Colin Williams reports that the Turtlebun store features go equipment in many of its product photographs.
-photo and editing by Derek McGuire
American Go E-Journal
NAGF announces Next-Generation exhibition match
Sunday December 5, 2021
The North American Go Federation (NAGF) is hosting exhibition games for North American players. The matches will be between promising young players and professionals. The event details are also available on the NAGF website.
When:
Saturday December 11th, at 7PM EST (4pm PST)
Where:
The games will be played online on OGS, and broadcast on the AGA twitch channel.
Players:
Alexander Qi vs Mingjiu Jiang (7p)
Kevin Yang vs Ryan Li (3p)
Val Lewis vs Cathy Li (1p)
Chih Rong (James) Sun vs Calvin Sun (1p)
Rules:
30 minutes main time with 3 periods of 40 seconds byo-yomi
Reverse Komi
Commentators:
Hajin Lee and Nick Prince
– Report by Hajin Lee, editing by Derek McGuire
2022 South Central Go Tournament Online Open for Registration
Wednesday December 1, 2021
The 2022 South Central Go Tournament Online will be held on the KGS go server the Saturday and Sunday before Presidents’ Day (February 19-20, 2022). From 2016 to 2020, the tournament was played live in Dallas. In 2021—and now again in 2022—the pandemic has made it necessary to hold the tournament online. There are no geographic restrictions for who may play, but all participants must be current AGA members (including any players from outside the United States). The best-placed Texas resident in the Open Section will become the 2022 Texas State Champion. The 2021 tournament had 16 Open Section players and 60 Handicap Section players. Players can find more details and register for the 2022 tournament at www.goclubs.org. You can also find the South Central Go Tournament on Facebook. Email Bob Gilman at bobgilman.aga@gmail.com with questions about the tournament.
-report by Bob Gilman, edited by Hailey Renner
The New York Go Honor Society League Returns
Wednesday December 1, 2021
“After a prolonged break, the New York Go Honor Society (NYGHS) is excited to announce the return of the New York Go league!” says organizer Joshua Wong. The first rounds of the league will begin on December 11th with a registration deadline of December 9th.
The league is two months long and will feature a round-robin style format, with each division having 8-10 players. For more information about the league, you can check out the rules and regulations document.
All players are welcome to register here. Like past iterations of the league, the only prerequisite is to have a rank, either certified by a Go organization, or to have a stable rank on a Go server. “We hope to see you there!” says Wong.
-report by Joshua Wong, edited by Derek McGuire
San Diego Go Club holds Go Soiree
Wednesday December 1, 2021
On Sunday November 21, the San Diego Go Club celebrated the joining of many new members by holding a Go Soiree at club president Ted Terpstra’s home. Over 25-players showed up including two professionals (Hai Li 5P and Han Han 5P) and three 7d amateurs. One player arrived on the new trolley line that opened earlier that day and now stops at the bottom of the hill.
Players were asked to be masked except while eating and drinking and for the occasional photograph. Plenty of hand sanitizer was available for participants.
Go boards were scattered over three floors of the house and also in the Japanese garden backyard as players sought competition or a teaching game. Kibitzing was the order of the day.
After 7 hours of playing Go and socializing with pizza and drinks, the last players were shooed out at 8:00 p.m. Things will not be as convivial Thanksgiving Saturday and Sunday, as many of these players will meet in the King Cup – California State Go Championships hosted by the SDGC.
-report and photo by Ted Terpstra
Photo: SDGC members Tony 7d (Left) and Kevin 7d Yang enjoying a brotherly game on a 7.5-inch kaya board.
Also in photo, their sensei, Han Han 5p, and a future Harvard student. Special note: Between the bowls of stones can be seen a 1986 American Go Journal with a young Michael Redmond on the cover. The Journal referred to him as “the strongest Westerner in the entire history of Go.” Inside that issue was an interview of Redmond by Les Lanphear: Soiree attendee, long-time SDGC member, and a current member of the AGA Board of Directors.
New from BOARD N’STONES: Aji’s Quest and Fukui’s creative problems on 5×5 board in English
Tuesday November 30, 2021
Aji’s Quest
First serialized as online comic by author Collette Bezio, Aji’s Quest has now been published in print by BOARD N’STONES, the English branch of primarily German-language Go books publisher Brett und Stein Verlag. Aji has been playing Go for a whole month…and he still sucks at it! Can the mysterious Master Tenuki turn him into a champion in one easy lesson? Enthusiastic, cheeky, a little impatient, but certainly not hindered by any prior knowledge, Aji allows himself to be sent by Master Tenuki on a quest to the top of mountain Moyo. After all, he wants to become 27th Dan as soon as possible. Along the way, he experiences bizarre adventures.
