For the first ti
me, Michael Redmond 9P will be providing an English live commentary on the first game of the Meijin title 
match between Cho U and Iyama Yuta. The match will be held on August 28-29 in Tokyo, starting at 9am local time each day, making it about 8pm EDT in the US. “I will be providing an English live commentary for the first time,” Redmond tells the E-Journal, “and it will be mostly text comments, with a few videos at chosen times during the game.” Check it out on the Asahi newspaper digital site, “which will be mostly Japanese, but there will be an English link to my commentary.”
Michael Redmond will visit the National Go Center the second week in September, with a full schedule of commentaries, simuls and other appearances; stay tuned for further details soon.
American Go E-Journal
Redmond to provide live English commentary on 1st Meijin match
Monday August 27, 2018
Mingjiu Jiang defeats Andy Liu to take second N.A. slot at Tianfu Cup
Sunday August 26, 2018
In the final round of the Tianfu Cup Preliminary, Friday night on KGS, Mingjiu Jiang 7P defeated Andy Liu 1P to be the second North American representative. Jiang will join Eric Lui 1P the end of next month in China for the first Tianfu Cup. “Thanks to all the participants who have played this week,” said Tianfu Cup Preliminary Tournament Director Jeff Shaevel: Dalhoon Ahn 9P, Feng Yun 9P, Ming-jiu Jiang 7P, Andy Liu 1P, Eric Lui 1P, Huiren Yang 1P, Ryan Li 1P, and Stephanie Yin 1P.
Click here for the crosstab, including game records.
Ming-jiu Jiang 7P vs. Andy Liu 1P Friday night for 2nd berth in Tiangfu Cup
Friday August 24, 2018
Over 100 people watched online Thursday night as Ming-jiu Jiang 7P eliminated Ryan Li 1P in the 4th round of the Tiangfu Cup Preliminary. Jiang will play Andy Liu 1P Friday night at 7p — also on KGS — in the final game. The winner will be the second North American representative to the Tiangfu Cup, joining Eric Lui, who secured the first spot earlier in the week.
– Jeff Shaevel, Tiangfu Cup Preliminary Tournament Director
Eric Lui 1P in as 1st N.A. rep to Tianfu Cup; Andy Liu awaits result of Ryan Li vs. Mingjiu Jiang Thursday night
Wednesday August 22, 2018
Eric Lui 1P defeated Andy Liu 1P on Wednesday night to become the first North American representative to the Tianfu Cup. Eliminated from the competition on Wednesday night were Stephanie Yin 1P and Huiren Yang 1P. Winners Ryan Li and Ming-jiu Jiang will compete Thursday night at 7:45pm on KGS as the lower bracket continues. Andy Liu will play the winner of that round on Friday for the second representative slot.
– Jeff Shaevel, Tianfu Cup Preliminary Tournament Director
Chinese Weiqi Association’s Yang Yi 6P drops by Seattle Go Center
Wednesday August 22, 2018
Chinese professional Yang Yi 6P, Vice Chairman of Chinese Weiqi Association, played a simul with seven local players at the 
Seattle Go Center on July 7. He had dropped by the previous month while in town visiting family and agreed to return after a trip to Hawaii. Yang is a 
widely respected go player and teacher in China, “where many famous Chinese go players, including Gu Li, have benefited from his instruction,” reports Seattle Go Club manager Mike Malveaux. “The simuls event on July 7 was very successful,” Malveaux reports. “The Go Center is very grateful to Mr. Yang for making time to visit and teach!” Yang has visited the west coast before, visiting the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles after the 2013 Go Congress in Tacoma, WA.
