World
Go News from the American Go Association
November 26, 2007; Volume 8, #76
U.S. NEWS: U.S, Youth Championships
Get Set To Roll; U.S. To
Send N.A. Student Oza Rep; DC
Thumps Rockville 5-2; Jie Li
To Lecture In DC; "Coupon
Go" Set To Demo In Korea Next Month; Calendar
WORLD GO: Kono Rin Leads In Tengen
Defense; Won Sungjin Takes
First Game In Chunwon Finals; Rui
Naiwei Continues Korean Domination; Suzuki
Ayumi Wins Strongest Woman
GO PHOTOS: Groningen &
Romania
YOUR MOVE: Going On
Facebook; Online Go Tutorials Extended
GO QUIZ: Thanksgiving Wishes
GO CLASSIFIED
MEMBER’S EDITION BONUS CONTENT: “"When
facing the peep, you cannot avoid an ugly move." Find out how Lee
Changho 9P handles the proverb in today’s game
commentary, a special translation from Qiyi (The Art of Board Games) Go
edition #10 by Matt Luce. Lee ChangHo 9P plays Yamashita
Keigo 9P in the 2nd round of the 19th Fujitsu Cup,
played April 10, 2006 in Tokyo, Japan. PLUS: Kaz returns!
Picking up on Common Amateur Mistake #167, Kazunari Furuyama delves
into #168 with his usual inimitable style and wit, explaining why
“in Japan a tragic story like Macbeth happens all the
time.” Don’t miss this latest installment of
“Important, Fundamental Matters”! Non-members:
join the American Go Association during the month of December and get
all this great content PLUS your own copy of both the 2006 AND
forthcoming 2007 American Go Yearbooks – over 100 pages of
the “best of” the weekly E-Journal plus extra
content and a CD will every EJ! It’s all just a
click away!
US
YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS GET SET TO ROLL: Attention kids,
parents and chapters: the 2008 US Youth Go Championship season is
barely a month away, so check your
birthdays, your membership and the nearest qualifier event! The season
officially kicks off January 1, 2008 and Nicole Casanta is the National
Coordinator. Kids: first place winners are eligible for $400
scholarships to the AGA summer camps, courtesy of the American Go
Foundation. “This year, scholarship funds not used by
first-place winners may be awarded to other players who participated in
the USYCG qualifiers,” reports AGA President Mike Lash,
“regardless of where they finished or their ratings, so stay
tuned for more details.” Chapters: if you are interested in
hosting one of these exciting qualifier events, or the finals, make
sure you register your interest with Nicole now. For more
info email Nicole Casanta at elvenflare@gmail.com photo:
Hugh Zhang plays Sudhir Vel in a 2007 USYGC Qualifier; photo by Mike
Malveaux
U.S.
TO SEND N.A. STUDENT OZA REP: U.S. college students
interested in representing North America at the 6th World Student Go
Oza Championship next year should contact American Go Association
President Mike Lash at president@usgo.org The Student Oza is set for
February 29 through March 4 in Tokyo, Japan, and is sponsored by Nihon
Keizai Shimbun, Inc., organized by the All Japan Students Go
Association and supported by the Nihon Ki-in. The tournament features
college or university students under 30 from China, Europe, Chinese
Taipei, North America, Japan, Central & South America, Korea
and Thailand.
DC
THUMPS ROCKVILLE 5-2: The Greater Washington Go Club
soundly defeated the Rockville Go Club with a 5-2 score in their
friendly monthly club match in November. Results: Trevor Morris 6d
(GWGC) d. Juan Pablo Quizon 5d; Hal Small 3d (GWGC) d. Wesley Mao 3d;
Max Peterson 2k (GWGC) d. Kaname Yunokawa 3d; Gene Fellner 5k (GWGC) d.
Craig 11k; James Spriggs 18k (RGCG) d. Betsy Small 14k; Betsy Small 14k
(GWGC) d. James Spriggs 18k; Karl Yee 4k (RGCG) d. Peter Sun 1d.
