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Silver Anniversary of the Redmond Cup – Registration Now Open

Sunday February 18, 2018

2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Redmond Cup, which began in 1994. Named after Michael Redmond, the only player of non-Asian descent to ever achieve the rank of professional 9 dan, the Redmond Cup has represented the highest-level of competition for youth players in North America. Four of the five current AGA pros are former Redmond Cup champions, and many former champions have represented the US or Canada in international competition.

Preliminaries will be played on KGS, with the top two players in each the Junior (12 and under) and Senior (13-17) division receiving invitations to the finals, which will be held in July at the 2018 US Go Congress in Williamsburg, Virginia. Courtesy of the American Go Association and the American Go Foundation, finalists will also have all basic expenses covered to attend the 2018 US Go Congress, and any participant who completes all rounds of the preliminary tournament will be eligible for a $400 scholarship to the AGA Go Camp (details TBD) or a $200 scholarship to the 2018 US Go Congress.

Players must have an accredited rank of 1 dan or higher, be residents of the US, Canada, or Mexico, and have an active membership with any of aforementioned countries’ Go association to register for the Redmond Cup. Please consult the Rules and Regulations for more information about the tournament. Registration is now open and will close on March 7th. – Story and photo by AGA Youth Coordinator Justin Teng. Photo: 2017 finalists Aaron Ye (l) and Muzhen Ai (r).

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

“The Surrounding Game” launches worldwide

Saturday February 17, 2018

Starting today, “The Surrounding Game” (2017) is now available worldwide on digital streaming, DVD and Blu-ray. The award-winning documentary tells the story of go, from the four arts of ancient China to modern-day international competition, to the growth of the game in the West.

“I am so proud of everyone who worked on this project and brought their energy, their creativity, and their passion to it” says director Will Lockhart, “and we are all so excited to be able to finally offer the film for home use!” Click here for a short interview with Lockhart by AGA Broadcast Coordinator Michael Wanek.

In addition to the main feature, the filmmakers are releasing six never-before-seen deleted scenes and interviews. “This is some of our favorite material that didn’t quite make the final cut, and we think you’re gonna like it!” says Lockhart. The extras are included on the new DVD and Blu-ray discs, and are also available separately on digital download and streaming.

To meet the demand of an international audience, the film includes subtitle options in ten languages and counting. “We were blown away by all the requests we received from around the globe for translations” reports producer Cole Pruitt. “On the discs there are subtitles available in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian – and Italian and Portuguese will be available on streaming as well. We want Go players around the globe to be able to use this film as a new way to spread the game, as we have seen firsthand its ability to connect with people outside of the gaming community.”

Available for streaming and download here, and on DVD and Blu-ray here.

Categories: Go Art,Main Page,World

Go Spotting: Altered Carbon

Tuesday February 13, 2018

The premise of Netflix’s new sci-fi show Altered Carbon is simple: After 250 years of suspended animation a prisoner is returned to the world with exactly one chance to save his life – he must solve a “mind-bending” murder. And, oh, by the way, his consciousness has been digitized, downloaded and stored in the “cortical stacks” implanted in the spine of his new body.

AC‘s central protagonist, Takeshi Kovacs, is of Japanese descent and sometimes plays go. In a flashback during Nora Inu (#7 – between the 40th and 42nd minute) Kovacs plays go with his sister as they talk. The ‘board’ presented here is a roll-up, either vinyl/cloth (or the futuristic equivalent), though the go-ke appear to be chestnut. The game in progress presented, however, appears believable. Toward the end of Rage in Heaven (#9) a goban is featured on camera twice; it appears this is a “set piece,” although a character picks up and plays with a stone. The same table goban in Rage in Heaven appears at the beginning of season 1’s final episode, The Killers (#10.)

The future Altered Carbon depicts is less than optimistic; think the bluesy, morose zeitgeist of Blade Runner, as opposed to the love letter to humanity that was Interstellar. Altered Carbon is based on the Richard Morgan novel of the same name, his first book in the Takeshi Kovacs cyberpunk trilogy.

– Charles “Doc” Sade

Categories: Go Spotting,Main Page

New York Go Expo set for this weekend in NYC

Monday February 12, 2018

The 2018 New York Go Expo will take place this weekend, February 17-18 in Manhattan at the China Institute (40 Rector St, 2FL, New York).

The Go Expo is aimed both at go players and the general public. Aside from the invited team tournament, the Expo will emphasize creativity and collaboration, “especially when go is tied seamlessly with education,” says organizer Stephanie Yin. “Our goal is to pair all interested attendees in a simultaneous game with a strong go player.”

The Expo is free to the general public. A repertoire of events revolving around go will be held, from beginner to advanced, and players of all ages are encouraged to attend. “We’d like to see our participants learn, share, and advance in and outside of go,” says Yin.

Besides the pro activities and other go-related activities, the first Dreamworks School Invitational will take place at the Expo. Mrs. Liao is sponsoring this tournament and wishes to provide an opportunity for the younger generation for youth players in New York to meet current students in esteemed universities such as in the Ivy League Schools. She wishes that participants can learn, share experience, and improve, in and outside of Go. She also encourages go to be introduced into children’s studies.

Teams have been invited from universities including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, the University of Chicago, the University of Toronto, as well as the American Collegiate Go Association, and the New York Institute of Go, which will also field a NYIG Wildcard team.

Click here for details.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

SRP Alpha Go Video Released

Monday February 12, 2018

Last month Dave Liang and Sun Yunfan, the musical duo known as The Shanghai Restoration Project (SRP), released their new album R.U.R., leading with the single “Alpha Go.”

