Applications are now being accepted for the American Go Foundation(AGF) college scholarship. The program recognizes high school students who have served as important youth organizers and promoters for the go community. To apply, download and complete the application form here. Applicants should describe their accomplishments and volunteer work in a short essay. Letters of recommendation may also be included. Applicants whose enthusiasm and ambition have helped spread go in under-served areas will be given special consideration. Strong players who spend much of their time voluntarily teaching will also be considered, although the award focuses on promoters and organizers who have made substantial contributions during their go career. Applications are due Nov. 16th this year. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.
Kevin Yang 1P has won the preliminary qualifying round of the first Quzhou Lanke Cup World Weiqi Open Tournament, an international professional event organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association. Yang will represent North America in the tournament, which kicks off December 24, 2022.
The Quzhou Lanke Cup offers a prize of 1,800,000 RMB (about $250,000 USD) to the winner. In total, 32 players are invited: 14 from China, 8 from South Korea, 5 from Japan, 2 from Chinese Taipei, 1 from Europe, 1 from North America, and 1 additional player will be nominated by the organizing team as a wild card once all 31 competitors are finalized.
Among professional players based in North America, four entered the preliminary qualifying round. The format was double elimination (see below for results), and the event was held on OGS with video recording requirements. In addition, for the final match, proctors were also present with each player. The North American Go Federation appreciates the generous gift of Edward Zhang, which supported the presence of proctors.
The 2022 Pumpkin Classic Tournament is back this year after a pandemic hiatus, reports the National Go Center’s Gurujeet Khalsa. “Winners in every division take home a beautiful pumpkin ready to carve for Halloween,” says Khalsa. Scheduled for Saturday, October 22, this is a 4-round AGA rated tournament.
Prep for winning a pumpkin the night before at Pair Go/Paella Night on Friday, October 21; sixteen players participated before the Back to School event last month and enjoyed Chris Garlock’s famous paella and other treats. “Come for one or come for both,” says Khalsa, “we look forward to seeing you there.”
Pre-registration early helps tremendously in planning for the events and getting the first tournament round started on time.
Ryan Li 3P (2-1) and Kevin Yang 1P (2-0) will duel in the N.A. prelim final for the Quzhou Lanke Cup World Go Championship this Friday, October 14 at 8pm EDT (5pm PT) via online-go.com (OGS). The prelim utilizes a double-elimination format and the finalists have previously competed with Eric Lui 2P (1-2) and Alex Qi 1P (0-2).
Round 1 (9/16 & 17) Li (OGS ID: CrazyWind) def. Qi (OGS ID: alexqi2008) Game Record
Yang (Keviny2007) def. Lui (FedExpress) Game Record
The North American Go Federation (NAGF) has assigned proctors in New York and California to ensure fair play on OGS (see also AGA’s FairPlay policy). Hajin Lee 1P is the Executive Director.
Known as the birthplace of go culture, Quzhou City is 230 miles southwest of Shanghai. As early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 – 420), there was a story about Wang Zhi, a woodcutter, playing go with an immortal in Lanke Mountain. This is the earliest written record of the origin of go in China. In addition, Quzhou has beautiful natural scenery including mountains, karst caves and bamboo sea, and the descendants of Confucius once lived here to spread Confucian culture.
The prize pool for the Lanke Cup is $583,000 and the 1st-5th round players earn $4300, $7100, $14,300, $28,600, $86,000 and $257,000 (champion).
Report by Capital Go Club; photo credit: eweiqi.com and Chinese Weiqi Association NOTE (10/13): The match time has been updated to 8p ET (5p PT).
Upcoming Event: Nov. 27, 2022 ‘Hybrid’ Open tournament and VA State Championship Final
Clossius Go Tournament Deal: Shawn Ray – aka Clossius – is offering a discounted 6-Lesson bundle pack to raise funds so he can attend a tournament. “I am well known for my Clossi Approach for Kyu players,” says Ray. photo: Shawn Ray at the 2022 U.S. Go Congress.
Got classified? Send them to us at journal@usgo.org!
Spots Still Open for Simul with Albert Yen on Oct 15 On October 5th, the Evanston Go Club hosted a fundraiser simul event with Albert Yen 8 dan, winner of the 2022 Midwest Open and Chicago Open. Local players contributed $25 to play a 3-person simul with Albert, who reviewed each game. The proceeds will go toward the tournament fund of the 2022 Chicago Rapid Championship, which will take place on November 12th. Details of the tournament can be found here https://chicagobaduk.com/ “The passion of the local go community is energizing,” said Yen. “Moon Ki, an old friend whom I haven’t seen for three years, drove an hour to participate in the simul and catch up. There was also Derek, who was just a beginner before the pandemic. Not only is he as strong as Mark now, he’s also a foot taller!” “The Chicago Rapid will be bigger than anything we’ve organized before in Illinois,” said Mark Rubenstein, president of the Evanston Go Club. “We are introducing new elements such as inviting professional players and collaborating with prominent Go teachers. We really appreciate all the contributors and spectators who came out to support the club.”
