American Go E-Journal » 2021 » November

New from BOARD N’STONES: Aji’s Quest and Fukui’s creative problems on 5×5 board in English

Tuesday November 30, 2021

Aji’s Quest

First serialized as online comic by author Collette Bezio, Aji’s Quest has now been published in print by BOARD N’STONES, the English branch of primarily German-language Go books publisher Brett und Stein Verlag. Aji has been playing Go for a whole month…and he still sucks at it! Can the mysterious Master Tenuki turn him into a champion in one easy lesson? Enthusiastic, cheeky, a little impatient, but certainly not hindered by any prior knowledge, Aji allows himself to be sent by Master Tenuki on a quest to the top of mountain Moyo. After all, he wants to become 27th Dan as soon as possible. Along the way, he experiences bizarre adventures.

ISBN 978-3-940563-87-3, 184 pages, 2021

Keep Fit! With the 5×5 Board

Fukui Masaaki’s little creations show that much of what is complex and profound in Go can be found in the tight confines of the 5×5 board. The problems cover endgame moves, aspects of life and death, attacking and defending, judgments based on calculating territory, the presence or absence of ko threats, and even things pertaining to the realm of middle game fighting. John Fairbairn said once about this book: “… the whole book, by Fukui Masaaki 8-dan, is rated low kyu to high dan, but a nice touch is that the individual problems within each section are not rated, so that you have to assume that each could be be a dan problem.” Now this lovely book has been available as English edition by BOARD N’STONES.

ISBN 978-3-940563-92-7, 126 pages, Fukui Masaaki, 2021

-report by Gunnar Dickfield

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Redmond’s Reviews, Episode 31: Go Seigen vs. Hashimoto Utaro

Monday November 29, 2021

“Looking at the josekis in the upper left and lower left, you’d wonder if this is a modern AI – or at least a modern professional player – because these are very much like the professional joseki we play now,” says Michael Redmond 9P in his latest commentary, hosted by EJ editor Chris Garlock. “But they were actually innovations by Go Seigen, and they weren’t popular at the time. People said they were empty triangle shapes and they couldn’t be good for White (but) they were wrong.”
“This was the fourth game of their second jubango (10-game match),” says Redmond. “Hashimoto was Honinbo, and the Kansai Kiin was on the verge of splitting from the Nihon Kiin with Hashimoto as one of its founding members. From their previous Jubango, the handicap was Sen-Ai-Sen, no komi, which happened to match the 8P-9P rank difference. This game was a turning point that made it a very dangerous series for Hashimoto.”
Redmond also announced the release of a special calendar to celebrate passing the 10,000 subscriber mark on his YouTube channel. The 2022 calendar is hand-signed by Redmond and features go-themed paintings by Redmond’s daughter Emi.

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Join the 10th Season of the Pandanet AGA City League

Monday November 29, 2021

Pandanet AGA City League Finals @ 2014 US Go Congress in New York City

Join more than 65 player across 18 teams for this year’s League. The top players across the US and Canada will compete for $14,000 in prizes and glory throughout 2022. Represent your city and show your might as you battle each team’s squad. Read through the rules on the Pandanet site to sign up! Contact the TD for any questions. Note: Webcams will be required to participate in the games.

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MGF league’s 9th season launches Dec. 7th

Sunday November 28, 2021

The 9th season of the Massachusetts Go Foundation league is set to begin December 7th. As the league is completely online, it’s open to anyone who may be interested from 30kyu – 1kyu. The insei-inspired competition runs for five weeks, with games assigned Tuesday evenings, but participants are free to reschedule with their opponent. The next evening, games are reviewed by Dan-level instructors, including Mike Fodera 5d, Shawn Ray (Clossius) 4d, Dwyrin 4d, and Milan Mladenovic, and posted on YouTube. The 8th season had close to 50 participants, “so you’re sure to get in some good games.,” say organizers.

The MGF is also offering an 8-week beginner class, working mostly on the 9×9 board, and a 1-hour introductory workshop.

The main goals of the MGF are to integrate go into the school system, and to create an engaging and interesting environment for existing players. Learn more on their website, Facebook, Meetup, YouTube, or Patreon.

  • Milan Mladenovic, MGF Education Director; editing by Derek McGuire
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Go Spotting: The Economist

Friday November 26, 2021

In its November 13 issue, The Economist described last year’s flare-up in the decades-long Sino-Indian border dispute as though China and India were engaged in a match of go. These two powers have largely avoided direct conflict, for they “were focused on building their own core structures,” as go players in the early stages of a match might do as they peacefully lay claim to the corners and sides of the board. At times, India has sought to define its border with its neighbor. But China—as any go player would—resisted, knowing that the unsettled border is one that can be exploited for further advantage. Now, with these two powers entering the later stages of the game where “the board fills up and one player emerges dominant, there should be no surprise for [China] to push the advantage.”

You can read the piece here. The article is behind a paywall which may require either registering an account that will grant limited access for free, or becoming a paid subscriber.
– Paul Adamski, with thanks to Bart Lipofsky and Pete Schumer for flagging this.

