AMERICAN GO E JOURNAL: News from the American Go Association
September 27, 2004
In This Issue:
U.S. GO NEWS:
7th Ing Youth Goe Tournament; Go Featured In Major Exhibit; If At First You
Don’t Succeed; New Go Operating System; US HS Team Playoffs
Underway
WORLD GO NEWS: Cho
Evens Score In Meijin; Gu Li To Challenge In Chinese Meijin; Lee, Park,
Yamashita & O Advance In Zhonghuan Cup; Nongshim Cup Field Set; Rix Best In
Milton Keynes
YOUR MOVE: Readers
Write
GAME COMMENTARY: Shodan
Challenge Series Begins
GO REVIEW:
Hikaru no Go, Vol. 1 (English translation)
GO CLASSIFIED
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
ATTACHED
FILE(S): 2004.09.27 ShodanChallenge1.sgf; 2004.09.27 Furuyama Lesson
#22
7TH ING YOUTH GOE TOURNAMENT: The 7th ING's Cup Youth Goe Tournament for players under 18 is set for Sunday, October 3 at the Chinese Culture Center in Sunnyvale, CA. The top four winners from each section will be awarded with trophies and prizes and every player who completes all five games but does not place in the top four from their section will receive a consolation prize. Sponsored by ING's Goe Foundation, organized by American ING Goe, American Professional Go Association, and the American Go Association. Info and registration forms are available at http://www.gomasters.com/index.php?id=408&first_item=0 Or email Mingjiu Jiang at mingjiu7p@hotmail.com
GO FEATURED IN MAJOR EXHIBIT: “Without games, people would be unendurably bored,” says Colin Mackenzie. “Yet the role of games in society has been largely neglected by cultural historians.” Mackenzie curated an exhibition called “Asian Games: The Art of Contest” that opens in New York City next month. “Games” is the first major exhibition to explore Asia as a source of games including chess, Parcheesi, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, playing cards, polo and, of course, go and other games. “By exploring the evolution and social functions of games in Asia and their transfer to other regions, Asian Games illuminates important yet unfamiliar aspects of Asian culture and their ongoing legacy,” Mackenzie says. A highlight of the show is “an exquisite early 18th century set with a highly decorated, lacquer board and agate pieces, from the Kozu Kobunka Kaikan Museum in Japan. The set is decorated with the crest of the Tokugawa family, the military rulers of the Edo period, and is thought to be part of the bridal trousseau of a member of the Tokugawa family.” The exhibition will be on view at Asia Society and Museum (725 Park Avenue, New York City, NY) from October 14, 2004 through January 16, 2005. A daylong symposium will be held on October 16: “From Dice to Go: Asian Games Through the Ages” will examine new research on the importance of games in historical and contemporary Asian societies and their global impact. For more info: 212-517-ASIA or visit http://www.asiasociety.org The exhibit moves to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. from February 26 through May 15, 2005 and the Middlebury College Museum of Art in fall 2005.
IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED: “I set out on the shodan journey last year, but didn't quite make it,” writes Thomas W. Watson, who says he’s ready to make another run and is joining the Shodan by the Congress Challenge. Watson, a 3-kyu, is Chief Information Technology Officer for Platinum One Financial and a member of the Grand Rapids (MI) Go Club. “Thanks for keeping this going, it holds my feet to the fire.” Watson makes a total of eight for the Shodan Challenge, including Aria von Elbe, Stephen Bazzone, Mark Penner, Josh Gum, Matt Luce, Adam Bloom and Jonathan Markowitz. Just two more and it’ll be The Shodan Ten! Take the Shodan Challenge by emailing us at journal@usgo.org
NEW GO OPERATING SYSTEM: The expanding world of computer go now includes Hikarunix, “the only operating system dedicated to go,” according to creator Karl Sigler. “Hikarunix is a live Linux CD dedicated to learning, playing and studying go,” Sigler tells the E-Journal. Hikarunix features an interactive tutorial for beginners, while more advanced players can record and organize their SGF games for study and comment. “With Hikarunix you can study from an included library of nearly 7000 historical and professional games, 500 of which are reviewed and commented. You can practice Joseki with ‘Guess the next move’ programs, try to solve nearly 5000 go problems ranging from easy to dan level, and play online with thousands of go players, or start your own go server to play private games,” says Sigler. Hikarunix is available free at http://www.hikarunix.org/ Note: the EJ is interested in user reviews of Hikarunix; send them to us at journal@usgo.org
US HS TEAM PLAYOFFS UNDERWAY: Playoffs are now under way in the 2004 National High School Team Championships, and “There are only eight teams left standing in the quest to be crowned the nation's greatest go team!” reports organizer Christopher Vu. “Root for your favorites” among the finalists, including Riverview, Monta Vista, NY Metro D, Clear Lake A, Clear Lake B, Highland Park, Lincoln Middle OR Plano Senior A. More info at http://www.geocities.com/seaottergoclub/RSCPlayoffs.html
CHO EVENS SCORE IN MEIJIN: Cho U Honinbo won by 3.5 points in the second game
of the 29th Meijin title match, held September 22 & 23 in Fukuoka City,
leveling the match at 1-1. This was a very difficult game, and the professionals
following it in the pressroom had trouble identifying the losing move. In
general, Cho had gone for territory and Yoda had staked the game on the centre.
