The Evanston Go Club’s 2022 Chicago Open tournament on May 14 saw a record-breaking 84 players. “This turnout was double our highest-ever, and nearly three times our usual size.” said TD Mark Rubenstein. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of Albert Yen, who brought this tournament to a whole new level. With 16 players ranked 5 dan and above, including a professional player, this was by far the most competitive tournament we’ve ever run.”
“The energy in the room was special. We had players ranging from elementary schoolers to retirees, beginners to professionals, and travelers from 11 states. The best part is, I know the next time will be even better! Stay tuned for what Chicago has to offer!” said Albert Yen. Simon Guo taught first-time youngsters to play in the free Youth section. “Watch out for these kids next year!” said Rubenstein, adding “Special thanks go to Devin Fraze for running the Open section and bringing his awesome tournament software, 30 Go sets and three players from Ohio!”
“This tournament really put the program through its paces, and we have a lot of ideas for making the next iteration even better! It will eventually be made available to clubs through the baduk.club website.” said Co-Director Fraze.
Tournament photos can be found here. The top board was streamed live on Twitch, and the recordings can be seen here: Rounds 1 & 2; Rounds 3-5.
Winners:
Open: 1 – Albert Yen 8d (5-0); 2 – Xingke Sun 5d (4-1); 3 – Zirui Song 1p (3-2)
Dan: 1 – Stephanie Tan 1d (3-3); 2 – Xiaodong Tan 1d (3-1); 3 – Daniel Puzan 2d (3-1)
High Kyu: 1 – Sean Gibbons 2k (5-2); 2 – Samuel Kennedy 2k (4-1); 3 – Huanzhou Yang 4k (4-2)
Mid Kyu: 1 – Winston Yan 9k (5-2); 2 – David Rohde 5k (4-4); 3 – Robert Qi 5k (4-1)
Low Kyu: 1 – Jeffrey Jiao 15k (6-1); 2 – Grant Song 18k (6-0); 3 – Alicia Seifrid 12k (5-1)
Youth 9×9: 1 – Belle Chao; 2 – Katherine Chen; 3 – Valerie Huang; 4 – Evan Pan
