Color Go Server, a brand new Go server geared towards beginners, promises to inject a little fun and a lot of learning into beginner play. The programming includes basic Go server features, allowing players to play, watch and review games, and chat. On top of the basics and allowing players to customize their colors and themes, CGS allows players to visualize areas of influence and includes optional aids such as viewing liberty counts, highlighting Ko and Atari, and viewing potential results in real time. “Even if the rules of Go are easy to understand, the final goal, to control a bigger territory than the opponent, remains hard for beginners to visualize. CGS will help new players to learn the game rules in a more intuitive way,” says Max Moussalli, creator of CGS.
The server launched in January and is available in 19 languages. CGS allows players to play real-time or correspondence games in a web browser without requiring downloads. Learn more about CGS by visiting the Color Go Server website.
I was thinking about taoism the other day (such things are a consequence of studying and teaching Eastern philosophy for many years) and realized that it offers a hint of what I might say to readers who are unhappy about the dismissive way I tend to talk about speed/blitz go. The hint is the notion of “non-action”, which is neither acting nor not acting. So I could say that with regard to go, there is “playing” and “not playing”. Blitz go, it seems to me, is neither of these; it is “non-playing”.
Taoism says that there is a difference between acting with a focus on what you think will be in your own best interest, that is, for clearly selfish reasons, and acting in a way that is simply a response to what you sense should be done. In the latter case, your motivation is not focused on some sort of egotism. Your motivation is based on an understanding of what is appropriate in the situation given the common values that are involved. That is, the values that are based on a recognition of the fact that you are not a self-sufficient ego that can benefit from harming or ignoring the needs of others. We exist as parts of a functioning whole, not as separate entities, so the appropriate way to act is in accordance with that understanding of the situation.
In go, this has to do with understanding both the game and the role of one’s opponent. It is obviously not consistent with the nature of go to play with an inappropriate handicap so that you can enjoy humiliating your opponent. Similarly, it is not playing go to just plop stones down on the board in a heedless way. The essence of blitz go is playing to the limit of your sense of what is going on in the game; it’s a way to discover just what those limits of awareness are. In “normal” play, you take time to analyze situations and possibilities much more deeply. Of course, there are always more layers to explore and time is not unlimited; in blitz go, you push to go as far and fast as you can. It would probably be a total disaster for beginners to try to play that way, given their limited knowledge base. But for experienced players, I suppose, it can be an amusing way to discover the limits of your understanding of various situations.
And, of course, blitz go can be wildly exciting if you enjoy activities in which you have little grasp of what is really happening. (You didn’t really think I would end up being in favor of it did you?)
“I’m writing to ask if there will be any go tournaments in the near future?” writes David. “I recently got back into the game after watching the AlphaGo documentary, and I’d like to participate in a legit tournament before deciding whether to join AGA as a member.” There haven’t been many in the last year, due to the pandemic, but San Diego is hosting an online tournament starting March 13 and the New York Go League starts up March 15. Keep an eye on our tournament page for updates on future events. Hope this is helpful; click here for details on how to join the AGA.
The AGA Board of Directors is meeting this Sunday, March 14th at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT, later the same day of the daylight savings time change. The agenda for the meeting can be found here, and agenda and minutes for past meetings can be found here – board meeting minutes are generally approved as the first item of business at the next meeting, so updates to this page will often be a few months behind. If you are interested in attending the meeting this weekend, please contact AGA Board Chair Lisa Scott at lisa.scott@usgo.org.
Interested in learning what the board has been up to lately? Summaries can be found at the beginning of the minutes for each meeting. Following are a few recent updates:
November 2020 AGA Board Meeting The AGA Board of Directors approved a multiyear strategic plan, and were joined by AGA officers to review and assess interest in each element. The strategic plan falls into four main categories: organizational improvement, promoting Go in the US, improving the Go community, and maintaining progress on existent projects. The board also discussed the ongoing problem of playing Go in the pandemic and the recent appointment of the new AGA Treasurer, Lucas Baker.
September 2020 AGA Board Meeting At the September meeting of the AGA board of directors, the board gave the AGA president authorization to rate online tournaments advertised as “AGA-ratable,” pending development of an online rating system. The board also discussed filling the vacant treasurer post, development of formal policy documentation, and long-term priorities. The board received an update on operational concerns related to the AGAGD implementation.
Diego Albuja of Ecuador, Paola Sarmiento of Colombia, and Sid Avila of México invite players of all the countries of the Americas and the Caribbean to take part in the Liga Panamericana de Go por Equipos Sub 18 “SIRIO” (U18 Pan-American Go Team League Sirio), a Go team league from March to July of 2021 with rounds to be played the last Sunday of each month. Teams of three players under 18 years of age can enter in the following three divisions: Division 19×19 for teams with players from 13 kyu and above; Division 13×13 for teams with players from 19 kyu to 14 kyu; and Division 9×9 for teams with players from 30 kyu to 20 kyu.