He followed a bold sacrifice strategy at one stage and later executed another
bold strategy. Awaji 9-dan commented on TV that this loss would probably not
bother Yoda, as he played experimentally, but that he would be in earnest from
the third game on. Game 3 is scheduled to be played in Nagoya on September 29
and 30. The Meijin tournament is sponsored by the Asahi Shinbun newspaper. The
title holder is challenged each Autumn by a challenger who is the winner of a
nine-man all-play-all league. Each game of the final is played in a different
city. In 1965, Rin Kaiho won the title by defeating Sakata Eio and became the
youngest Meijin. The eldest Meijin is Takagawa Shukaku, he won in 1968 at the
age of 53. Rin Kaiho and Kobayashi Koichi all won the Meijin eight times, and
Kobayashi Koichi achieved seven consecutive titles; he and Cho Chikun are the
only two players named Honorary Meijin. In 1999, Cho Chikun won his ninth
Meijin, breaking Kobayashi Koichi's record. Top prize is 37 million Yen (about
$350,000US).
- Reported by John Power on the home page of the Nihon
Ki-in; includes reporting by GoGameWorld.com
GU LI TO CHALLENGE IN CHINESE MEIJIN: In his second straight win, Gu Li 7p
defeated Nie Weiping 9p by resignation in Game 2 of the best-of-3 Chinese
Mingren challenger finals, thus winning the right to challenge current title
holder Qiu Jun 6p in the best-of-5 final of the 17th Chinese Mingren Title (also
known as Chinese Meijin). This challenge also gives Gu, currently ranked #2 in
the most recent Chinese official rating list, the opportunity to achieve a grand
slam in the Chinese professional arena. The Mingren is sponsored by Chinese
Weiqi Association and Chinese People's Daily and is one of the longest-running
and biggest events in Chinese go world. Sixty-four players compete for 16 slots
in the preliminary rounds; these 16 then join 16 seeds in the main challenger
event. Beginning in 1989, Ma Xiaochun won an impressive thirteen consecutive
titles in the Chinese Mingren. Check out the games at http://GoGameWorld.com
-
reported in GoGameWorld.com
LEE, PARK, YAMASHITA & O ADVANCE IN ZHONGHUAN CUP: After the first two
rounds of the 1st Zhonghuan Cup, held on September 16 and 18, Lee Changho 9p,
Park YuongHoon 9p, Yamashita Keigo 9p and O Rissei 9p advanced to the
semifinals, which are scheduled to take place in December. Check out the games
at http://GoGameWorld.com
-
reported in GoGameWorld.com
NONGSHIM CUP FIELD SET: The 6th Nongshim Cup will start on October 12th in
Beijing. The final roster of players has determined: Lee Changho, Yoo Changhyuk,
Choi Cheolhan, An Dalhun, Han Chongjin (representing Korea); Cho Chikun, Kato
Masao, O Meien, Mimura Tomoyasu, Takao Shinji (representing Japan); Zhou Heyang,
Luo Xihe, Wang Lei, Peng Quan and Wang Xi (representing China). Games at http://www.go4go.net/english/bytournament2.jsp?id=28
-
reported by go4go.net
RIX BEST IN MILTON KEYNES: Alex Rix 4d went undefeated to top the 16th Milton
Keynes Tournament in Great Britain. Forty-eight players attended the Open
University for the event; also winning all their games were Matthew Reid (1k
Cambridge), Greg Pallis (8k Oxford) and Stuart Patterson (16k Leamington). The
Team Prize was jointly won by the Oxford and Leamington teams and the Milton
Keynes Go Board event was won by William Brooks with Jonathan Englefield taking
second.
- British Go E-News
YOUR
MOVE: Readers Write
PRESIDENTIAL REDUX: “I guess I missed something somewhere, because I see that
the AGA has a new President,” writes Milt Bradley. “Perhaps the E-Journal would
be kind enough to publish a brief bio.”
