Mexico City drew 71 kids to it’s recent youth tournament, held June 4th. “The children were from different schools and clubs, and ranged in rank from 30k to 10k,” reports organizer Siddhartha Avila, “this was a great opportunity to round up the majority of young players in the same place, and to make new friends. After this we’re looking forward to consolidating the existing go clubs, and to eventually create more go programs for youth in México. The event wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration of go teachers, players, and volunteers who offered their efforts to run the tournament. We want to thank them as well as the AGF for their donation of 20 sets of stones, which we needed to make this possible.” Winners Report: 1st: Fernando Álvarez 13k, 2nd: Vicente A. Cortez 17k, 3rd: Adam S. George 13k. Full results here. A retro style photo album from the event, by Alma Juárez is here. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor, photo by Alma Juárez.
American Go E-Journal
71 Turn Out at Mexican Youth Go Championships
Sunday July 17, 2011
US Youth to Play Japanese Insei
Sunday July 17, 2011
Ten of America’s youth players will compete in the first ever friendship matches with Japanese insei this coming Thursday, July 21st. The insei are youth that are studying to become professionals in Japan, their lifestyle has been portrayed in the Hikaru no Go manga and anime, inspiring countless American kids to reach for the stars themselves. Insei in classes B through D will compete, as will the top four high school players in Japan, according to Nihon Ki-in Overseas Coordinator Tom Urasoe. The match has been organized by AGA Youth Coordinator Paul Barchilon, who chose the ten member US team based on both playing strength and dedication to the go community. The matches will be held on the Japanese Yugen no Ma Go Server. An English language version of the client is available at Wbaduk.com games will be held in the Japanese Go Room. The US team, and a list of their opponents, can be found on Tigersmouth.org. To observe the matches, download the client and create an id. Matches will be held Thursday, July 21, at 5 pm PDT. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Image: insei characters from Hikaru no Go
New GoGoD Released, Coming to Congress
Sunday July 17, 2011
This year’s U.S. Go Congress attendees will be able to meet GoGoD authors T Mark Hall and John Fairbairn when the 
two bring copies of the brand-new Summer 2011 edition of the GoGoD database and encyclopaedia to the States.
“The crop of new games for various top players has been unusually large this year,” Hall tells the E-Journal. “We have new games for Kitani Minoru, Takagawa Kaku, Hashimoto Utaro and Sakata Eio.” Hall also says that “with much eye-rubbing,” they’ve found Honinbo Jowa’s earliest known game.
Additions to the latest CD also include a number of New Fuseki games from Autumn 1933, “a key period in this movement, and these will illuminate the period especially for those who have our latest book: Old Fuseki vs. New Fuseki.” Another sidelight on that period is provided by the very large number of games by Segoe Kensaku just added.
”Of course, routine games have not been neglected,” Hall promises. “The latest games are there en masse and Fujisawa Hideyuki has now become a milligod, as we have at least 1,000 of his games. The entire GoGoD game collection now comprises some 68,127 games.
The cost for GoGoD – which in addition to the games includes the extensive encyclopaedia – is $30 for a single copy or $40 for a copy plus one update.
Balwit Named Teacher of the Year
Sunday July 17, 2011
Portland go teacher Fritz Balwit has been selected as the American Go Foundation’s Teacher of the Year. “My selection is a great honor,” says Balwit, “it has been a unique privilege to introduce go to children. They immediately recognize its magical properties, and are receptive to its aesthetic allure at an intuitive level. I have found that it brings people together in friendly collaboration based on respect and shared appreciation. I hope to continue working with kids in schools and to create a space at our local go salon where kids can discover the beauty of the game. I teach go daily at Portland English Language Academy where I also teach English as a second language. We have a very lively group that plays for fun. Many of the Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese students are newly introduced to their traditional game. These are mostly younger adults and a few teenage kids. One kid- Shohei Jinno- came forward in a class and shyly mentioned his rating was 6 dan; he subsequently rolled over all Oregon players at the AGA tournament in Salem.”GO PHOTO: Go In Old Japan
Sunday July 17, 2011
Some fascinating photos of go in old Japan have been posted on Flickr, including two geishas playing go, children learning the 
game, a Shinto priest and an actor playing, a master teaching two geisha and two samurai playing. The photos were posted by Okinawa Soba, a permanent resident of Japan. “I really can’t stand the captions and descriptions on this guy’s Flickr stream (many are insensitive at best, racist at worst, and a lot of sleazy sexual speculation),” notes Xeni Jardin on boingboing “but the images are rare and fantastic.”
