American Go E-Journal » Youth

We are looking for an assistant to help write youth related stories for the E-Journal.  An interest in reporting on youth activities, and helping spread go among kids and teens, is required. Duties would include editing submissions, and reporting on youth events.  Some experience writing is preferred, but not essential. We will pay $10 per published article. If interested, contact E-J Youth Editor Paul Barchilon at youth@usgo.org.

Students from Andrew Jackson Language Academy(AJLA), in Chicago, just finished their first go tournament for kids in the Chinese program, reports organizer Xinming Simon Guo.  “Students first played with opponents in the same grade, and then the winners in each grade competed for the school championship, which was won by Winston from, the 7th grade,” said Guo. A year ago, few students at AJLA had ever heard of go (weiqi in Chinese). “We started to introduce this game to our students in March of 2014. The kids loved this game. I still remember that they were chanting ‘Weiqi Weiqi’ while waiting outside of the classroom after the first lesson”, said Christina Xu, the Chinese language teacher at the school, who also ran the  tournament.

The weiqi class is part of the Chinese Artists-In-Residency Program, co-sponsored by the Confucius Institute in Chicago  and Guo’s own GoAndMath Academy. “We support teachers in integrating weiqi into language teaching classrooms,” says Guo, “participating and learning are more important than winning. Weiqi is also an innovative tool for teaching elementary math. Our research shows that there exists a natural connection between weiqi and the Common Core State Standards of math. During the game, students  experience numerous math concepts without even noticing them.”  The school is considering bringing more weiqi classes to the students, and planning to organize a 2nd weiqi tournament next year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Semi-final between 4th and 5th graders at AJLA; photo by Christina Xu 

“When people ask me, ‘how was your summer,’ I tell them it was wonderful, because of the AGA Go Camp,” writes 14-year-old Elan, “I had an amazing time playing go and hanging out with other kids, learning from our teacher, and enjoying fun summer camp activities.” Go Camp strives to provide young go players a unique experience, allowing them to foster their love of the game in a traditional summer camp setting. “Camp does involve a lot of go,” says Director Amanda Miller, “and campers spend both their mornings, and part of their afternoons, studying, but these lessons include a creative mix of lectures, life and death problems, games, and game reviews to kep things interesting.”

Many campers love the opportunity, and as 8-year-old Yuga remembers, “I learned go from morning to evening and that was my first time studying go so long. I spent time with a great teacher and lots of friends and played go and talked about go with them. It makes me want to play more and want to improve more.”

“Camp is about more than just go, however, “says Miller, “it’s about giving kids the chance to meet and make friends with other kids who love the game just as much as they do. Part of the magic of camp is the wide variety of campers who attend, and in the past few years, the camp has welcomed kids from as far away as Hawaii and Canada.The camp has been growing every year, and we’re always trying to make it better. Last year was one of our best summers yet, because we got to try so many different activities. The kids had a great time with hiking, archery, boating, swimming, and rock climbing in addition to playing go.” Boating was a general favorite, and as Elan remembers, “A mega splashing competition ensued and everyone was soaked wet!

With a mix of lessons, outdoor activities, tournaments, and other go-related activities, the camp is an ideal place for kids to make friends and have fun while also improving their go skills. Perhaps 12-year-old Joe does the best job of summing up everyone’s feelings after a great week at camp: “When I left camp I was sad that I will miss all my new friends, but when I came back home I was happy because I was beating everyone and showing that I improved.”

Go Camp will be held July 18-25, at YMCA Camp Kern in Oregonia, OH, with Myungwan Kim 9P as this summer’s professional teacher. Camp directors Amanda Miller and Nano Rivera invite campers of all skill levels, between the ages of 8 and 18 to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. Youth who played in the NAKC or the Redmond Cup are eligible for a $400 scholarship, and need-based scholarships of up to $250 are also available courtesy of the American Go Foundation.

For more information on the latest camp-related news, and to download the registration forms, visit the camp website at  or e-mail Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. -Paul Barchilon with Amanda Miller. 

American Go E-Journal Managing Editor Chris Garlock and his wife Lisa are walking 200 miles along the coast of Wales this July to celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary and raise funds for the American Go Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting go in the U.S. With the AGF’s support, thousands of American children have learned go in hundreds of schools, libraries and community centers across the country, as well as at the annual Go Camp (AGA Go Camp a Favorite with Kids 5/16 EJ). The AGF also provide scholarships and resources for youth who play go, and supports go in institutional settings such as prisons, and senior centers. Click here to donate what you can: .25/mile = $50; .50/mi = $100; $1/mi = $200; or whatever amount you like, it’ll go to help promote go across the United States. “Chris likes sitting still a long time and also walking a long way,” says AGF President Terry Benson. “We hope players will encourage him and help go by going as far as they can to help us spread the game.”
photo: Garlock on a training walk earlier this year; photo by Lisa Garlock