American Go E-Journal » Go News

From before the Opening Ceremonies to the closing Awards Banquet, the American Go E-Journal once again provided comprehensive coverage of the annual U.S. Go Congress, this year held August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. In addition to broadcasting and posting dozens of top games, many with commentary by professional go players, the EJ published daily tournament recaps and previews (a new feature this year), interviews, features and scrapbooks of photos from the biggest event on the US go calendar. Here’s a selection of our coverage, organized into a handy overview. All the coverage is available online: click on U.S. Go Congress under Categories or search for specific keywords. Game records are posted on the US Open, NAMT  and Strong Players Open; also see below for clickable links to the professional game commentaries. 

Tournament Reports
U.S. Go Congress Recap: Yuhan Zhang Wins U.S. Open
2013 North American Masters Tournament: Final Results (includes player photos)
2013 Strong Players Open: Final Results (includes player photos)
Los Angeles Tops Inaugural Pandanet-AGA City League
Amy Wang and Justin Ching Win Pair Go Tourney
Andrew Lu Repeats As Die Hard Winner

Daily Recaps/Previews

U.S. Go Congress Preview: Sunday, August 4
U.S. Go Congress Recap/Preview: Monday, August 5
U.S. Go Congress Recap/Preview: Tuesday, August 6
U.S. Go Congress Recap/Preview: Wednesday, August 7
U.S. Go Congress Recap/Preview: Friday, August 9
U.S. Go Congress Recap/Preview: Matthew Hu Repeats as NAMT Champ; Cong Li Wins SPO

Congress Photo Scrapbooks
U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Saturday, August 3 
U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Sunday, August 4 
U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Monday, August 5 
U.S. Go Congress Scrapbook: Tuesday, August 6

Other Reports
Everyone’s A Winner at NAMT Board Auction
Dolen & Fukuda Receive Lasker Awards
Go History Lessons on Display at Congress
Takemiya on Teaching
Korean Leaders visit Seattle Go Center
Auto Exec Turns His Sights on Popularizing Go
Go Quiz: Something In Common

Youth Reports
Defending Champs Hold Onto Redmond Cup Titles
Ching, Huang, and Xu Top Youth Team Tourney
Kurebayashi’s Top Youth-Adult Pair Go
Frisbee Go – Youth Room Style
Gan and Ye Score in Redmond Cup; Lightning Tourney in Youth Room

Game Commentaries: The E-Journal team broadcast 15 professional commentaries during the 2013 U.S. Go Congress. In addition to the U.S. Open, the North American Masters and the Strong Players Open, we also covered the Pandanet-AGA City League A-League final as well as the Samsung Qualifier taking place in Korea.

U.S. Open Round 1, Board 1: Jennie Shen 2P on Zi Yang (Matthew) Hu vs. Tianyu (Bill) Lin
U.S. Open Round 2, Board 1: Cathy Li 1P on Zi Yang Hu vs. Jianing Gan
U.S. Open Round 3, Board 1: Shirley Lin 1P on Zi Yang Hu vs. Yuhan Zhang 7d
U.S. Open Round 3, Board 1: Chujo Chihiro 3P on Zi Yang Hu 1p vs. Yuhan Zhang 7d
U.S. Open Round 3, Board 2: Myungwan Kim 9P on Calvin Sun 7d vs. Peilun Li 7d
U.S. Open Round 4 Board 1: Wei Chen 3P on Yuhan Zhang 7d vs. Calvin Sun 7d
U.S. Open Round 5 Board 1: Mingjiu Jiang 9P on Yuhan Zhang 7d vs. Peilun Li 7d
NAMT Round 1 Board 1: Yang Yi 6P on Matthew Hu 1p vs Jianing Gan 7d
NAMT Round 2, Board 1:  Yilun Yang 7P on Calvin Sun 7d vs. Zi Yang Hu 1P
NAMT Round 4 Board 1: Takemiya Masaki on Stephanie Yin 1p vs. Zi Yang Hu 1P
NAMT Round 4 Board 2: Mingming Yin 1p on Hugh Zhang 7d vs Andy Liu 1P
SPO Round 2 Board 2: BeomGeun (Evan) Cho 7d vs Yuhan Zhang 7d (player commentary)
SPO Round 4 Board 1:  Myungwan Kim on Cong Li 3P vs Yuhan Zhang 7D
SPO Round 4 Board 2:  Huiren Yang 1p on Peilun Li 7d vs Evan Cho 7d
Pandanet-AGA City League A-League final: Myungwan Kim 9P on Beumgeon (Evan) Cho and Jie Li
Samsung Qualifier: Mingjiu Jiang 7P on Eric Lui 7d vs Ben Lockhart

