American Go E-Journal » Go News

After 35 years, Go World will cease publication after the next issue. “We regret to inform you that there will only be one more issue, #129, of Go World published,” Richard Bozulich writes in a letter now being received by subscribers. “After that Kiseido will cease publication.” “By relieving ourselves of the burdens of putting out Go World, we can devote ourselves to putting out some other kinds of publications,” Bozulich tells the EJ. For example, “We will be publishing a new book on December 5 titled, Fight Like a Pro — The Secrets of Kiai.”  And, adds Bozulich, “After I publish this book, I am going to work on another project aimed at teaching go to children, called How to Develop a Photographic Memory and Turn Your Child into a Genius. Of course there will be more than go in the contents, but go will be the centerpiece.”  Published continuously since 1977, Go World was for many years the sole source of go news and instruction for Western players, who eagerly awaited each quarterly issue, packed with instructional articles on tactics and strategy for beginners and stronger players alike as well as articles on the background and history of the game. High production values were the magazine’s hallmark, from the full-color reproductions of go prints on the cover to detailed analyses of top international title matches, featuring Korean, Chinese and Japanese players. Bozulich and longtime go author John Power – who also collaborated on many now-classic go books – “inspired a new generation of go writers, publishers and journalists,” said American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock. “Go World set a standard for excellence, longevity and commitment to the game of go that we can only dream of achieving.” Click here to purchase the final issue of Go World.

Does Won Seogjin 9P’s promise to dance Gangnam style if he won in the Samsung Cup also apply to the LG Cup? Won (l), known as ‘Won Punch’ for his powerful haymaker, promised his fans he’d do his version of South Korean pop artist PSY’s megahit if he defended his Samsung Cup title earlier this year, but the lighthearted hopes of many go fans were dashed when Park Junghwan 9P eliminated Won in the Samsung quarter finals. Now Won will play Shi Yue 5P for the LG Cup title, reigniting hopes that Won will have a chance to show off his dance moves if he wins the LG. Shi defeated Kang Dongyun 9P to advance to the final, marking another challenge by a member of the “Chinese Tiger Club Generation” so called because of their young age and fierce fighting styles. Won bested Choi Cheolhan 9P in his bid to repeat his championship run from last year. The 17th LG Cup will be decided by a best-of-3 match in mid-February 2013. Games will be broadcast live on Baduk TV.
Adapted from a report on Go Game Guru; click here for game records and more information.

Note (11/18): this report has been updated to reflect that Won is not defending the LG title (as originally reported), just playing in the final. Neither Won or Shi have won the LG Cup before, nor played in the final. Title holder Jiang Weijie didn’t make it through to the finals, because it’s a straight-out tournament, rather than a challenger league + title match.

On November 12 and 14, Lee Sedol 9P of Korea and Gu Li 9P of China swept the 17th Samsung Cup semifinals, both defeating their opponents 2-0. Gu and Lee now proceed to the Cup finals, which will be played December 11-13 in Shanghai (not Korea, as originally reported)  and broadcast live on Baduk TV. Interestingly, the two superstars have only met in two international tournament finals, which account for 7 of their past 30 games. The two are neck and neck at 4-3 in Gu’s favor in international finals; Gu won the 13th LG Cup in 2009 2-0 and Lee won the 3rd BC Card Cup 3-2 in 2011. Gu has a slight lead in their overall head-to-head, with a 15-14 record. This finals series will decide who takes the lead from here. Their 29th game during the Samsung Group Stage resulted in a spectacular quadruple ko, which was ruled a draw and Gu won the rematch to pull ahead by one game.
– adapted from a report on GoGameGuru, which includes extensive reports, photos and game records from the Samsung Cup; photo: Lee Sedol (left) and Gu Li (right) with famous Korean musician and amateur go player Kim Janghoon at the 17th Samsung Cup semifinals.

Almost three months after the 37^th Meijin title match started, Yamashita Keigo 9P prevailed in the decisive final game on November 12 and 13 in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, successfully defending his Meijin title for the first time. As if trying to prove a point after Hane Naoki 9P forced a seventh game, Yamashita started a severe attack around move 60 and skillfully carried the momentum from one attack to another, winning convincingly in just 138 moves. No doubt Yamashita’s focus will now shift to taking the Honinbo title back from Iyama Yuta, but first, there should be a little time to sit back and enjoy some Yamanashi wine.
– adapted from a report on GoGameGuru, which includes game records for all seven games.