Go Federation – which does so much to spread go around the world – and its tireless Secretary General Yuki Shigeno, one of the hardest-working (and nicest) go organizers we know. The China Qi-Yuan and it's Hangzhou Branch hosted a terrific event this year and we look forward to returning in 2012 to explore more go in China.

Published On 5/29/2010

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_28_China-Korea.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_28_China-Korea.sgf" class="aligncenter"][/sgf]

Published On 5/29/2010

When David Ormerod (l) and a friend saw the film “Pi” in 2002, they thought that go looked like an interesting game, so they found a go board and taught themselves to play, eventually hooking up with a go club in Melbourne. They started a small go club in the university and later on Ormerod began his own company selling chess and go equipment online. Although he had no difficulty selling chess equipment to schools -- for a while he worked teaching chess in school -- selling go equipment and teaching go, proved difficult because no one had ever heard of it.

Published On 5/29/2010

When Vesa Laatikainen was a high school student he bought a book about different games and decided to learn go because it looked attractive. He enjoyed the different patterns the stones made on the board. He’s now been making those patterns for 27 years. He studies every day -- mostly professional games -- and when he is at home he goes to the go club in Helsinki twice a week, where there are between 10 and 20 players of varying strengths. He’s also enjoying passing along his love for the game to his 10-year-old daughter. - None Redmond, special correspondent for the E-Journal; photo by John Pinkerton

Published On 5/29/2010

“I almost got beat by a 6-year-old!” exclaimed Mexico’s Emil Garcia Bustamente. None of the other players in the room responded: they were too busy battling with other pint-sized go-terrors. Friday’s 6th round had just concluded a few hours previously, but the casual player’s room was jammed with WAGC players taking on young dan students from the Hangzhou Go Association who were equally eager to take on the world’s best amateurs. The kids played with blazing speed as the older players – even 17-year-old Thomas Debarre of France was an oldster compared to the six- and seven-year-olds -- muttered their disbelief – and appreciation -- in a dozen languages. - Chris Garlock, photos by Garlock (l) & John Pinkerton (top right

WAGC GAME COMMENTARIES: Round 7

Published On 5/29/2010

See below for Michael Redmond 9P’s commentaries on four Round 7 game records (click on “link” to download the sgf or “read more” for the online viewer): Nai San Chan 6d (Hong Kong) vs Yongfei Ge 7d (Canada, at right); Alexey Lazarev 6d (Russia) vs Song Hong Suk 7d (S Korea); Ondrej Silt 6d (Czechia) vs Yohei Sato 6d (Japan); Jo Tae Won 7d (N Korea) vs Wang Chen 7d (China).

WAGC GAME COMMENTARIES: Round 6

Published On 5/29/2010

ee below for Michael Redmond 9P’s commentaries on five Round 6 game records (click on “link” to download the sgf or “read more” for the online viewer): Ondrej Silt 6d (Czechia, at right) vs Fredrik Blomback 5d (Sweden); Song Hong Suk 7d (S Korea) vs Chan Nai San 7d (Hong Kong); Wang Chen 7d (China) vs Cheng-Hsun Chen 6d (Chinese Taipei); Gerardus Petrus Gronen 6d (Netherlands) vs Fernando Aguilar 7d (Argentina); Yohei Sato 6d (Japan) vs Kasper Hornbaek 5d (Denmark)

Published On 5/29/2010

With just one round left to play, Korea appears to have a lock on the 2010 World Amateur Go Championship. Hongsuk Song (r) defeated Naisan Chan (l) of Hong Kong in Round 6 on Friday and Lazareev Alexey of Russia Saturday morning to extend his thus-far unbroken string of wins to seven. He’s strongly favored in his Round 8 game against Czechia’s Ondrej Silt, who seems to have a solid grip on the best showing for Europe and the West. The winner of the China-Hong Kong game should be a shoo-in for second place, and the battle for third is in flux, with Taipei and North Korea in contention. Sweden’s Fredrik Blomback and Hungary’s Pal Balogh have turned in excellent results and should make the top ten, while the chances of North America – the U.S., Canada and Mexico are all 4-3 -- breaking back into that group are looking pretty slim. Check out James Davies’ thorough report on Round 6 on Ranka online

U.S. MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN WORLD GO

Published On 5/29/2010

“The U.S. is making a real difference in world go,” a visibly tired but happy-looking Thomas Hsiang (below, standing) told me Friday night after yet another long day doing double-duty as IGF Director and WAGC player for the U.S. Right after the day’s rounds wrapped up Friday afternoon – he lost to Korea and Hungary -- Hsiang was off to help prep for the WAGC’s first-ever drug tests of the top players at the conclusion of the tournament on Saturday. “We must do this from now on to maintain our membership in the International Mind Sports Association,” Hsiang said. He’s serving as the sole Western representative on the arbitration committee for the upcoming Asian Games, and also noted that the United States had been among those advocating for the new three-country support format for the WAGC, with Japan, China and Korea sharing financial responsibility.

GO PHOTOS: Player Portraits

Published On 5/29/2010

GO PHOTOS: Player Portraits

Published On 5/28/2010

The Hangzhou Tian Yuan Tower (l) is a go player’s dream come true. Basically, once you step through the front door, you never have to leave again. Like upscale hotels around the world, the Tian Yuan contains well-appointed rooms and several different restaurants featuring Chinese cuisine, but this special place also include facilities for playing and studying go.

Published On 5/28/2010

The rain that began during the previous evening's excursion to West Lake was still falling Friday morning , lending a misty aspect to the view from the Tian Yuan Tower, where players were gathering for the fifth round of the World Amateur Go Championship. At the top board, Hongsuk Song 7d (r) of Korea and Chen Wang 7d (l) of China silently eyed each other, while at board two, Naisan Chan of Hong Kong awaited his opponent Cheng-hsun Chen of Chinese Taipei, who arrived shortly, accompanied by his mother, beaming for photographers.

Published On 5/28/2010

Michael Redmond 9P has picked out a single significant point to comment on in each of these three Round 4 game records (click on "link" to download the sgf or "read more" for the online viewer): China-US; Hong Kong-Sweden; South Korea-Poland

WAGC GAME COMMENTARIES: Round 5

Published On 5/28/2010

See below for Michael Redmond 9P’s commentaries on four Round 5 game records (click on “link” to download the sgf or “read more” for the online viewer): Cheng-Hsun Chen 6d (Chinese Taipei) vs. Nai San Chan 6d (Hong Kong); Fernando Aguilar 7d (Argentina) vs. Yohei Sato 6d (Japan); Leszek Soldan 5d (Poland) vs. Yongfei Ge 7d (Canada); Alexey Lazarev 6d (Russia) vs. Bogdan Zhurakovskyi 5d (Ukraine).

5 MINUTES WITH: Francesca Mauri, Italy

Published On 5/28/2010

Francesca Mauri is surprised to be here. "I should learn to play this game," the 5-kyu said as she emerged from her second-round game. Someone else was supposed to represent Italy at the WAGC, but when he became ill and wasn’t able to attend, she got the nod. Mauri learned go 20 years ago, discovering the game from reading Trevanian's novel Shibumi. She found the go club in Milan and was so serious about learning to play that she insisted on using the full board, but then about a decade ago, she stopped playing and says she “forgot everything.

PRICE INFORMATION CUP FINISHES PRELIMS

Published On 5/28/2010

Lee Changho 9d defeated Yoo Changhyuk 9d by resignation on Wednesday. Theirs was the last League A preliminary game, and eight players now remain in the 6th Price Information Cup: Lee Changho, Park Yeonghun, Lee Sedol, Park Junghwan, Choi Cheolhan, Heo Yeongho, Won Sungjin, and Kang Dongyun. - JustPlayGo

Published On 5/28/2010

This is the go problem on the lobby wall in the Hangzhou Tian Yuan Tower (see story below) where this year's World Amateur Go Championship is being held. According to our guide, "it's impossible to solve this problem" but we have faith in our readers. Send us your solution (sgf files only!) and we'll pick a winner at random from those submitting correct answers. Bonus points for telling us the name of the problem (classic Chinese problems often have poetic names) and for the names of the famous go players engraved on the stones. Send to journal@usgo.org - Chris Garlock; photo by John Pinkerton

GO PHOTOS: Pictures of Concentration

Published On 5/28/2010

GO PHOTOS: Pictures of Concentration

Published On 5/28/2010

Twice The Coverage: Ranka online and the American Go E-Journal have teamed up again this year to provide comprehensive coverage of the WAGC. While there’s some overlap between the two sites' reports, each site has a great deal of original content, so you’ll want to check both to get the full picture.

Published On 5/27/2010

[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1-Malaysia-UK.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1-Malaysia-UK.sgf" class="aligncenter"][/sgf] [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_Mexico-Slovenia.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_Mexico-Slovenia.sgf" class="aligncenter"][/sgf] [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_South-Korea-Germany.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_South-Korea-Germany.sgf" class="aligncenter"][/sgf] [sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_Lazarev-Ge-Redmond.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2010_05_26_WAGCrd1_Lazarev-Ge-Redmond.sgf" class="aligncenter"][/sgf]

Published On 5/27/2010

The Chinese pairing system in use at the WAGC produced a boatload of interesting matches in the third round Thursday morning. Taewon Jo of DPR Korea, who had defeated Yohei Sato of Japan in the second round, now found himself facing 11-year-old Cheng-hsun Chen of Chinese Taipei. The game began with two variations of the avalanche joseki in adjacent corners, leading to a large-scale game with each side amassing over a hundred points worth of territory, including captured enemy groups. Facing an imperturbable opponent, Chen appeared to be in a state of high anxiety in the middle game as referees, reporters, and players whose games had already finished began to gather around the board to watch. At the end, however, he was playing with quick confidence, wining on the board without needing komi.

5 MINUTES WITH: Ofer Zivony, Israel

Published On 5/27/2010

Ofer Zivony 3d of Israel taught himself to play go when he was 19 years old using a 9x9 board. His mother is an architect and his father, now retired, is a very powerful bridge player. Ofer tries to balance his time between studying go and seeing his girlfriend, who does not play, he says, smiling ruefully. Now 26 years old, he is attending the university in Jerusalem as a student in visual arts. Last year he won a scholarship to study go in South Korea. This improved his game and he came to China with a team to compete in a China-Korean tournament. - None Redmond, special correspondent for the E-Journal; photo by John Pinkerton

HWANG WINS AGAIN IN HAMBURG

Published On 5/27/2010

A week after his win in Madrid, Hwang In-Seong 8d (l) went undefeated again to win the Hamburger Affensprung, held in Hamburg, Germany May 22-24. The deciding game was played in round 4 when Hwang defeated long-time rival Cho Seok-Bin 7d who came in second with a 6-1 record. Antti Törmänen 6d of Finland came in third. Zeno van Ditzhuijzen, who was recently promoted to 1d, had a good tournament beating three 3d players and two 4d -- a year ago he was 13k. - EuroGoTV, photo by Judith van Dam, EuroGoTV

MERO SWEEPS IN LAUSANNE

Published On 5/27/2010

Csaba Mero 6d (r) of Hungary went 7-0 to win the Swiss Championship tournament, which was held in Lausanne May 22-24. Viktor Lin 5d of Austria was second at 6-1, only losing to Mero in round 5. John Walch 3d was third with a 5-2 record, and was the highest placing Swiss making him the 2010 Swiss Champion. Based on his result, Lorenz Trippel 1d will be the Swiss representative to the World Amateur Go Championship 2011. - EuroGoTV, photo by Judith van Dam, EuroGoTV

Published On 5/27/2010

With the 31st annual World Amateur Go Championships now underway and being held this year for only the second time in China, a look at the current status of the longtime rivalry between the three major go powers is instructive. There are nine currently active international tournaments – the Nongshim, Ing, BC Card, Jeongganjang, Asian TV, Fujitsu, LG, Samsung, and Chunlan -- that involve China, Japan, and Korea. Half of the latest winners of these are Chinese, and the other half are Korean.

5 MINUTES WITH: T Mark Hall, UK

Published On 5/27/2010

Games of Go on Disk, better-known as GoGod. We interviewed Hall right after his second-round loss to Canada’s Yongfei Ge 7d and he was planning to use GoGod – “a large database of professional go games supported by an extensive fund of programs, data and articles to help existing players enjoy and benefit from these games” – to analyze his game. Hall is a retiree from the British Foreign Office; his first assignment was in Tokyo, where he learned go and spent three years playing whenever he could. His travels have taken him to places around the world, including Milan, Nigeria, Greece, Burma and a 1992 stint in Seoul. Hall plans to take advantage of his WAGC trip to China to explore the country through mid-June. Through the EJ’s extensive network of sources, we have learned that T is Hall’s legal first name, adopted after an employer insisted on using Hall’s first name even though he preferred Mark.

Published On 5/27/2010

Lee Sedol 9P advanced to the finals of the Price Information Cup after defeating Kim Jiseok 7P by resignation after just 114 moves in the final game of League B play. Jiseok, who has experienced a bumpy start this year, was last year's Price Information Cup winner. Lee Changho and Yoo Changhyuk will play the final league game on May 26th. -from JustPlayGo

Published On 5/27/2010

Lee Changho 9P earned a win in the first stage of league play in the 2010 Korean Baduk League Cup when Jong Sungji resigned after 135 moves. Combined with wins from Kim Seongjae 3P and Song Taekon 9P, Changho's win gave Team Netmarble a 3-2 victory over Team Kixx. -from JustPlayGo

PARK JUNGSANG WINS FIRST OLLEH KT CUP

Published On 5/27/2010

Park Jungsang 9d defeated Hong Kipyo 4d by 11.5 points in the inaugural Olleh KT Cup, a Korean professional tournament sponsored by the Olleh KT telecommunications company. This tournament, with a total of nearly $600,000 (700 million won) in prize money. -from JustPlayGo

Published On 5/27/2010

Kim Seongjae 3P defeated An Kukhyun 1P by 4.5 points, giving both players a 1-1 standing in League A play of the 38th Myeongin. An Kukhyun's earlier victory came against Lee Changho 9d (click here for more information on this match). Sponsored by High1 Resort, the Myeongin is currently the richest tournament in Korea, with about $712,000 in prize money. -from JustPlayGo

Published On 5/27/2010

enezuela’s Maria Puerta 3k (L) took down the much stronger – and younger -- Wan Kao Lou 5d of Macau in the third round of the World Amateur Go Championships Thursday morning . The 54-year-old Puerta – who’s the President of the Venezuelan Go Association and a Director for the International Go Federation – won an enthusiastic round of applause from her fellow players during the lunch break. In other Round 3 results (click here for latest results, available by 6A EST), Thomas Hsiang 7d (U.S.) defeated David Ormerod 5d (Australia) but faces China’s Wang Chen in the 4th round (click on "read more" below for Michael Redmond 9P’s commentary on Hsiang’s half-point win over France’s Thomas Debarre in Round 2), Chinese Taipei defeated North Korea, Canada lost to Korea, Argentina defeated Hungary and Austria lost to Hong Kong. - Chris Garlock

Published On 5/27/2010

After the fireworks in the preceding rounds, the fourth round on Thursday afternoon ended with no great surprises. On three of the top four boards, the undefeated players from China, Hong Kong, and Korea won by resignation against the previously undefeated players from the US, Sweden, and Poland. On the fourth top board Fernando Aguilar of Argentina played doggedly to the end against Cheng-hsun Chen of Chinese Taipei, but lost by 7.5 points.

NAKAYAMA’S QUIET FAREWELL

Published On 5/26/2010

It was a wet afternoon in Tokyo on May 23 when a quiet memorial service was held for the beloved and irrepressible Nakayama Noriyuki-sensei. As the hall at the Okura Hotel filled with Nakayama’s friends, there was time to contemplate the oversize photos showing Nakayama watching the legendary Go Seigen play tournament games. Nakayama’s appearance had not changed much over the years. There was no mistaking the impish smile, the shock of hair. Nakayama’s poetry was also displayed, with each stanza introducing another archaic, almost forgotten character of the ancient Japanese alphabet. In the next room, we paid our respects to Nakayama’s family and to Nakayama while a priest intoned the sutras before Nakayama’s photo, framed in an array of blue and white flowers. We gathered for a meal, after which several people spoke, including Otake Hideo 9P.

PRESIDENTIAL GO: THE VIEW FROM THE TOP

Published On 5/26/2010

Tower were riveted on the go board inside. While preparations for the 31st annual World Amateur Go Championships were underway twenty floors below on Monday afternoon, outgoing International Go Federation President Hideo Otake 9P (l) and incoming IGF President Zhenming Chang (r) were enjoying a quiet game (below, with commentary by Michael Redmond 9P) before a busy schedule that included the IGF General meeting, a press conference and the WAGC’s opening ceremonies and banquet. Chang is Vice Chairman and President of the CITIC Group, a major Chinese firm dealing in finance, real estate, resource development, manufacturing and telecommunications. He’s been playing since he was 9 years old. His middle school team was coached by players like Yigang Hua and Runan Wang, and he won the third New Physical Education Cup in 1979, which had previously been won by Weiping Nie and Zude Chen.

Published On 5/26/2010

No surprises at the top in the first round of the World Amateur Go Championship, with China, both Koreas and Taipei winning their games handily. In North America, Thomas Hsiang 7d (US, left) beat Sotirios Ioannides 1k of Cyprus (r), Canada’s Yongfei Ge 7d defeated Alexey Lazarev 6d of Russia and Mexico's Emil Bustamente 5d beat Janez Janza 3d of Slovenia. One unexpected result among European players was Thailand’s Kamon Santipojana 4d’s win against Romania’s Lucian Corlan 5d. By 6A EST, a complete first-round report – and perhaps a preliminary Round 2 report – will be posted on both the AGA website and Ranka Online.

Published On 5/26/2010

Here are highlights of James Davies’ Ranka Online report on the first round at the WAGC: Kamon Santipojana 4d of Thailand surprised Lucian Corlan 5d of Romania when the 21-year-old Thai student took command of the game early…As previously reported (NO SURPRISES AT TOP IN PRELIM 1ST-ROUND WAGC RESULTS), Canada’s Yongfei Ge 7d defeated Alexey Lazarev 6d of Russia when the closely-matched game turned into a hard-fought rout, with Ge beating Lazarev by 24.5 points…See below for the game, with commentary by Michael Redmond 9P (at left with E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock).

AT 20, PAIR GO LOOKS BACK AND AHEAD

Published On 5/26/2010

Pair go is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and World Pair Go Association Vice President Hiroko Taki (l) looked back and ahead in an interview with Ranka on Tuesday. “When we started the pair go movement twenty years ago, we wrote a lot about the significance of fostering pair go, communication in black and white, international goodwill, and so on,” said Mrs. Taki. “At the time, there was a need to attract more players to the game of go, both in Japan and in western countries.

Published On 5/26/2010

“I didn’t expect to lose on the first day,” said Japan’s Yohei Sato after his second-round loss to Taewon Jo of DPR Korea. Sato “missed a move in the middle game, completely failed to see it,” he said, admitting “This is going to hurt. But perhaps it’s psychologically easier to lose to an opponent like this early on, instead of after winning five or six games in a row.” Thomas Hsiang 7d (U.S.) squeaked out a half-point win over a visibly distraught Thomas Debarre 5d (France). “After the opening I felt I was far ahead, but then he tried hard to catch up and I almost let him do it,’ said Hsiang.

GO REVIEW: The Go Consultants

Published On 5/25/2010

The Go Consultants documents a unique event in go history, Kitani Minoru and Go Seigen's 1934-35 consultation game against their teachers Suzuki Tamejiro and Segoe Kensaku. Authors John Fairbairn and T Mark Hall provide fly-on-the-wall observations of what each side was thinking at every stage of the contest, doing an excellent job of describing the characters and putting their status into context for 21st-century readers. In fact the story is related so naturally that The Go Consultants reads like a hard-to-put-down novel, complete with amusing anecdotes as well as keen commentary on the actual progress of the game. It’s like a show-within-a-show.

Published On 5/25/2010

Thomas Debarre 5d (r) won the French Youth Championship, held May 8-9 in Cachan, France. Debarre -- who will represent France in this week's World Amateur Go Championships in Hangzhou, China -- edged out three other players with only one loss in the under-18 group. Debarre lost to Benjamin Dréan-Guénaïzia 4d, who lost to Paul Bivas 3d, who lost to Debarre. David Horowitz 1d came in second, while Dréan-Guénaïzia and Bivas came in third and fourth. In the under-15 group, Tanguy Le Calvé 1d took first for the second year in a row, Florian Melcer 2d was second, and Osmin Lacombe 1k finished third. For the youngest, under-12, group, Hector de Framond 14k took his first title after coming in second last year, Guillaume Ougier 20k, and Anais Khenniche 17k were second and third. - EuroGoTV

HWANG UNDEFEATED TO WIN PANDANET MADRID

Published On 5/25/2010

Hwang In-Seong 8d went 5-0 to take top honors at the 13th Madrid Go Tournament, held May 15-16. Lluis Oh 6d was second with four wins, while Mao Feng 4d came in third at 3-2, including a surprising upset of Li Yue 5d. Hwang is currently third in the European Go Federation rankings. 63 players took part in the tournament. - EuroGoTV

Published On 5/25/2010

Catalin Taranu 7d defeated Cristian Pop 7d in an exciting Balkan Go Championship 4th-round game that led to Taranu's sweep of the May 19-23 event. Pop was second at 5-1 and Cornel Burzo 6d took third. Burzo did take first in the Blitz event, with Mihai Serban 4d second and Pop third. In the Pair Go event, Serban and Laura Avram 2d went 4-0 and captured first place. The tournament took place just outside of Bucharest, Romania. - EuroGoTV

GO QUIZ: FAIR BALL & FAREWELL

Published On 5/25/2010

Eleven out of fourteen of you guessed that it was go writer John Fairbairn who came to dinner recently. For those who do not know, his name does in fact "rhyme" with "bair" sounding the same as "fair." John has translated many books for Ishi press and is the quieter half of the GoGoD team. Recently his books from Slate and Shell have been receiving high and well-deserved praise. He attended several Orioles games during his recent visit -- and even saw them win! -- as well as a Phillies game and a Nationals game.

Published On 5/25/2010

If you have any doubt about whether go is alive and well in the land where it was invented, show up on a Sunday night at the Tongzhou Middle School in Shanghai. Night has fallen and the streets are quiet, but the school is a beehive of activity. More than eighty kids are gathered in four classrooms, excitedly shouting out answers as their teachers lay out go problems on demonstration boards.

E-JOURNAL'S WAGC COVERAGE COMMENCES

Published On 5/25/2010

The American Go E-Journal's special coverage of the World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) begins with tomorrow's edition. Each morning's edition will include our reports through midday local time in Hangzhou, China; click here anytime for the latest live news, posted as it happens by the EJ/Ranka Online team. The daily WAGC E-Journals will also include special game commentaries usually only included in the Member's Edition, provided as part of our support for world go. We hope you enjoy our complete coverage of the 31st annual competition among top amateur players from around the world, which runs through May 31. The weekly E-Journal will resume next week. - Chris Garlock; photo: WAGC players warm up Monday morning; photo by John Pinkerton

CHINA TO LEAD IGF INTO NEW ERA

Published On 5/25/2010

The election of Chang Zhenming of China as President of the International Go Federation (IGF) highlighted the International Go Federation’s General Meeting (r) on Monday as the 31st edition of the IGF’s flagship event – the World Amateur Go Championship – formally launched in Hangzhou, China. “I will give my best effort to promote go to the whole world,” Chang promised, “Go is a benefit for everyone.”

HANDICAPPING THE WAGC

Published On 5/25/2010

Sixty players from 60 countries and regions. Eight rounds over four days. For 31 years, the World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) have assembled a global gathering of top amateurs to compete, meet and spread the game of go around the world. This year’s WAGC is being held this week in Hangzou, China, organized by the China Qiyuan, the Chinese agency responsible for board and card games, under the supervision of the International Go Federation, and co-organized by the Hangzhou Branch of the China Qi-Yuan (Chinese Go Association). After arriving on Monday and participating in the IGF General Meeting and opening ceremonies on Tuesday, the tournament proper commences on Wednesday morning. This year, DPR Korea, playing in the WAGC for the first time since 2006, joins China and the Republic of Korea as top contenders for the title. China's Chen Wang is just 17 years old but won the Chinese Evening News Cup.

Published On 5/23/2010

The Shanghai sky is falling in great wet sheets as our taxi careens down the freeway into town. None of the seatbelts work, not even the driver's, who's slaloming through an obstacle course of Saturday morning traffic puttering along at 70 miles an hour. A few white-knuckled minutes later we stagger out of the cab and -- after grabbing a quick steaming-hot pork dumpling at a street vendor -- meet Du Yufeng 3P, who takes us to the Blue Elephant Go School, just around the corner from the famed Fudan University. Founded in 2002, the Blue Elephant is by far the biggest go school in Shanghai -- of some 15 -- with 400 students

Published On 5/23/2010

Taking advantage of an attack on his opponent's central group, Myungwan Kim 9P won the first Strong Player's Online Tournament (SPOT1) Saturday, May 22. Kim won Game 2 Saturday to sweep the match 2-0 against his young Canadian opponent Jianing Gan 6d. The game featured a complicated battle in the bottom-hand right corner in which any mistake would lead immediate collapse. Gan responded correctly, but had a few slow moves and Kim took sente to attack another group and while Gan managed to survive, Kim consolidated a huge territory on the left and Gan resigned at move 174. Earlier in the day, Eric Lui defeated Zhaonian Chen -- once again killing a giant group to seal victory -- to take third place. Lui, playing white, succeeded again with a moyo strategy; White 24 and 32 focused on the moyo while Black 25 and 33 stole White's corner territory.

MISSION SAN JOSE ACES SCHOOL TOURNEY

Published On 5/23/2010

Mission San Jose won the Bay Area High School Go Tournament, held April 25th in Cupertino, CA, which attracted five schools and 24 players. Organized as a team tourney, Saratoga High was favored to sweep the A division with a 3-dan and two 1-dans competing. However, Mission San Jose narrowly claimed victory when their 1st and 2nd boards slipped by with single digit margins of victory, in a heated Round 3 match against their Saratoga rivals. The tourney debuted this year as a collaborative effort of the AGF, the Bay Area Go Players Association (BAGPA), and several high school organizers. The tourney was organized by David Su, and directed by Steve Burrall. Winners Report: A Division: Mission San Jose; B Division: Monta Vista; C Division: Saratoga High. Photo: Mission San Jose (left) defeats Saratoga (right) in the deciding match. - Paul Barchilon; photo by David Su

Published On 5/23/2010

The way drinking go works, Jacky Sun explained at dinner Friday night, is that the loser of the game has to down a beer. "I played the former European go champion, I think he was from Finland, maybe, and I lost the game but I won the drinking," Jacky boasted. He and Qin Zhixuan were playing in the teacher's room at Jin Sheng Yu's go school Friday night while I played a simul with two students (see Chicken Feet, New Friends, the Mysteries of Go and Pint-Sized Players). After the kids left, EJ photog John Pinkerton and I went in to check on the game. Qin was trying to activate some non-existent aji but Jacky was giving no quarter and soon Qin was paying for his loss by downing a giant bottle of Suntory in one long gulp. Go is thirsty work.

LIVE FROM THE WORLD AMATEURS!

Published On 5/23/2010

The American Go E-Journal will publish special daily editions next week live from the World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) in Hangzhou, China. We're teaming up again with Ranka Online this year to provide complete coverage of the 31st annual competition among top amateur players from around the world, which will run May 24-31. American-born pro Michael Redmond 9P will provide game commentaries for the Ranka/E-Journal effort – which will include ongoing updates on both Ranka and the AGA website , as well as via daily E-Journal reports — while Ivan Vigano, James Davies and Chris Garlock will report and John Pinkerton will provide photos.

GO SPOTTING: ‘The Warlords’

Published On 5/23/2010

“Recently I went to see the movie ‘The Warlords’ at a local arts movie house,” writes Les Lanphear III in San Diego, CA. “It was shot in China and Hong Kong in 2007. Of course there are battles and martial arts and a love triangle. Toward the end two of the Emperors’ officials are talking while playing go. They play a few moves but too quickly for me to get a layout of the position. The movie is set in the 1860s during the Taiping Rebellion.”

Published On 5/21/2010

Omer Kazanc 1k defeated his main rival Selman Kilic 1d in the final fifth round of the Turkish Youth Championship, held in Istanbul May 15-16. Kazanc swept the tourney. Kilic took silver, while Muhammet Emin Kucuk 16k won bronze. 20 players took part in the tournament. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European correspondent

Published On 5/21/2010

Fredrik Blomback 5d defended his title in the 2010 Svenska Mästerskapen in Norrköping, May 14-16. After three rounds in the Championship Tournament, he defeated John Karlsson 4d 2-0 in a play-off for the National Title. Weiying Sörlin 5d went 6-0 for third place in the tournament with 63 participants. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European correspondent

Published On 5/21/2010

"How much you can drink is directly related to how strong you are," proclaimed Sun Bo, brimming glasses of both wine and beer in front of the amateur 5-dan. E-Journal photographer John Pinkerton and I had landed in Shanghai a few short hours earlier and Jin Sheng Yu (far left) and his wife Dai Zijia (far right) had picked us up and whisked us off to dinner with fellow go players Quin Zhixuan 5d (2nd from left), Du Yufeng 3P (3rd from right) and Sun Bo (3rd from left), who goes by "Jacky."

Published On 5/21/2010

Kuo Yin 3P, former China Ing Cup Universities Champion, will give live commentaries for both Strong Player Online Tournament (SPOT1) games this Saturday, May 22. First up Saturday morning is the battle for third place between Eric Lui 7d (MD) and Michael Chen 7d (NJ). The game starts at 10a EST on KGS and Lui leads 1-0 in the best-of-three match. Next, at 1p, Jie Li 7d, four-time US Open and three-time NAIM Champion, will comment on Finals Game 2 between Myungwan Kim 9P (r) and Jianing Gan 6d (l) as Kim -- on a 19-win streak -- tries to close out the best-of-three series and collect the SPOT1 trophy. - Reported by Tournament Director Zhiyuan 'Edward' Zhang

Published On 5/19/2010

Despite being upset by Benjamin Teuber 6d (l) of Hamburg in the last round, Tian Ye 1P (r) from Beijing led three 5-1 players to win the Pandanet Amsterdam Open held May 13-16. Dai Junfu 7d of France, who lost to Tian by a half-point in the fifth round, came in second based on SOSOS, while Teuber was third based on SOS. "Junfu's lesson on his book about the middle game paid off, although I went against his advice in my game against the pro

COLLEGE STUDENTS GET A BREAK

Published On 5/18/2010

The American Go Foundation (AGF) will be using the Gregory Lefler Memorial Fund to help college students attending U.S. Go Congress this year, reports AGF board member Keith Arnold. "Any student attending college full time this fall can apply for a $50 discount on their registration fees; we have limited funds, so graduating seniors or graduate students will only be considered if funds remain," Arnold said. To request the discount, send an e-mail with your name, AGA number, name of school, and your fall status (freshman, sophmore etc.) to agf@usgo.org. "We expect available funds to be exhausted so please send your information now, first come, first served," added Arnold.

Published On 5/18/2010

Barring an upset win by Jianing Gan 6d, Saturday's 1p (EST) game could be the final round in the Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1), as Myungwan Kim 9P looks to sweep the tournament finals 2-0. Kim is on an 18-game winning streak in AGA tournaments. The game will be broadcast live on KGS. Earlier Saturday, Eric Lui 7d will play Michael Chen 7d at 10a (EST) -- also on KGS -- in the battle for third place. Lui leads 1-0. Kim 9P has defeated Hugh Zhang 6d, Daniel Gourdeau 6d, Yongfei Ge 7d, Yue Zhang 7d and Michael Chen 7d. Thiteen-year-old Gan 6D has defeated Patrick Lung 6D, Mengmeng Chen 5D, Yongfei Ge 7D, Hugh Zhang 6D, Sarah Yu 6D, and Eric Lui 7D. - Edward (Zhiyuan) Zhang, TD

Published On 5/18/2010

Federico Odorizzi 3k won the Torneo Go a GoGo in Bari, Italy last weekend, May 15-16. His 4-1 result bested a group of five who won three. Local Francesco Cutrone 5k had best sos for silver while Luigi Morrone 6k of Napels won bronze. None of the 19 participants won all five rounds of this handicap-minus-two event. Click here for full results. - Peter Dijkema, E-Journal European correspondent

Published On 5/18/2010

Trevor Morris 7d narrowly won last weekend's tournament in Amherst, MA. Going into the fourth round of the one-day tourney on Sunday, May 16, there were no three-game winners, so the top spots were up for grabs and Morris eked out the win, besting David Saxner (also 3-1) by a single tie-break point to win the tournament trophy. Eric Reid was the only kyu player to post a 3-1 record, clinching the kyu title. Special mention goes to Richard Buckman (2-1) who volunteered to take a bye in the second round after a first-round loss. Buckman managed to pick up wins in his last two games, for a respectable winning record. photo: (l-r): Richard Buckman, David Saxner, Trevor Morris, Eric Reid)

Published On 5/18/2010

The Evanston Go Club's fifth year at the Anime Central convention (ACEN) in Chicago last Friday and Saturday was so popular that "the crowds never seemed to let up, and we kept teaching until midnight both days!" reports local organizer Mark Rubenstein. "ACEN is a huge event, with 15,000 attendees last year," says Rubenstein. "The go club has our own room with dozens of 9x9 boards available for learning. The room was full of enthusiastic, costumed first-time go players, some of whom spent hours enjoying their first foray into go." The club also held a tournament on Saturday, and gave away 8 full-size go sets, provided by Yellow Mountain, to the top eight winners. For more pictures of the "wacky, wonderful world of ACEN," check out the club's photo page. "Thanks also to Bob Barber, Lee Hyunh, David Rohde, and Bob Schattke for their tireless and enthusiastic help!" photo: at the 2006 ACEN

MEMBER'S EDITION: American Go Yearbook

Published On 5/18/2010

The long-awaited 2009 American Go Yearbook -- which will be in the mail to members next week -- is just a click away! While the hard-copy edition of the Yearbook is on the way, click above to download a PDF of the annual compilation of the "best of" the American Go E-Journal, which includes extensive coverage of major 2009 events like the U.S. Go Congress, North American Ing Masters and the World Amateur Go Championship, as well as regional events such as the Cotsen, Jujo Jiang, New Jersey and Maryland Opens

Published On 5/18/2010

Vladimir Demakov 1k was the surprise winner at the Central Federal District of Russia's Championship, held in Jaroslavl last weekend, May 15-16. Demakov won all his games, leaving silver in the hands of favorite Innokentij Dmitriev 3d (both of Moscow), while Sergej Vinokurov 1d of Petrozavodsk won bronze on sos. The Central Federal District of Russia is large, stretching from St Petersburg in the West and Petrozavodsk in the North beyond Jaroslavl in the East, where 25 took part. Click here for full results. - Peter Dijkema, E-Journal European correspondent

Published On 5/18/2010

Marek Kaminski 3d (r) of Poznan swept the Korean Ambassador's Cup in Warsaw last weekend, qualifying for the Korean Prime Minister Cup later this year in Korea. Polish Champion Leszek Soldan 5d finished second with one loss and Agnieszka Kacprzyk 1d of Bebnów won bronze on sos. Kaminski won the Young Masters League last month at the age of 23, making this his last year in the League. In the second round the Young Master defeated current Polish Champion Soldan. "This win gave me the flow to fly to Korea; all my games were tough," he told the E-Journal. "But our real Young Master is Mateusz Surma, the European Youth Champion. I hope to meet and play him in Korea!"

GO QUIZ: CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

Published On 5/18/2010

CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': With plans for next year's Los Angeles Congress well underway, California will join Pennsylvania, Colorado and Washington as states that have held three Go Congresses. Most of you knew that Washington (Seattle, Seattle, Tacoma) was the first. GUESS WHO CAME TO DINNER: This week I ask a very simple question, who did I have dinner with Friday night? I suppose a few clues would be helpful. He is an increasingly prolific go author, he acted as translator for several Ishi Press books, is a huge baseball fan, and ordered the German mixed grill with russett potatoes (not much of a clue, but it was delicious). The first 4 letters of his last name rhyme with the next 4 letters of his last name. With a hint like that, it cannot be multiple choice - CLICK HERE to send in your best guess.

Published On 5/18/2010

Edward Zhang (r) has been appointed National Tournament Coordinator for the American Go Association (AGA), President Allan Abramson announced Monday. Zhang -- who has been coordinating the Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1) -- will have two Assistant TC's, Oren Laskin, and Eric Davidson-Sawyer. "This team of three tournament coordinators brings new faces and energy to this important function, spreads the work load, offers new ideas, and better provides for continuity in case of a vacancy, " Abramson said. "I am pleased that all three stepped up to serve the AGA membership," he added.

Published On 5/18/2010

The opportunity to learn from top professional go players has always been a major attraction of the annual U.S. Go Congress, set this year for July 31 - August 8 in Colorado Springs, CO. This year’s roster of pros includes a very special visit by Yasumasa Hane 9P (right, in blue jacket) well-known as a major contributor in the development of the Chinese fuseki as well as the father of Naoki Hane 9P (far left, in tan jacket), the current Honinbo and a former holder of the Kisei and Tengen titles. Hane’s family -- wife Masami 1k (left front), daughter Michiyo Yamamori 1k (back center) daughter-in-law Shigeko Hane 1P (back left, next to husband Naoki), and Shigeko’s daughters Ayaka 1k, Ranka 1k and Rinka 4k (center) -- will also be attending and playing in the U.S. Open.

Published On 5/16/2010

Lee Sedol 9P and Gu Li 9P will reportedly battle it out in a $500,000 10-game match (jubango), according to Oro News. No details yet on when the match will begin. - JustPlayGo

Published On 5/16/2010

In the ongoing Price Information Cup preliminaries, Heo Yeongho 7P defeated Kim Kangkun 6P by resignation in the final game of League C play, and Kang Dongyun 9P beat Hong Minpyo 7P by 3.5 points in the final game of League D play on Friday, May 14,. Both Heo and Kang advance to the 6th Price Information Cup tournament finals. The two remaining League games are between Lee Changho and Yoo Changhyuk in League A, and Lee Sedol and Kim Jiseok in League B. - JustPlayGo

HANE NAOKI WINS HONINBO FIRST ROUND

Published On 5/16/2010

Hane Naoki defeated Yamashita Keigo by 3.5 points on Wednesday, May 12, in the first round of the 65th Honinbo. The second round will be played on May 26-27. - JustPlayGo

SULAK RETAINS TITLE IN ANKARA

Published On 5/15/2010

Fatih Sulak 2d (l) successfully defended his title as Turkish Champion in his home town, Ankara, May 8-9, for his fourth national title in a row. He went 5-1 over Erin Kurter 1d who went 4-2 for second place and Giray Erdi 1d came in third. In the title tournament 60 people took part. The history of the Turkish titles is available from the Polish 'kamyszyn' database. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent

Published On 5/15/2010

A digitized version of Go Review, one of the very first English go publications, is now available. Go Review was published monthly by the Nihon Ki-in from January 1961 to March 1973, then quarterly through Spring 1977. The 160 issues -- comprising some 15,000 pages -- are available on three DVDs ($75 each) from Kunaki. The early issues on disks 1 and 2 -- 60 issues each, from January 1961 through December 1965 and January 1966 through December 1970 -- "represent the halting attempts of the Japanese go world in the early 60s to start spreading the game internationally," reports Bob Myers of Kiseido Digital on GoDiscussions.

GO CLUBS: Santa Barbara, California

Published On 5/15/2010

Local club organizer Ed Lee sent along this photo of the May 5 weekly go evening at the Santa Barbara (CA) Go Club meeting. "My friend Gregg (r, with mustache) was visiting from Tahoe," says Lee. The club -- which typically attracts anywhere from one to eight players, from 25 kyu to pro 2-dan -- meets Wednesday nights 6-10p at Borders Books in the Camino Real Marketplace in Goleta, at 7000 Market Place Drive. It also meets some Tuesdays, 6-10p, at Jitters Coffee House, at 728 State Street , just below De La Guerra Street, in Santa Barbara, CA. Email bhaber@aol.com (Tuesdays) or EdxLee@gmail.com (Wednesdays). - photo: Jennie Shen 2P

LACAN WINS IN METZ HANDICAP

Published On 5/13/2010

Emerick Lacan 9k took 1st place in the April 24 "Tournoi de Metz" in Metz, France, atop a group of six who finished with 4-1 records. Michael Palant 5d was second and local Lionel Savoca 7k took 3rd in the handicap-minus -two event that drew 32 players. Click here for complete results. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent

Published On 5/13/2010

Magdalena Mladenova 2k of Sofia is the first female to win the title of Bulgarian Champion, sweeping the championship May 6-7. At 14, Mladenova -- 'Maggie Young' in English -- is also the youngest Bulgarian Champion ever. In second place was Alexander 1k Ivanov; Ivan-Nikolaev Ivanov 4k took 3rd and Ivan-Tzvetanov Ivanov 5k was 4th. Last year's Champion - Bojan Alexandrov 1k - slipped to 6th this year. Click here for full results, as well as the history of Bulgarian Championships tournaments, as reported by 'Kamyszyn' in Poland, who keeps records of all European Championships. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 5/12/2010

Ivan Kulikovskij 5d went undefeated to win the North-East Federal District Championships May 8-9 in Petrozavodsk, Russia. Dmitrij Kornev 3d took second place, losing only to Kulikovskij, but the real surprise was Dmitrij Kirakosjan 1d of St.Petersburg, who won bronze on sos after beating a 4-dan and 3-dan before losing to the top locals. Local veteran former Russian champions like Aleksej Lazarev 6d (also a former European Champion) and Viktor Bogdanov 5d didn't take part this year; click here for full results. The Team Championship of the Izhevsk District was held March 14-15; click here for results. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

CHEN YAOYE WINS CCTV CUP

Published On 5/12/2010

Chen Yaoye 9P defeated Gu Lingyi 5P by 1.5 points to win the 2010 CCTV Cup on Tuesday, May 11. This is Chen Yaoye’s second major title win in as many months; he won the Tianyuan against Gu Li on April 23rd. - JustPlayGo

WANG TOPS IN WOKINGHAM

Published On 5/12/2010

Felix Wang 3d topped the table at the Bracknell tournament May 9 in Wokingham, UK. British Go Association president Jon Diamond 4d (r) took silver, based on SOS ahead of Francis Roads 3d, who won bronze. Also Helen Harvey 3k, Elinor Bracks 8k, and Malcolm Law 10k went 3-0 in the field of 42. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent

Published On 5/11/2010

Thirteen-year-old Jianing Gan 6D showed talent and flexibility in several complicated exchanges in the first round of the best-of-three Strong Player’s Online Tournament (SPOT1) finals on Sunday, May 9, but Myungwan Kim 9P mastered the game with superior control and eventually took 1-0 lead in 151 moves after capturing White’s dragon. Jennie Shen 2P provided live game commentary on KGS and answered questions from fans all over the world.

DAILY E-JOURNAL REMINDER

Published On 5/11/2010

Many of the stories in the weekly E-Journal originally appeared in our daily edition; if you’d like to get the latest world go news in brief clickable stories linked to complete reports on the AGA’s website, simply click on the “update my profile” link at the bottom of the E-Journal and choose the daily edition (you can switch back and forth at any time). To receive the Member’s Edition – including members-only game commentaries, problems from Yilun Yang and more -- join here.

Published On 5/11/2010

Second-grader Jeremy Chiu 1d topped the MorningStar Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament with six wins last Saturday, May 8 in Santa Clara, California. "Thirty-four elementary and middle school kids gathered together on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and played six rounds of 19x19 games," says Yanping Zhao, who co-organized the third-annual event with Wenguang Wang. To ensure "a really fun experience for every kid," Zhao reports that players earned prize tickets after each round, "and used these tickets to exchange various fancy prizes.

