American Go E-Journal » Events/Tournaments

The US Go Congress includes the largest go tournament of the year and also the smallest. Literally. The 9×9 Tournament kicked off right after the Congress opening ceremonies concluded Saturday night. Over 50 players – nine tables with 6 players at each table — battled it out on tiny boards to claim the table winner title and advance to the 9×9 playoffs. Table winners will play off in a single elimination format throughout the week to choose the ultimate 9×9 kyu and dan champions. Joshua Lee directs the tournament.

Saturday night’s winners included:
Kyu table winners: Matt Mo 10k; Ann Wu 10k; Bob Crites 8k; Jim Fienup 3k; Ben Peng 1k.

Dan table winners: Dirk Riedeman 3D; Andy Olsen 3D; Zheng Xiangnan 5D; Matthew Burrall 7D
–  report/photo by Karoline Li, EJ Tournament Reporter; photo: 9×9 top board players Matthew Burrall and Lionel Zhang

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The 30th annual US Go Congress kicked off Saturday night atop the historic Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan. Hundreds of go players gathered on the 18th floor of the venerable hotel to launch the largest annual go event in North America. Brief welcoming remarks were provided by Congress Director Matthew Hershberger, American Go Association President Andy Okun (at left in photo), Nihon Kiin Chairman Norio Wada and Asian Go Federation President Suh Daewon. Okun’s remarks were interrupted by the presentation of an impressive 30-foot scroll photo) by Wang Na (at right) from the Qingdao Go Association in China. The scroll, created by 85-year-old artist Yuan Youbin, was drawn from a book called “The Essence of Go.” The keynote speech of the evening was a riveting talk about the future of go by Frank Lantz, Director of the New York University Game Center (look for a report in an upcoming edition of the EJ). Finally, co-directors Will Lockhart and Cole Pruitt showed a well-received trailer for “The Surrounding Game”, their forthcoming documentary about go. The US Open – which includes Masters Division (formerly the NAMT) – starts at 9a sharp Sunday morning; top-board games will be broadcast live on KGS.
– report by Chris Garlock; photo by Phil Straus

Early arrivals for the 2014 US Go Congress found themselves helping set up the main playing room at the famed Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan and assembling Congress packets on Friday, but Brady Daniels (right) and Josh Larson found time amid the flurry of activity to play the first game of the Congress late Friday afternoon and Congress Director Matthew Hershberger (standing) stopped by for a few minutes to enjoy the game this annual event is all about.

Registration begins on Saturday, 8/9 at 10a and will continue throughout the day. The opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, 8/9, at 7PM and will include an address by keynote speaker Frank Lantz, Director of the New York University Game Center.For those staying on site, accommodation check-in will largely proceed through the hotel front desk. However, please speak with Congress staff and complete your check in BEFORE speaking with the hotel front desk as you will need proof of check-in to receive your room-key. (Please note that the hotel check in time is 3PM; for early arrivals, the hotel has luggage storage available.) There will be a Congress staff member in the lobby to direct you to the Congress registration area, and as a last resort, the hotel front desk will also know this information.

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– report/photo by Chris Garlock

The American Go E-Journal will be broadcasting top-board US Go Congress games live on KGS beginning this Sunday, August 10. This week we’re profiling some of the top players who will be competing at the Congress.

Calvin Sun 1P (right) is a 17-year-old student in Cerritos, CA. He learned go when he was 6 and won the 2012 Cotsen and 2014 Pro Qualifier. His favorite thing about go is that it “forces me to concentrate” and his favorite hobby is “sleep.”

Dae Hyuk “Danny” Ko 7D (left) is 38 and works in finance in Southern California. He’s been playing since the age of 6 and won the 2009 Samsung Qualifier, 2010 Cotsen Cup, 2013 World Mind Sports Qualifier, and is a 4-time Santa Monica Coffee Cup winner (2008, 2011, 2013, 2014). His favorite thing about the game is making friends.

Juyong Koh 7D (right) is a 34-year-old insurance broker from Vancouver, BC. He’s been playing since the age of 10, winning the 2002 and 2008 Canadian Open, as well as many local tournaments. His favorite thing about go is “The game is exciting and you can try anything you like on the board unlike real life. I love to express my imagination on the go board.” Hobbies include weight training and choir practice.

