American Go E-Journal » Youth

Third International Children’s Art Contest

Wednesday June 5, 2013

The popular International Children’s Go Art Contest is back for the third year in a row, and children are invited to submit their pieces. Last year’s contest drew almost 70 entries, from ten different countries, and this year organizers hope to pull in even more. The entries will be exhibited at the US Go Congress in Tacoma, in August. The categories will be for under 12 and under 16, with three winners, and 2 notable entries in each category. Magnetic go sets for the top six winners will be provided by Yellow Mountain Imports. To see some highlights of last year’s entries, visit the online gallery on the Go Symposium site. The contest also has a Facebook page here. Complete entry information is available in the pdf file attached to this link (right click to download once it takes you to the page with the file) GoArtContest2013. –Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

Categories: Europe,Go Art,U.S. Go Congress,U.S./North America,World,Youth

Mexico City Beats Portland in Youth Team Rematch

Saturday June 1, 2013

Mexico City, Mexico, beat Portland, Oregon 8-0 in a May 25 team match between elementary school players, taking revenge for their 8-4 loss the last time these two teams met up. Four players from Mexico City competed against eight Portland players, with each Portland player playing one game and Mexico City players playing two games in this two-round match. Playing for Mexico City were Leo, Samuel, Dante and Diego. For Portland: Hikaru, Nicholas, Wilson, Aden, Jordan, Noah, Tyler and Cameron. This was the first match for Nicholas and Cameron.
– Peter Freedman; photos by Freedman (left, Portland) and Siddhartha Avila (right, Mexico City)

Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

Transatlantic Youth Match Sunday June 2

Thursday May 30, 2013

The fifth annual Transatlantic Youth Tournament will take place Sunday on KGS. Ten young players from Europe will face off against ten from North America, the team with the most wins will be the victor (captain’s game will be the tiebreak if needed). North America won last year, with an overwhelming 8-2 finish, and the Europeans are itching for paybacks this time around. Most of the matches will be held Sunday June 3, in the Transatlantic Youth Go room on KGS (under tournaments). The schedule will be:

13:00 UCT/GMT:

1. Andrew Huang (donvalley) – Jonas Welticke

15:00 UCT/GMT:
2. Jianing Gan (hkkyeen) – Alexander Vashurov (ALEX575)

3. Yunxuan Li – Stepan Popov (StepanP)

4. Aaron Ye (hyperbeam7) – Denis Dobranis

5. Oliver Wolf (sinsai) – Schayan Hamrach (schayan355)

18:00 UCT/GMT
6. Calvin Sun (kbag) – Pavol Lisy (cheater)

7. Bill Lin (billlin) – Lukas Podpera (Lukan)

8. Lionel Zhang – Tanguy le Calve (Welvang)

9. David Lu – Valeriy Kulishov

4:00 UCT/GMT, Monday, 3rd June

10. Hugh Zhang (sume) – Mateusz Surma (drakula)

Categories: Youth

KBA Names Two Pros for US Go Congress

Wednesday May 29, 2013

The Korea Baduk Association is sending Kim Hyunghwan 6p and Lee Dahye 4p to the US Go Congress in Tacoma this year. Kim Hyunghwan, 27, is a student of famed teacher Kapyong Kwon, whose students include Lee Sedol 9p and Park Junghwan 9p. He distinguished himself as a youth player, and was unbeaten in the 2001 WYGC in Maui, Hawaii, becoming pro the following year. The Maui experience prompted him to study English. He is also a student of Chinese and teaches go at university clubs. Lee Dahye, 28, aside from representing Korea in international play, is a specialist at teaching beginners, expertise she will be sharing as an instructor at the first ever AGA classroom teaching certification workshop at Congress. Since 2008, Lee has amassed an impressive record broadcasting lessons on Baduk TV, K-Baduk and Cyberoro (you can see some of her lessons on YouTube here). She has also taught soldiers in Korea’s military, students at university clubs, and multicultural youth. She edited the Korean edition of Hikaru no go as well. Most relevant for the teaching workshop, she is co-author of the Korean-English go book, Falling in Love with Baduk, which will be distributed to workshop students free in PDF form (it is available for download through the AGF here as well). She graduated Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, majoring in Japanese, and is in graduate school in the same university. -Andy Okun, with assistance from Myungwan Kim 9p. Photo: Lee Dahye 4p

