American Go E-Journal » 2019 » June

Artem Kachanovskyi ends Eric Lui’s winning streak in Transatlantic Team Championship

Sunday June 30, 2019

In round seven of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, played on June 30, EGF pro Artem 2P defeated Eric Lui 1P, ending Lui’s streak at three wins. The AGA team now has only one player remaining – Ryan Li 1P – while the EGF team has Artem Kachanovskyi 2P and Ilya Shikshin 3P.

In the opening, Eric Lui, playing black, built up a wide area on the right side. White approached lightly, trying to limit black’s potential. Black launched a full-on attack of white’s group, surrounding it from the outside. However, black’s shape had some weaknesses. White allowed black a small ponnuki, then cut on L16, forcing black to give up one or the other of his surrounding groups. Black chose to give up both, and instead swallowed the upper-left corner, keeping game balanced. Complicated fights ensued, but white was slightly ahead. White then successfully invaded the upper-left corner, leading black to resign.

The EGF has announced that Ilya Shikshin 3P will substitute for Artem in the next round under the wildcard rule*. Kachanovskyi is unable to play next round due to his upcoming wedding in Romania. If Shikshin defeats Ryan Li, the AGA’s last remaining player, this championship will be over. If Ryan Li wins, he will face Artem Kachanovskyi in the final game.

The next round, Ryan Li 1P vs. Ilya Shikshin 3P, will take place on July 7, starting at 14:00 US Eastern time. The game will be played on OGS and live-streamed on Twitch.

*Wildcard rule: Each team has one wildcard that can be used in an emergency. When a currently winning player is not able to play the next round, a team can nominate any not-yet-defeated teammate to substitute for one game. The original winning player must come back in the following round, regardless of the substitute player’s result.

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Gotham Go Group’s new location

Sunday June 30, 2019

Although Pie by the Pound is closing on Sunday, New York City Go organizer Peter Armenia reports that he’s “found a new place where folks can play go on Wednesday evenings from 6-10.” The new meeting place will be the Barnes & Noble at 33 E 17th St (in the cafe on the third floor) right on the north side of Union Square. “So please do come out for the inaugural meeting at the new location this Wednesday!” Armenia urges. “And remember to thank the good folks at B&N by purchasing something at the cafe or the bookstore while there!”

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Traveling Go Board: World Go Festival

Sunday June 30, 2019

by Bart Jacob

While attending the Osaka Go Camp, we had an opportunity to attend the World Go Festival. In the morning session, there was an exhibition match between Nakamura 1P who recently became the youngest pro play at age 9 (she has since turned 10), and Murakawa, who recently won the Judan tournament and thus given the honorary rank of 10P. Game commentary was provided by Cho Chikun 9P. It was a great experience and a chance to see and interact with many Go legends.
Murukawa had also visited the Go Camp a few days earlier and I was lucky enough to play him in a simul games with four others.

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Categories: Japan,Main Page
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NGC launches new website

Sunday June 30, 2019

The National Go Center has just launched its new website. It features a prominent calendar of upcoming Go events, a go news feed, latest NGC tweets and more, including albums of photos from recent NGC events. You’ll also find details on NGC membership, Go classes and volunteer opportunities.

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Xu and Cao win Second Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament

Saturday June 29, 2019

Fourteen players participated the Second Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament on June 22nd in Lexington, MA. Andrew (Hancheng) Xu won senior division and Ruihan Cao won junior division. The second to fourth place winners of the senior division are: Chengyou (Charlie) Zhong, Hanchi Ou and Jiayong (Justin) Liu. The second to fourth place winners of the junior division are: Siyu (Steven) Chen, Christopher Huang and Andy Zhu. They were awarded trophies and Go books. All participants were issued certificates. The tournament was organized by New Legacy Cultural Center and Massachusetts Go Association.

(top) Ruihan Cao (right): Siyu Chen; (bottom): Andrew Xu (right): Charlie Zhong
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Your Move/Readers Write: Remembering the No Exit Go Club; Why the Western Mass. Go Club doesn’t meet in a library

Saturday June 29, 2019

Remembering the No Exit Go Club: “When I got married in 1980, my wife and I found an apartment in Rogers Park,” writes Bob Barber (Your Move/Readers Write: No Exit update? 6/26/19). “I had no idea that this was THE neighborhood where non-Asians played Go. I spent countless happy Monday nights at the No Exit, (which) hosted go players for decades. It was a coffee shop, complete with Open Mike, poetry readings, lots of tie-dyed. A great place to hang out. And inhale some cigarette smoke. The focus on Go now has moved a few miles north, to the Evanston Go Club, ably run by Mark Rubenstein.”