JIE
LI TO LECTURE IN DC: “Our club sensei, Yuan
Zhou, is unable to make our usual first Friday teaching date at the
Greater Washington Go Club,” reports Haskell Small,
“but has graciously endorsed a suitable substitute for
December. Jie Li, arguably the strongest amateur player in America, has
agreed to take time out of his studies and teach us on Dec. 7th, usual
time- from 8:30-10P.” Other details the same- to have a game
reviewed, the charge is $12 per game ($6 per player), donations of
course accepted, at GWGC, in the basement (room 15) of the Cedar Lane
Unitarian Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda. “In January,
Yuan Zhou will return and continue as our regular club sensei, although
we hope to also have an occasional special event with Jie
Li.” The GWGC’s ongoing team match with Rockville
will continue on Dec. 14th; location TBD. photo:
Chris Garlock
GOT CHAPTER NEWS? Get it published here: email details to us at
journal@usgo.org
"COUPON
GO" SET TO DEMO IN KOREA NEXT MONTH: No, it's not a
discount on 
equipment,
nor is it a "Get Out Of Atari" free card. "Coupon Go" is the brainchild
of Dr.
Elwyn Berlekamp (l), a founder of the field of so-called
"combinatorial game theory," the study of games of no chance. Next
month, Berlekamp and Bill Spight will travel to Korea for a "Coupon Go"
tournament featuring Zhu-jiu
Jiang, Nai-wei
Rui and four other professionals, hosted by the Department
of Baduk Studies at Myung-ji
University. As a mathematician, Dr. Berlekamp thinks
differently about the game than most players. To him, a "correct" move
doesn't just win a game against your normal opponent, it is a
"statement that is provably true. “I'm seeking perfection at
a level that may not be humanly attainable," he said in a lecture
presented to the UCB faculty last year. Click
here to view that lecture. Click
here for an extended version of this report.
- reported by Dr. Roy Laird
CALENDAR:
L.A., Denver & Ann Arbor
December 1-2: Los Angeles, CA: Japan
Expo
Go table at Japan-themed show. LA Convention Center. Contact
Andy to man booth or just come to play and wander. SPECIAL
OFFER: anyone who visits our booth at the Japan Expo
gets their choise of 3 free copies of old American Go Journals!
Andrew Okun abc@okun.name 424.216.1111
December 1: Denver, CO: Te
wo Tsunaide '07 Pair Go Tournament
Jasmine Sailing jsailing@netonecom.net 303.388.4666 2006
Pair Go photo: Paul Barchilon
December 1: Ann Arbor, MI: Winter
Go Tournament
Eric Jankowski erjank@umich.edu 734.417.5547
KONO
RIN LEADS IN TENGEN DEFENSE: Kono
Rin 9P (r) has taken a 2-1 lead over
challenger Yamashita
Keigo 9P in the Japanese Tengen
title match. This is a best-of-five-game match; the next game is
scheduled for December 6th. This is the only title Kono, who is in his
twenties, has ever won, and he is trying for a threepeat. This is
Kono’s third consecutive appearance in the Tengen title match
and he has never played anyone but Yamashita in this match. Kono took
the title from Yamashita in 2004 and Yamashita is now challenging for
the second time. Yamashita's career has been somewhat more successful
than Kono's: he has held the Kisei
, Japan's most prestigious title, three times now, first in 2003 and
then for the last two terms, but the only other top seven event he has
won is the Tengen that he took in 2004. Yamashita has also won the New
Pro tournament five times and the New
Star title once.
WO
N
SUNGJIN TAKES FIRST GAME IN CHUNWON FINALS: Won
Sungjin 8P (l) defeated Kang
Dongyun 7P in the first game of their best-of-five-games
finals in the Korean
Chunwon on November 21st. Won got into the finals by
defeating Lee
Sedol 9P by 5.5 points. He also won the BC
Card Cup earlier this month, defeating Paek
Hongsuk 5P 2-1. Kang's primary claim to fame is defeating Lee
Changho 9P 2-1 to take the Electron-Land
Cup (King of Kings) earlier this year. Kang also won the Osram
Cup in September.
