American Go E-Journal

In a May 29 vote, the AGA’s Board of Directors selected Gurujeet Khalsa to be president of the American Go Association, succeeding Andy Okun. Board members Lisa Scott (Chair) and Devin Fraze were also considered for the position. “It is humbling to follow in the footsteps of Andy Okun and his leadership over the past 10 years,” said Khalsa. “I’m grateful for the trust the Board has put in me and will strive to provide even better service to our chapters and members as we promote the game in the US and internationally.” Khalsa served on the Board from 2012 to 2018, including five years as Chair. One of his key achievements on the Board was his initiative for Chapter Rewards, a system for chapters to receive cash awards to be used in go promotion when members join/renew in their chapter or play in AGA rated games. He led the team that established the National Go Center (NGC) in Washington, DC in 2016 with a grant from the Iwamoto North America Foundation and has served since then as NGC Executive Director. The NGC team hosted the 2018 U.S. Go Congress in Williamsburg, VA. At the NGC he’s directed seven annual AGA-rated tournaments, which recently resumed after Covid interruption with a 58-player Cherry Blossom event. He’s also served as TD for the Maryland Open since 2013. Khalsa will assume his new duties as AGA president for a two-year term beginning on September 1.

Twenty-nine players from New England and New York gathered in East Windsor, CT on May 21 to compete for several titles at the inaugural Connecticut State Go Championship.

Results:
Boyang Kang went 4-0 to win the Connecticut Open.
Matt Pruner won the Connecticut State Champion title. (This title was open to Connecticut residents).
Samantha Soo won the self-paired 9×9 tournament, and Micah Feldman won the 13×13 title.

The event was a “full house” held at the Battle Standard Tabletop Gaming venue in East Windsor CT, and was a huge success thanks in no small part to the unwavering dedication and hard work by the Central Connecticut Go Club volunteers. Mike Scudder, club president, was instrumental in making the event a success. Mike Spaner was the tournament director (with the helpful mentoring of Trevor Morris).

photos: Boyang Kang, CT Open Champ; Matt Pruner, 2022 Connecticut Champion; Samantha Soo, 9×9 Champion; Micah Feldman, 13×13 Champion; Central Connecticut Go Club members playing

In honor of AAPI (Asian and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month, celebrated in May, over 200 participants from Michigan came to the 2022 Asian Culture Festival in Madison Heights, MI.

Albert Tang (2d) and Della Tang (6k) introduced the go games to the audience, including Michigan State Rep. Padma Kuppa, who came to learn how to play go and is very interested in promoting it in K-12 schools. Players of various ranks played games at the event and children showed interest in AGA and AGHS go programs. Read more here.
– Al Tang

The eighth NYGO League is set to start on June 25th with a registration deadline of June 22nd. As always, all players are welcome to register; the only prerequisite is to have a rank certified by a go organization, or to have a stable rank on a go server. 

The league is two months long and will feature a round-robin style with each division having 8-10 players. Thanks to the generosity of those at AI Sensei, winners of each division will receive a free dan subscription for one month. For more information about the league, check out the rules and regulations here.  To register, fill out this form. “We hope to see you there!” says Patrick Zhao, NYGHS Co-President.

After a pandemic hiatus, the Congress Tune-Up tournament returned to the National Go Center on Saturday, June 4. A relative newcomer to the greater DC area, Hsi-Wen Chen (4D) went 4-0 to sweep the top section in his first AGA tournament. Second place went to rising youth star Richard Duan (2D) with a 3-1 record. “It is exciting to see new strong players emerging”, says TD Gurujeet Khalsa. “We expect these players will continue with great results.”

All players with 4-0 or 3-1 records won prizes. These were:

• Patrick Sun (3K) 3-1
• Anderson Barreal (4K) 4-0
• Michael Lash (5K) 3-1
• Hyungwook Lee (5K) 3-1
• Amber Boyden (13K) 3-1

Additional candidates have come forward for the upcoming AGA board election. Incumbent Justin Teng will be running to keep his At-Large seat. Incumbent Stephanie Yin will be opposed by Paul Celmer in the East. Newcomer Bradley Rose is running in the Central region and previous board member Ted Terpstra is running in the West. Nominations close June 15.

Individuals and chapters should check their expiration dates and membership lists if they wish to vote. Nominations, questions and position statements should be sent to elections@usgo.org.