American Go E-Journal » Go News

In a true Cinderella story, Sakai Hideyuki 7P has become the new Gosei by defeating Cho U 9P by 2.5 points in the fifth and final round of the 35th Gosei, winning the series 3-2. This is Sakai’s first major title win, which also ended Cho’s four consecutive years of holding the Gosei title. Sakai’s only title win prior to this was the Kansai Ki-in Championship in 2003.  For a long time, he was the strongest amateur go player in Japan, and by winning his first major title at 37, he has defied those that say that only youth can accomplish such things.  When he won the World Amateur Go Championship in 2000, he was awarded professional 5 dan by the Kansai Ki-in (after defeating two 5D and two 7D players). He was also the first player in Japan to be awarded a special amateur 8 dan diploma.
– JustPlayGo.com

Sakai Hideyuki evens Gosei 2-2 with Cho U. Sakai Hideyuki 7P defeated Cho U 9P by 3.5 points in the fourth round of the 35th Gosei title match. The series is now tied at 2-2, with the final game to be played on August 27th. Lee Changho defeats Lee Sedol in Myeongin league play. In the final regular League A game of the 38th Myeongin, Lee Changho 9P defeated Lee Sedol 9P by resignation. Sedol’s loss eliminates him from the main tournament, finishing with a 2-3 league record. Lee Changho finished with a 3-2 league record but will now enter into a playoff match with An Kukhyun 2P, who also finished at 3-2. The winner will join Kang Dongyun 9P in the main tournament. Agon Cup Second Round Results. Qiu Jun 9P, Chen Yaoye 9P, Chang Hao 9P, and Piao Wenyao 5P each won their respective second round matches in the 12th Agon Cup, putting them in the semifinals. The defending Agon Cup title holder, Sun Tengyu 4P, lost to Jun by resignation. In the other three matches, Wang Xi 9P, Gu Li 9P, and Jiang Weijie 5P each lost their respective games to Yaoye, Hao, and Wenyao. The semifinals will be played on August 30th. Jiang Weijie and Li Zhe tied in Mingren challenger match. In the first game of the 23rd Mingren challenger match, Jiang Weijie 5P defeated Li Zhe 6P by resignation.  In the second game Zhe narrowly defeated Weijie by half a point. Park Yeonghun clinches 1st round spot in Myeongin. Park Yeonghun 9P clinched a first round spot in the 38th Myeongin by defeating Kim Kiyoung 5P by 3.5 points in the last round of League B play for each player. Yeonghun will now advance to the final tournament with a 4-1 record. The last regular game for League B will pit Cho Hanseung 9P against Park Jeonggeun 4P on August 26th. The winner of that match will then play a tie breaker with Won Sungjin 9P, who has a 3-2 record, to determine who among the remaining League B players will join Yeonghun in the tournament finals. Lee Sedol 9P, Choi Cheolhan 9P, and Won Sungjin 9P win in round one of the 54th Kuksu. Each won by resignation. Mok Jinseok 9P will play Ko Geuntae 7P on August 20th and Heo Yeongho 7P will play Lee Chungyu 3P on August 29th to complete the first round (game records).
– JustPlayGo

Korean players dominate the professional go scene these days and now amateurs have some new opportunities to study with top Korean pros. The Yang Jae-Ho Baduk Dojang is recruiting foreign players to study go in Korea. The dojang, or training center, plans to offer English-speaking instructors, and the pro instructor roster — in addition to founder Yang Jae-Ho (l) — includes Yi Sang-Hun 9P, An Dal-Hun 8P and Yi Jung-Wu 7P. The Dojang currently houses over 80 students and school founder Yang Jae-Ho 9P is the director of the Korean team for the Asian Games. Accommodation and training at the Dojang is 750 Euro/$1000 US per month; a 10% discount is available to groups, or students staying for over three months. Cultural excursions are also included in the deal. In Australia, the Young Go Academy in Sydney is run by a Korean professional, An Young-Gil 8P. In addition to An, there are four other instructors, two pros and two strong amateurs; Yu Kyung-Min 6P, who won several titles in Taiwan, including the Chung-hwan Cup, Kim Hyun-Sup 2P, who has recently been in the Korean league, Jang-Bi, the amateur 7-dan who spent a year teaching at the Seattle Go center and won many titles in the U.S., and 24-year-old Lim Mi-Jin, a strong amateur female player. Though the Young Go Academy is smaller than Yang Jae-Ho, it also offers teaching in English, and due to the number of teachers, students are guaranteed more individual attention. Accommodation and training at the Young Go Academy is 800 Euro/$1100 US per month; a 10% discount is available to groups or students staying for over three months and cultural excursions are also offered as part of the package. For more information on either school, contact Sang-Dae Hahn sdhahn@gmail.com