Twenty-six kids and adults gathered in Palo Alto, CA, on April 14 for this month’s ratings tournament run by Bay Area Go Players Association. Players ranged in strength from 7 dan to 18 kyu, and four players won three games apiece: Yue Fang 1d, Tai-An Cha 5k, Bryan Tan 12k, and Sybil Fu 15k. As is usual at the Bay Area Go tournaments, go books were handed out as prizes to everyone playing in their first tournament and those who won all of their games.
But everyone was a winner at this tournament, because during the lunch break between the first and second rounds, local amateur 8 dan Joey Hung gave a lecture. He reviewed game openings, discussed some common joseki, and covered what he calls ‘the first rule of the opening’. “In the front row there was a 7 dan player, and sitting near him an 18 kyu player. It is very challenging to teach such a wide range of players at once,” explained Joey later. “But I think everyone learned something.” Indeed, a lot was learned that day.
Next month’s Bay Area Go tournament will be held on Saturday, May 12, in San Francisco’s Japantown Center.
