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

Go Congress Updates: Strong Players Face July 1 Deadline for SPO Eligibility; Soccer & Tennis Confirmed

Wednesday June 26, 2013

Strong Players Face July 1 Deadline for SPO Eligibility: Strong players who register for the US Go Congress by July 1st have the chance to be invited to participate in this year’s Strong Players Open (SPO), which will run simultaneously with the North American Masters Tournament (NAMT). This year’s Congress runs August 3-11 in Tacoma, WA. This 16-player, 4-round event is designed to provide a strong tournament – in addition to the US Open — for professionals and amateurs who did not or could not qualify for the NAMT. There are no citizenship, residency, or length of membership requirements for the SPO, just full Go Congress registration by July 1^st. After that, the strongest players who have registered will be invited to participate in the Strong Players Open and the strongest 16 players who accept will be selected for the tournament.

Soccer & Tennis Confirmed: In breaking U.S. Go Congress sports news, the E-Journal can now confirm that there will be both soccer and tennis at this year’s Congress. “Bring your cleats and shorts,” Terry Benson urges soccer players, while tennis players should bring their racquets and tennis balls, says Chris Garlock. “Soccer every afternoon at 4:30 except for Saturday and Wednesday, field TBD,” says Benson. “All ages come and play. Let your body loose and your mind run free!” Garlock and Lisa Schrag will coordinate the tennis action at the PLU courts, most likely at the same time. Check in at the EJ office at the Congress to confirm.

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

Bay Area Organizers See Japan-U.S. Blind Go Connection

Wednesday June 26, 2013

Sighted go players who struggle to master the game of go may be surprised to learn that many blind people in Japan know how to play go, and that there are clubs with blind players who meet on a regular basis. Last Fall, Bay Area Go Players Association board members Roger and Lisa Schrag traveled to Japan and met with Mr. Fumio Miyano (second from right in photo) of the Japan Go Society for the Visually Impaired in Osaka, Japan. The Society produces special 9×9 and 19×19 go sets and Braille go books so that blind and visually impaired people can play go. Black and white stones can be differentiated by feel, grid lines are raised, and the stones fit into holes in the board so that they will not move when a player touches them to read the board position.

The Japan Go Society for the Visually Impaired also hosts an annual international go tournament for blind players. There are some strong go players out there who are blind. Nakamaru Hitoshi of Japan and Song Jung-taek of Korea, for example, each are rated at 5 dan.

The Society has provided Bay Area Go Players Association with a special 9×9 go set and Braille go materials. “If you have a blind or visually impaired friend in the San Francisco Bay Area interested in learning to play go, we now have the necessary equipment to teach them,” says Roger Schrag; contact him for details and to make arrangements.

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

EJ Archive Volunteers Wanted

Wednesday June 26, 2013

Now in our 14th year of providing comprehensive coverage of the world go scene, the American Go E-Journal is looking for a few dedicated volunteers to help update our archives. Our current searchable online archives go back to April 2010 and while E-Journals prior to that are available online they’re not searchable. Experience with WordPress helpful but not necessary; email journal@usgo.org if interested. Volunteers will be eligible to receive recognition and a stylish EJ cap.

Categories: U.S./North America

Bartel & Zimmerman Dominate Lancaster, PA Instant-Pairing Tournament; NOVA School’s Out Tournament

Monday June 24, 2013

Bartel & Zimmerman Dominate Lancaster, PA Instant-Pairing Tournament: Marie Bartel 14k notched five wins against six opponents and Sam Zimmerman 5k racked up six wins against five opponents in the June 22 Lancaster (PA) Summer Ratings Tournament’s instant pairing format, which allowed players to start their next game almost immediately after finishing a game. Though the field was just seven players, first-time tournament director Jason Long said “Of course we would like to see a larger attendance, but those who came had fun and made the event a success!”

NOVA School’s Out Tournament: Two dozen players ranging from 6-dan to 21-kyu participated in the NOVA School’s Out Tournament on June 22. “In a striking demonstration of rating parity, only five players scored three or four wins,” reports TD Allan Abramson. James Pinkerton 4d, 4-0; Edward James Lane 9k, 4-0; Jonathan Barlow 15k, 4-0; and Gary Smith 9k, 3-1. David Reed 5k, scored 2-0 playing only two games, earning an honorable mention.

