Tuesday July 9, 2019
Ashes of Love (available on Netflix) is a 2018 Chinese television series based on the novel Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost by Dian Xian. “In the last ten minutes of Episode 11, there is a scene of Jinmi playing Go with Run Yu, the God of the Night,” reports Greg Kulevich. “She plays two consecutive empty triangles and then declares that she has won.”
Monday July 8, 2019
This Saturday will feature the Pandanet AGA City League Finals between New York City and Greater Washington. They will be playing LIVE from the US Go Congress in Madison,Wisconsin at 3pm CST. Find the game on Pandanet in the AGA City League rooms under the accounts AGACL1-3.
There will be a Pandanet AGA City League Meeting during Go Congress on July 18 from 5-6PM in the Humanities 1641 room.
The full list of winners for the City League are
A League:
Winner = TBD
Second = TBD
Third = Waterloo 1
Fourth = Boston
Fifth = Toronto
B League:
Winner = Bay Area
Second = Raleigh
Third = Seattle 1
Fourth = Waterloo 2
C League:
Winner = Cincinati
Second = New York City 2
Monday July 8, 2019
“I noticed this Numberphile video about the game ‘Amazons’ (and featuring the legendary Elwyn Berlekamp) uses Go stones to mark off borders during game play and makes a reference to Jujo Jiang 9p,” writes Daniel Gentry. “I have also had some success in using this game as a tool for teaching new players the value of controlling territory as a separate concept from attacking the opponent’s pieces.”
Sunday July 7, 2019
In round eight of the Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship, played on July 7, Ilya Shikshin 3P of the EGF defeated the AGA’s last standing player, Ryan Li 1P. With this critical victory, the EGF team claimed the first Transatlantic Championship and the €10,000 Euro prize.
Black (Shikshin) opened by building a strong moyo on the right side, while white secured territory at the top and lower left. White (Li) split a left-side black group into two parts, and a fight ensued. White’s attack seemed severe, but black managed to live without incurring too much damage to his right-side territory. After the black group secured its life, the two players were neck-and-neck. White stumbled with move 152, a sente push played under time pressure, which forced white spend another move on O5 instead of responding to black on the left side. An intense endgame followed. Black wrapped up the game, winning by 3.5 points in the end.
The Transatlantic Professional Go Team Championship was the first team match between professional players of the European Go Federation and American Go Association. Each team was represented by five players in a win-and-continue format. All games were broadcast live on the American Go Association’s Twitch channel, including commentary by strong players from both North America and Europe. This last round, featuring players Ilya Shikshin and Ryan Li, attracted more than 4,400 simultaneous viewers, a record for the Transatlantic Championship.
– report by Hajin Lee
Sunday July 7, 2019
In the board game Gugong, set in 14th century China, Greg Kulevich reports, “players are trying to skirt the new imperial decree forbidding the bribing of government officials by exchanging gifts instead. One of those gifts is a set of Go stones and bowls.”
Saturday July 6, 2019
“Since I first moved to Madison, I have thought that Memorial Union (right), on the shore of Lake Mendota, would be a wonderful venue for a Congress,” says 2019 U.S. Go Congress Director Dave Weimer in the just-released Congress handbook (see link below). “During the Congress, you are a member of the Union. Enjoy typical Wisconsin fare on the Terrace as you relax after your games. Enjoy walks along the many miles of trails along the lakeshore that begin at Memorial Union. Have some ice cream at the Daily Scoop made on campus by our Dairy School.” And of course the annual Go Congress — coming up July 13-20 in Madison, WI — is all about the game of go. “The Congress gives you an opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonderful game that brings us together as a community,” says Weimer. “In addition to the tournaments that test your skills and the professional events that help you improve them, you will have an opportunity see old friends and make new ones.”
If you’re already registered for the Congress, this is a great sneak preview of the exciting week coming up. If not, there’s still time: click here for details on how to sign up.
Saturday July 6, 2019
“The Untold Story: Internment of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii” shows internees at the Honouliuli Internment Camp playing go (5:01, 6:35, and 8:22), writes Gordon Castanza.