RUI
NAIWEI CONTINUES KOREAN DOMINATION: Rui
Naiwei 9P (r) defeated Park
Jieun 8P
on November 21st and 22nd 2-0 to capture the Korean
Women's Kisung. Her opponent was Kim
Hyeoimin 5P who defeated Cho
Hyeyeon 7P to reach the finals and lost the second game
against Rui by only a half point. Rui has been dominating the Korean
women's titles in recent years. She won the first edition of this one
last year, and has won the Women's
Kuksu five of the last seven years. She also has held the Women's
Myeongin six of the last seven years. Park Jieun and Cho
Hyeyeon are two of the strongest Korean women pros. These three are the
only players to have held any of these titles. Kim has yet to win a
title.
SUZUKI
AYUMI WINS STRONGEST WOMAN: Suzuki
Ayumi 4P (l) defeated Aoki
Kikuyo 8P by 1.5 points on November 26th to win the 9th
annual Strongest
Woman title in Japan. Suzuki also won this title in 2003.
Suzuki is known to US players because she was defeated by US amateur Jie
Li 9d in the Tokyo Seimitsu Cup in 2004. Suzuki, who is in
her twenties, has not won any other titles. Aoki, who won this title in
2001 and is in her late thirties, has been more successful, winning the
Women's
Meijin last year for the fourth time. She also won the Women's
Kadusei title four times before it was discontinued in 2002.
GO
PHOTOS: Groningen & Romania
RIGHT: At the Groningen (NL) final in the
Martini-Cup knock-out. Photo
courtesy E-Journal European Special Correspondent Peter Dijkema.
LEFT: At the recent Romanian
Championships (BAJENARU NEW ROMANIAN CHAMP 11/19 EJ), in the Poiana
Brasov ski resort. Photo
courtesy E-Journal European Special Correspondent Marilena Bara.
YOUR
MOVE: Readers Write
GOING ON FACEBOOK: “I wonder how many go players realise the
huge potential Facebook has for raising awareness of the
game?” writes Peter Wendes from the UK. “I now have
ten of my local friends who play me on Facebook who would never have
considered picking up a real go stone! The earlier go application on
TurnPlay was good to see, but not as slick as the new one, which is
simply called 'Go' and is easy to find. I've set up the Zen
Machine Go Community as a Facebook group, intended mainly for
newcomers to the game, but open to experienced players too. If you and
your friends are on Facebook already, the go application provides an
effortless way to play and spread the word!”
ONLINE GO TUTORIALS EXTENDED: Bob Stewart has extended his online Go
Video Tutorials. “Part 3 takes someone from where Part 2
leaves off -- just being ready to play a game -- and adds the
terminology and concepts they'll need to become students of
go,” reports Stewart. Part 3 is in two parts: Part 3A
http://blip.tv/file/479454 and Part 3B http://blip.tv/file/479459.
GO
QUIZ: Thanksgiving Wishes
Your Quizmaster is thankful that he will be taking a break for the
holidays. Look for the quiz to return after I recover from running the East
Coast OZA in January (make your 
hotel
reservations soon - our special rate expires in mid-December). Kim
Salamony was thankful "for the return of a comments box " and an
easier, multiple choice question. She, along with 8 of 10 of you
correctly answered that former AGA President Robert Ryder (r) was the
first Westerner to get a 5 dan diploma from the Nihon Kiin. This was no
honorary diploma, it was deserved - at one time there was not another
Caucasian player in the U.S. that Mr. Ryder could give two stones to.
He was certainly the strongest amongst the choices - long time European
organizer Felix Dueball may have reached 2 dan, according to Terry
Benson. Chessmaster Edward Lasker was probably generously a 1dan at
best, though Young Kwon remembers him receiving an honorary 3 dan
diploma from the Nihon Kiin. It is hard to fix a rank on Oskar
Korscheldt, but both Phil Waldron and Grant Kerr noted that he took 6
stones from Honinbo Shuho in teaching games, so he might have been dan
level. Congrats to this week's winner, Terry Benson (himself a former
AGA President), chosen at random from those responding correctly. THIS
WEEK’S QUIZ: LAST IS FIRST: For our
last quiz of the year we go back to our current editor Chris Garlock's
first issue of the American Go Journal, the first of the large-format
issues back in 1998. Who graced the cover - was it Jujo Jiang, Michael
Redmond, Eric Lui or Janice Kim? Bonus points if you can name the
photographer; click
here to vote. See you in 2008!
