American Go E-Journal » Cotsen Open

Registration for this year’s Cotsen Open is now live; click here now to reserve your spot. The 2016 Cotsen Open will be held on the weekend of October 22-23 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, with the support of the Korean Consulate and the KCCLA. The tournament will feature “all of the things that you’ve come to expect,” organizers report, “including roving masseuses, free lunches, gorgeous trophies, a game between Yilun Yang 7p and another top pro, and thousands of dollars in prizes. This is a tournament you won’t want to miss!”

Save the dates of October 22-23 on your calendar for the 2016 Cotsen Open. The popular tournament returns to the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles this year, thanks to the support of the Korean Consulate and KCCLA. The 2016 tournament will feature all of the things that previous participants have come to expect and look forward to from the Cotsen Open, including roving masseuses, free lunches, gorgeous trophies, a game between Yilun Yang 7p and another top pro, and thousands of dollars in prizes. “This is a tournament you won’t want to miss!” say local organizers. Registration will open soon; stay tuned for more details and get updates on the Cotsen Open Faceboo page. photo: Mark Lee gets a massage at the 2015 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock

The Orange County Go Club was the top winner in the club competition at the recent Cotsen Open, winning $1,000. In second place ($300) was the Santa Monica club and Arizona ($200) took third place. Yilun Yang awarded special prizes to Cotsen Tournament Director Chris Sira and James Chen for his many contributions to the early years of the Cotsen Open.

The 2015 Cotsen crosstab has now been posted. The Cotsen livestream videos have also been posted now, including a very brief one in which Mark Lee reviews key points in his Round 3 game against Aaron Ye.

Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis thanked Assistant Tournament Organizer Wenguang Wu, Tournament Assistant Katie Dicus, Webmaster Laura Mayer-Sommer, Photographer Brian “Ferrari” Peregrina and many volunteers, including Sighris Sargon, Paru Maheta-Sargon and Chris Kirschner.

E-Journal team leader Chris Garlock’s crack recording/broadcast team included Andrew Jackson (YouTube live-streaming), Dennis Wheeler, Joe Cepiel, Richard Dolen and Jim Woh (game recorders). Xiaocheng Hu (xhu) provided the graphics for the video stream.
photo: Eric Cotsen, Orange County Go Club’s Kevin Chao and AGA president Andy Okun; photo by Brian “Ferrari” Peregrina

Mark Lee fended off a last-round challenge to clinch the 2015 Cotsen Open with a perfect 5-0 record. Lee uncharacteristically misread in a capturing race against Ho Son 7D of Seattle but fought back and then pulled ahead decisively in the endgame to win by more than 20 points. Large audiences watched the top-board matches, broadcast by the E-Journal team on both KGS and the AGA’s YouTube channel — where Myungwan Kim 9P and Jennie Shen 2P commented the games live — and Lee’s sharp focus throughout the tournament was impressive. “I was the runner-up last year and really wanted to win this year,” he told the E-Journal. “The games were tough but when I got ahead I tried to stay ahead and when things got complicated I just focused on the immediate problem.” Lee (second from right) donated his $1,000 winnings to the American Go Foundation to support their work with young go players; the donation was gratefully accepted by AGF board member Larry Gross (right), along with AGA President Andy Okun (second from left, next to Eric Cotsen at far left; click here for more photos).

The Cotsen drew a large field of nearly 150, mostly from Southern California but also from other West Coast  and Western states. After several years at the LA Korean Cultural Center, the Cotsen returned this year to the LA Center Studios in downtown Los Angeles. Players feasted on free food truck tacos from Komodo Food on Saturday and Kogi BBQ  on Sunday, and two experienced masseuses massaged out sore muscles (left) as the players sweated out their moves over the go boards. 

Tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen said he was “Really happy with the way the tournament went; everyone seemed to have a good time.” Although he didn’t win as many games as he would have liked, a beaming Cotsen said that “I think the game is awesome! The challenge, the people, everything about it. Figuring out a battle and winning the game, it’s just an awesome feeling.”
– report/photos by Chris Garlock; click here for a Facebook album with more event photos.