Published On 5/11/2010

Park Junghwan 7P defeated Lee Sedol 9P by resignation in League play last Saturday, May 8, for the 6th Price Information Cup. With a 2-0 record, Junghwan advances to the final championship tournament, along with Park Yeonghun 9P, Choi Cheolhan 9P and Won Sungjin 9P. With a 1-1 record, Sedol will face Kim Jiseok, last year’s Price Information Cup winner, for one of the four remaining spots left in the final tournament lineup. - JustPlayGo for the game record

Published On 5/11/2010

In his first professional title match, Sakai Hideyuki 7P will play Cho U 9P in the 35th Gosei after defeating Yamashita Keigo 9P by resignation in the Gosei challenger decision match on Friday, May 7. The Gosei begins on June 24th. - JustPlayGo

Published On 5/11/2010

6th Prices Information Cup[sgf sgfUrl="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2010.05.10-PricesInformationCup_Park-Hong_DinerchteinCommentary.sgf" href="http://www.usgo.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2010.05.10-PricesInformationCup_Park-Hong_DinerchteinCommentary.sgf" class="alignright"][/sgf] April 30, 2010 White: Park Jieun 9P Black: Hong Minpyo 7P Commentary by Alexandre Dinerchtein 3p, taken with permission from Go4Go.net, a great source of commented game records and other useful go material. Published in the May 10, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal

Published On 5/11/2010

The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth discounts to this year's US Go Congress. Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships awarded at random from qualifying essays. The scholarships are available for youth who are under 18. For more information, and to apply, click here. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Youth Room at the 2009 Congress, photo by Paul Barchilon

HOME TEAM WINS SERBIAN TEAM TITLE

Published On 5/10/2010

The Student team defended their Serbian team title at home in Nis on April 24. The team fielded Nikola Mitic 5d and Dragan Mitic 4d, veteran Mijodrag Stankovic 5d, and youngster Mladen Lilic 1k and lost only one game of twenty. Radnicki of Kragujevac was second and Milentije Popovic and Belgrade was third. Nis hosted the European Go Congress in 1989. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 5/10/2010

Artem Kachanovskyj 6d (r) went 6-0 to take the Ukrainian Student Go Championship, which was held May 1-2 in his hometown of Rivne. Bohdan Zhurakovskyj 5d took second place with a 5-1 record, while Kostjantyn Lopatjuk 5d took third with 4-2. There were 45 players in the tournament. Marek Kaminski 3d won the Polish Young Masters League by going 6-1 at the tournament held April 30 - May 2 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. Mariusz Pabich 2d took the silver, while Sebastian Pawlaczyk 2d beat out last year's winner Andrzej Zyzak 3d on SOS for the bronze. The league is players 23 years old and younger and while Kaminski will be too old to compete next year, the others will return. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 5/10/2010

Alexandr Vashurov 5d (r) swept to victory over long-time rival Alexandr Matushkin 3d -- who lost only once to Vashurov -- in the Privolzhskiy Federal District Championship, which was held May 1-3. Matushkin's 5-1 record put him in second, while Yuriy Belyaev 3d and Alexander Matushkin were third with two losses to the leaders. Kirill Denisov 3d also went undefeated in the Siberian Federal District Championship in Novosibirsk May 1-2. Second place was won by David Klassen 2d (5-1) and Sergej Pavlov 4d took third by edging out last week's winner of Novosibirsk District Champs, Valerij Ponomarev 4d, on SOS. There were 38 players taking part in the tournament. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

BALKAN GO CONGRESS KICKS OFF MAY 19

Published On 5/10/2010

Restoring an old tradition, Romania will host the Balkan Go Congress May 19-23 at the historic Mogoşoaia Palace just outside of Bucharest. Besides the six-round main tournament, there will also be blitz, Pair Go and -- this is Europe, after all -- beer events. - Jake Edge, based on a report on EuroGoTV

RECENT EUROPEAN TOURNAMENT REPORTS

Published On 5/10/2010

Pavol Lisy 3d won his first Slovak title by going undefeated during the seven-round 19th Slovak Championship, held in Terchova April 28 - May 2. Maros Kral 3d took silver 6-1, while 2009 Champion Martin Reindl 3d finished with bronze 5-2. The Danish Championship, held April 30 - May 2 in Copenhagen ended in a four-way tie, three of whom had the same SOS: Kasper Hornbaek 5d, Uffe Rasmussen 4d, Torben Pedersen 3d, and Thomas Heshe 5d all had 4-2 records. Vanessa Wong 4d (r) silenced all opposition in the British Candidates Tournament, going 6-0 in Cambridge May 1-3. The Candidates Tournament is Stage 1 of the British Championship. Andrew Simons 2d and Matthew 'Sahara' Scott 1d both had 5 wins and came in second and third

Published On 5/10/2010

Local matador Matej Zqakanj 3d easily swept his home Spring tournament in Velika Gorica, Croatia. Zqakanj was the only dan-level player among 13 taking part Saturday May 8. Robert Jovecic 2k of Zagreb won silver on SOS ahead of Lovro Furjanic 4k (r) of Karlovac, who won bronze, and local Stjepan Mistrovic 6k. Click here for full results, uploaded by Furjanic. - Peter Dijkema, European

Published On 5/10/2010

Andrej Kralj 3d led veteran Eduard Ekart 5d and Timotej Suc 3d of the Ljubljana team to victory in the Slovenian Team Championships in Kranj, last Saturday, May 8. Novo Mesto was second, Ljubljana-2 third, while host Kranj came in last. Leader Leon Matoh 4d won all games for the silver team and young talent Luka Camernik 1d did the same for bronze winners. Full results here. Also in Kranj on Saturday, local Nenad Denadic 6k won all four in an event which closed the Youth Week. Katja Bercic 5k from the capital Ljubljana took silver on SOS, ahead of local Andrej Koncilja 10k (bronze) and two guests from Italy, 4th Davide Bertok 9k of Trieste and Anna Marconi 12k of Udinese. Katja uploaded the full results of both events to the European Go Database. - Peter Dijkema, European correspondent

Published On 5/10/2010

Title defender Karlsruhe won the top division of 2009-2010 season of the Bundesliga -- or German Team Leagues -- last Thursday, May 6, ahead of Hebsacker of Hamburg and the Leipzig Lions. Kieloben of Kiel and Berlin Blunder dropped back to the second League, which was won by Hannover, while Tenuki Bonn was second in the final table. The Bundesliga numbers six divisions - 4th league is double, while the 5th counts 26 teams - for a total of 76 teams over-all. The top leagues have ten teams each. A team plays on four boards, but line-ups can be longer. Dominated by several strong Chinese players, Karlsruhe seems unbeatable for the German title, yielding the Championship only once to Hebsacker

Published On 5/10/2010

Last week's "simple" multiple choice fooled most of you: Kato Masao (r) not only won the Honinbo, but won it several times, the last time in 2002 at age 55. The Kisei title is the only one he's never won. THIS WEEK'S QUIZ: CONGRESS TIME: It's about time I plugged the annual U.S. Go Congress in the Quiz. This year will be the third Congress hosted by Colorado; which state was the first to host three US Go Congresses? Washington, Pennsylvania, California or Virginia? Click here to vote now

BGA APRIL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED

Published On 5/9/2010

The British Go Association's April newsletter is now available. It includes reports on the British Go Congress, the British Youth Championships, and events in Arundel, Fife, Nottingham and Cambridge. Also in this issue: news about the BGA's Annual General Meeting, the Stacey winners, Youth Grand Prix 2010, Brits overseas at the Paris tournament, the Irish Open and BGA League Winners, plus new books in the BGA bookshop, UK club changes and details on upcoming UK events. Click here to download the PDF.

Published On 5/9/2010

While In-Seong Hwang 7d of Berlin swept the 39th Prague International May 1-2, Ondrej Silt 6d will be going to Korea for this year's Korean Ambassadors Cup. Silt (l) won the knock-out among the top sixteen Czechs for the Korean Ambassadors Cup, defeating Jan Hora 6d in the KAC qualifier final, but losing to In-Seong in the final round of the Open International to finish for silver on SOS ahead of veteran Vladimir Danek 5d and Hora. 109 players took part. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 5/8/2010

Almost 700 watched the Strong Players Online Tournament semifinal game on KGS between Myungwan Kim 9P (CA) (r) and Zhaonian Chen 7D (NJ) on Saturday afternoon. Kuo Yin 3P, the 2006 China Ing Cup University Champion and 2008 US Open runner-up provided live commentaries from Beijing, China. Kim won at move 190 by resignation. Chen used a variation of High Chinese opening and strategically obtained territories in both lower-right and lower-left corner. (Click here for game record) However when defending Black’s dragon Chen “misread badly” per his review and lost an 11-stone dragon. Chen did not give up, but started to operate on his big moyo, which successfully complicated the game

Published On 5/6/2010

Zheng Yan 2P (l) defeated Li He 2P by 3.5 points in the final round of China’s first Female Mingren on Wednesday, May 5. Click below for the game record. - JustPlayGo

THRONGS COME OUT FOR NORCAL GO EXPO DAY

Published On 5/6/2010

Bay Area Go Players Association held its first ever Go Expo Day on May 2 in Oakland, CA. Seven teachers had their hands full teaching go and giving out free go sets to an enthusiastic crowd of about 100. “We are thrilled at how many people came out to learn about go,” said event organizer Roger Schrag. The regular monthly ratings tournament took place concurrently, with a field of 27 players ranging from 17 kyu to 5 dan. Brian Leahy 3d led the dan division with a 3-0 record, while Patrick Wang 15k led the kyu division 4-0. Click here for more Go Expo Day pictures and here to learn about next month's tournament in San Francisco.

SPOT1 FINAL FOUR SET TO PLAY SATURDAY

Published On 5/6/2010

HIS JUST IN (5/7, 7:51p): Live from Beijing, Kuo Yin 3P will provide game commentary for the SPOT1 games begining at 1P Saturday. Runner-up at the 2008 US Open, Kuo only lost to Kim; Kuo holds a BA from Fudan University, and won the China Ing Cup University Championship in 2006. It’s perhaps no coincidence that the Final Four players in the Strong Players Online Tournament I (SPOT1) are all students. Leading contender MyungWan Kim 9P – a two-time U.S.

Published On 5/6/2010

Park Yeonghun 9P defeated Hong Sungji 8P by half a point in the 38th Myeongin (Meijin) League play on Thursday, May 6. - JustPlayGo

US THIRD AMONG EUROGOTV FANS

Published On 5/6/2010

The United States is closing in fast on the second-highest number of fans of EuroGoTV's Facebook page, which recently reached 500. As of April 26, France had a commanding lead 90 fans, while the US at 41 were closing in on Germany's 44. The Dutch -- EuroGoTV's homebase -- were not far behind at 37. Also in the running: Czech (26), Spanish (25), Polish (19) and Fin (18) fans. Next are followers from the UK (16), Belgium (11) and Swiss readers at 10. The race for the top city is very close: Praha 21, Berlin 20, Paris 19, Madrid 18, Amsterdam 16, Helsinki 13 and Boulogne-billancourt 12. - Peter Dijkema, reporting on EuroGoTV.com

Published On 5/6/2010

Eight-year-old Rada Kamysheva 5k, along with partner Oleg Mezhov 6d, came in third at the recent European Pair Go Championship April 23-25 in St. Petersburg. "Rada began taking lessons from me on KGS shortly after learning the rules of go" two years ago, reports Svetlana Shikshina 3p. Kamysheva was unranked at the time and had never played a game on KGS. "Her only experiences of go came from playing against the computer or against her parents, who were also beginners. Fast-forward two years and she is now ranked 5 kyu on KGS and starting to show signs of real potential," Shikshina said. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV.

Published On 5/5/2010

John Walch 3d went undefeated in the Swiss Luzern Spring 2010 tournament on April 24-25. Lorenz Trippel 1d lost only to Walch, while Andreas Hauenstein 2d lost to them both and won bronze. Organizers invited Hwang In-Seong 8d to comment on the games, in which 40 took part.

SPOT 1 “ELITE 8” GAME RECORDS POSTED

Published On 5/5/2010

The game records for last weekend’s Strong Player’s Online Tournament 1 (SPOT1) are now available on JustPlayGo and include MyungWan Kim vs. Yue Zhang, Xinyu Tu vs. Zhaonian ‘Michael’ Chen, Eric Lui vs. Calvin Sun and Yin ‘Sarah’ Yu vs. Jianing Gan.

Published On 5/5/2010

Baek Hongsuk 7P (r) defeated Lee Sedol 9P (l) by 8.5 points in the 38th Myeongin (Meijin) League on Tuesday, May 4 to end Lee’s 24-game winning streak. This was Lee’s first loss since January. - JustPlayGo

Published On 5/5/2010

Matthew Macfadyen 6d (r) was a perfect 7-0 in the British Go Association's Challengers' League, held in London May 28-31. The league determines which two players will play for the British Championship, which Macfadyen has won 23 times. Vanessa Wong 5d and Richard Hunter 4d were tied with five wins each at the end of the 8-player round robin, but Wong won the playoff and will face Macfadyen in the championship, which will be a five-game title match. - EuroGoTV

PONOMAREV CAPTURES NOVOSIBIRSK TITLE

Published On 5/4/2010

Valerij Ponomarev 4d became the champion of the district of Novosibirsk last Sunday, edging out Sergej Pavlov 4d in the final round-robin. Ponomarev beat Pavlov head to head which served as the tiebreaker because both had 6-1 records. Eight players participated in the tournament. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV.

Published On 5/4/2010

In the A group of the Korean-style Insei League on KGS, Ali Jabarin's 17-0 record was not enough to overcome the bonus points awarded for Gabriel Benmergui's (r) 25 games played (23-2), which led to a tie at the top. Both players were awarded $162.50, while third place winner Fredrik Blomback (13-1) won $75. In the B group, DrHazar took first and $100 with a 19-4 record, while Syptryn (22-7) and Kalmah (20-5) tied for the two third-place spots. In the C group, imagine was first and AYOCZI placed second. D group: first: Srgey, second: Macheeide. E group: first: Suitengu, second: Calwen72. A new league starts up in May. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV.

NEW GO WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Published On 5/4/2010

AllAboutGo.com is a new website dedicated to promoting the knowledge, culture and beauty of go worldwide. Organized both as a blog and as collection of useful links and articles, the site will feature blog posts from an international team that includes Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P, Hajin Lee 3P, and Youngil An 8P, with Tyler Reynolds from the Canadian Go Association, and Paul Barchilon from the AGA rounding out the contributors. A downloadable toolbar offers instant RSS updates from several go sites, as well as the ability to search on Sensei's Library.

Published On 5/4/2010

Two-time US Open Champion Myungwan Kim 9P (CA) extended his winning streak to 16 games after defeating Canadian champion Yongfei Ge 7D (ON) and former China Hebei Province champion Yue Zhang 7D (OH) last weekend in the Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1). Three other top amateurs made the Final Four, including Zhaonian “Michael” Chen 7D, Jianing Gan 6D and Eric Lui 7D. Chen (NJ), defeated Changlong Wu 7D (NC) and Xinyu Tu 7D (NJ), while Gan 6D (ON) prevailed over Hugh Zhang 6D (CA) and Sarah Yu 6D (ON), and Lui 7D (MD) outplayed Yinli Wang 6D (IN) and Calvin Sun 7D (CA). Jie Li 7D and Jennie Shen 2P gave live commentaries on the two games separately on KGS.

NEW DAILY EJOURNAL LAUNCHES

Published On 5/4/2010

Beginning Monday, May 3, readers of the American Go E-Journal will be able to choose between a brief daily edition or a weekly compilation of the week's go news. The daily edition -- which officially launches tomorrow -- is designed to provide more timely go news updates from around the world.

Published On 5/4/2010

”Chapter 15 of Muriel Barbery’s engaging novel ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ has an argument about the basics of go,” writes Franklyn L. Bullard. Hal Small adds that the 2006 French novel “presents an overview and a very accurate description of the nature of our beloved game. It’s also a drop-dead funny book with scathing social commentary.

Published On 5/3/2010

Asian TV Cup, Semifinal Tournament to Select the Chinese Team for the 11th Nongshim Cup Beijing, China White: Qiu Jun 8P Black: Ding Wei 9P Commentary: Duan Rong 7p SGF file created by Bill Cobb and Chris Garlock Translated from Weiqi World 2009.16, August 15, 2009 by Yuan Zhou 7d and used by permission. Yuan Zhou is an active go player, teacher, and author who lives in Maryland. Contact him at yuan.zhou@zhouyuan.com or check out his website.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 4 AGA BOARD SEATS

Published On 5/2/2010

Four American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are up for election this year, reports Arnold Eudell, who's coordinating this year's election process. The terms of four seats - one in each region and the at-large position - expire this September. Nominations are now being accepted and close on June 15; nominations must be made in writing by full members of the AGA. Send to elections@usgo.org Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

OC GO CLUB WINS SCHOOL TOURNEY

Published On 5/2/2010

he Orange County Go Club (CA) took top honors in the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) School Team Tournament, which concluded last week after two months of competition.

Published On 5/2/2010

After complaints that “as guys with jobs and kids there's just no way we could ever play 12 games a month” plus lectures and teaching games “without getting divorced or fired,” Korean-style Insei League founders Alexander Dinerchtein and Ilya Shikshin have started an Insei League on the turn-based Dragon Go Server (DGS). The DGS League will run three months, with just two games between each insei and two games with each teacher, for a total of 10 games. “All members get access to the Insei League room on KGS,” says Dinerchtein, “where they can watch all lectures and simuls. Regular membership for the 3-month DGS Insei League is $95; a $195 all-inclusive membership provides more game reviews.

LEVENICK TOPS CORVALLIS SPRING TOURNEY

Published On 5/2/2010

Jim Levenick 3d topped the Corvallis Go Club’s April 24 Spring Tournament, held at the Willamette University Campus in conjunction with Willamette University Go Club. There were 23 participants ranging from 6-dan to 20-kyu. Winner’s Report: Dan division: 1st: Jim Levenick 3d; 2nd: Ray King 1d. Single digit kyu: 1st: Glenn Peters, 2nd: Zack Garrett, 3rd: Dylan Wiggins. Double digit kyu: 1st: Michael Isaac, 2nd: Wendy Gleason, 3rd: Jason Cowsill. - report by Cynthia Gaty

Published On 5/1/2010

Undefeated in their respective League matches, Choi Cheolhan, Won Sungjin, and Park Yeonghun were the first to secure spots Saturday in the 6th Price Information Cup Championship Tournament. Click here for game records, including Yoo Changhyuk-Park Yeonghun and Won Sungjin-Kang Dongyun, as well as Park Jeonggeun’s Friday loss, which ended his hopes to make the finals. Click here for pairings and more game records. - JustPlayGo

U.S. GO CONGRESS SIGN-UP NEARS 100

Published On 4/29/2010

Sign-up for the 2010 US Go Congress in Colorado Springs is nearing the 100 mark, “over 20% of the way to our goal of 400+ attendees,” reports Congress Director Karen Jordan. Click here for details and here to register: “Plans are underway for the July 31-August 1 event and many of them depend on how many paid registrations we have,” says Jordan. Click here to see who’s coming.

Published On 4/29/2010

Four-time US Open Champion Jie Li 7D will provide live commentary on the key game between top seeds Myungwan Kim 9P and Yongfei Ge 7D -- both two-time US Open winners themselves -- in the Sweet 16 round of the Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1) at 1p this Saturday, May 1 on KGS.

Published On 4/28/2010

Thirteen-year-old Taiwanese professional Jian Lichen 2P (r) won the 17th Zhonghuan Cup when he defeated Zhou Junxun 9P by just 1.5 points in the final match on Monday, April 26. His win earned Jian Lichen promotion to 5-dan, continuing a meteoric rise that began when he became a professional in 2008 at 12 and was then promoted to 2-dan at the end of 2009 for obtaining 20 wins as a 1-dan. - Based on a report on JustPlayGo

JABARIN STILL LEADS KGS INSEI A LEAGUE

Published On 4/28/2010

Ali Jabarin 5d is still in the lead in the A group of the Korean-style Insei League on KGS with a 10-0 record. Fredrik Blomback 5d is in second place. Hungarian Maroncsan still tops the B-league with a single win, while three Russians are leading the C-league: Lodurr and azorot won one each and AYOCZI is third. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV.

Published On 4/28/2010

Favorite Zou Jin 6d was twice surprised in the Messeturnier in Hannover, Germany on April 24-25, losing to the winner, Zhang Yi 5d, who went undefeated, as well as to Marlon Welter 3d, who took silver with only one loss. Dieter Rasche, who created the yearly Messeturnier, took part in the 50th edition of the event. 95 players participated in the tournament which also saw the Nihon Ki-in award diplomas to the three group winners. In addition to Yi, Tijmen van Wettum 1d and Stefan Junger 4k (each with 4-1 records) won the diplomas. Yoon Young-sun 5P was also present to comment on the games. - based on Peter Dijkema's report on EuroGoTV

STRAUS ON MARRIAGE, MUSIC AND GO

Published On 4/27/2010

Photographer and former AGA President Phil Straus has posted a brief photo montage of fellow Philadelphia go player Matt Bengtson's wedding to Seohee You last December, scored to a performance of Bach's Goldberg Variations played by Bengtson, a pianist. “I was inspired by the minister's talk,” Straus says. “He had been at the rehearsal dinner the night before, and the conversation went to go. No surprise to those of us who play the game. He learned that go is a game that has few rules, but takes a lifetime to learn. At the altar, he talked to the couple about how that's true about marriage, too. I got to thinking about how it's true for piano, as well. Only 88 keys, but...”

KONG JIE WINS RICOH CUP

Published On 4/27/2010

Kong Jie 9P collected his first Ricoh Cup title Tuesday, when he defeated Xie He 7P by resignation in the final match of the 10th edition of the Ricoh, which is sponsored by the Japan-based digital office solution company. - JustPlayGo for game records

LEE SEDOL SWEEPS BC CARD CUP

Published On 4/27/2010

Lee Sedol 9P swept the second annual BC Card Cup 3-0, defeating Chang Hao 9P by resignation in the third round on Tuesday. - JustPlayGo for game records

Published On 4/27/2010

European Pair Champions Natalia Kovaleva 5d and Dmitry Surin 6d kept their title with a 6-1 record in St. Petersburg April 23-25. Challengers Elvina Karlsberg 5d and Alex Dinerchtein 3p lost the mutual encounter Sunday morning and finished with silver. Unexpectedly, Russia also collected bronze when Kamysheva/Mezhov (2k), who only lost to Laura Avram and Lucian Corlan (2d) of Romania, took third. The Romanians were the best foreign team at fourth place. Only four other teams from Europe could reach St.Petersburg in time, due to the volcano-related flight restrictions over most of Europe. Romania and Turkey flew in, while next-door neighbours Poland, Belorussia and Finland made their way there by car and ferry. Organizers filled out the field with local pairs. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

HARWIT AND ZHANG TOP BOULDER USYGC

Published On 4/26/2010

Nathan Harwit 3d and Luke Zhang 1d topped their divisions at the Boulder, CO, United States Youth Go Championship (USYGC) this past Saturday, April 24. Harwit, age 12, beat his twin brother Matthew to take the regional title. The boys have alternated as champion for the past four years, and this is their first year in the Senior Division. Nine-year-old Luke Zhang 1d took top honors in the Junior Division. Six-year-old Robin Luo 7k, also made a strong showing, winning a special trophy in the under 12 division. Winners Report: 1st: Nathan Harwit 3d; 2nd: Luke Zhang 1d; 3rd: Matthew Harwit 4d; 4th: Erwen Yu 13k; Special Under 12: Robin Luo 7k; Newcomers Award: Lenny Den 18k. - Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor; photo: Prize winners relax after their matches at the Boulder USYGC. From left to right: Erwen Yu, Luke Zhang, Robin Luo, Lenny Den; photo by Dave Weiss

SEATTLE GO CENTER BLOSSOMS AT FESTIVAL

Published On 4/26/2010

The Seattle Go Center participated in the Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival April 16-18, doing outreach to festival attendees all three days. "In the mornings we had time for a few 13x13 games among our volunteers, but on Saturday and Sunday afternoon it got very busy" reports Center Manager Brian Allen. The AGA-rated Cherry Blossom Tournament on Saturday April 17 “was a little bit larger than last year,” Allen reports, with 18 players. Ben Hakala won the Dan Section, Abe Taylor the First Kyu Section, Frank Brown the Second Kyu Section, and Job Betcher the Third Kyu Section. Job went on to win the Children's 13x13 Handicapped the next day. Owen Gow placed 2nd, and Jordon Betcher placed 3rd in the youth tournament. -

SPOT1 DOWN TO SWEET SIXTEEN PLAYERS

Published On 4/26/2010

Thirty two top players battled it out on KGS over the weekend to make the Sweet Sixteen in the inaugural N.A. Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1). Over 500 watched Myungwan Kim 9P(CA) play Hugh Zhang 6d (CA) Saturday, with Kim notching his latest victory in a 14-game winning streak in AGA tourneys. Also making the Sweet Sixteen – to be played next Saturday, May 1 – were Yongfei Ge 7D, Yuan Zhou 7D, Yue Zhang 7D, Curtis Tang 7D, Xinyu Tu 7D, Changlong Wu, Yinli Wang 6D, Eric Lui 7D, Jie Liang 7D, Calvin Sun 7D, Sarah Yu 6D, Jung Lee 7D, Jianing Gan 6D and Hugh Zhang 6D. The final slot will be filled by the winner of Monday’s Zhaonian 'Michael' Chen- Yixian Zhou game. Saturday's "main event" will undoubtedly be the face-off between Yongfei Ge and Myungwan Kim, both two-time U.S. Open Champions. Saturday’s winners proceed to Sunday’s Elite 8 round and winners there qualify for the Final 4 round.

CHEN YAOYE WINS TIANYUAN, AGAIN

Published On 4/26/2010

It was déjà vu all over again as Chen Yaoye 9P defeated Gu Li 9P by resignation in the third and final round of the 24th Tianyuan (Tengen) title match on Friday, April 23, winning the title 2-1 and retaining it for the second straight year. He defeated Gu Li in last year’s Tianyuan. - JustPlayGo

LEE SEDOL UP 2-0 IN BC CARD CUP

Published On 4/26/2010

Lee Sedol 9P blanked Chang Hao 9P over the weekend in the two rounds of the BC Card Cup, winning both games by resignation. Sedol has been on an amazing winning streak since his return to professional play in January, and it would come as no surprise to anyone if he swept this year’s BC Card Cup. Game three of the best-of-5 game series will be played on April 27th. - JustPlayGo

Published On 4/26/2010

Alessandro Pace 1k topped a field of 51 on March 27-28 at Yama no Kaze in Bassano del Grappa, Italy. Davide Minieri 3d took the silver. Full results from the Hacettepe University tournament in Ankara, Turkey, held in the same weekend, are now available. - Peter Dijkema, EJ Euoropean Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/26/2010

Chong Lee 6D topped the Chicago Spring Tournament Saturday, while Will Zhou 7D won the Senior Youth Tournament and Haisong Yang 5k the Junior Youth. “After 60 tournaments in the same venue, we took a chance and moved to the new Chicago Go Center for the 61st,” reports longtime tournament director Bob Barber. “By moving to the suburbs, we lost some people, and gained some others. Everybody was very impressed with the Center, which is the best thing to happen to go in Chicago in 30 years.” There were 34 players. Winner’s Report: Senior Youth Winner: ZHOU, Will, 7d; Junior Youth Winner: YANG, Haisong, 5k.

Published On 4/26/2010

Sign-up for the European Go Congress -- July 24 - August 8 in Tampere, Finland -- has passed 300, including two Americans (Boris Bernadsky from Manhattan and Paul Bensen of Coral Gables FL). Also signed up are Naoyuki Kai 6d, with his with wife Mihoko 2k and son Keima 5k of Yokohama, the Marz family of Marburg -- Manu 4d, Micha 3d, and their young son Ferdinand -- and many more from Europe, Japan, and elsewhere. Two upcoming tournaments of note in Amsterdam are the free blitz tournament on April 29, May 1-2 and the 39th annual Amsterdam International Go Tournament, a major event in the Pandanet Go European Cup series, and will be held May 13-16. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/24/2010

EGD, the European Go Database, recently broke through the half-million game mark. It now lists 5,571 tournaments and 26,338 players. It has been gathering data since 1996 and been online since 2005. For comparison purposes, the AGA Go Database has 1,648 tournaments, approximately 180,000 games, and 16,661 players since it went online in 2009. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, from EuroGoTV.

Published On 4/24/2010

Washington go organizer Hal Small is hosting a special 2-day workshop with Japanese professional Tadashi Sasaki 8P on May 15-16. “Those of you who attended last year’s U.S. Go Congress already know that Sasaki-sensei is a fabulous teacher as well as a delightful person,” says Small, “but what may come as a pleasant surprise is that this workshop will be free!” Small reports that the workshop is “a gift to the local DC area go community by the organizers of the past Go Congresses held in the DC area,” and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with preference given to DC-area players. Space is limited; contact Small soon if you would like to attend: haskell@haskellsmall.com “Please specify if you would like to come for one or both days, and if you wish to participate or to just audit.”

GOURDEAU, YU & GAN MAKE TOP 32 IN SPOT1

Published On 4/24/2010

Hundreds tuned in Friday night to watch the action in the N.A. Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1) Canadian qualifier and Premiere round. Jin “Sarah” Yu 6D, Daniel Gourdeau 6D and Jianing Gan 6D made the SPOT1 Top 32, while Eric Lui 7D (MD), Yuan Zhou 7D (MD) and Carson Tu 7D (NJ) are just one win from the Sweet 16 round after winning their games in the First Round. SPOT1 is sponsored by the American Go Association, with $1,500 in prizes for the top three winners.

Published On 4/23/2010

Japan’s Suzuki Ayumi 5P made an impressive run in the LG Cup qualifying preliminaries, making it to the semifinals before being defeated by Korea’s Heo Yeongho 7P on April 22. Earlier, she had defeated China’s Gu Lingyi 5P in the second round and Korea’s Moon Myeonggeun 9P in the third. Suzuki Ayumi reached the challenger final for the Female Kisei, took second place in the Female Meijin league in 2010 and was runner-up for Female Honinbo in 2008. - based on reports on JustPlayGo

TIANYUAN GOING TO DECISIVE FINAL ROUND

Published On 4/23/2010

With Gu Li 9P and Chen Yaoye 9P tied 1-1, the Tianyuan (Tengen) goes to a decisive third round on April 23. Gu defeated Chen by resignation in the first round of the 24th Tianyuan on Tuesday, and Chen returned the favor on Thursday. - JustPlayGo for more photos and both game records

Published On 4/23/2010

In the decisive fourth round, OGP defeated PoGo 3-1 to take first place in the Finnish Team Championship, held April 17-18 in Espoo, Finland. OGP was led by Su Yang 6d who went undefeated in the five round event, which featured six teams of four players. PoGo's second man Juri Kuronen 4d also won all his games. In the open team title, five teams of three players battled for five rounds with Dango defeating PoGo in another decisive fourth round. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/23/2010

Artem Kachanovskyj 6d went undefeated in six rounds to win the Youth (under 25) division of the Ukrainian Championship, which was held April 16-18 in Kiev. Andrij Kravec 5d lost only to Kachanovskyj, while Bohdan Zhurakovskyj 5d lost to both of them, to finish with the bronze. Viktoria Simonenko 11k also won five games, while Jurij Kuznjechykov 18k was undefeated in a 52-member league. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/23/2010

Franz-Josef Dickhut 6d (l) went undefeated to win the Baduk Botschafter (Ambassador's) Cup held April 17 in Berlin. That qualifies Dickhut to participate in the Korea Prime Minister Cup later this year. Bernd Schütz 4d finished ahead of Robert Jasiek 5d and Matthias Terweij 4d, each with 3 wins. Ronnie Wilhelm 9k also won all of his games. 48 players took part in the tournament; complete results here. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/23/2010

Reigning Russian Champion Ilya Shiksin 7d of Kazan won all five rounds at the Spring Youth Festival last weekend in Moscow. Reigning women's Russian Champion Natalia Kovaleva 5d lost only to Shiksin, but defeated local Oleg Mezhov 6d, who finished third, also with a 5-1 result. In Kirov, Alexej Oglobin 4k beat Alexandr Shishin 4k on strength of schedule to win the Sunday Spring Tournament on April 18 with 16 participants. In Moscow, 32 played in the 1st league, while 47 played in the 2nd league which was topped by two undefeated players: Aleksandr Tishin 6k and Ksenia Shchipicina 8k. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

GODISCUSSIONS USERS MOVE TO NEW FORUM

Published On 4/23/2010

Two grassroots efforts to replace the popular GoDiscussions.com forum – which has been plagued with technical issues in recent months – have resulted in a new home for go fans to discuss go topics online. When the GoDiscussions users decided on Wednesday to move to the new Life in 19x19 Forums Shodan Imports owner Chuck Thomas redirected all traffic from igodojo.org to Life in 19x19 Forums. “Let's get on with the endless arguments, pedantic nitpicking and good old fashioned grumpiness!”said “user CarlJung.” - Dennis Wheeler

Published On 4/23/2010

Mirco Fanti 2k of Bologna earned an extremely close victory in the Primo Torneo A Faenza on Saturday, April 17 in Faenza, Italy. Fanti’s deciding win in the handicap tournament came against Italian vice-Champion Davide Minieri 3d of Padova, after they both finished even on all tie-breakers. Leonardo Dal Zovo 2k (r) of Forleone won bronze 3-1. Mario Fava 11k of Treviso and local hero Stefano Giurin 13k also won three games each. Sixteen players participated. Click here for complete results. In other Italian go news, Javaness reported last Sunday that Gionata Soletti, long-time FIGG (Italian Go Federation) Secretary -- and organizer of two European Go Congresses – is under house arrest. Javaness cites Italian newspaper reports detailing allegations about Soletti’s financial involvement with a politician who has pleaded guilty. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/23/2010

The Strong Players Online Tournament (SPOT1) launches tonight, April 23, at 7P on KGS, with three matches between U.S. players, as well as six Canadian players battling for three slots in the Top 32. The first major online open tournament in recent years has attracted a lot of interest from players and fans alike. Among the thirty-five strong players from Canada, the United States and Mexico are Korean 9-dan professional -- and two-time US Open Champion -- Myung Wan Kim, Canadian Yongfei Ge 7D, also a two-time US Open winner, and 2006 NAIM Champion Zhaonian “Michael” Chen 7D from New Jersey. “Every team is tough,” said Yixian Zhou 7D from Los Angeles, better-known as “missbear” on KGS. “But I will have fun to learn from the strong players.” Changlong Wu 7D from North Carolina encourages fans to “Come and watch, and join the AGA today.” The tournament continues over the weekend. Click here for the pairings. schedule and results. - Zhiyuan “Edward” Zhang

18-KYU LIBRONT SWEEPS IN BYDGOSZCZ

Published On 4/23/2010

Local player Dawid Libront 18k became a club hero after a clean sweep of the full handicap tournament in Bydgoszcz, Poland held on Sunday, April 18. Libront defeated two 10k club colleagues on his way to victory. Roman Kamynski, one of the 10k players, won silver after a tie-breaker with Robert Oczkowski 4k (photo) of Torun. Twelve played in the tournament. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

PEREZ NEW SEVILLA CHAMPION

Published On 4/23/2010

PEREZ NEW SEVILLA CHAMPION
Orestes Pérez 5k of Madrid became the lucky thirteenth Champion of Sevilla last weekend, sweeping all six rounds of the April 17-18 handicap tournament. Hakuba Kuwano 3d won the silver cup and local Luis Salgado 8k took bronze. A total of 56 players took part. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European Correspondent, reporting on EuroGoTV

Published On 4/22/2010

Four players with identical 4-0 records topped the three divisions of the Salt City Go Tournament, held April 17 in Syracuse, NY. Gus Price 7d (at right, in photo) took the $200 top prize in the A division, while Peter Wynn 4k took first in B. Dan Young 18k and Meg Houston 29k, both playing in their first AGA tournament, tied atop the C division. 12-year old Yao Zhou 6d (at left, playing Price) took the second-place $75 prize with a 3-1 record. A record 32 players competed in the tournament, which was the third paired tournament held by the Syracuse Go Club, with cash prizes of $400 along with 13 books from Slate and Shell. The tournament's go problem cake (B to play), a 3-year tradition at the tournament, drew 15 solution submissions this year (only four correct), with Noel Kinnear of Schenectady, NY winning a book prize. - Richard Moseson

TANG, DOLEV & QU TOP NORCAL TOURNEY

Published On 4/20/2010

David Tang 2d led the dan division with a 3-0 result at the Bay Area Go Players Association's monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto, CA, on April 10. Kfir Dolev 5k (r) and Larry Qu 6k each went 4-0 to top the kyu division. Anthony Chiang 2d earned an honorable mention for completing a whopping ten games, a dan division record. "Our flexible tournament format lets people play as many or as few official games as they like," explains tournament organizer Roger Schrag. Twenty-nine adults and children played, ranging from 24k to 5d, with eight of the 29 playing in their first tournament ever. Click here for more photos. Next month's ratings tournament will be held May 2 in Oakland, CA.

Published On 4/20/2010

Karlruhe increased their lead over runners-up Hamburg Hebsacker on April 15 in the penultimate round of the German Bundesliga (Team League). Hebsacker won on only one board of four, just enough to keep their hopes alive for a miracle next month. They would not only need to crush the Frankfurt Dragons, but Karlsruhe – which has won the title all but one year – would have to lose badly to Berlin Igoist, for Hebsacker to win their second national title.

SILT SWEEPS PANDANET SEASON OPENER

Published On 4/19/2010

While Europe was closed for air traffic last weekend due to the ongoing volcanic activity, the 2010-11 Pandanet Tour launched in Bled, Slovenia, which the players -- who hail from Central Europe -- could reach by car. Ondrej Silt 6d swept all six rounds of the Tour's first tournament April 16-18, while Pal Balogh 6d won five for silver and veteran Vladimir Danek 5d's four games earned him bronze.

POMSTRA TIPS MARTINI IN GRONINGEN

Published On 4/19/2010

Willem-Koen Pomstra 5d of Arnhem won all rounds to take first place in the Martini Cup April 17-18 in Groningen, The Netherlands. Herman Hiddema 4d of Delft lost only once, to take second place. Torsten Knauf 4d of Cologne finished third with three wins. In Groningen 46 took part. Also Hakan Dagli 3k of Almere and Maria Nyström 7k of Umela won all five of their games. Young-sun Yoon 5P provided game commentaries. The tournament's name derives from the Martini Tower, which dominates the city's historic center. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 4/19/2010

Victory in this year’s dramatic Transatlantic Youth Go Match (TYGM) hinged on the tiebreaker that had to be played after the teams from North America and Europe tied at five wins each. The tiebreaker captain's game between Curtis Tang, who has represented the U.S. many times at the World Youth Go Championship (WYGC), and Artem Kachanovskyj, a perennial contender at the WYGC for Europe , handed victory to North America again – the team won 6-4 last year -- when Tang was able to hold onto his lead through the endgame. Over 600 online spectators showed up Sunday, April 18 to watch the TYGM’s second edition, in which twenty players from ten countries in North America and Europe played in a friendship exchange between the two continents. The success of this event, both last year and this year, ensure that it will continue to be a venue for North American and European players to mingle and make new friends.

PARK YEONGHUN WINS MYEONGIN PRELIM

Published On 4/18/2010

Park Yeonghun 9P (r) defeated amateur Park Youngryong 7d by resignation in the 38th Myeongin (Meijin) Preliminary Tournament Finals on April 17. The Myeongin consists of 12 players divided into two leagues who compete in several stages. Last year’s Myeongin was Lee Changho 9P, who has won the title 13 times. - JustPlayGo

MORRIS WINS MASS. SPRING TOURNEY

Published On 4/18/2010

Trevor Morris 7D took first place out of 30 players in the Massachusetts Spring tournament, held April 11 in Somerville, MA. In second place was Pete Martin 4k and Matt Mallory 1k was 3rd. - Wanda Metcalf

SUN AND FANG WIN WORLD YOUTH SLOTS

Published On 4/18/2010

Thirteen-year-old Calvin Sun 7d and ten-year-old Kevin Fang 1d won their divisions at the World Youth Go Championships qualifiers on April 10 and 11. In the Senior Division, Sun faced stiff challenges from Curtis Tang 8d and Zhongxia Zhao 7d. Zhao bested Tang in the semi-final, but then lost to Sun at the finals. The qualifier was held on KGS, and drew over 300 viewers on the top boards.

Published On 4/18/2010

The US Youth Go Championship, now separated from the World Youth Go Championship, will feature both regional and online qualifiers over the next few weeks. Boulder and Chicago are both holding events on April 24th, and the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is hosting an online qualifier on May 1st. The finals, on June 5 and 6, will determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. Any youth living in the US may enter, citizenship is not required. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 1-5 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 and up kyu. Contestants will also receive free audio go lessons courtesy of Guo Juan 5P. - Paul Barchilon, Youth Editor

JABARIN LEADS KGS A-LEAGUE

Published On 4/18/2010

Almost halfway through the April KGS Insei League, Ali Jabarin (OohAah) has taken the lead with a perfect score of 8 wins, including one against KILL founder Aleksander Dinerchtein 3P (Breakfast), his main teacher there. Jabarin lives in Israel and is a former Youth Champion of Europe. Argentinan danigabi is undefeated with 5-0, while Fredda (Fredrik Blomback 5d) from Sweden has won one. Artem92 (Artem Kachanovskij 6d, Ukraine), who won the first league, is at 2-1. DRhazar (Canada) 8-0, fantastigo (Germany) 3-0 and Maroncsan (Hungary) 1-0 lead in the B-league, with Kalmah (Finland) at their heels with 90%. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 4/18/2010

Dmitrij Surin 6d won the St Petersburg Open Cup April 10-11 in Russia, topping a field of 16. Runners-up were Ivan Kulikowskij 5d, Natalia Kovaleva 5d and Alexei Lazarev 6d. That same weekend in St Petersburg, Stepan Trubicin 4d swept the Under 25 Russian Championship, ahead of Igor Nemlij 5d of Kazan, Sergej Efimov 2k (Ekaterinaburg) and Dmitrij Kirakosjan 1d of St Petersburg. Elsewhere in Russia, during that weekend, in Jaroslavl with its center on the list of UNESCO World Heritage, Andrej Kljuev won Jaroslavl Championship while Daria Koshkina 4k (r) took silver with her 4-1 result. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

KAMINSKI WINS POZNAN OPEN

Published On 4/18/2010

Local hero Marek Kaminski 3d (r) swept the top section of the Poznan Open 5-0 in Poznan, Poland the weekend of April 10-11, ahead of Mateusz Chojnicki 1d of Bydgoszcz and Artur Chmielewski 4k of Starogard. "My toughest game was with Artur," Marek told the E-Journal. " I think he is not 4-kyu, but at least 1-dan!" He added that the tournament atmosphere "was very nice... until we heard the news of the tragic crash, in which we lost so many prominent Poles." Locals dominated the second section as well: Dariusz Bednarczyk (5-0), Mikolaj Olszanki (both 6k) and Marek Maksimczyk 4k of Lódz (both 3-2). Wojciech Slusarczyk 9k, Marcin Samson 14k (Srodkowa) and Tomasz Nawracala 11k all won four games in group 3 with nine players.

CHEN YAOYE ADVANCES TO CCTV CUP FINALS

Published On 4/14/2010

Chen Yaoye 7P (l) defeated Zhou Ruiyang 5P (r) by resignation on Tuesday, April 13 in the semifinal match of the 2010 CCTV Cup. Chen will play the winner of the semifinal match between Gu Lingyi 5P and Piao Wenyao 5P. - JustPlayGo for the game record

Published On 4/14/2010

With all six of Japan’s players eliminated in the second round of play on Monday, April 12 in the Fujitsu Cup, Korea and China will battle it out for the championship. In the April 14 quarterfinals, it’s Gu Li 9P (CN) vs Lee Sedol 9P (KR), Park Yeonghun 9P (KR) vs Piao Wenyao 5P (CN), Kim Jiseok 7P (KR) vs Kong Jie 9P (CN) and Qiu Jun 8P (CN) vs Kang Dongyun 9P (KR). - JustPlayGo for photos & game records

CHINA DOMINATES FUJITSU QUARTERFINALS

Published On 4/14/2010

In the Fujitsu Cup quarterfinal matches Wednesday, April 14, China flexed its muscles and won three of the four matches. Lee Sedol 9P was the only Korean to make the Final 4, defeating Gu Li 9P by resignation and joining China’s Kong Jie 9P, Qiu Jun 8P and Piao Wenyao 5P for the semifinals. With the July 3 semis nearly three months away, it’s difficult to identify any clear favorites, as there’s a lot that can happen in the next few months. Lee’s been on a very solid winning streak, Piao Wenyao has stacked up some impressive wins as of late, and Kong Jie is China’s top player. Whatever the outcomes, it will be an exciting series of matches. - JustPlayGo for photos & game records

Published On 4/14/2010

With 14 tournaments and 62 games, Bay Area Go Players Association organizer Roger Schrag leads the American Go Association's new running Top-10 lists for rated games and tournaments. Kelsey Dyer is 12 games back, at 50 rated games over the last 12 months, while Gordon Castanza is second in events with 11. The Top 10 will be updated daily; for more tournament data and crosstables, visit the American Go Association Go Database. - Philip Waldron

KAY WINS BRITISH OPEN

Published On 4/13/2010

Cantabrigian student Andrew 'the great destroyer' Kay has won the British Open with a perfect score of 6/6. In second place was ex British champion Jon Diamond with five wins. T-Mark Hall edged out Nick 'the Sloth' Krempel, (who had bizarrely won the lightning tournament on Friday, ) on SOS. The tournament itself was held in Edinburgh and was very well attended with 74 players. The British Go Association's Annual General Meeting was also held during the event, but was predictably boring and attracted little interest. - Javaness on EuroGoTV.com

JAN SIMARA PILSNERS IN PLZEN

Published On 4/13/2010

Jan Simara 5d (BUM 6d on kgs) swept the Qualifiers in Plzen -- the hometown of pilsner beer -- one of the events to gain points to enter the Czech Champs Finals later this year. Multiple former Champion Vladimir Danek 5d only lost to Simara. Ivan Kostka 3d won bronze on sos. Last weekend, 59 came to enjoy the beer. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

Published On 4/13/2010

Two-time US Open champ Myung Wan Kim 8P leads a field of over 40 highly-ranked players already registered for the first Strong Players' Online Tournament I. Registration is open through this Thursday, April 15; players must be AGA members, members of the Canadian or Mexican Associations, at least 5.0 AGA rating or equivalent – professionals are welcome -- and have a webcamera, Skype and KGS accounts. Undefeated in all AGA tournaments since he moved to L.A. in 2008, Kim currently holds the highest rating in North America, making him the odds-on favorite in the online tourney scheduled to start April 24, although there are seven players registered so far with ratings above 8.0 . Click here for the roster. Registration is free.

