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

Strong field to vie for 2018 Cotsen Open title this weekend

Friday October 12, 2018

Looking to collect his fourth consecutive Cotsen Open title, Mark Lee 7d is facing a tough field of strong players this year, including Andrew Lu 7d, Bowen Zhang 7d, Hoon Jo 6d, William Lee 6d, Bo Luan 6d, Yi Wang 6d, Yixian Zhou 6d and Shengjie Zhou 6d. Registration for the 2-day tournament October 13-14 is already at 155, with players from 30 kyu to 7 dan, and walk-ins Saturday morning will be permitted: all players who want to play in the first round must be on line to sign in or register by 9:15a on Saturday. The tournament is held at the Korean Cultural Center (5505 Wilshire Blvd). Any questions, email cotsenopen@gmail.com. In addition to two days of competition, the Cotsen features free food truck lunches both days, roving masseuses and a pro-pro game Sunday morning. Follow the Board 1 action via the E-Journal on KGS and photos and news on AGA social media @thegaga on Twitter and @AmericanGoAssociation on Facebook.
photo: setting up on Friday; photo by Chris Garlock

Categories: Cotsen Open,Main Page,U.S./North America

AGF College Scholarships

Saturday October 6, 2018

Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community. To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. Applications are due Nov. 5th this year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America,Youth

Cotsen registration deadline coming up soon

Wednesday October 3, 2018

Registration for the upcoming Cotsen Open closes on October 9th; click here now to register. The tournament is October 13-14 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles. In addition to the usual free shoulder massages, Kogi BBQ is catering both Saturday and Sunday; free lunch for all pre-registered attendees. Three Korean professionals — Dalhoon Ahn 9P, Seo Nungwuk 9P, and Na Jonghoon 8P — will be on hand for simul games on Saturday. “We will be streaming Hikaru No Go on the 3rd floor for anyone who wants to watch,” says TD Christopher Saenz.

Volunteers wanted for set-up, registration, game recording and post-tourney takedown; volunteers get a special dinner invitation and game recorders get E-Journal caps. Email cotsenopen@gmail.com ASAP if interested.

photo: 2015 Cotsen; photo by Brian Ferrari

Categories: Cotsen Open,Main Page,U.S./North America

Newcomer Alan Ai wins San Diego Go Club’s “Back-to-School” Tournament

Tuesday October 2, 2018

Thirty-seven players showed up last Sunday to take part in the San Diego Go Club’s “Back-to-School” Tournament.

A new resident to the area, Alan Ai (7.2-dan) won the Open section with a 3-0 record over a strong field including two 6-dans and a 5-dan. “The last time Ai was seen in San Diego, he took second place in the 2017 Redmond Cup at the U.S. Go Congress here,” reports San Diego Go Club President Ted Terpstra. “He is now enrolled at UCSD, so hopefully, he will become a familiar face at San Diego Go Club events.” The club was honored to have two Chinese pros who now live in Southern California stop by to watch the competition: Hai Li and Weihan Hua, who is the president of the UCSD Go Club.

Players going 3-0 in the Handicap Sections were Seowoo Wang (2.5-dan) in the 3D-5K bracket, Warren Andrews (6.7-Kyu) in the 5K-10K bracket, Tony 2018.10.02_SanDiego-Handicap.players

Morgan Yang (12-Kyu) in the 10K-20K bracket, and Eric Green Yang (25-Kyu) and Andy Shunwei Zhou (20-Kyu) in the 20K-30K bracket.

The tournament was held at the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park, which will also be the site for the 2018 California State Go Championship. The first annual event will be a 5-round tournament to be held on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 24&25. Free registration for the California Championship is now open here.

photos by Henry You

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

First Texas State Championship set for Oct 20-21 in Austin

Saturday September 29, 2018

The first Texas State Championship will be held October 20-21 in Austin, Texas. The tournament is part of the new system of state championships being developed by the American Go Association.

The Texas tournament — a five round Swiss format — is open to any player who is an AGA member and residing in Texas. The winner will be awarded a State Championship trophy, and have their name engraved on a separate perennial trophy that will be passed from year to year with winners names engraved. In addition, there will be other prizes awarded.

“In addition to the State Championship tournament (which will NOT be handicapped), we will in parallel run a handicap tournament for others wishing to play in a tournament but NOT compete for the Texas State Champion title,” reports Bart Jacob. Click here for details and here to register.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

10/1 deadline for pro or amateur tepresentative for Bingsheng Cup

Friday September 28, 2018

The 8th Qionglong Mountain Bingsheng Cup, a women’s weiqi tournament, is seeking a representative from North America, all expenses covered. The tournament will be held October 30-November 5 in Suzhou, China. Professional and amateur women interested in representing North America in this event should send an e-mail to tournaments@usgo.org. Please reply no later than Monday, October 1st, so that we may run a preliminary tournament among the interested players prior to the registration deadline.

– Jeff Shaevel, AGA National Tournament Coordinator

Categories: China,Main Page,U.S./North America

How to get to the top boards at the Cotsen Open

Monday September 24, 2018

What’s the fastest way to the top boards at the upcoming Cotsen Open? Volunteer as a game recorder! No previous experience necessary but you do need a laptop with KGS on it and must be available all day Saturday and/or Sunday, October 13/14 at the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Free E-Journal caps and lunch for all game recorders, plus credit in all our coverage. Email journal@usgo.org ASAP if interested.

photo: top-board game recording at 2016 Cotsen; photo by Chris Garlock

Categories: Cotsen Open,Main Page,U.S./North America

DC Fall Open commentaries posted

Saturday September 22, 2018

Michael Redmond 9Ps commentaries — with E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock — on the recent DC Fall Open are now posted on the AGA’s YouTube channel. Originally broadcast live on Twitch on September 8 from the E-Journal’s new broadcast studio at the National Go Center, the commentaries cover all four Board 1 games, and there’s also an interview with the tournament’s winner, Yuan Zhou.

The commentaries were produced by Nathan Epstein, with special thanks to Keith Arnold, Joel Cahalan, Nate Eagle, Jeff Fitzgerald, Stephen Hu, Gurujeet Khalsa and Gary Smith.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

Capture go app for iPhone

Thursday September 20, 2018

There is a new capture go app for Apple devices, designed for the very young. “I created this app for my six-year-old grandson who was showing interest in my go playing, but was not yet mature enough to understand ko fights, trade-offs, and sacrifice,” says developer Tim Hoel. The app walks users through rules and basic concepts, all with spoken narration. Beginners can see examples of how situations play out, and then find solutions themselves. Simple lessons build from there, of which there are several, and then you can play against the computer. It has three difficulty levels, so players can move up against the machine. At level three, it is smart enough to occasionally catch even an experienced player. Level one stays easy enough to keep young kids from getting frustrated. Lessons can be reviewed at any point, and the rules are printed out in a separate tab as well. As this is capture go, and not regular go, one has to keep playing until one or more stones are captured. Passing is not an option, which means you will need to fill in your own eye if there are no other moves. Young players likely won’t make it to this point anytime soon, but when they do, it is arguable they are ready for full go. “Capture Go is a great way to get started because the rules are a little simpler and the goal is easy to understand, but it still teaches a lot about recognizing liberties, contact fights, forcing sequences, and planning ahead,” adds Hoel. iPhone and iPad users can find the free app in the App Store, there is no Android version. -Paul Barchilon, EJ Youth Editor

Categories: Computer Go/AI,Main Page,Tools: books, software & hardware,U.S./North America,Youth

AGA chapters reaping rewards of building membership

Monday September 17, 2018

AGA chapters have been accumulating “tons of points” since the launch of the Chapter Reward Points program, reports Steve Colburn. The program operates similarly to an airlines or credit card rewards program; chapters are awarded points when AGA members affiliated with that chapter do things that earn points – sign up as full members of the AGA, play rated games, etc — which can then be used by chapters to get reimbursed for activities related to the promotion of American go. “For example, if you have 35,000 points, that covers your chapter membership for the year,” Colburn says. Click here for program details, including that the formula for calculating point awards gives a bonus award to small and medium chapters to encourage their growth. “I hope that your local chapter can benefit from this program,” Colburn added.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

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