Saturday September 4, 2021
Applications for the 2021-2022 American Go Honor Society (AGHS) officer team are closing soon. The American Go Honor Society is an organization driven primarily by high school students to promote go among young players throughout America. Tournaments, leagues, and other go events catered towards youth are hosted throughout the school year by the AGHS.
Please fill out this form to apply.
The application deadline has been extended to Friday, September 10, 2021 at 11:59pm PST.
Saturday August 7, 2021
Applications for the 2021-2022 American Go Honor Society (AGHS) officer team are now open. The American Go Honor Society is an organization driven primarily by high school students to promote go among young players throughout America. Tournaments, leagues, and other go events catered towards youth are hosted throughout the school year by the AGHS.
Please fill out this form to apply.
The application deadline is Sunday, September 5, 2021 at 11:59pm PST.
Friday July 23, 2021
“I’m quite overwhelmed and deeply humbled to be chosen as this year’s AGF Teacher of the Year,” said Schumer. “It’s quite an honor to join all the past recipients who have done so much towards the teaching, promotion, and dissemination of go.” Ordinarily a Teacher of the Year wins a free trip to the US Go Congress. As that is online this year, Schumer will be invited to the 2022 Go Congress in Estes Park as a guest of the AGF.
Schumer has been teaching a course on go at Middlebury College in Vermont since 1987. “The course is more about introducing and promoting the history, spirit, and cultural aspects surrounding go as much as it is about improving one’s measurable ranking,” says Schumer. “Self awareness and self-improvement is a large part of the course’s intent, but developing a deeper appreciation of the game and a humble respect for its great practitioners is even more important. The course is also a writing course where students write and revise papers on the rules of go, on the theme of ‘Go as a Metaphor’, on the concept of ‘Collaboration versus Competition’. The students also research a related East Asian art or tradition and give a presentation on their findings. The ‘aha’ moment for many of them is when they discover the powerful connections and interdependencies between the spirit of go and that of the art they have been studying.”
Schumer has also created and run the Vermont Go Club, which has been active for over 30 years. “The best way to promote go is through friendships and through such rich, joyful, meaningful get togethers. In addition, I add one weekend meeting a month devoted to teaching new players about the game. Again I am more interested in simply making them aware of this wonderful game, teaching them the basics, making sure they have a fun and positive experience (say beating me on a 9×9 board with a five stone handicap), and leaving it at that. The analogy I like to give is that more people take art appreciation courses in college than become studio art majors. Museums rely on an educated public that appreciates beautiful art whether or not most people can produce beautiful art. Similarly, the American public seems to support and love football (based on the number of people who watch the Super Bowl, say), yet very few of us reach the level of even playing at the college level – or even care to. We should continue to strive to educate the public about the game and foster a deep appreciation of it. Our commitment and affection for the game can truly inspire others.”
“I want to thank the selection committee for their warm support and confidence in me. I promise to redouble my effort to ‘pay it forward’ by continuing to pass along my knowledge and enthusiasm of the game to the younger generation,” adds Schumer. -Paul Barchilon, EJ Youth Editor. Photo: Schumer with a young opponent at the Osaka Go Camp in 2018
Tuesday July 13, 2021
Children laughing, stones clacking, and general excitement returned to the Boulder Public Library in Colorado as the Boulder Kids and Teens Go Club had their first in-person meeting in over a year on Sunday, July 11th. Seventeen kids and about the same number of adults attended. The club moved online for the duration of the pandemic, but it was very hard to teach beginners both how to play and how to use the software at the same time, “it’s much, much, easier in person”, said club co-founder Dave Weiss. Also missing online was any ability to find new players, and the club has always relied on curious passersby in the Children’s Department to reach new kids. “The children’s area is a really important community hub,” said Children’s Library Specialist Ruth Smith, adding that she loved seeing all the families return to the library. Now in its 17th year, the club was forced to celebrate both its 16th and 17th year anniversaries online. Weiss bought two cakes and ice cream to mark the return to in-person play.
The club sent out a press release to mark their return, and the Boulder Daily Camera sent a reporter. The club was on the front page the next day, the article can be seen here.