The organizers have set up a dedicated group on OGS where games will take place. Registration is open until March 20th. An adult responsible for the players should register the team here.
Schedule Round 1: March 28, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT Round 2: April 25, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT Round 3: May 30, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT Round 4: June 27, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT Round 5: July 25, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT
The first game on the day of the matches will be played from official pairings. After finishing the paired game, players may play up to two more self-paired games with appropriate handicaps among other players in their division. They can send challenges freely and victories in these games will count as points for their teams.
by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Takemiya wins 1200 games On Jan. 14, Takemiya Masaki 9P (W) beat Hara Sachiko 4P by resig. in a game in the First Tournament (= preliminary) of the 46th Kisei tournament. This made him the 10th member of the Nihon Ki-in to reach the mark of 1,200 wins. He has 764 losses and two jigo, for a winning percentage of 61%, which is 10th best. It took him 55 years nine months, which is ninth quickest. He is also the ninth oldest (he turned 70 on NY’s day).
Sumire’s progress As of January 1, Nakamura Sumire 1P switched to the Tokyo branch of the Nihon Ki-in. She has made a superb start there with seven wins to just one loss (as of Feb. 18), as detailed below. She actually started off her go year by being featured in the special go program presented by NHK to celebrate the new year (telecast on the 3rd). Taking black with no komi, she played a game with Shibano Toramaru Oza. Before the game, the program delved into the background of the players, showing photographs of them when younger. That was followed by an entertaining “talk show” between Sumire and Hirata Tomoya 7P. The latter shared commentating duties on the game with Kobayashi Satoru and Ueno Asami. In an aggressive game featuring tenukis in the opening and trades in the middle game, Sumire held her own, but Shibano ratcheted up the pressure by complicating the game and forced a resignation after move 168. In the end, she may have been outplayed by Shibano, but the commentators praised her fighting spirit. (Jan. 7) Sumire played two games in the 32nd Woman’s Meijin Prelim. A. In the morning, taking white, she beat Tsukuda Akiko 5P by resig. to score her fourth win in a row in this tournament. One more win would give her a place in the league. In the afternoon, Ueno Asami, Senko Cup-holder, (B) beat Sumire by 9.5 points. (Jan. 18). Sumire (B) beat Sakakibara Fumiko 6P by resig. (8th Women’s Hollyhock prelim.) (Jan. 21) Sumire (W) beat Minematsu Masaki 6P by resig. (Prelim. C, 60th Judan). (Jan. 25) Sumire (W) beat Iwata Saeka 1P by 1.5 points (prelim., 40th Women’s Honinbo prelim.). (Feb. 4) Sumire (W) beat Ha Yon-il 6P by 13.5. (First Tournament, 46th Kisei). (Feb. 11) Sumire (W) beat Tatsumi Akane 3P by 5.5 (Women’s Hollyhock prelim.). (Feb. 18) Sumire (W) beat Takao Mari 1P by half a point (Women’s Honinbo). Sumire now has a winning streak of six. Go Weeklytracks players with winning streaks; when hers reached five, her name was included. With six, she is equal third among the twelve players enjoying winning streaks.
Yoshida Mika first woman player to win 700 games On February 10, in the final game of the 40th Women’s Honinbo preliminary tournament, Yoshida Mika 8P of the Kansai Ki-in (B) beat Mizuno Hiromi 5P, also of the Kansai Ki-in, by resignation. This was her 700th win in official games. She is the first female Japanese pro to reach this mark. Her record is 700 wins to 550 losses and one jigo (tied game). Yoshida turned 50 on Feb. 12.
Promotions To 9-dan: Ichiriki Ryo (for winning his second top-seven title, the 46th Tengen title) To 6-dan: Ms. Tsukuda Akiko (90 wins; as of Jan. 22); Ms. Mukai Chiaki (90 wins; as of Feb. 20) To 5-dan: Hoshikawa Takumi (70 wins; as of Jan. 28; Hoshikawa is a member of the Kansai Ki-in, together with an older brother and a younger brother); Ms. Izawa Akino (70 wins; as of Feb. 2) To 4-dan: Inaba Takahiro (50 wins; as of Feb. 19) To 3-dan: Takagi Junpei (40 wins; as of Feb. 16) To 2-dan: Takei Taishin (30 wins; as of Feb. 19)
On February 21, the Eastern Youth Open (EYO) tournament, hosted by New York Go Association, took place online on KGS due to the pandemic. Eighty youth players of all different levels from across North America participated. After 4 rounds of competition, Zixuan Gao 5d took first place, her second recent championship following her performance in the Young Lions Tournament in November of 2020. Below are the results of all seven divisions.
