Sunday April 16, 2017
The Cotsen Open is seeking an organizer for this year’s tournament, coming up in October in Los Angeles. “We need 
someone who is organized, has follow-through, and who loves go,” says previous organizer Samantha Davis, who has moved to Chicago. “I’ll be able to train the right applicant, so you won’t be thrown in the deep end,” Davis adds. This is a paid position. If interested, email CotsenOpen@gmail.com.
photo: 2016 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock
Sunday April 9, 2017
Registration for the 2017 U.S. Go Congress 
in San Diego is now open. The largest annual go activity in the United States — last year 650 attended in Boston — the Congress runs August 5-12 this year. Events include the US Open, the largest annual go tournament in the US, professional lectures and game analysis, continuous self-paired games, and all kinds of go-related activities from morning to midnight.
The 2017 Congress will be held at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, California, which is right in the center of town. “The venue for go tournaments, lectures and game analyses, as well as hotel rooms and meals are all within a short walk of each other, no streets to cross,” says Congress Director Ted Terpstra.
Lodging reservations most be done through the Town and Country Resort hotel via a link on the AGA page, not through the AGA. A special rate is available that 
way and is good for three days before and after the Congress for those who want to extend their stay in San Diego. Details on Congress costs are here.
For those who select one of the meal packages, their food will be served on-site at the convention center under the supervision of the executive chef. Meal plan details are here.
The Town and Country Resort is an 46-acre oasis near most of the tourist attractions in town. It is a quick ten-minute drive from downtown, the airport, the Pacific Ocean beaches, Seaworld, the zoo, Balboa Park and many other sights. People staying there have use of the three swimming pools and the gym. The Town and Country Resort has its own trolley stop and is contiguous to a bus terminal, an upscale mall and a golf course.
“The San Diego Go Club is happy to welcome everyone and look forward to hosting a great US Go Congress,” says Terpstra.
Wednesday February 22, 2017
by Eric Lui 1P
Editor’s note: Lui, who’s now a regular game commentator for the E-Journal, wrote this after attending the second Pair Go World Cup in July 2016 and recently shared it with us. Coincidentally, Hajin Lee recently made a short Pair Go introduction video, saying she hopes “to see more pair go events in the US and Europe in the future.” We hope you enjoy both.
Reflecting upon his legendary career, the great Sakata Eio opined that a necessary prerequisite for go mastery is self-
reliance, which can only be developed once one fully accepts the game’s solitary nature, specifically the completely isolated state that all players find themselves in during the process of a game.
As far as I can tell, there are two types of people in this world: Pair Go enthusiasts and those who can do without. Takemiya Masaki gushes that Pair Go is “playing catch with the emotions…the instant that love is born.” Ishida Yoshio, on the other hand, says that in Pair Go you have three opponents.
The most anticipated match in the first round of the main knockout tournament saw the departure of powerhouse 
Chinese pair Shi Yue and Wang Chenxing, who succumbed to the charming synergy of Choi Cheolhan and Oh Yujin. Our first-round victory against the Thai pair was defined more by relief than pleasure, since it ensured that we would get to play at least one more game. In the second round against Taiwanese superstars Chen Shiyuan and Joanne Missingham, the game became difficult right from the start when a mistake in judgment set the tone for the rest of the way. My partner Sarah Yu fought gamely during many continuous kos and we maintained our chances for a while but were unable to cause an upset.
Our conquerors would go on to score an excellent victory in the semifinal against the Choi-Oh pair, earning themselves a 
final showdown with the Chinese pair of Ke Jie and Yu Zhiying, the male and female world No. 1 respectively.
During the last round of the Shuffle Pair Go friendship match, I was paired with the Thai female player, Pattraporn Aroonphaichitra. As we waited at the board for our opponents, Amy Song, the Australian female player took the seat across from Pattraporn. But who was her partner? I took a quick glance around – there were still a few empty seats and just a couple minutes until game time. I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed Sarah, looking ever so serene, sitting next to Iyama Yuta. My new partner was completely absorbed in her phone, and I opened my mouth to say something when, sensing a disturbance in the Force, we both looked up. Making his way through the large crowd that had gathered around the closed-off playing area with ruthless efficiency was “One Dragon Per Game” Shi Yue, one of the strongest and most universally feared Chinese pros for his aggressive playing style.
Pattraporn played beautifully and we enjoyed a lead for most of the game. It was a singular experience to watch as Shi Yue struggled to contain his frustration with the position as his plans to deal us pain were disrupted again and again. When the game was over, Shi Yue transitioned seamlessly from executioner to teacher, pointing out missed opportunities and explaining his thought processes at key points while the rest of us sat transfixed by the clarity of his analysis. A while later, only dimly aware that the postmortem had concluded and that the others had started putting the stones away, I slowly and reluctantly joined in.
