American Go E-Journal » 2012 » February

Tom Boone 11k won the February 19 “Winter Tournament” in Harrisburg, PA, winning five of seven games played. Sponsored by the Harrisburg Area Go Club and Lancaster Go Club, the tournament attracted nine players, ranging in strength from 15k to 1k, from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The self-paired format allowed players to play as many games as they could handle, and everyone got in at least five rated games. The Harrisburg Area Go Club meets 7-10p Wednesdays at the Giant Marketplace Café, in Camp Hill, PA. The Lancaster Go Club meets 6-10p Mondays in Salunga, PA.

Perhaps the biggest East Coast tournament of the year, the 53^rd New Jersey Open Go Tournament is set for February 25/26 in Princeton, NJ. Last year over 100 players entered, from 30 kyu to some of the strongest amateurs in the U.S. While the tournament will be in the same site as last year –FristCampusCenter– it’s starting half an hour earlier than some prior years, and registration ends at 10a. “You must be there by 10a to be paired in the first round,” warns organizer Rick Mott. Pre-registration is not required, “but if you are reasonably sure you will attend please reply with your name and AGA ID, if you have one,” says Mott. “It will help us plan refreshments and speed up our data entry on Saturday morning.” Mott encourages beginning players to come, noting that “We make a special effort to make this event beginner-friendly, and have offered a beginner’s prize for many years.” Contact Mott at rickmott@alumni.princeton.edu to register or for more info.

Josh Lee 5D (at right in photo) went 3-1 to help usher in the Year of the Dragon at the February 11 NOVA Chinese New Year Tournament, an annual event organized by the Northern Virginia (NOVA) Go Club. Tied for second and also 3-1 were Yuan Zhou 7D and Hsien-Ho Chang 7D. The 1 to 3 dan section was won by Hongchun Liu 2D (3-1) with second place going to Haskell Small 3D (2-2). Pascal Platteborse 1K (3-0) won the 1 kyu section followed by Weiyu Yang 1K and Willis Huang 1K, each with 2-2 records. In the 2 to 3 kyu section Kevin Chin 1K had a perfect 4-0 while seconds went to Yukino Takehara 2k and Jerry Chen 2k at 2-2. Dan Hiltgen 5k (3-1) topped the 5 kyu section with second going to Mike Lash 5k (2-2). 6 to 7 kyu was won by Joey Phoon 6k (4-0) with Ed Caldeira 7k (3-1) in second. In 8 to 9 kyu Mohan Sud 9k was undefeated at 4-0 with Julian Erville 8k (3-1) placing second. Alan Chen 11k (3-1) was first in 10 to 12 kyu followed by Jackson Hergenrather 12k (1-3). Anderson Barreal 13k (4-0) and Emily Hjulstrom 14k (3-1) took the top spots in 13 to 20 kyu. 20 kyu and higher went to Julian Li 22k (4-0) and Benjamin Lin 32k (3-1) with a Special Valor award going to Eugene Yuan 35k, playing in his first tournament. There was also a fun lightning tourney where firsts went to Timothy Koh and Justin Wang. “A special thanks goes to Dr James Whang, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US, and GEICO for their support in making this a great event,” reports Gurujeet Khalsa.
photo: Ching-Sung Chin (left) presents winner’s trophy to Josh Lee; photo by Gurujeet Khalsa

Twenty one kids and adults came out February 11 to play face-to-face go at the Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament held at the home of the Palo Alto Go Club in Menlo Park, CA. Players ranged in strength from 20 kyu to 5 dan, and five players either joined or renewed their AGA membership in order to play in this tournament. In the dan division, Richard Malcolm 3d and Yue Fang 1d went undefeated with two wins apiece. In the kyu division, Bryan Tan 13k, Cieran Fitzgerald 19k, and Ben-Ami Lipkind 20k each won four games. Next month’s Bay Area Go monthly ratings tournament is set for Sunday, March 11, at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in downtown Oakland, CA. Photo by Lisa Schrag.

Over 50 players — including a professional — have already registered for the upcoming Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT). Registration is open until Friday February 24 for the second YKNOT, sponsored by Young Kwon. All AGA members who have lived in the US for six of the last 12 months and all AGA life members regardless of where they live are eligible to register; there’s no citizenship or permanent residency requirement, and even those who have just joined the AGA are eligible. Click here for the tournament schedule and rules. There will be prizes in every division, totaling nearly $3,000, and the open section will be scored as a North American Ing Masters qualifier. Registration closes this Friday, February 24; click here for free registration.