- AGA Quizmaster Keith Arnold HKA
GO
CLASSIFIED
SELL IT, BUY IT OR TRADE IT HERE with over 11,000 go-players worldwide!
Classified ads are FREE and run for 4 weeks; email your ad to us now at
journal@usgo.org Locate go clubs worldwide
NEW! GO PLAYERS
WANTED: Mooresville, NC area. New club trying to start up. Playing on
Sundays at Gamers University in Mooresville. Email Angela:
a_e_blackwell@hotmail.com (11/26)
NEW!
GO
PROFESSOR WANTED: The Department of Baduk Studies at the Myongji
University of Korea is looking for a Contract Professor. Must be a M.D.
holder in the fields related to Baduk; responsibilities include
lectures in English and lectures related to Baduk. For more info email
Kim Se Young at gnuoyes@hotmail.com (11/26)
JAPAN EXPO GO VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Southern California go players are
needed to help staff a go booth at the Japan Expo at the LA Convention
Center Dec. 1 and 2. Help introduce hundreds of people to the game,
while enjoying a few games or a lesson from stronger players and
checking out the rest of the Expo. Contact Andy at abc@okun.name if you
would like to help staff the booth, or see
http://www.japanexpo.org/index.html if you just want to come along.
(11/19)
RANK CERTIFICATE PROGRAM MANAGER WANTED: The American Go Association is
looking for a detail oriented person to manage the new AGA rank
certificate program. This person will work closely with the rating and
database coordinators to notify people eligible for rank certificates,
answer questions, and send certificates to those who request them.
There will probably be a bit of a flood at first, but then it will
settle down to a moderate trickle. Anyone interested please respond to
operations@usgo.org (11/19)
ONLINE TDS SOUGHT: The AGA is looking for volunteer online tournament
directors and assistants for several upcoming online events, including
some of the US qualifiers for the World
Mind Sport Games , as well as other annual events such as the
North American Fujitsu Qualifier. Prior tournament directing
experience, familiarity with pairing
methods and programs (PyTD, WinTD, etc.) is preferred but not
necessary. Must have great computer and communication skills. More
information will be provided to help guide you in becoming a valued
resource for the AGA as online tournament directors and assistants.
Respond to tournaments@usgo.org if you are interested. Include your AGA
number, current rating, and prior experience (if any). (11/19)
GO PLAYERS WANTED: in Northern Virginia. All skill levels and ages
welcome. The Tysons Corner Go Club meets every Saturday 9:30
– 12:30. Contact Ching-Sung Chin: chin8673@yahoo.com for more
details (11/5)
GO Players Wanted: North Wales (central Montgomery County) PA. This
informal group meets every Sunday afternoon. We are in the Borders
store in Airport Square, Rts 309 and 202. Please contact
nlzod@comcast.net
GO TEACHER WANTED: Canton, MA: Sharon Chinese School (www.sharoncs.org)
needs a go teacher. Time: 3:30-5P every Saturday except holidays.
Location: 900 Washington St., Canton, MA 02021 Contact: (781) 690-2066
(11/12)
GO PLAYERS WANTED: Baltimore, MD: Go players wanted in northern
Baltimore, MD. The Lake Walker Go Club (an official AGA chapter) meets
every Monday night at 8. Contact Jim Pickett: j.m.pickett@att.net (11/5)
GO PLAYERS WANTED: Go club starting in Orlando, looking for more
members. All skill levels and ages welcome. Please contact
Masterman535@gmail.com for more details. (10/29)
YOUTH PLAYERS WANTED: N. Portland: 7th grade student at N. Portland
school looking for 3rd- to 12th-grade students for a Go Club or just to
meet and play in the North Portland, OR area. "Newbies" thru
intermediate levels especially encouraged. Please email Kyle at
VGRfan@Yahoo.com if interested or have questions. (10/29)
Published by the American Go Association
Managing Editor: Chris Garlock
Assistant Editor: Bill Cobb
Text material published in the AMERICAN GO E JOURNAL may be reproduced
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Articles appearing in the E-Journal represent the opinions of the
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American Go Association.
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Go Association
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