American Go E-Journal » Latin America

4th Latin American Go Congress “a huge success”

Thursday November 24, 2022

Top left: Congress playing area; top right (l-r): special guest Devin Fraze, Feng Yun 9p, organizer Haroldo Brown, Eunkyo Do 1p, Stephanie Yin 1p and Argentina Go Association president Santiago Laplagne; bottom: Congress attendees.

The Quzhou Lanke Cup 4.º Congreso Latinoamericano de Go 2022 (4th Latin American Go Congress) turned out to be a huge success,” reports Stephanie Yin 1P. “The event was held October 7th-11th, 2022 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Three professional go players were invited: Feng Yun 9p, Stephanie Yin 1p, and Eunkyo Do 1p from Korea. We held game reviews, lectures, simul games, and had many unforgettable memories with the local players!” The presence of both Feng Yun and Stephanie Yin was funded by the American Go Foundation, notes AGF president Terry Benson. “This is the U.S. paying back the support we got for decades and paying forward go in this hemisphere,” said Benson.

“The 84-odd participants enjoyed the Congress tremendously and in no small way this was thanks to the participation of Stephanie and Feng Yun who worked tirelessly on revisions, simultaneous games, workshops and live commentary of games. Thanks also goes to Devin Fraze, who was most supportive in all matters.” said organizer Haroldo Brown. “We had the most kids who participated in the congress this year. It is not a large number but we are very happy to see go has been introduced more in the kids community.”

“The Latin American Go Congress is a very unique Go congress” said Stephanie Yin. “It is priceless to meet so many enthusiastic go players on the other side of the states.” Players there are very humble and eager to improve, Yin added. The Pandanet City League Finals featured Chile and Brazil, and at the closing ceremony, both teams brought their handmade country flags to celebrate.

“I believe that the world of go will expand much more quickly than we expected because we have so many such awesome go players!” said Yin. As the AGA’s Development VP, the representative of the American Go Foundation, and also as a professional go player, Yin pledged to “do my best to promote, teach, and help whenever and wherever needed. I also hope that more schools will include go as a subject in America. I am seeing a brighter future for the world of go.”

11/27: This post has been updated to include the information about the AGF and Terry Benson’s quote.

Categories: Latin America,Main Page

Latin American Go teachers announce pan-American youth team league, registration open until March 20

Sunday March 7, 2021

Diego Albuja of Ecuador, Paola Sarmiento of Colombia, and Sid Avila of México invite players of all the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean to take part in the Liga Panamericana de Go por Equipos Sub 18 “SIRIO” (U18 Pan-American Go Team League Sirio), a Go team league from March to July of 2021 with rounds to be played the last Sunday of each month. Teams of three players under 18 years of age can enter in the following three divisions: Division 19×19 for teams with players from 13 kyu and above; Division 13×13 for teams with players from 19 kyu to 14 kyu; and Division 9×9 for teams with players from 30 kyu to 20 kyu.

The organizers have set up a dedicated group on OGS where games will take place. Registration is open until March 20th. An adult responsible for the players should register the team here.

Schedule
Round 1: March 28, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT
Round 2: April 25, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT
Round 3: May 30, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT
Round 4: June 27, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT
Round 5: July 25, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT

The first game on the day of the matches will be played from official pairings. After finishing the paired game, players may play up to two more self-paired games with appropriate handicaps among other players in their division. They can send challenges freely and victories in these games will count as points for their teams.

The full rules and regulations and the tournament website are available in Spanish. Organizers recommend using Google translate or a similar tool to read the rules in English. If any questions remain, contact the organizers at sidd.avd@gmail.com

Categories: Latin America,Main Page,Other,South America,U.S./North America

Latin American Go Congress canceled

Tuesday June 30, 2020

It’s official. The 4th Latin American Go Congress, which was to be held in Buenos Aires in October 2020, has been canceled. “The coronavirus pandemic will still take some time to bring under control in Argentina and it has become apparent that a Congress in October is no longer feasible in the current year,” reports Haroldo Brown. Current plans are for Argentina to hold the Congress in October 2021. In a related update, Brown says “It is likely that we will hold some sort of Latin American online tournament in October but have no specific news on this as we are just beginning to think about it.”