“Study Go,” Organizer & Consultant Urges Big Pharma
Sunday July 17, 2011
Mind Go Club organizer Shavit Fragman recommends that Big Pharma executives study go in his recently published article Pharma 
Business avalanche, Modeling Through the strategy game of Go. Shavit is President and CEO of MindPharma, a healthcare consulting firm.
With $100 billion in Big Pharma revenues set to evaporate in the coming years due to patent expirations and generic substitutes, Fragman uses the Avalanche joseki (or nadare) as a metaphor for the potential impact of patent expiration on big pharma revenues and profits. Noting that an avalanche is a risk when climbing Everest, Fragman says that “Experienced climbers know how critical every step” is and how “One small mistake may lead to” disaster. “High skill is a must for high mountain climbers,” he notes, “Similarly in the game of go.”
Fragman’s paper develops his thesis by demonstrating and discussing near future trends in the pharmaceuticals market and analyzes several other pharmaceutical companies strategy using the avalanche joseki, leading to his recommendation that pharma executives “study the game of go, its finesse and benefit from the strategic tools and whole board (universal/cosmic) view and thinking.”
GO PHOTO: Go Gnomes
Sunday July 17, 2011
E-Journal reader Eric Moakley recently spotted these go playing lawn gnomes in a Rite-Aid in Boulder CO. “Though no one in the store
knew the game, I was happy to see go out of a normal context, says Moakley.
Dango: A Go-based Card Game
Saturday July 16, 2011
A new game called Dango combines the rules of go with the mechanics of a card game. Players use two kinds of cards, representing either go shapes or “actions”. The go shapes are used to play stones on a goban, while the actions allow (or require) players to do various things, like remove opponent’s stones, lose their turn, or block a move that an opponent wants to make. Cards can be downloaded and printed out or sets can be purchased from Alexander Dinerchtein.
Kiseido Releases Updated 21st Century Joseki Dictionary
Saturday July 16, 2011
Calling it “an indispensable study tool and reference work,” Kiseido has just released the 21st Century Dictionary of Basic Joseki, Volume 1 in English.
The Dictionary “is a thorough updating and complete rewriting of the Yoshio Ishida Dictionary of Basic Joseki published in the mid-70s,” according to Kiseido. “Like the Ishida work, it thoroughly analyses the various components of josekis, such as tesujis and good style and good shape, and focuses in depth on such themes as securing momentum and building influence.”
This first volume of the dictionary covers not only long-established josekis familiar to players of all levels but also the many new variations of old josekis, such as the Magic Sword and the Large Avalanche, that have been developed in recent decades, including the first decade of the 21st century. “Each joseki is backed up by numerous diagrams exploring alternative moves and mistakes, to ensure that the reader understands the joseki fully,” Kiseido says.
The author, Shinji Takao, is a top Japanese professional who has held both the Honinbo and Meijin titles. His book retains the variations from its predecessor that are relevant to contemporary play but also gives countless new variations, reflecting the widespread innovations generated by professional go in the Far East in the last three decades.
Kiseido is currently working on a translation of the Dictionary’s second volume, scheduled for a 2012 release. Check out the Kiseido Newsletter for more information on this and other newly-released books.
– Daniel Nichols
Andy Liu Sweeps Wisonet Cup Finals
Friday July 15, 2011
Andy Liu 7d (l) defeated Minshan Shou 7d (r) in the Wisonet Cup finals held on July 10 in Somerset, New Jersey. Liu’s convincing 2-0 sweep 
“shows that he is a young American go star,” said Cup organizer Ronghao Chen. Liu won both games without needing to count or go into overtime. “In the second final game Minshan Shou had a chance to kill a 15-stone group of Andy’s,” reports Chen, “but he didn’t know that he could kill this group and missed his opportunity to win immediately” and force a third round. Chen tells the E-Journal that the Wisonet Cup Go Tournament will run again in Spring 2012.