American Go E-Journal » 2013 » July

U.S. Go Congress Update: Congress Handbook Available; How to Get There

Wednesday July 31, 2013

U.S. Go Congress attendees can get a head start planning their activities in Tacoma by downloading the Congress Handbook, which includes the complete schedule of events, details on the tournaments, bios of the professionals, activities for non-players, maps and more. The 2013 U.S. Go Congress starts this Saturday and runs through August 11.

And for details on how to get to the Congress site, click here and check out “How do I get from the Airport to the Congress site?” or click here for driving directions.

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Categories: U.S. Go Congress
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EJ Plans Full Coverage of U.S. Go Congress

Monday July 29, 2013

From Saturday’s opening ceremonies right through to the banquet the following week, the American Go E-Journal will once again provide complete coverage of the annual U.S. Go Congress, this year being held in Tacoma, Washington August 3-11. In addition to daily reports in the E-Journal, the EJ team will broadcast top boards from the U.S. Open (mornings) and the North American Masters (evenings) live on KGS (the team has a few openings for game recorders; email journal@usgo.org). Many of the live broadcasts will include live commentary by visiting professionals. We’ll also report on the many different events, including lectures, evening programs, youth events and more. If there’s something of special interest to you, email us at journal@usgo.org and let us know; we also welcome reports by Congress participants. photo: Richard Dolen recording at the 2012 U.S. Go Congress; photo by Steve Colburn

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Go Classified: Go Teacher Wanted

Monday July 29, 2013

Adult Go teacher needed in Acton Chinese School (Massachusetts) every Sunday 3:40-4:45pm, teaching experience preferred. If interested, please contact with Michael Chen mchen1766@gmail.com

 

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Categories: Go Classified
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The Traveling Board: Osaka Go Camp

Sunday July 28, 2013

By Peter Schumer

Beautifully organized, the recent Osaka Go Camp drew about 35 “campers” from nearly a dozen countries.  Most of the instruction was in English, but there was a good bit of Japanese, French, and German mixed in amongst us and it made for quite an international and festive feeling.

Though ages ranged from mid-teens to early 70’s and our ranks ran the gamut from 20 kyu up to 7 dan, everyone got along really well and seemed genuinely friendly and supportive of one another. Every day there was a scheduled match followed by professional game reviews, several lectures, and simuls with pros.

One of the highlights was a visit and simultaneous games with Yuki Satoshi, currently Judan.  We also played lots of friendship matches with various local go clubs and go students of all ages. The most fun for me was a series of games with students at the Kansai Kiin who ranged in age from 7 to 12 but who were all at least 2 dan in strength.  It was the one group that had a winning record against us.

There were also many go-related sightseeing trips to Kyoto, Nara, Innoshima, Hiroshima, and the beautiful island of Miyajima. In Innoshima, we visited the Shusaku Museum and memorial site, where we learned that there are over 2000 local go players in a town of just 20,000, and it seemed that a good percentage of them showed up to test our go prowess. Two go boards at the Shusaku museum (left) were especially interesting: the one on the right is Go Seigen’s retirement board and stones, celebrating 70 years of an outstanding professional career in Japan, while the older board on the left belonged to Shusaku and was given to him by his patron Lord Asano (watch for Jan Engelhardt’s report on the Innoshima visit in an upcoming EJ).

After camp ended, I had a few extra days for travel.  One day I spent visiting the Shinto grand shrines in Ise, and my last full travel day was to Uji, a lovely small town just south of Kyoto. It is best known for growing arguably the best green tea in Japan and for several beautiful Buddhist temples, especially the Byodo-In which contains the famous Phoenix Hall.  Currently it is being restored and so was covered up, but fortunately I’d seen it on a previous visit.  This short-lived disappointment propelled me to walk farther along the Uji River until I came to the Tale of Genji Museum.  The last ten chapters of this classic of Japanese literature take place in Uji and so the museum largely focuses on them, but there are a couple of important scenes where go plays a significant role and luckily one of the life-sized displays (top right) was of such a scene (photo).
– A longtime local go organizer, Schumer founded the Vermont Go Club

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Go Spotting: Go in BBC Currency Report

Sunday July 28, 2013

A July 9 BBC report illustrates a report on “What’s really going on with the yuan?” with scenes of Chinese go players in a park playing with discs emblazoned with US and Chinese flags as the report explores charges that China is manipulating its currency to boost exports. Thanks to spotters Martin and Helen Harvey for passing this along.

