Saturday February 9, 2013
The North American Go Convention launched Friday night with welcoming speeches from organizers and professionals and simuls at the Days Inn Hotel in 
Parsippany, New Jersey. Action continues Saturday with tournaments, lectures, simuls and more. Call 703-888-9240 or 407- 810-4098 for info. photos by Errol Missingham; collage by Chris Garlock
Thursday February 7, 2013
Plans for this weekend’s North American Go Convention are proceeding as a 
winter storm bears down on the region. “Our three professionals have arrived on-site and we’ve arranged for shuttle service from both Newark Penn Station and the Park & Ride in Parsippany-Troy Hills,” says NAGC Commissioner Edward Zhang (at right with Joanne Missingham and her parents, Nan-Ping and Errol). Click here for a short video overview about the NAGC.
Shuttle sign-up is strongly encouraged so the NAGC volunteers can plan accordingly and reduce wait time. Players may also stay at the Days Inn Hotel on Friday if they wish to avoid traveling on Saturday, when the storm is forecast to hit. “Keep in mind that there is a second chapter of the NAGC in DC from February 13-17, with same three Open, Blitz and Pair Go tournaments,” adds Convention Director Yue Zhang 7D.
Wednesday January 30, 2013
With the first-ever North American Go Convention just over a week away, over 
110 players have now registered for the Feb. 8-17 event. The field is shaping up to be fairly strong, with 30 players 5 dan and above, another 32 
players 1d-4d and 30 single-digit kyu players. The total prize purse is $3,170 and includes the NAGC Open, a Team Competition, Blitz Go and Pair Go (check here for complete, up-to-date info). The week-long event spans two weekends, beginning in Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ (2/8-12) and then moving to Arlington, VA (2/13-17); click here for the full schedule. A one-day option offers up to seven games per day, with trophies, books, and certificates awarded to 3- and 4-win players. Yuan Zhou 7d will be etaching at the DC event as Joanne Missingham 6P (right) – who will be welcomed to DC by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office — can only teach on 2/13-14 due to a professional tournament game scheduled on 2/17 in Taiwan. Shuttle buses may be available to NJ from New York City; click here to sign up.
Sunday January 27, 2013
The first round of the Pandanet-AGA City League starts this Sunday January 27th. Tune in on IGS using the new GoPanda2 client and watch the opening round. Round and game information are posted on the Pandanet site’s right navigation bar to help you keep track of your local and favorite teams.
We will be posting game records once the games have completed as well. Tune in for some great games!
Friday January 18, 2013
Registration for the upcoming N.A. Go Convention is nearing 100, reports organizer Edward Zhang. The week-long event February 8-17 spans two 
weekends, beginning in Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ (2/8-12) and then moving to Arlington, VA (2/13-17); click here for the full schedule. Organizers are welcoming daytrippers by rewarding 3-win and 4-win players, and Zhang says that with $3,170 in cash prizes, plus trophies, books, convention certificates, and rank certificates, “everyone will win something!” Those “who can only make it one day, Saturday or Sunday, may see our event as a traditional one-day-four-round tournament, with a possibility of fifth and sixth rounds in Blitz or Pair Go at your discretion” adds Zhang. The pre-registration deadline for reduced rates has been extended to January 20. “Special thanks to Zhimin Zhang, president of Bei Dou Xing restaurant franchise in Hebei, China, for donating part of the cash prize pool,” Zhang adds. Transportation is being arranged for players traveling from New York to Parsippany; sign up here and “If there are enough requests, we will schedule a shuttle bus to pick up and drop off,” says Zhang.
Sunday January 6, 2013
The N.A. Go Convention next month is attracting players from as far away as China, reports organizer Edward Zhang. “At least half a dozen Chinese players
with strengths equivalent to AGA 6 dan and higher have registered in the past week,” says Zhang. They include Ruxu Cao (right), who won third place in the 2011 World Mind Sports Games amateur division, and Zhiyao Li, Heilongjiang Province Youth Go champion in 2004 and 2007. Click here to see who’s coming. Team spirit is also a big part of the Convention, which uses a “team score” measure similar to the Cotsen Open’s, in which individual player wins contribute to their team’s overall score as they compete for a $1,000 team prize in addition to individual awards and prizes. “Players don’t need to be all strong players, and they just need to do well in their own divisions,” Zhang explains. Though most teams will likely be made up of players from the same area/city, that’s not required. “All you need to do now is to find seven players and get them pre-registered, “ added Zhang. “You can come up with a team name later.”
