American Go E-Journal » Events/Tournaments

Rengo rules at Seattle Go Center

Tuesday June 12, 2018

Rengo/Pair Go events are consistently popular at the Seattle Go Center, and last Saturday was no exception. Twenty-eight2018.06.12_seattle-pairgo-round-one-600x450 players — fourteen teams of two — competed in the “Rengo with Pie and Coffee” tournament on June 9, organized by Pair Go stalwart Bill Thompson, who brought the fancy pies (strawberry-rhubarb, coconut, wild cherry, and apple), directed the tournament, and even played in it.

The event was run with the International Pair Go Association rules, but with no restrictions to team composition. Thompson used a spreadsheet from longtime Pair Go tournament director Todd Heidenreich to calculate the teams’ handicaps and komi, averaging the individual ratings of the team members.

Time limits were 45 minutes absolute (no byo-yomi). The players at Table 1 had competitive spirt — one of their games finished with 9 seconds on 2018.06.12_seattle-pairgo-table-winners-600x451the clock for Black, and 6 seconds left for White; and another of their games ended in a tie.

Undefeated after two rounds:
Table 1: Lusha Zhou (9k) and Tzu-Jen Chan (3d) (in back).
Table 2: Yulissa Wu Lu (10k) and Lucas Wu Lu (9k) (front center).
Table 3: Hotaka Ozaki (3k) (at far left) and Abigail Chen (20k) (front far right).
Table 4: Joshua Yang (11k) and Shirley Yang (30k) (not pictured).

More pictures will be posted soon on the SeattleGo website.

– report/photos by Mike Malveaux, Seattle Go Center Programs Manager

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Congress-Goer Mini Tune Up Workshop with Eric Lui 1p

Sunday June 10, 2018

Eric Lui 1p will lead a Congress-Goer Mini Tune Up workshop on Saturday June 30 in Baltimore. “Turn your 3-3 Open record 2018.06.10_EricLui workshopinto a 4-2 with the latest joseki and fuseki developments from AlphaGo and the pros,” says organizer Keith Arnold.  Aimed at low dan and single digit kyu, but all are welcome.  Contact Keith Arnold (hlime81@verizon.net) or Eric Lui (eric_lui2002@yahoo.com) for details. Space is limited.

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Pandanet AGA City League Round 7 – final round

Saturday June 9, 2018

2017.10.03_PANDANETThis weekend is the Pandanet AGA City League Round 7. Check the schedules for your favorite and local teams and root on your favorites. Most LIVE games will be found in the AGA City League room at 3PM EST Sunday June 10th. Updated schedules can be found on the Pandanet City League page. Winners will be announced after this round as well as the top two A League teams who will play for the championships in Williamsburg, VA at the US Go Congress.

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Facebook AI “OpenGo” to play simuls at 2018 U.S. Go Congress 

Monday June 4, 2018

Maker:0x4c,Date:2017-9-5,Ver:4,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar01,E-Y

Artificial Intelligence has taken go into new realms and this year at the US Go Congress attendees will be able to learn and improve their own games by playing against one of the new generation of AI players.  Facebook’s OpenGo, which features a 20-0 record against top-30 professionals, will be playing teaching simuls early in the week.

The simuls will be held on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday afternoons (July 22, 23, and 24) with OpenGo playing 20 simultaneous no-handicap teaching games each day. Each player will be mailed an SGF file after the game with annotations from OpenGo.

Participants will play on physical boards, with volunteers relaying the moves to and from OpenGo. The Congress organizers expect high demand for the 60 simultaneous playing slots and are offering the opportunity first to those who have completed their Congress registration by June 20. If more than 60 of those registrants wish to play against OpenGo, a lottery will be held for the seats.

To sign up, select the OpenGo Simul event as part of your registration on the Go Congress websiteIf you’ve already registered, go to “My Account,” click on an attendee name, then find the “Simul against Facebook OpenGo” section to add the event to your registration. If you haven’t already registered, select the event as part of your new attendee registration.

The schedule of events has been added to the Congress mobile app along with other events and lots of information about the Congress. It is available as a free download for iOS and Android devices.

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$12,000 prize pool for U.S. Open Masters

Tuesday May 29, 2018

The premier event at the 2018 US Go Congress is awarding $12,000 in prizes this year, organizers report. The US Open Masters is open to all 7-dan and professional players internationally. The overall winner will receive $5,000, with $2,500 going to second place. The top-placing North American competitor wins $2,000. This exciting 9-round event will be played in historic Williamsburg VA at the 2018 Congress July 21-28.