HAJA & PITROP TOP BUCHAREST YOUTH

Published On 4/12/2010

Daniel Haja 5k won the Under 10 and Alexandru Pitrop 4k (r) the Under 12 at last weekend’s National Youth Championship in Bucharest. Click here for complete results. - Marilena Bara, Romanian Correspondent for the E-Journal; photo by Titi Ghioc

PAL BALOGH WINS PANDANET CUP

Published On 4/11/2010

Pal Balogh 6d of Hungary won the Pandanet European Cup at the Paris Open closing the 2009-2010 season. Balogh collected 66 points from six of the 21 Pandanet European Cup tourneys. Czech Ondrej Silt 6d finished with 58 from 7, while both Christian Pop 7d (56, Romania) and Csaba Mero 6d (53, Hungary) played only in 5 events on tour. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal photo: Pal Balogh (l) winning the Austrian Open last November, a Japanese Ambassadors Cup event and part of the Pandanet Go European Cup

Published On 4/11/2010

The players from Europe, North and South America went down fighting in the first round of the 23rd Fujitsu Cup Saturday in Tokyo. China’s Piao Wenyao 5P (l) defeated amateur Li Jie 7D (r) of the United States by resignation after 219 moves, Japan’s Takao Shinji 9P defeated Argentina’s amateur Fernando Aguilar 6D by resignation after 172 moves, and Kim Jiseok 7D of Korea beat a very strong effort by Russia’s Alexandre Dinerstein 3P, who resigned after 243 moves. Round 2 is scheduled for Monday, April 12. Click below for more photos, game records and Round 2 pairings. - JustPlayGo

CHO U SWEEPS JUDAN 3-0

Published On 4/11/2010

Cho U 9P (l) has retained his Judan title handily, defeating Yamashita Keigo 9P (r) by resignation in the third round Thursday to complete a 3-0 sweep of the 48th Judan, winning the title for a second year in a row. Cho won games one and three by resignation and game 2 by 1.5; he now leads Yamashita 34-22 in head-to-head competition. See below for photos & game records - Just Play Go & Kin’s Homepage

XIE HE ADVANCES TO RICOH CUP FINALS

Published On 4/11/2010

Xie He 7P (l) advanced to the RICOH Cup finals after defeating Gu Lingyi 5P (r) by resignation in the semifinal on Tuesday. Xie will face Kong Jie – who won the title in 2005 -- in the title match. This will be Kong Jie’s first RICOH Cup title match. - JustPlayGo for the game record

Published On 4/11/2010

Choi Cheolhan (r) won the Maxim Cup on Tuesday, April 6, defeating Kang Dongyun (l) by resignation in the third and final game to win the 11th Maxim title match 2-1. Choi has now won the Maxim Cup two years in a row. The Maxim is sponsored by Baduk TV and Dong Suh (East-West) Foods Co. - JustPlayGo & KIN’s Homepage

Published On 4/11/2010

The American Go E-Journal will team up again with Ranka this year to provide complete coverage of the World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC). The 31st annual competition among top amateur players from around the world is set for May 24-31 in Hangzhou, China. American-born pro Michael Redmond 9P will provide game commentaries for the Ranka/E-Journal effort – which will include ongoing updates on both Ranka and the AGA website , as well as via daily E-Journal reports -- while Ivan Vigano, James Davies and Chris Garlock will report and John Pinkerton will provide photos

WORLD MIND SPORTS GAMES ON FILM

Published On 4/10/2010

French filmmaker and go player Fred Donzet 5d has just posted his film about the 2008 World Mind Sports Games. Donzet, a French representative to the WMSG, shot a lot of material about all the games played at the event in Beijing, China. - Peter Dijkema

Published On 4/10/2010

[/caption] Korea’s Lee Sedol 9P will play China’s Chang Hao 9P in the 2nd BC Card Cup finals. Lee defeated Kim Kiyoung 5P on Saturday and Chang defeated Park Junghwan 7P on Sunday. Last year’s title match favored China, with Gu Li defeating Korea’s Cho Hanseung 3-1. This year’s title match, which begins on April 25th, will undoubtedly prove to be a very exciting series with two very strong players battling it out. - JustPlayGo; click here for more photos and game records

SMARTGO KIFU RELEASED FOR IPAD

Published On 4/10/2010

Early adopters who have already picked up their iPads can use SmartGo Kifu to transform the just-released iPad into a go board with 20,000 professional gamerecords and 2,000 problems. “SmartGo Kifu also offers an innovative way to view and replay games using figures and diagrams like in go books,” says author Anders Kierulf. “Twenty games annotated by Alexandre Dinerchtein are included to showcase this feature, and you can import your own games to view them the same way.”

Published On 4/10/2010

Youth teams from North America and Europe are set to play a friendship match featuring ten of the strongest youth players from each continent. The North American team took a 6-4 victory in last year’s inaugural event, “but the Europeans have a strong team this year!” says organizer Lawrence Ku.

AGA GO CAMP UPDATES

Published On 4/10/2010

The East Coast summer go camp is set for July 17-25, in Somerset, New Jersey, while the West Coast Go Camp is still seeking a Director. Feng Yun 9P will again be the primary teacher at the East Coast camp, with John Mangual taking over as camp director. "The camps have been popular with young players on both Coasts,” said AGA President Allan Abramson, “and we’re looking for someone to organize and run this year's camp on the West Coast." Those interested can contact Abramson at President@usgo.org. The AGF is offering partial scholarships to the camps, and USYGC finalists are eligible for a pool of 16 camp scholarships as well. Click here for more information and an application.

Published On 4/10/2010

Sixteen young players won entry into next week’s World Youth Go Championship (WYGC) Qualifier finals, where they will join Calvin Sun 7d and Ben Lockhart 5d for an 18-player single-elimination tournament

BAY AREA SCHOOLS COMPETE

Published On 4/10/2010

Top California youth face off in the Bay Area High School Go Tournament on April 25th. The AGF and the Bay Area Go Players Association (BAGPA) are co-sponsoring the event, which was almost canceled after losing Ing funding last year. Enterprising teen organizer David Su has fought to keep the event going, securing funding from the AGF and taking responsibility for organizing the event. Nine schools have entered, some with several three-person teams. Late entries will still be accepted says Su; more info and the entry form are on the BAGPA website. -Paul Barchilon, E-Journal Youth Editor

Published On 4/10/2010

Twenty students ranging from 10-kyu to 5-dan gathered in Orlando, FL March 27-28 to participate in a workshop with Guo Juan 5P, a top pro and founder of the Guo Juan Internet Go School. The workshop consisted of sessions that were divided into two groups -- 5d-3k and 4k-10k -- as well as combined sessions.

MAXIM CUP TIED 1-1

Published On 4/10/2010

Kang Dongyun 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan (Maxim Cup) by resignation in the second round of the 11th Maxim Cup title match on April 5. The series is now tied 1-1 with the third and final round to be played on April 6th. - JustPlayGo

NEW GO SCHOOL IN KOREA

Published On 4/10/2010

Kim Dongyeop 9P and Kim Seonmi 2P head up "Baduk World," a new go school in Korea for foreign players. “We offer a five- and six-day study plan,” reports Jonathan Hop, “where students get the personal guidance of professional and high dan amateur players and also visit Korea. Anyone of any strength is welcome.”

JOSEKI CONTEST LAUNCHED

Published On 4/10/2010

If you know them, following joseki is easy, but what happens when your opponent veers off course? Will you know how to handle it? Alexander Dinerchtein 3P has teamed up with Josekipedia to offer a joseki contest exploring this problem. The contest contains three real high-level games containing joseki mistakes. “Find the mistakes, then the best refutations, and win fabulous prizes,” says Dinerchtein. “Even if you are not a joseki expert, you will learn a lot from participating in this contest!” The contest ends April 30.

DAI PEAKS IN PARIS

Published On 4/10/2010

Dai Junfu 7d (r) of Lyon won the Paris Open in Antony, April 3-5, undefeated 6-0. Csaba Mero 6d of Hungary lost only to Dai to finish for silver. Favorite Hwang In-Seong 8d had to settle for bronze on sos. Also with four wins: French Championne Yanqi Zhang 6d, Christian Pop 7d (Romania) and Pal Balogh 6d (Hungary). The latter won the overall classement of the Pandanet season this year. The field was very strong, like last week's Shusaku Cup in Romania and attendance was similarly high: 224 took part. Between rounds, Dai autographed copies of his new book on the middle game.

LI SWEEPS NORDIC GO CHAMPS

Published On 4/10/2010

Martin Li 5d of Sweden swept the 2010 Nordic Go Championship 6-0, held this year in Oslo from April 2-4. Local hero Jostein Flood 4d lost only to Li, for the silver crown. Xia Jie Lin 5d, also from the Norwegian capital won bronze on sos. In Oslo 33 took part. Click here for complete results. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the E-Journal

ASSISTANT YEARBOOK CD EDITOR NEEDED

Published On 4/10/2010

With the 2009 American Go Yearbook – the compilation of the “best of” the American Go E-Journal – nearing completion, Yearbook staff needs immediate assistance to wrap up the Yearbook CD. No experience necessary; the qualifying candidate will receive credit in the Yearbook and an E-Journal staff cap. Email journal@usgo.org if interested

CORSAGE FOR KORSAK TITLE IN UKRAINE

Published On 4/10/2010

Viktoriya Korsak 6k was victorious in the Female Champs of the Ukraine, held in Kyiv, April 1-4. She won 6-1, with three 5-2 players at her heels; 8 players took part. Click here for full results. - Peter Dijkema, from EGD

SMUD TOPS BIG MOUNTAIN

Published On 4/10/2010

Mladen Smud 1k (l) won his local home tournament Veligoricki Go Turnir – or Big Mountain Tournament -- in Veligoricki, Croatia. Smud finished ahead of Robert Jovecic 2k on sos. - Peter Dijkema, from EGD

EDWARD ZHANG WINS DC CHERRY BLOSSOM

Published On 4/6/2010

Edward Zhang 6D, fresh from his win at the recent Carolina Spring Go Tournament, took top honors at the NOVA [caption id="attachment_122" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ethan Hsiao, 35k; photo by Allan Abramson"][/caption] Cherry Blossom tournament in Washington, DC last weekend.

REDMOND INTO TENGEN 3RD ROUND

Published On 4/6/2010

Michael Redmond 9P has made it to the third round of the Tengen, his best result in some time. He defeated Cho Riyu 7P on March 4th and then Ishida Atsushi 9P on April 1st and is now paired against Yoda Norimoto 9P. Redmond is three years older than Yoda, but both are in the same generation, though Yoda has had a much more successful career in terms of title wins. - Bill Cobb

Published On 4/5/2010

http://www.usgo-archive.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Screen-shot-2011-01-30-at-9.40.04-AM-300x206.png

AKSUT HEADS HACETTEPE

Published On 4/3/2010

Husrev Aksut 1d won all six rounds in Hacettepe, Turkey, March 27-28, ahead of Eren Karter 1d 5-1 and Kerem Karaerkek 1d, who won bronze on sos. Click here for the full results of 47 participants. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the EJ

JANTUNEN TAKES TAMPERE

Published On 4/3/2010

Markku Jantunen 3d and Oiva Moisio 1d topped a field of only 10 with 5-2 each, March 27-28 in Tampere, Finland, which will host the European Go Congress this summer. Click here for full results. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent for the EJ

ZHANG TOPS CAROLINA SPRING TOURNEY

Published On 4/3/2010

Edward Zhang 6D won the first place in the Open section of the 2010 Carolina Spring Go tournament, held in Raleigh, NC on March 28th. Thirty-four players competed in the seventh annual AGA-rated tournament organized by the Cary Go Club. Zhang, who traveled from the DC area, won four straight games to top the open section. Winner's Report: Eric Zhang 5D, Guojun Zhu 3D and Nianci Gan 3D tied for the second place of the open section with 3-1 scores. Xiaoping Wu 1d and John Moore 2d tied for the first place of Section A (1D-2D), while Wu's 12-year old son, Brian Wu 7K won Section B (1K-10K) with a perfect score of 4-0. Warren Lewis 18K, Tom Carlson 11K, Dale Blann 13K and Ralph Abbey 15K tied for the first place of Section C (11K-20K) with the same score of 3-1. Two young kids, Alvin Chen 24K and Kevin Kwong 25K won Section D (21K-30K) in a tie with a score of 3-1. - Owen Chen

TWO UPSETS IN MINGREN PRELIM

Published On 4/3/2010

Amateur Hu Yuqing 8d defeated professional Fang Jie 7P by resignation in the first round of the last [caption id="attachment_62" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Nie Weiping (r) v.s. Tao Xin "][/caption] preliminary tournament of the 23rd Mingren (Meijin) on March 30. In another surprise win, Tao Xin 4P defeated Nie Weiping 9P by a stunning 8.5 points. - JustPlayGo click here for more photos and game records.

Published On 4/3/2010

Lee Sedol 9P (r) defeated Kim Kiyoung 5P by 4.5 points in the BC Card Cup semifinal to advance to the finals, where he’ll face either Park Junghwan 7P or Chang Hao 9P for the title match. - JustPlayGo; click here for more photos and game records

Published On 4/3/2010

Chinese A League, Round 8 Black: Gu Li 9P White: Lee Sedol 9P June 27, 2009 Zhejiang, China Written by Li Zhe 6P SGF file created by Bill Cobb and Chris Garlock Translated from Weiqi World 2009-14, July 15, 2009, by Yuan Zhou 7d and used by permission. Published in the May 3, 2010 edition of the American Go E-Journal Yuan Zhou 7d is one of the strongest amateurs in the US.

GO QUIZ: 37th Champions

Published On 4/3/2010

Folks found this one tough, with just four realizing that this year’s 37th Maryland Open Champion would join 37th Honinbo Cho Chikun, 37th Judan Kobayashi Koichi and 37th Oza Kato Masao as winners of the 37th version of the their respective titles. THIS WEEK’S QUIZ: KATO MASAO - TO TELL THE TRUTH: We will return to multiple choice for this quiz about the late Kato Masao (r). Which of these statements, if said by Kato, would be untrue - "I was one of the 'three crows' of the Kitani Dojo,” "I was known as "Killer" in the early part of my career," "I won all the top seven titles, except the Honinbo," "I was Director of the Nihon Kiin when I died". Click here to vote now. - Keith Arnold

Published On 3/29/2010

Korea’s Lee Sedol 9P (r) will play China’s Chang Hao 9P in the BC Card Cup finals. Lee defeated Kim Kiyoung 5P on Saturday and Chang defeated Park Junghwan 7P on Sunday. Last year’s first BC Card Cup title match favored China, with Gu Li defeating Korea’s Cho Hanseung 3-1. This year’s title match, which begins on April 25th, will undoubtedly prove to be a very exciting series with two very strong players battling it out. - JustPlayGo; click here for more photos and game records

N.A. & EUROPE OUT IN CHUNLAN CUP

Published On 3/29/2010

North America’s Mingjiu Jiang 7P was eliminated in the first round of the Chunlan Cup on Saturday in Beijing, China, as was Europe’s Csaba Mero 6d. After the second round on Sunday, the field was down to eight: Heo Yeongho 7P, Kong Jie 9P, Lee Sedol 9P, Wang Xi 9P, Xie He 7P, Cho Chikun 9P, Gu Li 9P and Gu Lingyi 5P. Lee of Korea and Japan’s Cho are the only non-Chinese players remaining. The Chunlan Cup is sponsored and hosted by The Chunlan Group of China. The beginning 24 players are shortened to 16 after the first round and the top eight players are qualified for the next round while the bottom eight play each other in a knockout tournament. Komi is 5.5 points with 3-hour time limits. The winner's purse is 1,000,000 Yuan ($150,000). Click here for current standings, courtesy Kin’s Go News, here is the Chunlan Cup tournament line up and team members and here for game records. - JustPlayGo

GUY WINS ALL-IOWA GO CUP

Published On 3/29/2010

Suen Guy 6k from Korea, a senior at Iowa State University studying electrical engineering, won first place and the All-Iowa Go Cup during the Iowa Go Tournament on March 27 in Ames, Iowa. Returning Iowa Go Tournament champion Louis Schenck 2k from Des Moines, Iowa, took second place. Edward Basom 10k, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, an Iowa State University junior studying chemistry, took third. -report/photos by Carol Bodensteiner: photos: Suen Guy, tournament winner; Louis Schenck, runner up.

Published On 3/29/2010

Meadowdale High School’s "Team Lightning" from Lynnwood, Washington won the 8th annual Iwamoto School Team Tournament at the Seattle Go Center, winning all of their games but one to best two other teams. First board: Cesar Serra, 2nd: Hayden Sherrill, 3rd: Andrea McCool. - report and photo by Brian Allen

SCHOOL TEAM TOURNEY HEATS UP

Published On 3/29/2010

After two weeks of intense competition, California teams have trounced the competition, leading many of the standings. In the Open Division, Redwood Shores GC and Orange County GC are holding onto the top spots for the Golden State, but defending champion Stuyvesant HS (NY) is still in the hunt for their third open title by remaining undefeated through two rounds. Richard Montgomery HS (MD), Bellaire HS (TX), Morningstar Chinese (CA), Mason Huaxia Chinese (OH), and Saratoga HS (CA) also lead their divisions with solid 2-0 performances. In the States Cup standings, New Jersey is looking for their first-ever podium finish, clinging on to the third spot behind California and New York. North Carolina and Texas round out the top five.

NEW N.A. ONLINE TOURNEY TO USE SKYPE

Published On 3/29/2010

Strong players in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are invited to register for the Strong Player's Online Tournament (SPOT1). a new online tournament with $1,500 in cash prizes organized by the American Go Association. “This tournament will also be an experiment in requiring a web camera and a Skype account, so players will see and hear each other during the games,” says Tournament Director Edward Zhang. Players with AGA ratings of 5.0 and up, or Canadian/Mexican equivalents, are eligible. No requirement for a U.S. Green card or citizenship, but players must have maintained AGA, CGA or MGA membership continuously for the past 12 months; U.S. player must have lived in the U.S. for at least 6 of the past 12 months.. The 26 top-rated AGA players who register automatically qualify, and six places are reserved for Canadian (4) and Mexican (2) players. The tournament will be on weekends, and it is scheduled for four weekends.

"SLOW GO” TOURNEY SEEKS PLAYERS

Published On 3/29/2010

Recruiting has begun for a new tournament, the Wisonet Go Cup. A “slow go” event – 2.5 hours basic time per player plus overtime – the Wisonet is requiring a minimum rating of 1-dan and will select a field of up to 32 players from those registering. Five rounds are planned, the first scheduled for May 8th in Edison, New Jersey. Rounds 2-4 can be sponsored by other go clubs and the final round will return to Edison. Up to $3,000 in cash prizes will be awarded (less if the field is smaller). Players invited to participate in the tournament will pay $50 per round for the first three rounds; no fee will be charged for the last two rounds. Wisonet specializes in games and puzzles, says company president and tournament organizer Ronghao Chen. “Our purpose is to dramatically improve the quality of games in tournaments.” Chen expects the tournament to last at least four months.

PAIR GO WORLD CUP UPDATE

Published On 3/29/2010

In last week’s report on the recent the 2010 Pair Go World Cup (China’s Song/Xie Win Pair Go World Cup, 3/22 EJ), we failed to mention that U.S. pair Yun Feng and Jie Li were defeated in the first round of the 4 million yen championship by eventual champions Song Ronghui 5P and Xie He 7P of China. “This is an event held by the newly formed World Pair Go Association to celebrate the 20th anniversary of pair go,” reports IGF Vice President Thomas Hsiang. “The sponsors include a new Japanese company ‘Gourmet Navigator,’ or ‘Gurunami’ in Japanese, and All Nippon Airways (ANA).”

WORLD YOUTH DEADLINE MARCH 30

Published On 3/29/2010

The deadline for the World Youth Goe Championships (WYGC) qualifier is now March 30th. The qualifier will be held on April 3rd, and the finals on April 10th and 11th. The winners in each bracket will go on to compete at the WYGC in Taiwan, July 22-28. For more information click here.

Published On 3/29/2010

Lee Changho Wins Kuksu: It took Lee Changho 9P just 145 moves to wrap up his Kuksu title win on March 23. Lee defeated Hong Kipyo 4P by resignation in the fourth game of the 53rd Kuksu to handily win the series 3-1. This is the 10th time in his career that Lee Changho has held the Kuksu title and marks his 140th title win. The last time he won the Kuksu was in 2006. - JustPlayGo Rui Naiwei Sweeps Female Kuksu, Again: Rui Naiwei (Female Kuksu) defeated Cho Hyeyeon 8P by a stunning 11.5 points in the second round of the 15th Female Kuksu on Mar

Published On 3/29/2010

HWANG TOPS SHUSAKU CUP IN ROMANIA: Hwang In-Seong 8d, undefeated in six rounds, swept a very strong field at the Shusaku Cup in Tirgu Mures, Romania March 26-28. Next were Catalin Taranu 7d, Ilya Shjiksin 7d and Christian Pop 7d, atop a field of 150 in the main event. Younger double-digit level players were invited to the Junior Cup. Click here for the full results. Chinese pro's were invited for teaching and game comments and EuroGoTV to relay games from the top boards. - Peter Dijkema, from EuroGoTV.com

Published On 3/29/2010

Just in time for Passover, Shavit Fragman has posted several go items related to the Jewish holiday, including The Go Seder (Pessach) Plate, a Happy Pessach (Passover) card and Let My People GO - New findings on GO Baduk Weiqi history, which explores the linkage between Moses’ exodus from Egypt and the game of go. Fragman is President of the Mind Go Club, an AGA chapter in Israel.

Published On 3/22/2010

LOCKHART & XIONG WIN BOSTON YOUTH: Ben Lockhart 5d from New York City won the Senior Division and defending champion Kevin Xiong won the Junior Division again at the 4th annual GBCCA Youth Go Tournament and US Youth Go Championship (USYGC) Qualifier that ended on March 20th. Runners-up in the Senior Division were Andrew Wang in second place, Henry Li (3rd) and Sam Huang (4th). Zachary Lu took 2nd in the Juniors while Bowen He was 3rd.

Published On 3/22/2010

LEE CHANGHO TAKES 2-1 LEAD IN KUKSU: Lee Changho 9P defeated Hong Kipyo 4P by resignation Friday in Round 3 of the 53th Kuksu title match to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five match; Hong had tied the match at 1-1 last Wednesday. Round 4 will be played on March 23rd.

Published On 3/22/2010

RAMON RULES BELGIUM: With ruling champion Lukas Neirlinck absent from the Belgian championship, François Gonze looked to be the heir apparent, comfortably leading the round-robin field 7-0. But a hungry Jan Ramon defeated Gonze in Round 8 and claimed the crown last Sunday.

Published On 3/22/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Hot Off The Press #104 - Fundamentals by Robert Jasiek

Published On 3/15/2010

QU SWEEPS NORCAL TOURNEY: Larry Qu 7k topped the Bay Area Go Players Association monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto, CA on March 6, finishing with a perfect 5-0 record. In the Dan division, Bogdan Dobrescu 5d, Lucas Baker 3d, Samuel Gross 1d, and Sammy Zhang 1d each won three games apiece. The playing field consisted of 33 players, ranging from 7d to 24k, with eight playing in their first AGA-rated tournament ever.

Published On 3/15/2010

WORLD GO NEWS: Lee Changho Overcomes Odds To Clinch Nongshim Cup; Xie Yimin Retains Title As Female Meijin; Lian Xiao Wins Ricoh Cup; Choi Wins First Round In Maxim; Rui 1-0 In Female Kuksu; Lian Xiao Wins Ricoh Cup

Published On 3/15/2010

EUROPEAN GO NEWS: Blitzed In Amsterdam; Karlsruhe Back On Top In Bundesliga; Artem92 Takes Over Lead In KGS League; Kid's Tourney Easy & Fun

Published On 3/15/2010

FINDING CLUBS IN CT & NYC: “I visited your website to see whether there is any go community in NY City or Connecticut,” writes reader Toshi Bekku. “If there are, do you have their contact information?” Click here to find local clubs anywhere in the United States. Enjoy!

Corrections: Euro Photo Corrections

Published On 3/15/2010

CORRECTIONS: The photo in last week’s report on the Bosnian tournament (SIMEUNOVIC SWEEPS SAMAC 3/8 EJ) was not of winner Zoran Simeunovic 5d, but of Rado Babic 12k, who uploaded the tourney results. Also, the photo of under-16 European Champion Mateusz Surma 4d with Takemiya Masaki 9P (SURMA AND NG EURO YOUTH-CHAMPS 3/8 EJ) was not taken at the Sibiu tournament.

U.S./N.A. NEWS

Published On 3/8/2010

MILLING, BOEHEM & HADDAD TOP AUSTIN WILDFLOWER CLASSIC: Chris Milling 4k, William Boehem 9k and Geoffrey Haddad 20k shared top honors at the March 6 Wildflower Classic in Austin, TX. The three emerged undefeated 4-0 to top the 24-player field, reports TD Andy Olsen. Photo by Steven Morris.

WORLD GO NEWS

Published On 3/8/2010

LEE CHANGHO WINS KBS CUP: Lee Changho 9P notched his 11th KBS Cup title win on March 4, defeated Kang Dongyun 9P by resignation to win the title 2-0. This is Lee’s first title win of the year.

EUROPEAN GO NEWS

Published On 3/8/2010

MARIGO RECLAIMS ITALIAN TITLE: Francesco Marigo 4d from Milano regained his Italian title, when he defeated opponent Carlo Metta 1k in his hometown Pisa twice and took the 2009 title (the first game was held last year) 3-0 on Friday, March 5. Marigo held the title from 2001-2006. Viktor Bogdanov 5d of Petrozavodsk (Russia) won the Firenze (Florence) Open, held last weekend in Colleoli, a village in the green hills of Toscany. - Peter Dijkema, from reports by Nicoletta Corradi at www.figg.org

Published On 3/8/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Being Flexible about Joseki - Wu Xinyu 6P

Published On 2/22/2010

SEATTLE HOSTS PRO WORKSHOP FOR KYU PLAYERS: Kyu players in the Northwest will want to be in Seattle this weekend. The Seattle Go Center is hosting Jennie Chen 2P for a workshop for kyu players with a focus on their issues. The workshop will be divided into two groups, so that Ms. Shen can provide instruction that's relevant to the strength of the player. The workshop is recommended for anyone who plays full-board games and is able to record his or her games. Dan level players are welcome to attend, but the discussion will not be centered on their questions. The workshop is scheduled for this weekend, February 27-28 at the Go Center. Rates are $55 for voting members of the Seattle Go Center, and for youth; $80 for all others. Email Brian Allen for more information at brian@seattlegocenter.org MYUNGWAN KIM 9P WORKSHOP SET FOR BERKELEY:

Published On 2/22/2010

QING WINS BARCELONA'S GO SEIGEN TOURNEY: The UK's Qing Du 7d won the Barcelona "Torneig Go Seigen" http://bcn2010go.blogspot.com/ February 20-21, winning all five games. The 2100 Euro prize fund attracted many top players from across Europe. Cornel Burzo 6d of Romania lost only to Qing and took silver, while Nikola Mitic 5d (Nis, Serbia) took home bronze on SOS. In the field of 146, only Jonathan Marcos 3k from France also won all five rounds. Click here http://lapedra.org/bcn2010/results/wl.txt for results. Click here (http://liopic.com) for Julio Martinez' report; photos http://ves.cat/acKa & video http://ves.cat/acKh - Peter Dijkema

Go Spotting: More Go Behind Bars

Published On 2/22/2010

Another tale of go behind bars – this one from Poland – comes from E-Journal European Correspondent Peter Dijkema. Seems that Slawomir Sikora picked up the game while serving a 25-year prison sentence for the brutal 1994 murders of two men who were blackmailing him and his business partner. The case became world-famous when the film “Dlug (The Debt)” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0225535/ came out in 1999. According to Dijkema’s sources (his wife is a Polish journalist), after learning go from a book his mother gave him in prison, Sikora and his fellow inmates made their own sets out of cardboard and paper, and when he soon had his cell-mates taking serious handicaps, they concluded he was the dan-player, while they were weak kyu's. The film helped Sikora become a hero in the eyes of many and he was freed in 2005, pardoned by the President of Poland after many prominent Poles signed a petition on Sikora’s behalf.

Published On 2/22/2010

CHEN & YUAN WIN NJ OPEN: ZhaoNian (Michael) Chen 7d, Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu 7d shared top honors and New Jersey State Co-Champions last weekend, winning $300 each. 115 players turned out one of the strongest fields on the year at the 51st annual tournament February 20-21 in Princeton, New Jersey, organized by the Princeton Go Club.

Published On 2/22/2010

YAMASHITA STAYS ALIVE IN KISEI: Yamashita Keigo managed to avoid a sweep by defeating Cho U by 7.5 points in the fourth round of the 34th Kisei. It will be an uphill battle for Yamashita to retain his title, with Cho U leading 3-1. Round 5 will be played on February 18th and 19th. KONG JIE WINS ROUND 1 IN THE LG CUP: Kong Jie defeated Lee Changho by 2.5 points in the first round of the 14th LG Cup title match. This is Lee Changho’s sixth appearance, winning four of his five LG Cup title matches. The last time Lee Changho played as a finalist was in 2004. This is Kong Jie’s first appearance. The second game will be played on February 24th.

Nakayama Noriyuki 6P Dies

Published On 2/19/2010

Nakayama Noriyuki 6P died on February 16. The prolific author, reporter and go writer was well-known to American go players who met him during his many trips to the United States over the last three decades. “Nakayama’s deep and abiding love for the game of go and his irrepressible sense of humor endeared him to everyone who was fortunate enough to cross his path over the years,” said American Go Association President Allan Abramson. “He’ll be missed by his many friends around the world.” Said Ji Li 7D, one of the top American amateur players, “Nakayama made significant impacts and contributions to the American go community.”

Big Tourney Weekend Coming Up

Published On 2/15/2010

Well over 100 players are expected at the New Jersey Open this weekend in Princeton, NJ. The 51st annual tournament is one of six events this weekend across the country, including the triple-threat Southern Cal Championship, US Youth Qualifier and NAMT/FUJITSU Qualifier in Alhambra, CA, the Chinese Spring Festival tournament in Columbus, OH and the John Groesch Memorial tourney in College Park, MD. “Princeton’s own Zhaonian (Michael) Chen ’11, who missed last year’s 50th anniversary NJO due to a schedule conflict, will play this year,” says NJO TD Rick Mott. “He has won in the past and it should be a great group of strong players contending for the title.” Also, Mott reports, “Feng Yun 9P has cancelled her classes for this weekend in order to allow her students to attend, so the expected total over both days is around 120 players.” Look for top boards to be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. Look for top boards to be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal.

Published On 2/15/2010

The Pair Go team of Feng Yun-Jie Li will represent North America at the World Pair Go Association’s 2010 World Cup, after defeating Jin Yu-Jing Yang in last week’s North American Qualifier. The Cup is scheduled for March 20-23 in Hangzhou, China. In related news, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the International Amateur Pair Go Championship, the Japanese Pair Go Association has just published ten essays about Pair Go. Manja and Micha Martz won first place with their thorough, entertaining and well-illustrated essay on the history of Pair Go in Europe and longtime U.S. go organizer – and IGS rep --Thomas Hsiang contributed A Few Memories of Pair Go, noting that “Pair Go has not only been accepted but flourished beyond anyone's imagination.

Published On 2/15/2010

Plans are afoot once again to stage the world premiere of “The Honinbo” http://www.usgo.org/resources/downloads/Honinbo.pdf go musical at the 2010 U.S. Go Congress. The full-scale parody of “The Mikado” was penned by former AGA president Bob High, and features a cast of go playing characters singing go-themed songs. “We have obtained cooperation from the UCCS Drama department to get facilities and some student assistance,” reports Chris Kirschner, who’s had a longtime dream of producing the musical. “Our job is to get a cast together and prepare to make good use of them. Plans are just starting, so we are looking for volunteers to launch this production. Mainly, we need people willing to get up on stage and play the parts.

Published On 2/15/2010

HANE NAOKI TO PLAY KONO RIN IN NEC CUP FINAL: Hane Naoki (NEC) and Kono Rin 9P will face each other in the 29th NEC Cup final match after winning their respective semifinal matches against Ko Iso 7P and Yamashita Keigo (K). Both victories were by sizable margins of 7.5 points. Hane was seeded into the second round, where he defeated Cho U http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=19 9P before meeting Ko Iso. Kono started off by defeating Iyama Yuta http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=379 9P, then Kataoka Satoshi http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp Click here http://www.justplaygo.com/ for the games. - JustPlayGo http://www.justplaygo.com/

Ward Grins In Cheshire:

Published On 2/15/2010

Winner David Ward 3d (Cambridge) had the last grin when the Cheshire tournament returned after a year gap for the British in Chester and ran again alongside the Frodsham Chess Tournament on February 13. Ward beat Sam Aitken 3d (Warwick) in the final. In the Handicap Section, Justin Neeves 7k (Manchester) was the winner at 5-0. On 4/5 were Jack Ley 8k (Warwick) and Brian Timmins 9k (Shrewsbury). Jamie Taylor 5k (York) was the top junior winning 3-2. 28 players took part. Click here http://www.britgo.org/results/2010/cheshire.html for results. - Peter Dijkema, based on a report on the British Go Association’s website www.britgo.org

Published On 2/15/2010

PEDERSEN WINS AMBASSADOR’S CUP IN DENMARK: Torben Pedersen 1d won the Japanese Ambassador's Cup in Copenhagen February 13-14, undefeated in six rounds. This full handicap tournament offered chances to kyu players: Jeppe Juul 4k lost only to Pedersen and took silver, while Rasmus Bisschop-Larsen 7k won bronze, with best SOS of those with four wins. All winners and a majority of the 24 participants came from the organizing Kobenhavn Go Klub. Click here http://www.kgok.dk/res/ambcup10r.html for results. - Peter Dijkema GERLACH GRABS GÖTTINGEN

Published On 2/8/2010

FENG YUN/JIE LI WIN N.A. PAIR GO 1ST ROUND: Feng Yun and Jie Li defeated Wan Chen and Curtis Tang Sunday night in the first round of the North American World Pair Go Qualifier, played on IGS. “One pair withdrew at the last moment, and one member of another pair did not show up, so two games were not played,” reports Allan Abramson. Feng Yun and Jie Li will have a bye for the second round, and play the final game on Thursday night. Jing Yang and Jin Yu will play White vs Yuan Zhou and Yinli Wang on Tuesday night – also on IGS, in Round Two

Published On 2/8/2010

RUI NAIWEI RETAINS FEMALE MYEONGIN TITLE, AGAIN: Rui Naiwei 9P http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=85 defeated Cho Hyeyeon 8P http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=104 by resignation in the third and final round of the 11th Female Myeongin (Meijin) http://senseis.xmp.net/?WomensMyeongin on February 8. Rui and Cho Hyeyeon have faced each other for the Female Myeongin title three years in a row now, and Rui has come out ahead each time.

Go Spotting: The Taste Of Tea

Published On 2/8/2010

Go figures prominently in Katsuhito Ishii’s 2004 film, The Taste of Tea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Taste_of_Tea (Cha no Aji). “Although go is not the only focus of the film, it is one of its essential ingredients and appears more often than in other films like Pi and A Beautiful Mind,” reports Pete Schumer. “It's worth checking out!” According to Wikipedia, “The film is concerned with the lives of the Haruno family, who live in rural Tochigi prefecture, the countryside north of Tokyo. Nobuo is a hypnotherapist who teaches his son, Hajime, to play go. Hajime becomes an excellent go player, but he has a rough time with girls and puberty. Nobuo’s wife, Yoshiko refuses to be an average housewife, and works on animated film projects at home.

Published On 2/8/2010

DINERCHTEIN TO FUJITSU FINALS: Alexander Dinerchtein 3P will represent Europe at this year’s Fujitsu World Go Championship. Dinerchtein won a 4-player online knock-out tourney held on KGS at the end of January, first defeating Christian Pop 7d of Romania and then, in the finals, Csaba Mero 6d of Hungary. Mero had eliminated Catalin Taranu 5P; click here http://www.gosensations.com/?id=2&server_id=1&new_id=770 for the game. The Fujitsu will be held in Japan in April.

Published On 2/1/2010

The registration deadline for the World Pair Go Tournament has been extended to this Thursday at midnight. Recognizing the World Pair Go Tournament as a special one-time celebration of the 20th anniversary of the creation of Pair Go, the AGA Board Sunday night voted to waive both the one-year continuous membership requirement and the 10-game minimum requirement for the qualification tournament, as it had waived some requirements for the World Mind Sports Games last year under similar circumstances. U.S. citizenship and U.S. residency for at least six of the past twelve months still are required. Interested pros and amateurs must contact President@usgo.org with names and AGA ID's by the deadline

Published On 2/1/2010

The AGA Board acted Sunday to waive the 10-game minimum requirement for the annual U.S. Youth Go Championship, converting last year's one-time exemption into a permanent exemption for this tournament, which leads to the selection of the U.S. representative to the World Youth tournament. Board Chairman Roy Schmidt noted that "This responds to concerns of youth advocates that the AGA should be encouraging maximum participation in this tournament, with reduced requirements."

Published On 2/1/2010

"Our ratings coordinator, Paul Matthews, has informed me of his decision to retire from this position to spend more time pursuing other go related interests," reports AGA President Allan Abramson. "Paul has been one of our AGA heroes," Abramson told the E-Journal, "having developed the rating system algorithms 20 years ago, and having maintained ratings with regular updates for all this time." Adding that "I personally hold him in the highest regard, and respect the care he devoted to the quality of ratings." Abramson also had a request for AGA members, asking them to "Please join me in extending our thanks to Paul for 20 years of extraordinary service." Abramson also noted that "We are now in the process of integrating new open source rating system programming with our other data systems and web site. This transition may take several months to complete, but in the interim we expect to do a ratings update as soon as possible.

Gu Li Winningest Pro In '09

Published On 2/1/2010

Kong Jie 9P is the top winner for 2009 in China: 47-20 for a 70% rate. Only one player among the top thirty winners in China has a higher rate: Tan Xiao 5P in fifteenth place with a 74% rate for 33-12. The precocious teen Chen Yaoye 9P – who turned twenty at the end of 2009 -- was second in China with 46-20, which also gives him a 70% win rate. -

Published On 2/1/2010

GROENEN & BROUWER TIE IN DUTCH CHAMPS: Geert Groenen 6d and Peter Brouwer 5d tied for the Dutch title after the final rounds of the Championship, which were played last weekend at the European Go Center near Amsterdam. The winner will be decided in a best-of-three play-off in the Spring. Last year Groenen lost the play-off, while Brouwer took bronze on his first try for the title. EuroGoTV plans to publish a collection of the Dutch Championship games with commentary by Guo Juan 5P. Four other players shared third place while four more kept their seats in the finals for next year. “I am both proud and happy,” said event co-organizer Herman Hiddema, “I kept my place for next year in my first appearance in the finals."

Published On 2/1/2010

MEMBER'S EDITION: Important, Fundamental Matters - Kazunari Furuyama

Published On 1/25/2010

APANESE SURGE IN THE NONGSHIM CUP: The Japanese, who in recent years haven't survived past the second round of the Nongshim Cup have made it through to the third round this year. Hane Naoki 9P -- Japan's last player -- pulled out a win on January 22nd and then defeated Park Yeonghun 9P of Korea.

Published On 1/25/2010

HRICOVA/SILT CZECH PAIR CHAMPS: Jana Hricova and Ondrej Silt won the Czech Republic Pair Championship in Prague January 23-24, in which five pairs competed. Anna Prokopova and Jan Simara also finished at 3-1, but lost the mutual game.

Published On 1/25/2010

HU WINS CHI TOURNEY: Thomas Hu 6d won the January 23 “The White and the Black” tournament in Chicago, IL. “A smallish tournament, but some great games,” reports TD Bob Barber. “A new player was Young Rhee 7d, who will be teaching at the brand new Go Center in nearby Arlington Heights. If we move the tourney, we may double attendance. Heady times in Chicago.” 26 players participated.

GO SPOTTING: "Criminal Minds" TV Series

Published On 1/25/2010

A number of readers recently tipped us off to go showing up in the Criminal Minds television series. A police procedural drama focusing on the criminal rather than the crime itself, Criminal Minds -- which premiered in 2005 -- featured go in the pilot. Screen grab from the “Extreme Aggressor" episode courtesy James G. McIlhargey.

THE TRAVELING BOARD: Go Behind Bars

Published On 1/25/2010

"I am 14 years into a 25 year sentence, and I am interested in starting a go club at the prison," read the letter from K, forwarded to me at the American Go Foundation by Mark Rubenstein at AGA Member Services. Although our main work at the AGF focuses on children, we also offer full support for institutional settings as well. I sent K an information packet and an application for a class room starter set. Noticing the prison was here in Colorado, I also told him I would be willing to do a demonstration at the prison. Rubenstein also donated two playing sets, and a number of go magazines, but the package was refused by the prison, which had very specific guidelines about what they would accept. As K had mentioned wanting to start a program at the prison, I thought I might try contacting the education coordinator at the prison directly

Published On 1/18/2010

XIE HE WINS THE FIRST ROUND IN THE NONGSHIM CUP: China’s Xie He 7P defeated Japan’s Iyama Yuta 9P by resignation in the first round of the 11th Nongshim Cup. This is the second stage of the three-stage tournament, a team competition between Korea, China, and Japan. As players from each team lose, they are eliminated from competition until no other opponents remain. Korea has dominated this competition since it started in 2000, winning 8 out of 10 Nongshim Cups.

Published On 1/18/2010

GROENEN LEADS DUTCH CHAMPS AT HALFWAY MARK: Only Geert Groenen 6d (The Hague) was undefeated after the first weekend of the Dutch Championships at the European Go Center (EGC) in Amsterdam January 16-17. Groenen was the only 6-dan able to stop 5-dan Peter Brouwer’s winning streak. Brower (Amsterdam) had defeated three 6-dans in a row, including defending Dutch Champion Merlijn Kuin, who also lost to former insei Emil Nijhuis 6d. The Dutch title tournament is an 8-round final with 16 players over two weekends in January. The finals continue on January 30-31, when the ladies and youth titles are also at stake. On Board One, Nijhuis will be the first to try to stop Groenen,

Published On 1/11/2010

PENG WINS MGA WINTER TOURNEY: Haijing Peng 2D won the January 10 Massachusetts Go Association's Winter Tournament in Somerville. 26 players ranging from 2 dan to 20 kyu participated. Winner's report: 1st: Haijing Peng 2D; 2nd: Doug Franz 12k; 3rd: Eric Reid 4k. (reported by TD Eva Casey) JUJO GAMES BROADCAST LIVE: The EJ team partnered with KGS to broadcast from last weekend's Jujo Jiang Tournament in San Francisco, CA. "The top games of the Jujo tourney attracted hundreds of observers from all over the world," reports KGS Senior Administrator Akane Negishi. "The last round got over 480 observers at one point, overall it was a great turn out! The EJ's Chris Burg did a wonderful job as a recorder, keeping the audience excited and curious, and everything went very smoothly.

Published On 1/11/2010

PAL BALOGH LEADS PANDANET RANKINGS: Pal Balogh leads the current Pandanet rankings at January 1 with 55 points from five tournaments. In the top ten, players from Central Europe dominate: Ondrej Silt with 41 points (5, CZ), Christian Pop 37 (3, RO), Mero Csaba 36 (4, HU), Nikola Mitic 33 (4, RS) and Jan Simara 30 (4, CZ). Young Vanessa Wong (UK) shares 7th with veteran Vladimir Danek (CZ) 17 and Herman Hiddema (NL) shared 9th with Zou Jin (DE) 15. The Pandanet season runs until Easter, closing with the Paris Open, which leaves just four events to go. Click here for the full table.

Published On 1/11/2010

KOREAN TEEN PARK JUNGHWAN WINS THIRD TITLE MATCH: Park Junghwan 5P (l) won't be twenty until 2013, but he is already becoming a major player. Last year he won two Korean titles, the Siptan (Judan) Cup and the Chunwon (Tengen), and he has just successfully defended the Sibdang against challenger Lee Changho 9P with a score of 2-1. Lee won the first game of the match, but Park took the other two on January 9th and 10th. In the unusual structure of the Siptan, as last year's winner, Park was seeded into the third round, so he had to win two games just to get into the title match. IYAMA YUTA TAKES CLEAR LEAD IN HONINBO LEAGUE: In the eight-player round robin league to decide the next challenger for the Honinbo title in Japan, Meijin Iyama Yuta 9P has a 4-0 record with three games to go. Everyone else has at least one defeat. The closest competitor at this point is Yamashita Keigo 9P with a 3-1 record.