Friday July 5, 2019
by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Shin Jinseo wins 31st TV Asia: This year Japan hosted the TV Asia, a fast-go tournament for the top-two place-getters in TV titles in China, Korea, and Japan. With Japan being eliminated in the first round, the tournament became exclusively a clash between China and Korea, and the latter came out on top. In the final, Shin Jinseo 9P (aged 19) beat Ding Hao 6P of China, who is the same age. Taking white, Shin won by resignation after 276 moves. First prize is 2.5 million yen (about $22,700). Ironically, Shin came only third in the Korean KBS title, but he stood in for Park Junghwan, who came second, when the latter gave priority to competing in the tournament below. Although he has not yet won a large-scale international tournament, Shin has recently passed Park to become the number one in the Korean (world?) ratings. Full results:
Round 1 (June 21). Ding Hao 6P (China) (W) beat Ichiriki Ryo 8P (Japan) by resig.; Shin Minjun 9P (Korea) (B) beat Iyama Yuta (Japan) by resig.; Shin Jinseo 9P (Korea) beat Xu Jiayang 8P (China).
Semifinals (June 22). Ding beat Kim Jiseok 9P (Korea, seeded as last year’s winner); Shin Jinseo beat Shin Minjun.
Final (June 23). Shin (W) beat Ding by resig.
Park Junghwan wins Chunlan Cup: One thing was certain going into the final of the 12th Chunlan Cup: the winner was going to be Park of Korea. But which Park? The final, a best-of-three, was held in Zhejiang Province in China, at the end of June and featured a clash between Park Junghwan 9P and Park Yeonghun 9P. The first game, played on June 27, was won by Junghwan, playing black. In the second, played on June 27, Junghwan (white) won by resignation after 210 moves. However, the game was not smooth sailing. With 96, White made an uncharacteristic blunder, letting Black take the initiative. However, Yeonghun also made a blunder with 147, letting White play a brilliancy that led to an upset. This was the first time Junghwan won this title; Yeonghun had to be content with second place for the second time in a row. First prize is worth about $22,000.
Hane wins first Gosei game: In the 44th Gosei title match, the 42-year-old Hane Naoki is challenging the 21-year-old Kyo Kagen (Xu Jiayuan) for the title he took from Iyama Yuta last year. The first game was played at the Konkai Komyoji temple in Kyoto on June 30. Playing black, Hane forced a resignation after 155 moves. The second game will be played on July 19.
Promotions
To 9-dan: Yanaka Katsunori (Nihon Ki-in Kansai Headquarters) (200 wins, as of June 4)
To 8-dan: Endo Yoshifumi (150 wins, as of June 7), Shida Tatsuya (150 wins, as of June 28)
To 2-dan: Nishioka Masao (NK Nagoya HQ) (30 wins, as of June 7), Muramoto Wataru (30 wins, as of June 28)
Obituaries
Tanida Harumi: Tanida Harumi 8P, a member of the Kansai Ki-in, died of heart disease on May 9. He was born on October 6, 1947 and became a disciple of Kubouchi Shuchi 9P. He made 1-dan in 1964 and reached 8-dan in 19823. He won the rating tournament once.
Hoshino Masaki: Hoshino Masaki 9-dan died of a cerebral hemorrhage on May 14. He was born on Jan. 11, 1967, became a disciple of Oka Nobumitsu 7P and made 1-dan in 1985. He reached 9-dan in 2015. He reached the landmark of 500 wins earlier this year.
Friday July 5, 2019
“Hiroto,” Dad said as he shook me awake. “Pack up your things. It’s time.”
My small suitcase was ready. I just had to put my Go set into it. Dad gave this to me when I was five, and the times we played were my favorite hours of the day.
From the story “Mono no aware” by Ken Liu, published in the June 2013 issue of Lightspeed and sent in to us by A. Wadja.
This story is also included in “The Final Frontier,” a recently-published science fiction anthology, edited by Neil Clarke. The story includes go as a metaphor for patience and larger thinking, writes David Bogie. “The Japanese protagonist, young Hiroto, makes sure his go set is among the few articles his family is allowed as they prepare to abandon Earth. While trying to teach go to a young American, Hiroto is told, ‘All the stones are the same…boring. There are no heroes in go!’ The story calmly unfolds into tragedy proving there are heroes in space.”
Go also features in “Shiva In Shadow,” by Nancy Kress (also included in “The Final Frontier,”), which takes place on a star ship visiting a black hole. “Go is proposed as mental and social training intended to bring two scientists closer together as the team attacks a quantum physics discovery,” writes Bogie. “This does not end well.”
Albert Yen on World Amateur Go Championship
Monday July 8, 2019
[link]
White: Albert Yen, 7D
Black: François Gonze, 4D
June 3, 2019, in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan
Commentary: Albert Yen, 7D
Game editors: Kiren Polara, Myron Souris
Albert Yen placed an outstanding 4th in this year’s World Amateur. Albert graciously gives us an enlightening commentary of his 3rd round win against Belgium’s François Gonze. For the game moves, Albert also includes LeelaZero’s (AI) winrates.
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