Attendance is expected to be near 100 at this weekend’s Washington Open Baduk Championship in Northern Virginia, reports 
organizer Allan Abramson. Top players so far include Mingming Yin 1P (right), Zhaonian Chen 8d, Charles Choi 7d, James Park 7d, Changlong Wu 7d, Liang Yu 7d, Yuan Zhou 7d, Xinying Elaine Jiang 6d, Josh Lee 6d and Zhiyuan Edward Zhang 6d, “with plenty of players of all strengths ensuring a good field for everyone,” Abramson promises. He’s also planning to ask strong players to volunteer for simuls, “so everyone who wants a simul will get one on Sunday.” Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS; anyone interested in helping record/broadcast can email journal@usgo.org.
Players are competing for a top prize of at least $1,200 and cash prizes for every section. Myungwan Kim 9P and Sohyun Park 3P will give lectures for both dan and kyu players on Saturday night, followed by a rapid tournament, and the professionals will do game reviews and simuls on Sunday afternoon. The tournament will be held at the Korea-U.S. Science Cooperation Center (1952 Gallows Road, Suite 330) in Vienna, VA and is sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korean Cultural Center – DC, and Scorpion Sport Inc. in L.A. It is co-hosted by the Korean Amateur Baduk Association (KABA) and the American Go Association (AGA), and organized by the NOVA Go Club, the Baltimore Go Club, and the Korean-American Go Association. There’s no entry fee but AGA membership is required and lunch is free.
Click here to register. Organizers have negotiated a discounted rate with Extended Stay America (8281 Willow Oaks Corporate Drive, Fairfax VA 22031), 4.5 miles from the playing site; call 703-204-0088 and ask for the NOVA Go Club rate, or email MRD@extendedstay.com.
photo by Chris Garlock
Correction: Mingming Yin’s rank has been updated to 1P (4/27)