Why the Western Mass. Go Club doesn’t meet in a library: “Thanks for the article (The Traveling Board: One library at a time 6/28/2019) about playing in the public library,” writes Eric Osman. “The only reasons that the Western Mass. Go Club doesn’t meet in the library are 1) We love to drink coffee and eat dessert while we play and the library doesn’t allow food and drink 2) We play on Thurs. eve later than the library is open.”

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Go Spotting: Code Jam 2019

Saturday June 29, 2019

“Google has hosted an annual programming competition for the last 15 or so years in early April,” writes Adrian Petrescu. “This year, the registration page looked like this. By the way, I wonder if any AGA E-Journal readers recognize the position on the board? It’s not, as far as I can tell, any of the AlphaGo games against Sedol or Ke Jie, though maybe it’s one of the hundreds of Master games.”

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Categories: Go Spotting,Main Page
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The Traveling Board: One library at a time

Friday June 28, 2019

photo: Bill and David of the Boise (ID) Go Club, on the cover of the Meridian Library magazine, Meridian, Idaho, courtesy David Bogie.

by Zhiping You

A couple of months ago, I was in the library of my town (Lexington, MA), and found several people playing chess in the library lounge (they call it the living room). I talked with one of them and found out that the library had bought a chess set and put them in the library lounge, and encourage people to play chess there. So I went to one of the librarians and asked if they could also buy a Go set and encourage people to play Go in the library. I also told them that if they want (or need), I could give them a lecture on Go.

Here’s the email I got from them today:
Hello, Mr. You: Some months ago you approached me at the Reference Desk to ask that the library purchase a Go set for public use. I’m writing to let you know that we now have one and it is set up on a table in the Living Room area of the main floor, near the chess set. I’ve given your contact information to our new program director, Meena Jain, in case she would like to contact you about a Go program or classes.
Best regards,
Jean Williams, Reference Department, Cary Memorial Library
Lexington, MA 02420

I am delighted and wanted to share this with E-Journal readers. Imagine if every library in the U.S. bought a Go set; that would be a splendid way to popularize Go.

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Categories: U.S./North America
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It’s elementary: students explore history and culture of Go in Chicago field trip

Thursday June 27, 2019

by Xinming (Simon) Guo

Just one month after we discovered Weiqi (Chinese for Go) in the new exhibition at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (Go featured in Chicago museum exhibit), we welcomed the first school field trip visitors: 30 students and chaperones from Cherokee Elementary School, who visited the museum and participated in our on-site go game workshop.

These elementary students first learned how to play Go for 45 minutes in the workshop area, and then moved to the the gallery areas to see the exhibitions. The students were very surprised and excited to discover that Go was played by Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad in the mid-19th century. Depending on the schedule, a Go workshop can also be provided after the museum tour. For workshops like this, the same teaching method is used as the one we use to introduce go as a math manipulative in schools. Usually we play on size 6 or 7 mini go board in the math classrooms.

“This is a brand new combo tour service, which combines the regular tour and hands-on Chinese culture/art workshop,” said Ben Lau, the executive director of Chinese American Museum of Chicago. School group visitors, especially students from Chinese language classrooms from Chicago Metropolitan Area, now have the opportunity to reserve their field trip to the museum, and choose one Chinese culture and art related workshop. Besides Go, calligraphy, Chinese painting, paper cutting, origami and more are on the list. See more photos here.

Guo organized the Go workshop and is the founder of the Go and Math Academy.

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Bob High Memorial Song & Poetry Contest planned for U.S. Go Congress

Thursday June 27, 2019

A studious player named Jones
Tried capturing a group of stones
His opponent gave them
He just didn’t save them
And from the observers came groans.

A fearless young player named Joe
Was trying to stir up some woe
He made a big cut
His opponent said “What?!”
As calmly he retook the ko.

They call it Go in Japanese
In China they call it Wei Chi
The Korean books
All call it Baduk
But call it whatever you please.

The limericks above are meant to demonstrate how easy it is to create submissions for the 2019 US Go Congress’ Bob High Memorial Song & Poetry Contest. For those who keenly felt the contest’s absence last year, Frank Brown has picked up the gauntlet and will be herding bards and judges at this year’s gathering in Madison (July 13-20; click here for details).

Rules and entry forms will be available at the Congress beginning Sunday afternoon. “So prepare to pick up your writing devices, plunk down some verses, fill out an official entry form and drop them in the submission box,” says Brown. “You too could be a winner!”
NOTE: AGA members unable to attend this year’s Congress may submit entries in absentia by emailing them to fcnzyo@protonmail.ch — please use ‘2019 Song & Poetry Contest’ in the subject field.”

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