NOTE: Here are a couple quick updates from the 2022 U.S. Go Congress Awards Banquet Saturday night. Stay tuned for more Congress reports, including complete tournament winners reports, top winner photos, and an exclusive EJ interview with NAMT winner Han Han.
Han Han 5P completed his 7-0 sweep of the 2022 North American Masters on Saturday morning by defeating Andy Liu 1P. In the photo at right, Han Han excitedly showed off his trophy and $5k check at Saturday night’s awards banquet.
The banquet kicked off with a longtime tradition, the auction of a go board — in this case a high quality kaya floor goban from the vintage team at Store.Baduk.Club — the benefit the American Go Foundation, which has long invested in young go players, many of whom were in attendance at the Go Congress. A fierce bidding war broke out for the goban, which had been signed by NAMT players, including newly-minted U.S. pro Alex Qi, and both outgoing AGA president Andy Okun and incoming president Gurujeet Khalsa. In the end, 2022 Redmond finalist King Bi (2nd from right), was the winner with a record $4,000 bid. “My family just wanted to give something back to the organization that has done so much for young go players,” Bi said.
– report by Chris Garlock; photos by Garlock (right) and Phil Straus (left)
In photo at left (l-r): AGA president Andy Okun, AGF VP Paul Barchilon, AGF president Terry Benson, King Bi, E-Journal Managing Editor (and auctioneer) Chris Garlock, auction organizer Solomon Smilack.
