American Go E-Journal

“There’s no real answer to the question of ‘Where’s the best move,'” Japanese professional Maeda Ryo 6P told a room full of rapt go players Monday afternoon at the US Go Congress in St Paul, MN. “Ask two different professionals and you’ll get two different answers.” One option, Maeda suggested, is to “find the move with the least wrong with it.”

Maeda also posed the following go conundrum: “On the one hand, you want to make territory; on the other, you don’t want to make territory. It’s one of the things that makes go so hard to understand.” Fortunately, Maeda revealed, go is actually quite simple: “There are only two options: fighting or not fighting.”
– report/photos by Chris Garlock

13×13 Table Winners: Justin Teng 6D, Melissa Zhang 3D, Julian Erville 1D, Peter Schumer 2K, Xiong Nqua 3K, Sherrie Echols 9K, Mathias Kramm 7K, Steve Zhang 17K.
– Jim Hlavka, Director

Self-Paired Update: There have been 46 games played so far. This rated tournament is open to anyone who wants to play; see page 12 in the Congress handbook for details/rules.
– John Hogan, TD; photo by Chris Garlock

The first day of this year’s US Go Congress on Sunday featured the first round of the US Open — in which 253 players participated — and Rounds 1 and 2 of the US Open Masters, in which 26 top players, including nine professionals this year, are playing for over $7,000 in cash prizes. Click here for the Masters crosstab. Defending Masters champion Mark Lee is off to a good start, notching successive wins over Calvin Sun and Michael Chen.

Go players also had plenty of other activities to choose from during the day, including lectures and simuls with professional go players like Mingjiu Jiang 7P, who was operating on just a few hours of sleep after arriving late Saturday night and then playing in the first round of the Masters Sunday morning (and would go on to play in the second round after lecturing all afternoon).

The 13×13 tournament was held Sunday night; we’ll post results on that and on Saturday’s 9×9 tournament as soon as we get them. Redmond Cup games were also held today; watch a report on those results soon as well.

The E-Journal’s expanded coverage proved a great success as Andrew Jackson anchored live video streams and game commentary on the AGA’s YouTube channel. As usual the EJ team broadcast top-board games on KGS along with pro game commentaries, and photos and updates were posted on the AGA’s Twitter feed — follow us @theaga (#gocongress #congress2015) — and Facebook throughout the day.

Live coverage begins Monday at 9a (CST) on KGS and Facebook.

– report/photo by Chris Garlock

NOTE: email us at journal@usgo.org if there’s anything in particular at the Congress you’d like to see included in our coverage.

Hundreds of go players from around the world — including the first-ever delegation from Cuba — gathered Saturday on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota for the 31st annual US Go Congress. Old friends reunited and new ones were made across the go boards that spilled out of the main playing room into the student center’s atrium (photo).

The US Open/Masters tournament begins on Sunday; play is scheduled to begin at 9a (CST); top boards will be broadcast live on KGS (look for usgo accounts) and pro commentary by Jennie Shen will begin at 10a. Other highlights of the Sunday schedule include a live Haylee go match; click here for the complete schedule.

Keep up with all the E-Journal’s Congress reports this week on the AGA website, on Facebook — “American Go Association” — and Twitter — @theaga. New this year: live video broadcasts of games; watch on our YouTube channel (usgoweb).
– report/photo by Chris Garlock

With this year’s US Go Congress just a few short days away, organizers have released the Congress Handbook so that attendees can begin planning to make the most of their time at the biggest go event of the year.

The Handbook provides information about the Congress venue – including maps – and the many events that make of the Go Congress, including rated tournaments like the US Open, Die Hard, and Self-Paired, and unrated events like the Lightning Tournament, 13×13 and 9×9 tournaments. In all, ten tournaments are scheduled, along with events with professionals – including simuls and lectures – and youth activities and tournaments.

Also covered in the Handbook are Day Off options, transportation, nearby restaurants and official go rules and guidelines, as well as bios and photos of all the visiting professional players.

“The chapter putting on this Congress so ably and devotedly, the Twin Cities Go Club, have been stalwart friends, players and teachers over the last 10 years,” says AGA president Andy Okun in his welcome, “Please join me in giving them gratitude during this rewarding week of play.”

Uncovering the link between go and education Go is a game, a hobby, a profession. It’s a competition, it’s a communication tool and it’s a way of life. But what happens when go enters home and school as an educational tool? Xinming Simon Guo, founder of the Go and Math Academy in Chicago, Illinois, will explore go’s impact in his keynote remarks at this year’s US Go Congress opening ceremonies this Saturday in St. Paul, Minnesota. “Imagine an era in which every student has opportunities to learn math through go and fall in love with both of them,” says Guo.