Division A 1st Place: Zixuan Gao 2nd Place: Brady Zhang 3rd Place: Alexander Qi
Division B 1st Place: Jenny Li 2nd Place: Ethan Whitman, Juanshu Lan (tie)
Division C 1st Place: Albert Tang 2nd Place: Evan Tan 3rd Place: Stephanie Tan
Division D 1st Place: Sebastian Liang 2nd Place: Jason Liu 3rd Place: Alex Fan-Cui
Division E 1st Place: Ernest Lam 2nd Place: Juliet Zhang 3rd Place: Hector Lampert-Bates
Division F 1st Place: Naomi Hsieh 2nd Place: Yiting Liu 3rd Place: Duan Gao
Registration is now open for the 2021 San Diego Go Championship hosted by the San Diego Go Club. This will be the 10th annual San Diego city championship. In 2019, the Open section featured one player with a rating of 10 dan – who finished 4th – and five 6 dans out of a total of 10 players. The handicap section had another 55 players.
This is an online 5 round tournament. One round will be played a week for five weeks beginning March 13. AGA Membership is required. There will be no entry fee and no cash prizes, but any AGA member can play to become the San Diego Go Champion. Redesigned 2017 U.S. Go Congress – San Diego t-shirts will be awarded to section winners as well as U16 Girls and U16 Boys winners.
There will be an Open section – in which five 6 dans have already registered – and a Handicap section in which all levels are welcome. Players must register by 11:59 p.m. PDT by March 11, 2021 to play in the first online round. Late registrants can play in any other round. Byes are acceptable if needed. Free registration is open at GoClubsOnline.
The Open winner will become the 2021 San Diego Go Champion, with their name on a perpetual plaque along with past winners: Mark Lee 10d, Chengjie Huang 7d, Ari Saito 7d, Leran Zou 7d, Yi Wang 6, and Yixian Zhou 6d.
The North American Go Federation (NAGF) has announced its intention to certify one new professional player through a Pro Qualification tournament this Summer at the National Go Center in Washington D.C.
Any player who is eligible and interested in participating in the tournament must submit this application form by April 1, 2021 to be considered for entrance. For more information on the tournament, including eligibility requirements, please click here. Final details of the competition, along with the selected contestants, will be announced in May.
by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Meijin League After three rounds of the 46th Meijin League, Ichiriki Ryo holds the provisional lead on 3-0, but Hane Naoki, on 2-0, is also undefeated. Shibano, the previous Meijin, has got off to a bad start on 0-3 and will have to focus on retaining his league place rather than on becoming the challenger. Results this year follow. (Jan. 7) Ichiriki (B) beat Yo Seiki 8P by resig.; Hane Naoki (B) beat Kono Rin 9P by resig. (Jan. 21) Motoki Katsuya 8P (W) beat Shibano Toramaru by half a point; Kyo Kagen (B) beat Anzai Nobuaki 7P by resig. (Feb. 4) Hane (W) beat Yo by resig. (Feb. 11) Ichiriki (W) beat Kyo by resig.; Anzai (B) beat Kono by resig. (Feb. 18) Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Shibano by resig.
32nd Women’s Meijin league With the addition of a new sponsor, this tournament had resumed after a gap of one and a half years. Suzuki Ayumi and Ueno Asami share the lead in the seven-player league, with both on 3-0. Results to date: (Jan. 21) Nyu Eiko 3P (W) beat Mukai Chiaki 5P by 3.5. (Jan. 25) Ueno Asami (B) beat Xie Yimin 6P by resig. (Feb. 1) Suzuki Ayumi, Women’s Kisei, (B) beat Kato Chie 2P by 9.5; Xie (W) beat Tsuji Hana 1P by 2.5. (Feb. 4) Suzuki (B) beat Mukai by resig. (Feb. 8) Nyu (B) beat Kato by 7.5. (Feb. 11) Ueno (W) beat Mukai by resig.; Xie (W) beat Nyu by resig.; Kato (B) beat Tsuji by resig. (Feb. 18) Ueno (B) beat Tsuji by 6.5; Suzuki Ayumi 7P (W) beat Nyu by resig.
Shin Minjun wins LG Cup The best-of-three final for the 25th LG Cup was held at the beginning of February. Ke Jie 9P (aged 23) of China made a good start but Shin Minjun (aged 21) of Korea came back strongly to take the next two games and win his first major international title (he won the 6th Globis Cup in 2019). First prize is 300,000,000 won (about $270,000). Below are the results from the quarterfinals on. Quarterfinals (Nov. 9); Park Junghwan 9P (Korea) (B) beat Yang Dingxin 9P (China) by resig.; Ke Jie 9P (China) (W) beat Weon Seongjin 9P (Korea) by resig.; Shin Minjun 9P (Korea) (W) beat Lee Taihoon 7P (Korea) by resig.; Byan Sangil 9P (Korea) (B) beat Kang Dongyun 9P (Korea) by resig. Semifinals (Nov. 11). Shin (W) beat Park by resig.; Ke (W) beat Byan by resig. Final Game 1 (Feb. 1). Ke (W) by resig. Game 2 (Feb. 3). Shin (W) by resig. Game 3 (Feb. 4). Shin (W) by 3.5.
Next: Sumire’s progress; Takemiya wins 1200 games; Yoshida Mika first woman player to win 700 games
