American Go E-Journal

Qualifiers for the United States Youth Go Championships will be held Saturday, January 21st, on KGS.   The tourney will determine National Dan, Single Digit Kyu (SDK), and Double Digit Kyu (DDK) Champions. The winners will receive trophies, and prizes will be awarded in the following brackets: 5-7 dan 1-4 dan, 1-4 kyu, 5-9 kyu, 10-15 kyu, 16-20 kyu, 21-25 kyu, 26 and up kyu.  The qualifiers will use several formats for pairing, and all dan level youth will compete in an open section.  The top four youth will then move on to a double elimination final held on January 22nd, and continuing the following weekend. The winners of the dan sections will go on to represent the US at the World Youth Goe Championships, in August.  All expenses will be paid for the representatives to attend the tournament, in whichever country it is to be held (The Czech Republic was likely, but not confirmed, as of press time). Contestants will also be entered into a pool to receive partial scholarships to either the AGA Summer Youth Go Camp, or the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, 16 Scholarships will be awarded. The Junior Division is for youth under 12, the Senior Division is for youth under 16 as of August 1, 2012.  Only US Citizens under 16 may enter the finals, youth who are under 18 may compete in the qualifiers and kyu brackets, and so may residents who are not citizens.  To register, e-mail youth@usgo.org with your name, AGA #, date of birth, AGA rating, KGS ID, and citizenship.  You may enter at a rank higher than your official AGA rank, but may not enter at a lower one.  The registration deadline is Sunday, January 15th.  For more info, see the USYGC page. -Paul Barchilon E-J Youth Editor.  Photo: USYGC Jr. Division Champion Aaron Ye 4d, competing against Russia at the 2011 World Youth Go Championships, in Bucharest, Romania.  Photo by Paul Barchilon.