Over 100 are already registered for the 2019 Cotsen Open, coming up October 26-27, 2019 at MG Studio in downtown Los Angeles. The Cotsen Open features thousands of dollars in prizes, an extremely competitive Open Division, live commentary on top board games, masseuses to massage players during their games, free food truck lunches to all those who pre-register on both Saturday and Sunday of the tournament. And, as always, everyone who pre-registers and plays in all 5 of their matches has their full entry fee refunded. Pre-registration closes on Tuesday, October 22nd; register here. NOTE: The E-Journal still has a couple game recorder slots available; game recorders — who must have their own laptops — receive EJ caps, $25 per game and the chance to observe top-board games at close range. Email journal@usgo.org if interested.
The 8th Virginia Open took place in Vienna, Virginia on September 28th and featured a 26-player field, including nine 5-dan and stronger players in the 10-person Open section. Eric Lui 1p emerged victorious in all three of his games to become the overall champion. Justin Teng 6d took second place after losing to Lui in the final round, while Qingbo Zhang 5d and Joshua Lee 6d took third and fourth place respectively. Among Virginia residents, Qingbo Zhang 5d, Joshua Lee 6d, Yaming Wang 7d, and Ran Zhao 5d qualified for the Finals of the Virginia State Championship, which will take place at a later time. In the Handicap division, Xuhui Zhang 3d, Derek Zhou 7k, and Adam King 15k won first place in their respective sections. All participants received a free Go Book courtesy of Hinoki Press and the Capital Go Club.
Players face off in Round 1 of the 8th Virginia Open
Group photo of attendees
The venue also hosted the Jinghua Cup, which was a three vs. three team match between alumni of Peking University and Tsinghua University. Liang Yu 6d and Sihao Li 3d were able to score crucial wins for Peking University to clinch victory with a 2-1 score. Fairfax County Cable TV came to the event mid-day to record some of the action as well as a presentation by Edward Zhang about the cultural aspects of Go in both the West and the East. Virginia House of Delegates member Mark Keam also visited the event to give a brief talk about how he sees Go as a metaphor for global society and a bridge to connect Asian and American culture. More photos from the event can be found in this album compiled by Liang Yu, Hejun Kang, and Anna Liu.
In a September 7th article titled “Battle algorithm,” The Economist writes of a “paradox” that may be familiar to readers who analyze their games using Leela Zero and other AIs. “AI might at once penetrate and thicken the fog of war, allowing it to be waged with a speed and complexity that renders it essentially opaque to humans.” The article notes that in AlphaGo’s March 2016 victory over Lee Sedol, the AI “played several highly creative moves that confounded experts,” and this led a workshop at the Chinese Academy of Military Science to conclude that, in the words of one source, “an AI could create tactics and stratagems superior to those of a human player in a game that can be compared to a war-game.”
While the article in The Economist focuses on conventional warfare, the strengths and weaknesses of go-playing AIs also appear in recent publications on nuclear warfare.
In 2017, the American think tank RAND Corporation held a series of workshops on AI and nuclear war, which noted that AlphaGo’s victory “astonished even AI and strategy experts.” “[T]he decisionmaking in Go is far simpler to address than in nuclear war…. but by the year 2040, it does not seem unreasonable to expect that an AI system might be able to play aspects or stages of military wargames or exercises at superhuman levels.” It is “likely that humans making command decisions will treat the AI system’s suggestions as on par with or better than those of human advisers. This potentially unjustified trust presents new risks that must be considered.”
This year, an August 16 commentary by two American researchers also cites AlphaGo. The commentary notes that AlphaGo Zero “learned through an iterative process”; “in nuclear conflict there is no iterative learning process.” “The laws of war require a series of judgments…. Software that cannot explain why a target was chosen probably cannot abide by those laws. Even if it can, humans might mistrust a decision aid that could outwardly resemble a Magic 8-Ball.” Nonetheless, the commentary argues for having AI take more control over US nuclear weapons.
Thanks to Fred Baldwin for once again spotting go, this time in “Battle algorithm.”
The San Diego Go Club scheduled on Sunday, September 29, at the San Diego Chess Club in Beautiful Balboa Park, two Back-to-School tournaments – one 19×19 and a 13×13 for youth players – plus a pizza party, and professional instruction by Yilun Yang 7P. Over 50 players competed for pumpkins, vintage Go Worlds, and cash.
