American Go E-Journal » SportAccord World Mind Games

Top Players to Represent U.S. in Sport Accord Mind Games; Registration Deadline July 5th

Monday July 4, 2011

(UPDATED!) More than a dozen strong players have already signed up for the five-round Swiss qualifier to represent the U.S. in the Sport Accord Mind Games (SAMG) in December 2011. The registration deadline is 8P (EST) Tuesday, July 5. The field includes five former North American Ing Masters (NAIM) champions: Feng Yun 9P, Huiren Yang 1P, Jie Li 7d, Joey Hung 7d and Andy Liu 7d. Five players, including at least one female, will play in SAMG against five other strong teams including China, Korea, Japan, Europe and Chinese Taipei (representing Asia-Pacific). This means the US players will play against top players in the world like the legendary Lee Changho, Lee Sedol, Gu Li, Kong Jie, Cho U and Iyama Yuta. The qualifier will be held on July 10-12, July 13-16, July 17-20, July 21-23, and July 24-26 on KGS. Players may reschedule with mutual consent, otherwise they must play at the official game times: 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on July 11 (Mon), 14 (Thur), 18 (Mon), 21 (Thur) and 25 (Mon). Due to the tight schedule there may be some short notices, so organizers note that players are responsible for checking and replying emails in a timely manner.
– Zhiyuan ‘Edward’ Zhang

Categories: SportAccord World Mind Games,U.S./North America

U.S. to Send Team to Sport Accord Mind Games in December

Monday June 20, 2011

The American Go Association has been invited to send a team to the Sport Accord Mind Games in December in Beijing. “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to participate in such a prestigious event, and look forward to it with great anticipation,” said AGA President Allan Abramson. Six teams will play in the December 8-17 tournament in Beijing: China, Japan, Kore, Chinese Taipei (representing Asia-Pacific), the U.S. (representing the Americas) and the European Union (representing Europe). Each team will have five members, with at least one female, and there are two medals: team and pair go. The U.S. team selection process will consist of inviting 16 AGA players with 6.0+ rating, including at least two female players, and four CGA players. A 5-round qualifier tournament will be held July 10-12, July 13-16, July 17-20, July 21-23, and July 24-26. Email tournaments@usgo.org for complete SAMG qualifier details and requirements or to register; include your commitment to play in the full qualifier and to travel to Beijing in December. Registration deadline is 8p EST on July 4. Prizes include $10,000-80,000 (USD) for teams and $2,000-12,000 (USD) for pair go. Each team is guaranteed at least the minimum amount. For all players, airfare, hotel, meals, and local transportation are sponsored by Sport Accord. Click here to stay tuned for more details.

Categories: SportAccord World Mind Games,World

FIRST SPORTACCORD WORLD MIND GAMES SET FOR 2011

Thursday November 11, 2010

The first SportAccord World Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China, in September 2011. The brand-new event will feature top players from six mind-sport games — bridge, chess, draughts, go, Chinese chess, and duplicate poker — and was announced on November 10 by Hein Verbruggen, President of SportAccord. “This event is different from the World Mind Sport Games in that it features only a small field of top players, rather than the general representation from all nations as in WMSG,” says Thomas Hsiang, Vice President of the International Go Federation and Secretary General of the International Mind Sport Association, “it is also different from the current international go competitions such as the LG Cup or Fujitsu Cup in that the new event will include top Western players, women players, and youth representation.” The technical details will be worked out in the next few weeks, says Hsiang.

Categories: SportAccord World Mind Games,World

CHINA TO LEAD IGF INTO NEW ERA

Tuesday May 25, 2010

The election of Chang Zhenming of China as President of the International Go Federation (IGF) highlighted the International Go Federation’s General Meeting (r) on Monday as the 31^st edition of the IGF’s flagship event – the World Amateur Go Championship – formally launched in Hangzhou, China. “I will give my best effort to promote go to the whole world,” Chang promised, “Go is a benefit for everyone.” The other major news was that while there have been setbacks in the attempt to achieve recognition for go as an Olympic sport, mind sports are making significant progress. IGF Director Thomas Hsiang reported that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) includes mind sports as a category that has “no realistic chance of entering either the Summer or the Winter Olympics,” and so won’t be recognized. The good news is that SportAccord (formerly the General Association of International Sports Federation, or GAISF) is expanding its definition of sport to include mind sport and plans to sponsor a number of new events, including Mind Sport Games. Planning for a second World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) in August 2012 is now underway, with Manchester UK as the leading candidate to host. In even more exciting news, the International Federation of Poker has applied to become an IMSA and SA member, which has attracted interest from several major marketing firms, with which the IGF is now in discussions. Upcoming events either sponsored by the IGF or with major IGF involvement are the 21^st International Pair Go Championships October 16-17 in Japan, the 16^th Guangzhou Asian Games November 12-27 and the 32^nd World Amateur Go Championship in Shimane, Japan.
– Chris Garlock; photo by John Pinkerton. Click here for the complete report and more photos on Ranka Online.

Categories: SportAccord World Mind Games,World,World Amateur Go Championships

INT’L TOURNEY REP ELIGIBILITY EXPLAINED

Monday November 2, 2009

“From time to time someone asks how the AGA selects players to attend international championship tournaments,” says Tournament Coordinator Phil Waldron. “Eligibility is not complicated, but it does require some planning.” To be eligible, players must be US citizens or Green Card holders and reside in the United States. “We also expect players to support the American go community and so players must have been a continuous member of the AGA over the past twelve months and have played at least ten rated games over the same time,” Waldron says. “Finally, potential competitors must meet any additional eligibility requirements set by the tournament sponsors; for example, you won’t be going to a youth event if you remember Woodstock.” Full details about the various international tournaments and their selection tournaments can be found on the AGA Major Tournaments webpage.

Categories: Events/Tournaments,SportAccord World Mind Games,World Amateur Go Championships

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