American Go E-Journal » Europe

In round seven of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, played on June 30, EGF pro Artem 2P defeated Eric Lui 1P, ending Lui’s streak at three wins. The AGA team now has only one player remaining – Ryan Li 1P – while the EGF team has Artem Kachanovskyi 2P and Ilya Shikshin 3P.

In the opening, Eric Lui, playing black, built up a wide area on the right side. White approached lightly, trying to limit black’s potential. Black launched a full-on attack of white’s group, surrounding it from the outside. However, black’s shape had some weaknesses. White allowed black a small ponnuki, then cut on L16, forcing black to give up one or the other of his surrounding groups. Black chose to give up both, and instead swallowed the upper-left corner, keeping game balanced. Complicated fights ensued, but white was slightly ahead. White then successfully invaded the upper-left corner, leading black to resign.

The EGF has announced that Ilya Shikshin 3P will substitute for Artem in the next round under the wildcard rule*. Kachanovskyi is unable to play next round due to his upcoming wedding in Romania. If Shikshin defeats Ryan Li, the AGA’s last remaining player, this championship will be over. If Ryan Li wins, he will face Artem Kachanovskyi in the final game.

The next round, Ryan Li 1P vs. Ilya Shikshin 3P, will take place on July 7, starting at 14:00 US Eastern time. The game will be played on OGS and live-streamed on Twitch.

*Wildcard rule: Each team has one wildcard that can be used in an emergency. When a currently winning player is not able to play the next round, a team can nominate any not-yet-defeated teammate to substitute for one game. The original winning player must come back in the following round, regardless of the substitute player’s result.

Eric Lui 1P defeated Pavol Lisy 2P by 1.5 points in the 6th round of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship played June 9 on OGS.

Lisy (Black) took an early advantage by capturing white’s group on the lower side. When white attempted to reduce black’s moyo on the top, black chose an aggressive strategy, leading to a critical ko in the center. The game seemed clearly in black’s favor when black’s group lived in the upper-left corner. But, pressed by byo-yomi, Lisy didn’t realize his group was already alive, and missed a chance to solidify his advantage. The game became close as white captured a small black group in the center, but black was still leading by a narrow margin. Black’s final mistake was move 217, which allowed white to start an advantageous ko. White gained a few points from this ko fight, and managed to finish the game 1.5 points ahead.

The next round will take place on June 30, starting at 14:00 US Eastern time. Artem Kachanovskyi 2P will challenge Eric Lui. The game will be played on OGS and live-streamed on Twitch.

In round five of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, played on June 2, Eric Lui 1P defeated EGF pro Ali Jabarin 2P. The game was followed live by over 300 players on OGS and 4,000 viewers on Twitch.
The game intensified as Ali (white) invaded black’s large moyo on the right side. A white group on the right appeared dead for some time, leading viewers to believe the game would be over soon. Yet, to everyone’s surprise, including main commentator Inseong Hwang, Ali magically found a way to save the group. However, in the process, white had to leave the center undefended, and black’s center territory became too large for white to match. At the final count, black won by 24.5 points.

The next round will take place on June 9, starting at 14:00 US Eastern time. Eric Lui will face Pavol Lisy 2P. The game will be played on OGS and live-streamed on Twitch.
– Hajin Lee

EricLui 1P won Round 4 of the Transatlantic Team Championship, defeating Mateusz Surma 2P, who had won the first three rounds. The game was played on May 5, but the final result was not announced until May 14 due to official challenges by both players. Details of the official ruling are here.The next round, between Eric Lui and Ali Jabarin will take place on June 2, from 14:00 US EDT or 20:00 CEST.