In the Open, Tyler Oyakawa 6d went 3-0 to win a giant pumpkin and an envelope of money. Taking second, with a 2-1 record, was Michael Zhou 6d. In the handicap section, the top three finishers were James Acres 1k, 3-0 and the brothers Yang, Tony and Kevin, both 1 dan with 2-1 records. In the 5k-19k section, Arunas Rudvalis 6k, Addison Lee 19k, and Aaron Jones 10k, all went 3-0 with Arunas winning the pumpkin after tiebreakers. In the 20k-35k section, Chloe Li 23k, 3-0, George Spellman 22k, 2-1, and Aenaelle Acres 23k (daughter of James), 2-1, beat the rest of the field.
Concurrently, Hai Li 5P ran a 13×13 youth tournament for 16 kids. He was the tournament director, adjudicator, and teacher for the 4-round competition. The boy and girl winners in the 13×13 Open competition were Johnny Wu 35k, and Jolina Jian 24k respectively. Several of Hai Li’s 13×13 students graduated to the 19×19 tournament this Sunday and did well.
A free pizza break took place after the two tournaments and then Yilun Yang entertained a standing room only group for 2.5 hours with a clear and concise lecture. Matching funds from the American Go Foundation made it possible to have professional go expertise at this event.
-photos by Henry You -report by Ted Terpstra
SDGC president Ted Terpstra awards the Open prizes to Tyler Oyakawa
GOTHAM GO TOURNAMENT Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 AT Hostelling International New York 891 Amsterdam Ave (btw 103rd & 104th) Tournament Director: David Glekel 3d Assistant TD: Jino (Steven) Choung (1k) Organizer: Peter Armenia Players of all strengths welcome! Breakfast bagels, snacks, coffee and goodies provided! click here to register early – space limited to 90 players!
WHAT? GOTHAM GO TOURNAMENT 4 rounds, AGA rated – cash prizes in all sections – open section for strong dans $30 entrance fee
WHEN? Saturday, November 2nd, 2019 Check in 10:00, first round starts at 11:00 sharp! (Yes, it’s a little later start, but now there are no excuses for a late arrival.)
WHERE? Hostelling International New York – 891 Amsterdam Ave (btw 103rd & 104th) Subway 1 to 103rd, walk one block east or C, B to 103rd and walk 3 blocks west Room location – The Ballroom (NOTE: This is upstairs from our usual room)
WHAT ELSE? Space is limited to 90 players so register earlyPlease pay online to registerWe’re nice – full refunds if you have to cancel!AGA membership required. Click here to become an AGA member.
If you like mountains, snow, skiing, and (of course) go, you might want to check into this unique opportunity to mix them all together in the French Alps this winter. The Grenoble Go Club and the French Go Federation are teaming up to organize the Go & Ski International Winter Camp January 25th through February 1st, 2020.
The camp will be held in the resort village of Vaujany, France, directly adjacent to the splendid ski area of the Alpe d’Huez. Inseong Hwang 8d, Tanguy Le Calvé 1P, and others will be on hand to teach go and make this go-ski camp an unforgettable experience. More information about the Go & Ski International Winter Camp can be found at http://stage-go-ski.jeudego.org/en/.
If you like competition, you may also want to keep the momentum going and register for the International Grenoble Go Tournament (TIGGRE – Ellie Cup) which will take place in Grenoble on February 1st and 2nd.
Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community. To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. Applications are due Nov. 5th this year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.
Pandanet AGA City League registration begins again for a new year. Registration will be open until Saturday November 2nd.The first round will start on November 17th. Please see the updated rules for the year for any questions. Registration and questions can be sent to steve.colburn@usgo.org. We hope to see your city compete this year!
The AGA is regularly asked for new chapters around the country. These are the newly registered chapters from September 2019:
Grande Ronde Go Club – Le Bebe Cakes, 1103 Washington Avenue, La Grande, Oregon – 5:00pm – 8:00pm on Thursday – Contact Steve Tanner
Members should check their information when logging in. If you are not receiving the EJ make sure your email is up to date. Chapters can always update their current chapter through the AGA Membership Manager if they have changed.
