January 19, 2008; Volume 9, #4

FENG YUN FALTERS IN OZA EAST DEFENSE: In a major upset, Feng Yun 9P (l) lost in the third round of the North American Oza East on Saturday in Baltimore. Jie Liang 8d (r) forced a resignation in an exciting game that featured do-or-die efforts by both players. Feng Yun had been in fine form in the first two rounds of the defense of her 2006 North American Oza East title, defeating Young Kwon 7d by resignation in the first round Saturday morning and then dispatching Minshan Shou 7d in just 55 moves in Round 2 Saturday afternoon. But in the last round of the afternoon, Jie Liang managed to survive a fierce attack on a seemingly one-eyed group in the middle of the board, and then Feng Yun – behind in territory – had to launch a risky effort to successfully invade Jie Liang’s territory while simultaneously cutting off and killing one of his groups. Though she lived, Jiang’s group connected out and Feng Yun was forced to attack Liang’s thick position while under severe time pressure, an effort that ultimately proved unsuccessful. photos by Chris Garlock (Feng Yun) & John Pinkerton (Jie Liang)

MINGJIU JIANG & JOEY HUNG 3-0 IN OZA WEST: Defending Oza West champion Mingjiu Jiang 7P is 3-0 after Day 1 of the 2008 N.A. Oza West tournament in Los Angeles. Also undefeated is Joey Hung 8d, setting up a showdown Sunday morning. And in something of an upset, Korean insei Bi Jang – who was undefeated after three AGA tournaments – lost to Xuefen Lin (who lost to Mingjiu Jiang) by 1.5 points. Most of the rest of the rest of the Open section players are 2-1, making Day 2 sure to be an exciting day on the boards. photo: Joey Hung-Huiren Yang game; courtesy Andy Okun

BIG GUNS COME OUT FOR OZA: Many of the top players in the United States turned out for the North America Oza this weekend. In Baltimore, Feng Yun 9P came to defend her Oza East title, while Jie Li 9d, Eric Lui 8d, Jie Liang 8d and Kevin Huang 8d showed up to challenge for this year’s title – and a shot at representing North America at the World Oza in Japan -- along with Xingshou Liu 8d and Korean insei Hong Suk Song, who registered as 7d. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, defending Oza West champion Mingjiu Jiang 7P held down Board 1 against top challengers Lianzhou Yu and Jong In Jeong 8d, while other top contenders like Jennie Shen 2P, Lu Wang 8d, Dae Hyuk Ko 8d, Joey Hung 8d and Korean insei Jang Bi – undefeated in three AGA tournaments so far – waited in the wings. photo of Jie Li-Hong Suk Song 1.5-point game by John Pinkerton

VIRTUAL OZA: Catch the Oza final rounds live on KGS Sunday, starting in Baltimore at 9:30A EST and then in Los Angeles at 9:30A PST. Hundreds watched online Saturday as – for the first time ever -- top boards at the Oza were broadcast live on KGS from both Baltimore and Los Angeles, along with real-time commentary from Moscow by Alexandr Dinerchtein 3P. The E-Journal had broadcast Oza East games in 2006, but this was the first year that the Oza West top boards were broadcast. The Oza EJ broadcasting teams include: East (Baltimore): Recording/broadcasting/photos: Chris Garlock (Board1), John Pinkerton (Board2); IT support: Steve Colburn. West (LA): Recording/broadcasting: Richard Dolen, Joe Cepiel, Ed Lee and Mike Sun, with IT support from Chris Hayashida. KGS support was provided by Akane Negishi. photo of Sasaki-sensei giving a lesson in at Oza West, courtesy Andy Okun

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 by any recipient: please credit the AGEJ as the source. PLEASE NOTE that commented game record files MAY NOT BE published, re-distributed, or made available on the web without the explicit written permission of the Editor of the E-Journal. Please direct inquiries to journal@usgo.org
Articles appearing in the E-Journal represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the American Go Association.