2013 US GO CONGRESS EJ TEAM
Managing Editor: Chris Garlock; Assistant Manager: Todd Heidenreich; Broadcast coordinator: Steve Colburn and Dennis Wheeler; Photography: Phil Straus; KGS admin: Akane Negishi, with Sadaharu Wakisaka; Youth Editor: Paul Barchilon; Myron Souris (off-site support). Simulcast Manager: Solomon Smilack; US Open Game Recorders: Dennis Wheeler, Richard Dolen, Mike Lepore, Frank Lam. NAMT Game Recorders: Dennis Wheeler, Richard Dolen, Andrew Jackson, Solomon Smilack, David Weimer, Logan Lancaster, Brian Leahy, Ethan Frank, Matt Payton, Alex Salazar, Mike Lepore. Professionals: Cathy Li, Myunyan Kim, Yilun Yang, Shirley Lin, Huiren Yang, Mingjiu Jiang, Takemiya Masaki & Pro Coordinator I-Han Lui. photo by Phil Straus

During the week following the U.S. Go Congress, Takemiya Masaki  9p from the Nihon Ki-in and Chihiro Chujo 1p from the Kansai Ki-in each taught three times at the Seattle Go Center.  Ms. Chujo was an enthusiastic go teacher, and an eager student of the English language.  Her English vocabulary increased notably during her week-long visit. In his first lecture, Takemiya gave commentary on two of his games; one from the beginning of his career in 1969 and one with his friend and competitor Cho Chikun from 1988.  Takemiya’s second lecture was for kyu players, and stressed that “those who play where they want lose more games but get stronger faster”.  He admitted that sometimes there is only one move on the board, and showed an example of this situation, but he reassured the audience of 22 players that usually there are options to try out.  Both Chujo and Takemiya played simultaneous games on Tuesday, Aug. 14,  the busiest day of the week at the Go Center.  Two of Takemiya’s games with strong players were recorded and broadcast on KGS, and then shown in the kitchen with a digital projector.  At one point there was a roar from the kitchen when the internet connection was temporarily lost, puzzling the players in the main room who did not know what had happened.  The games are posted in the news section of the Go Center website, along with the two games Mr. Takemiya presented in his lecture.

There was also time for sight-seeing, and for good seafood dinners.  Miss Chujo went for a canoe ride, while Mr. Takemiya had a fine round of golf, with three birdies, and also went tango dancing after one of his lectures.  Top photo: Takemiya Masaki; bottom: Chihiro Chujo. Report/photos by Brian Allen

In a surprise announcement, not one but two Lasker Awards were made at this year’s U.S. Go Congress. The recipients were two longtime go organizers, Richard Dolen (middle in photo at right) and Frank Fukuda (right in photo below). As Dolen himself modestly noted, his greatest claim to fame in 60 years in the go community is having taken Michael Redmond to Japan as a young boy, where he was accepted as a pupil by Oeda Yusuke 8P and eventually became the first US-born 9-dan professional go player. Fukuda’s long go history in Seattle includes being part of the Last Exit Go Club’s team that organized the second U.S. Go Congress in Seattle in 1985. Dolen, whose go career has taken him around the world, has played a key role in the Los Angeles go scene for many years, and the Cotsen Open – one of the major events on the U.S. go calendar – is the result of Dolen introducing Eric Cotsen to Yilun Yang 7P. Fukuda was a key player in the creation of the Seattle Go Center, as well as helping ensure its survival and growth. Click here for Dolen’s “Snapshots from 60 Years of Go” and “Chris Kirscher on Frank Fukuda.” The Lasker Award is named after Edward Lasker, a founder of the American Go Association. photos: top right: Dolen (center) with AGA President Andy Okun (left) and E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock; bottom left: Fukuda (right) with 2013 Congress Director Chris Kirschner; photos by Phil Straus