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

Eric Lui 6D (left) and Mengchen Zhang 6D (top right) won the 2014 New Jersey Open, topping a field that attracted an all-time record 135 players over two days March 1-2 in Princeton, New Jersey. Both players had 4-1 records and their tie-break scores were so close that they were declared co-winners.

One of the earliest regional go events in the US, this year’s NJO was the 55^th, reported longtime TD Rick Mott, who shared directing duties with Paul Matthews. In addition to being one of the oldest go events and reliably drawing some of the largest and strongest fields in the country, the NJO may also be the only US go tournament to use Fischer timing (50 minutes, 10 seconds for each move). It’s sponsored by the Princeton Go Club, which meets at Princeton University’s Campus Center Campus Club Wednesdays at 7:30 PM during the academic year. photos by John Pinkerton

Round 3 results: Board 1: Kevin Huang d. Andy Liu; Bd 2: Michael Chen d. Ricky Zhao; Bd 3: Mencheng Zhang d. Eric Lui; Bd 4: Yishen Wang d. Heping Wang; Bd 5: Jing Guo d. Andrew Huang.

Round 4 results: Board 1: Eric Lui d. Kevin Huang; Bd 2: Michael Chen d. Mengchen Zhang; Bd 3: Zhongxia Zhao d. Jun Wang; Bd 4: Lionel Zhang d. Jing Guo; Bd 5: Andrew Huang d. Heping Wang.

Round 5 results: Board 1: Eric Lui d. Michael Chen; Bd 2: Mengchen Zhang d. Kevin Huang.

Game Records:

Round 4, Board 1:_E-Lui-K-Huang

Round 4, Board 2:_M-Chen-M-Zhang

Round 5, Board 1:_E-Lui-M-Chen

Round 5, Board 2:_M-Zhang-K-Huang

A record 126 players turned out at the 55^th annual New Jersey Open for the first day of play on Saturday in Princeton University’s Frist Campus Center, with hundreds more watching online on KGS. See below for Rounds 1 & 2 game records. The E-Journal team of Chris Garlock and John Pinkerton broadcast top-board games live on KGS on Saturday and will broadcast Rounds 4 & 5 Sunday beginning at 10a EST.

Go has a long history at Princeton. The Princeton club was founded by Professor Ralph J. Fox of the Department of Mathematics in 1945, who continued to promote go in Princeton until his untimely death in 1973. “Professor Fox brought a number of Japanese professionals to visit Princeton, and often hosted them at his house,” reports Princeton club organizer Rick Mott. “His late wife Cynthia bequeathed some of his books, photographs and papers to the club archives.” Steve Bretherick, who’s moving to Japan, continued that tradition on Saturday when he donated a table full of go books to anyone who wanted them (below left).

Perhaps the most famous association of Princeton with go is an opening scene in the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind,” depicting the life of Nobel laureate John Nash Jr., in which Nash – played by Russell Crowe — is challenged to a game by a fellow graduate student. The Princeton club hosted the fifth US Go Congress in 1989. The following year, the long-standing NJO, one of the earliest regional events in the US, moved to the Princeton campus where it has been played ever since. The tournament is usually held in late February and draws players from all over the Eastern Seaboard, from Virginia to Massachusetts, with occasional visitors from as far away as Austria and, this weekend, San Diego, with club organizer Ted Terpstra flying in for the tournament. photos by John Pinkerton (top right) and Chris Garlock (left, bottom right).

Top board results:
Round 1: Board 1: Andy Liu d. Yishen Wang; Bd 2: Michael Chen d. Kevin Huang; Bd 3: Eric Lui d. Jing Guo; Bd 4: Mengchen Zhang d. Zhongxia Zhao; Bd 5: Heping Wang d. Naoki Awakawa.
Round 2: Board 1: M Chen d. A Liu; Bd 2: Kevin Huand d. Yishen Wang; Bd 3: Eric Lui d. Heping Wang; Bd. 4: Mengchen Zhang d. Jing Guo; Bd 5: Zhongxia Zhao d. Lionel Zhang.
Round 3 results: Board 1: Kevin Huang d. Andy Liu; Bd 2: Michael Chen d. Ricky Zhao; Bd 3: Mencheng Zhang d. Eric Lui; Bd 4: Yishen Wang d. Heping Wang; Bd 5: Jing Guo d. Andrew Huang.  

Game Records
Round 1, Board 1: Yishen Wang vs. Andy Liu

Round 1, Board 2: Kevin Huang vs. Michael Chen

Round 2, Board 1: Andy Liu vs. Michael Chen

Round 2, Board 2: Kevin Huang vs. Yisheng Wang

This weekend’s New Jersey Open (NJO) on March 1-2 is expected to draw a large field with players at all levels. Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal. The tournament will be in the same site as last year (Frist Campus Center); pregistration is not required but registration opens at 9a and ends at 10a and you must be there by 10a to be paired in the first round. Cell phones don’t work at the site, but if you’re lost or late, call 609-851-6351 during the last half hour of registration. Trains from NY/Phila arrive at 9:42.  You can reach Frist walking or by cab in 10 minutes.

Slots in upcoming AGA online simuls on February 27 and March 1 are available to AGA members current through 3/31/2014. Email bobgilman.aga@gmail.com with your AGA ID number and KGS username for access to the room. A schedule is linked in the AGA Tournament Room. “These simuls are a great opportunity test yourself while learning strategy and tactics from a stronger player,” says Gilman. The game is generally followed by a quick review. “Don’t worry about being ‘too weak,’” Gilman adds. The next simul is Thursday, February 27 at 7 pm Pacific time (10p EST), with Dong Ma, AGA 6d, ma2dong on KGS; there’s also one on Saturday, March 1 at 10 pm Pacific time (1a EST) with Ju Zhao, AGA 6d, rainier on KGS.

This weekend’s New Jersey Open (NJO) will be the first Eastern region North American Master’s Tournament (NAMT) qualifier, reports AGA Tournament Coordinator Karoline Burrall. “All players in the top section will be awarded qualifier points based on tournament performance,” Burrall adds.  The March 1-2 event in Princeton, NJ is expected to draw one of the biggest fields on the East Coast and also honors Bob Ryder, formerly of Bell Labs and a longtime AGA organizer who held the NJO at Rutgers for many years, with a memorial Beginner’s Prize. Registration Sat. 3/1, 9AM-10AM at Frist Campus Center, Princeton University. Click here for tournament details. Top boards will be broadcast live on KGS by the E-Journal.
Still from the 2001 film “A Beautiful Mind”, in which Russell Crowe (left) portrays mathematical genius John Nash Jr. being challenged to a game of go by one of his fellow graduate students at Princeton.