2015 Cotsen Winner’s Report (CLICK HERE FOR FINAL CROSSTAB)
Open: 1. Mark Lee (7d)  5 – 0; 2. Jeremy Chiu (7d)  4 – 1; 3. Beomgeun Cho (9d)  4 – 1; 4. Aaron Ye (7d)  3 – 2; 5. Xaiocheng Hu (5d)  3- 2; 6. Ho Son (7d)  3 – 2

Mark Lee 7D (left) stormed through the first three rounds of the 2015 Cotsen Open on Saturday as he tried to capture his first Cotsen title. Only young Aaron Ye even came close to upsetting the former Korean insei, in a third-round slugfest in which Ye managed to gain a slight advantage in the middle game, only to see his position collapse in the endgame under time pressure and an exquisite tesuji by Lee. Top boards in the final two rounds will be broadcast again live on KGS Sunday starting at 10a PST, with live-streaming of Board 1 on the AGA’s YouTube channel. Yilun Yang 7P will play another Chinese professional starting at 8a on KGS. Click here for a crosstab of results through Round 3.
Games from the top boards:
Rd1 Michael Zhou v. Mark Lee ,
Rd1 Evan Cho v. SukJun Kim ,
Rd1 Daniel Ko v. Vincent Zhuang ,
Rd1 Kevin Chao v. Boyang Chen ,
Rd2 Jeremy Chiu v. Mark Lee ,
Rd2 VincentZ huang v. Evan Cho ,
Rd2 Boyang Chen v. Daniel Liu ,
Rd2 Aaron Ye v. Stephen Hu ,
Rd3 Aaron Ye v. Mark Lee ,
Rd3 Daniel Liu v. Evan Cho ,
Rd3 Matthew Burrall v. Daniel Ko ,

photo: awaiting Round 1 pairings Saturday morning on the patio at the LA Center, just outside the Strong Players Room; report/photos by Chris Garlock

Pre-registration for this weekend’s Cotsen Open has ended — 143 pre-registered! — but organizers report that “you can still register at the door” on Saturday morning. Registration will open at 8a on Saturday at the LA Center Studios, 1201 W. 5th Street, Ste. T-100 (450 S. Bixel Street will get you to the correct gate to enter) and closes at 9a sharp; anyone registering after 9a will not be able to play in the first round (click here for the complete schedule). “Even if you pre-registered, you must still sign in Saturday morning,” notes Tournament Director Chris Sira.

The Cotsen offers a free food truck lunch on both days and the entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event. The E-Journal will broadcast top-board games on KGS.
photo: Eric Cotsen reviews a game with Yilun Yang 7P at last year’s Open; food truck in background; photo by Chris Garlock 

Registration for this weekend’s Cotsen Open has topped 120, organizers report. Coming up October 24-25 at the LA Center Studios in Los Angeles, CA, the popular tournament features a free food truck lunch on both days: Komodo Food on Saturday and Kogi BBQ  on Sunday. The $20 entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event.

Volunteers are needed to help set up on Friday and record top-board games during the tournament. To help set up (free pizza!), email CotsenOpen@gmail.com; if interested in recording/broadcasting for the E-Journal (free EJ caps!); email journal@usgo.org.

photo: top board at the 2014 Cotsen; photo by Chris Garlock

Over 90 players have already pre-registered for this year’s Cotsen Open, coming up October 24-25 at the LA Center Studios in Los Angeles, CA. The popular tournament features a free food truck lunch on both days: Komodo Food on Saturday and Kogi BBQ  on Sunday. The $20 entry fee is refunded if you play in all five rounds.

Volunteers are wanted to help set up on Friday and record top-board games during the tournament. “Free pizza for helping set up the tournament space on Friday, October 23,” promises Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis. Email her at CotsenOpen@gmail.com

If interested in recording/broadcasting for the E-Journal (free EJ caps!); email journal@usgo.org

With the October 20 deadline approaching, over 65 players have already pre-registered for this year’s Cotsen Open, October 24-25 at the LA Center Studios (note new location). In addition to one of the largest and strongest fields on the West Coast, the tournament features free food truck lunch on both days, a full refund of the $20 entry fee if you play in all five rounds and the hallmark of the Cotsen, free massages for all players. Davis adds. Yilun Yang 7P will play a match against Qun Wang 8P on Sunday morning, followed by an analysis of the game. Kiseido/Yutopian will have a vendor table on the Saturday of the event.

As an added bonus, “We will be printing new ‘Cotsen Open’ branded products, including never before seen playmat travel go boards with original art,” reports Tournament Organizer Samantha Davis. 

photo: Yilun Yang 7P plays pro-pro game at the 2014 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock