In round seven of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, played on June 30, EGF pro Artem 2P defeated Eric Lui 1P, ending Lui’s streak at three wins. The AGA team now has only one player remaining – Ryan Li 1P – while the EGF team has Artem Kachanovskyi 2P and Ilya Shikshin 3P.
In the opening, Eric Lui, playing black, built up a wide area on the right side. White approached lightly, trying to limit black’s potential. Black launched a full-on attack of white’s group, surrounding it from the outside. However, black’s shape had some weaknesses. White allowed black a small ponnuki, then cut on L16, forcing black to give up one or the other of his surrounding groups. Black chose to give up both, and instead swallowed the upper-left corner, keeping game balanced. Complicated fights ensued, but white was slightly ahead. White then successfully invaded the upper-left corner, leading black to resign.
The EGF has announced that Ilya Shikshin 3P will substitute for Artem in the next round under the wildcard rule*. Kachanovskyi is unable to play next round due to his upcoming wedding in Romania. If Shikshin defeats Ryan Li, the AGA’s last remaining player, this championship will be over. If Ryan Li wins, he will face Artem Kachanovskyi in the final game.
The next round, Ryan Li 1P vs. Ilya Shikshin 3P, will take place on July 7, starting at 14:00 US Eastern time. The game will be played on OGS and live-streamed on Twitch.
*Wildcard rule: Each team has one wildcard that can be used in an emergency. When a currently winning player is not able to play the next round, a team can nominate any not-yet-defeated teammate to substitute for one game. The original winning player must come back in the following round, regardless of the substitute player’s result.