Categories: Latin America,Main Page

4th Latin American Go Congress set for Buenos Aires in October

Sunday February 23, 2020

The fourth Latin American Go Congress will be held October 3-12 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. European pro Mateusz Surma 2P has been confirmed for both a weekend workshop October 3-4 and the boot camp October 5-9. “Mateusz will also be present during the tournament days offering game reviews, etc,” reports Congress Coordinator Haroldo Brown. “We welcome players from all over the world to the biggest go party in Latin America!” Brown adds.

The bird in the Congress logo is the “hornero,” or ovenbird, native to South America. The “hornero” is known for building mud nests that resemble old wood-fired ovens. The other protagonist of the logo is the “tatú carreta,” the largest living species of armadillo, found in most Latin American countries and considered vulnerable to extinction.

For more info on the Congress, email latino2020@go.org.ar

Categories: Latin America,Main Page

A Pro in Mexico

Tuesday July 30, 2019

By Zirui Song 1P

The 6th Mexican Go Congress was a lifetime experience. I was both instructor and referee. I played simuls every afternoon, gave a lecture on life and death problems, and tried to review as many Congress games as possible. While only there three days, I hope my teaching could indeed offer them some insights into the thinking of a pro-level player when playing the game. They were polite and respectful when asking me to review the games, and whenever I saw them understand and gain from my teachings, I would genuinely feel really happy and fulfilled. They would laugh back at me, too.

Though my perspective is different from a player, I was not alienated from the exciting event at all. The passion for the game of go connected everyone at the Congress. On the last day, many people brought their own boards and started playing at the front door of the building. To be honest, I envy their passion towards the game sometimes. Whenever they finished, they would never directly put the stones back into the boxes before going back to the game to discuss the important fights or game-deciding moments.

Emil, the president of the Mexican Go Association, and his girlfriend, Dafne, welcomed me to stay at their place during the Congress. They cared for my needs and gave me the most comfortable stay possible. All the other people at the event were really hospitable as well, and I feel bad for not remembering all their names. What I do remember is that every night after the congress games, we went to dinner, drank and talked for hours. On the last day, they insisted on walking with me to the Art Museum and Chinatown in Mexico City to show me the different facets that Mexico City has to offer.

I sincerely hope that I can go back again.

With funding from the American Go Foundation, Zirui Song, 1P from Chicago, was the AGA representative at the Mexican Go Congress.
-photos provided by Zirui Song. Report edited by Terry Benson.

Categories: Latin America,Main Page,Other

Help Wanted: KGS Go Server

Wednesday May 29, 2019

-by Paul Barchilon, AGF Vice President, KGS Liaison

As many of our readers are aware, the American Go Foundation (AGF) agreed to take on ownership of the KGS Go Server in 2017. Our goal was to stabilize and grow the server, and also provide a financial buffer for the service after its creator, Bill Shubert, no longer wanted to run it. We think KGS is the best place for reviewing games online, with unparalleled game review tools, and terrific chat features that allow people to build real community. Although there are many other go servers out there, including Asian ones with beautiful graphic design and strong players, we think KGS is still a unique and valuable server. A common complaint has been that many high level dan players have moved to other servers. The AGF’s mission focuses on education and learning, and we think KGS is the perfect place for beginners and more advanced kyu players to learn and grow. Dan players are important too, but we think the server can grow more of them, and that more strong players will come back to the server if we can revitalize it.

We had hoped that by providing financial security for the server, it would be able to survive and grow on its own. However, as time has passed, it has become clear that we need more support from the community to make that a reality. Our team of programmers (all volunteers) have busy day jobs, and although they do their best, there is too much work to be done. Our admin team has also become smaller, and is greatly in need of an infusion of volunteers.

The go community should have lots of programmers out there who can help. We should also have lots of people who are willing to be admins. If you are interested in volunteering to help make KGS the best possible server it can be, please email me at kgs@agfgo.org.

On the programming level, we need people who can code in Java and Javascript. The code for ShinKGS is actually open source. Skilled coders could help us bring more features to the web compatible version of KGS and – most urgently – to create a registration module that can run from any web-browser and doesn’t require Java. If you are willing to help us with our task list, email kgs@agfgo.org.

