News from the American Go Association
May 22, 2006
Volume 7, #43
ROBBINS TOPS NOVA MAY MADNESS
CYCLONES HOLD OFF WINDY CITY IN IOWA CUP
TWO HOLIDAY TOURNEYS THIS WEEKEND
CHINESE HOLD NARROW LEAD IN INTERNATIONAL LG CUP
TWO WOMEN MAKE THIRD ROUND OF KOREAN "OPEN" TOURNAMENT
WHERE TO PLAY ABROAD
ARTIST'S CALL
YOUR MOVE: Volunteering
CALENDAR
ROBBINS TOPS NOVA MAY MADNESS: Chuck Robbins 4d topped the May 20 NoVa May Madness Tournament with a 3-1 score. All 32 players went home with a prize, thanks to organizer Allan Abramson's suggestion that everyone bring something for the prize pool. Winner Report: First place: Chuck Robbins 4d (3-1); Matt Bengston 3k (4-0); Tianren Tan 5k (4-0); Ching Sungchin 6k (4-0); Paul Blackburn 7k (3-1); Alpha Chen 8k (3-1); Quynh Vo 15k (4-0); Melody Chao 32k (4-0). Second place: Scott Waldron 3d (2-2); Robert Ferguson 3k (3-1); Bob Ehrlich 6k (2-2); John Greider 6k (2-2); Raymond Yeh 6k (2-2); Keiju Takahara 10k (3-1); Jennifer Lin 14k (3-1); Yukino Takahara 21k (3-1). Look for photos on the AGA website this week: www.usgo.org
CYCLONES HOLD OFF WINDY CITY IN IOWA CUP: The Cyclones Go Club held onto the Iowa Cup for the second consecutive tournament on May 20 in Des Moines, IA. The All-Iowa Go Tourney featured 29 players in four divisions, "the largest number in the recent run of tournaments," reports Assistant Tournament Director Duncan H. Brown, who notes that this was the sixth tournament in Iowa since November. Though technically not in competition for the Cup, five visiting Chicago players racked up 11 points, just a point shy of the Ames-based Cyclone's 12 points. Fairfield and Waterloo each earned eight points, Cedar Rapids got 7, host Des Moines scored 6, and Mt. Vernon, Iowa City, and Kansas City (KS) each banked 2 points. The tourney was held on the Des Moines Area Community College West campus, "offering generous space and comfortable facilities including projection on an overhead screen of featured games," says Brown. Winners received cash or go books donated by Slate and Shell, and because of the large turnout, four prizes awarded in each of the four divisions. The next tournament is planned for late June or early July, sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Go Club.
Winner's Report: Division 1: Han Hong Lu, Fairfield, 4 wins; Daniel Smith, Chicago, 3 wins; Division 2: Jizhou Chen, Ames 4 wins; Matthew Hart, Cedar Rapids 3 wins; Andras Kristof, Fairfield, 3 wins; Division 3: Andrew Dudzik, Chicago, 3 wins; Francois Torney, Ames, 3 wins; Division 4: Andrew Boody, Waterloo, 4 wins; Cameron Watts, Cedar Rapids, 3 wins; Robert Boody, Waterloo, 3 wins. Look for photos on the AGA website this week: www.usgo.org
TWO HOLIDAY TOURNEYS THIS WEEKEND: Go players on both coasts can spend part of their Memorial Day holiday at tournaments this weekend: in Baltimore, Maryland, the 33rd annual Maryland Open will be held May 27-28, while in Corvallis, Oregon, the Oregon Go Open will be held on May 27. Both locations also offer plenty of nearby non-go activities. See Calendar, below, or the AGA website for tourney details.
CHINESE HOLD NARROW LEAD IN INTERNATIONAL LG CUP: After two rounds in the 11th international LG Cup, the field of eight remaining players includes four Chinese, three Koreans, and one Taiwanese. In the first round there were thirteen Koreans, eleven Chinese, six Japanese, and two Taiwanese. Important victories by the Chinese in that round included Gu Li 9P of China defeating Park Yeonghun 9P of Korea and Chen Yaoye 5P of China defeating Choi Cheolhan 9P of Korean. In the most important Korean win, Lee Sedol 9P beat Chang Hao 9P. In the second round the last of the Japanese were eliminated, and Xie He 6P of China sent Lee Sedol home. The amazing Chinese teenager Chen Yaoye defeated Kim Donghee 2P of Korea to continue his stellar performances this year. The best-known players who survived for the third round are Gu Li of China and Lee Changho 9P of Korea. Taiwanese Zhou Junxun 9P, who has defeated two Japanese players, now faces Xie He of China. None of the Chinese or Koreans will be paired against each other in the third round, which will take place in early June. Koreans were winners in six of the first ten editions of this tournament. Last year Gu Li won and Chen Yaoye was the runner-up in this event, and it's being closely-watched to see if the Chinese can extend their recent string of triumphs over the Koreans in international events.
