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Daily Reports August
1, 2004 | August
2, 2004 | August
3, 2004 | August
4, 2004
20th U.S. Go CongressComing from near and far, a record 428 attendees have packed into the RIT Conference Center in Rochester, New York for the 20th annual U.S. Go Congress. Fifteen professionals from Japan, Korea, China, the Netherlands and the U.S., as well as eighty-some youngsters are among the large and enthusiastic go crowd gathered for a week of playing, lectures, lessons and more, well-organized by Congress Director Greg Lefler, Assistant Director Lee Frankel-Goldwater and a bevy of helpful red-shirted staffers.IN APPRECIATIONWe hope you’ve enjoyed the daily reports from the 20th annual U.S. Go Congress! We’re pleased to have been able to expand our coverage this year to include games hot off the top boards all week, and thank the tournament directors, coordinators, game recorders and of course the players for all their hard work this week helping the E-Journal staff get the games out to you. Special heartfelt thanks to all the EJ volunteer staff, who gave up precious time on their own boards to make sure these special reports got out on time every day. And thanks also to Congress Director Greg Lefler and his ever-present and cheerful staff who made running the biggest Congress ever look easier than we’re sure it was. Look for full credits and of course a complete Congress wrap-up report in Monday’s edition. Meanwhile, make sure you’re not just reading about the Congress next year: mark your calendar now for 2005, when the Congress will run August 6-14 in Tacoma, Washington. See you there![Back to the top] AGA BOARD ELECTIONSAGA BOARD ELECTIONS Mike Bull narrowly bested Larry Gross for the Western AGA Board seat in the Board election results announced Sunday night, winning by an 8-7 vote of chapter representatives. In the other contested race, Roy Laird defeated Bill Saltman for the At-Large Board seat. Running unopposed were Bill Cobb in the East and Jeff Shaevel in the Central region. Bull will replace Jon Boley and Laird will replace Dave Weimer; both Boley and Weimer tell the EJ that they plan to step down at the next meeting of the Board later this week, so that the new Board members can take their seats immediately, instead of in January, and begin working with the rest of the Board.[Back to the top] LESSONS LEARNEDRespecting The Opponentby Joe Carl Last year I came to the Go Congress with a bad attitude, ready to kick some butt. Instead it was my own posterior that got kicked and taught me a valuable lesson. I found that when I dropped the attitude and just played like I did at my club my game improved and I earned a friend in the process. Another year, another lesson. This year I’m meeting old friends and still making new ones, but this year’s lesson is about the spirit of the game. When I caught myself saying "I should have won all my games, but handed them away" I realized that I was disrespecting my opponent in a different way this year, making weak excuses for my losses. Perhaps I should have won the game but the fact is, I didn’t. Why not? The truth is that my opponent’s will was stronger than mine. I lost focus or I got tired or …too many excuses. Mainly, I just lost focus. The lesson is to be aware when your focus is waning and recapture it before it’s too late. That holds true in the real world too. You may be up against someone who’s not as good as you but if they’re more tenacious or maintain focus longer, they’ll likely edge you out. You don’t win the game unless you get the ball across the finish line. I know the lesson, but the real question is whether I’ll actually master it. Now I don’t say I should have won the game, I just say I lost. It respects my opponent and reminds me of the real lesson. [Back to the top] BEGINNER’S MIND By Aria von Elbe
PROFESSIONALLY SPEAKINGKerwin On Life And DeathWhether your stones are dead or alive is not important, according to U.S. pro James Kerwin. “What’s important is whether they’re effective,” Kerwin said in a lecture Monday. “Dead stones can be extremely effective, while live ones can have little impact.” So, Kerwin says, don’t worry about whether your stones are alive, ask instead if they’re doing anything useful. - reported by Bill Cobb Guo Juan On The One-Space Jump “In a pincer joseki, a one-space jump in response to the pincer takes no territory, so it needs to be played for another reason,” Guo Juan 5P said in her Tuesday lecture. “Often one jumps out in preparation for getting an attack going.” Added Guo: “If you have a moyo, try not to have any weak groups, otherwise your opponent can attack the weak group and walk right through your moyo in the process.” - reported by Mike LePore Yang On Forcing Moves A forcing move is one you must answer, right? “Wrong!” says Yilun Yang 7p. “A forcing move threatens severe damage, but your first reaction should not be to answer,” said Yang in a lecture this week at the U.S. Go Congress. Instead, you should first consider how you can avoid answering. “Ask yourself How can I tenuki?” Yang said. Resist being submissive, Yang urged. “For example, always look for something other than the simple connection when your opponent peeps.” Jiang On Outside Influence “In the opening, it is difficult, if not impossible, to put a point value on outside influence,” Mingjiu Jiang 7p said in a lecture yesterday. “As the game progresses, the wall’s value becomes more clear. If there is a weak group nearby, the wall can be used to attack the weak group, either killing it or making a moyo while chasing it. On the other hand, if your opponent has no weak groups, your wall is much less valuable.” Winning without killing is just a satisfying as killing a big group, Jiang pointed out, noting that mateurs often feel an unnecessary urgency to kill when their framework is invaded. - reported by Mike LePore [Back to the top] OVERHEARD"The game was like two samurai in a dark closet; a lot of hacking and slashing and most of the time I couldn’t tell whether the damage was caused by my opponent or was just self-inflicted.""See, I told you komi should have been increased last year!" - Joel Sanet 3d to AGA Board Chair Alan Abramson, after a half-point loss as White to a 12-year-old girl who’s only been playing two years. [Back to the top] KIDS ASSURE FUTURE OF U.S. GO“This was the Congress of young people,” reports longtime youth go proponent None Redmond. “Admirably staffed and directed by young men and women, who were patient and helpful, there were also 80 children registered to play at the Congress, twenty-four of them Dan players.” There were four youngsters playing in the Ing Invitational: Jin Chen 7d, Richard Liang 6d, Eric Lui 7d and 11 year-old Curtis Tang, listed as 5d, “but playing stronger,” according to Redmond. The Redmond Cup finals, held at the same time and place as the Amateur Ing, featured Mozheng Guan and ZhoaNian Chen, both 7 dan, playing three games before Mozheng finally prevailed.“In the Ing Redmond Tournament which is the tournament for young people 5d or stronger and under 30 years of age Eric Lui was beaten by Yuan Zhou 7d,” says Redmond. “Yuan and Kristen Burrall who has just turned 18 and is newly-admitted to M.I.T., are the Pair Go winners and will be taking a trip to Japan to play for the States mid November.” “Finally,” Redmond notes, “ it has to be mentioned that Christopher Koguchi, listed as a 4 kyu, earned a good record in the Open and the Self-Paired, and is only 7 years old.” “We've come long way in ten years. We have go professionals living in the States, we have the promise of tempering young players into American professionals, and already there were eight young people at this Congress under the age of 18 who were playing at more than 5 dan strength. The children have come, the future of the AGA is assured.” CRAZY, MAN“Crazy Go was crazier than usual this year,” reports organizer Terry Benson. Played as traditional on the night before the mid-week day off at the Go Congress, Benson says there were two full setups for Rengo Kriegspeil (blind, partner go played on five 11x11 boards - only the referee’s central board counts). “Bob Hearn brought the delicate lattice for 3D go. Anders Kierulf provided the computer for color blind go (aka mono go, aka single color go) where all the stones are white, but the computer knows.” Four-color go used pente glass stones (and lots of diplomacy), and there was Spiral Go, Hex Go and a new version, Grille Go, played on some kind of metal grate which neatly fit small marbles on a true hexagonal grid in which each stone (except the edge) has 6 liberties. “Don’t even try a ladder!” Benson warns. And Ron Snyder came for his traditional game of Oki-go (aka 23 line go).