The discount for early-bird registration ends this week on 5/31. Register now to save and be sure to download the free Congress mobile app for the latest Congress news.

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2018 Cotsen dates announced

Tuesday May 29, 2018

Free massages. Free lunch. Pro analysis. Oh yeah, and one of the best fields in the AGA tournament calendar. Mark your2018.05.29_cotsen2016-IMG_2039 calendar now for this year’s Cotsen Open, which has just confirmed for October 13-14 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Watch this space for registration, which is expected to open soon.

Meanwhile, organizers are looking for volunteers for set up, take down and during the event. Contact Ryan Murray ryan@thelec.com if interested.

Also, the E-Journal will be covering the tournament again this year, and is looking for a few good game recorders for the team. Email journal@usgo.org if interested.

photo: Eric Cotsen (r) and friends at the 2016 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock

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Go Congress “Early Bird” discount ends May 31

Wednesday May 23, 2018

If you haven’t yet registered for the US Go Congress in Williamsburg VA this year, you have until May 31 to take advantage of2018.04.02_go-congress-sign-in the Early Bird registration discount. On June 1 the cost goes up by $50 per person. To get the discount it is necessary to register  and make a minimum payment of $70.

The U.S. Go Congress runs from July 21-28 and features a full week of go-related activities. Register now and reserve your spot in the premier annual event of American go.

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Pandanet AGA City League Round 6 this weekend

Thursday May 17, 2018

2017.10.03_PANDANETThis weekend is the Pandanet AGA City League Round 6. Check the schedules for your favorite and local teams and root on your favorites. Most LIVE games will be found in the AGA City League room at 3PM EST Sunday May 20th. Updated schedules can be found below:

A League

B League

 

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U.S. Congress app has international appeal

Thursday May 17, 2018

很荣幸能在这里欢迎各位来到第 34 届围棋大会。第34回USコングレスへようこそ。This is the opening line in US Go Congress Co-Director Diego Pierrottet’s welcome message, which, for those who don’t read Chinese or Japanese, is “It’s my pleasure to 2018.05.17_congress-app-multi-languagewelcome you to the 34th Annual US Go Congress.” The wealth of information available each year in the Congress attendee booklet has been a challenge for those who do not read English, but with the new Congress mobile app — available on both iOS and Android devices — not only will more information be available, it’s now being provided in multiple languages.

“As more textual material is added, the intent is to translate that as well,” adds app developer Gurujeet Khalsa. “This is our first effort at internationalization using volunteer translators. We think this will make it a more inviting experience for our overseas visitors, and would welcome volunteers who can translate into other Asian and European languages. We would like to thank translators Chiemi Mori, Shigeru Takehara, Daniel Chou, and Yanqing Sun for getting this effort started.”

The Congress app can be downloaded here. Congress registration  is ongoing and still available at the Early Bird Discount price. The 2018 Congress will be held in historic Williamsburg, VA from July 21-28.

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U.S. Go Congress meal plan offers “Variety and value”

Monday May 14, 2018

In searching for a venue for the 2018 US Go Congress Co-Director Diego Pierrottet reports that “We really wanted to offer a great plan with multiple options at a reasonable price. One of the very top concerns we heard from past Congress attendees was the meal plan. At William & Mary we are glad to be able to offer a tremendous variety of high quality meals. We also negotiated cost savings up to 20% off per meal over regular door prices for our Congress attendees who sign up for a meal plan.”

The website for Center Court at Sadler Center gives an idea of the numerous options, including:2018.05.13_wm-mary-dining_pizza_station

  • The Chop House, offering made-to-order salads
  • Maize, featuring vegan and vegetarian options
  • Natural, serving a menu tailored to guests with special dietary needs like celiac, gluten and dairy intolerances
  • Taliaferro’s, offering handmade pasta and pizza
  • Tidewater Grill, featuring handmade burgers and hot sandwiches as well as seafood options
  • Reves Global, presenting authentic recipes from around the world from Asian-inspired dishes to West Coast cuisine and Latin dishes
  • Simple Servings, serving minimally processed food prepared without gluten or seven of the eight most common food allergens: milk, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish and wheat

“If you haven’t yet registered, or registered and didn’t select a meal plan yet, try one of the flexible combinations on the Congress website,” Pierrottet suggests, “We heard your concerns.”

Registration is still available for Congress at the Early Bird discount price. You can also keep up with Congress goings on by downloading the free mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

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