Report/photos by Ashley Qi
Quebec City. A beautiful and scenic vacation destination with countless locations to explore. But instead of solely vacationing, many have chosen to dedicate time to exploring their minds at the Canadian Open, held August 26-29. Among these players were skilled American contenders: Alexander [Alex] Qi (1P), Alan Huang (7D), Jeremy Chiu (7D), Justin Teng (6D), and Joel Kenny (4D). With so many strong competitors, there were bound to be riveting games and results. And so it began.
The first round concluded with Alexander Qi winning by a narrow half point against Hongyi Li 6D and victories for Alan, Huang, Jeremy Chiu, and Joel Kenny as well.
In the second round, tensions rose when Alan Huang played Yongfei Ge 7D. Due to a clock malfunction, Ge was not able to properly stop his time counting down. However, since he had hit the clock and played his turn, Huang spent some time calculating his next move. When the clock started counting down the final seconds of the byo-yomi period, Huang played his move and hit the clock… only for it not to register because the clock was still on Ge’s time. In a panic, Huang continued hitting the clock with enough vigor to send it flying onto the board (I mean, with a game as intense as his, who would want to lose by time?). The clock issue was eventually sorted out, and thankfully someone had a picture of the board just moments before the disaster – so all was right in the world. And one has to admit: it does elicit a chuckle, looking back on it. Huang ended up being 2.5 points short of winning after such a harrowing game. Meanwhile, Alex Qi and Justin Teng both won their second round games.
As the sun set and the first day drew to a close, the standings were as such: Alex Qi undefeated at 2-0, with Alan Huang, Jeremy Chiu, Justin Teng and Joel Kenny all at 1-1.
Refreshed and ready to go on day two, the American players were prepared for a busy day. Two games, a simul, and a banquet were on the to-do list, and the morning started off with quite the kicker. Chiu and Teng were playing against each other, setting the tone for the friendly competition with a 2-2 opening and even some mirror go. This ultimately concluded with a win for Chiu. Qi, Huang, and Kenny also emerged victorious in their third round games.
The fourth round games brought all-around positivity for the American players with each of them winning their respective games. This left the records at 4-0 for Qi, 3-1 for Huang, Chiu, and Kenny, and 2-2 for Teng. On this positive note, the players prepared for the banquet. Qi had considerably less time to do so, as he was invited to play a simul as a newly minted NAGF professional. The banquet later that night was quite enjoyable, as well as a good time – props to the organizers!
Not pictured: Joel Kenny
The final day was the one to decide it all – two more rounds and the awards ceremony loomed ahead. Qi was defeated by Guanyu Song 6D, leaving Qi’s standing at 4-1 alongside both Huang and Chiu. That meant a tie going into the final round, where Qi was paired with Chiu. Qi emerged victorious while Huang and Teng notched up wins as well. After the dust settled, the standings were as such: 5-1 for Qi and Huang, 4-2 for Chiu and Kenny, and 3-3 for Teng. At the awards ceremony, Qi came in second place to champion Guanyu Song with a tiebreaker difference of just one SOS point. Huang, despite defeating Song in the fourth round, officially came in third place with the lowest SOS of the three 5-1 finishers. While the cash prize was originally only for the top two finishers, the tournament director decided to award Huang the same cash prize that Qi received. An incredible ending to an incredible tournament – all the American players made their country proud, indeed.
CLICK HERE for lots more photos and final standings, on the Canadian Open Facebook event page.