Later that night, long after Yu Zhiying and Ke Jie had collected their 10 million yen 1st place prize, I would find myself tuning in to the Wimbledon final from my hotel room. During one of Andy Murray’s signature tirades, I realized that Ishida was wrong. Whether you are playing Pair Go, individual go, or tennis, the number of opponents remains the same. One, and it’s not the one on the other side. As Murray sealed the first set with a thunderous forehand and an emphatic fist pump, his fierce visage betraying equal parts triumph and anguish, I was reminded of a timeless image of Sakata, in the midst of his prime, staring at the go board with an expression of utmost intensity and exquisite pain. A formidable, yet lone individual.
Pair Go was invented to popularize the game of go by emphasizing the social aspects of the game. But no matter how many players there are, the game itself remains the same mysterious, fascinating challenge it has been for thousands of years.
photo: US team Sarah Yu and Eric Lui with Cho Chikun
Tuesday December 13, 2016
On December 4, the San Diego Go Club kicked off its organizational campaign to host the 2017 U.S. Go Congress next August
5-12, by sponsoring a go-pizza party for local Congress volunteers at the club president’s home. Some two dozen people showed up to play go, eat pizza and hear about jobs that need to be done over the next eight months. From moving more than 2,000 pounds of Congress equipment — including boards, stones, easels, etc — to the Congress site at the Town and Country Resort, to scheduling the lectures, game analyses and simultaneous exhibitions for the professional go players coming from Japan, China and Korea, many tasks have to be coordinated. Co-Directors for the Congress, Les Lanphear III and Ted Terpstra say they’re confident that the team of workers will be up to the challenges as many past Congress volunteers have already stepped up for 2017. “New volunteers are always welcome, especially for Check-in Day on Saturday, August 5,” says Terpstra. Anyone interested in helping at the 2017 Congress should email him at ted.terpstr
a@gmail.com.
The 2017 Congress web site is not quite ready, but should be shortly. “People will be able to register for the Congress, choose a dining package and book a room with a special negotiated price,” says Terpstra. The Town and Country Resort is a 46-acre enclave in the heart of the San Diego tourist area. The zoo, museums in Balboa Park, the airport, Seaworld, the beaches and downtown are all within a 10-minute drive. All Congress events and meals are a short walk from the rooms. “No streets need to be crossed in going from the rooms to the playing area,” Terpstra promises.
– photos by Ted Terpstra; Congress logo by Emily Shedlock
Sunday December 4, 2016
A Korean pair won this year’s 27th International Amateur Pair Go Championship in Tokyo, besting a Taiwanese team in the 
finals. Kim Sooyoung and Park Jongwook of Korea beat Pai Shin-Hui and Huang Wei of Taiwan. Pai and Huang had paved the way, however, by beating a strong Chinese pair in round one of the 32-pair five round event. The US team of Jeremy Chiu and Gabriella Su (right) ended with a solid 3-2 record, losing in rounds one and three to a Japanese pair and the team from China, but beating Germany and Austria before facing a strong Russian pair, Grigorii Fionin and Elvina Kalsberg, also 2-2, in the final round. In the 3rd edition of the World Students Pair Go Championship, North American pair Amira Song of Canada and Andrew Zalesak of North Carolina went 1-3, beating the Mexican pair but failing to beat the percentages in their other games against a Japanese pair and not one, but two, Korean university pairs. A Japanese pair took first.
– report by Andy Okun (standing in photo); photo by Thomas Hsiang
Thursday November 10, 2016
ranked division will be held. All the participants in each division will compete in the preliminary round; players who win their way through the preliminaries will compete in a round to choose regional representatives, followed by the finals. Eight players (Asia & Oceania 4, Europe & Africa 2, North, Central & South America 2) will compete in the main division and four players in each of the other divisions. Sunday October 23, 2016
Mark Lee won the 2016 Cotsen Open, scoring a decisive 5-0 sweep in which the only real threat came in Round 3 when he
faced “a very hard situation” against Dae Hyuk “Danny” Ko. In the end he prevailed against Ko by resignation, a similar end for most of the rest of his games, earning a second straight Cotsen title. Lee (center) missed this year’s US Open and says he’s been hard at work studying, but not go. He’s a freshman in college now, where he says his favorite subject is geography. “I like it, but it’s not nearly as much fun as go,” he laughed.
In addition to tournament sponsor Eric Cotsen (right), AGA president Andy Okun (left) thanked Ambassador Lee Key Cheol, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles for his strong support for the Cotsen Open. He also thanked Kim Nakjung, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and Seunghoan Roh, General Manager of the KCCLA, which hosted the Cotsen Open this year. “We really appreciate the longstanding support, not just for this great event, but for promoting go throughout the United States,” said Okun. Cotsen, in addition to thanking all the players for showing up, expressed special appreciation to his tournament team, “who handled this year’s challenges incredibly well.”
