Last week’s Quiz was inspired by EJ reader Vernon Leighton who thought he spotted an error in a May 13 Wired article on go. “It said 
that Michael Redmond (far right) was the first American go professional and that James Kerwin (near right) was the second. I believe that Kerwin was the first.” As the vast majority of respondents knew, Kerwin was indeed the first American pro, but the real answer is a bit more nuanced. The Wired article correctly said that “The charismatic Redmond, an American… remains the only Westerner to ever reach 9-dan, the game’s highest rank” and that “James Kerwin…(became) the second-ever Western professional Go player” which is what created the confusion. Manfred Wimmer 2P (left) of Austria was the first Westerner to achieve professional status in 1978 at the Kansai Kiin; Kerwin 1P, from the United States, became a professional later that year at the Nihon Ki-in, the first westerner to do so there. Redmond was the first Western professional to achieve the rank of 9P, in 2000. Michael Goerss of Scottsdale, AZ is this week’s winner, chosen at random from those answering correctly.
This Week’s Quiz: Most of the registrants for the upcoming US Go Congress are from the United States; which country has the second-highest number of registrants? Click here to submit your answer.