On the Admin side, we need team players who have a helpful, forthcoming attitude, can stay calm under pressure, and are able to properly judge if, when, and how to intervene in public chats, deal with complaints and enforce KGS policies on escaping. A community only thrives with the support of those in it. The more people maintaining the spirit of KGS, the easier for all.

Admins need enough spare time to be on several times a week and should be able to keep an idle window open on the server. They should be quick to step in when needed. We also need admins in many languages and time zones, and would like to have at least one admin on at any given time.

While the AGF owns KGS and, with the help of many donors, provides the basic financial support, KGS really belongs to all of us. If the server is to move forward, we need help from the community.

Categories: Europe,Go Classified,Latin America,Main Page,South America,U.S./North America,World,Youth

5th Orion Latin American u18 Team Tournament “A great success”

Saturday February 2, 2019

The fifth edition of the Orion Latin American u18 Team Tournament held December 8/9 on OGS was a great success with 11 school and academy teams from Mexico to the southern tip of Chile and the Pacific coast (Ecuador) to the Atlantic (Argentina).

First place in the 6-round event was Team Villa High de México (Sebastián Bañuelos, Bruno Michaca and Paola Ortega), 2nd: British School of Chile (Gustavo Gibbons, Fernando Gallardo and Fernando Cárdenas). 3rd: Dojo de Go de México (Diego Luciano, Omar Zavala and Ruben Hernandez).

The decisive match was Round 5 between Villa High and the British School. Boards 1 and 3 had finished and split one each. It all came down to move 259 when the Chilean, Gallardo, had a winning placement to catch a group of Machaca’s – but was off by one intersection.

Thanks to the sponsorship of the American Go Foundation, the players of the Villa High team of Mexico will represent Latin America at the next US GO Congress next summer in Madison, Wisconsin.

Special thanks go to the board of the Ibero-American Go Federation, to the team coaches: Ernesto Cepeda, Haroldo Brown, Diego Albuja, Siddharta Ávila and Sebastián Montiel, and especially to the 33 youth players who brought tremendous enthusiasm and commitment to the contest.

Cross grid and event photos here.

– Terry Benson from a report by Sebastian Montiel of Chile.

Categories: Latin America,Main Page,Youth

Mexico edges out Korea in special cross-cultural tournament

Friday December 28, 2018

Mexico edged Korea, 13-12, in the December 8 cross cultural baduk tournament “Encuentro de Baduk México-Corea 2018.” The 5-round event was organized by the Korean newspaper “El Coreano.” Playing for Team Mexico was its leader and current Mexican champion Abraham Florencia 5d, followed by Sebastián Ríos, Mario Mercado, Alejandro Curiel and José Chacón. Team Korea consisted of Changha Kim, Jungik Jang, Chaejoong Kook, Sungoh Kim and team leader Nicolas Kim. There were special extra matches for junior players as well: Diego Luciano and Mateo Nava played for Mexico against Chan Kong; the three of them are 12 years old and around 1-2 Dan.

Kijin Song, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico City, where the event took place, welcomed the contestants with praise for baduk – as go is called in Korea — as a valuable cultural element. Sungmin Lim from “El Coreano” then introduced the players and explained the rules. There was a lot of excitement about the event, which Mexico finally clinched by the narrowest of margins after five rounds of intense games. The Fighting Spirit award went to Changha Kim, a korean 5-dan player who went undefeated. Trophies were awarded to all the members of the winning team on behalf of Chun Bee-ho, Korea’s Ambassador to Mexico. International observers included Philipp Neubert, from the Department of Baduk Studies at Myongji University and Alvaro Tirado from the Venezuela Go Association. All agreed the event was very well organized event and the intention is for it to be held annually and attract more players from both countries at future editions.
– reported by Sid Avila

Categories: Latin America,Main Page

Historic Mexico-Korea baduk match set for Dec. 8

Friday December 7, 2018

Encuentro de Baduk México-Corea 2018, a cross cultural baduk (go in Korean) tournament is set for December 8th in Mexico City. The match will be held in honor of South Korea’s ambassador to Mexico, the event will take place at the Korean Cultural Center and the opening ceremony will feature its Director, Mr. Kijin Song. The format is a fast-paced, round robin match consisting of 5 team members, on one side Mexican nationals and on the other Korean residents and/or Korean descendants born in Mexico. Philipp Neubert, a german student from Myongji University who is doing field research for his Ph.D thesis about go in Latin America is invited as an international observer.

