Jung Hoon Lee 7d won the top division of the Rocky Mountain Spring Go Tournament, in Boulder, CO, May 12. Forty players competed in three sections, 10 of the players were under the age of 18.
American Go E-Journal » 2012 » May
Chiang Wins Happy Cup Youth Tourney
Monday May 21, 2012
Sixth-grader Anthony Chiang 2d topped the Fifth Sunflower Happy Cup Youth Go Tournament, with four wins, on May 20 in Cupertino, California. “A record number of over fifty elementary and middle school kids gathered together on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and played four to five rounds of 19×19 games,” reports Yanping Zhao, who co-organized the event with Wenguang Wang. Players earned prize tickets after each round, and then used them to exchange various fancy prizes. “It was our way to ensure a really fun experience for every kid,” reports Zhao. Each participant was also rewarded with a trophy and at the event’s conclusion, all the kids and their parents enjoyed a refreshing ice cream party. – Report by Wenguang Wang; photo by Andrew Tung: Anthony Chiang is in the blue shirt.
Go Photo: Federal Computer Week
Monday May 21, 2012
Go is the centerpiece of the cover art for the May 15 edition of the magazine
“Federal Computer Week.” Apparently there’s no go-related story, the image illustrates a mobile strategy article. Thanks to Peter Wynn of the Syracuse Go Club for passing this along.
“This is a Pilgrimage”: Kids Write About Go Camp
Monday May 21, 2012
With the deadline for early registration coming up on May 28, kids across the country are signing up for the AGA summer go camp. “To me this is not a vacation: this is more like a pilgrimage that I need to take, not just for fun or to improve my skills, but as a young go player who wishes to be a part of the go community as much as possible,” writes Marcus Gould. The AGF is committed to helping youth who want to go but can’t afford it, and is holding a fund raising drive to support the camp. Youth must write an essay if they want a scholarship, and their passion is evident from their submissions. “I want to go to the AGA Go Camp in order to advance my own game, and to meet other people who love go as much as I do. Lately, I haven’t had too many chances to play go in real life, as opposed to online. I see this as an awesome opportunity to play other players my level in real life,” writes David Gillule. “My plane ticket is all the way from Salt Lake City, and is more expensive than the camp itself; it’s my summer job that’ll be paying this off,” writes Benson Merrill. The camp will take place the week before the Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. AGF needs based scholarships are available for players who can’t afford the full cost, and youth who played in the USYGC are eligible for a $400 scholarship to camp. More details on AGF scholarships can be found here. Sign up before May 28 and save $50 off the price of camp. Details are on the camp website. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Kids take a break from studying to bury one of their counselors in pillows, photo by Amanda Miller (who is at the bottom of the pillow pile) from the 2010 Go Camp.
San Francisco Go Workshop with Janice Kim 3P Announced
Sunday May 20, 2012
Janice Kim, 3 Dan professional, will teach a two-day go workshop the weekend of June 23 and 24 in Berkeley,
California. Berkeley is home to two go clubs and Bay Area Go Players Association, and is just across the bay from San Francisco.
The workshop is open to go players of all strengths (players below 10 kyu may want at least a year’s go experience to benefit from this workshop), and advanced registration is required. Each student will have the opportunity to submit game records before the workshop, and Janice will use them to tailor discussions to the specific interests and needs of the students. Each student will receive a workshop manual containing the records to be discussed, and files will be available for download as well.
“I enjoy seeing the clever moves played in finely-tuned games between world-class players,” Kim says, descriibing the main idea of the content of this workshop is, “but what I really need to know is what to do with the messed-up positions, wacky moves, and mistakes that come up in my games.”
Janice Kim co-authored the award-winning Learn to Play Go book series and also writes a go blog. Her recent workshop in Portland, Oregon and lectures at the Cotsen Go Tournament in Los Angeles were very popular. Learn more about the workshop and sign up on the Bay Area Go Players Association website.
photo: Janice Kim at the 2012 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock
2012 WAGC at a Glance: Report/Game Index
Thursday May 17, 2012
The American Go E-Journal and Ranka Online teamed up again this year to provide full coverage of the GAC Trumpchi Cup 33rd World Amateur Go Championship May 11-18 in Guangzhou, China. Round-by-round reports,
game records, commentaries, feature stories and photos brought the annual gathering of 56 top amateurs from 55 countries to life for go fans around the world. Below is a handy overview of the coverage in both the E-Journal and Ranka Online; click here for final tournament results (or here for an easy-to-use WAGC Smart Crosstable by the EJ’s Myron Souris, which includes several nifty features, including the ability to place cursor over a player name to highlight all opponent names and results). Thanks to the organizers and staff of the International Go Federation, the China Qi-Yuan and the Guangzhou Qi-yuan for their generous support and assistance. Special thanks to the Ranka/EJ team for all their hard work: (l-r) Yoshitaka Morimoto (Go Weekly), So Yokoku 8P, Ting Ting Chen (translator), Yang Shuang 3P, Chris Garlock (EJ), John Pinkerton (EJ), Ivan Vigano (Ranka), Yuki Shigeno (IGF), James Davies (Ranka), Taro Matsuo (Go Monthly).
