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

3 Weeks Left to Register for YKNOT 4, Second Online NAMT Qualifier

Monday June 2, 2014

Players in the top section of the upcoming fourth annual Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT) will be eligible to win points towards NAMT qualification, which this year means eligibility for the 9-round US Invitational tournament at this year’s US Go Congress; NAMT qualifiers in the US Invitational will be eligible for $2,000 more in prizes reserved for the NAMT players.

“We also encourage kyu players to register for the YKNOT,” says AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. “We want good strong competition at all levels! Every single player, including kyu players, can win part of the nearly $3,000 in prizes that the tournament offers.”

The Young Kwon National Online Tournament is the largest annual online tournament in North America. Registration is free and open to all levels, with nearly $3,000 in total prizes, which will be awarded to all levels. The tournament will take place on June 21, 22, and 28th. Click here to see the tournament webpage with registration details and rules and click here to register. Players have until Friday, June 20th to register. There are no citizen or permanent residency requirements; AGA members living in the US or AGA life members living anywhere are eligible, and even players who join the AGA the day before the start of the tournament are welcome to participate.

The YKNOT is the second online qualifier; the first is the June 7-8 Age of the Fabulist tournament, which is limited to players 4D+; register here.

Categories: Events/Tournaments,U.S./North America

Congress Pro Update; Teachers’ Workshop Returns

Monday June 2, 2014

Two more professional go players have just been confirmed for this year’s US Go Congress, bringing the total so far to 14 (click here for the complete list). Shinichi Aoki 9P won the 3rd NEC Shun-Ei Tournament in 1988; his sister is Aoki Kikuyo 8P. Korean professional Dahye Lee 4P, who specializes in teaching non-professional players how to teach youth in Korea, was a big hit at the Go Congress Teachers’ Workshop last year (photo) and will be returning this year. The workshop will again offer the opportunity for players interested in teaching go to earn certification as an AGA-recognized go teacher. The first workshop last year graduated 40 teachers, “far more than expected,” says Chris Kirschner, who is organizing the event this year. The curriculum has been expanded this year and with more than 50 already registered, “We are far above the 23 we had at this time last year” says Kirschner. The certificate program requires attendance of at least 8 hours including core topics, but those interested in only a few topics are welcome to attend those only. The Congress website allows you to sign up for just those sessions in which you have the most interest. The curriculum is still subject to change, so anyone interested in presenting their ideas at a session, or creating a new session is invited to contact Kirscher at planning@usgo.org.
photo: 2013 go teacher workshop participants show off their certificates; photo by Phil Straus

Categories: U.S. Go Congress,U.S./North America

4 Seats Open on AGA Board

Tuesday May 27, 2014

Help determine the direction of play for the American Go Association by joining the AGA Board of Directors. “This is a very exciting time for American go,” says AGA President Andy Okun. “Our new professional system, more local activities and increased participation in major events make input from the American go community more important than ever.” Nominations are now open for four AGA Board seats, including the three regional seats and the At-Large seat. Nominations are being accepted through June 15. Nominations must be sent to elections@usgo.org. Click here for complete election information and qualifications.

Categories: U.S./North America

Visit Seattle on a Tuesday

Monday May 26, 2014

“Visitors to Seattle should save Tuesdays for the Go Center”, advises Center Manager Brian Allen. “It’s our biggest day.” On Tuesday, May 20, the Center had 47 players visit, including 12 children. New players can find instruction on Tuesday as well. Saturdays are smaller, but usually there are more than 20 visitors at all levels. There are evening classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Your first ten visits to the Go Center are free, including classes. Visitors are invited to check out the weekly schedule, and the special events calendar. Photo: A Tuesday night in June 2013.
– photo/report by Brian Allen.

Categories: Go News,Traveling Go Board,U.S./North America

Igolocal.net Relaunched as “Find Go Players”

Monday May 26, 2014

Chuck Thomas has launched Find Go Players, “which is a fresh rewrite of my old website Igolocal.net,” he tells the E-Journal. “It’s become difficult to find games where I live, and I hope this will help others as well as me.” Users put themselves on a map and can use it to find other players nearby; the site also automatically notifies users when a new user appears in their area. Thomas, who ran Shodan Imports until shutting it down four years ago, is now a freelance software consultant and says he hopes to re-use the Find Go Players platform with other websites “to help facilitate local communities for people with rare interests such as go.”