The Korean Cultural Center and a Korean newspaper “El Coreano,” both with established headquarters in Mexico City, are organizing the event. “For many years there have been active Korean players with a limited interaction in their own community,” reports organizer Sid Avila, “perhaps only Kim Chang-Ha, a gentle friend and strong player has showed up and participated at the successful Mexican Go Congresses organized so far.”

“Since the Korean Cultural Center opened their baduk workshop two years ago, there has been a steady increase in public interest for go. There have been two Baduk Festivals, workshops at universities, exhibitions and even international events like the recent Pan-american Baduk Championship 2018 where Aaron Ye, from the US claimed the title. The Korean community seems to be welcoming the exciting idea that there are strong Mexican players who can compete with them. They are also surprised that baduk is taught at elementary schools, and played at universities, and that there are quite well organized events by the Mexican Go Association,” adds Avila. -Paul Barchilon, EJ Youth Editor.

Categories: Latin America,Main Page,U.S./North America,World

Ye, Velasco, Trujillo top Pan-American Championship

Saturday November 24, 2018

Aaron Ye 7d of the US took first place in the Pan-American Championship in Mexico City on November 10th. Canadian Player Manuel Velasco came in second and Cuban player Orlando Trujillo placed third. Mr. Kijin Song, the director of the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico presented the winners with certificates and cash prizes of $30,000, $20,000, and $10,000 Mexican pesos for their respective placings in the tournament. The online qualifiers drew players from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru, Cuba, the USA, and Canada. The finals were held at the Museo Nacional de las Culturas, within walking distance of the Zocalo Plaza in Mexico City. The event drew a large audience from the local go community. “The 2nd Baduk Festival in Mexico was held at the same time,” reports organizer Sid Avila, “we had free games amongst the public participants, the majority of them being children; 2 raffles were held so that 18 people could play simultaneous games with Soohang Ryu 7P, from the Korean Baduk Association.Later prizes were raffled for the public, and we had a baduk book exhibition and a photographic exhibit as well.”

Online preliminaries were held in August, and determined the top five players from different countries. They were invited to Mexico City, with all expenses paid, to compete in the final stage. In addition to Ye and Velasco, Fernando Aguilar of Argentina (who had to cancel due to family complications), Alfonso Artique of Uruguay, Abner Turkieltaub Melo of Chile, and Orlando Trujillo of Cuba (by invitation) were the finalists. As the host country, Mexico was excluded from the online qualifier and received a seeded seat into the finals. The Korean Cultural Center in Mexico held a separate online qualifier for Mexican players, which was won by Abraham Florencia, a high-dan player who placed 8th at the World Amateur Go Championships earlier in the year.

A great amount of attention was focused on the game between Ye (black) and Velasco (white). Velasco had a strong opening and held a large territorial lead until a detrimental mistake in the middle-game. Ye successfully seized the opportunity and killed a large group, ultimately securing a win-by-resignation. After the tournament, the game was displayed on a projector in the background and was reviewed by Ryu.

Ye reports ” I was glad to have the opportunity to attend the event and make new go friends from Latin American countries. Organizing a Pan-American tournament was a creative and innovative idea to connect go players from North and South America. After all, an important part of the game is connecting with the community. I was surprised but excited to see the event attract quite a lot of local Mexican go players. The experience was very unique and memorable and I hope to continue to promote go on the continent in the future.”

The event was sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico, with the valuable support of the National Museum of World Cultures, the Korean Baduk Association, the Tygem Go Server, the Korean Sports Promotion Organization, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. For more pictures, click here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Korean Cultural Center in Mexico photographer Seol Ha Kim.

Categories: Latin America,Main Page,South America,U.S./North America,World,Youth

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