World Amateur Championship Set for May 11-17
2012 WAGC Readies for Launch in Guangzhou
33rd WAGC Begins: E-Journal & Ranka Online Team Up for Coverage
WAGC Orientation & Pairings
WAGC Short Takes: Yuan Zhou on Tygem & the U.S. Pro System; Nihon Ki-in Teams up with Cho U on New Go App; In the Gardens of the Guangzhou Chess Institute; A Glimpse of James Davies
WAGC Go Players on Destiny, Predicting the Weather and Managing a Disco Bar
Go Photo: Unwinding at the WAGC
The Nakazono Fan Club’s Road Trip to Guangzhou
31st General Meeting of the IGF
Interview with Igor Popov (Russia)
Interview with Chan Chihan (Hong Kong)
Interview with Chen Cheng-Hsun (Taipei)
Interview with Fang Xiaoyan (China, at right)
Interview with Leslie Perez (Chile)
2012 WAGC Round 1
Overview (EJ) Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: DPR Korea-China (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Thailand-Japan (Commentary by Yang Shuang 3P); US-Norway; Brazil-Korea
2012 WAGC Round 2
Overview (EJ)
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: Finland-UK (Commentary by Kaz Furuyama); Hungary-DPRKorea (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Taipei-US (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Japan-Netherlands (uncommented) photo: China Go Association President Wang Runan (left) relaxes over a game; photo by John Pinkerton
2012 WAGC Round 3
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: China-Macau (Commentary by Yang Shuang 3P); DPRKorea-Austria; Japan-Korea; Slovakia-Romania
photo: WAGC winner Qiao Zhijian 7d (2nd from left), 2nd-place winner Hyunjoon Lee of Korea (far left), and third-place winner Chen ChengHsun of Tapei (2nd from right), with China Go Association President Wang Runan (3rd from left) and IGF Secretary-General Yuki Shigeno (far right); photo by John Pinkerton
2012 WAGC Round 4
U.S. Beats Japan in Controversial 4th-Round WAGC Game (EJ)
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: US-Japan (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); HongKong-China (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Czechia-Taipei
2012 WAGC Round 5
Overview (EJ)
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: DPRK-Korea (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); UK-US (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Taipei-China (commentary by Yang Shuang 3P); Czechia-Japan
photo: EJ photographer John Pinkerton; photo by Taro Matsuo
2012 WAGC Round 6
Overview Report (EJ)
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: Korea-China (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); Singapore-HongKong; US-DPRK; Germany-Taipei (Commentary by Yang Shuang 3P)
2012 WAGC Round 7
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: China-DPRK (Commentary by So Yokoku 8P); HongKong-Taipei; Hungary-Korea; Japan-Slovakia
2012 WAGC Round 8
Detailed Report (Ranka)
Game Records: Korea-Taipei (Commentary by Yang Shuang); Finland-Romania (Commentary by Yang Shuang); Japan-Bosnia; China-Germany
AGA Seeks Board Candidates in West, At-Large
Thursday May 17, 2012
With Lisa Scott running in the Central region AGA Board of Directors election and Gurujeet Khalsa in the Eastern region, the American Go Association is still seeking candidates for both the Western and At-large seats. Nominations, including self-nominations, are being accepted now through June 15 and should be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.
The Nakazono Fan Club’s Road Trip to Guangzhou
Wednesday May 16, 2012
Japan’s player, Seizoh Nakazono 8d, brought something unique to the World Amateur Go Championships: his own cheering section. The group of a dozen supporters traveled to Guangzhou specifically to support Nakazono, who was
not only their country’s representative but a fellow graduate of the Kumamoto high school in Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island. E-Journal readers may also recall him from our report on a visit a few years ago to his Sunshine Go Club in Tokyo. The go-playing Kumamoto graduates in Tokyo number about 40, Shinji Ohmura told the E-Journal on Wednesday, and are regulars at the Sunshine Go Club, where they play in tournaments against each other and against graduates of other schools. High school was a long time ago for the group, who are in their 60s and 70s now, but go has kept them together over the years and, for the Guangzhou group, the miles as well. They faithfully showed up every day at the playing venue, intently following their classmate’s every play. “We’re not go fans,” Shinji, a 62-year-old 3-dan, said, “just fans of Mr. Nakazono.”
– Chris Garlock; photo: the Nakazono fan club watches the Round 4 match between Japan’s Seizoh Nakazono and Yuan Zhou of the United States; photo by John Pinkerton
China Wins WAGC; U.S. is 21st
Wednesday May 16, 2012
THIS JUST IN: China’s Qiao Zhijian 7d, undefeated after eight grueling rounds, is
the winner of the 2012 World Amateur Go Championships. In second place is Hyunjoon Lee of Korea, third is Chen ChengHsun of Tapei. US rep Yuan Zhou was 21st. Other Top 10 finishers: Chan Chi Hin (Hong Kong, 4th), Ri Kwang Hyok (DPRK, 5th), Pal Palogh (Hungary, 6th) and Juri Kuronean (Finland, 7th). In 8th place was Japan’s Seizoh Nakazono, 9th was Lou Yuxiang of Singapore and Benjamin Teuber of Germany was 10th. “Overall, the tournament was an impressive display of teenage power,” noted James Davies in his Ranka Online report. “Seven of the top twenty places went to teenage players, including all of the top four. Go seems to have a bright future, and not just in the Far East.” Click here for complete final round reports, final standings and Round 7 and Round 8 game records, including So Yokoku’s commentary on the exciting Round 7 China-DPRK game and Yang Shuang’s commentaries on the Round 8 Korea-Taipei and Finland-Romania games.
2012 WAGC Round 8 Game Records
Wednesday May 16, 2012
Korea-Taipei (Commentary by Yang Shuang); Finland-Romania (Commentary by Yang Shuang); Japan-Bosnia; China-Germany
On Board 1, China’s Qiao Zhijian played more deliberately against Germany’s Bemjamin Teuber than he had in the preceding three rounds against opponents from Chinese Taipei and the two Koreas. As in those rounds, his game attracted the most attention from the spectators …Click here for Ranka’s complete Round 8 report.
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