American Go E-Journal » Youth

Dylan Zhu-Dong New British Youth Champion

Tuesday May 20, 2014

Dylan Zhu-Dong 10k of Leamington Go Club beat Oscar Selby 6k of Epsom to become British Youth Champion 2014 at the King Edward VI School, Aston in Birmingham, England on Sunday May 18.  Zhu-Dong, who also took the Under-14 title, defeated the favorite after successfully taking advantage of Selby’s misreading in a fight. Selby did, however, take the Under-12 title. Melchior Chui 9k from Cambridge won again in the Under-16 section and Hilary Bexfield 26k of Letchworth won the Under-10s. Andreas Ghica 35k from Newmarket won the Under-8 at his first go tournament. There were no entrants in the Under-18 division and 19 entered in all. Click here for full results.

Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal, from a report by Tony Atkins for the British Go Association; photo by Tony Atkins, courtesy of the British Go Association website.

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Go Campers Write: Summer Fun

Monday May 19, 2014

What’s a typical day at the AGA Go Camp like? Joe, age 12, writes “I studied everyday with my friends and my teacher, and I had a lot of good times with them. We played games with each other, learned new go problems, joseki, and fuseki, and played in fun tournaments each day. When I left camp, I was sad because I would miss all my new friends, but when I came back home, I was happy because I was beating everyone and showing that I improved.”

Yuga, age 8, writes, “I learned go from morning until evening, and that was my first time studying go for so long. I spent time with a great teacher and lots of new friends, and we played go and talked about go. It made me want to play more and improve more. I learned so much from Mr. Yilun Yang. I learned new josekis. I tried them on KGS, and I feel like my territory is safer than before. I also learned crazy moves that are really good to confuse your opponent. I tried them when I played stronger players, and I won the games!”

Mulan, age 8, sums up everyone’s feelings nicely: “I’m glad I came to the Go Camp because I got to learn new things and learn from players that were stronger than me. It was fun to make new friends and meet up with old friends from the Go Congress and other tournaments.”

Yilun Yang will be joining the Go Camp again this summer as its professional teacher. The camp itself is the week before the Go Congress,  at YMCA Camp Kresge in White Haven, PA, about 2 hours outside of New York City. 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 available. For more information on the latest camp-related news, and to download the registration forms, please visit the camp website at http://www.gocampeast.org/ or e-mail Amanda Miller at agagocampeast@gmail.com. – Story and photo by Amanda Miller, Go Camp Director. Photo: Campers at the Pair Go Tournament.

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Chinese-American Teenage Friendship Cup

Monday May 19, 2014

The Jinhua Sports Adminstration, in Zhejiang, China, has agreed to sponsor a friendship match between American teenagers and their Chinese counterparts in Jinhua city.  The match is tentatively planned for late July or early August, and is being organized by Katherine Zhang. The Americans would need to pay their own airfare to China, but after that, all expenses will be covered. Teens can choose where they want to stay,  either with a host family, or in a hotel.  Jinhua Sports will also organize a sight seeing trip in the area. “I think it’s a great opportunity to build  communications between young go players in these two countries. They can share experiences,  and compare and contrast the teaching methods of each country,” said Zhang.  Interested parties should e-mail Zhang, at katherineysz@yahoo.com,  for more information. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.  Photo: The Temple of renowned Taoist Master Huang Da Xian, in Jinhua.  Photo courtesy TripAdvisor.com

 

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British Youth Squad Launches

