American Go E-Journal » 2011 » July

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

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. Hundreds of Milwaukee Go Club brochures were snapped up by the middle of the second day, and hundreds more stopped by to take a look. One young visitor, Ishmael Robinson (r) was so captivated that he stayed for more than an hour and a photo of his lesson with Alex Wang not only made the front page of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Sunday local section, but was ranked #3 in their top Photos of the Week. The festival was preceded by an introductory session at a local public library, “where six attendees caught the go bug, one of whom plans to introduce the game at the daycare where she teaches,” reports local organizer Joyce Tang Boyland. “Thanks are due to all our adventurous and devoted players and volunteers,”  Tang Boyland adds, “without whom this could not have taken place, especially Bob Barber, who TD’ed the tournament and provided mentoring and guidance.”
– photo by Michael Sears, courtesy the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

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.