Hopefully the third time with be the charm for go9dan.com. Technical snafus on Monday once again derailed the Andy Liu-Lee Sedol game, which had been rescheduled from Sunday, when lag problems on the server caused Lee Sedol’s clock to run out.
The game is now scheduled for this Saturday, January 26 at 8a EST. “We presume that the tech team can get the major bugs out in a few days,” says Michael J. Simon, CFO and Head of English Activities for 82 Limited, which is launching the new server. The Liu-Sedol game is the first in a 10-game series against the two new U.S. professionals, Andy Liu and Gansheng Shi, and Romanian pro Catalin Taranu 5P.
The pressure is on, as the new server is also set to host the first World Go League Invitational game at 7a EST this Sunday, January 27 between Sedol and Chen Yaoye. Ten of the world’s top professionals will play for $100,000 in prizes. Organizers plan to run tests this week “where a bunch of people from different continents will play and bet on the games, chat, and generally stress our system,” says Simon.