ISBN 978-3-940563-87-3, 184 pages, 2021
Keep Fit! With the 5×5 Board
Fukui Masaaki’s little creations show that much of what is complex and profound in Go can be found in the tight confines of the 5×5 board. The problems cover endgame moves, aspects of life and death, attacking and defending, judgments based on calculating territory, the presence or absence of ko threats, and even things pertaining to the realm of middle game fighting. John Fairbairn said once about this book: “… the whole book, by Fukui Masaaki 8-dan, is rated low kyu to high dan, but a nice touch is that the individual problems within each section are not rated, so that you have to assume that each could be be a dan problem.” Now this lovely book has been available as English edition by BOARD N’STONES.
ISBN 978-3-940563-92-7, 126 pages, Fukui Masaaki, 2021
-report by Gunnar Dickfield
Redmond’s Reviews, Episode 31: Go Seigen vs. Hashimoto Utaro
Monday November 29, 2021
“Looking at the josekis in the upper left and lower left, you’d wonder if this is a modern AI – or at least a modern professional player – because these are very much like the professional joseki we play now,” says Michael Redmond 9P in his latest commentary, hosted by EJ editor Chris Garlock. “But they were actually innovations by Go Seigen, and they weren’t popular at the time. People said they were empty triangle shapes and they couldn’t be good for White (but) they were wrong.”
“This was the fourth game of their second jubango (10-game match),” says Redmond. “Hashimoto was Honinbo, and the Kansai Kiin was on the verge of splitting from the Nihon Kiin with Hashimoto as one of its founding members. From their previous Jubango, the handicap was Sen-Ai-Sen, no komi, which happened to match the 8P-9P rank difference. This game was a turning point that made it a very dangerous series for Hashimoto.”
Redmond also announced the release of a special calendar to celebrate passing the 10,000 subscriber mark on his YouTube channel. The 2022 calendar is hand-signed by Redmond and features go-themed paintings by Redmond’s daughter Emi.
Join the 10th Season of the Pandanet AGA City League
Monday November 29, 2021
Join more than 65 player across 18 teams for this year’s League. The top players across the US and Canada will compete for $14,000 in prizes and glory throughout 2022. Represent your city and show your might as you battle each team’s squad. Read through the rules on the Pandanet site to sign up! Contact the TD for any questions. Note: Webcams will be required to participate in the games.
MGF league’s 9th season launches Dec. 7th
Sunday November 28, 2021
The 9th season of the Massachusetts Go Foundation league is set to begin December 7th. As the league is completely online, it’s open to anyone who may be interested from 30kyu – 1kyu. The insei-inspired competition runs for five weeks, with games assigned Tuesday evenings, but participants are free to reschedule with their opponent. The next evening, games are reviewed by Dan-level instructors, including Mike Fodera 5d, Shawn Ray (Clossius) 4d, Dwyrin 4d, and Milan Mladenovic, and posted on YouTube. The 8th season had close to 50 participants, “so you’re sure to get in some good games.,” say organizers.
The MGF is also offering an 8-week beginner class, working mostly on the 9×9 board, and a 1-hour introductory workshop.
The main goals of the MGF are to integrate go into the school system, and to create an engaging and interesting environment for existing players. Learn more on their website, Facebook, Meetup, YouTube, or Patreon.
- Milan Mladenovic, MGF Education Director; editing by Derek McGuire
Inaugural Quzhou Lanke Go Supermatch
Wednesday December 1, 2021
This evening, Wednesday, Dec. 1st at 10pm EST/7pm PST, Game 1 of the Quzhou Lanke Go Supermatch will be streamed live on the official AGA Twitch channel. Stephen Hu will host commentary by Michael Redmond 9p starting at 10:30pm EST, and the broadcast will be produced by Eva-Dee Beech.
The match is between Ke Jie 9P (China) vs. Lian Xiao 9P (China). Time controls are 2 hours main time, followed by 5 periods of 1-minute byo-yomi.
The event is taking place in Quzhou, China, where the Legend of the Rotten Axe took place, in which a woodcutter observed two immortals playing a game of Go.