News from the American Go Association
August 21, 2005
Volume 5, #74
In This Issue:
LATEST GO NEWS: Zip Code Man Goes For It; Lefler Service Set
; Choi Wins Zhonghuan Cup; Yashiro To Challenge Chinen For Women's Honinbo; Korean Pro Win-Loss Records; European Student Championship Scheduled
YOUR MOVE: Readers Write
BE
GINNER'S MIND: Going Forward, Looking Back
CALENDAR
ZIP CODE MAN GOES FOR IT: David Rosdeitcher, the Zip Code Man interview ed on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday night, is also a 1d go player. Rosdeitcher claims he can recite the location of all 48,000 zip codes in America and abroad, as well as recommend the best restaurants in each town. The juggle r and street performer can juggle seven balls and five clubs and invents entertaining stories about people based on their zip codes. "I started playing go in January 2002 after seeing A Beautiful Mind, and since then haven't stopped playing," Ro sdeitcher told the EJ today. "The zipcode of my hometown go club is 80302 which is the Boulder Go club that meets at U of Colorado." Find out more about Rosdeitcher at http://zipcodeman.com/ ; or listen to the NPR interview at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4809365 Thanks to Keith Arnold for tipping us off!
LEFLER SERVICE SET: The funeral service for Empty Sky Go Club and 2004 US Go Congress organizer Greg Lefler has been set for this Saturday, August 27, 6P at the Holy Trinity Church, 51 Main Street in Lisbon Falls, Maine. "For those who won't be abl e to make it, keep in mind that we plan to hold a smaller service at RIT in Rochester, NY, probably mid-September," report ESGC organizers. Stay tuned for more updates here, or check out the ESGC website, which is back up at http://www.emptysky.org
CHOI WINS ZHONGHUAN CUP: Choi Cheolhan 9P of Korea defeated Lee Sedol 9P of Korea to win the 2nd international Zhonghuan Cup last Saturday. This is Choi's first international title win and repr esents a nice turn-around from his recent disappointments, especially losing the final of the international Fujitsu Cup to Lee Sedol in July and also losing the match against China's Tengen Gu Li 7P in the same month. Choi also lost to Chang Hao 9P of Chi na in the semifinals of the World Go Oza in August, which was won by Lee Sedol. Lee now holds three international titles, the Samsung Cup, the Fujitsu Cup, and the World Oza; no one else holds that many. Choi holds two Korean titles currently, the Kuksu and the Chunwon, while Lee has only one, the Maxim Cup.
YASHIRO TO CHALLENGE CHINEN FOR WOMEN'S HONINBO: Yashiro Kumiko 5P will challenge Chinen Kaori 3P for the 24th Women's Honinbo, the longest running of the women's pro tournaments in Japan. Chinen took the title last year from Kobayashi Izumi 6P, who had held it for three years in a row. Chinen also had a three year reign from 1997 through 1999, and was the unsuccessful challenger several times. She was the Women's Kisei from 2000-2003. Challenger Yashiro Kumiko 5P defeated Kato Keiko 4P in the finals of the challenger's tournament to gain the privilege of a best-of-three match with Chinen. Yashiro was also the challenger in 2003, but has not yet won a title match. Pictures and commented games (available to subscribers only) of Yashiro can be found at http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=290 . The same for Chinen is at http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=166
KOREAN PRO WIN-LOSS RECORDS: The current top pro in Korea in terms of number of games won is Lee Yeongku 4P with 42 wins and only 15 loses for a 74% winning rate. Also with 42 wins, but 21 losses, is Choi Cheolhan 9P (67%). Park Yeonghun 9P has 41 wins and 20 losses (67%); Park Jungsang 5P is in fourth place with a 40-14 record (74%); Cho Hanseung 8P also has 40 wins with 17 l osses (70%). Next is Won Sungjin 6P with a 39-15 record (72%), followed by Lee Sedol 9P at 37-14 (73%) and Kang Kongyun 3P with a 36-11 record (77%--the highest winning percentage among the top twenty players). A complete list of the top twenty is at http://igo-kisen.hp.infoseek.co.jp/korea.html .
EUROPEAN STUDENT CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULED: The first ever European College Students Go Championship has been schedul ed for October 21-23 in Helsinki, Finland. For details see http://www.kttl.helsinki.fi/msiivola/go/sgL/ESGC2005.html . The top two men and the top woman will get to play in the World Student Cha mpionship Tournament in Japan in 2006.
YOUR MOVE: Readers Write
MASTER, BUT NOT GRAND: "I am surprised how often Lasker's history gets mixed up," writes Roy Schmidt (2005 Lasker Awards, 8/20 EJ). "You refer to him as 'Grandmaster,' but he never earned that title. In fact, the FIDE awarded him the title of International Master in 1961, after he had ended his competitive chess career -- not on the basis of his performance (his win-loss-draw record in i nternational events was less than 40%), but rather on account of his prestige and standing as a popular author."