Tuesday December 25, 2012
The American Go E-Journal collaborated with Ranka Online and SportAccord to provide comprehensive coverage — including our first-ever video 
broadcasts — of the recent 2012 SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG), held December 12-20 in Beijing, China. See below for a selection of highlights of the E-Journal coverage or click here for all of Ranka’s reports.
REPORTS
SAWMG Go Tourney Makes a $plash; Ranka Interview Japan’s Murakawa Daisuke & Mukai Chiaki, Russia’s Natalia Kovaleva & Ilya Shikshin, Hungary’s 
Rita Pocsai and Csaba Mero and the UK’s Vanessa Wong
Korea Tops China to Win World Mind Games Pair Go Championship
Pair Go Final Features China-Korea Showdown; School Visit; Redmond Exhibition GameRound 7 Report; Sun Naijing: The Ranka InterviewChoi Chulhan 9P Wins Men’s Gold, Li He 3P is Women’s Champion; Lin Chi-han 9P: The Ranka Interview
Men’s & Women’s Finals Set for Sunday; Semi-Finals; Game Commentary: Round 6: Lin-Kang
Round 4: Final Knockouts; Interview with Bill Lin; Game Commentary: Round 4: Park-Missingham
Round 2: The Elimination Round; Round 3: Then There Were 24; Game Commentary: Round 3, Chen-Park (China-Korea)
The Players Arrive; Press Conference; Opening Ceremony; LIVE from the SAWMG: Redmond, Bogdanov, Missingham & Lin; Game Commentary: Round 1 (China-Korea)Second Edition of SportAccord World Mind Games BeginsRedmond to Provide Live Commentaries on World Mind Sports Games
New SportAccord World Mind Games Website Launched
SportAccord World Mind Games Set for Dec. 12-19 in Beijing
Sun Naijing Wins Trip to SportAccord World Mind Games
9/12 Deadline for SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament Registration
Big Prizes in SportAccord World Mind Games Online Tournament
AGA to Hold Tournaments to Select Players for 2012 SportAccord World Mind Games
GAME COMMENTARIES
Pair Go Final: China-Korea
Pair Go Round 3: Russia-Canada
Pair Go Semi-Final: China-Japan
Exhibition Game: Redmond-Sun
Round 7 (Men’s Individual Final): Choi (Korea) – Kang (Korea)
Round 7 (Women’s Individual Final): Rui (China) – Li (China)
Round 6: (Women’s Individual) Missingham (Taiwan) – Kovaleva (Russia)
Round 6: (Men’s Individual) Lin (China) – Kang (Korea)
Round 4: (Women’s Individual) Park (Korea) – Missingham (Taiwan)
Round 3: (Men’s Individual) Chen (China) – Park (Korea)
Round 2 (Men’s Individual): Jiang (China) – Kang (Korea)
Round 1 (Men’s Individual): Tuo (China) – Cho (Korea)
Round 1, Men’s Individual: Shiksin (Russia) – Murakawa
2012 SportAccord World Mind Games Go Broadcasts (YouTube Videos)
Top-board live game commentaries with IGF Media Officer and American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and 9-dan professional Michael
Redmond, includes interviews with Janice Kim 3P, Pair Go founder Mrs Taki, longtime go author James Davies, European Go Federation President Martin Stiassny, Russian Go Federation Vice-President Victor Bogdanov and more.
Daily Go Broadcasts (All)
Michael Redmond 9P and Janice Kim 3P Interview Each Other
Pair Go Finals: Choi-Choi (Korea) – Li-Jiang (China)
Pair Go Semi-Finals: Li-Jiang (China) – Mukai-Murakawa (Japan)
Men’s Final: Choi (Korea) – Kang (Korea)
Saturday December 22, 2012
SAWMG Go Tourney Makes a $plash: The SportAccord World Mind 
Games (SAWMG) $400,000 in prizes makes the recently-concluded event the fourth largest international men’s tournament in 2012 — after the BC Card, Samsung and LG Cup tournaments — reports International Go Federation (IGF) Vice President Thomas Hsiang, who notes that this year’s go prize pool was doubled from last year. It’s also the richest international women’s tournament ($185,000 in prizes) and pair-go tournament ($66,000), Hsiang adds, as well as “the first international professional tournament run by the International Go Federation.” photo: medalists in the Men’s Individual tournament (l-r): Kang Dongyoon (silver, $40,000); Choi Chulhan (gold, $100,000); Lin Chi-han (bronze, $30,000); photo by Ivan Vigano
Murakawa Daisuke (Japan)
Born near Osaka, Murakawa Daisuke (below, at left) made professional shodan with the Kansai Kiin at age 11. He has been a frequent member of the Japanese team at the International New Stars tournament, where he has played alongside such current greats as Iyama Yuta and Xie Yimin in competition against young professional teams from China, Chinese Taipei, and Korea. This year, just before
the World Mind Games began he earned a place in the Japanese Meijin League, and he celebrated his 22nd birthday during the individual competition in Beijing. Click here for the interview.