The Evanston Go Club will organize the final fundraiser on October 15th online on OGS. Players who are interested in playing Albert can secure their slot by contacting him at albertyen33@gmail.com. A donation of $30 to the Evanston Go Club is requested. All proceeds go towards special prizes, equipment, and professional commentary/review for tournaments hosted by the club.
Colorado Bodhi Tree Tournament 10/22 The Denver Go Tournament Group’s Bodhi Tree Go Tournament is set for October 22, from 9a to 4p in Lakewood, CO. There is a player limit of 32 people. Register with littletongoclub@gmail.com There will be 4 rounds, 30 minutes main time with a Byo-yomi of five 30 second periods. $20 entry fee; proceeds will go to the Danger Monkey Go Club and the Buddhist Association of Denver (and prizes).
Yang Portland workshop 11/6 Yilun Yang 7p will be hosting a workshop at the Portland Go club on November 6 at 1p. Players of all ranks are welcome. If there is anyone unable to pay the fee, DM erumaren93@gmail.com. Please share anything you might want Yilun Yang to cover in his workshop by emailing erumaren93@gmail.com.
By Claudio Mendoza and David Richter for the Kalamazoo Go Club
The Vicksburg Go Tournament took place at the Community Center in Vicksburg, Michigan, on Saturday October 1st, 2022. This event was organized by the Kalamazoo Go Club and the Vicksburg Cultural and Arts Center as part of the “Destination Japan” program to celebrate Japanese culture. The contribution by Daniel ML (West Michigan Go Club) of boards, stones, clocks, name lists, and recommendations was instrumental in getting our act together and is gratefully acknowledged.
Thirty players from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio registered in three categories under a self-pairing format: dan (9), single digit kyu (8), and double digit kyu (12) with seven rookies in the latter. Prizes were sponsored by the Kalamazoo Go Club, GoMagic, Al Sensei, and Yellow Mountain Imports. Results were as follows. Dan level: Meng Wang (1st); Stephanie Tan (2nd); Justin Johnson (3rd). Single digit kyu: David Fang and Jamie Tang (tied for 1st); Winston Yan (3rd). Double digit kyu: Jaden Pan (1st); Noah Braasch (2nd); Sam Blyveis (3rd). Beginners: Carolyn Esther and Renée Szostek.
For the Kalamazoo Go Club the organization of this tournament was a worthy experience inasmuch as its involvement in local collaborations, inter-club relations, fund raising, and gender equality. The positive outcome of the event is encouraging us to repeat it next year with a more enticing prize structure.
Winners of the Vicksburg Go Tournament (l-r): Renée Szostek; Jaden Pan; Noah Braasch; Sam Blyveis; Winston Yan; Meng Wang; David Fang; Jamie Tang; Carolyn Esther; Stephanie Tan; David Richter (TD and co-organizer); Claudio Mendoza (co-organizer). Photo: Natalya Critchley.
Monitoring of the players through Zoom and their games
Evan Tan 4d swept the North American Youth Open on September 4th, posting a 4-0 perfect score. The third edition of the North American Youth Open (NAYO) was hosted by the New York Go Association and sponsored by the American Go Foundation, and took place online on KGS. The tournament games were monitored through video meeting on Zoom. Sixty youth players of all different levels from across North America participated, ranging in strength from 19k to 6d. Players were split into six divisions based on their rank.
Notably, the results of the 3rd NAYO broke the record of having the most number of tied players, with three players tied for second place in Division C and two players tied for second place in Division E.
“As the situation of the pandemic is getting better, our in-person tournaments will resume very soon,” says NYIF president Stephanie Yin.
Below are the results of all six divisions:
Division A (4d – 6d) 1st Place: Evan Tan 2nd Place: Minhao Shen 3rd Place: Yuqing Zhang
Division B (1k – 2d) 1st Place: Jiayang Su 2nd Place: Daniel Luo 3rd Place: Jenny Li
Division C (4k – 2k) 1st Place: Matthew Wang 2nd Place: Juliet Zhang, Enzo Aozono-Araldi, Chenhui Zhang (tie)
Division D (7k – 5k) 1st Place: Maria Aozono-Araldi 2nd Place: Zoe Tan 3rd Place: Anna Zhou
Division E (10k – 8k) 1st Place: Yiting Liu 2nd Place: Benjamin Lo, Jeremy Wong
Division F (19k – 12k) 1st Place: Christine Guo 2nd Place: Donovan Chen 3rd Place: Jayden Lai
More than 50 players turned out for two go tournaments hosted by the San Diego Go Club on Sunday, September 25: the 2022 U16 Girls and U16 Boys California State Go Championship and the San Diego End-of-Summer Go Tournament.
photos: left: After devouring 18 pizzas, players start round 3; top right: Chunwei Shi (R) & Abigail Wanyu Chen receiving their trophies from Hai Li 5P (TD) and Ted Terpstra, SDGC Chapter Rep (right); bottom right: Shang Zhou (1st) and Aiyang Lu (L) playing the ultimate game in the Opensection.