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50 Years aGO – November 1971

Wednesday November 24, 2021

by Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister

On November 4, Sakata Eio won the first game in his defense of the Ōza title against Hashimoto Shōji 9d. He completed the defense on November 17. (Game records: Game 1, Game 2)

Back in the USA, Takao Matsuda won the New York Championship on November 20 and 21. Future AGA President John Stephenson was promoted to shodan after winning the kyu championship.

Go Seigen made a trip to the US, visiting Hawaii as well as New York from the 15th to the 20th and San Francisco on the 22nd. New York Champion Matsuda was one of the few players to manage a win against him – on three stones. The game was featured in Go Review.

As mentioned previously in this column, the “new” (and current) Nihon Ki’in building was opened on November 22.

Finally, in Europe, the International Go Master Tournament was held in Yugoslavia from the 26th to the 29th. The clear champion with a perfect 6-0 record was Jürgen Mattern of Germany.

Photos courtesy of Go Review

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Vermont Go Club’s tournament variation

Monday November 22, 2021

The Vermont Go Club held a club tournament over the past four weeks, reports organizer Pete Schumer. The winner was Jack Cary (2k) with a perfect record of 5 – 0.  “I’m writing to the e-journal just as a suggestion for other clubs,” says Schumer. “All our games were self-paired, in person, timed appropriately, and with everyone wearing masks.  The idea was that with current conditions, it’s tough to get everyone together for a full day weekend tournament.  But by spreading it out over four meetings and allowing people to play just one or at most two ‘official’ games each week along with some friendly games, we were able to create a low-pressure but enjoyable tournament.  Even if a player missed a meeting or two, it didn’t really matter.”

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GoSpotting: Aji’s Quest

Saturday November 20, 2021

Ted Terpstra reports that a new children’s book highlighting Go and Go terms, has become available. “Aji’s Quest is a fascinating story of a young Quoll who goes in search of a great Go master, Tenuki, so he can learn to become a Go master himself,” says Terpstra. “During Aji’s quest, he learns much about the game of Go and is tested repeatedly at the board. The book is best appreciated if the reader has a basic knowledge of Go.”

Aji’s Quest is a comic series by Collette Bezio originally released online that is now published in print by Board’N’Stones.

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Students exercised mind and body at Stone Mountain Park

Saturday November 20, 2021

On November 7, 2021, Feijun (Frank) Luo 7d taught his first in-person Go class in nearly two years for Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy at Stone Mountain Park. “We met with great excitement and joy,” says Luo. Frank played go with students and watched them play for two hours, and then he led them on a hike on Stone Mountain. Despite the strenuous hiking, all students climbed to the summit of Stone Mountain by supporting each other. At the summit of Stone Mountain, not only did they enjoy the spectacular view of Atlanta and the beautiful sunset, but also played a game of group speed Go to the amusement of all. Joining Frank in this class were the students Collin Guo, Leo Huang, Ryan Huang, Gavin Situ, Eric Wang, Lucas Wang, Andrea Wang, Jiayue Wu, Kevin Yang, Jiaming Zou, and Jiayi Zou. “It’s vital to stay physically and mentally active during this pandemic,” continued Luo. “We will have more classes like this to help achieve the goal!” 

-report by Feijun (Frank) Lui

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SDGC Opens Regstration for Four California Go Championships

Saturday November 20, 2021


Over the Thanksgiving weekend – November 27 & 28, 2021 – The San Diego Go Club will be hosting four go tournaments. Registration for all of them is open, and will close at 11:59 P.M. PST on Thanksgiving day – November 25. Online registration will be necessary to participate in the first round; onsite registration will be accepted for rounds 2-5. All four tournaments will be held at the spacious San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park. Current AGA membership is required for all tournaments.

The 2021 King Cup California State Go Championship will be the premier event of the tournament weekend with five rounds over two days. The tournament will have both Open and Handicap sections. Over $1,100 in prizes will be awarded with at least $400 going to the King Cup winner. This will be the 4th time that the best Go player in California will be crowned. Previous winners include Calvin Sun 1P, Evan Lin 7d, and Bo Luan 6d. In 2018 and 2019 competition was fierce with 76 players and 66 players respectively. While only residents of California, including students, are eligible to win the King Cup, everyone can play. The King Cup will have 45-minutes per player plus Byo-yomi timing. The entry fee for the King Cup is $20 for adults and $10 for youth.

The other three tournaments are all for youth under the age of 16-years who choose not to play in the King Cup. Hai Li 5P will be the tournament director for all of the youth tournaments. The entry fee for each of the youth tournaments will be $5. On Saturday, both the U16 Girls’ California State Go Championship and the U16 Boys’ California State Go Championship will be contested. These will both be 4-round, 30-minute time per player plus Byo-yomi. On Sunday, an U16 California State 13×13 Champion will be crowned. The time limit will be 15-minutes per player. This tournament is open to everyone.

For safety, all adults will be required to be vaccinated for the Covid19 virus, and all players and spectators will be required to wear masks except when dining on the lunchtime pizza that will be provided both days. There are several outdoor tables if any players want to play their games outside.

-report by Ted Terpstra

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