AGA WEBSITE TO ACCEPT ADVERTISING

Published On 1/7/2010

Ads will soon begin appearing on the American Go Association (AGA) website, reports President Allan Abramson. "This will be a new source of revenue for the AGA, as we search for sponsors and donors," he said. The AGA is working with Advanced Marketing Technologies to implement the website ads and Webmaster Steve Colburn “will monitor implementation to ensure that ads are appropriate to the AGA’s site and audience,” Abramson added. The web advertising was approved by the AGA’s Board last year. Those interested in information on advertising on the AGA website should contact Colburn at webmaster@usgo.org; for general AGA sponsorship questions contact Board fundraising Chair Andy Okun at abc@okun.name

Published On 1/7/2010

The AGF's youth go website Tiger's Mouth have put together a 20-member dream team to challenge Alexandre Dinerchtein 3P and his Insei League, who have been taking on all comers on KGS recently. The Insei League allows KGS players anywhere in the world to take part in a professional go school taught by Dinerchtein and other Korean Professionals. The Inseis crushed the British Go League team 7-3 on May 22nd, followed by a 10-3 rout of the Russian National Female Team (in which 2 of the 3 winners were also members of the Insei League as well as Russian nationals) on May 30th.

CANADA DOMINATES REDMOND CUP

Published On 1/7/2010

Canadian youth have all but shut the U.S. out of the Redmond Cup this year, with Jianing Gan 6d and Gansheng Shi 8d winning the Senior Division, and Oliver Wolf 2d and Henry Zhang 1d winning the Junior. Zhang is the only one of the three from the U.S., he is also the younger brother of former Redmond champ Hugh Zhang. All four youth have won a free trip to the US Go Congress, where they will play a best two-out-of-three match with their opponent, and split a $1,000 prize pool courtesy of the AGF. The Senior Division, for youth 12-17 years old, had 27 youth competing and featured U.S. stars Curtis Tang 8d, Calvin Sun 7d, and Zhongxia Zhao 7d among the top players.

CHINA DOMINATES LG CUP FIRST ROUND

Published On 1/7/2010

Kong Jie narrowly defeated Yoda Norimoto by half a point in the first round of the 15th LG Cup, and Lee Changho (at left in photo) defeated Wang Xi by resignation after 231 moves. In a major victory, Gu Li defeated Lee Sedol by resignation after 291 moves; Gu has been in a slump lately, and his win was a major defeat for Lee Sedol who was the favorite to win this year’s LG Cup. After the dust settled, China emerged with a commanding 11 out 16 wins in the first round, while Japan and Taiwan were eliminated, leaving Korea with the remaining five wins. The second round will be played on June 9th. - JustPlayGo for game records

Published On 1/6/2010

"I’m only sorry that it had to end," says 2010 World Amateur Go Championship winner Hongsuk Song in an interview just published on Ranka Online, along with several other post-event reports. Song says "the games against the Chinese player in the fifth round, and against the Czech player in the last round" were his toughest. "I would like to become a professional player," says Song. "If that’s not possible, I may go to work for a company, but I would still like to be active in go. There’s much to be done, including publicity and teaching the game to children, so if I can’t be a professional player, that’s all right too." Check out Ranka Online for Song's take on the current competition between China and Korea, his favorite pro and hobbies, as well as brief post-event interviews with a number of WAGC players and officials, including U.S. player Thomas Hsiang, who said "China made it everything we hoped for and then some.

Published On 1/5/2010

Professional go player Janice Kim 3P (r) will teach a two-day workshop in San Francisco the weekend of July 24-25. The workshop is open to all players 15 kyu and stronger. A unique feature of this workshop is that students will submit game records prior to the workshop so that Kim can customize workshop content to the needs of each student. “Students are to comment their game records before submitting them,” says organizer Roger Schrag, “and Janice will pick the best one, on the basis of quality of level-appropriate questions and clear reasoning, and will award a special prize." Workshop details are available from the Bay Area Go Players Association. photo by Ernest Brown

JINS WIN IN OLLEH KT CUP

Published On 1/5/2010

Jin Donggyu 5P defeated Hong Sungji 8P by resignation in tournament play Monday, May 31 at the 2010 Olleh KT Cup, and Jin Siyoung 4P defeated Kang Yootaek 3P by half a point. -JustPlayGo

Published On 1/5/2010

Lee Sedol 9P (r) defeated Kim Seongjae 3P (l) by resignation on Tuesday, June 1 in League A play of the Thirty-Eighth Myeongin. Sedol is now 1-1 and Seongjae is 1-2. - JustPlayGo
Image Links:

Published On 1/5/2010

Allan Abramson has been re-appointed President for another 2-year term by the American Go Association’s Board of Directors, reports Board Chair Roy Schmidt. “Allan’s initiatives for new, permanent membership cards, cost-reduction measures during the recession, and promotion of online, members-only tournaments won strong support for his re-appointment,” Schmidt told the E-Journal. Abramson pledged to re-double his efforts to promote growth of membership and expand online tournaments to include all AGA members during his next term. Polly Pohl was also re-appointed as AGA Secretary, with the Board expressing its “deepest gratitude for Polly’s accurate record-keeping and tireless fact-checking,” said Schmidt.

Published On 1/5/2010

The new Igowin Pro brings the features of "The Many Faces of Go" to the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Igowin’s apps include Igowin Tutor - a free introduction to go-- Igowin -- 9x9 play -- Igowin 13x13 -- 13x13 play -- Igowin Life – solve life and death problems -- and Igowin Joseki, a joseki dictionary and tutor. “The playing apps adjust to your rank and can play a good even game against anyone from 19 kyu to 1 dan,” says author David Fotland. “The knowledge-based engine allows the program to play human-like moves at the weaker settings, generally with good shape,” while the Monte Carlo engine from the latest Many Faces of Go “gives the program great strength.” $4.99. available in the iTunes App Store.

CHO DEFEATS DAI IN STRASBOURG

Published On 1/5/2010

Cho Seok-Bin 7d of Korea (r) defeated Dai Janfu 7d of China in the final round to sweep the second annual Strasbourg Go Tournament, held May 29-30 in that city in eastern France. Dai was the winner of the first Strasbourg last year and came in second this year after his loss with a 3-1 record. Noguchi Motoki 6d came in third, while Viktor Lin 5d of Austria was the highest finishing European in fourth place. - EuroGoTV

Published On 1/3/2010

"I came across some interesting go-related material in my reading recently and wanted to pass the source along to those who may find it of interest," writes Marc Willhite. " In chapter 12 of their book A Thousand Plateaus- Capitalism and Schizophrenia Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari use a go in opposition to chess as a model to begin describing their concept of 'nomadology.' (pp.352-53) Not the lightest reading to be sure, but it certainly gave me a new appreciation for the qualities that make go the confounding and fascinating game that it is."

Published On 1/3/2010

KONG JIE WINS SAMSUNG CUP: Kong Jie 9P defeated Qiu Jun to take the international Samsung Cup on December 17th. Both players are Chinese representatives. Only one non-Chinese made it to the semifinals: Lee Changho 9P of Korea, who was defeated 2-1 by Qiu. Kong defeated China's Gu Li 9P 2-0 in the semifinals.

Published On 1/3/2010

2010 U.S. GO CONGRESS DATES & LOCATION SET: This year's U.S. Go Congress dates have now been finalized for July 31 - August 8, 2010 in Colorado Springs, CO at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. More details are available on the AGA's GoDiscussion website. Karen Jordan is this year's Congress Director and the event is hosted by the Springs Go Club, reports club president Jim Michali. PORTLAND YANG WORKSHOP SET FOR MARCH: The Portland Go Club and Reed College are hosting a workshop with longtime teacher Yilun Yang 7P March 5-7. To register send a check payable to the Portland Go Club to Peter Freedman, 1710 SW Harbor Way #303, Portland, OR 97201 (note on the check 'Yi Lun Yang'): $100 for the full weekend; $40/day; 50% off for college students; 75% off for youth/child. REDMOND CUP REGISTRATION OPENS: Young American go players can now sign up for the 17th edition of the Redmond Cup Tournament.

Published On 1/3/2010

WINTERGO GREW: More than 120 attended the 2009 Wintergo December 27 through January 1 in Overasselt near the Dutch-German border. With top teachers like Yoon Young-sun 5P and Rob van Zeijst 7d, the focus was more on learning and exploring, although competition was fierce in the morning rounds. With a larger kitchen, culinary possiblities improved, culminating in a sushi diner at New Year's Eve. Willem-Koen Pomstra 5d introduced the idea of go-camps in Holland. He summarized its history for the EJ: "Summergo was invented by accident by Martin Stiassny (currently President of EGF), who wanted to celebrate his birthday for a few days with friends near his Summer residence in Leksand, Sweden.

U.S. YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS SET

Published On 1/1/2010

The U. S. Youth Go Championships (USYGC) finals are set for June 5 and 6 on KGS. Although Calvin Sun 7d, and Kevin Fang 1d, have already been chosen as the representatives to the World Youth Championships, the USYGC will give kids of all ranks a chance to play for a national title. Best double-digit kyu and single-digit kyu players will vie for the top slots, and dan level kids will also be competing in two separate brackets. CLICK HERE for full standings, which will be updated after each round. - Paul Barchilon, Youth Editor

Published On 1/1/2010

Won Sungjin 9P defeated Kim Seongryong 9P by resignation on Sunday, in the second round of the CS Caltex Cup. The round will conclude on June 11th with a game between Lee Changho and Kim Junghyun. The winner of the 15th annual tournament will play for the title against last year's Cup winner Cho Hanseung. - JustPlayGo

Published On 1/1/2010

Kim Miyoung 5p defeated Hong Sungji 8p by resignation on Thursday, in the 38th Myeongin's B League. Now 0-2, Hong Sungji must win his next three games in order to advance to the finals , while Kim Kiyoung enter the third round in a more comfortable position with one win and one loss. - JustPlayGo

YAMASHITA KEIGO TIES UP HONINBO 1-1

Published On 1/1/2010

Yamashita Keigo 9P defeated Hane Naoki 9P by 1.5 points in the second round of the 65th Honinbo, tying their series at 1-1. Click below for game record. The third round will be June 8-9. - JustPlayGo

AGF SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE EXTENDED

Published On 1/1/2010

The deadline for the AGF College Scholarship essay has been extended to June 15th. "The $1,000 award honors students whose enthusiasm and dedication have contributed to the go community," reports AGF Board Member Matthew Mallory. "All youth organizers and promoters that are in their junior or senior year of high school should apply as soon as possible," Mallory urges. CLICK HERE for more information and the application.

JIE LI 7D WINS MARYLAND OPEN

Published On 1/1/2010

An undefeated Jie Li 7D (r) topped a 58-player field to win the 37th annual Maryland Open over the Memorial Day weekend. “Five 7-dans and two 6-dans fought it out in a very strong open section,” reports organizer Keith Arnold, “but Jie Li emerged as the only player to finish 5-0 in the entire event.” “I am very impressed by the improvement of the younger generation of players, such as Eric Lui, Gus Price and Ricky Zhao,” Li told the E-Journal. “They played well.”

Published On 12/31/2009

Welcome to the American Go Yearbook Member’s Edition Collection. In previous years, this material -- game records, commentaries and more – was distributed on CD but is now presented in an online format that’s much easier to access. Instead of searching through multiple menus, you can now quickly find the material you’re looking for on the month-by-month list below. Once selected, game records or PDFs open up quickly and easily for your review or download. This 2009 Yearbook collection also includes bonus files not originally included in the E-Journal.

Published On 12/15/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 12/14/2009

CHINA WINS 7TH JAPAN-CHINA AGON CUP: Sun Tengyu 4P of China defeated Japan’s Hane Haoki 9P by 3.5 points on December 9th to win this year’s Japan-China Agon Cup. The match between the winners of the Japanese and the Chinese Agon Cup tournaments has been a painful experience for the Japanese lately, as the Chinese Cup holders have now won seven straight matches. Sun is a teen whose only title before winning the Chinese version of the Agon Cup (Ahan Tongshan Cup) this year was the National Individual championship in 2008. Hane is in his thirties and has been a major player on the Japanese pro scene. He is the current Honinbo and held the number one Japanese title, the Kisei, in both 2004 and 2005. In the Chinese event, Sun defeated both Gu Li, China's current top title holder, and Piao Wenyao 5P, another of the strong young Chinese pros. - Bill Cobb, from Go News, GoGameWorld

Published On 12/14/2009

XEBO WINS ST NICK TOURNEY IN BRAUNSCHWEIG: A 4-dan from Göttingen who just goes by the name Xebo won the 27th St. Nicolas tourney December 5-6 in Braunschweig, Germany, ahead of locals Alexander Kirchner 2d (2nd) and Kai Tomerius , who shared 3d with Mathias Maurer 4d from Langen. Click here for results. - Peter Dijkema, European Correspondent, from a report at dgob.de HUNGARIAN LEAGUE: Pagoda leads the Hungarian league with maximum match-points from 3 rounds, ahead of MGE and Origó, which drew one each. Sanrensei is 4th at 2 wins and a loss. Next round, two top-pairings are up: MGE-Pagoda and Sanrensei-Origó. In Hungary they play a round every fortnight. The league has eight teams of 9 players. - Peter Dijkema, , European Correspondent, after http://goszovetseg.hu/

Online League To Launch In 2010

Published On 12/14/2009

ONLINE LEAGUE TO LAUNCH IN 2010: With fifty players signed up, the online Korean-style International Live Leagues are getting ready to launch in January 2010, reports KILL founder Alexandr Dinerchtein, who says that two more professionals -- An Young-gil 8P and Lee Hajin 3P – have signed on to participate as well. While the leagues are filled up, organizers are putting new registrants on a waiting list of players who will be able to watch all the lectures while they await an opening in the leagues. Click here for details and to sign up, or email backpast@gmail.com - Peter Dijkema

Published On 12/14/2009

“A game struggling for United States recognition made the national stage when President Barack Obama presented China Premier Hu Jintao with a go game set as a diplomatic gift in early November,” reported Erin Wiltgen in the Durham (NC) Herald Sun last week. “Frank Salantrie, a Carrboro carpenter, crafted the board that set the go community abuzz,” the article continues. “’The go community is crazy over this,” said Paul Celmer, chapter head of the Triangle Go Club and a member of the American Go Association’s board of directors. ‘This is the biggest thing that’s happened to us in years. We’re excited the president saw enough respect for our game, whereas most people haven’t even heard of the game.’” Update: the two stories are now in the Sun's archives: "Local carpenter whips up a presidential gift Obama presents go board to Chinese Premier Hu Jintao" and "Game of go gets exposure" available (for a fee) here.

GO SPOTTING: Criminal Minds

Published On 12/14/2009

The TV show Criminal Minds recently aired an episode in which a suspect's house is raided and found a go set in an upstairs room, reports an EJ reader. "A team member, a genius with 3 Caltech PhDs and IQ of 187, glances briefly at the board, pronounces that he is playing against himself and quickly assesses his playing style to provide insight into the suspect's personality," the reader says. "It would be interesting if someone could capture the board position from this episode, figure out if it makes any sense, in fact is the game of a player of the "highly aggressive" style (and whether he played both sides with equal aggressiveness), if the position is taken from a real game and who the go adviser is."
3/3/2020: This post has been updated to remove the name of the reader at their request.

Write Your Own Go Grant

Published On 12/14/2009

The American Go Foundation (AGF) has created a new "umbrella grant" program that allows any qualifying US go organization or individual to use the AGF's tax status for their go projects. The program was created at the instigation of Bay Area organizer Roger Schrag, who had helped form the Bay Area Go Players' Association (BAGPA) and wanted to incorporate as a 501c3, allowing them to give donors a tax break, and to apply for grants to support teaching programs and other go-related events in their community. Many foundations will only fund groups with 501c3 status, and getting this status can take months, often requires a lawyer, and then needs significant maintenance. With the umbrella grant program, the AGF acts as the fiscal agent for the program, and routes the donations or grants to the local program.

CORRECTIONS: Tetsuki Update

Published On 12/14/2009

CORRECTIONS: Tetsuki allows players to connect to IGS, not KGS (Iphone/Ipod Apps, 12/7 EJ); apparently there's no way, yet, to connect to KGS via the iPhone. However, for Android cellphone users, “there may be hope to connect to KGS, as per a thread on GoDiscussions.com,” reports Brian Kirby.

Published On 12/7/2009

Cho U 9P's efforts to avoid losing another of his titles has become an uphill fight in the Tengen. On December 3rd Challenger Yamashita Keigo 9P won the third game of the best-of-five-games title match to take a 2-1 lead. Cho won this title last year for the first time. Yamashita has also held the title for one year, 2004. He lost it the next year to Kono Rin 9P and failed to retake it as challenger the next two years. Cho held five of the top seven Japanese titles at the beginning of this year, but lost the Meijin to Iyama Yuta 9P in November. The fourth game in the Tengen match is scheduled for December 10th. - Bill Cobb, from Go News & GoGameWorld

Published On 12/7/2009

The best-of-five-games match between Lee Changho 9P and Won Sungjin 9P (right) for the Meyongin (Japanese: Meijin) title in Korea was tied at 1-1 when Won won the second game on December 3rd by 1.5 points. The last winner of this title was Lee Sedol 9P, but since he has taken a temporary leave of absence from the pro scene, the title holder will be decided by this match. Lee Changho has won this title twelve times since first taking it from Cho Hunhyun 9P in 1991. Won's latest title victories were the BC Card Cup and the Chunwon in 2007. He is ten years younger than Lee Changho. - Bill Cobb, from Go News, GoGameWorld & Sensei's Library

Published On 12/7/2009

On December 2nd, Park Yeonghun 9P avoided a shut-out in the the GS Caltex Cup when he defeated challenger Cho Hanseung 9P in Game 3 of their best-of-five-games title match. Park must win both remaining games to retain the title he has held for the last two years. The GS Caltex Cup is one of the most lucrative in Korea. Park has a more outstanding record of title wins than Cho by a significant margin. Both are in their twenties. Game four in the match is set for December 9th. - Bill Cobb, from Go News, GoGameWorld & Sensei's Library

Published On 11/25/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 11/24/2009

CHO U EVENS UP TENGEN TITLE MATCH: Cho U 9P (right) won the second game against challenger Yamashita Keigo 9P in the best-of-five-games defense of his Tengen title on November 19th to make the score 1-1. Cho, who holds "only" four titles now, after losing the Meijin to Iyama Yuta 9P, won this title last year for the first time, taking it from Kono Rin 9P who held it for three years. Kono took it from Yamashita in 2005, and Yamashita was unable to regain it despite being the challenger the next two years. Yamashita had held the title for only one year. The third game in the title match is scheduled for December 3rd. Cho is also currently engaged in defending his Oza title against challenger Yamada Kimio 9P. Cho won the first game of that match and the second of the best-of-five-games event will be on November 24th.

Published On 11/24/2009

Hugh Zhang 6D (right) captured the ING Cup Youth Goe Tournament for the third consecutive year, winning all four of his games November 8. The 12th annual ING Youth attracted over 100 youth players, with more than 70 in the 19x19 section and over 30 in the 13x13 section at the Chinese Cultural Center in Sunnyvale, CA. Mingjiu Jiang and Reid Augustin directed the tournament. Winner’s report: Open division (3D+) 1st: Hugh Zhang; 2nd: Justin Shieh; 3rd: Eric Su. - Lawrence Ku

Published On 11/20/2009

DAI JUNFU MEIJIN IN PARIS: Dai Junfu 7d (left) took top honors at the 27th Paris Meijin on November 21-22. French Champion Zhang Yanqi won silver. Youth champ Thomas Debarre scored a remarkable win in Round 2, knocking out defending champion and top seed Fan Hui 2P. Guillaume Attia 3k of Alègre club swept the B section. A week earlier, Robin Chauvin 7k won the C-group.

Published On 11/17/2009

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Published On 11/16/2009

YAMASHITA TAKES FIRST GAME IN TENGEN TITLE MATCH: Challenger Yamashita Keigo 9P (left) defeated Tengen title holder Cho U 9P on November 12th to take the first game in their best-of-five-games title match. Cho now holds four of the top seven Japanese titles. He won the Tengen for the first time last year, defeating Kono Rin 9P, who had held it for the preceding three years. Yamashita lost the title to Kono after winning it from Hane Naoki 9P in 2003; he then unsuccessfully challenged for the next three years. Yamashita's main claim to fame is holding the number one title in Japan, the Kisei five times, including the last four years.
KOREAN MYEONGIN REACHING FINAL STAGES
HONINBO LEAGUE PROCEEDING SLOWLY

Published On 11/16/2009

MATSUMOTO WINS SEATTLE IWAMOTO YOUTH TOURNAMENT: Ken Matsumoto won the Iwamoto Youth 13x13 Tournament (right) at the Seattle Go Center on Sunday, Nov. 15 with a 4-0 record. The handicapped tournament had prizes for all, including go equipment, books and fun little items. An enthusiastic player, Matsumoto has been coming to the Go Center twice a week. Hardworking Henry Cai, who gave large handicaps to all of his opponents, won the high school division with a 3-1 record.

Published On 11/16/2009

TRIPPEL TAKES WINTERTHUR
MARIGO MASTERS ITALIAN OPEN: Francesco Marigo 4d of Milan swept the 30th Italian Open (photo) field of 52 in Bologna, November 7-8. Only Massimiliano Spallanzi 12k from Modenaalso won all five rounds. Click here for results and photos. - Peter Dijkema KRÄMER GERMAN YOUTH CHAMP
ULSTER SWEEPS MUNSTER TO REACH IRISH INTERPROVINCIAL FINALS
METTA SWEEPS LUCCA
FRENCH YOUTH CONGRESS AND HIKARU CUP

Published On 11/16/2009

KOREAN GO SCHOOL ACCEPTING FOREIGN STUDENTS: Foreign students have until November 31 to apply at the department of Baduk Studies, Myongji University in Yongin, Korea. Check the pages of the admission office as well as the department's homepage for details, or email Daniela Trinks.

Hwang to Teach at Go-Ski

Published On 11/16/2009

In the latest winter go holiday event, Hwang In-seong 7d (right) will teach go 'apres-ski' during six nights at the traditional Go-Ski in Pragelato - host of the cross-country race during Winter Olympics of 2006 - in the Italian Alps near the French border. The event will take place between December 27 and January 2, organized by AGI, an independent Italian Go Association. Other European holiday go events include the Dutch Wintergo with Yoon Young-Sun 5P and the December 28-31 London Open where Zhang Yanqi 6d - current French Champion - is one of the favorites. - Peter Dijkema, after an announcement on swissgo.org

Published On 11/16/2009

A five-month-old Chinese baby died in a hospital because his doctor was busy playing go online while his condition worsened, reports say. Officials from the Jiangsu provincial health department said that Dr Mao Xiaojun -- admitted he was playing an online game of go -- would be sacked from Nanjing Children's Hospital, according to a November 13 report by the BBC. Parents have been angered by a series of major health blunders in China; more than 10,000 lawsuits relating to medical disputes have been filed in Chinese courts every year since 2002, the Xinhua news agency reported. Gates On His Failure At Go: Billionaire Bill Gates (right) cites go as one of his personal failures. "When I was young . . . I wanted to be the world's best chess player and, of course, I didn’t succeed. I wanted to be the world’s best Go player, too…so I’ve had plenty of disappointments," Gates said in his 1997 book, Bill Gates Speaks: Insight from the World's Greatest Entrepreneur.

GO PHOTO: “Yes, We Can” Play Go

Published On 11/16/2009

This month’s German Go Journal cover (right) features a photo of President Obama ostensibly playing go with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Board 1 at the U.S. Go Congress; the original photo was taken by Pete Souza and adapted by German Go Journal Editor Tobias Berben.

GoGoD Hits 60K-Game Mark

Published On 11/16/2009

GoGoD’s database of professional tournaments now exceeds 60,000 games, reports T Mark Hall. “This is the most accurate, consistent and exact database in existence in the West, backed by John Fairbairn’s Names Dictionary and his Tournament Database,” Hall tells the E-Journal. “While we always add all the games from the current tournament scene, we have been busy in the last six months adding games from the 1950s and 1980s, including previously unknown games by Go Seigen and other games by famous players, not in their collected games,” says Hall. “We pride ourselves on providing games no-one else can easily get, but of course, as always, we are bang up to date.” The Winter 2009 edition is due out on December 7 and the celebrate the 60,000-game milestone, GoGoD is being offered at a discounted rate of $30 for a single copy and $40 for a copy plus an update in a year’s time. Contact Hall at tmark@gogod.demon.co.uk to order or for details.

Published On 11/6/2009

Kiseido has just published the first three books of a seven-volume series, reports publisher Richard Bozulich. Graded Go Problems for Dan Players “is a translation of a 14-volume series put out by the Nihon Ki-in, compressed into seven volumes,” Bozulich tells the E-Journal. Targeted at aspiring dan players, the series is designed to provide low-kyu and low-dan players with the essential grounding in the basics of life-and-death, tesuji, and joseki needed to develop deeper and more accurate reading and the knowledge they need to compete as dan players. In “300 Life-and-Death Problems,” “300 Tesuji Problems,” and “300 Joseki Problems,” the level of the problems starts at around 5-kyu and works up to 3-dan, with the majority in the 1- to 3-dan bracket. The series will continue with volumes four to six, containing life-and-death, tesuji, and joseki problems for 3-dan players and stronger.

Published On 11/3/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 11/2/2009

CHO HANSEUNG TO CHALLENGE FOR KOREAN GS CALTEX CUP
CHO HYEYEON TO CHALLENGE RUI NAIWEI FOR WOMEN'S MYEONGIN

Published On 11/2/2009

JABARIN WINS 3RD ISRAELI CHAMPIONSHIP: CHUN POONG JHO PAYS SURPRISE VISIT
BALOGH WINS VIENNA OPEN
8TH '09 TITLE FOR MACFADYEN
CHOI YOUNG SIK WINS AMBASSADOR'S CUP IN BERLIN
LUETHKE SWEEPS IN KUELUNGSBORN
EUROPEANS DISAPPOINT AT KPMC

Cyprus Beckons

Published On 11/2/2009

With winter looming across North America and Europe, thoughts turn to the Cyprus Go Championship, as the leaves in that Mediterranean country change color in the Troodos mountains and vineyards take on gold and crimson hues against a backdrop of crystal clear sunlight and even November can feel like summer. The Cyprus Go Championship is set for November 21-22 in the Parnassos Strovolou building. Click here for details and to register.

INT’L TOURNEY REP ELIGIBILITY EXPLAINED

Published On 11/2/2009

“From time to time someone asks how the AGA selects players to attend international championship tournaments,” says Tournament Coordinator Phil Waldron. “Eligibility is not complicated, but it does require some planning.” To be eligible, players must be US citizens or Green Card holders and reside in the United States. “We also expect players to support the American go community and so players must have been a continuous member of the AGA over the past twelve months and have played at least ten rated games over the same time,” Waldron says. “Finally, potential competitors must meet any additional eligibility requirements set by the tournament sponsors; for example, you won't be going to a youth event if you remember Woodstock.” Full details about the various international tournaments and their selection tournaments can be found on the AGA Major Tournaments webpage.

Published On 11/2/2009

IND: In response to a recent EJ classified inquiry about blind go, a reader referred us to the British Go Association’s Go for the Blind page, which contains information on playing blind go and pictures of special go sets. MISSING MEIJIN GAME: “I've been studying the Meijin matches sent through the E-Journal for this year’s title,” writes reader David Lang. Is there a reason why the 5th match never came with the E-Journal? Perhaps I missed it.” See attached; click here to download all five Meijin games.

In Memoriam: Andrew Grant

Published On 11/2/2009

UK go author and dan player Andrew Grant died in his sleep early on the morning of October 26. “Known throughout the world as the author of ‘400 Years of Go in Japan’, Andrew was well-known for 30 years on the tournament scene as a player and organizer, both at Wanstead and more recently, the Milton Keynes Go Club,” British Go Association Vice-President Tony Atkins tells the E-Journal. Grant had been suffering from cystic fibrosis, which had worsened over the last couple of years, and was on the waiting list for a lung transplant. “He had been in hospital for several weeks before his death,” says Tim Hunt, fellow Milton Keynes Club player, “and although struggling just to breathe, he was still a formidable opponent over the go board.”

Published On 11/2/2009

By Yuan Zhou 7d The matches at the just-concluded Korea Prime Minister Cup (KPMC) World Go Championship – the 4th annual -- were very exciting, with representatives from 68 nations fighting hard for their countries. I was pleased to finish fifth, the best result yet for the United States in this tournament.

Published On 11/2/2009

GO SPOTTING/GO PHOTO: A 1942 Life Magazine photo of Japanese American men playing go at the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp in Wyoming is among the Life go photos* found online by EJ reader Troy Anderson. Another one shows “Japanese go game being played at alien relocation camp,” while a third shows Japanese prisoners of war Kiichiro Hiranuma and Toshio Shiratori playing go and a fourth depicts prisoner of war Akira Muto playing go with rough pebbles on a paper board. Click here for background on the relocation and internment of approximately 110,000 Japanese nationals and Japanese Americans during World War 2. In 1988, Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed legislation apologizing for the internment on behalf of the U.S. government. * the site where these photos were originally posted no longer exists; we've included new links for three of the four shots; if you locate the one of Akira Muto, please email us at journal@usgo.org.

Find Pro Mistakes In Go4Go Contest

Published On 11/2/2009

Can you find a pro’s mistakes? That’s the challenge in Go4Go’s new "Best professional game review contest." Choose from two games – the complicated O Meien vs. Iguchi Toyohide or the more peaceful Kodama Kunio vs. Tokimoto Hajime – and send in your reviews for a shot at prizes that include a teaching game and Go4Go memberships. Contest judges include An Younggil 8P of Korea, Alexander Dinerchtein 3P (Russia), Alexey Lazarev 6d (Russia), Theo van Ees (Holland), the EJ’s own William Cobb and Gabriel Benmergui 6d. Contest deadline is December 1.

Published On 10/21/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 10/20/2009

IYAMA BEATS CHO DECISIVELY TO BECOME YOUNGEST MEIJIN: Challenger Iyama Yuta 8P (right) won Game 5 of the 34th Japanese Meijin to take the title from Cho U 9P with a decisive 4-1 score. At the age of just 20 years and 4 months Iyama also becomes the youngest major title holder in Japanese history and breaks the record that Cho Chikun 9P held for 23 years;

Published On 10/20/2009

HUANG TOPS PORTLAND: Vincent Zhuang took top honors in the Portland Tournament October 17-18. Thirty-three players participated. Winners were: Dan division: Vincent Zhuang (5-0), Jim Levenick (4-1), Zhuang Guozhong (2-3). Single-digit kyu division: Ben Sharvy (4-1), Jeremy Nelson (4-1), James Moore (3-2). Double-digit kyu division: Gordon Castanza (5-0), Jim Johnson (3-2), David Tweet (3-2). Youth: Vincent Zhuang (5-0). New AGA member: James Moore (3-2); Female: Cynthia Gaty (2-3). - Peter Drake

Published On 10/20/2009

ROMANIA SWEEPS EURO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS: Catalin Taranu 5P led the Romanian team to crush all their opponents 4-0 in at the European Team championships in Pitesti, Romania on October 9-11. Along with Kido-Cup winner Christian Pop on Board 2 and successful six-dans Dragos Bajeneru and Cornel Burzo, the Romanians were heavy favorites, despite strong teams from neighbours like Southern Serbia which took silver and Hungary, which took the bronze. A majority of the teams from 11 nations came from Romania -- Romania 3 took 4th, ahead of team 2 -- but Bulgaria sent two. Click here for team results and click here for more detailed results. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European correspondent

STUDENT OZA QUALIES TO BE HELD ONLINE

Published On 10/20/2009

"Pandanet has announced changes to the 8th Student Igo Oza Championship," reports Tournament Coordinator Philip Waldron. Rather than asking national go associations like the AGA to run qualifier tournaments, events will now be played on the Internet Go Server and coordinated directly from Japan. Two players will now be selected from the North, South and Central Americas to compete against a field of sixteen in Japan in March. Players interested in competing for an invitation to the international championship tournament should consult the information webpage. Registration for the qualifiers closes October 25.

PRO WORKSHOP A BIG HIT IN NORCAL

Published On 10/20/2009

PRO WORKSHOP A BIG HIT IN NORCAL: "We're going to emphasize the 'work' in workshop," Janice Kim 3P proclaimed at the start of her October 10-11 workshop with professional go players Seung-jun Kim 9P and Diana Koszegi 1P. Kim proceeded to hand out packets of problems specifically geared to each student's individual level, and students spent time in class and at home solving go problems that were then graded by the pros. Seung-jun Kim and Diana Koszegi traveled from Korea for thre workshop, which was attended by twenty eight students, who participated in lectures, game reviews, team matches, simultaneous play, as well as go problems and homework. Seung-jun Kim and Diana Koszegi then headed to Las Vegas for some fun and games before continuing on to New York to teach another workshop. The Oakland workshop was co-sponsored by the Bay Area Go Players Association and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. - Roger Schrag; photo by Ming Liao

JEN DONATES ANIME FOR YOUTH TOURNAMENTS

Published On 10/20/2009

Winston Jen, the same donor who gave the AGA 100 sets of Hikaru no Go, has also donated four popular anime (cartoon) series as prizes for upcoming tournaments. Valued at over $225 retail, the Anime Prize Pack contains 28 DVDs and is free for AGA Chapters and at AGHS sponsored tournaments. Chapters may use these prizes to attract youth to adult events, or for youth specific events. "Hikaru no Go has contributed so much happiness to my life," Jen, an Australian anime fan and translator who lives in Hong Kong, told the E-Journal, "I wanted to give something back to as many people as possible." 100 multi volume sets of Hunter x Hunter, Fruits Basket, Kodocha, and The Girl Who Leapt Through time (both the movie and the graphic novel), were donated.

Published On 10/20/2009

Phil Waldron has announced that he’s stepping down as Tournament Coordinator for the American Go Association, effective December 31. “I've had the pleasure of working with you over the past year and a bit, and I will miss that in the time to come,” said Waldron in an open letter to other AGA volunteers. “The AGA doesn't do a great job of supporting its volunteers, so let me say it once from my side: thank you for all of your hard work, both in helping me personally and the nation's go players.” Waldron said he’ll “be in this position for a few more months, and even after that I'll be happy to provide advice to those who care to listen. I look forward to seeing you all at the next Congress and perhaps a local tournament or two as well.”

Published On 10/8/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 10/5/2009

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Published On 9/29/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 9/14/2009

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Published On 8/25/2009

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Published On 7/13/2009

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Published On 7/6/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 6/8/2009

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Published On 6/8/2009

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Published On 5/5/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 4/7/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 4/7/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 3/23/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 3/2/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 2/16/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 2/9/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 2/2/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to you as a member of the American Go Association as a benefit of membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to non-members.

Published On 1/12/2009

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Published On 1/12/2009

These game records, commentaries and other material are distributed to members of the American Go Association as a benefit of your membership. You may download unlimited copies for your own use; please do not circulate them to others. CLICK HERE (or on diagrams at right) to download file

Jennie Shen Teaches Fighting

Published On 12/22/2008

Look out for more fighting from attendees of the recent Jennie Shen workshop. The Penn Go Society organized a 3-day workshop with the Santa Barbara, CA-based 2-dan professional on December 12-14 at the University of PA. “She was a wonderful teacher full of wisdom and lighthearted humor,” organizer Matt Bengtson tells the E-Journal, “with special excellence in the area of the middle game, where she encouraged everyone to fight more.”

Go Designs

Published On 12/22/2008

Italian graphic designer Stefano Giurin has designed some new eye-catching go-themed t-shirts, sweatshirts and bags. A self-described “go addict,” Giurin, a 12-kyu, started playing a year ago. “I’m trying to make go more cool for everyone, not only for players,” Giurin tells the E-Journal.

Correction: Austria, Not Australia

Published On 12/22/2008

Pardon me, but ‘Swiss-Australian border’?” (Go Makes Linux Mag 12/16 EJ) writes Dave Tukey. “I didn't know global warming was moving the continents around to this extent. Or have the Swiss invaded the Outback?” Neither, as far as we know; make that the Swiss-Austrian border. Our apologies for the error and thanks to everyone who wrote in to point it out. Photographer David Cantrell also sent in this update: “In the absence of any go-playing Austrians or Swiss in our group, Switzerland was represented by Edwin Brady (2k) and Austria by me (13k),” said Cantrell. “It was a nine stone game, and Switzerland won convincingly. Which I thought was very un-neutral of them. All of the recent Linuxbierwanderungs have included go-playing, and over the years I've introduced a good dozen people from all over the world to the game, at least some of whom now play regularly. Geeky social events like this are a great way of introducing new people to the game.”

Go Spotting: Go Wargames

Published On 12/22/2008

In the 2008 film Wargames 2: The Dead Code, -- the sequel to the 1983 science fiction film WarGames -- “when Joshua is playing games with Ripley, and the games are rapidly flashing on the screen, games of go can be seen,” reports Doug Buchanan. Spotted go somewhere interesting? Email us at journal@usgo.org!

Published On 12/22/2008

Karsten Henckell 4D took top honors at the Fort Myers Open, held December 6, when the Fort Myers Go Club hosted one of the largest tournaments ever held in the state of Florida. With player strength ranging from 30 kyu to 4 dan, 54 players turned out, and “Registration of new and old members had a line out the door!” reports Tournament Director Joshua Frye. “It was awesome to see the range of ages playing each other,” Frye reports. “Go clubs from all over the state turned out, including Orlando, Miami, and Sarasota.” Players battled it out in three divisions for prizes from Yellow Mountain Imports and Slate & Shell Publishing. In the final top match, Henckell faced off against Joshua Lee 4D of Go Orlando. “It was an intense match to watch!!” said Fort Myers go member Rob Cheyne.

Published On 12/22/2008

BURZO WINS ROMANIAN AMBASSADOR CUP: Cornel Burzo 6D won the Romanian Ambassador of Japan Go Cup held December 13-14 in Bucharest. Lucian Corlan 5D took 2nd place and Daniel Cioata 5D was 3rd in the second edition of the event in which 150 Romanian Go players from 6 to 60 years old played.

Published On 12/22/2008

LEE CHANGHO AND CHANG HAO IN CHUNLAN FINALS: Lee Changho 9P (r) and Chang Hao 9P will meet in a best-of-three finals of the 7th international Chunlan Cup. In the semifinals on December 11th Lee Changho 9P of Korea defeated Kong Jie 7P while Chang Hao 9P defeated Zhou Heyang 9P. Chang came in second last year, losing to fellow countryman Gu Li 9P, which is the only time the Chinese have won this event.

Henckell Wins Fort Myers Open

Published On 12/22/2008

Karsten Henckell 4D took top honors at the Fort Myers Open, held December 6, when the Fort Myers Go Club hosted one of the largest tournaments ever held in the state of Florida. With player strength ranging from 30 kyu to 4 dan, 54 players turned out, and “Registration of new and old members had a line out the door!” reports Tournament Director Joshua Frye. “It was awesome to see the range of ages playing each other,” Frye reports. “Go clubs from all over the state turned out, including Orlando, Miami, and Sarasota.” Players battled it out in three divisions for prizes from Yellow Mountain Imports and Slate & Shell Publishing. In the final top match, Henckell faced off against Joshua Lee 4D of Go Orlando. “It was an intense match to watch!!” said Fort Myers go member Rob Cheyne. Entering the endgame, Lee was ahead on points, but Henckell pressured Lee into overtime. “During one of Joshua Lee’s captures, he forgot to hit his clock and ultimately lost on time.”

Published On 12/22/2008

Lee Changho 9P (r) and Chang Hao 9P will meet in a best-of-three finals of the 7th international Chunlan Cup. In the semifinals on December 11th Lee Changho 9P of Korea defeated Kong Jie 7P while Chang Hao 9P defeated Zhou Heyang 9P. Chang came in second last year, losing to fellow countryman Gu Li 9P, which is the only time the Chinese have won this event. Lee has won it twice, in 2003 and 2005. Overall, Koreans have won it four times and the Chinese and Japanese once each. The winner's purse is about $150,000 US. Lee is also the only Korean ever to take second place, in the first Chunlan in 1999 when he lost to his teacher Cho Hunhyun 9P.

Published On 12/22/2008

Kong Jie (l) 7P will face titleholder Lee Sedol 9P in theSamsung Cup finals. The best-of-three-games semi-finals of the international Cup featured one Korean, Lee Sedol 9P, and three Chinese representatives, Huang Yizhong 7P, Kong Jie 7P, and Zhou Ruiyang 5P, the only teen in the group. Lee kept Korea's hopes alive by defeating Huang 2-0 and Kong got the privilege of facing Lee in the finals by defeating Zhou 2-0. Both players won their first semi-final game by a mere half point, and Kong took the second by only 1.5 points. Lee won this event last year, as well as in 2004, and currently holds three international titles. Kong's most notable achievement is winning the national Chang-ki Cup twice, in 2005 and 2007.

Burzo Wins Romanian Ambassador Cup

Published On 12/22/2008

Cornel Burzo 6D won the Romanian Ambassador of Japan Go Cup held December 13-14 in Bucharest. Lucian Corlan 5D took 2nd place and Daniel Cioata 5D was 3rd in the second edition of the event in which 150 Romanian Go players from 6 to 60 years old played. The event was also the occasion for the launch of Pro-G0, the new Romanian electronic go publication by Dorin Chis. - report by Marilena Bara, Romanian correspondent for the E-Journal;photo: Burzo (r] with Ambassador of Japan in Bucharest Yoshinobu Higashi; photo by Liviu

League Updates From Holland & Germany

Published On 12/22/2008

Utrecht’s Team 1 won the top Fall league in Holland and Utrecht's Michiel Tel 1k won the prize for best progress in the top league with 44 points. Leyden had tied in matches and games, but lost the Leyden- Utrecht match. The top teams from Eindhoven won both the 1st and 2nd leagues; Eindhoven 1 won all five matches, finishing ahead of Utrecht 2 (4-11) and 3 (2-7). Eindhoven 2 won the second league 4-11, where Ivo Creusen gained 72 points, making him overall Best Progress winner. Finally, Almere 2 won 3rd league 5-13, with Huib Olij winning Best Progress. A total of 72 players participated. After three rounds in Germany’s Autumn Leagues – in which 72 teams are playing -- only three teams in the top league are still undefeated: Karlsruhe didn't drop a single game, Dragons from Frankfurt am Main won all matches but lost two games and HH-Hebsacker, the Go publishing house from Hamburg is third.

German Tournament Updates

Published On 12/22/2008

Benjamin Teuber 6D (l) won the Nikolaus tournament in Brauschweig, Germany on December 6-7, with 38 players participating. Lin Hai 4D took 2nd and Stefan Katschick 5D won third place. Stephan Thober 1D of Greifswald won the Mecklenburg-Vorpommeren state championship on November 21-22. Volkmar Liebscher 3D was 2nd and Martin Schidt 1D was 3rd. Franz-Josef Dickhut 6D won the Japanese Consul-General's Cup, also held November 21-22. At stake was a ticket to Japan, and Dickhut told the EJ that "My wife is from Korea, so we go there almost every year. But I’ve only been to Japan a few times, representing Germany in the WAGC." Christoph Gerlach 6d won the 'Blitzmeister' title December 13-14 when the final four contestants met in a marathon in which they played each other six times. - Peter Dijkema

AGF Fund Drive Looks To Grow Go

Published On 12/22/2008

The American Go Foundation is conducting its annual fundraising appeal, asking players who love go to support the growth of the game. "We're doing more than ever to bring in a new generation of players," says AGF President Terry Benson, "and we're doing it with generous donations from American players, not with foundation or government help. The AGF is a 501(c)3 charity, so US donors can deduct their contribution from their taxes." The AGF has many new offerings, Benson explained. "This fall we added the newsletter for teachers, a Teacher Store, a lesson plan cooperative for teachers , more types of teaching equipment, and we are working on a college scholarship program," Benson said. "We can now accept credit card payments and donations. In today's financial climate, we need all the help we can get. Even small amounts matter.

Go Classifieds Work!

Published On 12/22/2008

“Thanks, E-Journal!” writes Bob Barber. “I listed my collection of Go World magazines here, and was able to sell them to one of your many readers, this one in Argentina.” Buy, sell, or trade go stuff, plus find go players through the EJ’s free classifieds: email us today at journal@usgo.org

Published On 12/18/2008

Pierre Nigot 2k swept the Mediterranean League in Chateauneuf de Gadagne, April 24, the regional second stage of the French Championships. Manuel Valles 3k was second and Bernard Coppe 1d was third. Ten players took part. The yearly "Tournoi d'Avignon" took place there as well, with 25 players. The best-ranked three filled the podium: Teruhisa Furuta 3k went 4-0 for first, Julien Delacroix 3k (3-1) was second, and Pierre Derrier 3k (2-2) was third. Also undefeated were Guillaume Giffard 8k, Quentin Vinge 14k, and Mathieu Gomez 15k. - Peter Dijkema, EJ European correspondent

The Empty Board: The Real Go Player

Published On 12/15/2008

THE EMPTY BOARD: The Real Go Player by Bill Cobb At a lecture at this year's U.S. Go Congress, Takemiya Masaki (right) 9P insisted that it is very important in go to play where you want to, not where you think you ought to. He said that no one believes he is serious about this. It's easy to understand why. The issue here is what it means to be a "honte" go player. First, think about why we play the game. Surely it's because we enjoy it: no one is forcing us to play. Those of us at the Congress paid a lot to attend. Takemiya assumes we all agree with this, but he notices that a lot of players often seem to find playing an unpleasant and frustrating experience. He suggested this is because we are worried about where we should play next in the game.