– reported by Zhang Yue and Chen Xiangnan; photos by Chen Xiangnan
Feng Yun and Dalhoon Ahn out in Tianfu Cup Preliminary; Round 3 set for Wednesday night on KGS
Tuesday August 21, 2018
Feng Yun 9P and Dalhoon Ahn 9P were eliminated in the second round of the Tianfu Cup Preliminary, played online on KGS on Tuesday. The first round was played on Monday. In the third round, to be played Wednesday on KGS at 7P EDT in the AGA Tournaments Room, Andy Liu 1P will play Eric Lui 1P in the top bracket and the bottom bracket will feature Stephanie Yin 1P (who defeated Feng Yun) vs. Ryan Li 1P and Ming-jiu Jiang 7P vs. Huiren Yang 1P (who defeated Dalhoon Ahn). The five-round double-elimination tournament runs through Friday and will select two professional representatives to represent North America in the first Tianfu Cup in China. AGA National Tournament Coordinator Jeff Shaevel is the Tournament Director.
Your Move/Readers Write: How many Nakayama? Poughkeepsie go players wanted; Thought experiment idea; Where to score a scoresheet?
Tuesday August 21, 2018
How many Nakayama? “I’m wondering how can I find out how many books Nakayama Noriyuki wrote in Japanese,” writes Kent Olsen. “I would like to start a Go Fund Me page to get some of them translated.”
Poughkeepsie go players wanted: “I have been trying to find local players in the Poughkeepsie, NY area and have not had any luck,” writes David. “It seems the majority of events/clubs are too far from my home for me to attend. The only go club relatively close to me is the New Paltz Go Club, but on your website there are times listed, yet no meeting place. I have tried getting in touch with the organizer of the club but I have not heard back from them. I get the feeling that the club might not be meeting anymore. I am writing this e-mail in the hopes that you might be able to help me find some local players.”
Thought experiment idea: Philosopher/scientist Pat Conover, who’s “currently working with issues of logic and consciousness,” writes to share a thought experiment “y’all might want to take on for the fun of it, to drive the creators of artificial intelligence crazy, or just to expand reflection on how go masters construct and integrate tactical and strategic aji.” Imagine an elliptical shaped board with about half again as many points as a standard go board, Conover says, “with three carve out spaces: a triangle, a pentagon, and an approximate circle, irregularly placed in the ellipse. Set up a Go Prime tournament or tournaments with allowed pauses for players to take notes, express feelings and considerations, etc. Let some observers construct narratives that could be of interest to scientists and philosophers.”
Where to score a scoresheet? “Do you know where I can find a printable score sheet (such as a PDF file), possibly with a primer on how to score a game (proper notation, etc.),” asks Glen Hart.
Email responses to us at journal@usgo.org
The Traveling Board: “Pi” to app to local club: a blogger’s journey
Monday August 20, 2018
“This is a game that has serious appeal to me,” writes independent filmmaker, website designer “and sometimes teacher” Chris Knight in recent blog post, “Do Not Pass Go: An evening with the world’s oldest board game.” “I’m looking 
forward to playing again, and trying to improve.”
Knight, who lives in North Carolina, first saw go in “Pi,” Darren Aronofsky’s 1998 directorial debut. His curiosity about the game portrayed in the film led him to an iPad app and then to his local go club in North Carolina, where a lesson with Brendan got him hooked. “Go seems to have a really good community around it, and quite a diverse player base,” Knight says. “And I can’t help but think that in time, though it may be decades from now, it’s going to become as popular among Americans as is already chess, checkers, and Cards Against Humanity!” In additional to a number of cultural references, the blog post includes a description of how to play, with helpful photos.
Go Spotting: Hardcore Leveling Warrior webtoon
Monday August 20, 2018
Episode 80 of the Hardcore Leveling Warrior webtoon includes an appearance by a character named “Bubble,” a former pro go player whose skill is controlling bubbles.
Thanks to James Richard Spriggs for the tip!
AlphaGo vs. AlphaGo; Game 21: Less alien, plus exciting fighting
Saturday August 25, 2018
In AlphaGo self-play game 21, the AI’s play is “a little less alien,” says Michael Redmond 9P in his latest game commentary,
hosted by the AGA E-Journal’s Chris Garlock, adding that the game features some moves that human 
players have been playing recently. “And then towards the end of the games there’s just a lot of exciting fighting.” Redmond’s commentaries return after a late-summer break; he’ll also be doing some live commentaries on Twitch in early September during a visit to the National Go Center in Washington DC; stay tuned for more details soon.
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