American Go E-Journal » U.S. Go Congress

Yongfei Ge 7d, who beat Mark Lee Sunday night in the U.S. Masters tournament, fell to Eric Lui 1P on Monday morning on Board 1. That leaves just Lui, Aaron Ye 7d and Japanese pro Nyu Eiko as the only undefeated players so far. The Round 3 game drew another huge Twitch audience, averaging over 9,300 viewers and generating 140,000 unique views. Ryan Li 1p again provided the commentary, hosted by E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock. Stephen Hu produced the stream. Round 4 will be broadcast Tuesday morning starting at 10a EDT on the AGA Twitch stream. Latest Masters results are posted here; latest U.S. Open ratings are posted here.
– photo by Todd Heidenreich

Age: 28

Lives in: Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Home Club: Madison Go Club

Years playing go: Since freshman year of high school

Favorite thing about go: “Moments of inspiration, complicated problems. Sometimes I’m very lucky and I can think out a 40 move sequence and my opponent acts exactly how I want them to and I somehow kill a whole group and change the entire board from being even to 100 points in my favor.” This is Adam’s first Go Congress.
– Samantha Fede

US Go Congress Tournament Schedule: Monday 7/15
9:00a: US Open, round 2; US Open Masters Division, round 3
1:00p: Senior Tournament, round 2
3:00p: Women’s Tournament, round 2
7:00p: 13×13 Tournament

Lightning Tournament
Over 60 players filled the main playing area Sunday night and stones flew from bowls to the board with lightning speed, players raced the clocks and fought to make it to the endgame with enough time to play with a semblance of reason. Expect a new rule next year from TD Keith Arnold: “If both clocks are out you both lose!” Playoffs will continue throughout the week.
Table winners: Taiga Takahashi 25k Tanya Perez Lopez 18k Brad Caber 13k, Ken Schatten 7k, Teus Tsai 6k, Billy Maier 3k, Ben Gunby 2k, Jerry Jaffe 1d, Cong Chen 1d, Daichi Takahashi 5d, Tyler Oyakawa 5d, Shixing Li 5d.

-report by Karoline Li, Tournaments Bureau Chief; photo by Chris Garlock

In a dramatic game that drew over 90,000 views on the AGA’s Twitch stream — and an average of over 7,400 viewers — Yongfei Ge (left) edged out Mark Lee by 1.5 points in Round 2 of the Masters Tournament at the 2019 U.S. Go Congress on Sunday night. Lee, whose U.S. tournament record is 75-5, was heavily favored in the championship, and had come from behind to win his first-round game against Jeremy Chiu. But he got in trouble again in his game against Ge, with a floating eyeless group that seemed to have nowhere to run. Lee fought back steadily, saving half the group and catching up slowly but surely, however, Ge kept the pressure on just as steadily and in the end Lee came up just short. Ryan Li 1P, who provided the game commentary with host Julie Burrall, said that Lee’s upset opens up the field, potentially making this year’s Masters one of the most interesting yet. Round 3 is Monday at 10a EDT, with live commentary on the AGA’s Twitch stream.
2-0 winners: Eric Lui, Yongfei Ge, Aaron Ye, An Chen and Nyu Eiko.
– report/photos by Chris Garlock

US Go Congress Tournament Schedule: Sunday 7/14
9:00a: US Open, round 1; US Open Masters Division, round 1 & 2
1:00p: Self-paired tournament begins; Senior Tournament, round 1
3:00p: Women’s Tournament, round 1
7:00p: US Open Masters, round 1; Lightning Tournament

9×9 Tournament
Players met on tiny fields of battle to kick off the 35th US Go Congress with the 9×9 tournament Sunday night following opening ceremonies. Games were competitive with 30 dan level players and 46 kyu and wraped up close to 11:00 pm. “Table winners will be paired up throughout the next couple of days until we’ve crowned the kyu and dan quarter board champions,” says TD Pete Schumer.

-report by Karoline Li, Tournaments Bureau Chief

by Samantha Fede
You’ve read about the exciting tournament action. You’ve watched the top boards and streamed the commentary. You’ve heard of the simuls and game commentaries and lectures. But Go Congress is about more than just the game. It’s a place to make new friends and see old ones. That may sound corny, but it’s the reason that I come back year after year. This year is shaping up to be a particularly relaxing experience. Congress Director Dave Weimer did an excellent job selecting an amazing lake-front venue. The first floor of the Memorial Union, where most of the Congress activities take place, includes Der Rathskeller (German for “basement of a town hall”). Decorated like a German beer hall, this sprawling venue spills out onto a terrace overlooking sparkling Lake Mendota . After the opening ceremony Saturday night, many attendees joined the crowd of locals to cluster around tables and pitchers of local beer. I sat with some old friends, like Congress Coordinator Lisa Scott and Brady Daniels of “Brady’s Blunders,” as well as new friends like Congress IT volunteer Greg Steltenpohl and first-time attendee Max Peterson. We watched the spectacular sunset turn the sky pink and purple while live music played on the waterfront stage. As it got dark, Jennie Shen 2p observed fireflies flicker around the trees and friends finishing the 9×9 tournament pulled up chairs. The day had been hot, but a cool breeze off the water made us forget any lingering worries. Every year, each Congress location has its charms; this year is downright magical.

The 2019 U.S. Go Congress got underway Saturday in Madison, WI as hundreds of go players registered and immediately began gathering around go boards in the main playing area for unofficial games (the U.S. Open begins Sunday morning). The annual City League finals were held Saturday afternoon (look for a full report soon) and broadcast live on OGS and Twitch. Follow all the Masters top-board action on Twitch starting at 9a Sunday, plus updates on the Congress on Twitter and Facebook.
– report/photos/collage by Chris Garlock

A studious player named Jones
Tried capturing a group of stones
His opponent gave them
He just didn’t save them
And from the observers came groans.

A fearless young player named Joe
Was trying to stir up some woe
He made a big cut
His opponent said “What?!”
As calmly he retook the ko.

They call it Go in Japanese
In China they call it Wei Chi
The Korean books
All call it Baduk
But call it whatever you please.

The limericks above are meant to demonstrate how easy it is to create submissions for the 2019 US Go Congress’ Bob High Memorial Song & Poetry Contest. For those who keenly felt the contest’s absence last year, Frank Brown has picked up the gauntlet and will be herding bards and judges at this year’s gathering in Madison (July 13-20; click here for details).

Rules and entry forms will be available at the Congress beginning Sunday afternoon. “So prepare to pick up your writing devices, plunk down some verses, fill out an official entry form and drop them in the submission box,” says Brown. “You too could be a winner!”
NOTE: AGA members unable to attend this year’s Congress may submit entries in absentia by emailing them to fcnzyo@protonmail.ch — please use ‘2019 Song & Poetry Contest’ in the subject field.”