“Two games were busy from the start at 7:30 until long after I went off to bed,” reports Benson. “Joker go was popular with kids and adults. Many asked if the specially printed cards could be bought and creator Mike Samuel said Maybe. The other was Blind Go, played on a set given to None Redmond years ago. The 9x9 grid of pegs fits slightly conical stones drilled with holes to fit the pegs and nails on the black stones to distinguish them. Players wore blindfolds and really had to "feel out" their positions. The AGA web site last week featured a photo of this variation. “At least 80 players were crazy enough to try and dozens more walked over from their self-paired games to smile at the craziness of blind go, marvel at the patterns of 3D Go, or laugh as the Rengo Kiegspeil players gave new meaning to the term ‘bad shape’” concludes Benson. Tournament NotesThe 2004 AGA/ING Pro Tournament is sponsored by the American Go Association and the Ing Educational Foundation and was held at the U.S. Go Congress in Rochester, New York. Four players – Yun Feng 9P, Yilun Yang 7P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P and Huiren Yang 1P played, competing for $6,000 in prizes.the 14th North American Amateur Ing Cup, a 4-round event sponsored by the Ing Chang-Ki Wei-ch’i Educational Foundation and organized by the American Go Association. Final Tournament ResultsJIE LI THREE-PEATS AS U.S. OPEN CHAMP: Jie Li 7d swept all six games to win the 2004 U.S. Open for the third consecutive year; he’s now held the title four times, first winning in 1999. Added to his Ing Cup win last week, Li now holds two of the top titles in American go, duplicating the feat he achieved in 2001. Other tournament winners last week included: U.S. OPEN (TD: KEN KOESTER) Open Section: 1st: Jie Li; 2nd: Lu Wang; 3rd: Yongfei Ge; 4th: Xuefen Lin; 5th: Minshan Shou; 6th: Mozheng Guan; 7th: Edward Kim; 8th: Richard Liang 6D: 1st: Shunichi Hyodo; 2nd: Trevor Morris; 3rd: Masuo Manabe; 5D: 1st: Yaoki Mizuno; 2nd: Keith L. Arnold; 3rd: Jon Boley; 4D: 1st: Ulf Olsson; 2nd: Pal Sannes; 3rd: Jim Huang; 3D: 1st: Gregory Rosenblatt; 2nd: Jia M. Yu; 3rd: Terry Fung; 2D: 1st: Jason Gu; 2nd: Tak Cheng; 3rd: Sean Mason; 1D: 1st: Hao Shen; 2nd: Paul Thordarson; 3rd: Justin Kramer; 1K: 1st: Steve Barberi; 2nd: Calvin Sun; 3rd: Wayne Nelson; 2K: 1st: Joseph Maia; 2nd: William W. Phillips; 3rd: Quentin W. Dombro; 3K: 1st: Yao Guo; 2nd: Justin Bazzano; 3rd: Dana Ballard; 4K: 1st: Steven Bretherick; 2nd: Stephen Sun; 3rd: Nathan Curtis; 5K: 1st: Christopher Kiguchi; 2nd: William Baretsky; 3rd: Leonard Baum; 6-7K: 1st: Charles Slater; 2nd: Matthieu Lucotte; 3rd: Alexandre Burrall; 8-9K: 1st: Scott Agnew; 2nd: Joel Olsen; 3rd: John A. Greiner; 10K: 1st: Mark Irgang; 2nd: Ken Crumpler; 3rd: Ed Hsu; 11-12K: 1st: Jeffrey Vogel; 2nd: Matthew Bengtson; 3rd: Matt Duell; 13-14K: 1st: Richard Zhang; 2nd: Justin Chiang; 3rd: Bob Bacon; 15-17K: 1st: Peter Zhang; 2nd: Jacquelyn Yuan; 3rd: Calvin Clark; 18-20K: 1st: Vincent Chang; 2nd: Everett C. Crenshaw Jr.; 3rd: Stephen Ranger; 22-26K: 1st: Nick Benthem; 2nd: Keiju Takehara; 3rd: Martin Benthem; 4th: Stanley Sun; 5th: Chrystal Yuan; 6th: Vivian Zhang; 7th: Selina Chen; 27K & above: 1st: Albert Guo; 2nd: John Wang; 3rd: Elka Dinhofer; 4th: Monica Lai CONTINUOUS SELF-PAIRED TOURNAMENT (TD: RUSS WILLIAMS) CHAMPION (most wins over losses): Christopher Kiguchi; Hurricane (most wins): Martin Lebl; Giant Killer (kyu with most dan wins): Nicole Casanta; Kyu Killer (dan with most kyu wins): John Paul Rodman; Grasshopper (biggest rating increase): Bob Zhang; Straight Shooter (most consecutive rank wins): Martin Lebl; Dedicated (most games): Martin Lebl; Sensei (most games against weaker players): Martin Lebl; Faithful (smallest rating change): Fumiko Yamanako; Philanthropist (most losses): Martin Lebl; Optimist (largest rating decrease): Yoshitomo Nakata; Diplomat (most number of games played w/newcomer): Martin Lebl; Rookie of the Year (newcomer that plays the most number of games): Christopher Kiguchi DIE HARD (TD: CHUCK ROBBINS) High Dan: 1st: Zhaonian Chen; 2nd: Juan Pablo Quizon; Low Dan: 1st: Jason Gu; 2nd: Anders Kieruf; High Kyu: 1st: Steve Barberi; 2nd: Yoshimoto Nakata; Middle Kyu: 1st: Rick Mott; 2nd: Roland W. Crowl; Low Kyu: 1st: Jeffrey Vogel; 2nd: Christopher Sira REDMOND CUP (TD: None Redmond with Chuck Robbins) Senior: 1st: Mozheng Guan; 2nd: Zhao Nian Chen; Junior: 1st: Curtis Tang; 2nd: Johnny Li YOUTH HANDICAP (TD: TODD HEIDENREICH) High Dan: 1st: Eric Lui; 2nd: Jesse Chao; Low Dan: 1st: Jason Gu; 2nd: Cherry Shen; High Kyu: 1st: Peter Zhang; 2nd: Joshua Wong/Sheng Xiong Hu; Mid Kyu: 1st: Stanley Sun; 2nd: Nick Benthem; Low Kyu: 1st: Albert Guo; 2nd: Martin Benthem 9X9 (TD: CRAIG HUTCHINSON) Dan: 1st: Kory Stevens; 2nd: JP Rodman; Kyu: 1st: Dmitri Lechtchinski; 2nd: Selina Chen 13X13 (TD: GREGORY ROSENBLATT) Dan: 1st: Eric Chang; 2nd: Lawrence Ku; Kyu: 1st: Vincent Chang; 2nd: Ed Hsu LIGHTNING (TD: KEITH ARNOLD) Dan: N/A at presstime Kyu: 1st: Vincent Chang; 2nd: Stanley Sun TEAM TOURNAMENT (TD: SAL GIONFRIDDO) 1st: Matthew Burall, Richard Liang, Zhao Nian Chen |
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Last updated on October 7, 2004