CORRECTION

Published On 12/15/2008

"Kono Rin won the Tengen title from 2005 to 2007 -- each year the other player was Yamashita Keigo, who played in the Tengen title match five years in a row -- so Cho U was the challenger," writes longtime go journalist John Power (Cho Holds Onto Tengen, Recaptures Oza 12/8 EJ). "Surprisingly, this year was the first time he had reached the title match. The EJ may have been looking forward a year, as the odds are that Cho will defend in 2009 if he maintains the great form he's in now. Kono Rin also won the Ryusei tournament this year, so he still has two titles. This year was the first time that Kono won more than one title."

Yes On Blackberry Go

Published On 12/15/2008

There are at least two Blackberry go apps, according to readers responding to last week's query (Your Move: Readers Write: Blackberry Go 12/8 EJ) mgo and Gome. There are two versions of mgo, including mgo_x, which features sgf export, notes Hannes, who's involved in mgo development. "The mgo team is currently working on a heavily revised and enhanced version of the software, so all user feedback is highly appreciated," Hannes adds. "You can also download a trial version of Gome to check compatibility with your mobile phone," says Gome author Guillaume.

Korean Pro Launches English Blog

Published On 12/15/2008

With few Asian professional go players blogging in English, Lee Hajin (right) 3P new blog about her go career is notable. Assisted by her father, Hajin includes her personal diaries and essays, as well as photos on the blog. "It is very cool how members can comment and participate in the discussion, and I have personally signed up and spoken with Hajin; I find her to be very kind," reports Tigersmouth news editor Tom Bahun. "The site is set up well and very easy to use; the news section is great because you get the latest articles before anywhere else. Who better to report them, than someone who is right there?" adds Bahun. For updates on go news by teenagers, check out the new Tigersmouth News section

Published On 12/15/2008

In the semifinals of the 7th international Chunlan Cup on December 11th there were three Chinese players and one Korean. Lee Changho 9P of Korea defeated Kong Jie 7P while Chang Hao 9P defeated Zhou Heyang 9P, so Lee and Chang will meet in the best-of-three-game finals. Chang came in second last year, losing to fellow countryman Gu Li 9P, which is the only time the Chinese have won this event. Lee has won it twice, in 2003 and 2005. Overall, Koreans have won it four times and the Chinese and Japanese once each. The winner's purse is about $150,000.00 US. Lee is also the only Korean ever to take second place, in the first Chunlan in 1999 when he lost to his teacher Cho Hunhyun 9P.

Women Creating Stir In Japanese Ryusei

Published On 12/15/2008

Two female players have created a bit of a stir in the popular Ryusei tournament, now underway. With two wins each, Suzuki Ayumi (left) 4P and Xie Yimin 4P have a good chance to advance to the second round in an event where women players rarely win more than one game.

Chess Doping Scandal

Published On 12/15/2008

"Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk refused to submit a urine sample for a drug test at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden and is now considered guilty of doping," reports Maik Grossekathöfer in Spiegel Online. "The world of chess is outraged that he could face a two-year ban. The incident in Dresden and the possibility of a professional ban for Ivanchuk has caused outrage in the chess world. The players, who fraternize with one another, say that accusing one of them of doping is an insult to their honor and intelligence. Letters of protest were issued, and players are accusing bureaucrats in the world of championship chess of destroying the game, because, as they insist everyone should know, doping provides no benefits in chess." Click here for the complete report. Photo: Vassily Ivanchuk, photo by Dimitri Papadopoulos/QuebecPress.com

Newsletter For Go Teachers Launched

Published On 12/15/2008

The American Go Foundation has created a newsletter targeted at go teachers. The "Sensei" newsletter addresses an audience of "enthusiasts who are teaching go in after-school programs, at libraries or community centers or during classroom visits," editor Roy Laird tells the E-Journal, "professional educators who recognize that go is a valuable classroom enrichment activity that links naturally to core curriculum content; and anyone else interested in go instruction."

Go In The News: Go Makes Linux Mag

Published On 12/15/2008

"There is a picture taken by BGA member David Cantrell of a go game on the Swiss-Australian border in the December 2008 Linux Pro Magazine on page 92," reports Bob Bacon. "The scene is described as an international go tournament that was part of the Linux Bier Wanderung. Looks like a great place to play go.... more than a mile higher than Black Mountain!" Click here for the article

Published On 12/15/2008

Harried volunteer go club organizers worldwide will be delighted to hear that online software is now available to help run a club and local tournaments. "GoClubsOnline makes it easy for players to register for your tournaments online," says Robert Cordingley, "as well as to export player lists to popular pairings programs, track club memberships, monitor club libraries, keep results of club games, submit rated club games to the AGA and take care of book-keeping."

Published On 12/15/2008

A team of players from Shanghai, China will be attending the annual Jujo Jiang Goe Tournament, to be held January 3rd and 4th in San Francisco, CA. They'll be led by Jujo Jiang (right) 9P and Rui NaiWei 9P. The tournament is sponsored by the Ing Goe Foundation and the San Francisco Chinese Culture Center; all levels are welcome at the AGA-rated event and there will be prizes in four divisions: Open, Dan, Kyu and Novice. Click here to register (there's a $10 discount for current AGA members).

Computer Defeats Pro At 7 Stones

Published On 12/15/2008

The Crazy Stone go program apparently defeated Kaori Aoba 4P with a 7-stone handicap at last weekend's Computer Go UEC Cup in Tokyo. "This would make Crazy Stone 4 or 5 dan, by Japanese standards," wrote Darren Cook on a computer-go discussion group, "Maybe 2-3 dan European?" The UEC results were: 1st: Crazy Stone; 2nd: Fudogo; 3rd: Many Faces; 4th: Katsunari; Mogo apparently had time trouble and pulled out. Click here for the unofficial .sgf of the computer-pro game.

Mok Jinseok Fights Back In Korean Kuksu

Published On 12/15/2008

Challenger Mok Jinseok (right) 9P stayed alive in his bid for the Kuksu, winning Round 3 on December 10. It looked like Lee Sedol 9P was going to sail to another title when he took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five-game finals against Mok in the 52nd Kuksu; although Lee only has two national titles at the moment, he still holds four current international titles, and is definitely the favorite in this match against a player with only a few minor titles and the most recent of those in 2004. Lee won this oldest and prestigious Korean title for the first time last year. The title was swapped back and forth between Lee Changho 9P and his teacher Cho Hunhyun 9P for a number of years until Rui Naiwei 9P made history by being the first woman to win an open title by defeating Cho in 1999. Since then no one has dominated this event the way Lee and Cho did in the past.

Shunichi Hyodo Tops NY Tourney

Published On 12/15/2008

Visiting Nihon Kiin instructor Shunichi Hyodo 6d took top honors in Sunday's monthly tournament at the New York Go Club in New York City. "A strong and large range of players attended, ranging from 6 dan to 13 kyu," reports Tournament Director Roman Kudryashov. Adam Connell 8k went undefeated for strong victory in the single-digit kyu range, while Frederick Smadja 13k won the double-digit kyu division and Shunichi Hyodo 6d won the dan division. "The prize pool, each prize donated by a player, was raided like a holiday gift exchange," Kudryashov adds, "with every victor finding something they liked."

Linz-Horowitz Win Denver Pair Go

Published On 12/15/2008

The Pair Go team of Laurie Linz 7k and Stuart Horowitz 3d took first place in Saturday's Te wo Tsunaide '08 Pair Go Tournament in Boulder, CO. "There were three official rounds and seven award categories at the 4th annual event," reports organizer Jasmine Sailing. Click here for detailed reports and photos. Winner's Report: 1st Place Open: Laurie Linz 7k/Stuart Horowitz 3d; 2nd Place Open: Jasmine Sailing 4k/Paul Barchilon 3k; 1st Place High Kyu: Rachel Daley 20k/Ryan Bernstein 10k; 2nd Place High Kyu: Jay Hoh 23k/Tucker Bergin 19k; Out-Standing Youth Pair: Diana Yang 7k/Albert Hwang 7k; Fighting Spirit: Katherine Lin 3k/David Weiss 3d; Most In-Sync Pair: Jessica Lin 2k/Yaphet Tewahade 2k. Pairings Director: Bruce Young; Organizational Assistants: David Weiss and Paul Barchilon.

Fan Hui Recaptures Paris Meijin

Published On 12/15/2008

Fan Hui (right in photo at left) 2P swept all five rounds to win back his Paris Meijin title on November 29-30, reports Jérome Hubert 3D on the French Federation of Go's (FFG) website. Fan has now won this title six times, losing it last year to to Junfu Dai, who won it in 1995 when he was just 12. Prominent Japanese players also attended the 26th annual event, including Kobayashi Chizu 5P, who has been resident in Europe since last year, when she became the Nihon Kiin's cultural ambassador to Austria and Nobuchi Motoki 7D , who placed 5th. Click here for more pictures, some games and the full results. The FFG site also has a video by Fred Donzet 5D about Fan Hui, combining footage from the last Paris Pandanet with Fan -- a national teacher in France and regular contributor to the EJ -- teaching. Donzet took 8th place in the recent Korean PM Cup, and was one of Youth Champ Thomas Debarre 5D's -- who won 6th place -- first teachers.

Youth Champ Qualifier Hosts Wanted

Published On 12/8/2008

US Youth Go Championship (USYGC) organizers are looking for chapters interested in hosting one of next year's regional qualifying events. "This is a great opportunity to encourage many children and youth players to become stronger," says Coordinator Daniel Short. "It's also a way to give local players a chance to compete for a national championship." Eight qualifiers will be held across the country, with regional winners being flown to the national championship tournament in San Francisco, where the final champions -- junior and senior -- will be selected as the AGA's representatives to the World Youth Go Championship in August. To find out more about how your chapter can host a USYGC qualifier, email usygc@usgo.org.

Published On 12/8/2008

For a change, all of the folks who thought last week's Quiz was too easy got it right, correctly identifying the Judan as the one title that no player has yet won five times in a row. Congratulations to Grant Kerr, this week's winner, selected at random from those answering correctly, and thanks to the most recent Go World for inspiring the question. After leading all year, Phil Waldron was caught in the last three weeks by Kim Salamony, resulting in a jigo in which they share the two top honors of Most Correct and Most Attempts this year. Both finished with 28 right and 3 wrong. Honors for highest percentage -- with 50% participation -- goes once again to Grant Kerr who was an impressive 18 for 18. Honorable mention goes to Steve Fawthrop for a very respectable 18/20 and to Reinhold Burger, who finished the year with a streak of 5 straight correct answers to finish at 15/15.

Published On 12/8/2008

BLACKBERRY GO? "Is there software for recording games on a Blackberry?" wonders Bill. Let us know at journal@usgo.org CALIFORNIA DREAMIN': "Can you give me and name and contact for the Palo Alto and Menlo Park go clubs?" writes Joy. "We live nearby and my son is playing go online and is interested in a club." Click here to quickly locate go clubs across the country.

Cho Holds Onto Tengen, Recaptures Oza

Published On 12/8/2008

This has been a good week for Cho U (pictured) 9p, who not only recaptured the Oza, but held onto the Tengen, defeating challenger Kono Rin 9p 3-0. Cho took the last game in the Tengen on December 4th and won the fourth and final Oza game on December 8, claiming two titles in just five days. Cho now holds four of the top seven Japanese titles, including the Meijin, Tengen, Gosei, and Oza. Cho held the Oza from 2003 to 2005, but lost it in 2006 to Yamashita who held it for two years. Yamashita is left with only the Kisei title, which he has held for four years altogether, including the last three. Kono held the Tengen title for three years until Cho took it last year. Kono's only current title now is the NEC Cup. Cho had an impressive run-up to challenging for this event, winning the final with Ko Iso 7p by 1.5 points, his semi-final game against Cho Chikun 9p by 1.5 points

Rez Johnson Mississippi State Champ

Published On 12/8/2008

Rez Johnson is the 2008 Mississippi State Go Champion, topping Saturday's State Go Championships. McLeod Johnson won the Junior State Go Championship, while Caleb Lewis won the Youth State Go Championship. The event -- sponsored by the Mississippi Go Society -- was held at Jumbos Chinese Restaurant in Brandon, MS, on December 6th. "A good time was had by all and everyone left excited about playing more go," reports the Society. WINNER'S REPORT: Mississippi State Go Championship (12 and up): 1st: Rez Johnson; 2nd: McLeod Johnson; 3rd: Robert Pridgen. Mississippi State Junior Go Championship (12 - 17): 1st: McLeod Johnson; 2nd: Nathanael Lewis; 3rd: Joseph Lewis. Mississippi State Youth Go Championship (7 - 11): 1st: Caleb Lewis; 2nd: Sara Beth Alderman; 3rd: Jacob Lewis.

Published On 12/8/2008

Davide Minieri 3D took 1st place at the 29th annual Italian Open Championships (pictured), held at the 11th Italian Go Congress, which ran November 28-30 in Milan, Italy. The field of 87 included a large group of participants from Kiev in the Western Ukraine. Four players finished on top with 4 wins each: Minieri (Padova), Vasyl Skochko 4D (Kiev), Giordano D'Obici 1D (Rome) and local strongman Francesco Marigo 4D. Dmytro Korolov 7K and Mykola Antonov 20K from Kiev were the only other undefeated players. Roman Korolov 2K of Kiev topped the 9x9 Tournament, Borys Baydenko 4K took 2nd and Carlo Metta 2K was the 9x9 Italian Champ, finishing 3rd (the highest-placing Italian player wins the championship title). Vasyl Skochko of Kiev took first place in the Lightning Championships

Lee Sedol Takes 2-1 Lead In Myeongin

Published On 12/8/2008

Lee Sedol (pictured) 9P is ahead 2-1 in the best-of-five-game finals of the Korean Myeongin (J: Meijin) against challenger Kang Dongyun 9P. Kang became the challenger by defeating Won Sungjin 9P who had just defeated Lee Changho 9P in the play-off after the Challenger League left the three players tied. Kang is an up-and-coming teen. He won the gold medal in the male individual section of the recent World Mind Sports Games and recently won five consecutive games in the Nongshim Cup international team tournament. Last year he won the King of Kings title by defeating Lee Changho. Lee Sedol took this title last year from Lee Changho, who had held it for twelve of the previous thirteen years.

Published On 12/8/2008

Gu Li (pictured) 9P has held the fast play Chinese NEC Cup three times and was runner-up once in the last five years. This year he faces Hu Yaoyu 8P in the finals. Hu has done well in a number of top events, but has won few titles--most recently the Liguang Cup in 2007. Gu is the top title holder in China currently, holding two international titles (Fujitsu and Chunlan Cup) and five national titles.

Feng Yun Winter Workshop

Published On 12/8/2008

Feng Yun (pictured) 9P will hold a go workshop from December 26 through 31 at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey. Visiting Chinese professional Yin Kuo 3P, second place finisher in the U.S. Open, will also teach, and Rob Muldowney 2D will assist in teaching beginners. Players of all ages are invited to attend. Click here for more details.

Euro Winter Go School

Published On 12/8/2008

Over the upcoming holidays, go players in Northwest Europe will get together for the Winter-Go event on the border of Germany and Holland. Lecturers include Frank Janssen and Geert Groenen, both 6-dan, as well as Willem-Koen Pomstra 5d, who has attended all winter and summer Dutch Teaching Schools. Manuela Marz 4d will also give lectures on go, including "The seven dwarfs and other fairy tales" and "Why basketballs have bad shape and bicycles are dangerous." German families participating include the "First Family" of German Go, Deutscher Go-Bund President Michael Marz 3d, his wife Manuela 4d, and their young child. With students from all over Western Europe, the Summer and Winter Classes have become one of the major seasonal schooling opportunities in this part of Europe. Click here for more info. - reported by Peter Dijkema, European EJ correspondent

Published On 12/8/2008

If you're anywhere in the metro New York City area, run, don't walk, to the New York Go Center: Visiting Nihon Kiin instructor Shunichi Hyodo (pictured) 7D has extended his stay through the end of January. An old friend and one of the best go teachers I know, Hyodo was my guide on an unforgettable tour of Japan's go clubs and historic go sites in 2003. On the train between stops, no matter how exhausted we were, Hyodo would give me problems to study and then quiz me closely, exhorting me to work ever harder to improve my game. His strength as a teacher lies not just in his encyclopedic knowledge of the game -- he spent 90 minutes reviewing nakade (dead shapes) with me last Sunday -- but in his passionate commitment to teaching. Hyodo's many American friends look forward to seeing him -- and his tour group of dedicated Japanese go players -- each year at the Go Congress, and he's been in residence at the New York Go Club since October.

Go In The News

Published On 12/8/2008

Mazda's Fall '08 Zoom Zoom magazine features go in an article entitled "Play Time" on page 10, reports Robert Cordingley of the Houston Go Club. "Play this," the article says; "Legend has it that the board game of Go was born around 2300 BC. Today it is hugely popular in China and Japan." The article is illustrated with "a modern version packaged in a rugged go-anywhere case" from Yellow Mountain Imports.

Jennie Shen 2P Workshop in Philly

Published On 12/2/2008

There's still space in Jennie Shen (right) 2P's December 12-14 workshop in Philadelphia, reports organizer Matt Bengtson. "We have players registered from 20k to 5d," he adds. The workshop includes lectures and game reviews and costs $100, or $50 for youth or Penn Go Society members. Check out the Penn Go Society website for details; contact Matt Bengtson (matt@mattbengtson.com, 215-704-4600) or Peter Nassar (pnassar@vet.upenn.edu, 215-898-6271) for more info. Photo by Flickr user Smudge_47

Discounted GoGoD Offer

Published On 12/1/2008

"Prepared to do its bit for the credit crunch," GoGoD is offering a discount on the upcoming new Winter 2008 edition, reports T Mark Hall. "Our normal prices, for a single issue, or for an issue now and one more up to a year later, are respectively 20 and 25 pounds Sterling (30 and 35 Euros, or 40 and 50 US dollars)," says Hall. "For a limited period up to December 8, we are making those respective prices 15 and 20 pounds Sterling, 25 and 30 Euros and 30 and 40 US dollars." GoGoD now includes a database of almost 55,000 games, database software, and a large encyclopedia, "We estimate that this gives you the equivalent of almost 200 books," adds Hall, who notes that GoGoD prices include airmail postage. Paypal payments accepted; email Hall at tmark@gogod.demon.co.uk or chat with him (Tmark) on KGS.

Published On 12/1/2008

The Terminator played go on network television, this past Monday night. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles featured "good" Terminatrix Summer Glau opening up a go board and playing out a position after telling Sarah Connor -- and the show's nationwide audience -- that go is a "five thousand year old game, invented by the Chinese." Earlier episodes of the series have focused on repeated attempts to stop various artificial intelligence programs from turning into Skynet, the military defense system that unleashes nuclear holocaust on humans in the Terminator movies. A previous program that played chess quite well was an initial target, but the Connors were able to stop it in time. A new program reared it's head in the latest episode, but it doesn't play chess, it plays go. Glau lays out a position on the board while telling Connor that "Strange things happen at the one two point. It's a go proverb; it means the usual rules don't apply."

Correction: Amherst, Not Boston

Published On 12/1/2008

The November 23 Western Massachusetts Go Club's Fall tournament was in Amherst, MA, not Boston, as we reported last week (Morris Sweeps Western Mass Tournament).

Go Quiz: Chevy Geo, Of Course!

Published On 12/1/2008

Only a handful of hardy quizzers took a shot at last week's anagram question, racking their brains with the usual Asian names for go. A couple, including quiz leader Phil Waldron, went as far afield as "shudan" or "handtalk" to try to make "Datsun" fit. One enterprising person actually made a program to look up all different permutations of "igo", "baduk", "weichi" and "weigi" and automatically produce a Google search which he then checked based on number of hits. Sadly, this effort only got him an ATV. A couple of you checked "Goe" (thank you Mr. Ing) but only got as far as some concept car called the "Ego." The correct answer, from 4 of you, including now Quiz co-leader Kim Salamony, was based on Goe: the Chevy Geo. Congrats to this week's winner Clark B. Wierda, this week's winner, selected at random from those answering correctly.

Go Review: Monkey Jump Workshop

Published On 12/1/2008

The first encounter with a monkey jump is an intimidating and frustrating experience. In an instant, once promising territories vanish and three-eyed groups become corpses. Most players learn to deal with the monkey jump by trial and error, but all too often they obtain only passing familiarity. For those looking for true mastery of the technique, a big jump comes with Richard Hunter's "Monkey Jump Workshop." Sensibly enough, Monkey Jump Workshop begins with the monkey jump at its simplest: a basic reduction against a solid territory. The standard counter-moves are analyzed before considering how things change when the surrounding position is altered. Even subtle differences can be important, and this chapter illustrates this point admirably. All of the important considerations are presented with elegant examples without getting bogged down by details.

Published On 12/1/2008

TAKAO KEEPS JAPANESE ALIVE IN NONGSHIM: The Nongshim Cup, the popular international team tournament, started off being dominated by two teens. First Chinese teen Tuo Jiaxi 3P won four games, eliminating two members of the Japanese and two of the Korean five-player teams. Then Korean teen Kang Dongyun 9P won five games, kicking out three Chinese and two more Japanese.

Published On 12/1/2008

OH CHI-MIN SWEEPS BERLIN TOURNEYS: Oh Chi-Min 7D has swept two German tournaments back-to-back. After winning the Go-to-Innovation tournament in Berlin on November 21-23, Oh won the 'Crane' there a week later. Hong Seul-ki 7D finished 2nd and Zou Jin 6D took 3rd prize in the Innovation and Zou Jin moved up to 2nd in the Crane while Hong took 3rd there. The Innovation tournament is scored with Hahn-rules, which yield better scores for large and consecutive wins, while games with reduced handicaps are possible. These rules enabled some two-digit-kyus to take top places

Published On 12/1/2008

JIE LI WINS N.A. FUJITSU: Jie Li 7D (AGA 9.53) won this year's North American Fujitsu Cup against Canadian Gan Sheng Shi 7D in front of a crowd of over 400 watching live on KGS on Saturday. The game record is attached. DENNIS LIANG TOPS IN CHICAGO: Dennis Jong-Rong Liang 6D topped the November 22 "He's Dead But He Won't Lie Down" tournament in Chicago, IL, named in honor of Hoagy Carmichael's birthday. Tied for first place in the High Kyu Division were Laura Kolb 2k and HaoXuan (Henry) Li 4k, while Jesse Chen 17k took first in the Low Kyu. 29 players participated and Bob Barber was the TD

Ko Wins New L.A. Korean Tourney

Dae Hyuk (Danny) Ko (right) 7D (AGA 8.712) took first place in the Myung In Tournament, held November 15-16 in Los Angeles, CA. The Los Angeles Go Club, a popular 7-day playing spot in LA's Koreatown, hosted the tournament, which was organized by the newly-formed Korean American Baduk Association. About 50 players, including a number from outside the Korean community, played in two handicap sections and one open section for $4,000 in prizes, won by Ko, of the Santa Monica Go Club. The tournament also featured an exhibition game between two Southern California professionals, Myung Wan Kim 8P and Yilun Yang 7P. "Sunday evening dinner was provided to all the players," reports Andy Okun, "and there was a raffle of donated goods as well, in which your correspondent unexpectedly won 40 pounds of rice." Korean American Baduk Association officials plan to hold more events in the coming year.

Published On 11/24/2008

Canadian teenager Gan Sheng Shi (left) defeated both Mingjiu Jiang and Huiren Yang last weekend to earn a berth in the North American Fujitsu Cup championship final against Jie Li. The excitement continued Sunday when the final had to be adjourned because of technical difficulties. It was excitement on all fronts during the North American Fujitsu Cup championship. While top seeds Jie Li, Andy Liu and Huiren Yang made it through unscathed to the semi-finals, defending champion Mingjiu Jiang let a favourable position evaporate when he lost on time to Redmond Cup champion Gan Sheng Shi. The Canadian teenager then astonished a crowd of 500 by taking down professional Huiren Yang to earn a spot in the finals against perennial strongman Jie Li. The excitement continued when Jie Li suffered network problems at move 55 of the final game and could not reconnect to continue. The game has been adjourned and will be rescheduled at a later date.

Kobayashi Koichi Near The Top Again

Published On 11/24/2008

Kobayashi Koichi (left) 9P is one of the most popular pros of what is now the older generation in Japan. Though in his fifties, Kobayashi is still active, and won two titles as recently as 2004, though he rarely reaches the later sections of tournaments now. However, by defeating Shuto Shun 6P on Saturday November 22nd, he has reached the finals of the Daiwa Cup where he will face Kono Rin 9P and current Tengen. The Daiwa Cup is a fast-play event on the Internet and one of three events sponsored by the Daiwa Securities Company of Japan; the others are the Daiwa Ladies Cup, won back in September by Xie Yimin 3P, and the Daiwa Grand Champion Cup, won by Iyama Yuta 8P last July.
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Published On 11/24/2008

Cho U 9P took the second game of his challenge for the Tengen title held by Kono Rin 9P to make the score 2-0 in the best-of-five-game match. Kono, who has held this title for the last three years, defeating Yamashita Keigo 9P in the title match each year, will have a hard fight to make it four. Cho's winning percentage so far this year is 79%, while Kono's is 60%, so the odds favor Cho's taking another of the top seven Japanese titles -- he already holds the Meijin and Gosei.

Morris Sweeps Western Mass Tournament

Published On 11/24/2008

Trevor Morris (left) 7D swept the Western Massachusetts Go Club's Fall tournament, held November 23 in Boston. Morris was undefeated in four rounds to claim the first-place trophy, while three players had 3 wins each: Eric Osman 2d (3-1), Richard Buckman 7k (3-1) and William Luff 10k (3-1). Click here for a full report, including photos by Bill Saltman.

Go Quiz: No Cosmic Challenge

Published On 11/24/2008

I'm glad so many of you appreciated the irony of Takemiya "Cosmic Go" Masaki being unable to challenge for the Tengen (center point) title. Peter Schumer provides the details -"Takemiya has held the Meijin, Honinbo and Judan titles. In addition he has challenged for the Kisei as well as the Oza and Gosei. But he's never made the finals of the Tengen title". Congrats to Boris Bernadsky, this week's winner, selected at random from those answering correctly.

New Tools For Teachers

Published On 11/24/2008

A set of 200 Go Puzzles for Beginners, Oliver Richman's River Mountain Go Curriculum and Go For Kids author Milton Bradley's new Improve Fast In Go website are among several new materials The American Go Foundation is making available to go teachers on the AGA's Methods page, where numerous other curricula and materials are already available. The AGF recently learned of the existence of the Go Puzzles, developed by Paul Smith for the British Go Association, which also publishes numerous materials for teachers.

Presidential Go?

Published On 11/24/2008

Princeton Go Club member Larry Bartels' (left) "Unequal Democracy" is among the books that President-Elect Barack Obama has read recently, according to the New Yorker magazine's November 17 edition. In the book, Bartels argues that the causes of inequality are essentially political, "an insight that suggests that Obama might use economic policy to begin reversing a decades-long trend," writes George Packer. Is this our best chance yet for a go-playing President?

Korean Go School Deadline Nears

Published On 11/24/2008

There's just over a month left to apply for an exciting new go study program in Korea. Applications for The King's Baduk Academy are due by December 31. Applicants must be between the ages of 10 and 25; There will be 10 fully-funded positions -- including paid travel, room and board, and tuition -- one for each country, and 50 self-paying positions. Those selected will join a class of fifty other promising young players from around the world for a 3-7-year rigorous course of study starting in March 2009. Contact both president@usgo.org and igf@usgo.org for more information.

Go Quiz: Smoke & Mirrors

Published On 11/17/2008

Last week's Quiz asked what the cultural phenomenon was in both Shonen Jump's 2004 English edition of Hikaru no Go, Volume One and The Middle Game of Go. Many of you, knowing the Middle Game of Go is a serious book, and remembering that Sakata held a cigarette in his hand on the cover of your old copy, conjectured that smoking was the only "cultural phenomenon" that was part of the book. A closer look at the cover of the 2007 edition reveals that the cigarette has vanished. Similarly, in Hikaru no Go, as Cordell Newmiller points out - "a particularly rude player extinguishes a cigarette on a go board to arrogantly mark the correct move. The cigarette was changed to chewing gum in the US release."

AGA Caps Amateur Ranks At 7D

Published On 11/17/2008

The American Go Association Board of Directors last week approved a policy capping top ranks for amateurs at 7 dan, "with exception for rare honors for a small number of players with outstanding achievement, such as winning the U.S. Open twice." The new policy also notes that "Exceptions will be granted by the AGA President, under criteria developed through a public process, and approved by the President."

GO PHOTO: Go Masters in Gardena

Published On 11/17/2008

"Attendees at the November 8-9 workshop with Tadashi Sasaki 8p of the Nihon Ki-in got a bit of a surprise when Yoshiaki Nagahara 6p (right) and Masaaki Fukui 8p joined in Saturday morning for a few hours of teaching games," reports Andy Okun. "Nagahara and Fukui accompanied Sasaki to the United States to do some tourism but were not quite ready to start taking in the sights." The workshop at the South Bay Ki-in in Gardena, CA, was the second this year presented by the South Bay Ki-in and Santa Monica Go Club, and attracted 26 participants.

GO SPOTTING: Mathematician Paul Erdos

Published On 11/17/2008

"Between long walks, loafing in the common room, and endless games of Go, it was hard to imagine when work got done," wrote Bruce Schechter in "My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys Of Paul Erdos" (Touchstone, 1998) The famed Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos (pronounced Air-dish) became a go player when he moved to the United States in the 1930's;

Published On 11/17/2008

Jay Tabaniag's new Go Sensei Project now has 15 sample pro game commentaries from Russian player and teacher Alexander Dinerchtein

Texas High School Club Thriving

Published On 11/17/2008

"In the first meeting alone we matched the record attendance of last year," reports 16-year-old Kris Taylor, President of the Jasper High School Go Club in Plano, Texas. "We had about 30 people for our first meeting, which was just elections and rules and stuff. I had to leave early so when I did, a sophomore member from last year took over and began to teach the beginners some basics. Even the teacher started learning this year!"

New Go Mag Launched

Published On 11/17/2008

A popular social room on KGS has now branched out into a slick online publication. Founded in November 2007 by Eric Dunham of Avon, Minnesota, The Enclave room on KGS quickly grew to be the single largest social room on KGS outside of Computer Go.

German Tourney Updates

Published On 11/17/2008

Hong Seul-ki (left) 7D swept the recent Hamburg Tengen, played in the Hamburg suburb of Rahlstedt November 8-9. Hong was 5-0 in the A group at the 26th annual Tengen, ahead of Michael Budahn 3D (both of Berlin) and Floris Barthel 4D (from Utrecht in the Netherlands). Only local Lukas Scholz 5k was also undefeated. Micha Eggen 6k won B-group 7-0; about fifty players participated in each group. In the C group, 14 youngsters played, with young Fréderic Claasen 17k winning, while his even younger sister Alina 24k finished at 3-3. Fréderic Claasen first laid claim to fame at the 2008 European Go Congress in Sweden, where he did well in both the kids championships and as the partner of Yoon Young-sun 5P in Pair Go, where they reached the final knock-out stage. In last week's report on the German Pair Championships in St. Augustin, we neglected to mention that almost one hundred people played in the open tourney there.

Berlin To Host Major Tourney

Published On 11/17/2008

The 29th annual Berliner Kranich tournament will be held November 28-30 in Berlin, Germany. The international go tournament one of the largest and oldest in Germany and features seminars, go vendors, food, calligraphy and more. Many top players are expected, including Oh ChiMin 7D and Hong Seul KI 7D of Korea, Ang Li 3P from China and many strong European players. Top games will be presented live online by EuroGoTV and Yoon YoungSan -- the Korean professional now living in Hamburg to promote go in Europe -- will comment the final game of the Berlin championship on Friday evening, just before the Kranich.

Europeans Perform Well At Korean PM Cup

Published On 11/17/2008

As noted above (Chinese Taipei Secures Status As Go Superpower), Ondrej Silt of Czechia was the top European at the Korean Prime Minister Cup, placing 5th. Silt only lost to China and Hongkong and finished one SOS-point ahead of Thomas Hsiang from the US. Frédéric Donzet of Paris, France was the best 5D at 8th place and only lost to Japan and Hungary. Among the five-pointers there were many of the usual 6D suspects from Europe, like Dmytri Bogackyj (Ukraine), Csaba Mero (Hungary), Alexey Lazarev (Russia) on places 13-15 and Merlijn Kuin (17th, Holland).

Published On 11/17/2008

The Chinese team is favored to win the Jeongganjang Cup after teenager Song Ronghui (right) 1P swept all five opponents in the just-concluded first stage. The Jeongganjang is a win-and-continue tournament between five-member teams of women pros from China, Japan, and Korea. There are five games in each of three stages (the third stage can be less than five if more than one player remains on the winning team). Song, who won a gold metal in the individual women's section of the recent World Minds Sports Games, defeated Lee Daehyeoi 3P and Lee Hajin 3P of Korea as well as Kato Keiko 6P and Mannami Kana 4P of Japan. Song will still be up at the start of the second stage in January in Seoul, Korea, with the other two teams now down to three players each.

Published On 11/17/2008

A group of more than fifty Korean players will be attending - and competing in - the 2009 U.S. Go Congress in Washington, DC, Thomas Hsiang reports. Hsiang, the American Go Association's Vice President on International Relations, helped arrange the Korean group visit and adds that "several leaders in the Korean Amateur Baduk Association have expressed interest in joining this group to hopefully inaugurate a permanent link between the US and Korean Baduk communities." Strong Korean players have been a fixture of the European Go Congress for some years now. Another new development in Korea is the establishment of the "King's Baduk Academy," Hsiang tells the E-Journal. "Supported by a number of Korean sponsors, this is a 3-7 year program to train the truly devoted to become pro players and/or go teachers."

Published On 11/17/2008

Believing that growth in membership and funding "are the keys to the future of the American Go Association," new AGA President Allan Abramson in launching a member-to-member membership drive. "If each current AGA member pledged to bring in one new member each in the next year, we would quickly double our existing membership," says Abramson. "Former Board member Gordon Costanza heard my call for this pledge at the Congress, and within one week had signed up five new members!" Others who have taken the pledge include Trevor Morris (Amherst, MA), Terry Schurter (Ewing, NJ), Mike Wallstedt (Taylorsville, UT), Mertin Lebl (Tucson, AZ),

Andy Liu Sweeps NYC Tourney

Published On 11/17/2008

Andy Liu (in green) 7d (AGA 9.03) won all four of his games in the Masters Open at the New York Go Center in New York City on November 9. "Although only twelve people played in the tournament, it was pretty intense having so many talented players in one room," TD Boris Bernadsky tells the E-Journal. Four of the tournament entrants were past winners of the US Open, and all of the prize-winners were 7d or above. GameExpress.com and David Saunders donated over $1,400 in prizes. TD Bernadsky adds that "It was a very enjoyable tournament to run. It was great to see old friends meeting." Winners Report: 1st: Andy Liu 7d/AGA 9.03 (4-0), 2nd: Jong Moon Lee 7d/AGA 8.29 (3-1), 3rd: Tae Hwan Oh 7d (3-1), 4th: Xiliang Liu 7d (3-1). - Photo by Roy Laird

Published On 11/17/2008

Yue Wu 3d of Houston, TX took first place in the dan division at the Houston Fall Go Tournament held on November 9. "Twenty five players from all over the state (including Waco, Killeen, Dallas, and Saledo near Austin) joined us," reports Houston Go Club president Robert Cordingley. Players were asked to fill out a written survey so that the club could improve future tournaments. Survey respondents seemed to like the venue and the one-day format, with one of the only problems cited being, "No Heineken." A prize purse of over $600 was awarded to players in three divisions. Winner's Report: Dan Division: 1st: Yue Wu 3d, 2nd: Christopher Dean Hudnall 3d, 3rd: Daniel Duan 1d. Single Digit Kyu Division: 1st: Bill Holden 7k, 2nd: Jon G. Gehrkin 1k, 3rd: Jared H. Jessen 7k. Double Digit Kyu Division: 1st: Jack Ye 10k, 2nd: Nathan K. Martin 11k, 3rd: Geoff Haddad 20k.

Published On 11/17/2008

Li-cheng Chien cemented Chinese Taipei's status among the go superpowers with his win in the just-concluded 3rd Korean Prime Minister Cup, held November 8-11 in Goyang City, South Korea. Chien, the Chinese-Taipei representative, won the championship trophy by beating China and Japan, winning on tie-break despite losing to the Korean representative who in turn lost to China. Korea took 2nd, China 3rd, both with a 7-1 record; followed by Hong Kong and Ondrej Silt of Czechia, the highest-placing European. U.S. rep Thomas Hsiang (seated) placed 6th with a record of 6-2, losing by a single point in the first tie-breaker. Hsiang was followed by Australia, France, Singapore, and Macau - the other 6-2 winners.

Published On 11/17/2008

Lee Sedol (left) 9P has won the first game in his best-of-five-game defense of the Korean Kuksu (National Champion) title against challenger Mok Jinseok9P. Lee won this title for the first time last year. Mok won a few titles in the late '90s, but has not taken any lately, although he was number one in Korea in terms of number of games won last year, with 93 wins and 29 losses for a winning rate of 76%. Lee Sedol was in second place, but Mok won 12 more games than Lee. This year Lee is leading on that list, while Mok is tied for third. Lee Sedol currently holds four international titles and two national ones. The next game in the title match is scheduled for November 24th. - Photo by Picasa user BadukNews

Gu Li Hangs On In Mingren

Published On 11/17/2008

Gu Li (right) 9P won Game 3 to hang on in his best-of-five-game defense of the Korean Mingren (J: Meijin). Gu lost the first two games to challenger Piao Wenyao 5P. Games 4 and 5 are scheduled for November 19th and 20th. Gu currently holds five Chinese titles and two international ones (Fujitsu and Chunlan), while Piao, who is just twenty, has only taken one, the CCTV Cup in 2007. - Photo by Picasa user BadukNews

Cho One Game From Regaining Oza Title

Published On 11/17/2008

Cho U (left) 9P has taken the first two games of the best-of-five-game title match with Yamashita Keigo 9P for the Oza title. Yamashita has held this title for the last two years, having taken it from Cho in 2006. Cho had held it for three years before that. He currently holds four titles: Meijin, Gosei, Agon Cup, and NHK Cup. Cho is also challenging for the Tengen title against Kono Rin 9P, and leads 1-0 in that contest. You can watch the third game of the Oza title match live on IGS on November 30th starting at 6P EST. - Photo from the Hungarian Go Association website

Published On 11/10/2008

CHO TAKES THIRD STRAIGHT MEIJIN: Cho U (left) has retained his Meijin title after an exciting seesaw battle with Iyama Yuta that went the full 7-game distance. After losing the first two games in his Meijin title defense against teen Iyama 8P, Cho 9P then won three straight games to take a 3-2 lead but then lost Game 6 in less than 100 moves. Cho won the decisive seventh game on November 5-6 and so will hold that title for the third year in a row and the fifth time overall. Cho is now in the midst of a major run at the top seven Japanese titles. He already holds the Meijin and the Gosei, and he's the challenger for both the Tengen and the Oza (he's won the first game in the Oza title match), and he is in the finals to be the challenger for the Judan. In the Honinbo League, which has just started, he is 1-0. The only one of the top seven he is out of currently is the Kisei, although he came close to winning his section of that League. Iyama is also compiling an impresssive record.

Published On 11/10/2008

Sixteen of the continent's top players, led by Mingjiu Jiang (right) and Jie Li, have been selected to compete for the right to represent North America at the Fujitsu World Go Championship, reports Tournament Coordinator Philip Waldron. The N.A. Fujitsu will be held on the KGS Go Server on November 22-23; the winner of the four-round elimination event will represent North American at the Fujitsu in Japan. Additional notable names in the tournament include professional Huiren Yang, 2009 WAGC representative Eric Lui, past champion and 2008 KPMC representative Thomas Hsiang and 2008 Redmond Cup champion Gan Sheng Shi of Canada. Click here for a full list of players and tournament information.

Joey's Go School Back in Biz

Published On 11/10/2008

AGA 8 dan Joey Hung has re-opened his go school in Fremont, California. Joey's Go School -- which shut down in August 2006 when Hung decided to focus on his MBA and investing - is located at 114 Yucca Court in Fremont and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1:30-5P.

Jennie Shen to Teach in Philly

Published On 11/10/2008

There's still time to sign up for the upcoming Jennie Shen (left) 2P workshop in Philadelphia. The workshop - which includes lectures and game December 12 and runs through the afternoon of December 14.

iPhone Go Apps

Published On 11/10/2008

"There are now 4 iPhone apps relating to go on the App Store," reports Berlin-based Chuck Smith. "Your readers might be interested in a quick summary of them," he says, adding "Full disclosure: I'm the developer of Go Player.

Wheeler's Contributions Recognized

Published On 11/10/2008

Noting that Dennis Wheeler "has served the AGA with distinction in the capacity as online tournament director," the American Go Association's Board of Directors issued a special commendation to Wheeler last week, thanking him "on behalf of the nation's go players." Wheeler is retiring from his post as the AGA's main online tournament director after several years on the job. The Board also issued Wheeler complimentary year's membership in the AGA for his service.

Go Quiz: ChicaGO

Published On 11/10/2008

"Finally, a question even an idiot like me can respond to," was the comment from an anonymous Quiz respondent. Indeed, 23 out of 23 of you knew Chicago was the US Go Congress host city that contains the word has "go" - in consecutive order -- in it, though Peter Schumer pointed out the site was technically Chicago suburb Oak Park.

Published On 11/3/2008

Down 2-3 in his challenge for the Meijin, Iyama Yuta (right) 9P came roaring back after losing three straight to make the score 3-3 and take the match to a final Game 7 showdown. Defeating defending champion Cho U 9P by resignation after less than a hundred moves, the teen will now try to ride the momentum in his quest to be the first teenager ever to hold one of the top three titles in Japan. The final game of the best-of-seven-game match is scheduled for November 4th and 5th (U.S. time), and will be carried live on IGS starting at 7 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday night, enablin

JIE LI WINS N.A. STUDENT OZA: Jie Li swept to victory in this weekend's North American Student Oza online qualifier on KGS, winning all four rounds and the opportunity to represent North America in the upcoming 2009 World Oza in Japan. Yue Zhang (2-2) was the runner-up, losing to Li and Jeffery Fung (1-3) of Canada. And in a nail-biting battle for third place, Kwo-Ping Ho (2-2) forced Xingshuo Liu (1-3) to resign in Sunday's final round.

Published On 11/3/2008

XIE YIMIN TAKES LEAD IN HONINBO DEFENSE: Xie Yimin (left) 3P leads 2-1 in her best-of-five-game defense against challenger Suzuki Ayumi 4P for the Women's Honinbo title. Still a teenager, Xie also holds the Women's Meijin title. She lost her first title, Strongest Woman, to Kato Keiko 6P back in July, though she made it to the finals, losing 2-0. At this point Kato has the best record in the League to determine the challenger for the Meijin. The fourth game in the Women's Honinbo title match is scheduled for November 5th. Gu LiGU LI WINS CHINESE AGON CUP: Gu Li (right) 9P defeated Chang Hao 9P by 5.5 points to win the 10th Agon Cup in China (Ahan Tongshan Cup).

Published On 11/3/2008

EURO TOURNEY UPDATES: Hong Seul-ki 7D won the November 1-2 Groningen tournament in The Netherlands. Rudi Verhagen 5D took second place. The new venue featured several adjacent small bars in the old center of town and '09 Euro Congress co-organiser Réné Goedhart 3D smilingly acknowledged that "It was my idea to test these pubs as a possible venue for unofficial evening lightning tourneys during next year's European Championship.

N.A. OZA REGISTRATION NEARING 200

Published On 12/31/2007

N.A. OZA REGISTRATION NEARING 200: Over 100 have now registered in Baltimore and 79 in Los Angeles for the January 19-20 North American Oza Go Tournament, one of the premiere go tournaments in the North American go calendar. The prize pool for both locations is more than $25,000 and the open section winner in each location will win a prize of $3,000. Click here for details and to register.