The pair recently followed that up with a supporting video for the song, produced and animated by Yunfan.

Alpha Go explores a future robotic world, devoid of humans. It is both an elegy and tribute to Ke Jie’s defeat by the AlphaGo AI. As such it is not a surprise to see the many go references in the video.

The new video can be viewed on Neo Cha.

Categories: Computer Go/AI,Go Spotting,Main Page,Master/AlphaGo Commentaries

AGA becomes certifying organization for Presidential Volunteer Service Awards

Monday February 12, 2018

The AGA has successfully applied to become a certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Awards, according to AGA President Andy Okun. “It is a chance for our volunteers to receive recognition from the wider community for the hours they put in,” said Okun. The award is given based on unpaid hours logged as a volunteer, with bronze medals for 100 or more hours in a calendar year, silver over 250 hours, and gold over 500 hours. For teens and children the hours are less. A volunteer who has logged more than 4,000 hours in total qualifies for a lifetime award. The awards program has existed under several names since the 1980s, and includes a certificate, a signed letter from US president Donald Trump, and the choice of a pin, coin, or medallion. The first recipient of an award, a bronze medal, will be Wenguang Wang, of Santa Clara, California, who teaches weekly go classes for school children, runs several tournaments, and organized and ran last year’s Go Camp. Wang was 2017’s AGF Teacher of the Year as well. AGA volunteers interested in being considered for the award should contact Volunteer Coordinator Bob Gilman at bobgilman.aga@gmail.com or Okun at president@usgo.org.

Categories: Main Page,U.S./North America

Gao Jiaxin wins 22nd Orsay Tournament

Sunday February 11, 2018

Traditionally Orsay is the first (in all senses of the word) tournament of the new year in France. It allows players to meet up again and to break their New Year’s resolutions – I’m going to make 5 dan by Wednesday. As usual it took place in Bouvêche, a unique building in the grounds of the Orsay castle. 59 players took part, 18 of whom were dan level, most where from locals Île de France, but others came from Brittany, Rhone Alpes, Alsace, and elsewhere. As befitting France, the food available was also an important element, and special mention must also be made for Anne-Claire who prepared around 15 Galette des Rois (a traditional cake) for the players to enjoy. Inseong Hwang (8-dan) was on hand to give commentaries to the tournament participants.

At the top of the table, the big winner with five victories, there was Gao Jiaxin (7-dan), who had helped many of the young players at the local Orsay club progress. In second place with 4 victories was Benjamin Blanchard (4-dan). After this several players trailed in with 3 victories apiece.

Other notable performances: Guillaume Ougier (1-kyu) with 4 victories and a loss to his sister (we expect a good atmosphere at their house) ; Li Liyun (13-kyu) 5 victories ; Robin Rouillon (17-kyu) 4 victories. Remember their names for the future.

– Ian Davis, based on original article by Benjamin Hellouin
photos: Anne-Claire and Julien preparing the food; Ariane Ougier – Jiaxin Gao; photos by Ralf Wurzinger

Categories: Europe,Main Page

AlphaGo Zero-AlphaGo Master #5: Strange and wild stuff happening

Sunday February 11, 2018

“There’s some strange stuff in this game, especially in the early part of the game,” says Michael Redmond 9p in his fifth commentary on the AG Zero games. “Then later on things get really exciting, as Zero does some amazing stuff inside Master’s moyo. The sequence that Zero uses to reduce the moyo is quite spectacular.”

Click here for Redmond’s video commentary, hosted by the AGA E-Journal’s Chris Garlock, and see below for the sgf commentary. To support this content, please consider joining or renewing your membership in the American Go Association; click here for details.

Video produced by Michael Wanek and Andrew Jackson. The sgf files were created by Redmond, with editing and transcription by Garlock and Myron Souris.

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Categories: Computer Go/AI,Main Page,Master/AlphaGo Commentaries,Redmond Reviews

Young Player Need for 5th GLOBIS Cup

Wednesday February 7, 2018

The AGA has received an invitation to send a strong US or Canadian player under the age of 20 to the 5th GLOBIS Cup U-20 World Go Championship, to be held April 19-23, 2018, in Tokyo, Japan. The event, sponsored by the GLOBIS Corporation and organized by the Nihon Ki-in, will provide meals and accommodations for the players, as well as an accompanying adult if the player is under 18. Air fare will be borne by the player and any companions. The player must have been under 20 years old on January 1, 2018, and meet the other AGA or CGA eligibility requirements. Any necessary online play-offs will take place before Feb. 20. This is a great opportunity to compete in an international tournament, explore Tokyo, and represent the AGA and CGA. Interested players should respond with their names, best form of contact, and KGS IDs before Feb. 11 to president@usgo.org.

Categories: Events/Tournaments,Go News,Main Page,Uncategorized,Youth

Redmond Reviews: Michael Redmond 9P vs Kuwabara Shun 1P

Saturday February 3, 2018

Michael Redmond’s video game commentaries return with an exciting game by Redmond against Kuwabara Shun 1P in the second round of the Kisei First Tournament. “We get into the avalance joseki and Kuwabara springs a new variation on me and then it gets really messy in the middle game,” says Redmond, hosted by Chris Garlock of the AGA E-Journal. It’s a human-human game, “So there are mistakes,” Redmond laughs. “It’s pretty exciting.” Click here for the video.

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Categories: Main Page,Redmond Reviews,U.S./North America

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