Boulder County is 78% vaccinated, and many parts of the city are closing in on 90% vaccinated. State and county health officials all felt safe resuming much of normal life after the pandemic shut down so much. Colorado policy is now that masks are optional, and recommended only for unvaccinated people. As the vaccines are only available for ages 12 and up, most club attendees were still masked. Library staff all decided to wear masks as well, so the kids didn’t feel singled out. Kids did take their masks off to enjoy cake and ice cream, but most were masked for the bulk of their visit. -Story and photo by club co-founder Paul Barchilon
Sunday June 6, 2021
“Registration for the AGHS Charity event has been extended,” says Promotion Head Jenny Li, “All are invited to join us for three rounds, held at KGS’s AGHS Tournament Room on June 12 at 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM EDT. Each table will be played in a round-robin format between 3 adult players and 3 youth players. Anti-Asian violence and hate crimes have been on the rise, so we wanted to take this time to raise awareness and appreciation for Asian culture. 100% of the profits will be donated to Gold House Foundation Inc, an organization that honors the AAPI community’s achievements and voices through promoting unity, representation, and success. Please register by June 10, 2021, 11:59 PM EST.”
For more information about rules and regulations, click here.
To register for the event, click here.
Monday May 31, 2021
Nominations for the American Go Foundation’s Teacher of the Year award are due by June 30th. The award is usually presented each year at the U.S. Go Congress. Although congress will again be online due to Covid-19, the AGF will still honor a teacher this year and they will win a trip to next year’s congress in Estes Park as well. To be eligible a teacher must be a member of the AGA and have been teaching go to children for at least one hour a week for two years, either online or in person. Click here for more information. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, including yourself, email mail@agfgo.org. Nominations are due by June 30th and should include a description of the teacher’s activities, how long they have been teaching, and how many students attend their program. – Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo:
Monday April 19, 2021
“Registration for the AGHS Youth vs. Adult Charity event is now open!” says Promotion Head Jenny Li, “Anti-Asian violence and hate crimes have been on the rise, so we want to take this time to raise awareness and appreciation for Asian culture. As much as it is an inspiration for all, the game of Go we have today is a result of millennia of Asian culture, built up and passed down through the generations. We hope the AGHS values of collaboration and opportunity can translate to supporting the AAPI community. We welcome all players to participate. The three rounds will be held in KGS’s AGHS Tournament Room on June 12 at 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM EDT. Each table will be played in a round robin format between 3 adult players and 3 youth players. The registration deadline for this event is June 5, 11:59 PM EDT.”
For more information about rules and regulations, click here.
To register for the event, click here.
Monday March 29, 2021
“What words do you think of when you hear ‘school’?” asks Promotion Head Jenny Li, “Homework, tests, Zoom? Nah. This year, AGHS will revamp your word cloud by hosting the annual School Team Tournament on April 25th and May 2nd on OGS via BadukClub. There will be a total of four rounds, starting at 10 PM and 1 PM PST on each of the two days. In order to be eligible, players must be under 19 or currently enrolled in K-12. Each team must consist of at least three players who go to the same school or institution.”
The registration deadline is April 18th 11:59 PM PST.
Click here to register and learn more information about eligibility and rules
Sunday March 21, 2021
“Registration for the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) Weekly Go Problems – Spring Season 2021 is now open, and all players are welcomed,” says Promotion Head Jenny Li, “Each Sunday, we will provide Go problems with five different levels from the most beginner to the most advanced level. Practicing problems is a great opportunity to enhance your skills and will benefit you tremendously in your games. The season lasts ten weeks, with prizes being awarded at the end.”
Register here if you would like to participate
The deadline to sign up is April 8th, 2021, 11:59 pm PDT. If you have any questions, please contact aghsregister@gmail.com.
Friday January 29, 2021
“Inspired by founder Reshma Saujani’s Girls Who Code, the American Go Honor Society has established the first-ever Girls Who Play Go,” says Promotion Head Jenny Li, “This event aims to promote and increase the number of young female players in the Go community. We welcome all female participants from across the globe who are under the age of 18 to this casual, four-round tournament.”
This event will be held on March 7th and March 14th on OGS this year. The registration deadline is 11:59 pm PT on February 28th, 2021. Prizes will be awarded at the end of the tournament.
Click here for rules and regulations.
Click here to register.
Email aghsregister@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.