Categories: U.S. Go Congress,U.S./North America,World,Youth

Triple Ko in Tiger’s Mouth Tourney

Monday May 27, 2013

An interesting triple ko came up in the most recent Tiger’s Mouth prize tourney. The tourneys are run every month, and are open to youth in the US and Canada. Handicapped, and with prizes in double-digit kyu, single-digit kyu, and dan sections, the tourneys provide challenging games for players of all levels, with prizes courtesy of the AGF. The triple ko came up in a six stone game between Narnian 12k, and Gocookrice 18k, and can be seen in the attached game record. The ruleset was Japanese, which technically means the game should be no result. The players asked the TD to make a ruling, he decided it was a seki, and gave the win to white on territory. How would the triple ko have been resolved in other rule sets? The E-J asked Yilun Yang 7p to weigh in with Chinese rules: “If both players keep taking the ko in this situation, it seems the game should be no-result. Black has to keep capturing, otherwise black loses. Unless one side gives up the ko battle, no one can win, and neither player can give up the ko in this game.”

AGA rules resolve the issue by making full board repetition illegal, which turns this situation into what is called “Super Ko“. AGA Rules Coordinator Terry Benson says: “The main point of AGA rules is that the players have to figure and play it out – not the ref – and we have no null games. A triple ko is going to prohibit the 6th move. So who starts matters. Thus finding a ko threat on move 6 which the opponent answers, would reset the triple ko with the other player to start. I think Ing rules would be the same. This is a fighting ko.” See move 257 to illustrate the options.

E-J Games Editor Myron Souris has a succinct analysis for this situation: “according to AGA rules Black wins the triple ko, no matter who plays first. If Black takes 1st, then 6 moves later White would be forbidden from repeating the position from just before Black’s 1st move. So White dies. And White taking the triple ko 1st is useless, because Black is alive in double ko. With the AGA rules, Terry and the rules committee devised a truly beautiful ruleset: simple, rigorous, and sensible. Numerous people have unfairly criticized the AGA ruleset for being to difficult to apply to these multiple ko situations, e.g., ‘Knowing when a previous board position repeats is too difficult.’ Terry’s analysis exposes that misconception for this game. A few years ago, I found about a dozen pro games (the latest is the infamous 2012 Gu Li vs. Lee Sedol game) ending in triple and quadruple ko, all of which even I could apply the AGA rules to resolve who would have won without too much work. Yes, some contrived multiple ko situations can be extremely difficult to analyze for who wins; however, those situations don’t seem to appear in real games, and in any event, the AGA allows the players to play out the situation themselves.” To sign up for the next Tiger’s Mouth Tourney, on June 15th, click here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor

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Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

Summer Go Camp

Friday May 24, 2013

The AGA Summer Go Camp will be held at YMCA Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, from July 20 to July 27. “Go Camp was a wonderful experience,” writes Sathya Anand 1k, who attended last year, ” I feel my understanding of the subtle complexities of go has been heightened considerably. I loved that everyone in my immediate vicinity had the same passion for learning that I had. I learned a boatload of joseki, as well as the ability to pinpoint where I needed to improve.”

“I loved the fact that everyone there was a go player just like myself,” writes Shawn Ray 4d, “I had fun doing activities with everyone while also studying go. I feel like I improved a good bit because the teachers broke me of my bad habits, and I think that really helped me focus my moves, and to play on a higher level.”

“If you’re a go player between the ages of 8 and 18, and would like an opportunity to study with a professional teacher for a week, the AGA Go Camp is for you,” says Camp Director Amanda Miller. Yilun Yang 7P will be the teacher this year. He has trained many notable players, including Rui Naiwei 9P and Chang Hao 9P. Anyone who played in the US Youth Go Championships can get a $400 AGF scholarship to the camp. If you didn’t play, but need financial help to attend, you can apply for a needs based scholarship here. Please visit the camp website for registration information, or email the camp at agagocampeast@gmail.com. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Amanda Miller: Campers at last year’s event, in Black Mountain, NC.

Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

KBA Donates Free Beginner’s Book to AGA

Thursday May 23, 2013

With the publication of Falling in Love with Baduk: Play a Game in One Week, The Korea Baduk Association has taken yet another important step to support Western go. Written in both Korean and English by Dahye Lee and Jihee Baek, two young Korean pros, this is a book aimed at beginners, and especially Westerners. “People with different skin colors and different languages can understand one another when seated across the Baduk board,” they write. “It thrills us to imagine a view of Easterners and Westerners playing the game together.” This is a valuable book for serious newcomers of any age. Basic principles are broken down into seven simple lessons, presumably one per day, with dozens of problems illustrating each day’s lesson. Ms. Lee will attend this year’s US Go Congress and will participate in the AGA’s first teacher training program. The book is ideal for classroom situations too, and can be used as a manual for non-players who find themselves running go programs at libraries or schools. The book is available as a free download from the AGF website here, it is 86 mb, so expect it to take a little time.

