While the pandemic may have put a pause on many tournaments, the annual suite of AGA youth tournaments will remain in full swing for 2021. Registration is now open for the 8th North American Kyu Championships (NAKC), the 28th Redmond Cup, and the 4th AGA Girls Cup. For all three tournaments, competitors must reside in North America and be a member of the his or her country’s national Go organization.
The 8th North American Kyu Championships will be held on February 20th and is a four-round, one-day tournament on the KGS Go Server for North American kyu players under the age of 18. Top junior (under 13) and senior (13-17) players in each division can win personalized crystal trophies, and the junior and senior champions of the top division will be invited to play in the Redmond Cup, which traditionally requires one to have a dan-level rank to compete. Players who complete all rounds of the NAKC will also be eligible for a $200 scholarship to the 2021 US Go Congress (USGC) in Cleveland, Ohio courtesy of the American Go Foundation. If there is no in-person USGC in 2021 due to the pandemic, the scholarship will be transferrable to the next in-person USGC. Registration for the NAKC closes on February 14th, and interested competitors can read about the rules and additional details for more information.
The 28th Redmond Cup and 4th AGA Girls Cup are premier tournaments for North American youth under 18 and females under 16 respectively. Players must have an accredited rank of 1-dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 10-kyu or higher to participate in the AGA Girls Cup. The Redmond Cup features both a Junior (under 13) and a Senior (13-17) division, while the AGA Girls Cup will feature one division. Both tournaments are online preliminaries to determine two finalists in each division who will be invited to play in a best-of-three match at the 2021 US Go Congress. The American Go Foundation will cover all reasonable expenses for the finalists of both tournaments to travel to and compete at the 2021 USGC. If there is no in-person 2021 USGC, the Finals will be played at the following in-person USGC. Players who complete all rounds of either tournament will also be eligible for a $200 scholarship to the next in-person USGC. Registration for the Redmond Cup will close on March 10th, with competition starting on March 15th. Registration for the AGA Girls Cup will close on March 17th, with competition starting on March 22nd. Interested competitors can read about the rules for the Redmond Cup and rules for the AGA Girls Cup for more information.
— Story by Justin Teng; photo by Paul Barchilon, AGA Youth Coordinators
