While attending the Osaka Go Camp, we had an opportunity to attend the World Go Festival. In the morning session, there was an exhibition match between Nakamura 1P who recently became the youngest pro play at age 9 (she has since turned 10), and Murakawa, who recently won the Judan tournament and thus given the honorary rank of 10P. Game commentary was provided by Cho Chikun 9P. It was a great experience and a chance to see and interact with many Go legends. Murukawa had also visited the Go Camp a few days earlier and I was lucky enough to play him in a simul games with four others.
The National Go Center has just launched its new website. It features a prominent calendar of upcoming Go events, a go news feed, latest NGC tweets and more, including albums of photos from recent NGC events. You’ll also find details on NGC membership, Go classes and volunteer opportunities.
Fourteen players participated the Second Greater Boston Youth Go Tournament on June 22nd in Lexington, MA. Andrew (Hancheng) Xu won senior division and Ruihan Cao won junior division. The second to fourth place winners of the senior division are: Chengyou (Charlie) Zhong, Hanchi Ou and Jiayong (Justin) Liu. The second to fourth place winners of the junior division are: Siyu (Steven) Chen, Christopher Huang and Andy Zhu. They were awarded trophies and Go books. All participants were issued certificates. The tournament was organized by New Legacy Cultural Center and Massachusetts Go Association.
(top) Ruihan Cao (right): Siyu Chen; (bottom): Andrew Xu (right): Charlie Zhong
Remembering the No Exit Go Club: “When I got married in 1980, my wife and I found an apartment in Rogers Park,” writes Bob Barber (Your Move/Readers Write: No Exit update? 6/26/19). “I had no idea that this was THE neighborhood where non-Asians played Go. I spent countless happy Monday nights at the No Exit, (which) hosted go players for decades. It was a coffee shop, complete with Open Mike, poetry readings, lots of tie-dyed. A great place to hang out. And inhale some cigarette smoke. The focus on Go now has moved a few miles north, to the Evanston Go Club, ably run by Mark Rubenstein.”
Why the Western Mass. Go Club doesn’t meet in a library: “Thanks for the article (The Traveling Board: One library at a time 6/28/2019) about playing in the public library,” writes Eric Osman. “The only reasons that the Western Mass. Go Club doesn’t meet in the library are 1) We love to drink coffee and eat dessert while we play and the library doesn’t allow food and drink 2) We play on Thurs. eve later than the library is open.”
“Google has hosted an annual programming competition for the last 15 or so years in early April,” writes Adrian Petrescu. “This year, the registration page looked like this. By the way, I wonder if any AGA E-Journal readers recognize the position on the board? It’s not, as far as I can tell, any of the AlphaGo games against Sedol or Ke Jie, though maybe it’s one of the hundreds of Master games.”
Just one month after we discovered Weiqi (Chinese for Go) in the new exhibition at the Chinese American Museum of Chicago (Go featured in Chicago museum exhibit), we welcomed the first school field trip visitors: 30 students and chaperones from Cherokee Elementary School, who visited the museum and participated in our on-site go game workshop.
These elementary students first learned how to play Go for 45 minutes in the workshop area, and then moved to the the gallery areas to see the exhibitions. The students were very surprised and excited to discover that Go was played by Chinese workers on the Transcontinental Railroad in the mid-19th century. Depending on the schedule, a Go workshop can also be provided after the museum tour. For workshops like this, the same teaching method is used as the one we use to introduce go as a math manipulative in schools. Usually we play on size 6 or 7 mini go board in the math classrooms.
“This is a brand new combo tour service, which combines the regular tour and hands-on Chinese culture/art workshop,” said Ben Lau, the executive director of Chinese American Museum of Chicago. School group visitors, especially students from Chinese language classrooms from Chicago Metropolitan Area, now have the opportunity to reserve their field trip to the museum, and choose one Chinese culture and art related workshop. Besides Go, calligraphy, Chinese painting, paper cutting, origami and more are on the list. See more photos here.
Guo organized the Go workshop and is the founder of the Go and Math Academy.
A studious player named Jones Tried capturing a group of stones His opponent gave them He just didn’t save them And from the observers came groans.
A fearless young player named Joe Was trying to stir up some woe He made a big cut His opponent said “What?!” As calmly he retook the ko.
They call it Go in Japanese In China they call it Wei Chi The Korean books All call it Baduk But call it whatever you please.
The limericks above are meant to demonstrate how easy it is to create submissions for the 2019 US Go Congress’ Bob High Memorial Song & Poetry Contest. For those who keenly felt the contest’s absence last year, Frank Brown has picked up the gauntlet and will be herding bards and judges at this year’s gathering in Madison (July 13-20; click here for details).
Rules and entry forms will be available at the Congress beginning Sunday afternoon. “So prepare to pick up your writing devices, plunk down some verses, fill out an official entry form and drop them in the submission box,” says Brown. “You too could be a winner!” NOTE: AGA members unable to attend this year’s Congress may submit entries in absentia by emailing them to fcnzyo@protonmail.ch — please use ‘2019 Song & Poetry Contest’ in the subject field.”
Renowned teachers of teachers Toshifumi Mizuma 7P and Yuto Tajiri 5P will lead the Teachers’ Workshop at the upcoming U.S. Go Congress. The workshop is sponsored by the Iwamoto North American Foundation (INAF) and the Nihon-kiin. Open to all go players who want to become more effective in teaching beginners and high-kyu players, the INAF wishes to encourage those who have not previously participated in a Congress teachers’ workshop by providing them with $200 stipends. Those interested in participating in the Workshop should contact Mark Rubenstein at mark@evanstongoclub.org.
No Exit update? “I played at the No Exit club a few times many years ago, but had no idea it was gone (Go Spotting: Remembering the No Exit)” writes Dewey Cornell. “Perhaps someone could add a few sentences of explanation for readers who do not have insider knowledge.”
LeeLa Zero go bot site: “I would like to inform you about a new website zbaduk.com you can use to play against the go bot ‘LeeLa Zero’ from your webbrowser without registration,” writes Bram Vandenbon. “But even more important, if you do create an account, then it also offers a ‘smart review’ tool, which uses a powerful GPU server to review your game records. The website can also be used on smart phones and tablets. And you can store your games online.”
Via EJ photog Phil Straus, Howard Rosen sent us this great shot of a mural that “was on the wall by the train tracks near where the No Exit (go club) used to be” in Chicago, Illinois.