The text in Falling in Love with Baduk appears side by side in Korean and English, following a style developed by Korean publisher Oromedia. Perhaps Oromedia had an uncredited role in developing this book. Oromedia’s Speed Baduk series (9 volumes) has been all-English, but their other books feature side-by-side presentation of the same material in English and Korean. Examples include Korean Style of Baduk, the Think Like a Pro series ( 2 volumes), the 100 Tips for Amateur Players series (3 volumes ), Inspiration of Pro and Creative Life and Death (2 volumes), all available from Yutopian. Here, as in the other bilingual books, it’s fun to see what the authors have to say in both languages on the same page, especially for language learners. The English text uses Korean terminology for concepts lacking an English equivalent, rather than the terms of Japanese origin that Western players learned from the first generation of English go books. For instance, the position known as “atari” is called “dansoo.” The emergence of Korean-based synonyms may further bewilder newcomers who are already struggling to grasp the vast, abstract nature of the game itself. But in the end, it all adds to the ineffable richness of the game. The worldwide community of players has been unable to agree on a single set of rules. There is not even agreement on what the game should be called; we are unlikely to produce a universal lexicon any time soon. Confused readers can always consult Prof. Chi-hyung Nam’s Contemporary Go Terms, if they have one handy, but the question remains – if you want to tell your opponent that their stone is about to be captured, what should you say? –Roy Laird

Categories: Tools: books, software & hardware,U.S./North America,Youth

Deadline May 31 for China Collegiate Trip

Monday May 20, 2013

Two years ago, the Shanghai Ing Chang-Ki Wei-Chi Education Foundation hosted a group of 11 American college students to participate in a week long go summer camp in China. This year, they are hosting a new event in Shanghai, July 7-13, and inviting college students from America to compete in an international tournament. Students from 50 different colleges will be invited, and attendees will also have a chance to explore Shanghai and Hangzhou, while learning a bit more about a culture that is on the opposite side of the world. Organizer Michael Fodera reports that “housing, food, travel within China, and Ing sponsored tourist trips are all free. All ranks are welcome, even beginners as week as 20kyu. The tournament is not just limited to college students; college or university faculty members are also eligible. Though they will have to compete in the open section, which will be full of top amateur players.” To register for the event, visit the American Collegiate Go Association website. Photo by Will Lockhart: American students vs Fudan and Jiaotong University students, from the 2011 trip to China.

Categories: U.S./North America,World,Youth

EuroGoTV Interview: Jonas Welticke on Life as an Insei

Thursday May 16, 2013

In a recent interview for EuroGoTV, 17-year-old German player Jonas Welticke 4d shared some insight about his experiences as an insei. Aside from Monday study groups with Ohashi Hirofumi 5d and “playing the other insei kids every weekend,” Wilticke said there is no formal routine, and he mostly studies by himself. His current record after his first week is 10-1.

Though some might imagine feeling out of place as a Caucasian insei, Welticke seems to have had no problem. In fact, there are some that might know him as a familiar face. “They have already published a considerably sized picture of me, though I didn’t know it,” he said. “They used some footage from the European Go Center and made an article about it almost one year ago.” More than the food, habits, and transportation, the biggest difference Welticke has found is how go is treated in Japan. He said there are “easily” 80 players at the Nihon Ki-in every afternoon. “It would be awesome to have as many go players in Europe,” he said. “Also, there are weekly newspapers dedicated to go. They are often sold out, which fascinates me again and again.” Welticke looks forward to having his name listed in the go newspaper toward the end of the month when he is promoted to D class. For the full interview, please visit EuroGoTV. -Annalia Linnan, photo credit EuroGoTV

Categories: Europe,World,Youth

Irvington Beats Sun in School Match

Tuesday May 7, 2013

Dueling schools in Portland, OR, are at it again, with Irvington Elementary notching up an 8-4 win over Sun Montessori, at their most recent tourney on April 21st. Irvington Elementary is coached by Peter Freedman, while Sun Montesorri is coached by Fritz Balwit. Richard Blakeslee, a Portland-based go player and film-maker, has been covering go at Irvington, and made a three minute video of the match which can be seen here. Another longer video, just over seven minutes, shows the kids playing and includes interviews with some of the kids about go, and the program, and can be seen here. Interschool match results: Irvington: McCaleb, 2-1, Hikaru, 2-1, Ellis, 2-1, Wilson, 2-1; Sun Montesorri: Amos, 2-1, Hanson, 2-1, Dylan, 0-3, Shelem, 0-3. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Peter Freedman: Players square off at the tournament on April 21st.

Categories: U.S./North America,Youth

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