American Go E-Journal » AGA Chapters

The San Diego Go Club (SDGC) was recently challenged to an online Vanguard Go tournament by GoLegend, a go school in Hong Kong, China. Three youth players from each club and an instructor (exhibition) were matched against each other, where each game was against someone of the same rating. Representing the SDGC were Evan Tan (4d and the 2022 Redmond Cup junior champion), Elias Klingbeil 2d, Andy Zhou 1d, and Michael Zhou (6d, instructor). Elias and Michael won their games. All were spirited contests, with GoLegend arranging a Zoom connection for the players, a Twitch channel for spectators, and a go pro to do commentary. For the benefit of the American side, the communications were done in English. SDGC players now have a taste of international competition. GoLegend is interested in developing more go contacts with chapters in the AGA.

Registration is now open for two go tournaments the SDGC is hosting on Sunday, September 25, 2022: The 2022 U16 Girls and U16 Boys California State Go Championships and the End-of-Summer-Go-Tournament (for the non-youth). The competition is held at the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park. There is a $10 entry fee. CLICK HERE for registration and further information.

• Ted Terpstra, San Diego Go Club

Thirty players from across the country competed for $500 in prizes at the May 21 SF Go Club – ING Foundation Tournament.  The 3-round event, organized in recognition of the club’s longstanding support from the ING Foundation, was held at the San Francisco Go Club’s dojo in San Francisco’s Japantown.
Eric Lee (6D) came out victorious in Division 1 of the tournament, with Chao Xie (6D) and Christopher Kim (5D) in second and third place, respectively. In Division 2 the winner was Hyun Yong Jin (5 kyu) with Qilu Chen (1D) taking second and David Baran (6 kyu) taking third. And, from Division 3 Casey Dahlin (9 kyu) placed first with Adam Anaya (13 kyu) coming in second and Shuoyuan He (18 kyu) in third. All tournament attendees received a limited edition San Francisco Go Club mousepad.

The San Francisco Go Club will be hosting its next tournament on Saturday June 18^th: register here. 

Report/photos by Matthew Barcus, SFGO Vice President.

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Over fifty players with ratings from 7-dan to 25-kyu are already registered for the 11th annual San Diego Go Championship coming up this Sunday, May 15 at the SD Chess Club in Balboa Park, CA; click here for details and to register.

The tournament is hosted by the San Diego Go Club; players must register by 11:59 pm this Friday, May 13 to play in the first round. On-site registration for rounds 2-4 is allowed. The Open is 3-rounds, 45-min/player plus byo-yomi while the Handicap section is 4-rounds, 30-min/player plus byo-yomi.

The Triangle Go Group has announced one of their “most ambitious and unique events to date”, the Burning Board Go Festival. The four-day event will consist of tournament games and workshops and will take place June 16-19 in Umstead State Park near Raleigh, North Carolina. The event features the option of low-cost, on-site accommodations in primitive cabins. Tent camping and nearby hotels also available.

“This is a great spot for those who love hiking, mountain biking, lake swimming, or just being out in the beauty of Nature,” says Co-Director Paul Celmer. The site is 10 minutes from RDU international airport, and twenty minutes from the Cary Amtrack station. “We already have a significant number of registrants from out of state,” reports Co-Director Bob Bacon. The site is limited to 120 participants, click here for registration details.

The AGA is asking chapters to delay tournaments and to consider not having club meetings at least for the month of January, until the latest wave of Covid-19, the Omicron variant, has passed. “While the danger to any individual is hard to know, the effect on the overall medical system is significant,” says AGA president Andy Okun. Delaying tournaments and club meeting will “keep members safer and do our part to not risk burdening hospitals with extra cases,” says Okun. “Our Covid advice page will be frequently updated and we will keep our eye on rapidly changing information.”

In a related story, the January 22nd Gotham Go Tournament is being rescheduled “due to the very high rates of Covid-19 in New York City and the surrounding area,” reports organizer Peter Armenia.  The new date is March 26^th.

The restart of Friday Night Go at the National Go Center in Washington, DC has been postponed until at least January 14, reports Gurujeet Khalsa, although that’s due to the NGC having its heating serviced, with snowy and chilly weather predicted.

Any other chapter/club and/or tournament updates should be reported to journal@usgo.org and we’ll post updates here.

The Gotham Go Group is sponsoring a 4-round AGA-rated tournament in Flushing, New York on Saturday January 22^nd, 2022. “Due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, this will be a VACCINATED ONLY event with masks optional,” says organizer Peter Armenia. “You MUST show proof of vaccination to enter and play. Space is limited to 90 players so register early.”  

There will be cash prizes in all sections and an open section for strong dan-level players. AGA membership is required to register and play; to join or renew your membership click here. To register for the tournament and pay the $35 application fee, click here. Full refunds are available should you need to cancel. To see who’s already registered, click here.

Joel Kenny (4D) is the Tournament Director; Assistant TD is Jino (Steven) Choung (1k).