American Go E-Journal » U.S./North America

2023 Congress seeks Registrar

Monday March 13, 2023

Organizers of this year’s U.S. Go Congress are searching for a Registrar. Registrars receive a full comp to the event, which runs July 8-16 in Kent, Ohio. “The ideal candidate would be a veteran of at least one Congress, and comfortable with using spreadsheets and web apps such as ClubExpress,” says Congress Director Steve Zilber. The Registrar’s job begins as soon as registration is launched and continues until a few weeks after the Congress ends. If interested – and for more details on what’s involved – email Zilber at steve.zilber@gocongress.org

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2023 Midwest Open set for March 25-26th

Monday March 13, 2023

Calling it “One of the more exciting and fun events of the year,” local organizers are inviting go players to join them in Columbus, Ohio from March 25-26th for the 2023 Midwest Open. “It’s a terrific place to see old friends across the board and if you’re new to in-person tournaments, this is the ultimate place to make new friends!” says Devin Fraze.

The Midwest Open features an Ultra Strong Master Division — 6 rounds for 16 players — and a large Main Division with players from all over the country. It’s hosted by the Go Club at Ohio State in partnership with the Columbus Go Club, sponsored by BadukClub, and features “rare and unique high value prizes.”

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Go introduced to Chinese immersion classrooms in Barrington, Illinois.

Sunday March 12, 2023

Guo teaching third-grade classes at Barbara Rose Elementary School in Barrington District 220, with the seed grant from National Louis University and Helping Hand Grant from Barrington 220 Educational Foundation in January 2020.

The Barrington (IL) Chinese Immersion Council (BCIC) recently granted approval to a proposal to introduce the game of go to Chinese immersion classrooms in Barrington’s District 220 school district. “I hope that this game-based learning program will not only teach students how to play go,” said Xinming “Simon” Guo, the founder of Go and Math Academy in Chicago, who made the proposal, “but also spark their creativity, imagination, and critical thinking skills, as well as enhance their math abilities”

Xiaoyan Anderson and Zimin Mineo, members of the BCIC Board of Directors, say they hope that through the program, “more families will become involved in our organization, fostering cultural exchange and understanding, and ultimately helping our students become future leaders with an open mind and a global perspective.”

BCIC is a nonprofit organization created in 2014 to support students and families involved in the local school district’s Chinese Immersion Program. The go-related program was scheduled to begin for all third- and fourth-grade Chinese Immersion classroom students with support from teachers Mrs. Zander and Ms. Du during the 2022-2023 school year. 

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New AGA website coming next Monday!

Thursday March 9, 2023

Sometime this coming Monday, March 13, the AGA is moving to an all-new website. The link will still be usgo.org but with a whole new look and feel. The current site will still be available through an ‘Archive’ link but all membership registration and logins will be through the new site. AGA members will be receiving an email with instructions on how to log into the new system.

“The new system represents some great work by a lot of volunteers,” says AGA President Gurujeet Khalsa. “There is still work to be done on some pages, but we wanted to get the new site up and running so we can open this year’s US Go Congress registration later in the week. We will also be rolling out a lot of new functionality for chapters over the months leading up to the Go Congress and conducting training at Congress as well. It is an exciting time for the AGA and I look forward to hearing what you think!”

Send your feedback and suggestions to president@usgo.org.

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Chao Xie tops SF Go Club’s Guy Moreau Memorial Tournament

Wednesday March 8, 2023

The San Francisco Go Club hosted a 3-round tournament on Saturday, February 25th, in memory of longtime club member Guy Moreau. The tournament was held in the SF Go Club’s dojo in San Francisco’s Japantown, with all games being played on new go sets imported from Japan. Lunch was provided by Andersen Bakery.

“The tournament was spirited and lively with participants and supporters filling the dojo to capacity,” reports San Francisco Go Club President Matthew Barcus. In Division 1, Chao Xie was the first-place winner, with Weiming Guo in second and Amy Guo in third. In Division 2, Max (Zeyuan) Zhang took first place, with Ricky Dira taking second and Yiran Shu in third. In Division 3, Andrew Shi was the first-place winner, Igor Pisarev came in second, and Benjamin Lam in third. Prizes included certificates and cash for the first-place winners of each division.

“The tournament was a great success and a fitting tribute to Guy Moreau,” says Barcus. “The San Francisco Go Club would like to thank all participants and supporters who made the tournament a vibrant and memorable event.”

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Austin Go Club to host Spring Fling tourney

Wednesday March 8, 2023

The Austin Go Club will be holding a Spring Fling Go Tournament on April 22nd/23rd in Austin, TX. The tournament will consist of 5 rounds held over two days. There will be both Open and Handicap sections. Registration is open now at GoClubs.org.

Please contact co-tournament directors Gilbert Garza and/or Bart Jacob for more information.

The venue will be near downtown with easy access to Lady Bird Lake and its popular hike and bike trail. “We hope to see you in Austin for a fun weekend of go!” says Jacob.