See below for the Cotsen winner report. Click here for the 2016 Cotsen crosstab, where we’ll be posting the top-board games broadcast this weekend on KGS. If you’d like your game record included, please email it to us at journal@usgo.org; be sure to complete all the game information.
Six more videos have been posted on the AGA’s YouTube channel, including the Day Two preview with Chris Garlock and Andrew Jackson; Myungwan Kim 9P on the Round 3 game between Mark Lee 7d and Danny Ko 7d, Jennie Shen 2P on the Round 4 game between Mark Lee and Luo Qipeng, Yang Yilun 7p on his exhibition 
game against Liao Guiyong 9p, Jennie Shen 2P on the Round 5 game between Mark Lee and Chang Duek Je and a wrap-up interview with AGA president Andy Okun. You can check out all the Cotsen Open video reports on this handy 2016 Cotsen playlist.
2016 Cotsen Winner Report
Open winners: 1st: Mark Lee; 2nd: Qipeng Luo; 3rd: Aaron Ye; 4th: Andrew Lu; 5th: Danny Ko; 6th: Deuk Je Chang.
Division A: 1st: Qi-Hao Zhao; 2nd: Mellisa Xuning Zhang; 3rd: Kevin Chao
Division B: 1st: Tim Chang; 2nd: Jesse Jenskins; 3rd: Seowoo Wang
Division C: 1st: Kevin Blaw; 2nd: Yunjen Lee; 3rd: Angelo Orlando Cafazzo
Division D: 1st: Daniel Su; 2nd: Jung Ho Lee; 3rd: Raghavendra Morthy
Division E: 1st: Zongren Huang; 2nd: Alexander Guru; 3rd: Lucia Moscola
Club winners: 1st: Santa Monica, 2nd: Orange County, 3rd: Bay Area
– report/photos by Chris Garlock
Update: this post has been updated to correct the spelling of Qipeng Luo’s name.
Saturday October 22, 2016
Defending champion Mark Lee 7D cruised through the first three rounds of this year’s Cotsen Open on Saturday, putting
himself in position to capture the title for the second year in the final two rounds on Sunday. Also undefeated are Qipeng Luo and Andrew Lu. Click here for complete results through Round 3: 2016.10.21_cotsen-tiebreakreport Catch the top-board action live on KGS, starting at 10:30a PST. The E-Journal’s coverage this year includes short videos posted on YouTube, including player interviews, brief pro commentaries and an interview with Eric Cotsen. Photos and videos are also posted on the AGA’s Facebook page and more photos on our Twitter feed. The tournament, one of the largest and most popular on the AGA’s annual calendar, returned to the Los Angeles Korean Cultural Center this year, and attracted a field of 166 players.
– report/photo by Chris Garlock
Cotsen Open Videos
2016 Cotsen Open – Chris Garlock and Andrew Jackson preview the Open (2:39)
2016 Cotsen Open — Interview with Eric Cotsen (8:59)
2016 Cotsen Open – Rd 1 Bd 1 review! (Yilun Yang 7P on Mark Lee 7d vs Wenyi Wang 6d) (17:50)
2016 Cotsen Open – Rd 2 Bd 1 review! (Yilun Yang 7P on Mark Lee 7d vs Kai Naoyuki 7d) (13:10
“Why We Play Go” at the 2016 Cotsen Open, Samantha Fede with Lisa Scott (1:42)
“Why We Play Go” at the 2016 Cotsen Open, Samantha Fede with Rui Wong (2:21)
“Why We Play Go” at the 2016 Cotsen Open, Samantha Fede with Sam Tregar (1:37)
Videos produced by Chris Garlock; Andrew Jackson, Technical Producer
10/22 (7:15a PST): This report has been updated to include the other undefeated top players and the PDF of game results.
Tuesday October 18, 2016
Pre-registration for this year’s Cotsen Open — this weekend, October 22nd-23rd in Los Angeles — closes at 11:59p Tuesday, 
October 18th (not Thursday, 10/20 as previously posted). Players who pre-register get a discounted $20 entry fee, free food truck lunch on both days and a full refund of the entry fee if they play in all five games; click here to register. Day-of registration will also be available for $25. The Cotsen Open features thousands of dollars in prizes, an extremely competitive Open Division, free masseuses (right) to massage players during their games, and a demonstration game between Yilun Yang 7p and Guiyong Liao 9P on Sunday.
The E-Journal will provide live KGS commentary on top board games as well as posting video reports on the AGA’s YouTube channel. If you’re interested in being a game recorder — a great way to get stronger — please email journal@usgo.org
photo: 2015 Cotsen Open; photo by Chris Garlock
Monday October 17, 2016
Registration for the Pandanet City League has been extended. “We’re extending registration a week for all of the teams,” reports Steve Colburn. “Has your team signed up yet?” Check the rules and email Steve Colburn to register.
