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

The February 22 edition of the National Go Center’s regular Friday Night Go evening will feature the Center’s first-ever Pair Go/Paella Night, beginning at 7 PM.

For those not familiar with Pair Go, it is played with partners who make alternating moves but are not allowed to converse and communicate strategy. “We’ll explain all the rules when you come,” says Haskell Small. “Come with a partner, or we can pair you with someone else when you arrive.” Mixed pairs are fine in addition to the traditional M-F pairings.

To make this a festive social occasion, Chris Garlock, Managing Editor of the AGA e-Journal and a former professional chef, has volunteered to make paella for the evening (vegetarian option included). Pictured is Michael Redmond 9P making paella under Chris’s tutelage last year.

Please RSVP by 2/20 to Haskell Small (haskell@haskellsmall.com, 202-244-4764). There will be a $5 donation at the door to cover the cost of the paella.

In an exciting 1.5 point game, Brandon Zhou (playing black) defeated Willis Huang on KGS Monday night to become the North American representative to the 2019 Globis Cup in Tokyo, Japan, April 18-22.
– Jeff Shaevel, Tournament Director, 2019 Globis Cup Qualifier

Willis Huang 6D will play Brandon Zhou 6D Monday at 7p EDT on KGS (AGA Tournament Room) to determine the North American representative to the 2019 Globis Cup in Japan.

Huang defeated Sophia Wang in Round 3 on Sunday, and then Zhou defeated Huang in Round 4, giving them each a single loss in the double-elimination qualifier and setting up a final head-to-head on Monday.

Jeff Shaevel, Tournament Director

Feb 3 ( Feb 4 in China) is one day away from the Lunar New Year’s eve.  On that date, about 40 people, including three players from Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin, participated in the “Welcome Spring” Cup, a brand new tournament in Chicago. The event was hosted by Consulate General of China in Chicago, and organized by the Go and Math Academy, Evanston Go Club, Confucius Institute in Chicago, and the US-China Cultural Association.

Acting Consul General Liu Jun welcomed all players with a Lunar New Year greeting. The first “Welcome Spring” Cup brings together go lovers from diverse communities and backgrounds. But beyond competition, it  is also a great opportunity for players to make friends and promote understanding through the game. “This year marks as the 40th anniversary of China-U.S. diplomatic relations. I hope this event will not only help build stronger friendship among people, but also strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries,” said Mr. Liu who also participated in the tournament as a 1D player.

This event is a handicap tournament with four divisions, including a youth division. About two-thirds of the participants were casual local players who had never played in tournament in the Chicago area. “It’s really encouraging to see so many new go players from the Great Chicago area come out of hiding to attend this event.” said Tournament Director Xinming Simon Guo, the founder of Go and Math Academy.

Final result:
A Division #1 Yang, Hong 1D 3-1
A Division #2 Amesbury, Jing 5D 3-1
A Division #3 Yang, Yang 4D 2-2

B Division #1 He, Joseph 1D 3-1
B Division #2 Sun, Yingjie 1D 3-1
B Division #3 Collins, Nick 3K 3-1

C Division #1 Kaiser, Mike 8K 4-0
C Division #2 Graper, David 9K 4-0
C Division #3 Tan, Stephanie 5K 3-1

Youth Division #1 Zhang, Sean 4-0
Youth Division #2 Pan, Jaden  2-2

photos: (top right) Acting Consul General Liu Jun 1D (second from the left) with division winners Hong Yang 1D, Mike Kaiser 8K and Joseph He 1D; (bottom right): Jane Lu (Director of Confucius Institute in Chicago) and youth division winner Sean Zhang

report/photos by Xinming (Simon) Guo

The first two rounds in the Globis Cup Qualifier  were held online on Saturday, February 9 (see below for results).

Round 3 will be held Sunday 2/10 at 11A EDT: Willis Huang (KGS: whuang) vs. Sophia Wang (sophia)

Round 1 result:
Game 1: Willis Huang (whuang), B vs. Sophia Wang (sophia), W (Willis wins by resignation)
Game 2: Nate Morse (PassPeer), B vs. Brandon Zhou (atlbrandon), W (Brandon wins by resignation)

Round 2 results:
Game 3: Willis Huang (KGS: whuang), W vs. Brandon Zhou (atlbrandon), B (Brandon wins by resignation)
Game 4: Sophia Wang (sophia), B vs. Nate Morse (PassPeer), W  (Sophia wins by resignation)

Jeff Shaevel, TD

The schedule for the Globis Cup Qualifier is now set for this weekend, February 9-10, with an additional game on Monday evening, if necessary. The format will be a double-elimination between the four top entrants: Willis Huang, 6D (16); Brandon Zhou, 6D (15); Nate Morse, 4D (19); Sophia Wang, 3D (14).

All games will be played on KGS in the AGA Tournaments Room. AGA rules will be used, 7.5 komi, 1 hour basic time with 5 periods of 30 seconds byo-yomi.

The games will begin at 11 AM and 3PM EDT.

Round 1 (Saturday 2/9, 11A EDT):
Game 1: Willis Huang (KGS: whuang) vs. Sophia Wang (sophia)
Game 2: Brandon Zhou (atlbrandon) vs. Nate Morse (PassPeer)

Round 2 (Saturday 2/9, 3P EDT):
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Round 3 (Sunday 2/10, 11A EDT)
Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3

Round 4 (Sunday 2/10, 3P EDT)
Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5

In the event that after Game 6 both players have a 1-1 record, a final game will be played Monday, 6P EDT to determine the championship and the North American representative to the 2019 Globis Cup in Japan.

– Jeff Shaevel, AGA National Tournament Coordinator

“I recently started a new AGA chapter and I’m trying to generate some awareness of our newly established monthly game,” writes Matthew. “I’ve convinced the library at which I’m hosting it that if we get enough attendance for a few months in a row, they’ll let me start an actual teaching program for kids!”

The club meets the first Saturday of February:
Montclair Go Club
Montclair, NJ
Montclair Public Library
50 South Fullerton Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042
10am – 1pm
1st Saturday of every month

Got go club/chapter news? Let us know! journal@usgo.org