American Go E-Journal » 2012 » June

AGA-TygemGo Online Pro Prelim Deadline Extended

Monday June 4, 2012

If you didn’t sign up by Sunday’s deadline for the AGA-TygemGo Online Pro Prelim, there’s still time to participate in this historic tournament, joining over 100 who have already signed up. The registration deadline has been extended until midnight (EST) on Tuesday, June 5. “I’m playing in the AGA-Tygem tournament so that I can say, ‘I tried to become a US Go professional'” says Devin Flake 11k, a Systems Administrator in Orem, UT. Monsoon Shrestha 18k, a student in Elmhurst, NY, signed up “To be part of history,” while Peter Freedman 2D, a retiree in Portland, OR, wants to “Support the new ground-breaking American pro system.” Sign up and click here to let us know why you’re playing. “This tournament is meant to include as many players as possible, regardless of rank,” says AGA chair Andy Okun. “Though it’s just a dream for most of us, contending for pro will be a moment of pride for all of us,” he added. Every player who participates will receive a high-quality enamel “Go for Pro” pin. The tournament will be played on Saturdays and Sundays starting June 9. The online tournament gives both WMSG and NMT points. For further details, click here or email Okun at sponsorship@usgo.org or TD Yixian Zhou at missbear@gmail.com.

Categories: U.S. Pro Tournament,U.S./North America

Palo Alto Tops Bay Area Team Tourney

Monday June 4, 2012

Thirty three young players competed in the Bay Area Youth Team Tournament, held on May 28th in Cupertino, CA. A wide array of K-12 players from various go clubs competed, including 21 players from the Santa Clara Youth Go Club. In Division A, Palo Alto placed first, followed by the Mandarin Language and Cultural Center, and Joaquin Miller Middle School. Santa Clara Youth Go Club swept Division B (1k-15k) with their B1 team placing first and their B2 and B3 teams tying for second place. In Division C (15k-30k), Monta Vista High School took first place while the Santa Clara Youth Go Club’s C1 and C2 took second and third. The event was organized by the Bay Area High School Go Association, and sponsored by the AGF. – Report and photo by David Su.

Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

Future Teachers Learn About Go

Monday June 4, 2012

Chicago, IL, math teacher Xinming Simon Guo (at right in green shirt) introduced go to 10 pre-service teachers (teaching students) at National Louis University on May 22. “I began my introduction to go by pointing out the geometric shapes of circles and lines on the go board, allowing teachers to see connections between go and Number Theory,” reports Guo. “Next I discussed the fundamental origin of go and the basic rules of the game, and then talked about the deep Chinese culture embedded in the game. These pre-service teachers started their first games on small 9×9 boards after they had learned two basic terms, “Qi” (“liberty”) and “Atari” (stones with only one qi left). After the games finished, we discussed how to integrate the game with Common Core State Standards of Math, which are internationally benchmarked standards and assessments to prepare students for success in college and the workplace.” Pre-service education is for student teachers, who have not yet taught in a classroom. “Since I teach math, Chinese, and go, I am able to combine all of them in an approach to learning and problem-solving,” says Guo. “In my math classes I introduce go as a tool to cultivate number sense. Students can get an intuitive understanding of numbers, their magnitude, relationships, and how they are affected by operations. In my Chinese language classes, I introduce go with visual literacy, which helps beginners to learn numbers in Chinese. For advanced Chinese language learners, go can be one centerpiece to link the 5C standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. In my go class, math and Chinese language elements are threaded throughout the curriculum. The pre-service workshop was a very special opportunity for me,” said Guo, “because my students were teachers. If one teacher learns about go and is passionate about it, then his or her students will have more chances to touch this marvelous game,” added Guo. – Paul Barchilon, EJ Youth Editor; photo: Guo teaching kids at Lake Forest Academy.

Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

“Go Public” Takes Go Into the Streets

Sunday June 3, 2012

Imagine a group of go players walking – or driving — through their community, stopping here to play for a while, then continuing to another place to play some more, finishing the evening playing in a local restaurant or pub. That’s the idea of “Go Public,” a project proposed at the European Go Centre that aims to literally bring go to the general public. “Places can include shopping streets, bars, restaurants etc.” says Andreas Neumann of the Bochum Go Club in Germany, who proposed the project. “It is important though that these places attract public attention…People on the streets or people in bars/restaurants are expected to be at least curious about what is going on. Therefore the players should be prepared for any interested person to provide explanation or information material. The impact of the project increases with the number of players who implement the idea… The passion for go is enough to illuminate the flame which can spread this project.” Bochum Club members successfully tried out the idea on April 15, playing in the street, in a bookstore and in a pub; click here for the Bochum report and photos.
– photos by Sascha Hempel

Categories: Europe

Get Caffeinated at the Santa Monica Coffee Cup

Saturday June 2, 2012

With space limited at the upcoming Santa Monica Coffee Cup, organizer Andy Okun urges interested players to pre-register to ensure a place in the tournament, which can hold up to 50 players. The 3-round Coffee Cup is set for Saturday, June 16, at the UnUrban Coffeehouse (3300 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA), where players will compete for hand-painted coffee cups and quality coffee beans. “In addition, for the heavy ordnance players among you, WMSG and NAIM points will be awarded,” Okun notes. AGA membership is required: click here to join or renew. The tournament fee is $10 “Unless you are Eric Cotsen, in which case, you play free,” adds Okun. Pre-register by e-mailing abc@okun.name.

Categories: U.S./North America

2012 Maryland Open Winners

Saturday June 2, 2012

Maryland Open/AGA-Tygem Prelim, May 26-27
Catonsville, Maryland
68 players; Sam Zimmerman, TD
2012 Maryland Open at a Glance: Report/Game Index

Open Section: 1st: Zhi Yuan (Andy) Liu 7D; 2nd: Zhaonian (Michael) Chen 7D; 3rd: Yixian Zhou 6D; 4th: Jie Li 7D; 5th: Kevin Huang 7D; 6th: Xie Rui 7D; 7th: Philip Waldron 6D; 8th: Eric Lui 7D; 9th: Yuan Zhou 7D; 10th: Lu Lin 7D

A Section: 1st: Jimmy Yang 5D; 2nd: Craig Nelson 3D; 3rd: Andrew Jackson 4D; 4th: Mathew Hershberger 3D
B Section: 1st: Justin Ching 2D; 2nd: Keiju Takehara 2D; 3rd: Willis Huang 1D
C Section: 1st: Adam Jacoby 1k (Kyu Champion); 2nd: Lisa Scott 1k
D Section: 1st: Arnold Eudell 4k; 2nd: Steve Colburn 5k
E Section: 1st: Gurujeet Khalsa 7k; 2nd: William Xu 6k
F Section: 1st: Philip Dreher 11k (undefeated); 2nd: Zongli Huang 11k
G Section: 1st: Frederick “The Vicious” Bao, aka The Smiling Assassin, aka The Toothless One; age 5 and a half (undefeated); 2nd: Claudia Hendrick 18k
Greg Lefler Award: NOVA Go Club
– reported by Keith Arnold; photos by Chris Garlock (top) and Phil Straus (bottom)

Categories: U.S. Pro Tournament,U.S./North America

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