Mukai Chiaki (Japan)
Though not a title winner in Japan, Mukai Chiaki (at right) has challenged for women’s titles six times, and was promoted this year to 5 dan. She has frequently represented Japan in international competition, and has done well in team and pair competition at both SportAccord World Mind Games, earning three bronze medals. Ranka spoke with her after the individual competition, in which she defeated Su Sheng-fang of Chinese Taipei in between losses to Rui Naiwei of China and Choi Jeong of Korea, and again after the pair competition. Click here for the interview.
Natalia Kovaleva (Russia)
Natalia Kovaleva (below, at left) began competing in tournaments in the Far East in 2004, when she and Alexei Lazarev won three games at the International Amateur Pair Go Championship in Tokyo. A high point in her career so far came at the World Mind Sports Games in Beijing in 2008, where she won a game from a Japanese professional opponent. For the past couple of years she has been 
working for the Russian Go Federation. Ranka spoke with her after the first pair round, in which she and Ilya Shikshin lost to Japan’s Mukai Chiaki and Murakawa Daisuke. Click here for the interview.
Ilya Shikshin (Russia)
Three-time European champion Ilya Shikshin (at right) comes from a go-playing family that includes his sister Svetlana, who has played professionally in Korea. At this year’s World Mind Games he lost to Japanese and Chinese opponents in the first two rounds of individual competition to earn a five-day break, after which he partnered with Natalia Kovaleva in the pair competition and took fifth place, best among the pairs from outside the Far East. Ranka talked with him after the first round of the pair event. Click here for the interview.
Rita Pocsai and Csaba Mero (Hungary)
Ranka interviewed the Hungarian pair, Rita Pocsai (at left), a university student studying special education, and Csaba Mero (right), a statistical programmer, after their loss to the Chinese pair in the first round of the pair-go competition at the World Mind Games. Click here for the interview.
Vanessa Wong (UK)
During the gold medal individual matches, Ranka had a chance to speak with European women’s champion Vanessa Wong (at left in photo at right, with Pair Go partner Jan Hora), who was born in Hong Kong, and came to England to go to boarding school. Click here for the interview.
photos by Ivan Vigano
Friday December 21, 2012
The American Go Foundation‘s annual fund-drive is under way. “Every dollar you give is matched by the hundreds of hours AGF board members, mentors 
and volunteers spend on helping our programs and encouraging others to teach go,” says AGF President Terry Benson. The AGF and AGA worked “more closely than ever to promote go” in 2012, Benson says, and “Now the AGF needs to rebuild our treasury.”
The AGF Store, previously available only to approved AGF programs, is now open to college clubs and AGA chapters, while continuing to serve schools, libraries and c
program for college clubs to help them purchase playing equipment from the AGF Store for club use. The AGF had a booth at the American Library Association convention again this year to encourage libraries to order the Hikaru no Go manga for only $20. “These sets are the seeds for the future of go which we’ve planted in hundreds of communities around the country,” says Benson, “often with the assistance of local volunteers working with their community’s youth librarians. The library clubs are nurtured with the equipment made possible by generous go players.”
“If you have helped the AGF before,” urges Benson, “please renew your support. If you haven’t, please start now.”
Wednesday December 19, 2012
Korea Tops China to Win World Mind Games Pair Go Championship: Korea’s Choi Jeong and Choi Chulhan are the 2012 Pair Go champs at the SportAccord World Mind Games, defeating the Chinese team of Li He and Jiang Weijie in a nearly 3-hour marathon game on December 19 in Beijing, China.
“This is another high-level pair go match that’s virtually indistinguishable from a regular one-on-one game,” says Michael Redmond 9P in his detailed commentary (right) on the game. “As in the second-round game between China and Japan, the outcome of the game is determined by the fight in the center, and, also as in that game, there’s a late-stage turn of fortune that’s decisive.” The Round 3 Russia-Canada game “is a good example of the players consciously using Pair Go tactics and techniques,” says Redmond in his commentary, “such as setting each other up or the use of forcing moves to allow one’s partner to make a strategic choice.” Click here for Ranka’s complete final report on the Pair Go tournament, including Round 2 action and a collage of photos of other mind sports. And check out the SAWMG YouTube Channel for Michael Redmond’s live game commentary with E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and a special appearance by Janice Kim.