Categories: U.S./North America

Yen, Moon, Torres & Lin Win at Evanston, IL Tourney

Monday June 24, 2013

The Evanston (IL) Go Club’s “Here Comes The Sun” tournament last weekend drew 19 players. Winners were Albert Yen 7d, Laura Moon 2k, Tim Torres 8k and Crystal Lin 16k. “No one guessed the meaning of the name of the tournament, although there were many good attempts,” reports TD Mark Rubenstein. “The name is based on the fact that on June 22 – the same date as the tournament — in 1633 The Holy Office in Rome forced Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.”
photo: Jim McAdams plays Joyce Lin; photo by Mark Rubenstein

Categories: U.S./North America

Mexican Youth Go Flourishing

Monday June 24, 2013

The Mexican Children’s Go Tournament drew 65 players May 18th in Mexico City. Organized by Pipiolo Art School and the Buddhist Temple Eko-ji, where the tournament was hosted, the event was divided into five sections: 4k-15k, 16k-20k, 21k-25k, 13×13 and 9×9.

“Go has been a regular subject at our elementary school for 5 years,” reports Siddhartha Avila, “the tournaments are a way of gathering children, having fun, testing their performance at the board, practicing mutual learning and teaching, and also encouraging peer respect and other values. This year the Principal, Marcela Zepeda, approved a new project teaching Go to K2-K3 students, and they played in the 9×9 board section. A group of young Taiwanese players took part in the tournament, tracing new bridges to share cultures and experiences through go, their top player Leon Lee won the 4k-15k section with a perfect 4 wins.”

Winners Report: 4k-15k: 1. Leon Lee, 2. Omar Zavala, 3. Lilian Zavala; 16k-20k: 1. Adam George, 2. Carlos Gallegos, 3. Amir George; 21k-25k: 1. Angel M. Mendez, 2. Ana R. Contreras, 3. Axel E. Fematt; 13×13 board: 1. Jordi Cirujeda, 2. Marcos A. Gonzalez, 3. Alberto I. Buendía; 9×9 board: 1. Aquiles Echevarria, 2. M. Fernanda Zamora, 3. Kairi Ochoa. – Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Siddhartha Avila.

Categories: U.S./North America,World,Youth

David Chau 11k Sweeps Davis-Sacramento

Sunday June 23, 2013

David Chau 11k led a field of eight players at the June 22 Davis/Sacramento Summer Quarterly tournament with a perfect four wins. The event drew players from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra foothills, including William (Bill) Dreher 20k, who was participating in his first AGA tournament.
– Willard Haynes

Categories: U.S./North America

New York Faces Boston in AGA Pandanet City League Round 7 on Sunday

Saturday June 22, 2013

New York plays Boston Sunday afternoon in Round 7 of the AGA Pandanet City League’s A League. All games on June 23 will be played in the AGA City League room on Pandanet (IGS), starting at 9a EST. The line-up: 9a (EST): Board 3: Qian, Yingzhi New York [delight] vs Xie, Guochen Boston [guochen]; 2p (EST): Board 1: Liu, Zhi Yuan (Andy) 1p New York [cloudnotes] vs Yang, Huiren 1p Boston [hyang12]; 2p: Board 2: Liang, Jie Boston [gust] vs Chen, ZhaoNian (Michael) New York.

Categories: Pandanet-AGA City League,U.S./North America

Voting to Commence Soon for 3 AGA Board Seats

Saturday June 22, 2013

Voting begins soon for the three open seats on the American Go Association’s Board of Directors. Candidates are Martin Lebl in the central region, and incumbents Paul Celmer and Chris Kirschner for the eastern and western regions respectively. Voting is by AGA chapters, and chapter reps “should have received their initial ballot count through the AGA Chapters mailing list,” reports Election Coordinator Arnold Eudell. Official ballots will be going out in one week and must be received by August 3; notify elections@usgo.org of any discrepancies. Click here for voting procedures and candidate statements.

Categories: U.S./North America

North American Youth Overwhelm Europe in Transatlantic Match

Friday June 21, 2013

For the second consecutive year, top young North American players have defeated their European counterparts in the Transatlantic Youth Go Friendship Match. “The Europeans lost by a large margin last year,” reports organizer Andrew Huang, “and were certainly looking for a more positive result this year. However, the North American team was keen to stifle the Europeans’ ambitions, and won the first seven games, eventually finishing with an 8-2 victory. We are looking forward to another exciting event next year, as the European team will be thirsty to exact revenge.” The match was held June 2 on KGS, and marked the fifth year for the Transatlantic Youth Tourney. Ten players representing the United States and Canada teamed up for North America, while ten European youngsters were chosen from Russia, Germany, France, Austria, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland to compete for the Europeans. Lawrence Ku and the American Go Honor Society organized the event, which was held in the Transatlantic Youth Go Tournament room on KGS. Previous years events are listed here; for this year’s results, click here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Image by Paul Barchilon, based on a graphic from DairyReporter.com

Categories: Europe,U.S./North America,World,Youth

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