Categories: Tools: books, software & hardware,U.S./North America,World

Andy Liu 1P Wins Maryland Open

Sunday May 25, 2014

Andy Liu 1P continued his recent run of wins (Andy Liu 1P Sweeps Washington Baduk Open 4/27/2014) EJ on Memorial Day weekend, winning the 41st Maryland Open on May 24-25 with a perfect 5-0 record. Daniel Chou 6d, with 3 wins, was the top qualifier for the Pro Certification tournament, Joe Maia 2k was the Kyu Champion and the Feng Yun Go School won the Gregory Lefler Award. There were 57 players; Todd Heidenreich directed and Keith Arnold was the organizer.

Open Section: Andy Liu 1P (5 wins); Zhaonian Chen 7d (4 wins); Xinying Jiang 6d (3 wins); Daniel Chou 6d (3 wins; top qualifier for Pro Certification tournament); Yuan Zhou 7d (3 wins); Joshua Lee 5d (3 wins); James Pinkerton 5d (2 wins); Zhenying Gu 5d (2 wins); Zhihong Ma 5d (2 wins); Willis Huang 5d (2 wins); Juntin Ching 5d (1 win).

A Section: Patrick Allen 3d; Jared Beck 3d; Brian Gu 3d
B Section: Victor Kang 1d
C Section: Joe Maia 2k (Kyu Champion); Yukino Takehara 1k
D Section: Bob Bacon 6k; Steve Colburn 5k
E Section: Brendan Berger 9k; Tevis Tsai 9k
F Section: Elizabeth Small 12k; Deirdre Golash 13k

Categories: Events/Tournaments,U.S./North America

Congress Earlybird Registration Deadline Fast Approaching

Sunday May 25, 2014

The end of May is coming fast, and with it, the end of the US Go Congress’s early bird pricing. “Register before June 1st to secure the current lowest price,” urges Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. After June first, the registration fee will go up by $50. “This is also the deadline to submit your answers for our contest!” Hershberger adds. “Everyone who sends the correct answer to the problem on the Congress logo will be entered to win an extra $50 off their Go Congress registration. Send your solution to registrar@gocongress.org before June 1st; see the Congress website for more details and a larger view of the problem. “So far, only a handful of players have found the correct answer,” says Hershberger. “Perhaps the problem is too difficult? Don’t give up!”

Categories: U.S. Go Congress,U.S./North America

San Diego Spring Soiree Draws Record Turnout

Sunday May 25, 2014

A record number of players turned out for the San Diego Go Club’s 2014 Spring Go Soiree on Saturday, May 17. Over 30 players, aged 7 to 70+ attended the all-day informal event at chapter president Ted Terpstra’s home. Tony Koslow 16k walked off with the $50 first-place prize for most number of AGA-rated wins, while David Baran, who traveled down from Beverly Hills, took second place. There was spirited action from a group of 3-dan players from the club and the UCSD club. After the games, people were treated to a burgers and chips dinner as analysis carried on into the evening.
– photos courtesy Jenna Jansen

Categories: U.S./North America

Maryland Open Attracting a Crowd This Weekend

Wednesday May 21, 2014

Players are coming from as far away as Chicago and New York for this weekend’s 41st Maryland Open, which is also a NAMT Qualifier and Pro Qualifier. Click here for details and to register. There will be prizes in all sections and cash prizes in the open section. There will be five rounds; three Saturday and two Sunday. “Come for one day or both!” says organizer Keith Arnold. Registration on Saturday runs from 9 until 10:30 am, with the first round at 11 am; first round Sunday 9:30 am. “Our thanks to Yellow Mountain Imports” for sponsoring, Arnold adds.

Categories: Events/Tournaments,U.S./North America

Seattle Go Center Looks East

Tuesday May 20, 2014

While Bellevue is just across Lake Washington from the Seattle Go Center, during rush hours it can be 60 minutes away. This makes it hard for Bellevue players to come to weekday events at the Seattle Go Center. In February, the Go Center started meet-ups at the Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center, which is close to the Microsoft campus, and about 12 miles east of the Go Center. The Thursday group meets from 5:30 to 8:30 in the “Game Lane” of the mall, and has 12 – 18 players coming, both dan and kyu level. There is a Saturday group as well, meeting at the same place and time, which had five players the last time they met. “We have tried to do this before on the East Side, but we never got a large enough group to keep it going,” reports Manager Brian Allen. This time, thanks to support from Crossroads Bellevue and Uncle’s Games at the shopping center, and dedicated volunteer Thane W., they are able to get a large enough group on Thursdays that everybody can find a game. “Now we are hoping that we can also build up Saturdays.” Most of the publicity was done with the Go Center’s e-mail list, which has about 450 addresses. Photo: Sonny Cho 6d answering question at Crossroads. Photo/Report by Brian Allen.

Categories: U.S./North America

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