March « 2011 « American Go E-Journal

Curtis Tang 7d Bests Tough Field to Win SoCal Tourney

Monday March 14, 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). Low Kyu section: Raymond Liu 10k (4-1), Jerry Lu 14kyu (4-1), Susanna Pfeffer, 13k (4-1).
photo by Andy Okun

Categories: U.S./North America

TYGEM Launches English Go Server

Monday March 14, 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.

Categories: Tools: books, software & hardware,World

Feasibility of 2012 Academic Conference on Go Explored

Monday March 14, 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.

Categories: U.S. Go Congress,U.S./North America,World

E-Journal Announces “Spirit of Yoshi Sawada” Award

Monday March 14, 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. Yoshi made much of our expanded coverage in recent years possible by making the EJ office the unofficial pro hangout and arranging for the translations necessary for game commentaries and interviews. And it was Yoshi who arranged the pro simul with EJ staff at the end of each Congress, often the only game any of the hardworking staff got to play. Although we’re going to miss our dear friend and colleague terribly, it’s become clear to me that Yoshi’s last and greatest gift is that he left so much of his spirit behind. So I’m very pleased to announce that this year the E-Journal will bestow the first annual Spirit of Yoshi Sawada Award on the Congress E-Journal team member who best exemplifies Yoshi’s cheerfulness, generosity and enthusiasm for the people and game of go. To inquire about being on the 2011 Congress EJ team, email me at journal@usgo.org
photo: Yoshi (far right), with Maeda Ryo 6P (l), Garlock (2nd from l) and Takemiya Masaki 9P (2nd from r); photo by Phil Straus

NOTE: Anyone wishing to send condolences to Yoshi’s wife, Keiko Komura, can mail them to her at 4027 Ionian Sea Lane, Sacramento, Ca 95834.

Categories: U.S. Go Congress

WORLD GO NEWS ROUND-UP March 8-14: Park Junghwan Defeats Choi Cheolhan in Siptan; Cho U Wins Kisei; Rui Naiwei Wins Female Kuksu

Monday March 14, 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. Rui Naiwei Wins Female Kuksu. Rui Naiwei 9P defended her title on March 8 by defeating Kim Yunyoung 3P by resignation in the 16th Female Kuksu. Rui swept the series 2-0. This is the third year in a row that Rui has won the title, which brings her career total to nine Female Kuksu titles.
– JustPlayGo; edited by Jake Edge

Categories: World

GO SPOTTING: Seki on Bar Karma, Triple Ko in Film Comment

Monday March 14, 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.”

Categories: Go Spotting,U.S./North America

Guo Juan Internet School Starting ’11 Second Term

Sunday March 13, 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.

Categories: World

Tormanen & Wang Tie for First at Irish Go Congress

Tuesday March 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

Categories: Europe

’11 Congress: Early Registrants Get Lower Price

Monday March 7, 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

Categories: U.S. Go Congress

Dinerchtein Reports on the Russian Pair Go Championships

Monday March 7, 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. “I like Pair Go very much,” Dinerchtein (back right) tells the E-Journal. He started playing at the Pair Go tournament in the European Go Congress in “1999 or 2000. At that time my partner was Julia Solomatina 1d from Moscow. We did quite well and even beat Saijo Masataka sensei and his 1k partner in even game.” He and Elvina Kalsberg 4d took second place in last year’s European Pair Go Championship and in this year’s Russian Pair Go Championships he partnered with Daria Koshkina (front right), a 3k from Yaroslavl who’s one of his students in Korean style Insei League on

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KGS. “In the third round we played against the Shikshin-Shikshina team (see game record). To everyone’s surprise we were leading at some point in the middlegame, proving that Pair Go is enormously different from the normal game. I noticed that even the two siblings had very different plans and it was quite hard for them to understand and follow each other. Check Black moves 51-53, for example when Ilya invaded and Svetlana played on the other side of the board.” Dinerchtein says playing in the Pair Go tournament “was very exciting and I will surely take part in Pair Go tournaments again. Try it too, if you haven’t played Pair Go before. It’s fun!”

Categories: Europe

American Go E-Journal » 2011 » March