Bill Lin 7D (left) is a 17-year-old university student in Vancouver, BC who’s been playing go for 11 years. He was the 2013 Canadian Open Champion, took 5^th place in the 2013 US Open, 3^rd in the 2013 NA Masters, 3rd in the 2013 Prime Minister Cup World Amateur and 2^nd in the 2014 Canadian Open. His favorite thing about go is “The complexity, the countless number of variations, and the serenity I feel when I play the game.” Hobbies include swimming, running, triathlons, and movies.

Justin Teng 7D (right) is an 18-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Maryland–College Park. He started playing go at 12 and played in the 2012 AGA-Tygem pro finals qualifier and 2012 WMSG. His favorite thing about the game of go is “meeting and making all kinds of diverse friends, and challenging myself to become stronger.” Hobbies include “piano and chatting with friends.”

Aaron Ye 6D (left) is a 12-year-old student in Cupertino, CA. He’s been playing since the age of 5, and was the US Redmond Cup Junior division Champion three straight years (2011-2013), the US Youth Go Junior division Champion 2010, 2011 & 2012, and US representative for World Youth Go Junior division in 2011 and 2012. His favorite thing about go is “The challenges you constantly face.” Ye is on the School Math Count team, representing his middle school competing in the Silicon Valley Chapter for math count. His hobbies include tennis and programming robots.

The American Go E-Journal will be broadcasting top-board US Go Congress games live on KGS beginning this Sunday, August 10. This week we’re profiling some of the top players who will be competing at the Congress.

Michael Chen 7D (top right) is a 25-year-old financial analyst from Princeton, NJ who’s been playing go since he was 7 years old. Titles include the 2006 North America Ing Cup, 2009 Canadian Open, and he took second place in both the 2009 and 2011 US Opens. His favorite thing about go is “winning” and hobbies include soccer and Starcraft.

Jie Liang 7D (top left) is a 42-year-old software engineer from Nashua, NH who’s been playing go for 29 years. His favorite thing about go is that it’s a “brain game” and he loves its competiveness. Married, with one child, Liang’s hobbies include photography and deep sea fishing.

Joshua Lee 5D (bottom right) is a 27-year-old IT consultant from Arlington, VA who’s been playing just 7 years. His favorite thing about go is the game’s “infinite strategy” and that “there are world-class players with entirely different styles from one another.” Lee enjoys scuba diving, Texas Holdem, tennis and playing the guitar.

Jeremy Chiu 6D (bottom left) is a 12-year-old student who’s been playing since he was 5. “I like the complexity of the game and how it allows you to play the game however you want,” he says. He won the United States Youth Go Championship junior division in 2013 and was the Under-12 US representative to the World Youth Go Championship in 2013. Hailing from San Jose, CA, Chiu’s hobbies include playing music and video games.

Adding the Congress Schedule to Your Google Calendar: “I put the Congress schedule in my calendar with about two clicks,” writes Phil Straus. “Very cool.” To add the Congress calendar to your Google calendar, click on “Schedule”, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “+Google Calendar” icon on the bottom right.

How to Update Your Email Address: “How do I change my email address for the Journal, or, do you do that?” asks Lee Freedman.
At the very bottom of the E-Journal, click on “Update your profile” and you can update your email address, as well as the desired edition of the E-Journal (daily or weekly) and your preferred format (HTML or plain text). Be careful to click on “Update Profile” after you make your changes, and not “Unsubscribe” (unless that’s your wish). If you accidentally unsubscribe, email us at journal@usgo.org so we can get you re-signed up.

Eight days of go in the city that never sleeps is just over a week away at the upcoming US Go Congress at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City. There’s still time to register for the biggest go event in North American, which starts on Saturday, August 9, with nearly 500 already signed up. The schedule includes both rated – such as the US Open and continuous Self-Paired — and unrated (9×9, 13×13, Lightning, etc) tournaments, lectures and simuls with professional go players and more. Click here for the latest day-by-day schedule. “We now offer an optional meal plan in the form of vouchers to use at the nearby Café R,” reports Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. “Each voucher is worth $11 and we sell them in groups of 3 for $31.” Click here for more details on these and other costs.