Saturday May 10, 2014

Following the successful hosting of the 19th European Youth Go Championship (EYGC) in Bognor Regis, England earlier this year – but with only seven British youths actually entering – the British Go Association has undertaken to assemble and train up a UK Junior Go Squad to take to next year’s EYGC in Zandvoort in the Netherlands (Holland). Alison Bexfield 1d (left), who runs the Letchworth Junior Chess and Go Club and has two go-playing daughters of her own, is heading up the initiative which aims to get as many young players as possible to 20k or better in time for the EYGC. It launched on bank holiday Monday May 5 with an event at the Mrs Howard Memorial Hall in Letchworth, attended by 16 youngsters aged from around eight or nine to 16. They were split into four coaching groups with Matt Selby 4k and Natasha Regan 1k, who are the parents of Oscar Selby 7k, and Paul Smith 1d, the father of Edmund Smith 13k, also coaching. In addition, five rounds of the UK Go Challenge were held over the course of the day. Bexfield told the E-Journal, “Everybody enjoyed the day and all are looking forward to the next [which is yet to be announced].”

Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal; photo: Alison Bexfield plays Francis Roads at the recent Welwyn Garden City Tournament.

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84 Compete in School Teams Tourney

Monday May 5, 2014

The School Team Tournament drew 84 kids and teens, reports organizer Calvin Sun 1P. Held on KGS, March 22 and 29, the event is organized by the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) every year. “28 teams of three competed in four divisions to claim the title of best youth team in North America,” said Sun, “ranks ranged from 25k to 6d.” Top honors in the Varsity division went to Diamond Bar High School, CA. “I want to thank AGHS and our tournament organizers for running such an amazing event,”  said team leader Yunxuan Li 6d. “It was very fun and exciting to compete with other go clubs throughout North America. Our club started this school year (see E-J 11-5-13) and I was pretty surprised that we won the tournament after such a short time period. We got lucky in a lot of our games.  This is a great event for our youth players and it is really wonderful to see new clubs playing in it and enjoying it every year.”

The Junior Varsity division was topped by reigning champions, Cary Christian School, from North Carolina, who have fielded multiple teams for the past several year, often winning one or more divisions. “The kids really enjoyed it,” said Team Advisor Jeff Kuang, “especially, the kids in CCS Team one (who took first place).  They learned not only go skills but also online playing experience and etiquette.” Another new team, David Douglas High School, from Portland, OR, took top honors in the Intermediate division. “It was a very pleasant surprise,” said club president Andrew Nguy 19k, “it was our first tournament, and none of us really expected to even place, much less win first.”  Rounding out the winners list in the Novice division was a team from CNY Chinese School in Manlius New York, which was coached by the 2013 AGF Teacher of the Year Richard Moseson. “This was my first online tournament,” said 8-year-old Liya Luk, who played first board. “I liked it because it lasted two Saturdays, so our team could prepare in between the Saturdays. I had lots of fun doing the tournament.” -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.  Photo by Siddhartha Avila: Youth from Mexico City competed from the public library.  Avila’s students from multiple locations, fielded five teams.

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Seattle Go Center Supplements Youth Scholarships for Go Congress

Sunday May 4, 2014

Using a gift from the Seattle Chapter of the AGA, the Seattle Go Center will provide up to $300 in additional scholarship funds to youth from the State of Washington who are attending the US Go Congress.  “We would like to help with travel costs for qualified youth from our area,” reports Go Center manager Brian Allen. The total funds available are $1,200; if there are more than four qualified youth by May 30, they will divide up the $1,200 proportionately.  The Seattle Go Center funds are intended as a supplement to the current AGF scholarships for the Go Congress.

If youth have already completed their AGF scholarship application, no additional forms will be needed for the supplemental scholarship funds. They should simply notify Paul Barchilon, who is administering the AGF scholarships, that they are interested in the additional help. For more information about the AGF Go Congress scholarship program, and to apply, click here.  Photo: Teacher’s Workshop at the 2013 Go Congress. Story and Photo by Brian Allen.

 

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Categories: Youth
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Boulder Kids Club Turns Ten

Monday April 28, 2014

The Boulder Kids and Teens Go Club celebrated its tenth anniversary on Easter.  “Dave Weiss and I are both Jewish,”  says Paul Barchilon, who co-founded the club with Weiss, “so we had no idea it was Easter when we scheduled our first meeting, back in 2004. A few kids actually did show up though, and since then, we have grown and thrived.  We still try to celebrate each anniversary with cake – it is a kids club after all.”