- The EJ covered the appointment of
Mike Lash as President of the American Go Association in our July 19 edition. As
reported then, Lash has served on the AGA’s Governance Committee for the last
several years, and was tapped as Foreign Go Association liaison late last year
and then VP of Strategic Initiatives earlier this year. Lash has been playing go
since 1976, when he learned at Miami University of Ohio. He lived overseas for
10 years and taught and played go in Australia, Samoa, Papua, New Guinea and
other countries. Lash’s day job involves handling real-estate transactions
around the world for the U.S. State Department. In an interview with the EJ last
week, Lash reported that several major new initiatives are now in the works,
including an effort to create national team league play, spearheaded by Bill
Saltman, and standardized tournament director training. “These are both part of
an overall outreach program to energize chapters,” Lash told the EJ. “Our
chapters are an underutilized and extremely valuable asset, (chapter reps) are
our best ambassadors for the game.”
GAME COMMENTARY: Shodan Challenge Series
Begins
Today’s game commentary is the
first in a series that will follow the growing Shodan Challenge Gang, a group of
players who have publicly taken on the challenge of making shodan by the 2005
Congress. The E-Journal has arranged for professional analysis to help the
Shodan Challengers improve their games and in today’s game Yilun Yang 7p takes a
thorough, almost move-by-move look at a game between Shodan Challenger Josh Gum,
an AGA 14 kyu from Oregon, playing Black in a game on KGS, where he is rated at
11 kyu. His opponent is a KGS 10 kyu. In a nice addition, we’ve included Josh’s
questions and comments, as well as Mr. Yang’s responses. Want to get in on the
action? You can take the Shodan Challenge by emailing us at
journal@usgo.org
Today’s bonus file is
the latest lesson by Kaz Furuyama, who this week takes a look at a clever
squeeze tesuji.
To view the attached
.sgf file(s), simply save the file(s) to your computer and then open using an
.sgf reader such as Many Faces of Go or SmartGo. Readers who need .sgf readers
can get them for most platforms at Jan van der Steen's http://gobase.org/sgfeditors.html
GO REVIEW: Hikaru no Go, Vol. 1 (English
translation)
reviewed by Mark
Engelberg
Hikaru no Go is a Japanese
graphic novel spanning almost 200 chapters, split into 23 volumes. The official
English translation of the first volume is now available. The plot revolves
around a boy named Hikaru who is exposed to the game of go when he meets up with
Sai, the ghost of an extraordinary go player from centuries past whom only
Hikaru can see or hear. Despite having no previous go experience, Hikaru makes
quite a splash when, playing the moves Sai suggests, he manages to beat a
professional level player. In later volumes, Hikaru's fascination with the game
grows. He decides that he wants to win games on his own, without Sai's advice,
and his quest to join the ranks of the professionals
begins.
The most extraordinary thing
about Hikaru no Go has been its power to inspire young children’s interest in
go. The depth of the game and the strength and commitment of professional
players are brought to life through compelling characters that the child in all
of us can relate to. The book would make a fine gift for your favorite budding
go player of any age.
Hikaru no Go can
be purchased from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/159116222X/104-5808402-8391130?v=glance
BOOKS, EQUIPMENT, SOFTWARE, ETC:
FOR SALE: 8mm Japanese glass go stones.
Complete set of 181 black and 180 white stones. Diameter is 21.5mm. Pair of
high-quality, Japanese plastic bowls included. Current pricing sold new is
$57-60 and $15-20, respectively. Selling for $50 plus shipping. Contact Anton
at: antonninno@yahoo.com (9/27)
FOR SALE: Quality go equipment
including gobans/bowls/stones, ranging from entry level to elegant collectible
items. http://equipment.go4go.net
or email equipment@go4go.net (9/20)
FOR SALE: 7mm moon grade slate and
shell go stones in original Japanese maker’s box. Free plastic gosu included.
For more information, including pictures, contact Dave at maino@psu.edu
(9/13)
INSTRUCTION, TEACHERS:
- Cornel Burzo 6d Europe is accepting new
students online on IGS or KGS, for details check
http://www.golessons.com
or email to cornelburzo@yahoo.com (9/20)
- Looking for a sensei to
improve your Go skills? Yang, In Lin, 5-dan from Taiwan is available for online
lessons. email for8veryong@tom.com for cost details. (9/20)
- IGS 5dan offers
one FREE LESSON for those thinking about getting a teacher. For more information
contact icarii@zoominternet.net for more details or to schedule the lesson.
