American Go E-Journal » 2012 » March

After two weekends of fierce competition, Mingming Yin 1P of New York emerged as the champion of the Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT). Mingming Yin was the only player to win all five rounds in the tournament, which was hosted on KGS. Andy Liu 7D took second place, with third place going to last year’s YKNOT champion Zhanbo Sun, both with 4 wins. Other division winners included Nick Jhirad 6D, Meng Lu 4D, Louie Liu 1k, Stephen Allen 6k, and Julian Erville 8k. TDs were Karoline Burrall, Chris Kirschner, Dennis Wheeler, Tina Zhang, and Kevin Hwang. “Thanks very much to Young Kwon of Pearl River, NY for sponsoring a successful tournament, and also to KGS for hosting and KGS admins for announcements and providing tournament support!” says Burrall. photo from the Strong Player’s Open at the 2011 U.S. Go Congress, which Lin won.

GAME RECORDS (click to download sgf file):
Round 3: Andy Liu vs. Mingming Yin
Round 4 Andy Liu vs. Zhanbo Sun
Round 5: Mingming Yin vs. Lie Liang

With fundraising efforts underway to send the U.S. team to the Second World Mind Sports Games, American Go Association President Allan Abramson has an easy way for anyone to help. “Just apply for the AGA credit card and as soon as you use it once, the AGA gets $50!” CapitalOne also donates a percentage of all charges on each card, which has already generated $1,500, but with over $15,000 raised in 2008 to send the team to the first Mind Games, there’s a way to go yet this year. Another way is to donate directly to the AGA: click here to do so easily online. “Please help,” Abramson urges, “Whatever you can do makes a difference and is appreciated.”

The final rounds of the Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will be played Saturday, March 10 on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room. After three exciting rounds of play, seven players of the YKNOT 2, sponsored by Young Kwon, remain undefeated. The three undefeated players of the open section are Zhanbo Sun, a 2-dan professional and champion of last year’s YKNOT, Mingming Yin 1- dan professional and winner of the Strong Players Open of the 2011 Go Congress, and Yue Zhang 7D.  Other undefeated players include Meng Lu, Yunxuan Li, April Ye, and Julian Erville. “Special thanks to the tournament directors, Young Kwon for sponsoring, and KGS for hosting and tournament support!” says AGA Tournaments Coordinator Karoline Burrall.
3/11: Updated: Yue Zhang 7D was the third undefeated top player, not Andy Liu 7D, a past winner of the North American Ing Masters tournament and US representative overseas, who was 2-1. 

Go players of all levels will be able to play or watch top-level play April 21-22 when the Wisonet Go Club hosts both a North American Ing Masters (NAIM) Qualifier and a self-paired tournament at the Madison Suites Hotel in Somerset, New Jersey. The NAIM Qualifier will provide high-level competition for strong dan players, as well as qualification points for the 2012 North American Ing Masters Tournament, which will be held at the US Go Congress in Black Mountain, NC in August. Meanwhile, players of all strengths will be able to play in a simultaneous self-paired tournament organized by Wisonet Go Club President and Tournament Director Ronghao Chen. To be eligible for the Qualifier, players must US citizenship or a green card, full AGA membership for the past year, and have lived in the US for six of the last 12 months. Players in this section may attend one or both days to play AGA-rated games. Players who would like to compete in the Qualifier must register by April 12; the registration fee is $45. For the self-paired tournament, the fee is $35 for both days, $22 for Saturday only, and $15 for Sunday only. Tournament prizes will be based on attendance after venue costs. The Somerset Madison Suites Hotel is also offering a special rate for visiting go players at the tournament. Click here for details, tournament registration form, and directions. Contact Ronghao Chen with any questions at chenronghao@yahoo.com.

With 20 players already signed up for Janice Kim 3P’s April 6-8 workshop in Portland, OR, there are just five seats left, reports Portland Go Club organizer Peter Freedman. Workshop participant strength ranges from 12kyu to 2 dan. “Workshop size limited to 25,” Freedman tells the E-Journal, “so there are still a few more slots.”  Email peter.freedman@comcast.net for more information.

Calling it “active and successful,” and “a gateway to/from Asia,”  top leadership of the American Go Association on Feb. 27 urged the Nihon Kiin not to sell the Seattle Go Center (SGC), after rumors to that effect began to circulate. “The Center regularly hosts many tournaments, and provides playing space, teaching games, and lessons for both beginners and advanced players,” wrote Allan Abramson, AGA President, Andrew Okun, AGA Board Chairman and Thomas Hsiang, AGA International Vice President in a letter to Otake Hideo, Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Nihon Kiin. “In addition, the Center regularly conducts public outreach at festivals and other events, provides teachers for school go clubs, runs special tournaments for young players, and sponsors workshops by visiting professionals.”  The SGC had just celebrated its 16th anniversary last September, and the Jin Chen Memorial Tournament on Jan. 8  attracted 42 players, the largest AGA-rated event at the Seattle Go Center in several years. In the AGA’s letter to the Nihon Kiin, Abramson wrote that he remembered “the first time I walked through the door into the Center. Within five minutes, I felt the energy and spirit of the people working there. Most important, I felt the warmth and spirit of Iwamoto-Sensei, and his desire to promote Go around the world, in one great community.” Adding that “We would consider the loss of the Seattle Go Center to be a major blow to Go in the US, and hurtful to the many volunteers who have worked so hard and so long to make it a success,” Abramson, Okun and Hsiang urged that “In the spirit of Iwamoto-Sensei, we suggest that it would be best to continue to enjoy the success of the Seattle Go Center, rather than sell it.” The Nihon Kiin has not thus far responded to either the 2/27 letter, a subsequent email on Mar. 2 from Abramson, or the E-Journal’s request for comment. photo: at the September 18 Tacoma (WA) Go Club’s annual Back-To-School Tournament at the Seattle Go Center