Monday December 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
Monday December 20, 2010
Monday December 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!
Monday December 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.
Sunday December 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.
Friday December 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. Kim – whose other titles include the first Strong Player’s Online Tournament (SPOT1) in May 2010 – is a Korean professional (he made the quarterfinals of the 10th Samsung Cup in 2005 and took second place in the 12th BC Card Cup) who now lives and teaches in the Los Angeles area and who’s also widely-known for his 2008 historic demonstration game against MoGo running on an 800 processor supercomputer. Kim’s debut commentary will be on a dan-level game; email your game (sgf file required) to us at journal@usgo.org with “Kim commentary” in the subject line BY MIDNIGHT JANUARY 24. Please be sure to include your AGA number, as this is a member’s-only benefit.
photo by Yixian Zhou
Thursday December 16, 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. 300 Life and Death Problems may sound familiar, but we’re not referring Volume One of the Graded Go Problems for Dan Players series. The problems in Volume One start at about 5K, and the level of difficulty increases to about 3D. This is Volume Four of the same series, with problems beginning at 4D and taking the reader all the way through to 7D. Coming soon: two more top-level problem books, 300 Tesuji Problems and 300 Joseki Problems, Volumes Five and Six to complete the seven-volume series. Kiseido founder and publisher Richard Bozulich produced the first advanced instructional books in English in the 1960’s. With this series he has completed a continuous course of study from beginner to 7D, starting with The Elementary Go Series (seven volumes) and Graded Go Problems for Beginners (four volumes) and continuing with Mastering The Basics (seven volumes) and Get Strong At Go (ten volumes.). Altogether, his carefully crafted course of study occupies nearly two feet of shelf space and offers an accessible path to the top for anyone willing to work their way through these thirty plus volumes. And lastly, Kiseido has also published the book that go art lovers have been waiting for — Japanese Prints and the World of Go, a collection of 75 go-themed ukiyo-e. Extensive commentary provides an understanding of how each piece fit into its time and place.
– Roy Laird
Thursday December 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
Thursday December 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
Thursday December 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.