Published On 8/10/2005

SEATTLE GO CENTER CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY: "Please make yourself at home," urged Seattle Go Center (SGC) General Manager Frank Fukuda at the Center's 10th Anniversary celebration Wednesday night. A standing- room-only crowd of go players was welcomed by dignitaries including Japanese General Consul Katuo Tanaka and Tadashi Sasaki 8P on behalf of the Nihon Kiin, which owns the Center, along with the sister centers Kaoru Iwamoto founded in New York City, Sao Paolo, London and Amsterdam. "Go is making big footsteps in the world," Tadashi Sasaki told the assembled go enthusiasts, "an d is now played in 68 countries around the world." Nakayama Noriyuki 6P, also appearing on behalf of the Nihon Kiin, remembering how difficult it was to find go players when he first visited the United States 21 years ago sai d that "Places like the Seattle Go Center make it easier to play go now in the United States." The night's festivities included a sumptuous sushi spread, speeches, songs (including a

Published On 8/9/2005

JIE LI & JONG MOON LEE TO VIE FOR 2005 ING: Jie Li and Jong Moon Lee are undefeated after three rounds and lead the 2005 Ing Invitational. The final round is scheduled for Friday afternoon and will be broadcast live on the IGS and KGS. Roun d 3 results from Tuesday night: Jie Li (defeated Joey Hung); Jong Moon Lee (Eric Lui); Thomas Hsiang (Edward Kim); Dewu Zhang (Jung Hoon Lee); Yongfei Ge (Ted Ning); Yuan Zhou (Lianzhou Yu); I-Han Lui (Jin Chen); James Sedwick (Jon Boley).

HSIANG EVENS IT UP IN MASTERS

Published On 8/8/2005

HSIANG EVENS IT UP IN MASTERS: Thomas Hsiang 7d held onto a narrow lead to win Round 2 of the US Masters Tournament by 3 points Monday, defeating Jie Li 9d. The best-of-3 tournament is now tied 1-1, with the third and final game to be played Friday night. The fi nal will be broadcast live on the internet; watch for details. Round 2 will be posted online soon at http://www.usgo.org/congress/2005/

MASTERS ROUND 2 ADJOURNED

Published On 8/7/2005

MASTERS ROUND 2 ADJOURNED: Round 2 of the US Masters Tournament was adjourned Sunday at 6:15P (PST) after 178 moves. The players - Jie Li 9d on Black and Thomas Hsiang 7d on White - will resume the game tomorrow; they must participate in Round 1 of the Ing Invitational tonight, beginning at 7P after a brief din ner break. The Masters Round 2 game thus far is posted on the Congress Updates Page, as is Round 1, with commentary by Jie Li

JIE LI DEFEATS KOREAN PRO IN DEMO GAME

Published On 8/1/2005

JIE LI DEFEATS KOREAN PRO IN DEMO GAME: Jie Li 9d defeated Kim Myung-Wan 7P Thursday afternoon in a fast pro-amateur game. A packed Go Congress audience watched Feng Yun 9P give commentary on the game while many more followed the game on the IGS and KGS. The dramatic game featured a large-scale attack by Jie Li and then two exciting ko fights that resulted in Kim resigning after 179 moves. The game - with commentary by Jie Li -- is attached.

Published On 12/19/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) has announced a logo design contest. “The AGHS has outgrown its current logo and is seeking a new emblem to reflect its mission of spreading Go among the North American youth,” the Society says.

AGA list of presidents posted

Published On 12/20/2023

If you’ve been wondering who the president of the American Go Association was in 1938, wonder no more. The complete list of AGA presidents from 1935 to 2023 has just been posted on the AGA’s website.

12th Virginia Open highlights

Published On 12/18/2023

Players from five states competed in the 12th Virginia Open, hosted by the Annandale Go Club from November 25-26.

Published On 12/18/2023

Kim Jong-sun of Korea has won the 43rd World Amateur Go Championship; U.S. player Alan Huang was 5th.

Published On 12/18/2023

Richard Hunter has made his “Just Enough Japanese, Volume One: Basic Level Practical Japanese for Go Players” free until December 30.

Go Spotting: Every Man A King

Published On 12/18/2023

Go is featured in Walter Mosley’s latest novel.

Published On 12/17/2023

The North American Online League (NAOL) is wrapping up its inaugural year with the conclusion of its sixth 2-month season, gearing up for Season 7, scheduled to kick off in 2024.

Published On 12/17/2023

SmartGo One 1.7 has rolled out a versatile multi-select functionality, enhancing user's experience across My Files, Pro Games, and Problems.

Published On 12/16/2023

Kiseido Publishing Company has issued a cautionary note to the Go community, signaling an imminent price hike on their Go books and Go sets.

Published On 12/15/2023

The newly restarted American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA) has announced that its first event will be a virtual tournament on December 28.

Published On 12/15/2023

The San Francisco Go Club recently concluded its inaugural youth Go class, utilizing the innovative Hei Jia Jia 7P learning platform app.

NAOL Profiles: Alexander Qi

Published On 12/15/2023

Alexander Qi is an American professional go player.

Published On 12/15/2023

Our services supplier, ClubExpress, experienced a system outage this morning and service has been restored. There is also a scheduled maintenance planned for 12/19 from approximately midnight to 5am ET when the usgo.org site will be unavalable.

Published On 12/14/2023

A video previewing the 2024 U.S. Go Congress has just been posted on the AGA’s YouTube channel.

Published On 12/14/2023

Michael Redmond 9P will review another one of the “bonus” AlphaGo vs AlphaGo games Friday night at 7p ET on the AGA’s Twitch channel.

Published On 12/12/2023

Registration is now open for the 22nd World Students Go Oza Championship North American Qualifier, which will take place online on KGS between December 23-24. The winner of the qualifier will become the North American representative for the main tournament in Tokyo, Japan in February 2024.

Published On 12/11/2023

Xie Erhao 9P has emerged as a Go hero for China after notching seven consecutive wins in the 25th Nongshim Cup.

NAOL Profiles: Yilun Yang

Published On 12/11/2023

Born in Shanghai in 1951, Yilun Yang became a professional Go player in 1966.

NAOL Profiles: Chris Sagner

Published On 12/10/2023

Chris Sagner, aka Frozen on KGS, is an AGA 5d and KGS 6d.

Hsi-Wen Chen tops NGC Winter Warmer

Published On 12/9/2023

Twenty four players turned out to the National Go Center on Saturday, December 9 for the annual Winter Warmer Tournament.

Published On 12/9/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) will resume its Weekly Go Problems series in December.

NAOL Profiles: Dwyrin

Published On 12/9/2023

Dwyrin is a Go enthusiast who's been teaching this ancient game since 2004.

NAOL Profiles: Kevin Yang

Published On 12/8/2023

A senior at Chaparral High School in Temecula, California, Kevin Yang has played Go for seven years and is ranked 1P and AGA 7D.

Published On 12/7/2023

The American Go Honor Society’s December Youth League resumes this Sunday, December 10th.

Published On 12/7/2023

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) is seeking nominations for the “INAF Lifetime Achievement Award”.

NAOL Profiles: Ben Mantle

Published On 12/7/2023

Ben Mantle 5D -- aka BenKyo Baduk – is a full-time Go teacher and content creator from Toronto, Canada who’s been playing Go since 2006.

NAOL Profiles: Shawn Ray

Published On 12/6/2023

Shawn Ray has been teaching Go for over 15 years, with “a special focus on teaching kyu players and breaking the game down into a step by step method using the Clossi Approach,” he says.

Published On 12/5/2023

The U.S. team won 5th place with a win over Germany in the final round as the QuZhou International Children Team Tournament concluded this week. China took the top spot at 6-0 followed by Korea with 5-1.

NAOL Profiles: Michael Chen

Published On 12/5/2023

Michael Chen, the AGA’s newest professional Go player, has been playing the game most of his life.

NAOL Profiles: Nick Prince

Published On 12/4/2023

Leago creator Nick Prince has been learning, competing, teaching, and directing tournaments since first learning about Go in 2004.

Published On 12/4/2023

The September AGA board meeting included updates on the 2024 U.S. Go Congress, proposals to revise the new points qualification system for the World Amateur Go Championship, the minimum time settings of the tournament regulations, and building working relationships with popular streamers.

Published On 12/3/2023

BadukClub has launched Go-themed Advent calendar, inviting Go players to “join in playing a multi-stage game of mystery, discovery, and Go this holiday season!”

Published On 12/3/2023

A solid success and driver of new membership, the North American Online League (NAOL) is finishing its 6th 2-month season since starting out in January 2023.

Published On 12/3/2023

"Go Connects the World, Youth Creates the Future" was the theme at the 2023 World Youth Go Forum on December 1 in Quzhou, China.

Published On 12/1/2023

Playing Board Games May Slow Cognitive Decline, Improve QoL: Playing chess or other board games slows cognitive decline and improves quality of life in older patients, results of a new systematic review suggest.

AGA blogs blossom

Published On 11/30/2023

As recently reported, the AGA has recently launched blogs on its website, including some based on past E-Journal content, like The Janice Kim Files and The Empty Board, as well as ongoing columns like 50 Years aGO.

Published On 11/30/2023

The U.S. team has arrived in Quzhou, China for the World Youth Weiqi Tournament, drawing Macau in the first round.

Published On 11/30/2023

More than 70 players gathered over the Thanksgiving weekend for “the biggest and best California State Go Championship,” a fitting end to TD Ted Terpstra’s long career as a tournament organizer in San Diego. “Ted has been an inspiration to us all,” said AGA president Gurujeet Khalsa, “we appreciate his dedication and tireless enthusiasm.”

Upcoming Canadian Go events announced

Published On 11/28/2023

If you live in Canada -- or like to travel there -- the Canadian Go Association recently released details on upcoming events.

Published On 11/26/2023

Drawing dozens of the nation’s top young Go players, this month’s Young Lions Go Competition marked the first major American Go Honor Society (AGHS) event of the 2023-24 school year, with Yihao Man 4D emerging victorious.

Published On 11/26/2023

Calling all Go photogs, we’re looking for your best shots for a brand-new Go Photo of the Week feature we’re planning to launch soon on the AGA’s website.

Michael Chen tops Gotham Fall tourney

Published On 11/22/2023

Michael Chen topped a field of 107 at the Gotham Go Fall Tournament, held November 11th-12th at the NYU Game Center in New York City.

Published On 11/18/2023

The San Diego Go Club is taking advantage of a new AGA chapter benefit by using the AGA-created web page in ClubExpress to advertise the upcoming California State Go Championship.

Published On 11/18/2023

“There's just a few weeks left to register for this year's Pandanet AGA City League,” reports tournament director Steve Colburn.

Published On 11/17/2023

Mi Yuting 9P retained his Mingren title on November 11th, defeating challenger Ke Jie 9P in the third and final game of the match.

EJ team members wanted!

Published On 11/16/2023

Join the volunteer team that puts out the American Go E-Journal — the oldest and most widely-read Go publication — and help keep the world Go community informed.

Published On 11/14/2023

Topping 123 players from over 15 states, Xingke Sun 7D emerged victorious at the Evanston Go Club’s 2023 Chicago Rapid Championship on November 4.

Blogs and Vlogs

Published On 11/14/2023

There is a new feature on the website: Blogs. Several are already online with content from the archives. We are looking for more bloggers or vloggers (entries can contain posted videos). Blogs can be reached from the main menu, or by clicking to follow the featured blog post on the home page.

2024 Congress set for Portland, OR

Published On 11/11/2023

The 40th U.S. Go Congress has been confirmed for July 13-21, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.

Published On 11/11/2023

Over 80 showed up Friday night for Michael Redmond 9P’s livestream commentary on his game against 18-year-old Hino Shota.

Published On 11/9/2023

Michael Redmond 9P will review his game against 18-year-old Hino Shota in a livestream on Friday, November 10 at 7p ET.

Record number of tourneys held, rated

Published On 11/6/2023

In what may be a new record, there were five tournaments held the weekend of October 28-29.

Published On 11/6/2023

Link to the agenda for the upcoming AGA board meeting.

Published On 11/3/2023

A month into registration, there are now more than 20 teams registered and ready to rejoin the leagues.

Published On 11/2/2023

The New York Institute of Go (NYIG) hosted a wonderful two-day event last weekend, on October 28 and 29. Held in their spacious Manhattan location, close to the theater district, Stephanie Yin and her team put on a jam-packed event.

Published On 11/2/2023

Jared Nishikawa 3d topped a field of 28 players last weekend, going undefeated to claim the first-ever Colorado State Championship and earning a promotion to 4d.

Published On 11/2/2023

Read more to hear what players are excited for at the upcoming 2023 Chicago Rapid Tournament on November 4, 2023.

Published On 10/31/2023

Steve Zhang is the new Oregon State Champion as the highest-placing Oregonian at last weekend’s Oregon State Go Tournament.

Published On 10/29/2023

An enthusiastic group of 23 Go aficionados convened in Umstead State Park, Raleigh NC on Saturday, September 30th, for a day of games and camaraderie.

Published On 10/29/2023

A special workshop on weiqi (Go) was part of the 4th Taiwan Arts and Culture Festival, which took place in Mexico City on October 15th.

CA tourneys span from U16 to Over-65

Published On 10/29/2023

San Diego recently hosted three tournaments ranging from Under-16 for both girls and boys, as well as an Over-65 competition.

Young Lions to roar November 12 & 19

Published On 10/29/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is resuming its annual Young Lions tournament and bringing back livestreaming. The tournament will be held on Nov. 12 and 19.

Ken Murakami new Vermont state champ

Published On 10/29/2023

The new Vermont state champion is Kentaro (Ken) Murakami 5k, the only player undefeated in four rounds of play at the Oct. 28 at the Fall Vermont Go Tournament.

Published On 10/26/2023

The 2023 Colorado State Championship will be held this Saturday, October 28th, beginning at 9:00am.

Published On 10/24/2023

The 2023 edition of the National Go Center's Pumpkin Classic had a field of 47 players topped by Jeremy Chiu (7D) 4-0.

The Power Report: July and August 2023

Published On 10/15/2023

Ichiriki wins 78th Honinbo. Iyama defends 48th Gosei. Shibano leads 3-0 in 48th Meijin title match. Ueno Risa wins the right to challenge for Women's Honinbo. Nyu Eiko wins the Senko Cup a second time.

Published On 10/14/2023

The AGA has recently received an invitation to send a team of 3 amateur youth players (between ages 7-18) and 1 team coach to the 2023 Quzhou International Friendly Children Amateur Weiqi Invitational Tournament held by the Chinese Weiqi Association and Quzhou Municipal People's Government between 11/30-12/6 in Quzhou, China. If you are interested in attending this event as a member of the US team, please fill out the Interest Form by 10/21.

Published On 10/10/2023

The European Go Federation (EGF) team brought an invaluable 2-1 win in the last round, avoiding a total sweep. With this final round result, the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship 2023 concluded with a 2-1 victory for the North American Go Federation (NAGF) team.

50 Years aGO - October 1973

Published On 10/8/2023

Rin Kaihō defended the Meijin title; Takemiya Masaki won the Prime Minister's Cup; Chō Chikun was promoted to 7d; British go players compete in a match televised on NHK.

Published On 10/5/2023

The Pandanet AGA City League is looking for participants in its 12th season. “We are looking again for the most competitive cities and players to compete in this long running tournament,” says Tournament Director Steve Colburn. “Join the more than 35 teams looking to be the best around.” Read through the rules on the Pandanet League site to learn of the new qualifications. The new registration link will help walk you through signing up. “We look forward to growing beyond the 150 players from last year!” Colburn adds. If there are any questions contact the TD for more information.

Published On 10/4/2023

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) team clinched a convincing 3-0 victory over the European Go Federation (EGF) in the second round of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, securing their win in the best-of-three event.

The third (and final) round will take place October 7 starting at 12:30 pm US Eastern time. The matchups for this round are:
Board 1: Artem Kachanovskyi 2P vs. Ryan Li 4P
Board 2: Ali Jabarin 2P vs. Eric Lui 2P
Board 3: Stanislaw Frejlak 1P vs. Alexander Qi 1P

Published On 10/2/2023

The 2023 New York Go Summit will take place at the New York Institute of Go in Manhattan, NY on October 28-29 featuring a 4-round tournament, simuls and a workshop by Kim Jiseok 9p, and more!

Published On 10/1/2023

The Evanston Go Club will host the 2023 Chicago Rapid Championship on Saturday, Nov. 4.

US Chess and AGA Share Ideas

Published On 9/26/2023

While visiting Washington DC, Carol Meyer, US Chess Executive Director, and Gurujeet Khalsa, AGA President got together to talk about best practices for their organizations. There was enthusiasm for doing more together with other mind sports organizations in the US, and discussion on topics of mutual interest: AI and cheating, ratings automation, diversity and inclusion, organizational stucture, membership and customer service and more. "It was incredibly helpful to learn from a larger organization with a similar focus how they manage many of the same issues we face," said Khalsa.

Published On 9/25/2023

The Oxford City Go Club hosted EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock — currently walking the 200-mi Thames Path as a fundraiser for the AGF— at a special gathering Friday night at organizer Harry Fearnley’s home, joined by “Sato” Kishigami.

After teaming up to solve some challenging tsumego problems — and a look at Fearnley’s impressive stone and fossil collection — the three engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on Go and AI over Chinese take-away. Fearnley first learned the game when he came to Oxford in the 1960s and Kishigami, who discovered the local clubs when he came to study, learned it as a child in Japan. The Oxford City Go Club was created because the Oxford University Go Society doesn’t meet out of term, and while attendance at both clubs has gone up and down over the years, both Fearnley and Kishigami say they are firmly committed to the feel of actual Go pieces and the human contact of in-person play.

Published On 9/24/2023

The 2nd Go New England Open took place over Labor Day weekend, Saturday Sept 2 through Sunday Sept 3, 2023.
This event was supported by the new AGA "catchment" area initiative, and all 6 New England states are pooling our catchment funds to provide this special 2-day tournament. As with last year, we had representatives from 5 of the 6 states; we're still hunting for active NH Go players!

The Tournament Director (TD) was Trevor Morris

First place went to Michael Chen on the barest of tie breaks.

Published On 9/24/2023

The 2023 Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship made a thrilling debut on September 16, with the North American Go Federation (NAGF) achieving a resounding 3-0 victory over the European Go Federation (EGF) in the opening round. The excitement was palpable as Ryan Li 4P, on the first board, secured a win by resignation against Andrii Kravets 1P. Eric Lui 2P continued the winning streak by defeating Stanislaw Frejlak 1P, and Kevin Yang 1P sealed the triumph by overcoming Pavol Lisy 2P.

Published On 9/22/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) will resume its Weekly Go Problems series starting October 7. The AGHS is proud to offer a consistent source of tsumego problems for Go players in North America.

Register by October 6 using this Registration Form. Email aghsregister@gmail.com with any questions.

AGHS Youth League To Restart In October

Published On 9/22/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is excited to resume its Youth League on October 8th. The goal of the Youth League is to provide students with a competitive yet fun environment to play Go.

All players aged 18 and under, currently residing in North America, are eligible to participate. Games will be held on KGS with three rounds per month, taking place on Sundays at 4 pm ET / 1 pm PT.

AGHS Unveils 2023-24 Officer Team

Published On 9/22/2023

The American Go Honor Society (AGHS) is thrilled to introduce its new officer team for the 2023-2024 year. The AGHS is excited to embark on ambitious projects to promote Go among American youth, like live-streaming tournaments with BadukClub.

Go Spotting: The Creative Act

Published On 9/22/2023

“Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act: A Way Of Being — which came out this year — spends several pages talking about AlphaGo’s match with Lee Sedol,” reports Michael Goerss.

“From page 117 to 121 he discusses how he cried hearing about the game. Speaking about AlphaGo, ‘It didn’t accept the narrative of how to properly play this game. It wasn’t held back by limiting beliefs.’ Rubin uses AlphaGo’s clean slate to discuss beginner’s mind and how so often our beliefs limit us.”

Memories of Go Summer Camp in Michigan

Published On 9/22/2023

Twenty-five youth learned and played Go together with instructor Al Tang at a summer camp hosted by the The American Chinese Association Experience in July 2023.

50 Years aGO - September 1973

Published On 9/17/2023

Kikuchi Yoshirō wins the 19th Amateur Hon'inbo Tournament; Ishida; Rin Kaihō and Ishida Yoshio continue playing the Meijin title match; Iwamoto Kaoru secures a spot in the Meijin League; T Mark Hall wins a British tournament in Reading, England.

Who wants to challenge Tony Yang?

Published On 9/14/2023

Tony Yang 7d is accepting a challenge on KGS in the SDGC room on Tuesday nights at 7 PM Eastern.

Go Spotting: Till the End of The World

Published On 9/14/2023

William Hurt has gone blind and is being healed by the herbs of a Japanese man in Hakone.

Published On 9/14/2023

Top European and North American Go players will battle it out once again beginning this Saturday.

Published On 9/13/2023

“Anyone in the Amherst Massachusetts area on Thursday nights, come play in-person go with the Western Mass Go Club”...

SF Go Club updates

Published On 9/11/2023

San Francisco Go Club’s 2023 Obon Go Tournament; SFGC added to San Francisco's Legacy Business registry.

Published On 9/11/2023

“Pop an’ me used to play Go after he closed,” I said. “He told me that his clientele wouldn’t like a man of my shade playing Chinese checkers at his bar.”

Published On 9/10/2023

Here is a link to the agenda for the upcoming Sunday, 2023-09-17 9:00 pm EDT AGA board meeting

Published On 9/9/2023

The American Go Honor Society application deadline – originally Sept. 10 – has been extended to Saturday, Sept. 16 at 11:59 PM EST.

Published On 9/9/2023

Go Weekly to cease publication; Suntory joins Kisei sponsors; Honinbo title downgraded; Obituary

Published On 9/7/2023

Mexico City’s Library La Ciudadela hosted the Baduk Festival on Saturday, September 2; the Festival was a children's and youth tournament organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico and the Library.

Published On 9/7/2023

For the first time since the pandemic, the Cincy Tri-state Go Tournament held on August 26, 2023. “We thank all the players, sponsors and volunteers for making this tournament a success after it was interrupted in the last several years,” said organizer Frank Luo.

Published On 9/7/2023

Meijin challenger: Iyama or Ichiriki; New Kisei S League; Sumire’s progress; Promotions; Most wins; Most successive wins; Winning streaks

Published On 9/2/2023

Both North American entrants – Jeremy Chiu 7D from the U.S. and Brady Zhang 6D from Canada -- were among the top 10 award winners at the just-concluded Korea Prime Minister’s Cup (KPMC), each with a 5-2 record.

Published On 9/1/2023

Han wins Globis Cup; 6th Go Seigen Cup; Ueno defends Hollyhock Cup; Yoda does well in international tournament for seniors

Published On 8/31/2023

Fujisawa becomes Hollyhock challenger; Ichiriki becomes Gosei challenger; Shibano wins New Ryusei Tournament; Ichiriki takes lead in 78th Honinbo title match; 28th LG Cup

Published On 8/30/2023

This is a new international tournament sponsored by the city of Quzhou in Zhejiang Province, China. The full name is the Quzhou-Lanke Cup World Go Open.

50 Years aGO - August 1973

Published On 8/30/2023

Takagawa's visit to Europe continues in London. Ishida challenges Rin for the Meijin title.

Published On 8/29/2023

“The AGF kids site project is moving forward,” reports American Go Foundation president Terry Benson. “We just had a professional actor record voice overs for the Go lessons.”

Go New England Open gets Crazy

Published On 8/28/2023

In addition to a 2-day tournament, the upcoming Go New England Open – this weekend, Sept 2-3 in Westford, MA – will feature an evening of Crazy Go.

Published On 8/28/2023

A recent science fair in Mexico City featured a cognitive skills study on Go by a 10-year-old.

Published On 8/28/2023

The Ibero American Go Federation has tapped the Dominican Republic as the host country for the 5th Latin American Go Congress, to be held from October 12-16, 2023 in the Caribbean city of Punta Cana.

Published On 8/28/2023

Players from across the Lone Star State turned out August 19 for the 2023 College Station Go Tournament, held in College Station, Texas.

Published On 8/27/2023

Newly-minted U.S. professionals Kevin Yang 1P and Alexander Qi 1P – both became pros in 2022 – have been knocked out of the MLILY Dream Lily Cup World Go Open Tournament, Qi defeated by Ke Jie 9P and Yang by Liu Yuhang 6P.

Published On 8/26/2023

The semifinals of the Daiwa House Cup 61st Judan tournament accurately reflected the balance of power in Japanese go these days: they featured three of the top players of the younger generation and a slightly senior player who is still hanging on at the top.

Go Calendar: Upcoming tournaments

Published On 8/26/2023

Links and details on these upcoming events: Sept 2-3: Go New England Open 2023; Sept. 16: 2023 Atlanta Fall Tournament; Sept 17: 2023 San Diego End-of-Summer Go Tournament

Published On 8/25/2023

On March 6, the Nihon Ki-in announced that the 60th Shusai Prize had been awarded to Ueno Asami, holder of the Women’s Hollyhock Cup.

Published On 8/24/2023

The peak of the Japanese tournament year always comes at the beginning of the year, with the holding of the top-ranked title match, the Kisei best-of-seven. Fittingly, the challenger to Ichiriki Ryo Kisei was the Meijin, Shibano Toramaru, so the top two players were competing for the top place.

Published On 8/24/2023

The New York Institute of Go in Manhattan will be hosting Kim Jiseok 9p for a special weekend event on October 28-29; mark your calendars now!

Published On 8/23/2023

Editor’s note: our apologies for falling behind with Japanese news this year; here’s the first in a series of reports covering January 1 to June 30.

Published On 8/21/2023

The student-led American Go Honor Society has released the 2023-2024 AGHS officer applications.

Published On 8/21/2023

E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock's American Go Foundation fundraiser is nearing the halfway mark -- $630 has been pledged toward the $1,500 goal.

Published On 8/19/2023

Tony Yang 7D has become the second U.S. Go player to place in the top three at the World Youth Go Championship (WYGC) after emerging victorious this week against Taipei representative Ko Pei-Chen 7D in the final match.

Go Calendar: Upcoming tournaments

Published On 8/17/2023

Links and details on these upcoming events: 2023 College Station Summer One-Day Go Tournament (8/19); SF Go Club's Obon Go Tournament (8/26); 6th Annual / 2023 Cincy Tri-state Go Tournament (8/26); Go New England Open 2023 (9/2-3).

Mark your Go calendar: Upcoming events

Published On 8/14/2023

Tournaments in College Station, San Francisco, Cincy Tri-state & New England

NAGF ProQual: Credits

Published On 8/12/2023

The American Go E-Journal’s NAGF ProQual coverage team this year owes a huge debt to the San Francisco Go Club, which hosted the event, the North American Go Federation, which organized it and to Devin Fraze and the crew at BadukClub.

Published On 8/11/2023

It took Michael Chen just 120 moves on Friday to clinch his status as the newest North American professional, sweeping Eric Lee 2-0 in the final of the North American Go Federation Professional Qualifications.

Published On 8/10/2023

Michael Chen 8D extended his winning streak to six on Thursday afternoon, winning the first game in the best-of-three final against Eric Lee 6D. Chen is now just one game away from becoming the next AGA professional Go player.

NAGF 2023 ProQual: Chen vs Lee in final

Published On 8/9/2023

Michael Chen 8D faces Eric Lee 6D in Round 1 of the 2023 NAGF ProQual final on Thursday afternoon.

Published On 8/9/2023

This year’s NAGF pro qualification tournament for the first time included players from all three North American countries.

Published On 8/8/2023

(San Francisco Go Club) Joel Kenny and Eric Lee prevailed over Jeremiah Donley and Emile Garcia Tuesday morning in hard-fought matches to determine who will face Michael Chen and Eric Yoder in the 2023 NAGF ProQual semi-finals on Wednesday. The winners of the Chen/Kenny and Yoder/Lee best-of-three semis will face off Thursday in a best-of-three final.

Published On 8/8/2023

Undefeated after the first four rounds, and with just one more round in the round robin section of the 2023 NAGF ProQual, Michael Chen and Eric Yoder are headed to the first slot in the semi-finals on Tuesday afternoon. Battling it out for the second slot in the A section are Emile Garcia, Eric Lee and Stephen Lin, all 2-2, so those morning matches will be definitive.

NAGF 2023 ProQual: Day 1

Published On 8/7/2023

How this weeklong event (August 6-11) works, early-round results; Their day jobs.

NAGF ProQual Round 1 coverage begins

Published On 8/6/2023

Tune in at 9:30A PST (12:30 ET) on Sunday, August 6 for the first round of the 2023 North American Go Federation’s Pro Qualification tournament. The American Go E-Journal, in partnership with baduk.club, will provide live streaming on the AGA’s homepage.

Published On 8/5/2023

For Zhaonian Chen, it’s “The length of and depth of the game.” Jeremiah Donley says that “Regardless of AI, each player has a unique style and it shows. No one can really escape their inner mind unless they drastically change themselves.” We asked each of the competitors in the NAGF ProQual to tell us their favorite thing about the game of Go, and these were their responses.

Seattle Go Center relocates

Published On 8/5/2023

After more than 20 years in the University District, the Seattle Go Center is looking for a new home.

2023 NAGF ProQual starts this Sunday

Published On 8/3/2023

Eleven of North America’s top go players will gather in San Francisco next week for the North American Go Federation’s 2023 Pro Qualification Tournament. Top-board games at the event, which begins this Sunday, August 6, will stream on the AGA’s homepage.

50 Years aGO - July 1973

Published On 7/30/2023

The 17th European Go Congress is held in Germany; Japanese players make a goodwill visit to China; Iwamoto Kaoru receives a high honor.

Garlocks walking for the AGF

Published On 7/24/2023

American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and his wife Lisa are walking the 200-mile length of the Thames River this September as both a pandemic-delayed celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary and to raise funds for the American Go Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting go in the U.S.

2023 Congress: Last Day Photo Album

Published On 7/21/2023

CLICK HERE to see a collection of nearly 200 photos photographer Kyle Meyer took on July 16, the final day of this year’s U.S. Go Congress...

Published On 7/16/2023

Han Han topped this year's Master tournament, while Tony Yang won the US Open.

Published On 7/14/2023

Five-dan professional Han Han notched his fifth and sixth wins in the Masters tournament Friday at the US Go Congress, defeating Shengda Tan 6d in the morning round and Eric Lui 2P in the evening.

CONGRESS COLLAGE

Published On 7/14/2023

Photos from Thursday and Friday at the 2023 US Go Congress.

Congress medical update

Published On 7/13/2023

The excitement wasn’t just on the go boards Thursday. In addition to the five Congress attendees with Covid who are quarantining, two more wound up in the hospital briefly for assorted ailments, including a soccer field injury.

Published On 7/13/2023

Eric Lui 2P will face 2022 Masters champion Han Han 5P Friday morning in what could well be the decisive match of the tournament: both are 4-0.

LUK/ZHANG 2023 PAIR GO CHAMPIONS

Published On 7/13/2023

Two top Pair Go games, two identical first moves, two different results.

2023 MASTERS PLAYERS

Published On 7/13/2023

Photos of all the 2023 Masters players.

Published On 7/13/2023

If you missed any of our broadcasts from the 2023 US Go Congress, you’ll find them all on our YouTube Channel.

Published On 7/12/2023

COVID ALERT
Several U.S. Go Congress participants have tested positive for covid and are quarantining. Congress organizers urge all participants to exercise caution and to wear masks at the U.S. Open Round 4 on Thursday; masks are available at the registration desk.

Published On 7/11/2023

Latest reports from the 2023 U.S. Go Congress in Kent, Ohio.

Published On 7/10/2023

ANOTHER SPECIAL MATCH: Four pros – Stephanie Yin 1P/Satoshi Yanigisawa 6P vs. Eunkyo Do 1P/Han Han 5P – are planning a special rengo Pair Go match Tuesday at 1:15pm; it’ll be broadcast on the AGA website on YouTube. Ryan Li 4P will provide commentary.

Published On 7/9/2023

THIS JUST IN: Ryan Li vs. Jiseok Kim!
Homegrown U.S. professional Ryan Li 4P will take on Jiseok Kim 9P, one of the strongest players in the world, Monday at 1:15p ET. “They just met yesterday and have already become fast friends,” said Stephanie Yin 1P on today’s livestream; she’ll be providing the live game commentary with EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock; tune in on the AGA’s homepage.

Published On 7/8/2023

The highlight of the 2023 U.S. Go Congress opening ceremonies Saturday night was the awarding of the Edward Lasker Award to professor Thomas Hsiang. The Lasker Award recognizes “someone who has made a large contribution to the AGA and its Go community,” said former president Andy Okun, and “There can be no doubt that Thomas Hsiang has more than earned this award, for his remarkable contribution to our game, at home and around the world.”

Published On 7/8/2023

The American Go E-Journal team will broadcast top-board games – with live pro commentary -- from this year’s U.S. Go Congress live on the AGA website, starting at 9a ET daily, Sunday, July 9 through Saturday, July 15, except for Weds, the traditional day off.

Published On 7/6/2023

The second volume in Michael Redmond 9P and Chris Garlock’s 4-volume series on AlphaGo has just been released. “AlphaGo to Zero: Undefeated, Vol. 2: the Games of AlphaGo Master” includes all of Redmond’s detailed game commentaries on the startling 2017 Master games, plus the video series he and Garlock did, along with new insights enabled by access to AI analysis tools.

U.S. Go Congress Updates: 4 days to go!

Published On 7/4/2023

A round-up of FAQ and useful info for those attending the upcoming U.S. Go Congress, starting this Saturday in Kent, OH. Questions/comments: email us at journal@usgo.org

Published On 7/4/2023

Just in time for the U.S. Go Congress, which begins this coming Saturday, SmartGo has released several useful upgrades to SmartGo One, including more games, better search and the ability to track your favorite players.

Published On 6/29/2023

The 2023 U.S. Go Congress is now just over a week away, starting Saturday, July 8 and running through the following Saturday, July 15, at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. There’s still time to be part of the biggest event on the annual North American Go calendar...

Published On 6/27/2023

Chinese national Go team head coach Yu Bin 9P has won the fourth Shin-An World Baduk Championship.

40 winners at 2023 Burning Board

Published On 6/22/2023

Forty Go fans entered the woods at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina last week, and 40 winners emerged after seven days of camping, lectures, simuls, game reviews, teaching games and, yes, six long tournament games.

50 Years aGO - June 1973

Published On 6/18/2023

Ishida Yoshio defended the Hon'inbo title, Hirata Hironori won the Amateur Top Ten tournament, and Berlin and Prague faced off in a match.

AGA Board candidate update

Published On 6/16/2023

There is a full slate of candidates for the AGA Board...

Published On 6/15/2023

The 2023 CHS Go League organized by the Chaparral High School Go Club in Temecula, CA has concluded its first year. Christopher Persechini took first place in Division A, with Brady Cole in second and Lucas Lu third. Ariel Tian took first in Division B, with Benjamin Biteng second and Mary Tian third.

Published On 6/11/2023

The annual Congress Tune-up tournament at the National Go Center fulfilled its promise of getting players ready to play at next month's US Go Congress in Ohio.

Published On 6/11/2023

The fourth Greater Boston Area Youth Go Tournament, jointly organized by New Legacy Culture Center Go Club and Massachusetts Go Association, concluded successfully on May 29th in Lexington MA.

Published On 6/4/2023

For the twelfth year, there is a new San Diego Go Champion (no player has ever won the title twice): Moxuan Liu, 6.2-dan from La Jolla.

Published On 6/4/2023

“Recently I visited the Lan Su Chinese garden in downtown Portland, Oregon,” reports Pete Schumer. “This go board was on display with the stones scattered willy nilly across it..."

Go Spotting: Astrid

Published On 6/4/2023

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Astrid, a French TV show aired in the US on PBS, there’s a brief view of a floor goban.

AGA Board Election: Final reminder

Published On 6/4/2023

Current candidates are Trevor Morris for the east, Devin Fraze for central and Chris Kirschner, Adam Anaya and Yixian (Michael) Zhou in the west.

Pro photos wanted for AlphaGo book

Published On 6/2/2023

Finishing up the long-awaited Volume 2 of their AlphaGo to Zero series, Michael Redmond 9P and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock are looking for photos of some of the professionals who took on the Master AI in 2017.

First AGA homepage livestream a success

Published On 6/1/2023

The AGA’s first livestream from the new website’s homepage on Wednesday night, featuring commentary by Ryan Li 4P, was a success, reports Gurujeet Khalsa.

Published On 6/1/2023

Eric Lui 2P emerged as the champion of the 2023 Chicago Open, triumphing over 109 players at the tournament held in Evanston, Ill., over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28. Lui finished with a 7-1 record in a highly competitive event where no player in the Masters and Open section remained undefeated.

Kenro Osawa event registration opens

Published On 5/30/2023

Registration for the Santa Monica Go Club’s June 17-18 special event with Japanese professional player Kenro Osawa 4P is now open.

Published On 5/30/2023

A strong field celebrated the return of the Maryland Open, the oldest running AGA tournament, last weekend just outside of Baltimore. The 47th Maryland Open attracted 57 players, 16 of whom were 4 dan and above.

Yixian Zhou enters race for AGA Board

Published On 5/24/2023

Yixian (Michael) Zhou has entered the race for western region board member against Chris Kirschner along with Devin Fraze in the central region. The eastern region is still wide open.

Published On 5/22/2023

Jeremy Chiu was the top winner at the Golden Gate Go Tournament last Saturday, May 20th. The San Francisco Go Club, a bastion of go history – it predates the completion of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge -- and community, served as the venue...

Published On 5/17/2023

The novel Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Knopf, 2023) is about Sam and Sadie, two friends who are creative partners in video game design.

Published On 5/16/2023

The 2023 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament details have been finalized. Scheduled to take place at the San Francisco Go Club from August 6 to 11, “the tournament will feature an exciting competition,” says NAGF Executive Director Hajin Lee.

Published On 5/16/2023

The last of the 4496 official games played in the 2022 tournament year at the Nihon Ki-in were played on December 26. Here's our statistical overview of the year.

Published On 5/15/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

Published On 5/15/2023

This year’s U.S. Go Congress will include two of the top-rated professional go players in the world, with both Kim Jiseok 9P and Lee Donghoon 9P confirmed to be in attendance.

AGA Board nominations update

Published On 5/15/2023

Nominations have come forward for incumbents Devin Fraze in the central division and Chris Kirschner in the west.

Published On 5/15/2023

The Santa Monica Go Club will host Japanese professional player Kenro Osawa 4P at a special go event in Los Angeles June 17-18; the visit is supported by the Japan Foundation.

Burning Board Go Festival returns to NC

Published On 5/15/2023

If a week of go and workshops with professionals sounds good to you, check out the Burning Board Go Festival, set for June 12-18 at Camp Crabtree in Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Published On 5/14/2023

On May 6, Columbus-based go player and streamer Jae Donley was making deliveries with his scooter when a truck driver brake-checked him, causing him to lose control and fall.

“In person go is the best kind of go”

Published On 5/14/2023

“Zoom go is fun of course but there's nothing quite like good old-fashioned in person go,” says Eric Osman.

Zhizun Zhao tops Austin Spring Fling

Published On 5/14/2023

Zhizun Zhao (Troy) 7D topped the Austin Go Club’s Austin Spring Fling Go Tournament held April 22-23.

Published On 5/14/2023

Jaewoo Park won the San Francisco Go Club’s Cherry Blossom Tournament on April 15th.

Han Han #1 at 2023 Gotham Go Tournament

Published On 5/14/2023

Over 100 players turned out April 1 to battle for $2,700 in cash prizes. “Everyone loved the new location at the NYU Game Center,” reports Peter Armenia.

Chicago Open closing in on 100 players

Published On 5/14/2023

With 98 players already registered, attendance at this year’s Chicago Open is almost certain to break 100, with players coming from more than ten states. The Open is scheduled for May 27-28 in Evanston, Illinois.

Published On 5/10/2023

After months of preparations, working with many partners and stakeholders, the Churchill Road Elementary School (CRS) in McLean, Virginia started a school go club and had their first club meeting after school on April 20.

Go Congress passes 300 mark

Published On 5/7/2023

The 2023 U.S. Go Congress has passed the 300 registrant mark, organizers report.

Salt City Tournament returns

Published On 5/7/2023

Twenty-eight players, coming from as far away as Ithaca, Rochester, New York City, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, convened at the Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice on April 15 to compete in the first Salt City Tournament in three years.

50 Years aGO - May 1973

Ishida and Rin begin the Hon'inbo Title Match; Fujisawa and Ishida lead in the Meijin League; players compete in the Japan-China Go Exchange; a Dutch player visiting Japan discusses the development of Go in Europe.

Published On 5/4/2023

N.A. Go Federation professional Alexander Qi 1P will challenge Li Weiqing 9P in the 2023 Quzhou Lanke Cup world championship in Quzhou, China on May 5.

Remembering Dennis Wheeler

Published On 5/4/2023

I got to know Dennis Wheeler, who died of cancer on April 14 (see below for details on his memorial service this Saturday), after I became manager of the Seattle Go Center in 2008.

Upcoming Go Events: Stony Brook

Published On 5/2/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

Published On 5/1/2023

The 2023 U.S. Go Congress Early Bird discount has been extended through May 7th. The $50 discount set to go through April 30th mistakenly cut off early; anyone who registered on Sunday but did not get the discount will have it credited to their account by the Congress team. In addition, the discount is being extended through May 7th “to make sure everyone who wants to take advantage of it gets a chance,” said AGA president Gurujeet Khalsa. “We are looking forward to a great event and seeing many of you in Ohio in July.”

50 Years aGO - April 1973

Published On 4/30/2023

The Pro Best Ten and All Japan Amateur Ladies tournaments conclude in Japan. Other go events take place in the Netherlands, Scotland, and Yugoslavia.

Published On 4/27/2023

Registration for Season 3 (May-June)is now open and an official announcement will be sent soon. Registration is limited to 204 people, so sign up soon, and will be open through May 9. Pairings will be released on May 10, and the first round is scheduled to take place on May 16. The last round is scheduled on June 13. You can reschedule games as late as June 17, but games played after June 13 are not eligible for review.

Published On 4/26/2023

Three American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are in play for the Eastern, Western, and Central regions.

Published On 4/25/2023

The early bird discount for registering for the 2023 US Go Congress -- July 8th – 16 in Kent State, Ohio -- expires on April 30th.

Published On 4/25/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

In Memoriam: Dennis Wheeler

Published On 4/24/2023

Longtime E-Journal game recorder Dennis Wheeler was released from his battle with cancer on Friday, April 14. “Dennis was one of our most stalwart team members,” said EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock. “His devotion to the game as well as his utter unflappability no matter what the crisis was an inspiration to us all and we miss him every day.”

A memorial service for Wheeler will be held on Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m. PST at the Bellevue Church of Christ, 1212 104th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98004.

Published On 4/23/2023

Washington DC is famous for its cherry blossoms, which attract tourists to the nation’s capital every Spring. The National Go Center joins the festivities each year with a tournament at the NGC as well as a booth at the Sakura Matsuri festival in downtown DC.

Published On 4/23/2023

Eighty players turned out for the 7th Zheng Cup Go Tournament, held April 15 - 16
In Irvine, California. “It's great to see players of all ages and skill levels competing and having fun,” said TD Kevin Chao.

Published On 4/23/2023

A detailed video review of the deciding game for the 2023 Texas State Championship has now been released.

Published On 4/18/2023

Nominate your favorite teachers for a free trip to the Go Congress!

Published On 4/18/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

Published On 4/15/2023

Registration is open for the upcoming 12th Annual San Diego Go Championship, reports the San Diego Go Club. The 3-round AGA rated competition is set for Sunday, April 30, at the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park.

Published On 4/12/2023

The 2023 Chicago Open is taking place over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28, in Evanston, Illinois. Players are encouraged to register before the May 6 earlybird deadline to be entered into a raffle to win a prize from the Nihon Ki-in.

Published On 4/11/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

Published On 4/6/2023

People attending the US Go Congress can now sign up for dorm housing on the Congress website.

Published On 4/4/2023

A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.

Published On 4/3/2023

The battles were fierce behind the doors of the scarlet-red rooms at the Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, but passersby could be forgiven if they failed to notice the 30 competitors in the 2023 Midwest Open quietly playing go the weekend of March 25-26.

Published On 4/3/2023

Within easy driving range of the city of Kent, Ohio -- the site of this year’s U.S. Go Congress, July 9-16 on the campus of Kent State University -- are a number of attractions in Cleveland, Canton and Akron...

Zheng Cup resumes in Irvine, CA

Published On 3/28/2023

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Zheng Cup Tournament is back this year, with its biggest prize pool ever. It’s scheduled for April 15-16 in Irvine, California.

Published On 3/27/2023

Shin-An World Baduk Masters is a professional tournament in South Korea for players over 45 years old. The North American Go Federation, along with the San Francisco Go Club, will host a qualification tournament to select one player to represent North America in this tournament. For North America, both professional and amateur players are accepted.

Published On 3/22/2023

Lukasz Lew topped the San Francisco Go Club’s Spring Tournament on March 18th, but the “scrumptious” rice bowls from Waraku were also a big winner, reports club president Matthew Barcus.

2023 U.S. Go Congress Survey 1

Published On 3/22/2023

Thinking about going to the U.S. Go Congress? 3 quick questions...

