American Go E-Journal » Australia

43rd Australian Championship Concludes

Saturday December 11, 2021

The 43rd Australian Championship, which was also the 6th Australian Digital Tournament, came to a close on December 9. The tournament consisted of seven rounds played across seven week-long sessions.  

The overall winner—and 2021 Australian Open Champion—was Daniel Li 6d of Sydney. After defeating Chahine Koleejan in the final round, Daniel won the Championship with a clean sweep of seven victories. 

Laris Du Qing 6d of Sydney placed second in the open division, losing only to Daniel Li.

Steven Cheng 5d of the Gold Coast Go Club placed third in the open division, having lost only to Daniel and Laris. 

The handicap division was divided into two sections, consisting of the strongest 24 players in the upper handicap division (2d to 7k), and 15 players in the lower handicap division (7k to 15k). The upper handicap division started with an extra point to their score. (In a McMahon draw, though, it is possible for an upper division player to face a skilled lower division player.) 

The 2021 Australian Handicap Champion is Peter Simpson 1k of the Perth Go Club, beaten only by Brendan Hennessy 2k out of the Gore Street Irregulars in Melbourne. (“The only Australian club I know of that meets in a pub,” noted Horatio Davis. “Must be something in the beer.”) 

Patrick Liang 1k of the Melbourne Go Club placed second in the upper handicap division, also taken down only by Brendan. 

And the aforementioned Brendan Hennessy 2k of Melbourne placed third in the upper handicap division. 

Victor Phan 9k of Australia won the lower handicap division. Sorn Nawapanich 12k of Melbourne placed second, and Christopher Riding 8k of “just write down New Zealand” placed third.

The full tournament results can be found here.

“With luck, next year’s Australian Championship will be an old-fashioned physical tournament somewhere on the east coast (I think Canberra’s turn?),” said organizer Horatio Davis, General Secretary of the Queensland Go Society. “Whether or not that works out, there will definitely be another Australian Digital, just like this one, and a New Zealand Digital.”

-based on a report by Horatio Davis, editing by Hailey Renner

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2018 Australian Go Congress set for September

Saturday January 13, 2018

For those making 2018 go travel plans, our friends Down Under have just launched the 2018 Australian Go Congress2018.01.07-australia-congress website and Facebook page. The Congress will be held at the University of Sydney, Australia between September 27th and 30th 2018. “Please note some details are yet to be finalized but the rooms are booked, we have at least two pro teachers and we already have registrations,” report Congress organizers.

 

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Third Australian Go Congress “best ever”

Wednesday November 15, 2017

The third Australian Go Congress was held September 28 – October 1 at Sydney University. Players ranged from under 10 to over 70 and came 2017.11.15_aussie-congress-groupfrom across Australia, Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Poland. “The consensus is that the 2017 Australian Go Congress was the best ever,” reports David Mitchell, General Manager for the Congress. “Everybody had a great time, vying with players from across Australia and around the world.”

The Australian National Championships’ top division attracted very strong players from Korea, China and Poland but in the end it was the Koreans who collected the top honors in a very tight finish. The overall winner was GwangHo Choi 7d (left), second was YoungSam Kim and Namgi Yoon was third, all from Korea and all three with six wins.2017.11.15_Gwangho Choi IMG_0544

Other activities included a screening of “The Surrounding Game” and simuls with Jaeho Yang 9P, Yeon Woo Cho 1Pm and An Younggil 9P, who played over 100 simul games, commented on games and gave lectures “which were appreciated by all,” says Mitchell. “Our thanks to them and the KBA for allowing them to visit our event.”

The Australian Go Congress was founded by Sang-Dae Hahn in 2015 and is supported by the Australian Go Association, the Sydney Go Club and the Sydney University Go Club. Check out a gallery of Congress photos here.

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Updates from Europe and Australia: EGF launches newsletter; What do Australian go players want?

Sunday July 30, 2017

EGF launches newsletter: The European Go Federation has launched a free twice-monthly newsletter that will include news from the European Championship, Go Congress and side events, EGF updates, announcements about big tournaments from all over the world, as well as international go news.

What do Australian go players want? If you’re a go player Down Under, the Australian Go Association wants to know what you want out of Australian club and tournament go. Click here to take their survey and let them know.

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Mark Your Calendar: 2017 Go Events

Thursday December 29, 2016

Cuba: As previously reported, Cuba will host a International Conference of Mind Sports in May 2017. For those interested 2016.12.28_-cuba_tourism_photo_of_a_streetin participating beyond just joining in on the competitions, the call for papers to present a workshop is open until January 31. In addition, I-Dared Travels has developed a program that includes the conference and three additional days for traveling and getting to know a bit of Eastern Cuba. Click here for details.

Australia: The third Australian Go Congress has been announced for September 28 through October 1, 2017 in Sydney. The Australian Go Championships will be the central event at the Congress. In addition, a one day ‘kyu’ tournament will enable younger players to take part and enjoy the experience of being part of a major international event. The organizing committee is also planning other events including Pair Go and Lightning Go, with details to be released in the coming months.

