World
Go News from the American Go Association
August 3, 2007; Volume 8, #59
LIVE ON KGS NOW!
YONGFEI GE ONE WIN FROM
U.S. OPEN CHAMP
GOING SOUTH OF THE BORDER
BY THE NUMBERS
5 MINUTES WITH:
Peter Nassar, US Go Congress Co-Director
CONGRESS SCRAPBOOK
TODAY’S GAME COMMENTARIES: Yilun Yang 7P reviews
Thursday’s Pair Go final between Shen-Lui and Shi-Burrall.
Plus: Friday’s US Open Round 5 Board 1 game between Yongfei
Ge and Zhaonian Chen.
LIVE ON KGS NOW!
In an unprecedented broadcasting feat, the E-Journal
staff is now broadcasting nine top U.S. Go Congress games live on KGS.
The broadcast includes live commentary by Myung Wan Kim 8P on the Board
1 American Ing Masters Tournament final match between Feng Yun 9P and
Minjiu Jiang 7P. Also being broadcast are Ing Masters boards 2-7, a
pro-am game between Ping Yu 6P and Rui Wang 7 and the Redmond Youth Cup
final (USGO9) between Landon Brownell and Cherry Shen.
YONGFEI
GE ONE WIN FROM U.S. OPEN CHAMP: Yongfei Ge 8d (l) is
now one win away from claiming the 2007 U.S. Open title, extending his
sweep of wins to 5 with Thursday’s win over Zhaonian
(Michael) Chen 8d in an exciting semeai involving three groups that
stretched across the entire board (the game is posted
online). The 6th and final round takes place Saturday, when
top-board games will again be broadcast live on KGS. Other 5-game
winners include Landon Brownell 6d, Enzhi Liu 3d, Bradley Jones 3d,
Jonathan Hop 1d, Fernando Rivera Jr. 1k, Kei Kawabata 2k, John Greiner
7k, Geoff Boyer 10k, John Eckelcamp 12k, Garrett Smith 13k, Stanley Sun
15k, Chris Hlavka 15k and V. Cao 21k. photo by John Pinkerton
CONGRESS UPDATES: Watch for updated tournament results
and news from the Go Congress on the AGA
website tomorrow!
GOING
SOUTH OF THE BORDER: Just 20 years old, Emil Garcia
Bustamante 4d (r) has only been playing go for five years and is
already one of the strongest players in his country.
Garcia is representing Mexico in this year’s North American
Ing Masters Tournament, the first time in many years that country has
participated in the prestigious event, which also includes
representatives from Canada (Yongfei Ge 8d, Jing Yang 7d and Xenos Khan
6d). Garcia first encountered the game in the movie Pi and then learned
it from a friend who had a set. Soon afterwards, he played another
friend, “who crushed me,” he told the EJ Thursday.
“I thought ‘There must be a secret’ and
started playing all the time.” Garcia made homemade boards
with hand drawn lines “and buttons for stones” and
taught a bunch of the kids in his neighborhood to play “and
we played every day for a couple months, but the group broke up when I
went away for a visit and I didn’t play again until I got to
University” in Mexico City. A group of about 30 play
regularly in the garden outside the Science School, where Garcia
studies pure math. In 2005, he spent two months in Beijing studying
with Bao Yun 2P, where he “learned good suji” and
improved by three stones. Garcia also credits lessons with Vladimiro
Gonzalez-Zelaya, who represented Mexico at this year’s World
Amateur Go Championships. The Mexico City go club meets twice a month
– 2nd and 4th Sundays – at a Buddhist center, where
“the guys who brought go to Mexico play,” Garcia
says. “The Go Congress has been one of the nicest experiences
in my life,” Garcia told the EJ. “It’s
been great to meet so many go players and to play such strong
players.”
- reported by Chris Garlock, photo by John Pinkerton
BY
THE NUMBERS: $680 was
donated to the American Go Association Friday by Yoshiteru Ohari 5d of
Japan, who provided personalized calligraphy to Congress participants
all week in return for donations. “Many drops of water make a
great ocean,” said Ohari. “This is a tremendous and
generous gift that’s much appreciated, ” said AGA
President Mike Lash…57 games
have now been broadcast live on KGS from the U.S. Go Congress this
week, including top-board games from the U.S. Open and the Ing Masters,
as well as top Redmond Cup and Pair Go games. Photo: Yoshiteru
Ohari (center) with AGA President Mike Lash (l) and 2007 Go Congress
Director Chuck Robbins. Photo by John Pinkerton
5
MINUTES WITH: Peter Nassar, US Go Congress Co-Director
“My only regret is that I can’t do it again next
year,” Congress Co-Director Peter Nassar (r) told the E-JournalK
Thursday afternoon during a rare break in the busy
organizer’s day while Co-Director Chuck Robbins was taking on
ten kyu players in the second annual Chuck Robbins Challenge (Kyus
Beat Shirts Off Robbins-Arnold 8/2 EJ). “Now that
I’ve been through the planning experience –
it’s like planning an 8-day wedding –
it’d be a lot easier the next time around.” This
year’s Congress not only set a new record for attendance with
488 registrants – though Nassar and Robbins had hope to break
the 500 mark -- but introduced some new features. “Instead of
the usual paper pairings, which can be hard to see when people crowd
around, we’ve been scrolling the pairings on the video screen
in the main playing area,” Nassar said, “this has
worked really nicely.” In another innovation, morning
announcements have been projected on the screen in PowerPoint,
“helping everyone to get the message.” This
year’s Congress organizers were also very pleased to recruit
most of the U.S. professionals “as well as bringing back old
favorites from overseas like Noriyuki Nakayama and Guo
Juan.” Nassar said he loves walking through the Congress
each day and “seeing so many people playing go” and
he was especially happy to overhear a Congress attendee say that
“There’s so much to do!” With 16 pros
conducting up to two events ea
ch day,
there can be as many as 32 possible activities with the pros alone.
Nassar’s advice to future Congress organizers?
“Organize as much as possible as far in advance as
possible…and then have contingency plans for when things
don’t work out the way you planned.”
- CG; photo by John Pinkerton
CONGRESS
SCRAPBOOK
Hundreds of Go Congress participants watch live
commentary by Myung Wan Kim 8P (in white shirt at demo board)
on the Board 1 championship match between Feng Yun 9P and
Minjiu Jiang 7P. The commentary is being relayed to hundreds more
(nearly 400 at presstime) who are watching live on KGS. Photos
by Steve Colburn
Published by the American Go Association
Managing Editor: Chris Garlock
Assistant Editor: Bill Cobb
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