WHAT WE REALLY WANT, PART 1: "In response to William Cobb's question, 'What do we really want?' (8/11 EJ) I realized there were a number of things I enjoy other than just 'to win' during my go games," writes Dennis Sustare. "Aesthetics: I love the feel of the stones, the sound when I place the stone on the board, and the look of the board, especially during the middle game before things get too resolved. A successful invasion: It is very satisfying to see an opponent's area that I simply must reduce, then to throw some stones in there and actually make them live! The right tesuji: So often, it seems like th ere are several suggestive ways to play in a local tactical situation. When I look back later and decide that the play I made was the correct one, it fills me with joy. Maintaining sente in the end game: It is just great to make a long series of end game moves that my opponent answers (and so depressing when it works the other way!). Especially when the margin of victory turns out to be just a couple of points."
WHAT WE REALLY WANT, PART 2: "I believe that Bill Cobb ma
kes a fundamental error when he says 'I've gotten the impression that many players would answer by saying that their aim is 'to get strong, to improve my rating,'" writes Milton Bradley. "I think that's a limited goal, which ignores some important aspect
s of go. When a go player says that he aspires to improve, although he may not be explicitly aware of it, what he is really saying is that 'I wish to increase my understanding of the deep underlying motivations of go,' because it is only by so doing that
one can improve," Bradley suggests. "I contend that the player whose objective is improvement is to be commended for obeying the highest possible aspirations of the human intellect, and striving for attainment of the highest possible goal!"
EDITOR'
S NOTE: There were several editing errors in Michael Heinich's review of A Dictionary of Modern Fuseki (8/20 EJ). The first sentence should have read "Since I almost always feel behind just 20 moves into the opening,
" not "just 2 moves into the opening." We apologize for the errors. Heinich's original review can be found on his blog at http://lotusseat.blogspot.com/
BEGINNER'S MIND: Going Forward, Looking Back
by Aria von Elbe
It's been a week since the Congress. I start my senior year in a few days and memories of the Congress still li
nger in my head. From a 2-4 Open record (better than last year, I think...) to Midnight Madness (followed by dinner/breakfast at Denny's and more go until 3 am). Plus Pair Go, dinner with the pros, and a tournament director literally running away from me
as I tried to report results for the E-Journal. Not sure whether he was terrified or just terribly sane.
I ran non-stop from tournament to lecture, meal to computer and back again
, always with three things: sunglasses, cell phone and reporter's notebook. By the middle of the week, my new USB flash drive became the fourth critical reporter's tool as I ferried stories to my drill-sergeant editor. My abject apologies to anyone whose
toes I crushed with those heels as I rushed into the Strong Player's Room to hand in the latest releases.
Another memorable week amongst friends and colleagues that I won't soon forget. And will long for
, with the start of school looming. Someone needs to invent a time machine right now, because these next 12 months are not looking as go-filled as I would like them to be. Sure, I've got 16 new books and games to review, not to mention tons of screen name
s at my fingertips (tomaria, on both KGS and IGS if anyone is willing to give me some stones). And let's not forget I've still got my Miami roots and PCGC to take care of. I've been invited to the Lancaster Workshop, and ther
e are some Opens in the North East I know I'm going to be dragged to, plus online tournaments and even some promised shidogo with the pros. I take it back; my senior year might actually be livable. Now if choosing a college was just as easy as picking a
number between 1 and 1001, and then getting accepted was as easy solving that same problem.
Regardless of what my future holds, my past is full of wonderful recollections of games in the morning, at lunch, at
midnight, in common rooms, on the lawn, with a partner, blindfolded, with only one color, against pros, even in airport for 15 long hours. Go dominated my life for a week, and just like last year, it's taken some adjusting to not wake up every morning, dr
op my bag in the Congress office and join the masses waiting (and waiting) for pairings. If nothing else, think of this: the 21st Annual US Go Congress was a record breaker in every possible regard...just imagine what it'll b
e like next year.
Until then, keep practicing and studying; I know I will. See you all for the -- I'm calling it now -- 562-attendee 22nd Annual Go Congress 2006. if not sooner.
&nbs
p; von Elbe is a high school senior in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
August 27: Sacramento, CA
Davis/Sacramento Quarterly Tournament
Fred Hopkins cfredhop@msn.com 916-548-806
8
September 2-4: Germantown, MD
2nd Maryland Workshop with Feng Yun, 9 dan
Gordon Fraser gordon.fraser@ctipc.com 301-540-2640
September 10-11: San Francisco, CA
Dote Sensei Memorial Tournament
Steve Burrall sburrall@comcast.n
et
September 10: Broomfield, CO
Summer Rocky Mountain Go Tournament
Ulo Tamm utamm@worldnet.att.net 303-466-2865
September 10: Chicago, IL
"The Truth Is Out There"
Bob Barber komoku@earthlink.net 77
3-467-0423
September 17: Durham, NC
5th Annual Triangle Memorial Marathon Go Tournament
Paul Celmer pcelmer@earthlink.net 919-854-9222 ext. 1120
September 17: Livermore, CA
Vintage Go Event
Stephen C. Herrick herrick4@llnl.gov 9
25-423-7458
September 24: Germantown, MD
Moon Cha Memorial
Yuan Zhou yuan.zhou@zhouyuan.com 301-528-7259
Note: Pre-registration is REQUIRED (Space is limited); Deadline: 9/17/05.
September 25: Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken Fall Ratings To
urnament
Larry Russ lruss@stevens.edu 201-216-5379
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