Also coming up in 2017: European Go Congress 2017, Canadian Open 2017, Osaka Go Camp/Japan Go Congress and the US Go Congress. More details here.

 

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Mark Your Calendar: 2017 Go Events

Monday December 19, 2016

European Go Congress 2017: The 2017 European Go Congress has been moved from Turkey to Sochi, Russia (Sochi). More details here.2016.12.17_aussie-congress

Australian Go Congress: The Australian Go Association, Sydney Go Club and Sydney University Go Club have announced that the 2017 Australian Go Congress — the third such Congress — will be held at Sydney University between September 28th and October 1st 2017. Further details will be released in the coming year.

2016.12.18_japan-congressCanadian Open 2017: After two years in eastern Canada, the Canadian Open is tentatively scheduled for Vancouver on the July 1st to 3rd weekend. Once the venue is confirmed the Canadian Go Association will post more details.

Osaka Go Camp/Japan Go Congress: The Kansai Kiin will host the 5th  annual Osaka Go Camp June 25th to July 13th, 2017. The second Japan Go Congress will be held from July 14th to 17th. Registration is now open; click here for details on both. This year more than 80 participated in the camp and 300 attended the congress.

US Go Congress:
And while we’re at it, just a reminder that the US Go Congress will be held August 5-8 in San Diego, California. Read the latest news here.

We love to hear about and promote go events around the world; send us details at journal@usgo.org

 

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Second Australian Go Congress Starts Friday

Wednesday January 13, 2016

The second Australian Go Congress kicks off this Friday, January 15 and runs through the 19th at the Sydney Parramatta Novotel in Parramatta,2016.01.13_australian-congress NSW, Australia. The main tournament will be played over five days; in addition there will be other competitions, lessons and opportunities to play simultaneous games against some of the world’s top professional players. There is a substantial prize and gift pool across different divisions.

The Congress will be held in the heart of Parramatta, close to the central business district, restaurants and cafés. It is also close to Parramatta’s shopping centre and public transport. It takes just 30 minutes by train to reach Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, Opera House, harbour, casino and more.

To assist people on their first visit to Sydney, Congress organizers will also provide a free city tour. Click here for Congress details.

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Tom Chen Sweeps First Australian Digital Championship

Tuesday October 6, 2015

With five straights victories, Tom Chen 5D of Sydney swept the 2015 Australian Digital Championship. Open to players from Australia and New Zealand, the tournament was the first from either country held on the internet (KGS and OGS), and took place during the month of September. The reserve champion in second place was Ken Xie of New Zealand 5D with four victories, beating out third place Xin Lei 3D of UNSW by half a point of SOS. Kudos to the pack of players on four victories, including also Steven Yang of Sydney and Graeme Parmenter of Otago, and thanks to the other 18 survivors who competed through to the end of the tournament. Click here for final results, including SGF game records.

In the second division (handicap stronger than 4k) there was again one player with five victories, the Australian Digital Handicap Champion, Stephen Yang 4D. Second place was Rhys Davies 1D with four victories (except where he went up against Stephen Yang). In this division the peleton starts with Johnny Jiang 1D of Adelaide at third place on three victories, and Yanis Newman-Pache 3D of Southern Cross University Go Club, Harvey Wang 2D of Victoria Go Club, and Graeme Parmenter 4D of Otago University Go Club. Thanks also to the other half-dozen survivors for participating.

In the third division (beginners’ handicap) the winner was Zhenyu Liu 10k (!) of Melbourne University Go Club. Second place was Justin Luafutu 16K from Brisbane Go Club on four victories (crushed by the winner in the third round) and third place was Pan Zhao 8K from Melbourne (also on four victories, also went up against the winner). Thanks to the eleven other competitors who also played through to the end.

Tom Chen wins a free admission to the 2016 Australian Go Congress in January 2016, which handily enough is in his hometown of Sydney. Stephen Yang and Zhenyu Liu win free admission to the 2015 Australian Championships in December 2015 in Brisbane.
– Horatio Davis, Australian correspondent for the E-Journal 

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November 15 Deadline for Australian Go Congress Early Bird Rate

Sunday September 6, 2015

There’s limited space for international competitors at the 2016 Australian Go Congress, set for January 15-19 at Novotel Sydney Parramatta in2015.09.06_aussie-congress Sydney, Australia. There’s an early bird rate for those who book and pay prior to November 26. Apart from the go, Sydney and Australia are two of the world’s best tourism destinations, notes organizer Sang-Dae Hahn. The Congress will provide free tours and guides to participants.

I hope that those of you who have always wanted to visit Australia but have never had a good enough excuse will take the opportunity to join us for what will be an outstanding event,” says Sang-Dae Hahn. “I look forward to seeing you in Sydney! For registration info, email ozgocongress@gmail.com. Click here to see photos and more from the 2015 Australian Go Congress.





Sang-Dae Hahn(韓相大) sdhahn@gmail.com

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