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Categories: Go Spotting
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EuroGoTV Updates: Sweden, Ukraine, Romania

Sunday July 28, 2013

Artem Kachanovsky 6dSweden: The EGF qualification tournament for Beijing 2013 finished July 22 in Leksand with Hui Fan 7d in first, Pavol Lisy 6d in second, and Alexander Dinerchtein 7d in third. Ukraine: Victory went to Artem Kachanovskyi 6d (left) at the Samsung Cup in Kyiv on July 14. Dmytro Bohatskyi 5d came in second and Andril Kravets 6d placed third. Romania: At the 4th Radu Baciu Grand Prix in Barsov (also July 14), Lucretiu Calota 5d took the lead, followed by Sergiu Dan Iugulescu 2d in second and Sora Sorin 4d in third.
— Annalia Linnan, based on reports from EuroGoTV, which include complete result tables and all the latest European go news

 

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Your Move/Readers Write: More Go Music

Sunday July 28, 2013

“As another fan of Pentangle, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, let me add my thanks to that of Steve Burrall for bringing their love of go to light,” (Go Spotting: Brit Folkies Bert and John 7/14 EJ) writes Michael Goerss. “I’ve got their CD on order (already have all the old Pentangle 33’s on CD) and the Yamashita now, too.  But in terms of music, don’t forget the Japanese jazz group Hiroshima.  They had a CD titled Go, with a cover featuring an empty go board.  I can’t speak to how it relates to the game, but I like the music.  Jazz koto, what could be better?”

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US Pair Go Development Update

Saturday July 27, 2013

The Pair Go teaching workshop will not be held at the 2013 US Go Congress, as previously reported (Japan Pair Go Association Grants $3600 for US Pair Go Development 7/25 EJ) but will instead occur sometime before August 2014. “It will be the first US professional workshop to focus specifically on learning how to play go strategically and harmoniously in a partnership, and will be funded by the new JPGA grant,” reports AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. Small is seeking a Director/Organizer to collaborate on this developing project; email her at pairgo@usgo.org. She also notes that the funds granted by the JPGA support US Pair Go activity from August 2013 through the August 2014 US Go Congress.

Small also reports that the winning pair from the North American Pair Go Championship at this year’s Congress will be offered a professional game review with Shirley Lin, scheduled for Friday, August 9th at 1:30p. “Lin’s comments will help the pair to compete at their best at the International Amateur Pair Go Championship in Tokyo this November,” says Small.

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Categories: U.S./North America
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Walther Brothers Release First Go Video

Saturday July 27, 2013

The Walther brothers (German Brothers Team Up to Produce “Fascinating” Go Video 2/4/2013 EJ) have just released their first go video, a visually striking 60-second professionally produced “teaser” that focuses on the appeal of go rather than on teaching the game’s rules.  The first of several planned videos from Play More Go, “More than a Game” delivers on the duo’s intention “to make a short video clip, like a movie trailer, to promote the game of go” and ends by calling go “The ultimate challenge: are you up for it?” Click here for their amusing 49-second contrast in how to describe go. Find out more about the project at playmorego.com.

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Categories: Europe,Go Art
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Japan Pair Go Association Grants $3600 for US Pair Go Development

Thursday July 25, 2013

The Japan Pair Go Association has just granted $3,600 to promote Pair Go in the United States next year, reports AGA Pair Go Coordinator Rachel Small. The grant is based on Small’s proposed annual Pair Go plan, which she hopes “will generate enthusiasm, increase the number of Pair Go events held annually, and help Pair Go players form strong partnerships, with the ultimate goal of advancing the culture of Pair Go in the US.” Included in the budget is prize money for the North American Pair Go Championship and the Youth-Adult Pair Go Tournament at the US Go Congress, the second annual Pair Go Tournament at the North American Go Convention, and two additional Pair Go tournaments over the next year. “These are very exciting plans but we need help to make them happen,” Small says. Financial incentives will be provided for an organizer/director for the Pair Go pro teaching workshop at this year’s Congress, a game-recorder for the top table Pair Go game, a volunteer to record video of Congress Pair Go events, and a video-editor to piece together the footage into a short promotional piece, as well as directors of two new Pair Go Tournaments. Those interested should contact  Small at pairgo@usgo.org. -Photo by Steve Colburn: Pair Go contestants at the 2010 Go Congress in Colorado Springs.
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