TWO WOMEN MAKE THIRD ROUND OF KOREAN "OPEN" TOURNAMENT: In a remarkable development, two of the eight players in the third round of the Electron Land Cup in Korea are women pros. This is a fairly new tournament, now in its third edition, and is also known as the King of Kings tournament. The preliminary rounds divide players into four groups by age and the top eight in each group enter the final single elimination round, which concludes with a best-of-three finals to decide the champion. It is a fast-play event, with ten minutes basic time followed by three periods of 40 seconds each as byoyomi. After two rounds the original thirty-two players are down to eight, and it is notable that two of eight are women: Cho Hyeyeon 7P and Rui Naiwei 9P, both of whom have been having a lot of success lately. Rui defeated Cho in the finals 2-1 to win the Korean Women's Myeongin (Meijin) back in January. These two have been the finalists for that title four years in a row, with Rui winning three times and Cho once. Rui also defeated Cho earlier this year to take the Korean Women's Kuksu title again. Cho held that title the two previous years, having taken it from Rui in 2003, and it now appears possible that these two may have a chance to continue their rivalry in the finals of a tournament not restricted to women. Cho faces Lee Changho 9P in the next round, and Rui will play Park Jungsang. The other four players in the next round are Choi Cheolhan 9P, Cho Hunhyun 9P, Hong Sungji 4P, and either Choi Dyubyeong 9P or Lee Sedol 9P (depending on the outcome of their second round game today).
WHERE TO PLAY ABROAD: If you're going to Europe this summer and want to try your luck in one of the European tournaments, you can find an up-to-date list of tournaments on the continent on the BGA web site at http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/egfcalendar.html. Tournaments in Great Britain are listed at http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/index.html
ARTIST'S CALL: If you or your future dan player are an artist, the East Coast Go Camp is looking for go related artwork for their camp shirts. "We are opening our contest to anyone who is interested," says Director Karen Jordan. The prize is $50 off the 2006 East Coast Go Camp (transferable if you're not attending) and a copy of Michael Redmond's book ABCs of Attack and Defense. E-mail your submissions to AGAGoCampEast@usgo.org. "Don't forget to attend the camp, as well!" adds Jordan.
YOUR MOVE: Readers Write
VOLUNTEERING: "I've just finished reading Allan Abramson's letter of resignation," (Abramson Letter Posted Online 5/19 EJ) writes Christopher Sira, "and in response to his charge, would like to volunteer myself for some position or responsibility within the organization. I had no idea so many positions and projects remained unfilled and incomplete, and have until now thought I've been a part of the community far too short a time to step in." AGA President Mike Lash says "Thanks for stepping up!" Anyone interested in finding out more about volunteering can contact him at president@usgo.org
May 26-29: Round Top, NY
2006 Memorial Day workshop with Guo Juan
Jean-Claude Chetrit jc@BrooklynGoClub.org 718-638-2266 (h)
May 27-28: Baltimore MD
33rd Maryland Open
Keith Arnold hlime81@comcast.net 410-788-3520
May 27: Corvallis, OR
Oregon Go Open
Josh Gum, josh@revgum.com
June 3: Chicago, IL
Zoot Suit Alors!
Bob Barber komoku@earthlink.net 773-467-0423
June 4: Seattle, WA
Ratings Tournament
Jon Boley jon@airsltd.com 206-545-1424
June 10 : Piscataway, NJ
Feng Yun Go School Monthly rated tournament
Feng Yun GoLesson@yahoo.com 973-992-5675
June 10: Sacramento, CA
Davis/Sacramento Quarterly Tournament
Fred Hopkins cfredhop@msn.com 973-992-5675
June 17: Richmond, VA
Virginia Open
William Cobb wmscobb@comcast.net 804-740-2191
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Published by the American Go Association
Managing Editor: Chris Garlock
Assistant Editor: Bill Cobb
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