“We are proud of all of our students, and even though not everyone sticks with it, we love introducing the game to kids who have never heard of it.  The library has been an integral part of our success – promoting our events, giving us resources, and letting us store equipment there.  We play in a very visible area, so passersby often stop and ask about go, and many of them end up learning to play.”

This year’s cake was decorated with Junior Mints and Mentos (right), and is pictured with three longtime veterans.  Kellin Pelrine 6d (left) first came to the club when he was 11.  Now 18, he gives stones to almost everyone at club. Matthew Harwit 5d (in red) and his twin brother Nathan 4d (in green) both started around the age of 8.  Many kids have come and gone over the years, and the club has at times attracted as many as 30 players in a given session.
– photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

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$200 Go Congress Youth Scholarships Offered

Monday April 28, 2014

The American Go Foundation (AGF) is offering $200 youth scholarships to this year’s US Go Congress.  Interested youth must write an essay on why they want to go; the application deadline is May 30th. Twenty-five scholarships are available, and up to 15 awardees will be selected by June 1. Five scholarships are available to residents of Canada or Mexico. Applications received after May 30th will be placed in a lottery with the remaining scholarships  awarded at random from qualifying essays.  The scholarships are available for youth who are under 18.  For more information, and to apply, click here.  – Story and photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Calvin Sun 7d  plays Lionel Zhang 6d, in the Youth Room at the  2013 Congress.


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Upcoming European Tournaments: Open IGC 2014, Scottish Open

Friday April 25, 2014

The Ishi Go Club will host the Open IGC 2014 on May 17 and 18 at the Polytechnic School of Lausanne in Switzerland. Amateur and experienced players are welcome to play. Registration is 30 CHF for adults and 15 CHF for youth (under 18) and students. In addition to the tournament, Hwang In-Seong will provide lessons and lectures. For more information, please visit the official Open ICG 2014 website.

The Scottish Open Go Tournament will be May 24 and 25 at the University of Glasgow. Registration for non-BGA members is 9 GBP while BGA-members will receive a 3 GBP discount. In addition to the tournament, there will be an informal lightning event on Friday, May 23 for players already in town. Accommodations are available through local players or seeglasgow.com. For more information, please visit the official Scottish Open tournament page.
—Annalia Linnan; for complete listings, check out the European Tournament Calendar

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Yilun Yang 7P Confirmed for AGA Go Camp

Monday April 21, 2014

“The AGA Go Camp is excited to announce that Yilun Yang 7P will be joining us for the summer of 2014,” reports Camp Director Nano Rivera. Yang became a professional at the age of 14 in 1973. He has trained many notable players, including Rui Naiwei (9P), Chang Hao (9P), and Hua Zueming (7P). He is an excellent and experienced teacher, who has been teaching in the United States since 1986. Mr. Yang is also the author of many popular Go books, such as the Fundamental Principles of GoLife and Death by the Numbers, and Life and Death in Chinese Characters. Rivera and co-director Amanda Miller  “welcome all campers to join us for a week of go-playing and fun.” If you’re a go player between the ages of 8 and 18 “and would like an opportunity to study go for a week with a professional teacher, then the AGA East Go Camp is for you,” says Rivera.

Anyone who participated in the NAKC or the Redmond Cup is eligible to receive $400 off the price of the Go Camp. If you did not play in either tournament, but still need financial assistance, AGF scholarships are available here.  Visit the Go Camp website for general information, pictures from past camps, and news regarding this year’s Go Camp, which is scheduled for August 3-9. If you have any questions about the camp, contact the directors at  agagocampeast@gmail.com – Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.  Photo by Amanda Miller: Yang teaching at last year’s Go Camp.

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