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Shang Zhou 7D tops 2023 AGHS Blitz Tournament

Wednesday March 8, 2023

On February 19, 2023, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) hosted its online Blitz Tournament. The tournament consisted of five rounds and eight divisions consisting of players of all strengths from 20K to 9D. The division winners included Shang Zhou 7D, Al Tang 2D, Jason Liu 2D, Ryan Huang 1K, David Rohlfing 4K, Phillip Briz 5K, Anna Zhou 7K, Brett Li 8K, Roger Ni 13K, and Royal Ni 18K.

Albert Yen 8D, an AGHS alumni, played in division A and described the tournament as a “very well-organized” and “low-stress” event. “My games were rife with mistakes since we only have 10 seconds per move, but I feel lucky that my sole loss wasn’t due to a single blunder,” Yen said, “I am happy I got to play five strong players in just three hours.”

In the future, Yen hopes to see more integration of AGHS events with the American Go Association. “For example, maybe participants in AGHS events can get discounts to go to the Congress to entice participants to attend more Go events,” Yen said. The AGHS hopes to continue hosting engaging events for all Go players. Players may visit aghs.us to stay up-to-date for future tournaments.

Report by Jamie Tang

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Registration Open for 2023 AGHS School Team Tournament

Wednesday March 8, 2023

“Are you part of a Go school (or a club at school) and would like to play in a team-styled tournament? Well, you’re in luck!” says AGHS President Jenny Li, “AGHS is excited to announce our upcoming tournament: STT (School Team Tournament). This tournament will occur on Saturday, March 25th, and Sunday, March 26th. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 22nd, 11:59 pm PST. We welcome all youth players (19 and under or currently enrolled in K-12).”

Round Schedule:
Round 1: March 25th, 10 AM PST (1 PM EST)
Round 2: March 25th, 1 PM PST (4 PM EST)
Round 3: March 26th, 10 AM PST (1 PM EST)
Round 4: March 26th, 1 PM PST (4 PM EST)

Registration form

Rules and regulations

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North American Online League Season 2 sign-ups open; March 14 deadline!

Tuesday March 7, 2023

Sign-up is now open for the second season of the North American Online League (NAOL). NAOL is an online league funded by the North American Go Federation in collaboration with the American, Canadian, and Mexican go associations. It is intended to be a primary driver of an online rating connected to your go association ID.

Click here to sign up for the League; sign ups end March 14th, and pairings will be posted March 15th. Anyone with an active American, Canadian, or Mexican go association member is eligible to play in the NAOL, and you do not have to live in one of these countries to be a member of their go associations.

The league runs for five weeks. On March 15th, participants will have their pairings for all five weeks, and can choose to play them at the recommended start time or contact opponents to reschedule. Tuesday night 8pm Eastern time is the standard scheduled time to play. The MGA hosts a Zoom meeting during Tuesday nights, so you can reach out to the other players of the league. Wednesday night 6:00 pm – 10:45 pm eastern, a certain number of games, played on time, will be reviewed. Games will be played on OGS with a 45 min byo-yomi 3 x 30 second timer, no handicap, AGA rules.

To register sign up here; questions refer to the FAQ. OGS page; Discord. Email: naol@usgo.org

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2023 Chicago Open adds Saturday-only breakfast plan and carpool support

Tuesday March 7, 2023

Registration for the 2023 Chicago Open on May 27-28 in Evanston, Illinois, has started, with eight out-of-state players already registered, including five high-dan players. See the Who’s Coming List to view the current registrants. Co-organizers Cheuk To Tsui and Albert Yen expect a high turnout. 

“The Chicago tournaments have seen steady growth, and we hope to see this trend continue,” Tsui said. “Our goal is to make the 2023 Chicago Open a mainstay event on the calendar.”

Register before May 6 to seize the early bird discounts, customized name tags, and limited Evanston Holiday Inn discounts. Groups are encouraged to register together for both days of the tournament to be eligible for the club discounts: Groups of 5-6: $3 off per person; Groups of 7-8: $5 off per person; Groups of 9+: $7 off per person.

New updates have been made to the registration form to support travelers. Firstly, the Chicago Open now offers an optional $10 breakfast plan for Saturday on top of the pre-existing lunch plans and Saturday dinner. Secondly, registrants may indicate on the registration form if they need help finding a roommate or carpool to have their contact added to the public Open Room/Carpool Spreadsheet. The registrants are responsible for contacting others on the spreadsheet to arrange room sharing and carpooling. Feel free to send questions or concerns to Evanston Go Club President Mark Rubenstein at 
mark@evanstongoclub.org.

Lastly, the Chicago Open organization team welcomes AGHS website manager Jamie Tang, who is grateful for the support of the co-organizers. “We’re very excited that Jamie has joined the Chicago Open organization team,” Yen said. “She has been invaluable in heading our outreach efforts, being responsible for everything from E-Journal reports to club contact.”

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