Published On 3/20/2023

Registration for the 39th annual US Go Congress is now open. The Congress -- set for July 8–16 at Kent State University near Cleveland, Ohio -- is the largest go activity in North America; events include the US Open, professional lectures and game analysis, continuous self-paired games, and all kinds of go-related activities from morning to midnight.

Published On 3/18/2023

The Spring Season of Weekly Go Problems will begin on March 26th. With 5 go problems of varying difficulty every week, AGHS hopes to help go players practice tsumego.

Published On 3/17/2023

Tianyaun “Tian” Zhang emerged as the Central Iowa State Championship champion last Saturday, March 11, 2023, after a three-year hiatus from go. “I play whatever I feel like just works,” Zhang told the E-Journal. “My playing style used to be quite aggressive, but now I play wherever necessary. A more logical way to play.” He described his win as “pretty easy” due to the few high-Dan players. “The tough opponent was in the last round, but I got a head start, and I killed a group of his," Zhang said.

2023 Congress seeks Registrar

Published On 3/14/2023

Organizers of this year’s U.S. Go Congress are searching for a Registrar.

Published On 3/12/2023

The Barrington (IL) Chinese Immersion Council (BCIC) recently granted approval to a proposal to introduce the game of go to Chinese immersion classrooms in Barrington’s District 220 school district. “I hope that this game-based learning program will not only teach students how to play go,” said Xinming “Simon” Guo, the founder of Go and Math Academy in Chicago, who made the proposal, “but also spark their creativity, imagination, and critical thinking skills, as well as enhance their math abilities”

50 Years aGO – March 1973

Published On 3/11/2023

On March 15, Hashimoto Ūtarō 9d defeated Rin Kaihō Meijin in the first game of the Pro Best Ten Final. Rin took the second game on March 22, and the third on March 28. (Game Records: Game One, Game Two, Game Three)

Adachi Tadashi, President of the Nihon Ki’in, passed away on March 29.

New AGA website coming next Monday!

Published On 3/9/2023

Sometime this coming Monday, March 13, the AGA is moving to an all-new website. The link will still be usgo.org but with a whole new look and feel. The current site will still be available through an ‘Archive’ link but all membership registration and logins will be through the new site. AGA members will be receiving an email with instructions on how to log into the new system.

Published On 3/8/2023

The San Francisco Go Club hosted a 3-round tournament on Saturday, February 25th, in memory of longtime club member Guy Moreau. The tournament was held in the SF Go Club’s dojo in San Francisco’s Japantown, with all games being played on new go sets imported from Japan. Lunch was provided by Andersen Bakery.

Published On 3/8/2023

The Glory of go?
“I haven’t watched it yet, but the Korean show The Glory now streaming on Netflix has go as a major element,” reports Peter Armenia. If anyone has more info, please let us know!

AlphaGo’s “Sputnik moment”
Former U.S. Go Congress Director Dave Weimer’s wife Melanie Manion spotted this mention of AlphaGo’s win over humans as a “Sputnik moment” for Chinese leaders in AI thinking in Susan L. Shirk’s Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise. (Oxford University Press, 2022).

Published On 3/8/2023

The Austin Go Club will be holding a Spring Fling Go Tournament on April 22nd/23rd in Austin, TX. The tournament will consist of 5 rounds held over two days. There will be both Open and Handicap sections. Registration is open now at GoClubs.org.

Published On 3/8/2023

On February 19, 2023, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) hosted its online Blitz Tournament. The tournament consisted of five rounds and eight divisions consisting of players of all strengths from 20K to 9D. The division winners included Shang Zhou 7D, Al Tang 2D, Jason Liu 2D, Ryan Huang 1K, David Rohlfing 4K, Phillip Briz 5K, Anna Zhou 7K, Brett Li 8K, Roger Ni 13K, and Royal Ni 18K.

Published On 3/8/2023

“Are you part of a Go school (or a club at school) and would like to play in a team-styled tournament? Well, you’re in luck!” says AGHS President Jenny Li, “AGHS is excited to announce our upcoming tournament: STT (School Team Tournament). This tournament will occur on Saturday, March 25th, and Sunday, March 26th. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 22nd, 11:59 pm PST. We welcome all youth players (19 and under or currently enrolled in K-12).”

Published On 3/7/2023

Sign-up is now open for the second season of the North American Online League (NAOL). NAOL is an online league funded by the North American Go Federation in collaboration with the American, Canadian, and Mexican go associations. It is intended to be a primary driver of an online rating connected to your go association ID.

Published On 3/7/2023

Registration for the 2023 Chicago Open on May 27-28 in Evanston, Illinois, has started, with eight out-of-state players already registered, including five high-dan players. See the Who’s Coming List to view the current registrants. Co-organizers Cheuk To Tsui and Albert Yen expect a high turnout.

“The Chicago tournaments have seen steady growth, and we hope to see this trend continue,” Tsui said. “Our goal is to make the 2023 Chicago Open a mainstay event on the calendar.”

Published On 3/7/2023

The New York Institute of Go’s new Manhattan location celebrated its grand opening the weekend of February 24-26 with over 100 players from around the country. To mark the occasion, Will Lockhart, director of the Surrounding Game documentary, donated a treasured ING board to the center. Players were also treated to some passionate Hikaru No Go karaoke, sung by Edward Zhang in honor of the many years of Japanese support for the community.

Published On 3/7/2023

The Gotham Go Group of New York City has teamed up with the New York University Game Center to host the next Gotham Go Tournament on Saturday, April 1. The tournament will be held in NYU’s Brooklyn location. “A relationship between the Gotham Go Group and the NYU Game Center is a natural fit” says local organizer Peter Armenia, who only recently discovered the center’s existence. Frank Lantz, an expert on games, is one of the center’s founders and is a go player himself; you may have seen him interviewed in The Surrounding Game movie.

Osaka Go Camp

Published On 3/3/2023

Ryo Maeda 6p, who has attended the US Go Congress for the past 19 years, reports that the Kansai Kiin will be organizing the 8th Osaka Go Camp June 25- July 13. “During the camp, we have league games in the mornings and full teaching programs in the afternoons by professional players every day,” says Maeda. The teaching programs will be in English. “On holidays, we will also organize some day trips to places like downtown Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and a two-day trip to Himeji and Kobe, attending an official tournament in Himeji and sightseeing includes Hmeji castle and Kobe. I promise that everyone can improve quite a lot through the Camp and the Congress and will have a lot of fun; We are looking forward to seeing you in Osaka!”

Published On 3/3/2023

“We are back!” says longtime Maryland Open organizer Keith Arnold. The 47th Maryland Open will take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 and May 28 at the same great location in Catonsville. “Details and Registration coming soon!” Arnold promises.

Published On 2/26/2023

Lan claimed the title after winning a tightly contested final round with Sungjun Lee 5D who also entered that round with a 4-0 record. There were a total of 17 players in the Open section ranging from 3D to 6D. The top three finishers all with a record of 4-1 were: Juanshu Lan (1st), Sungjun Lee (2nd) and Jake Game (3rd).

Go Photo: Phil vs Phil

Published On 2/24/2023

EJ photographer Phil Straus sometimes has trouble finding an opponent. Here’s his solution.

Thousands of go books are on the way

Published On 2/21/2023

Thousands of books from the Yutopian donation of 32,000 go books are now on their way to AGA chapters and programs around the country. A team of volunteers led by myself and ex-AGA president Andy Okun sent out 62 shipments last week. With luck the heavy boxes will survive and arrive, a belated Valentine’s Day gift for go lovers.

Published On 2/20/2023

This year’s San Diego Winter Tournament, held on February 5, began with clear skies and brisk 60 degree weather. Roughly 40 tournament attendees arrived from as far away as England to test their strength. Local club president Enrique Garcia tried to keep the atmosphere light with a plethora of breakfast snacks, but the announcement of the first round was followed by tense silence as dark clouds began to brew over the many gobans.

Published On 2/20/2023

The North American Go Federation (NAGF) will hold the 2023 Pro Qualification Tournament at the San Francisco Go Club at 22 Peace Plaza #501, San Francisco, California from August 6 to 11, 2023.

The NAGF will certify one player from this tournament as a new professional player.

Published On 2/19/2023

In a two-day, double-elimination tournament, Samuel Lee 7D defeated Edward Zhang 6D at the Seoul Kiwon Baduk club in Annandale, Virginia to become the 2022 Virginia State Champion.

Published On 2/19/2023

A human player has comprehensively defeated a top-ranked AI system at the board game Go, in a surprise reversal of the 2016 computer victory that was seen as a milestone in the rise of artificial intelligence.

Kellin Pelrine, an American player who is one level below the top amateur ranking, beat the machine by taking advantage of a previously unknown flaw that had been identified by another computer.

The triumph, which has not previously been reported, highlighted a weakness in the best Go computer programs that is shared by most of today’s widely used AI systems, including the ChatGPT chatbot created by San Francisco-based OpenAI.

50 Years aGO – February 1973

Published On 2/19/2023

The main event of February was the veteran Sakata Eio’s defense of the Jūdan title against young challenger Takagi Shōichi 7d. It should be noted, in those pre-Kisei days, the Jūdan was the number three title, behind the Meijin and Hon’inbo (the Jūdan has since fallen to 7th). We see the two players engaged in the first game on February 14-15, which was won by Sakata. The veteran also won the second on the 21st and 22nd. Finally we see a triumphant Sakata after winning three straight on the 28th.

Published On 2/17/2023

February 19th is the last day for early registration to the 1st New York State Championship. The two-day tournament featuring a $1,200 top cash prize will take place on Feb. 25-26, 2023 in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

Reunite with your Go friends in the six-round tournament and in evening events such as pair Go, crazy Go, and 13×13 tournaments. For more information, please visit the tournament page or contact tournaments@ny-go.org.

Published On 2/7/2023

This year’s U.S. Go Congress will take place Saturday July 8 through Sunday July 16 at Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio, near Cleveland. Almost all activities will be in the Kent Student Center. Details will be announced soon on the Congress registration website. “Volunteers are needed!” says Steve Zilber, the Cleveland Go Club president, who’s co-directing this year’s Congress with Jerry Jaffe.

Published On 2/1/2023

“The AGHS is excited to announce its upcoming online Blitz tournament on Sunday, February 19th,” says AGHS President Jenny Li, “All players are welcome and encouraged to participate! The tournament will encompass 5 blitz rounds during a one-day tournament.”

Published On 1/31/2023

Sumire’s progress

(Nov. 17) Sumire (W) beat Nyu Eiko, Senko Cup-holder, by resig. (26th Women’s Kisei, main tournament, round 2).

(Nov. 21) Sumire (B) lost to Sakai Yuki 2-dan by resig. (prelim. round final, Teikei Young Stars).

(Nov. 26) Sumire (W) lost to Koike Yoshihiro (round 1, 17th Young Carp).

(Dec. 1). Sumire (B) beat Mukai Chiaki 6-dan by resig. (main tournament sf, 26th Women’s Kisei).

(Dec. 5). Sumire (W) beat Koyama Ryugo 7-dan by resig. (First Tournament, round 1, 48th Kisei)

(Dec. 8) Sumire (B) beat Fujisawa Rina Women’s Honinbo by resig. (play-off to decide the challenger, 26th Women’s Kisei).

(Dec. 15) Sumire (W) beat Okuda Aya 4-dan (prelim., round 2, 10th Women’s Hollyhock Cup).

(Dec. 22). Sumire (W) beat Nyu Eiko by resig. (34th Women’s Meijin League).

Published On 1/30/2023

The final section of the Teikei Young Stars tournament consists of two six-player leagues. The winners meet in a play-off to decide the title. In a tournament labeled as for “young stars”, it was a little surprising to find holders big-three titles, namely, Shibano Toramaru Meijin in the A League and Ichiriki Ryo Kisei in the B League. All the games were played from December 17 to 22, and, not surprisingly, each won his league 5-0 (each was two wins clear of the field) and will meet in the best-of-three play-off scheduled for March. Actually, Seki Kotaro Tengen also played in the B League, though he did not do very well, scoring 2-3.

Published On 1/29/2023

The second round of the 24th Nongshim Cup was held on the net in late November. Japan did badly, but in the final game of the round, Iyama Yuta, who won four games in a row in the previous cup, once again saved their bacon, picking up the first Japanese win. The 27th Samsung Cup will always be remembered as the first tournament in which a woman player, Choi Jeong 9-dan, reached the final. In the best-of-three title match, however, she lost 0-2 to Shin Jinseo 9-dan, the world’s number one rated player.

Published On 1/28/2023

Registration is now open for the 30th Redmond Cup and 6th AGA Girls Cup, the AGA’s annual premier youth tournaments for North American youth under 18 and females under 16 respectively. Players must have an accredited rank of 1-dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 9-kyu or higher to participate in the AGA Girls Cup.

Published On 1/27/2023

The San Francisco Go Club’s Lunar New Year Go tournament was a vibrant celebration of the Chinese New Year. On a sunny but brisk Saturday, January 21, 37 players gathered to compete in three divisions. The tournament was a lively event that included a roast pig lunch.

Published On 1/24/2023

Ida sets new record in Crown, a regional title, open only to the members of the Central Japan (Nagoya) branch of the Nihon Ki-in. China wins 23rd Agon Kiriyama Play-off. Iyama wins Ryusei title after life-and-death hallucination.

Published On 1/23/2023

The main section (for the best 16) of the 17th Hiroshima Aluminum Cup Young Carp Tournament was held in the Central Japan Newspaper Headquarters Building on November 26 and 27. For the third year in a row it was won by a woman player and for the second year in a row that woman player was Ueno Asami. In the final, Ueno (W) defeated Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan by resignation. (The winner of the 15th Cup was Fujisawa Rina.)

Published On 1/23/2023

Round 2 of Pandanet AGA City League happens this weekend. Watch teams from almost 40 teams and among 150 players from across the US and Canada.

2023 Chicago Open registration opens

Published On 1/23/2023

The tournament will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-28, in Evanston, Illinois. It will consist of eight rounds played over two days, with one-day options available. A departure from previous tournaments in Evanston, the 2023 Chicago Open will switch to McMahon pairing instead of the self-paired format.

Published On 1/23/2023

The American Go Association is converting to new software in February. There will be a new website and added functionality for members and chapters that you will be hearing more about soon. The implementation team is preparing to convert the existing records to the new system and need your help in making sure the records are clean and up to date. Here is what you can do.

Published On 1/22/2023

Could your chapter use some free books? Perhaps to stock or replenish your club’s library and/or to offer as tournament prizes? When Yutopian went out of business, it gave its stock of 32,000 books to the American Go Foundation, which teamed up with the AGA to offer free books to AGA chapters. More than two dozen AGA chapters responded to a direct mailing last Fall and now other chapters, libraries, and school programs can participate, but you must act now.

Published On 1/22/2023

The 48th Tengen title match started off with Black winning both games (see my report of October 24). There was a gap of over three weeks before the next game, which was played at the Hotel Marital Sosei Kurume in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, on November 14. Taking white, Ida Atsushi 9-dan, the challenger, beat Seki Kotaro Tengen by resignation after 202 moves. This gave Ida a 2-1 lead, so Seki’s grip on the title seemed to have been loosened.

50 years aGO – January 1973

Published On 1/22/2023

We begin the New Year with the Uchizomeshiki, a ceremony held at the Nihon Ki’in in Ichigaya on January 5. The event, which Go Review compared to a “purification ceremony,” is an essential kick off for the tournament year. Pictured is a ceremonial game. Your editor recognizes some of the faces of the “old guard” of Japanese go at the time.

Published On 1/18/2023

Registration for the 2023 New York State Championships is open to all players of all levels. The event will be held on February 25 and 26 at the New York Institute of Go in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

The main events include the Open Tournament, New York State Open Championship, and New York Youth Championship with a maximum of 140 seats. Besides the main tournament games, there will also be evening events like Pair Go, Crazy Go, 9X9 and 13X13 Tournaments. The event is located in the center of Hell’s Kitchen with a variety of delicious food.

Published On 1/17/2023

The 10th annual North American Kyu Championships (NAKC) is now open for registration. The tournament will be held online on the KGS Go Server on Saturday, February 18th and consist of four rounds over the course of one day.

Ryan Li promoted to Professional 4 Dan

Published On 1/11/2023

Ryan Li’s recent win at the 2022 North American Professional Go Championship in Toronto not only netted him the $6,000 top prize, but a promotion to Professional 4 dan, after he reached 60 points in the North American Go Federation’s Professional Rank Promotion System.

Published On 1/10/2023

The North American Online League (NAOL) begins play on January 24th. Players will be grouped by skill level in groups of six and play a round-robin of weekly games. All games will be played even with AGA rules, 45 minutes base time and 3×30 byo-yomi.

Published On 1/8/2023

Yilun Yang 7P has been creating original annual problems based on the digits of the New Year for many years now. Yang is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. His original tsume-go problems are a regular feature in the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

Join the AGA now and receive the weekly E-Journal with members-only extras such as game files with professional commentary. Plus: participate in local and national tournaments, the national rating system, and attend the annual US Go Congress –- the largest go event in North America.

Join the AGA now and receive the weekly E-Journal with members-only extras such as game files with professional commentary. Plus: participate in local and national tournaments, the national rating system, and attend the annual US Go Congress –- the largest go event in North America.

Published On 1/8/2023

The Iwamoto North American Foundation for Go (INAF) has released three more online go lectures, all in English. This follows release of two lectures last month.

Published On 1/6/2023

Those looking for evidence that in-person go events can still attract a crowd need look no further than the Toronto Go Spectacular, held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) from December 28 to 30. Organized by the North American Go Federation and sponsored by Deep Mind, the event attracted nearly 200 players and included youth, novice, Open and professional tournaments.

Published On 1/2/2023

The Guang Yu Cup Go Tournament, held at the San Francisco Go Club in Japantown on December 31st, 2022, “was a vibrant and exciting event,” reports SFGC presideny Matthew Barcus. The tournament was sponsored by the family of Guang Yu in honor of his life contributions to the go community. All participants received event T-shirts, and winners of each division were awarded cash prizes and bottles of wine.

Yilun Yang’s 2023 New Year’s Problem

Published On 1/1/2023

Yilun Yang 7P has been creating original annual problems based on the digits of the New Year for many years now. Yang is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. His original tsume-go problems are a regular feature in the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

Published On 12/31/2022

In August of 2021 the Grande Ronde Go Club in Oregon took a trip to the Alvord Desert in Southern Oregon, a vast, dry lake bed, to get away from the hustle and bustle and play some go, reports Ty Bowen.

Published On 12/29/2022

Kevin Yang 1P won the 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament by defeating Alexander Qi 1P in the final round. The 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament was hosted and organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association as part of the 2022 Youth Weiqi Forum.

Published On 12/23/2022

Under the banner of the North American Go Federation (NAGF) a new online league is launching in January. North American Online League (NAOL) playwill be a benefit open to American and Canadian members of the AGA or CGA. The league is built upon the successful models that have been run by the Massachusetts Go Association (MGA) and the CGA. “We are thrilled to offer a new venue for passionate go players of the AGA and CGA to play competitive games without traveling,” says NAGF Executive Director Hajin Lee.

Published On 12/23/2022

Kevin Yang 1P won the 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament by defeating Alexander Qi 1P in the final round. The 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament was hosted and organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association as part of the 2022 Youth Weiqi Forum.

Published On 12/22/2022

Eight students competed last weekend for a chance to travel to Japan in February to represent North America in the 21st World Student Go Championship.

Published On 12/19/2022

Two lectures by Yanagisawa Satoshi 6p, sponsored by the Iwamoto North American Foundation and Nihon Kiin, are now available on Youtube. The first, “Ko Threat for Dan players”, discusses how to make ko threats bigger before using them. The second, on “AI joseki“, discusses a popular AI joseki frequently seen in modern games.

50 years aGO – December 1972

Published On 12/18/2022

The month began with the 4th Bled International Go Masters event in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) on December 1-3. The undefeated winner was a Japanese visitor, a Mr. Takahashi. Second was Mr. Merrissert of France on five wins.

On December 20, challenger Honda Sachiko 4d defeated Kitani Reiko 6d to take a one game lead in the Ladies’ Hon’inbo title.

Sakata Eio continues his domination of the smaller titles with a victory over Hashimoto Utarō in the Ōza title on December 14, winning the 3 game series 2-1.

Ōhira Shūzō 9d defeated Yamabe Toshirō 9d for the right to challenge Sakata in the Nihon Ki’in Championship.

Published On 12/13/2022

Over eighty go players gathered in San Diego on the weekend after Thanksgiving to contest the 5-round 2022 King Cup – California State Go Championship. The Open section had sixteen strong players including an 8-dan, two 7-dans, and eight 6-dans. All games were played at the comfortable San Diego Chess Club (2020 American Chess Club of the Year) in Balboa Park. The state tournament was hosted by the San Diego Go Club for the 5th year.

Published On 12/12/2022

From November 21-29, Yoonyoung Kim 8P, Choi Jeong 9P, Eunji Kim 5P, and Kim Chaeyoung 7P made their ways to the semi-finals round of the 6th Haesung Korean Women’s Kisung. The tournament is a notable women’s championship in Korea featuring top female Korean professional players. Most games have been broadcast live on BadukTV, and the total prize pool sums to 121 million won (US $93,000) with a top prize of 50 million won ($38,000).

Published On 12/12/2022

Fueled by hot chocolate and cookies, 30 players came in from the cold to compete in the National Go Center Winter Warmer last Saturday, December 10. There were three first-place winners all with 3-1 records: Huang Qi (6D), Joel Kenny (5D) and Qingbo Zhang (5D)

Published On 12/8/2022

Eleven-year-old Richard Duan 2D upset two adult 4-Dan players in even games at the November 27th Capital Go Club’s Fall Tournament in Fairfax, Virginia, winning the Youth Championship, a subset of the overall tournament. Three other players achieved two wins: Chebong Cho 4D, Raymond Kim 4D and Sun Lee 14K. Samuel Lee 7D (1W-2L) and James Park 7D from the Korean American Baduk Association (Annandale Va.) have been invited to the 2022 VA State Championship Final, coming up this Sunday, December 11.

Published On 12/5/2022

The 21st World Student Go Championship will be held at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo from February 21 to February 22, 2023. The North American Go Federation is now accepting applications for one player to represent North America in this tournament; full airfare, accommodations and meals will be provided by the tournament organizing team.

Raleigh tourney to benefit Ukraine

Published On 11/30/2022

On December 10th in Raleigh, N.C., local organizer Boris Bernadsky is hosting Go Rebuilds, a tournament to raise funds to benefit Ukraine.

50 Years aGO – November 1972

Published On 11/28/2022

On November 5, Takao Matsuda, once again, secured the title of U.S. Hon’inbo, winning the telephone match by a half a point over Shigeo Matsubara. Matsuda had never lost this tournament since it began in 1968.

Hashimoto Utarō challenged Sakata Eio for the Ōza title. Sakata won the first game on November 16, but Hashimoto evened the score on November 30.

Published On 11/28/2022

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) is seeking to fund one or two university projects for a comprehensive literature survey and review of research linking mind sports to cognitive science. Of particular interest is how mind sports such as go may contribute to the cognitive development of youth and to the cognitive maintenance of senior citizen. The deadline for submitting a proposal is March 31, 2023.

Published On 11/27/2022

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) Board has approved establishing a new “INAF Lifetime Achievement Award” to honor individuals who, over their lifetime, have made significant contributions to the advancement of the culture and sport of go in North America. It is expected that up to one award will be made each year. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 31.

Published On 11/27/2022

“When a nation’s fortunes rise or fall, so too do its fortunes in Go.” That’s from “Why Chinese players of Go aren’t winning any more” in the Nov. 12 issue of The Economist, quoting Marshal Chen Yi, a go-playing soldier in China’s civil war. The column notes that after decades of dominating the go world, “Chinese players have been losing more than they have been winning.”

Published On 11/24/2022

The Quzhou Lanke Cup 4.º Congreso Latinoamericano de Go 2022 (4th Latin American Go Congress) turned out to be a huge success,” reports Stephanie Yin 1P. “The event was held October 7th-11th, 2022 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires.

Published On 11/24/2022

The 7th Ing Cup World Collegiate Invitational will be streamed live this Saturday, November 26 on the USGO Twitch channel with commentary starting around 8am EST. Stephanie Yin 1p is organizing the US team and the event and Devin Fraze will manage the AGA E-journal broadcast.

Published On 11/17/2022

Yoda suspended by the Nihon Ki-in
This is not a matter one wants to get involved in, the reason being that, with the paucity of information available, it’s not possible for an outsider to make any meaningful judgment, but I can give some details. My report on the Masters Cup published on August 23, 2019, gives the bare bones of the dispute. More details are given in my report of February 22, 2020. The Nihon Ki-in board of directors suspended Yoda from play for six months.

Published On 11/16/2022

Honinbo League - ehe 78th Honinbo League got off to a start on October 3 when Yo Seiki beat Fujita Akihiko.
Women’s Meijin League - Kobayashi Izumi, a newcomer to the league, and Nakamura Sumire, the previous challenger, have both made good starts.

Published On 11/13/2022

China wins 1st Hoban Cup - Ueno Asami had just won three games in a row, including a win over the world’s number one woman player, Choi Jeong 9-dan. In game 13, played on October 20, Zhou Hongyu 6-dan (B) beat her by resignation, so China won the 1st Cup with one player, Yu Zhiying, still in reserve. First prize is 100,000,000 won ($71,225 at $1 = 1404 won). Japan came second and Korea third. Ueno received a prize of for winning three games in a row.
Shibano wins Meijin title = The sixth game of the 47th Meijin title match was held at the Atami Sekitei Inn in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on October 24 and 25. Taking black, Iyama Yuta Meijin, who was facing his second successive kadoban, played solidly in the opening. The challenger, Shibano Toramaru 9-dan, played aggressively, making attack after attack. In the middle game, a black group suddenly got cut off.

Published On 10/26/2022

Most wins
The top four players in this list are all women, which is probably a first.

1. Ueno Asami, Women’s Hollyhock: 39-15; Nakamura Sumire 2-dan: 39-18
3. Fujisawa Rina, Women’s Honinbo: 37-14
4. Nyu Eiko, Senko Cup: 36-16
5. Ichiriki Ryo Kisei: 34-20
6. Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan: 32-9
7. Otake Yu 7-dan: 31-9
8. Ida Atsushi 9-dan: 30-14; Suzuki Ayumi 7-dan: 30-19
10. Hirata Tomoya 7-dan: 29-6

Most successive wins
8: Rin Kanketsu 8-dan, Motoki Katsuya 8-dan, Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan
6: Akiyama Jiro 9-dan, Shida Tatsuya 8-dan, Sakai Yuki 3-dan
5: Yamashita Keigo 9-dan, Cho U 9-dan, Kono Rin 9-dan, Kono Takashi 8-dan, Muramatsu Hiroki 6-dan, Konishi Yoshiakira 1-dan

50 Years aGO – October 1972

Published On 10/19/2022

October 4-5 was the sixth and final game of the Meijin title match. Rin Kaihō retained the title, defeating veteran Fujisawa Shūkō. This was his 6th Meijin title overall. (Game record: Meijin Game 6.) Go Review had an interesting take on the generation wars at the time, opining that because Rin and Ishida Yoshio used all of their time, and Shūkō and Sakata Eio did not, the young men were somehow inferior in “the techniques of go.” Somehow, Go Review seemed to blame time controls for the players who used their time defeating the players who did not.

50 Years aGO – September 1972

Published On 9/25/2022

The month began with the 3rd International Tournament taking place in New York on September 2. Unfortunately, we cannot recover any further details on this fun team event.

On September 3-4 the Hawai’i Ki’in celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a visit from the Great Kitani, his wife, his daughter Reiko, as well as Ishida Yoshio, Takemiya Masaki and Haruyama Isamu. More than 40 were in attendance.

Also this month the Argentine Championship was won by a Mr. Hara, over 100 players participated.

50 Years aGO – August 1972

Published On 8/28/2022

August 4th found Iwamoto Kaoru in London on his European tour. He gave a lecture and scored 9-1 in a simultaneous exhibition.

The European Go Congress carried into the first two weeks of August, in Ensechede, Holland. Iwamoto made an appearance there as well, along with 120 participants from all over Europe, including visitors from the U.S. and Mexico. Jürgen Mattern of Germany was undefeated, and secured his fifth Championship. Germany won the team championship, followed by the host nation.

On August 14, James Davies played T. Miyoshi, a mystery author known as the “Literary Hon’inbo,” in a special televised match. Davies opened on tengen and secured a convincing victory.

The Meijin Title, between Rin Kaihō Meijin and Fujisawa Shūkō 9d began on August 16. Go Seigen is pictured in our photo of the match, which was won convincingly by Shūkō.

50 Years aGO – July 1972

Published On 7/26/2022

On July 7-8 the seventh game of the Hon’inbo title match happened between Rin Kaihō Meijin and Ishida Yoshio Hon’inbo. We see a smiling Ishida in close up, and again in the game photo surveying his 2.5 point win. (Game record: Hon’inbo Game 7.)

The NHK television network sponsored an afternoon of go for foreigners at the Nihon Ki’in on July 16. Forty beginners participated in the lessons, led by Stuart Dowsey, ably assisted by Mark Hall. Honorary Hon’inbo Takagawa Shukaku (pictured with Dowsey) welcomed the group to a very successful event.

At the same time, on July 16-17 Fujisawa Shūkō continued his rear guard action against the attack of the younger generation, in the Meijin League. His victory (pictured) over Ishida Hon’inbo gave him the right to challenge Rin Meijin. (Game record: Meijin League Fujisawa vs. Ishida.) For our younger readers, the strange item in the corner of the playing room is a television set.

50 Years aGO – June 1972

Published On 6/26/2022

The month began with a tour group visit by 25 Japanese amateur players to London where an informal match was held at Imperial College on June 1. The group was led by Itō Tomoe, who was then 4d. Itō was a disciple of Kita Fumiko, and by the time of the tour, she had won the Women’s Championship seven times, including five consecutive victories. The British Go Journal reported that the locals won most of their games, but “Mrs. Itō…won all of her games.” The photo attached was taken when the tour group visited Köln, Germany.

50 years aGO – May 1972

Published On 5/26/2022

The Hon’inbo Title, held by Ishida Yoshio, was the big topic of the month. The Hon’inbo League ended in a tie between Rin Meijin and the veteran Sakata Eio, each with scores of 5-2. A playoff was held on May 3 and 4 and Rin was victorious, setting up a rematch of last year’s event. The first two games (on May 8 to 9 and May 17 to 18) resulted in wins for black, the first game to Ishida, the second to Rin. But in the third game, Rin scored a win with white on May 25 to 26 to take the lead in the best of seven contest. (Game records: playoff game, Game 1, Game 2, Game 3.)

50 Years aGO – April 1972

Published On 4/23/2022

On April 12th, Ishida Yoshio nosed ahead of his modest challenger Iwata Tatsuaki 9d in the Pro Best Ten tournament. And, on April 24th, he completed his defense of the title. Although the games were all quite close, Iwata calmly remarked, “After all, the weaker player lost.” (Game records: Game 3, Game 4.)

As of April 15, the Hon’inbo League had but one game to play, and a playoff would be required to challenge Ishida Hon’inbo. Sakata Jūdan and Rin Meijin finished tied with 5-2 records. The Meijin League still had a way to go, but Fujisawa Shūkō led with a 4-0 record. Ōtake Hideo trailed at 3-1 and they had yet to play.

MASTERS KICKS OFF U.S. CONGRESS

Published On 8/4/2005

MASTERS KICKS OFF U.S. CONGRESS: U.S. Masters finalists Jie Li 9d and Thomas Hsiang 7d kick off the 21st annual U.S. Go Congress in Tacoma, Washington this Saturday, August 6 with Round 1 of the 3-round U.S. Masters series. Look for full coverage of this and all the Congress action next week in daily E-Journal reports and on the AGA website at http://www.usgo.org An updated daily schedule for the Go Congress is posted at http://www.go2005.org Sara Hwang won last week's Congress pop quiz, correctly reporting that the dan and kyu ranks with the most players at this year's U.S. Go Congress are 1d and 1k.

U.S. GO CONGRESS STARTS SATURDAY

Published On 8/1/2005

U.S. GO CONGRESS STARTS SATURDAY: The 21st annual U.S. Go Congress kicks off this Saturday, August 1 in Tacoma., WA. The biggest North American go event of the year, the Congress features eight days of non-stop go, from daily tournaments to professional instruction, as well as plenty of casual play. The 466 registrants thus far make this year's Congress the biggest ever, ensuring a strong and large competitive field for tournaments like the U.S. Open, Self-Paired, Day Off, Pair Go and Lightning, as well as the brand-new nightly Midnight Madness Tournament. Congress organizers report that there's still room for more go players; see who's signed up, get more details o n the Congress and register

YODA RETAINS GOSEI

Published On 7/29/2005

YODA RETAINS GOSEI: Yoda Norimoto 9P successfully defended his Gosei title against Yuki Satoshi 9P, completing a three game sweep on Tuesday. Details in Monday's edition.

EUROPEAN GO CONGRESS UNDERWAY: The European Go Congress is off and running in Prague, the Czech Republic. In the main tournament, with 633 participants, Alexandre Dinerchtein 1P of Russia holds a slim lead on the basis of tie breaks over Catalin Taranu 5 P of Romania. Both have three wins. Up-to-date details on Monday.

US INVITED TO JOIN TEAM GO EVENTS

Published On 7/25/2005

US INVITED TO JOIN TEAM GO EVENTS: The AGA has received invitations to participate in international Team Go events in Korea and China, reports AGA President Michael Lash. "These invitations present us with an unprecedented opportunity to demo nstrate the strength of the AGA's strongest amateur players," says Lash. Both events are in late October, one in Korea involving one team of three players, the other in China, for one or two teams of three players each, plus any individual player who wishes to compete on their own. The Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) is holding its 1st International Team Baduk Championship in Seoul, Korea from October 24-28, and have invited teams from 16 countries. Transportation and accommodation expenses will be provided by the KABA, though airfares for the US players are limited to $1,000 per person. The China tournament is organized by the Chinese Go Association and the HongZhou Qi-Yuan from October 25-58 in HongZhou, China and is by invitation only.

Published On 7/22/2005

CHOI WINS FIRST GAME OF CHINA-KOREA TENGEN: Choi Cheolhan 9P of Korea has snapped his recent losing streak by taking the first game against Gu Li 9P of China in the 9th China-Korea playoff between national Tengen title holders. Details in Monday's edition.

LEE CHANGHO TAKES TENTH STRAIGHT WANGWI TITLE: Lee Changho 9P defeated Ok Teukjin 2P to take the 39th Wangwi title by a score of 3-1 and set a new record by winning this title ten years in a row. Details in Monday's edition.

QUIZON TOPS IN NOVA TUNE-UP

Published On 7/17/2005

QUIZON TOPS IN NOVA TUNE-UP: Juan Pablo Quizon 4d nudged out Eric Lui 7d for top honors in Saturday's NOVA Congress Tune-Up. Thirty-eight players participated in the July 16 event in Arlington VA. In addition to Eric Lui, "Many still-early-in-their-career players, both 'young' and 'youth' made an appearance," reports organizer Allan Abramson.
Full winner's report: First place: Juan Pablo Quizon 4d, 3-1; Alan Perrin 1d, 3-1; David Wong 1d, 3-0; Jeffrey Chou 6k, 4-0; Alpha Chen 8k, 3-1; Keiju Takehara 13k, 3-1; Kabe Chin,15k, 3-1; Alexander Lee 16k, 3-1; Jennifer Lin 24k, 4-0. Second place: Eric Lui 7d, 3-1; Adam Bridges 3k, 2-2; Raymond Yeh 6k, 3-1; Todd Heidenreich 8k, 3-1; James Wu 10k, 3-1; Tim Kang 19k, 3-1; Kevin Chin 20k, 3-1; Vi Cao 24k, 3-1

LEE CHANGHO WINS KING OF KINGS

Published On 7/15/2005

LEE CHANGHO WINS KING OF KINGS: Lee Changho 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P on July 11th to take the King of Kings title with a score of 2-0. Details on Monday.

REGAN AND COCKE BRITISH PAIR GO CHAMPS: Natasha Regan and Matthew Cocke took the British Pair Go Championship, defeating last year's winning pair in the first round. Details Monday.

RECOUNTING THE CONGRESS: With U.S. Go Congress registration now over the 450 mark, there's still time for you to practice the counting skills that are so key to go: which country -- other than the United States - has the most Congress registrants? Which state? Send your answers to us at journal@usgo.org The winner - chosen at random from those answering correctly - will receive a copy of the brand-new second volume of Fujisawa Shuko's Dictionary of Basic Tesuji, just out from Slate & Shell.

U.S. INVITED TO CHINA TOURNEY

Published On 7/11/2005

U.S. INVITED TO CHINA TOURNEY: The U .S. has been invited to participate in an international go tournament in China this October. Sponsored by the Chinese Go association & Hongzhou Qi-yuan (Qi-yuan Ki-in), the tournament will feature a team tournament and an individual tournament, both with significant cash prizes. The tournament will run October 25 - 28 in Hong Zhou, China. Stay tuned for further updates.

ING REDMOND FINALS LIVE IN BALTIMORE

Published On 7/8/2005

ING REDMOND FINALS LIVE IN BALTIMORE: Baltimore-area go fans can check out a public exhibition of the Ing Redmond Cup finals this weekend at Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins Club Member Ed Kao 6d will play Joey Hung 8d on the IGS Saturday and Sunday and the Hopkins Go Club has arranged for a game review Sunday by Yupei Xiong 9d and hopes to have high-level players available for a review on Saturday as well. The exhibition will be from 12 noon to 3:30P both days in the Sherwood Room at Levering Hall on the Johns Hopkins University campus.

15 PROS AT US GO CONGRESS

Published On 7/5/2005

15 PROS AT US GO CONGRESS: Fifteen professional go players are now confirmed for the upcoming US Go Congress in Tacoma, Washington, reports organizer Steve Stringfellow. Just added to the roster are Feng Yun 9P, who lives and teaches in New Jersey, Xuefen Lin 1P from California, and Li Ang, a 3P from China who coaches the Beijing Youth Team and who teaches as lyonweiqi on KGS. Pros are a big part of the Congress' emphasis on learning and improvement, providing game commentaries, simultaneous play, lectures and helping train the next generation by participating in the children's program. Congress registration is closing in on the 450 mark;

WALDRON TOPS OTTAWA FRIENDSHIP TOURNEY

Published On 6/30/2005

AGA MEMBERSHIP GROWTH CONTINUES: Membership in the American Go Association was up for seventh straight month in June. Total membership increased 10, to 2089 and overall, membership is up a net 105 from a year ago. While Full members dropped slightly to 1,595, limited members were up 13 to 344. Up one each were Sponsors and Sustainers, and Life Members held steady at 33. Chapter memberships dropped to 121 and youth memberships dropped to 311 from 314.

WALDRON TOPS OTTAWA FRIENDSHIP TOURNEY: Philip Waldron was the top winner in last weekend's Friendship Go Open Tournament in Ottawa, Canada. The Ottawa Chinese Go Club, together with the Taipei Economic and Culture Office (TECO) and the Ottawa Chapter of the Global Alliance for Peace and Democracy hosted the tournament. Full winner's report in Monday's edition.

LEE DEFEATS HSIANG IN MASTERS

Published On 6/27/2005

LEE DEFEATS HSIANG IN MASTERS: In the latest round of the Masters Tournament, Jung Hoon Lee 7d defeated Thomas Hsiang 7d by 1 point last Friday, reports Jon Boley. Lee faces Feng Yun 9P tonight on the Interget Go Server at 8P EST. The Master's final will be played at the U.S. Go Congress in August.

CALVIN SUN TAPPED FOR KOREAN KID'S TOURNEY: Calvin Sun 3d has been chosen to represent the United States at next month's children's tournament in Korea, sponsored by the Korean Baduk Association. The 8-year-old is a recent top qualifier for the World Youth Goe Championship. "Calvin's outstanding results in the 12th Redmond Cup Junior division confirmed that he is playing at his best right now and we are pleased to have him represent the AGA," says AGA President Mike Lash. The annual Korean children's championship is usually limited to domestic Korean players, but this year the KBA extended invitations to seven additional countries, the US, China, Japan, Taipei, Thailand, Russia and the Ne

JACK YANG TOPS FENG YUN YOUTH TOURNEY

Published On 6/24/2005

JACK YANG TOPS FENG YUN YOUTH TOURNEY: Jack Yang 5d took top honors in the 3rd Feng Yun Youth Tournament on June 18. Forty-four players participated in the kids-only event in Piscataway, NJ . "The tournament was marked by great fun, good sportsmanship, excellent support by the parents and delicious pizza," reports Co-Director Rob Muldowney. Full winner's report in Monday's edition.

GO CONGRESS BREAKS 400 MARK: From Arizona to Romania, from Texas to Tokyo, from Georgia to Germany and points across the country and around the globe, go players are making plans to converge on Tacoma, Washington August 6-14 for the annual US. Go Congress. Registrations have now broken the 400 mark (404 as of today) as the June 26 early registration deadline nears. After midnight, June 26th there is a $50 late registration fee and after July 15th there will be a $100 late registration fee.

STRONGEST YOUTH PLAYER SOUGHT

Published On 6/23/2005

STRONGEST YOUTH PLAYER SOUGHT: The American Go Association has just been invited to send a representative to a children's tourney July 27-30 in Seoul, South Korea.
Players must have been born after January 1, 1993 and must be a current member of the AGA. The event is sponsored by the Korean Baduk Association, which must have our nomination immediately, so anyone interested must email AGA President Mike Lash right away at president@usgo.org The deadline for submissions is this Saturday at 12 noon EST. The Korean Baduk Association will cover airfare and accommodation expenses for the player and one chaperone (who does not have to be the child's parent).
The Children's Championship, usually a Korean-only event, has been opened up this year to Japan, China, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States.

LI, YUN & LEE WIN IN MASTERS

Published On 6/20/2005

LI, YUN & LEE WIN IN MASTERS: Jie Li, Feng Yun and Jung Hoon Lee won in the latest rounds of the Masters Tournament on Friday. Jie Li 9d defeated Thomas Hsiang 7d by resignation, Feng Yun 9P defeated Joey Hung 8d by resignation and Jung Hoon Lee 7d defeated Yuan Zhou 7d by 3 points. Previously, Hsiang defeated Yun in Game 1, Hung 8d defeated Zhou in Game 2 and Li defeated Yun in Game 3. All games have been played on the Internet Go Server; the final will be played at the U.S. Go Congress.

WONG TOPS VIRGINIA OPEN: David Wong 1d of Richmond, VA was the top winner at the sixth Virginia Open on June 18th. The only other four-game winner in the record field of 35 players was Vi Cao 27k of Fairfax, VA. The player who traveled the furthest was Hao KeQiang 3d who came all the way from Beijing, China, visiting his daughter in Richmond. Eric Lui 7d cheerfully gave large handicaps to several dan players who enjoyed seeing what makes a 7d different; only Ray Hunley, playing as a 2d with five st

LI, HSIANG AND HUNG LEAD MASTERS

Published On 6/13/2005

LI, HSIANG AND HUNG LEAD MASTERS: Jie Li 9d defeated Feng Yun 9P Monday in Round 3 of the Masters Tournament. Li, who took White, won by resignation. Thomas Hsiang 7d defeated Feng Yun in Game 1 last Thursday by 3 points and Joey Hung 8d defeated Yuan Zhou 7d by resignation in Game 2 yesterday. All games have been played on the Internet Go Server; the final will be played at the U.S. Go Congress. Yilun Yang 7P and Hui RenYang 8d have dropped from the tournament due to circumstances beyond their control. "Both of Feng Yun's games were marred by technical problems," reports Tournament Coordinator Jon Boley, noting that the after the server booted Feng Yun in her game with Hsiang, the moves had to be re-entered twice and Jie Li was unable to log on to IGS for nearly 45 minutes in today's match. We're pleased to include today's exciting game, with limited commentary by Li, as a special bonus for E-Journal readers; members receive game commentaries every week in the Friday Membe r's Edition

DEADLINE LOOMS FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS

Published On 6/10/2005

DEADLINE LOOMS FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS: Nominations for three AGA Director slots close next Tuesday, June 14. In the Eastern Region, Quentin Dombro and Allan Abramson have been nominated, and Gordon Castanza has been nominated in the Western Region, but thus far there are no nominations in the Central Region. Each term runs for two years. Nominations may be made by any full member of the AGA and must be accompanied by a notice that the person nominated has read the AGA by-laws and agrees to stand for election. Nominees must have been a full member of the AGA for one year at the time of taking office (1/1/06). Nominations close on June 14, 2005 and may be sent to Samuel E. Zimmerman, 2005 Election committee: szimmerman@ctipc.com

RECORD TURNOUT EXPECTED AT GO CONGRESS

Published On 6/8/2005

RECORD TURNOUT EXPECTED AT GO CONGRESS: Double last year's sign-up at this point, a whopping 254 people have already signed up for this year's Go Congress; click here to see who's coming: http://barbted.com/gc2005/WhoGoes.cgi?sortby=name Check out the Congress website for more information and register on line at http://www.go2005.org/ REGISTER ON OR BEFORE NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15TH to avoid late registration fees (or call 206-579-8071, but not before 7P PDT, please). For the full preliminary CONGRESS SCHEDULE, go to http://www.go2005.org/calendar.php

NON-PLAYERS WELCOME: All playing levels and all ages are welcome at the Go Congress, as are non-players. "We already have 35 non-players attending," reports Congress Director Steve Stringfellow, "so non-players will have plenty of company to enjoy our gorgeous scenery and fun and interesting tourist venues. August here is awesome!" Tacoma boasts many museums and parks, ranging from Chihuly glass and traditional art to beaches and The

WANG BEST IN CHI

Published On 6/6/2005

WANG BEST IN CHI: Shawn Wang 4d took top honors in the June 4 Summer Tournament in Chicago, IL. "Danny Dowell promoted himself from 2d to 3d, and won half his games," reports organizer Bob Barber. "James Baker promoted himself from 19k to 8k, and still won half his games. Finally, Steffen Kurz entered the tourney at -4.1, and won all four of his games. He expects to do the same sort of thing at the Congress as a 3k." 41 players participated; full winner's report below:
1st Place Dan: WANG, Shawn, 4d; 2nd Place Dan: HSIEH, Lester, 1d; 1st Place Low Kyu: KURZ, Steffen, 4k; 1st Place Mid Kyu: PUCHTEL, Max, 14k; 1st Place High Kyu: PAN, James, 27k; 2nd Place High Kyu: CHEN, Jesse, 25k.

