Nearly 60 students in Northern Virginia learned go basics on Monday, thanks to an AGA chapter’s initiative teaming up with
the summer camp of Hope Chinese School (HCS). “We started with First Capture to get the students interested,” reports Edward Zhang 6D of the Capital Go Club. “Then we introduced the true goal of the game, strategically getting more territory.”
Justin Teng 6D (right), Assistant AGA Youth Coordinator, also lectured about some basic Go concepts, which students then practiced with each other. A Go Congress introduction and Weiqi Boy video (Chinese) showed off the game’s rich culture as students inquisitively watched them.
Zhang emphasized the etiquette and sportsmanship of go, including greeting the opponent and bowing at the beginning, as well as showing appreciation at the end of the game. “Summer is a great time to learn go and the HCS summer camp is a great platform for the AGA,” says Zhang. “Students were very active in the go class, and while it’s hard to match their energy level, it was certainly a fun experience for us.” Zhang credited Yuan Zhou 7D, Dinny Li and Bin Wen for the event’s planning and administration.