Abigail Wanyu Chen was the U16 Girls California State champion, while Chunwei Shi won the U16 Boys California State Go Championship. The event was a handicap only competition with players from all over Southern California competing. As has become a San Diego Go Club tradition, a trophy was awarded to the youngest player, five year old Michelle Lin 25k. With the surge of new and renewing AGA members at the tournaments, reports club president Ted Terpstra, the San Diego Go Club now has 100 AGA members, and will most likely break the 100 AGA-member mark when registration opens on October 1 for the 2022 King Cup – California Go Championship over the Thanksgiving weekend. In 2021, 70-players took part in the King Cup go tournaments over the Thanksgiving weekend.
2022 U16 handicap tournament report: U16 Boys: 1 Chunwei Shi 1d (4-0); 2 Kevin Huang 6d; 3 Andy Shunwei Zhou 1d. U16 Girls: 1 Abigail Wanyu Chen 5k; 2 Angel Shunying Zhou 2k; 3 Zoe Tan 5k. In the Third Section: 1 Skye Haotian Chen 7k; 2 Fei-Lian Zhang 8k; 3 Jeremy Li.
The second competition of the day was the San Diego End-of-Summer Go Tournament. Intended to be a fun tournament, with no prizes, no trophies, and no titles, 26 players showed up, including a very strong Open section, with one 7-dan and four 6-dans.
Xingang Huang 2d and Arunas Rudvalis 6k were the only undefeated players in the handicap section. All players and spectators were treated to free pizza for lunch.
San Diego End-of-Summer Go Tournament report: Open Section: 1) Shang Zhou 7.0d; 2) Aiyang Lu 6.8d; 3) Moxuan Liu 6.0d Handicap Sections: First Division: 1. Xingang Huang 2.4d; 2. Qi Xia 2.0d; 3. Henry You 4.1d Second Division: 1. Lester C Lanphear 2.0k; 2. Paul Margetts 2.8k; 3. Aaron Demby Jones 4.3k Third Division: 1. Arunas Rudvalis 6.0k; 2. George G Spellman Jr 11.0k; 3. Edric Chan 18.0k Reporting by Ted Terpstra; photos by Enrique Garcia and Henry You.
Five Capital Go Club members at the 2022 Go Congress (l-r: Edward Zhang, Xiaodi Huang, Della Tang, head coach Michael Zhou, and Al Tang)
In October last year, nearly 50 AGA players competed online in the 10th Virginia Open via BadukClub‘s tournament platform.
Yi Li 7D (5W-1L), an undergraduate at Duke University and 2021 North Carolina champion, overcame a 3rd-round loss to take 1st place over Zhengbokang Tang 8D (5W-1L) from Colorado by a narrow SOS margin. James Chih-Rong Sun 6D from Canada won the Youth 1st-Place award, and Stephanie Tan 1D from Indiana was the women’s champion.
“Even with the expected errors and no-shows, our TDs worked overtime to maximize the number of games played and perfect the pairings,” stated Co-TD Devin Fraze. “Players seem delighted. With a total of 0 players struggling with technical details and with all games starting automatically. The BadukClub in-page chat helped a few players befriend another and was flooded at the end with many thanks.”
Qingbo Zhang was the co-TD and distributed prizes and certificates. The total prize pool was $560 with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of the Open Elite division receiving $200, $100, and $50 respectively.
Full winners report:
Division, Prizes, 1st, 2nd, 3rd (and/or 4th)
Open Elite (6-8D) $200/100/50 :Yi Li, Zhengbokang Tang, Chen Zhang, Jimmy Creeks (Jing Guo) Open (4-5D): Qingbo Zhang, Juanshu Lan, Mani Sanford Youth 1D+ James Sun, Juanshu Lan, Al Tang Youth 1-9K Derek Zhou, Massa Jin, Kai Lan Youth 10-20K Chenchen Xiong, Kyle Tang, Lucia Moscola Women’s Stephanie Tan, Angel Zhou, Della Tang, Anna Zhou, (5th Serena Tu, 6th Lucia Moscola, 7th Melody Liu) Expert (1-3D) Al Tang, Stephanie Tan, Evan Tan Proficient (1-4K) Derek Hounong Zhou, Massa Jin, Tai-An Cha Intermediate (5-9K) Jim Sandy, Justin Collier, Della Tang Novice (10-20K) Chenchen Xiong, Kyle Tang, Steven A Zilber
The Capital Go Club also plans to host an in-person tournament in Fairfax Virginia on 11/27/2022, which may feature a hybrid tourney with the California State Championship over the same weekend.