HUANG TOPS COLORADO OPEN: Alan Huang 7d won the Open section in the May 28th Colorado Open, topping forty-four participants. Winner's report:
Open section, 1st. Huang, Alan; 2nd Yeo, Yunjong; 3dan to 5 kyu, 1st Ring, David; 2nd Park, Darrell; 6kyu to 12 kyu, 1st Munhofen, David; 2nd Ruth T

HUANG TOPS IN COLORADO OPEN

Published On 6/3/2005

HUANG TOPS IN COLORADO OPEN: Alan Huang 7d took top honors in the May 28th Colorado Open. Forty four players participated; full report in Monday's edition.

LIU XING DEFEATS GU LI IN CCTV CUP: Gu Li 7P, currently the leading Chinese pro, was defeated by Liu Xing 7P in the 17th Chinese CCTV Cup on Tuesday. It's Liu's first title. Details in Monday's issue.

OK DUNJIN CHALLENGES FOR WANGWI: A relatively unknown Korean pro, Ok Dunjin 2P (also written Ok Teukjin/Teuchin) has won the challenger's spot in the 39th Korean Wangwi tournament. The current title holder is Lee Changho 9P. Details in Monday's issue.

239 SIGN UP FOR GO CONGRESS: With more than two months yet to go, 239 go players have already signed up for this year's Go Congress in Tacoma, WA August 6-14. More details in Monday's edition, plus look for a special Congress Edition soon!

ZHAONIAN CHEN MD OPEN CHAMP

Published On 5/30/2005

Zhaonian Chen 6d swept all five rounds to take the 2005 Maryland Open championship. Eighty players participated in the 32nd annual event, one of the major events on the East Coast tournament calendar. A big turnout of kyu players left organizer Keith Arnold vowing to plan for more top prizes for the up-and-coming players next year.

US IN TOP 10 AT WAGC

Published On 5/27/2005

Thomas Hsiang 7d's seventh-place finish in the just-concluded World Amateur Go Championships (WAGC) in Nagoya, Japan was one of the best-ever for the U.S. China won the 26th WAGC with a perfect score and North Korea took second place.

DOUBLE THE FUN AT YOUTH GO CAMPS

Published On 5/25/2005

Starting young is one of the keys to becoming a strong go player, and every summer since the Youth Go Camp was started by Susan Weir 1998, kids from 8 to 18 from all over the US and abroad, have met for a week to study go in a traditional summer camp setting.

REDMOND DEFEATED IN JUDAN

Published On 5/23/2005

Michael Redmond 9P has been defeated in the first round of the challengers' tournament for the 44th Judan, losing by resignation to Kobayashi Satoru 9P on May 19th. Redmond is not completely out of the running, however, since this tournament has a loser's bracket, giving him another shot. Redmond is joined so far in the loser's bracket by Yoda Norimoto 9P and Ishikura Noboru 9P.

INTERNATIONAL LG CUP DOWN TO FINAL 16

Published On 5/20/2005

The field contesting for the 10th LG Cup was reduced to 16 in the first round on May 16th. The North American representative, Yang Huiren 1P, was defeated by Chen Yaoye 4P of China, and the European representative, Alexandre Dinerchtein 1P, was defeated by Zhou Heyang 9P of China. In the second round on May 18th, all the remaining Japanese players were eliminated, leaving two Koreans and six Chinese for round three, which takes place in November. Details in Monday's issue.

LI WRAPPING UP DC TOUR

Published On 5/13/2005

A veritable Who's Who of local go turned out for Jie Li 9d's lecture Monday night at the NoVa Go Club in Alexandria, VA. Joining club regulars were AGA Pr esident Mike Lash, Board Chair Allan Abramson and "Way of Go" author Troy Anderson, as well as AGA Archivist Craig Hutchinson, who made it out despite being seriously ill recently. Li gave a 2-hour talk on his 6th-round 2005 US Open game, revealing a depth of strategic and tactical thinking that was roundly applauded by the rapt audience.

GOING FOR TENNIS

Published On 5/9/2005

"Professional tennis instruction will offered at the AGA's Go Camp West!" reports organizer Steve Bu rrall. "This year, the usual wide assortment of outdoor activities that complement the go instruction at Go Camp will include professional tennis lessons at no additional charge from Go camp instructor Yoshi Sawada, who is a certified tennis pro." Yoshi is a tennis instructor at the Laguna Racquet Club near Sacramento, California when he's not playing go.

HSIANG TO REPRESENT US AT WAGC

Published On 5/6/2005

The US representative to the 26th World Amateur Go Championship later this month w ill be Thomas Hsiang 7d of Rochester, NY. Hsiang will join top players from 65 countries and territories in competing to become the world's top amateur player. The tournament is sponsored by Japan Airlines and the Nihon Kiin and has grown from just 15 countries in 1979.

JIE LI WINS 4TH COTSEN

Published On 5/2/2005

Despite notching his first loss in twenty tournament games, Jie Li 9d successfully defended his Cotsen Open title against a tough field last weekend in Los Angeles, CA. Jong In Jeong 8d took advantage of Li's slip in Round 4 to bring in a 5-point win, but in the end Li beat four out of the top five players to win the Cotsen for the fourth time, taking home the tournament's $1,000 top prize.

COTSEN PAYS TO PLAY

Published On 4/30/2005

ike so many go players, Eric Cotsen 1k just wanted to play. Unlike many, he was willing to put his money where his board was. "I just wanted to get a bunch of people together to meet and play go," the 45-year-old educational and video-editing entrepreneur told the E-Journal today. So, fifteen years ago Cotsen organized his first tournament in Los Angeles. About 60 players turned up and when Cotsen held the third-annual Open in Las Vegas, 145 turned out to play.

AGA TOPS 2,000 FOR FIRST TIME

Published On 4/29/2005

Marking a major milestone, membership in the American Go Association topped 2,000 for the f irst time ever last month. "This is a tremendous vote of confidence in our national go organization," said AGA President Michael Lash, noting that membership rose in nearly every category, from both Full and Limited members to Youth, Sustainers, Life Members and Chapters.

FINAL BYO-YOMI FOR COTSEN

Published On 4/25/2005

FINAL BYO-YOMI FOR COTSEN: Players who pre-register for this weekend's Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, CA not only save $5 but will have their entire $20 registration fee refunded on Sunday at the end of the tournament. The Cotsen also features free limited AGA memberships, prizes for solving problems and game reviews by Yilun Yang 7P as well as free catered lunches, on-site massages and more. The Cotsen is held at the Best Western Mayfair Hotel, 1256 West 7th Street, Los Angeles; 213-484-9789; http://www.mayfairla.com Cotsen info/registration: casie@thelec.com

GO CAMP WEST ADDS MAEDA 6P

Published On 4/22/2005

GO CAMP WEST ADDS MAEDA 6P: Japanese professional Maeda Ryoo has been added to the West Coast Youth Go Camp teaching staff headed by Mingjiu Jiang 7P, reports organizer Steve Burrall. "Mr. Maeda will focus on teaching the beginners and weaker kyu players while Mr. Jiang continues working with the strong players," says Burrall. "This will be the first time at Go Camp West that beginners have had full professional attention!" If you haven't signed up your future go champion son or daughter yet, go to the Go Camp link at http://www.usgo.org and register now while there's still space!

XIE TOPS HOUSTON TOURNEY

Published On 4/18/2005

XIE TOPS HOUSTON TOURNEY: Rui Xie 6d took first place in last weekend's Houston Spring Go Tournament. "A strong turnout of 35 players from all over Texas competed for a total prize purse of $590," reports Houston Go Club organizer Robert Cordingley. "Players from Austin, Georgetown, San Antonio, Dallas, Denton, Waco and Houston included a good showing of college and grade school students.

TOURNEY SET FOR U.S. PROS

Published On 4/14/2005

Final planning is underway for an annual tournament for American professionals and the strongest non-professional players. The US Masters Tournament will be a round-robin event between 8 players and the first game will be held no earlier than May 14, with the last game scheduled to be held no later than July 30. Games will be played in person where possible, or online. Participation is by invitation, rating and eligibility and this year the eight seats will be filled first by eligible American professionals.

OTO TOPS SF

Published On 4/11/2005

OTO TOPS SF: Robert Oto 5d took top honors in the San Francisco Go Club Spring tournament held April 2-3. Directed by Steve Burrall and Roger Ku, 40 players participated, including 24 children. The full Winner's Report:
Div. 1 (6d-2d): 1st: Robert Oto 5d; 2nd: Gina Shi 5d; 3rd: Michael Kass 4d; Div. 2 (2d-3k): 1st: Lawrence Ku 2d; 2nd: Tony Zhang 1d; 3rd (tie): Jinlong Zhang 2d and Jacky Chong 2d; Div. 3 (4k-12k): 1st: Karoline Burrall 10k; 2nd: Ariana Tsai 6k; 3rd: Joy Zhang 10k; Div. 4 (12k-29k): 1st: Roger Schrag 12k; 2nd: Albert Tao 12k; 3rd: Julie Burrall 16k

GU LI HOLDS ON TO TIANYUAN

Published On 4/7/2005

Zhou Heyang 9P made a generous exchange at the end of the third game of his title match with Gu Li 7P that enabled Gu to hang on to the Tianyuan title for another year. Details Monday.

MINGJIU JIANG TO ATTEND GO CONGRESS

Published On 4/1/2005

MINGJIU JIANG TO ATTEND GO CONGRESS: Mingjiu Jiang, 7P, plans to attend this year's U.S. Go Congress in Tacoma, WA, organizers announced this week. See Mo nday's edition for details

CARY & DEPORTED DUCKS LEAD TEAM LEAGUE

Published On 3/28/2005

The Cary Go Club and the Deported Ducks lead the standings in the inaugural season of the American Go Association Chapter Team League, reports League Director Bill Saltman. Cary, captained by Brad Jones, and the Deported Ducks, captained by Andrew Jackson, are both undefeated thus far with 2-0 records.

ONDREJ SILT WINS IN AUSTRIA

Published On 3/24/2005

ONDREJ SILT WINS IN AUSTRIA: Ondrej Silt 6d of Czechia won the latest event in the Toyota-IGS-Pandanet European Go Tour in Velden , Austria. Details on Monday.

HONINBO LEAGUE WINDING UP: The current Honinbo League to choose the challenger for the title match is nearly complete, with Takao Shinji 8P holding the advantage. Details on Monday.

FROHARDT REMEMBERED AT ALAMO

Published On 3/21/2005

FROHARDT REMEMBERED AT ALAMO: Robert Frohardt 1d topped the March 6 "Remember the Alamo!" tournament in Chicago, reports organizer Bob Barber. Thirty-seven players participated. Winners: 1st Place Dan: Robert Frohardt 1d; 1st Place Low Kyu: Jiri Kataman 1k; 1st Place Mid Kyu: Daniel Smith 12k; 1st Place High Kyu: John Wang 25k; 2nd Place High Kyu: Diana Xu 25k.

HS TOURNEYS EXPAND

Published On 3/18/2005

High School online go competition in North America has now expanded to Canada, reports organizer Christopher Vu. "Through the success of the National K-12 Team Tournament, Canada recently held their inaugural tournament with the same format." To mark the occasion, Clear Lake HS of Houston, TX faced off against Archbishop MacDona ld HS of Canada in a best-of-five board match.

FAN HUI WINS ING MEMORIAL

Published On 3/14/2005

Fan Hui 2P (China) won the 2005 Ing Memorial Tournament in Amsterdam yesterday, narrowly beating out second-place winner Catalin Taranu 5P (Romania) by one point on SODOS (sum of defeated opponent's scores) for the $3,000 top prize; both players were 5-1 in the 3-day tournament, as were 3rd-place winners Alexandre Dinerchtein 1P (Russia) and Guo Juan 5P ( Netherlands).

2005 ING MEMORIAL ROUND 1 RESULTS

Published On 3/11/2005

2005 ING MEMORIAL ROUND 1 RESULTS: Winners after Round 1 of the 2005 Ing Memorial Tournament: Dinerchtein, Alexandre 1P RU (Goddard, Tony 5d UK); Hui, Fan 2P CN (Lazarev, Alexej 6d RU); Juan, Guo 5P NL (Ghioc, Constantin 5d NL); Taranu, Catalin 5P RO(Kuin, Merlijn 5d NL); Bajenaru, Dragos 6d RO (Zhao, Pei 6d DE); Burzo, Cornel 6d RO (Janssen, Frank 6d NL); Dickhut, Franz-Josef 6d DE (Seailles, Jeff 6d FR); Groenen, Geert 6d N L(Bogacki, Dimitrij 6d UA); Kulkov, Andrej 6d RU (Eijkhout, Michiel 6d NL); Nechanicky, Radek 6d CZ (Shikshina, Svetlana 1P RU); Teuber, Benjamin 6d DE (Silt, Ondrej 6d CZ); Rehm, Robert 5d NL (Mero, Csaba 6d HU)

FISCHER TIME TRIED AT NJO

Published On 3/7/2005

Disproving the saying about old dogs and new tricks, the venerable New Jersey Open tried out a different timing system at its 46th annual tournament February 26-27 in Princeton, NJ. Organizers Rick Mott and Paul Matthews decided to run the entire tournament on Fischer time, invented by Bobby Fischer for chess

ZHAONIAN CHEN WINS NJO

Published On 2/28/2005

Zhaonian Chen 7d won the 2005 New Jersey State Championship yesterday, ending Ke Huang's 4-year streak (he won in 2004, tied with I-Han Lui in 2003, won in 2002 and tied with Yuan Zhou and Eric Lui in 2001). Seventy-eight players turned out for the 46th annual New Jersey Open, held in Princeton February 26-27 and organized by the Princeton Go Society. Rick Mott and Paul Matthews directed the event. Longtime player Charles French, making his first appearance at a go event since suffering a stroke three years ago, showed that he's still got game.

BIG TURNOUT EXPECTED AT JERSEY OPEN

Published On 2/24/2005

The New Jersey Open is set for this weekend, February 26 & 27 in Princeton, New Jersey. "Held annually for ove r forty years, the New Jersey Open is a great event for strong players and beginners alike," reports organizer Rick Mott. "Last year, a record 120 players entered, from 30 kyu to some of the strongest amateurs." The Matthews "Accelerated" pairing system ensures even games for top dan players.

AGA SETS GUEST OFFICIALS POLICY

Published On 2/21/2005

The American Go Association has adopted a policy for selecting non-player AGA representatives to attend overseas events as guest officials, reports AGA President Mike Lash. "The policy calls for the President to make an announcement annually inviting nominations," says Lash. "All nomi nations are required to be submitted to the President within 30 calendar days of this announcement. A list of all eligible people will be made available after nominations are submitted. Each year a new invitation will be made and a new list will be created in order to keep the opportunities open for interested members."

YUKI EVENS SCORE IN KISEI

Published On 2/18/2005

YUKI EVENS SCORE IN KISEI: In a powerful victory, Yuki Satoshi 9P, the Kansai Kiin hopeful, forced current Kisei Hane Naoki to resign after only 124 moves to even the score in the 29th Kisei title match at 2-2. Details in next Monday's E-Journal.

J APANESE FUJITSU TEAM SETTLED: The eight players who will represent Japan in the 18th Fujitsu Cup have been settled with victories by Ishida Yoshio 9P, Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P, and Yuki Satoshi 9P. Details in next Monday's issue.

MANNING ALL SMILES IN CHESHIRE: Toby Manning 3d of Leicester won the open section of the Cheshire Tournament in England. Details in next Monday's issue.

2005 COTSEN OPEN SET: This year's Cotsen Open has been set for April 30 & May 1 in Los Angeles, CA. Prizes, pro analyses and more; details in Monday's E-Journal.

2004 YEARBOOK UPDATE: The 2004 American Go Yearbook and CD will be in the mail by the end of next week and members can expect it to begin arriving the first week in March.

ZHAONIAN CHEN WINS WGP ROUND 10

Published On 2/14/2005

Zhaonian Chen took first place in the Western Go Pla yers (WGP) Round 10 ladder play, which wrapped up last night. Organizer Robert O'Malley reports that 104 players participated from across the US, as well as players from Canada and Australia, completing over 170 matches in six weeks.

HSIANG TO REP US AT WAGC

Published On 2/11/2005

HSIANG TO REP US AT WAGC: Thomas Hsiang 7d will represent the American Go Association at the upcoming World Amateur Go Championship in Nagoya City, Japan, in May 2005. Details in Monday's E-Journal.

JIANG WINS N.A. FUJITSU QUALIFIER

Published On 2/7/2005

JIANG WINS N.A. FUJITSU QUALIFIER: Besting a strong field of 12 top players, Jujo Jiang 9P has won the recently-conc luded 2005 North American Fujitsu Qualifier. Played online on IGS for the second year, the top eight finishers are: Jujo Jiang 9P, Thomas Hsiang 7d, Hui Ren Yang 1P, Steven Lee, I-han Lui 7d, Yuan Zhou 7d, Zhaonian Chen 7d and Edward Kao 6d. In the Round 3 game between Hui Ren Yang and Jujo Jiang to determine this year's North American representative to the Fujitsu, there was some unintended drama when, in the middle of the game, Hui Ren Yang was booted from IGS and found that when he logged back on, IGS had prematurely finished the game as a resignation for Jujo Jiang. "Both players agreed to reset the board up and we were able to get the board back to its proper state and the clocks were also restored to a reasonable time," reports Tournament Director Jon Boley.

LAZARUS HOSTS BGC

Published On 2/4/2005

LAZARUS HOSTS BGC: Tonight's meeting of the Brooklyn Go Club will be hosted by David Lazarus at 8P on the Upper West Side: 910 West End Avenue (9D) near 107 St (212-316-6021). "Our friend Jean Michel was in the final of the French Go championship but lost to a very young Ben jamin Papazoglou," reports club organizer Jean-Claude Chetrit. "Apparently Benjamin played a strange move in the avalanche joseki, but Jean did not find the right refutation."

REPORT FROM MANLIUS SCHOOL CLUB

Published On 1/31/2005

"The Manlius Pebble Hill School Go Club has met thirteen times since October, and the club is thriving." reports Richard Moseson, who recently started up a go club at the school his two sons attend in Syracuse, NY. "We have over 20 enthusiastic 'regulars' who attend the club at least two weeks out of three, and several more who show up occasionally, sports and other activities permitting. Ten of the club members now have their own full-sized sets at home, most received as Christmas and Chanukah gifts last month. The students are fairly evenly distributed over several grades, ranging from 3rd grade through 11th, making for an interesting mix of kids.

BROOKLYN GO CLUB GOES WEST

Published On 1/28/2005

Tonight's meeting of the peripatetic Brooklyn Go Club will be hosted by Bar bara Calhoun at her Upper West Side apartment at 39 W 67th St #402 beginning at 8P (212-580-5882). "We will have the pleasure of Mike and Daphne (Ryan)'s company," reports BGC organizer Jean-Claude Chetrit.

LARKIN SWEEPS SLATE & SHELL OPEN

Published On 1/24/2005

William Larkin 14k of Norfolk, VA, was the only player who won all four of his games among the nineteen hardy players who braved the ominous Winter Storm Warning for the Richmond, VA, area to show up for the first Slate & Shell Open tournament on January 22nd. Five players had three wins: Chuck Robbins 3d, Ethan Baldridge 1d, Paul Celmer 2k, John Greiner 8k, and Kurt Haldeman 20k. "The playing area at a local supermarket got high praise, the weather turned out not to be as bad as forecast, and everyone got free Slate & Shell books," reports organizer Bill Cobb.

RUBIN & KIM TIE FOR TOPS IN SEATTLE

Published On 1/21/2005

RUBIN & KIM TIE FOR TOPS IN SEATTLE: Two-dans Barna Rubin and Paul Kim tied for top honors in last weekend's Mid-Winter Tournament in Seattle, WA, reports Jon Boley of the Seattle Go Center, where the annual event drew 36 players. In the Kyu section Daniel Capwell 2k came in first with Frank Brown 11k in second; both Daniel and Frank went undefeated. "Shodan challenger Adam Bloom finally lost a rated game at the Seattle Go Center," notes Boley. "After several unblemished rating tournaments, Adam went 2-2 as a 3k, certainly within striking distance of shodan by this year's Go Congress."

WAI CHEUNG SWEEPS MGA WINTER TOURNEY

Published On 1/17/2005

Wa i Cheung 10k took first place in the Massachusetts Go Association Winter Tou rnament Sunday with a 4-0 sweep. Twenty-eight players turned out for the q uarterly tournament in Boston, directed by MGA VP Zack Grossbart.
&nb sp; Full winner's report: 1st: Wai Cheung, 10 k, 4-0 ; 2nd: Gang Tang 4k, 4-0; 3rd: Siming Liu 3k.

COAST-TO-COAST GO WEEKEND

Published On 1/14/2005

Six go events this weekend span the country from Boston to Kalamazoo to Seattle. KZoo's 2nd Go Tournament is set for tomorrow in Kalamazoo, MI, the 1st Annual Ohayocon Tournament takes place in Columbus, OH and the Seattle Go Center Mid-Winter Tournament occurs in Seat tle, WA. The Massachusetts Go Association=92s Winter Handicap Tournament t akes place on Sunday. Although the January 15-18 Guo Juan Workshop Belcher town, MA is full, there are a couple spots left in the January 15-17 Yilun Y ang Winter Workshop in Evanston, IL.

HUANG TOPS 3RD FENG YUN TOURNEY

Published On 1/10/2005

Kevin Huang won a tense third-round struggle with second place finisher George Zhuo to claim victory in theOpen Section of the 3rd annual Feng Yun Tournament, held on January 8 in Piscataway, NJ. The tournament actually included three events; a 19x19 SwissMcMahon (63 players), a 13x13 event for youth beginners (14 players), and abetween-rounds self-paired tournament, ably directed by Larry Russ and Steve Bretherick with expert WinTD consultation from Chuck Robbins.

Published On 1/7/2005

CHO DEFEATS FENG YUN IN ROUND 1 OF INTERNET TOURNEY: Cho Hunhyun 9P of Korea defeated Feng Yun 9P of the U.S. Monday night, January 3, in the first round of the Nihon Kiin='92s 80th Anniversary Internet World Open Go Championship. Other first-round winners are Kobayashi Koichi 9p of Japan, Gu Li 7p of China and Zhou Jinxing 9p of Taiwan.

CENTRAL NY CLUBS HOLD 1ST TOURNEY

Published On 1/3/2005

The Central New York Go Club and the Manlius Hill School Go Club in Syracuse, New York, joined forces to hold their first annualfall ratings tournament on December 11, 2004. "The self-paired event drew31 participants," reports organizer Anton Ninno. Spectators, parents and curious visitors swelled the crowd to more than 50 over the course of the day. AGA members came from several nearby cities, including Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester, and from as far away as Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia. Competitors ranged in age from grade school students to retirees.

Published On 12/30/2004

Kato Masao, 9P died today at 57, three weeks after an operation for a brain tumor. Known as â€œthe killerâ€ in his early years, thanks to his uncompromising aggressiveness and bloodthirsty appetite for opponentsâ€™ groups, Kato became known in his later, calmer years as the half-point endgamewinner. While continuing to compete in major tournaments, Kato this year was elected director of the Nihon Ki-in, and President of the International Go Federation.

2005 US FUJITSU SET FOR JANUARY

Published On 12/27/2004

2005 US FUJITSU SET FOR JANUARY: Plans for the 2005 U.S. Fujitsu are beginning to firm up, reports organizer Joe Carl.The invitation-only event for top players will be held online on either IGSor KGS on January 22, 23, 29, 30 at 1P EST. =93Participants are still to be determined,=94 says Carl, who says more details will be coming soon. =93A Youth Tournament will be held online as well,=94 says Carl, who adds that a tournament open to all =93will be held in Columbus in January with cash prizes to all divisions, and $500 to the top player.=94 Stay tuned for more details.

REVIEWS MOVE TO FRIDAY EDITION

Published On 12/23/2004

REVIEWS MOVE TO FRIDAY EDITION: We hope you enjoy today=92s special holiday edition of the American Go E-Journal, which features reviews of several go books, as well as a new Empty Board column by Bill Cobb

JIE LI ON NIHON KIIN HOME PAGE

Published On 12/6/2004

JIE LI ON NIHON KIIN HOME PAGE: In recognition of his impressive victory by resignation overa strong Japanese woman pro, Suzuki Ayumi 6p, in the 5th Tokyo Seimitsu Cuplast week, the Nihon Kiin has posted a link to a picture of the USâ€˜s Jie Li and of the woman pro on its home page, see: http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/event/fsaikyo05/index-e.htm . We donâ€˜t recall another case of anAGA member getting his or her picture on such a prestigious site in the go world.

POP FIZZLES AGAINST LI

Published On 11/8/2004

POP FIZZLES AGAINST LI: Jie Li 9d defeated Cristian Pop 7d over the weekend in the US-European playoff for the upcoming Seimitsu Tournament being held by the Nihon Kiin in Japan. Pop, a Romanian and former insei in Japan, is a top European amateur whoâ€˜s often finished second in major European tournaments, bested only by European pros.

JIE LI TO CONTEST FOR SEIMITSU

Published On 10/25/2004

JIE LI TO CONTEST FOR SEIMITSU: Jie Li, US Open winner, has been chosen to represent the US next month in an online match against a top European amateur, Cristian Pop 7d of Romania, the winner of which will compete in the SeimitsuTournament in Japan. The event is being organized by the Nihon Kiin.

Published On 10/18/2004

FENG YUN TAPPED FOR NIHON KI-IN ONLINE TOURNEY: Eight top players, including Feng Yun of the U.S., have been tapped for the Nihon Ki-in=92s 80th Anniversary Internet World Open Go Championship, a fast online 3-round knockout tourney. Slated to compete for more than $40,000 in prizes are Hane Naoki 9P (Japan), Kobayashi Koichi 9P (Japan), Gu Li 7P (China), Lee Chang Ho 9P (Korea), Chou Chun Hsun 9P (Chinese Taipei), Feng Yun 9P (North America), Fernando Aguilar (South America), Alexandr Dinerchtein 1P (Europe).

GU TOPS HOBOKEN TOURNEY

Published On 10/11/2004

GU TOPS HOBOKEN TOURNEY: Jason Gu took top honors in the Hoboken Fall Handicap Tournament in Hoboken, NJ. Fifty players turned out for the October 3 event organized by Larry Russ and directed by Steve Bretherick and Chuck Robbins. â€œApproximately half of the players were youth, many of them students of the Feng Yun Go School, reports Steve Bretherick.

WU WINS 4TH SHOENFIELDMEMORIAL MARATHON

Published On 10/4/2004

WU WINS 4TH SHOENFIELDMEMORIAL MARATHON: Changlong Wu 6d edged Sheng Feng 5d by 3 points in the final round to capture the $250 first prize in the Fourth Shoenfield MemorialGo Marathon September 25 in Durham, North Carolina. Thirty eight players participated in the Triangle Go Groupâ€˜s unique 5-round tournament distinguished by non-stop play and on-site cuisine, reports Charles Alden. =93The tournament was hosted by the Thai Tana Restaurant in Research Triangle Park, who also provided a delicious buffet luncheon at midday,=94 says Alden. =93Generous prizes were awarded in all six sections, thanks to a grant from theIng Foundation.=94

7TH ING YOUTH GOE TOURNAMENT

Published On 9/27/2004

7TH ING YOUTH GOE TOURNAMENT: The 7th ING's Cup Youth Goe Tournament for players under 18 isset for Sunday, October 3 at the Chinese Culture Center in Sunnyvale, CA.The top four winners from each section will be awarded with trophies and prizes and every player who completes all five games but does not place in thetop four from their section will receive a consolation prize.

JIE LI WINS COTSEN

Published On 9/20/2004

JIE LI WINS COTSEN: Jie Li 9d won the 2004 Cotsen Open in Los Angeles, California last weekend, topping a large field of 98 players, including 51 dan players and 47 kyu players. Sponsored by Eric Cotsen, this event is also renowned for the lavish trimmings, including refundable registrationfees, a catered lunch, masseuses, large cash prizes, impressive trophies and more. In the Club Completion, the Chinese Go Club finished 1st for the third straight year, with 216 points, easily besting 2nd-place Santa Monica=92s 178 points.

COLORADO GO HEATS UP

Published On 9/13/2004

COLORADO GO HEATS UP: Colorado is turning into a hotbed of go activity, reports local organizer Paul Barchilon. =93Local stars include 15 year old 7-dan Zipei Feng, who was trained professionally and has moved here from China. Janice Kim 3P has recently moved here as well, and we have no less than three 7-dans, headed up by Jung Hoon Lee.=94

GO KEY TO COMPLEX PHYSICS PROBLEMS?

Published On 8/30/2004

GO KEY TO COMPLEX PHYSICS PROBLEMS? Playing the ancient Chinese game of go is among the tasks that awaits a powerful new cluster of Macintosh G5 computers set up at UCSC to tackle complex problems in physics and computer science reported the University of California Santa Cruz Currents Online recently. The computers were provided by the Hierarchical Systems Research Foundation (HSRF), established by go player and UCSC alumni David Doshay and his wife Aviva Garrett, and will be used for collaborative research on problems like magnetic phase transitions and protein folding. "The idea was that the go project would serve asa warm-up exercise for the physics project, because it has similar needs for parallel processing. The go project is taking on a life of its own, though, which is kind of fun,"

US REPS LOSE IN TOYOTA-DENSO

Published On 8/23/2004

US REPS LOSE IN TOYOTA-DENSO: Both North American representatives lost in the first round of the 2nd Toyota Denso Cup in Tokyo, Feng Yun 9p falling by resignation to Chang Hao 9p of China and Mingjiu Jiang 7p losing by resignation to Yoda Norimoto 9p of Japan. All the other participants not from China, Japan, or Korea also lost in the first round: the three European representatives, Andrey Kulcof 6d, Frank Jansen 6d, and Alexandre Dinerchtein 6d were defeated by Kong Jie 7p of China, So Yohkoku 7p of Japan, and Sakai Hideyuki 6p of Japan, all by resignation. Fernand Aguilar 6dof Argentina, the South American representative, lost by resignation to Wang Lei 8p of China. The sixteen remaining players include six from China, five from Japan, and five from Korea. Lee Changho 9p, who won this title last year, is still in the running this time after defeating Yang Jinhua 6p ofSingapore by 2.5 points.

Published On 8/16/2004

CONGRESSES (ALMOST) AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE: New Congress Liaison Bob Barber reports that verbal agreements are in place for the next five Congresses: 2005 Tacoma, 2006 North Carolina, 2007 Columbus, OH, 2008 Lancaster, PA, 2009 Washington DC. 93While I am very pleased with this accomplishment, I see that after Tacoma, we never get further West than Detroit,94 notes Barber. 93Thereâ€˜s lots of states and lots of go players out there: please consider hosting a Congress in the future.94 Contact Barber at komoku@earthlink.net

JIE LI THREE-PEATS AS U.S. OPEN CHAMP

Published On 8/9/2004

JIE LI THREE-PEATS AS U.S. OPEN CHAMP: Jie Li 7d swept all six games last week to win the 2004 U.S. Open for the third consecutive year; he92s now held the title four times, first winning in 1999. Added to his Ing Cup win last week, Li now holds two of the top titles in American go, duplicating the feat he achieved in 2001.

FENG YUN WINS 2004 ING PRO TOURNEY

Published On 8/5/2004

FENG YUN WINS 2004 ING PRO TOURNEY Feng Yun 9p swept all three games this week to take first place in the 2004 ING American Pro Tournament. Yun defeated Mingjiu Jiang 7p, Yilun Yang 7p and Huiren Yang 1p to win the $3,000 top prize. Yilun Yang took second place and $1,500 and Mingjiu Jiang92s third place netted him $1,000 while in fourth place, Huiren Yang won $500. Jeff Shaevel directed the finals, Jon Boley directed the preliminary rounds, and Sal Gionfriddo and Ian McCown were the game recorders for the finals.

JIE LI WINS 2004 ING CUP

Published On 8/4/2004

JIE LI WINS 2004 ING CUP: In late-breaking news, Jie Li has won the 2004 North American Amateur Ing Cup, defeating Yongfei Ge in the Wednesday night final round. Look for full final round results tomorrow, as well as game commentary on the Li-Ge game.
In Tuesday night92s 3rd round, Jie Li defeated Jong Moon Lee, Yongfei Ge beat Jung Hoon Lee, Curtis Tang won over Yuan Zhou, Lianzhou Yu defeated Jon Boley, Joey Hung beat Edward Kim, Thomas Hsiang won over Xenos Khan, I-Han Lui defeated his son, Eric Lui, and Richard Liang beat Jin Chen.

LI, WANG & TANG CONTEND IN U.S. OPEN

Published On 8/3/2004

LI, WANG & TANG CONTEND IN U.S. OPEN: Although current U.S. Open champion Jie Li scored a third straight win (defeating Joey Hung) this morning in his quest to retain his title, hot on his trail are Lu (Jeffrey) Wang (d. Xuefen Lin) and young Curtis Tang (d. Yongfei Ge), who are also undefeated after three rounds. In other top board results, Jung Hoon Lee triumphed in the battle of the Lees, beating Jong Moon Lee, Edward Kim defeated Ron Snyder, Yuan Zhou won over Lianzhou u, Mozheng Guan defeated I-Han Lui, Zhaonian Chen beat Rui Wang, Minshan Shou won over Eric Lui and Thomas Hsiang won against Jin Chen. Round four of the 6-round Open takes place Thursday, after the traditional mid-week Day Off for local excursions.

ING CUP UP FOR GRABS?

Published On 8/2/2004

ING CUP UP FOR GRABS? Reigning Ing champion Joey Hung lost his first-round game to Lianzhou Yu by just three points last night. Sixteen top amateurs are battling it out for top honors in the 14th North American Amateur Ing Cup, a 4-round event sponsored by the Ing Chang-Ki Wei-ch92i Educational Foundation.

20TH U.S. GO CONGRESS GETS UNDERWAY

Published On 8/1/2004

20TH U.S. GO CONGRESS GETS UNDERWAY: Coming from near and far, a record 428 attendees have packed into the RIT Conference Center in Rochester, New York for the 20th annual U.S. Go Congress. Fifteen professionals from Japan, Korea, China, the Netherlands and the U.S., as well as eighty-some youngsters are among the large and enthusiastic go crowd gathered for a week of playing, lectures, lessons and more, well-organized by Congress Director Greg Lefler, Assistant Director Lee Frankel-Goldwater and a bevy of helpful red-shirted staffers

CONGRESS DIRECTOR WINS CONGRESS TUNE-U

Published On 7/19/2004

CONGRESS DIRECTOR WINS CONGRESS TUNE-UP: U.S. Go Congress Director Greg Lefler 2d took top honors in last weekend92s NoVa Congress Tune-Up on June 17 in Arlington, VA, shrugging off the pressures of preparing for the more than 400 attendees at the upcoming Congress. Mike Lash ran the event for organizer Alan Abramson and Chuck Robbins directed; there were 28 players in six sections.

ZHANG WINS AUSTIN TOURNEY

Published On 7/12/2004

ZHANG WINS AUSTIN TOURNEY: Charlie (Lihua) Zhang took top honors in last weekend92s Austin Go Tournament in Austin, Texas, reports organizer Michael Heinich. Twenty-five players participated, including five new players; Heinich ran the July 10 tourney with help from Jeff Shaevel and Jim Conyngham.

SUCCESS AT ORIGINS

Published On 7/5/2004

GO=92S SUCCESS AT ORIGINS: =93Five thousand people stopped to look=94 at the American Go Association=92s booth at the recent Origins board gaming convention June 24-27 in Columbus, Ohio, reports Joe Carl. =93Our booth was right next to chess, cribbage and Bridge and our booth had a crowd all weekend long while theirs were mostly empty

SPECIAL GO REVIEW EDITION

Published On 7/2/2004

SPECIAL GO REVIEW EDITION: Weâ€˜re very pleased to offer a Special Go Review Edition this week. We hope these reviews will help you take go along with you on your travels as we head into the Fourth of July weekend and the summer vacation season. In addition to several traveling sets, weâ€˜ve included books our reviewers feel are especially well-suited to being on the road (or in the air), and our final review
will be handy if you need to teach new players. Safe travels, on and off the board!

ORIGINS BRINGS GO TO 10,000

Published On 6/21/2004

ORIGINS BRINGS GO TO 10,000: Over 10,000 attendees are expected at this week92s games convention, Origins, the game industryâ€˜s North American showcase. Go will be well-represented with teaching seminars, an official vendor booth and two tournaments, including a 4-round tournament and a beginner92s tournament Saturday. The convention runs Thursday through Sunday in Columbus, Ohio and features a wide array of gaming events, tournaments, artists, and rare and new gaming paraphernalia for sale.

THE WAY TO GO

Published On 6/14/2004

THE WAY TO GO: Get up, eat, play go, sleep. Repeat for eight straight days, July 31-August 2 in Rochester, NY. For more details about the full schedule of this yearâ€˜s U.S. Go Congress -- including lectures and simuls with professional go players, a screening of â€œThe Go Masters,â€ the Lightning Tournament and much more -- you can check it out now at http://www.gocong ress.org/schedule.html PLUS: save $50 and register by tomorrow, avoiding the $50 late fee after June 15.

Published On 6/7/2004

KYUNG-SIK KIM WINS HOUSTON SPRING TOURNEY: Kyung-sik 6d was undefeated in the Open section, winning the May 22 Houston Go Club92s Spring Tournament in Houston, Texas. Thirty-one players participated, including four students (three of whom were 9 years old or younger) from St. Catherineâ€˜s Montessori, which hosted the event. 93All the youth players were very excited about participating in a real tournament and couldn92t wait to play in our next one,94 reports Houston Go Club President John Eckelkamp. 93We look forward to their return

A RECORD CONGRESS?

Published On 5/31/2004

A RECORD CONGRESS? With two months to go, over 100 players have already registered for this year92s U.S. Go Congress July 31 - August 8 in Rochester, NY, reports organizer Greg Leffler. Registrants range in strength from 7d to 35 k; 46 dan-level players have signed up, along with 57 kyu-level players

WALDRON WINS IN ROCHESTER

Published On 5/24/2004

WALDRON WINS IN ROCHESTER: Phil Waldron 6d came down from the wilds of Canada to win the Empty Sky Spring Tournament May 8 & 9 in Rochester, NY. Complete winnerâ€˜s results:
Section A: 1st: Phil Waldron; 2nd: Yong Han; Section B: 1st: Peter Straus; 2nd: Gregory Rosenblatt; Section C: 1st: Chris Wells; 2nd: Julie Zobel; Section D: 1st: Ben Bassett; 2nd: Mike Lamenzo

BENTHEM BEST IN GRAND RAPIDS

Published On 5/17/2004

BENTHEM BEST IN GRAND RAPIDS: Jim Benthem 2d won the May 15 tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Twenty-one players attended from all over the state participated, reports organizer David Hast. â€œWe hope to begin to host such tournaments on a regular basis, and to draw from an even wider geographic area as the word gets out,â€ says Hast.

GO FEATURED IN BIG GAME CONVENTION

Published On 5/10/2004

GO FEATURED IN BIG GAME CONVENTION: Go will be among the games featured at â€œOrigins,â€ the game industryâ€˜s North American showcase, scheduled for June 24-28 in Columbus, Ohio. The convention is expected to attract over 10,000 participants to â€œan array of gaming events, tournaments, artists, as well as rare and new things to buy,â€ reports local go organizer Joe Carl. The AGA is in the process of organizing a tournament and teaching events at the convention, Carl says. â€œThe AGA will have an official booth in the vendors room, seminar rooms and tournament rooms.

YU TOPS IN TORONTO

Published On 4/26/2004

YU TOPS IN TORONTO: Zhiqi Yu, 7d won the Toronto Open, held April 17-18. His perfect 6-0 result earned him the top honors and the $350 first-place prize. â€œAdvertising in the E-Journal resulted in 15 players from the USA making the trip to Toronto which greatly improved the competition,â€ reports organizer Frank Monks. Fifty-six players participated, including 32 at the dan level.

XIONG PERFECT IN GROESCH MEMORIAL

Published On 4/19/2004

XIONG PERFECT IN GROESCH MEMORIAL: Yupei Xiong, an AGA 8d and 1d pro in China took top honors in last weekend's John Groesch Memorial tournament in College Park, MD, posting a perfect 5-0 record. Twenty-nine players (including 12 dan players, 4 of whom were 4d or better) turned out for the annual Spring tournament April 17-18 at the University of Maryland Go Club, organized by Steve Mount and directed by Chuck Robbins.

Published On 4/12/2004

PACIFIC GO, UPDATED: The latest issue of the Pacific GO Monthly by Bob O'Malley is available at http://home.comca st.net/~rtomalley/Pacific.GO.Monthly/ This issue has lots of new material, including commented games, reports on recent West coast tournaments, a section on Go Haiku and lots more.

KYU PLAYERS SHUT DOWN SEATTLE HOTEL: The Seattle Times reported February 2 that the University Plaza Hotel would be shut down and converted to apartments and retail space. The kyu section of the Toyota Denzo Oza West Tournament was one of the last events held at the 40 year-old hotel, which is close to the Seattle Go Center.

Go World Hits 100

Published On 4/5/2004

Go World, the successor to Go Review started by Ishi Press and John Power in 1977 and continued by Kiseido and Richard Bozulich has just published its 100th issue. This special 100 page issue contains an extended commentary on all six games of the recent Honinbo title match between Kato Masao and Cho U, as well as a report on the game in which the teenage Cho Hye-yeon defeated Rui Naiwei for the Womenâ€˜s Kuksu title.

Published On 3/29/2004

Kim Highest In Rocky Mountains; Gu Tops In Cherry Blossom; Kerwin Comes To Rochester; Record Membership Growth Continues; Smartgo 1.4.1 Released; More Chi Pix; Email The Way To Go; Mcguigan The Cat92s Meow In Kitty Caption Contest; Who Are Those Guys?

Published On 3/22/2004

In This Edition:

U.S. GO NEWS: Benthem Tops Chicago Tourney; Zhong Wins Jujo Jiang Youth Cup; AGA Summer Go Camp Early Bird Special Extended; Go Classified Expanded; SGF Rules, But EJ A Dino? The Real Problem
WORLD GO NEWS: Hane Stops Yamashitaâ€˜s Comeback And Wins The 28th Kisei; Top Rated Chinese Amateur Dies At 29; Hao Battles Slump To Win 4th Ricoh Cup; To Be Young And Play Go In Cologne In The Spring; World Amateur Go Championship Back On Track For 2004; Other World Go News In Brief
GAME COMMENTARY: Yang vs. Hsiang in Cliffhanger
GO CLASSIFIED (EXPANDED!)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ATTACHED FILES: 2004.03.22 Yang-Hsiang, Yang Commentary.sgf; 2004.03.22 Furuyama Lesson 9--Tesuji 204.pdf; 2004.03.22 Kiseido Get Strong at Joseki 2.PDF; 2004.03.22 M&M solution.sgf

Published On 3/15/2004

2004 GO CONGRESS ONLINE: The website is now up for this year92s U.S. Go Congress in Rochester, NY. Although registration forms are not yet available, you can check out the fine accommodations (Every room has two double beds with an optional rollaway, satellite TV, internet access, iron and ironing board and private bathroom) and nearby attractions (including Niagara Falls, Letchworth State Park, the Corning Glass Museum and the Rockwell Museum of Western Art) and the cool Congress logo at http://www.gocongress.org.
GUO JUAN RETURNS: The next Guo Juan workshop is set for June 3-6 in Round Top, NY at The Woodlands $300, reports organizer Jean Claude Chetrit. This popular workshop with Ms. Guo, a 5 dan Chinese professional who lives and teachers in Amsterdam, fills up fast, so register early: zorglub@brooklyngoclub.org or call 718-638-2266.
Get more info at http://brooklyngo club.org/

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