(8/30)
- Joey's Go School: Joey Hung AGA 8d is teaching at San Francisco Bay
Area. Find out more about Joey's Go School At 510-659-8220, egogames@yahoo.com
or http://www.egogames.com
(8/23)
GO PLAYERS WANTED:
AK: Juneau, Alaska ; stevekrall@yahoo.com
(8/23)
AL: Birmingham or Hoover: email goboard@bellsouth.net I'm about 5k;
any level is welcome. (9/6)
AZ: Phoenix, AGA 5d looking for go players;
michaelscai@yahoo.com (8/23)
FL: Tampa Bay; Looking for players within 30
minutes of Tampa Bay to help create a club which
might be located near
USF. rruiz002@tampabay.rr.com (9/27)
FL: Jacksonville;
Gohan6412000@yahoo.com (6/14)
FL: Jacksonville; regular, live game
sessions. Contact BjornTFoss@comcast.net (5/31)
GA: Augusta; for
playing and possible chapter; email Wesley Stewart at
ICANSEEYOU7687@comcast.net (5/31)
IL: Northern Illinois, Gurnee area.
Any rank, age, or shoe size welcome. Looking for friendly or teaching games.
Contact (15 kyu) Joe at nothing217@comcast.net (9/6)
IL: Downers Grove; 23k
willing to play with anyone who wants a friendly game or will teach those in the
area who want to learn. e-mail Kevin Steinbach at
elpollomariachi@comcast.net (5/31)
KS: Looking for players in Kansas
(especially the Wichita area); contact Ted Dover at tsgtdover@carrollsweb.com
(6/28)
MA: North Shore (Hamilton); for playing and possible chapter.
Email glen@organicdesign.org
NY: Go players wanted at or near SUNY Purchase
in Purchase NY: dmc8814@hotmail.com
NY: Go players in New York City.
The "Village Go Club" meets in Manhattan on Wednesday nights. Our club is
largely beginning players, but all levels are welcome. kerry@nyu.edu
TX:
Richardson; go club meets at InfiniTea, located on the SW intersection of Coit
and Cambell, Wednesdays from 7P until midnight. If you have boards of your own,
please bring them; any rank welcome. Jeff Heckman, acedetone@yahoo.com
Got go stuff to sell, swap or want to buy? Do it here and reach over 7,000 Go players worldwide every week at Go Classified! Listings are free and run 4 weeks; send to us at journal@usgo.org
October 3: Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken Fall Tournament
Larry Russ
201-216-5379 lruss@stevens.edu
http://personal.stevens.edu/~lruss/hoboken_fall_tournament.htm
October 3: Seattle, WA
Monthly Ratings Tournament
Jon Boley
206-545-1424 jon@seattlegocenter.org
http://www.seattlegocenter.org/
October 8-11: Round Top, NY
Columbus Day 2004 Guo Juan
Workshop
Jean-Claude Chetrit 718-638-2266 zorglub@brooklyngoclub.org
http://brooklyngoclub.org/gc/cgi-bin/disp_topic.iphtml?topic_id=212
October 10: Somerville, MA
MGA Fall Handicap Tournament
Zack
Grossbart 617-497-1232 zack@grossbart.com
http://www.massgo.org
October 16: Houston, TX
Autumn Tournament
Christopher Vu
281-480-8615 wasonlyyesterday@yahoo.com
www.geocities.com/seaottergoclub/entryrev.html
October 20: Arlington, VA
Pumpkin Classic
Allan Abramson
703-684-7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net
October 23: Atlanta, GA
GA GA GA GO Tournament
Ken Labach
770-442-0952 ken.labach@gmail.com
www.gagagago.org
October 23: Austin, TX
Austin Fall Go Tournament
Michael Heinich
mheinich@yahoo.com
October 30 & 31: Portland, OR
Portland Go Tournament Fall
2004
Glenn Peters 503-753-4919 glenn@aenigma.com
This is a digest of events for the next month only; for a complete listing see the Tournament Calendar on the AGA website: http://www.usgo.org/usa/tournaments.asp
For the European Go Calendar see
http://www.european-go.org/TOURNAMENTS/TListbyDate.htm
GET LISTED & BOOST TURN OUT! Got an upcoming event? Reach over 7,000 readers every week! List your Go event/news In the E Journal: email details to us at MAILTO:journal@usgo.org
Published by the American Go Association
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.
To make name or address corrections, notify us at the email address below.
Story suggestions, event announcements, Letters to the Editor and other material
are welcome, subject to editing for clarity and space, and should be directed
to:
Editor: Chris Garlock
journal@usgo.org