American Go E-Journal » World

Korean players dominate the professional go scene these days and now amateurs have some new opportunities to study with top Korean pros. The Yang Jae-Ho Baduk Dojang is recruiting foreign players to study go in Korea. The dojang, or training center, plans to offer English-speaking instructors, and the pro instructor roster — in addition to founder Yang Jae-Ho (l) — includes Yi Sang-Hun 9P, An Dal-Hun 8P and Yi Jung-Wu 7P. The Dojang currently houses over 80 students and school founder Yang Jae-Ho 9P is the director of the Korean team for the Asian Games. Accommodation and training at the Dojang is 750 Euro/$1000 US per month; a 10% discount is available to groups, or students staying for over three months. Cultural excursions are also included in the deal. In Australia, the Young Go Academy in Sydney is run by a Korean professional, An Young-Gil 8P. In addition to An, there are four other instructors, two pros and two strong amateurs; Yu Kyung-Min 6P, who won several titles in Taiwan, including the Chung-hwan Cup, Kim Hyun-Sup 2P, who has recently been in the Korean league, Jang-Bi, the amateur 7-dan who spent a year teaching at the Seattle Go center and won many titles in the U.S., and 24-year-old Lim Mi-Jin, a strong amateur female player. Though the Young Go Academy is smaller than Yang Jae-Ho, it also offers teaching in English, and due to the number of teachers, students are guaranteed more individual attention. Accommodation and training at the Young Go Academy is 800 Euro/$1100 US per month; a 10% discount is available to groups or students staying for over three months and cultural excursions are also offered as part of the package. For more information on either school, contact Sang-Dae Hahn sdhahn@gmail.com

Jiang Weijie & Li Zhe Advance to Mingren tournament finals. Jiang Weije and Li Zhe will battle it out in the 23rd Mingren challenger decision match for the right to face Gu Li 9P.  Jiang Weijie 5P defeated Zhong Wenjing 5P by resignation and Li Zhe 6P defeated Chang Hao 9P by resignation.  Of the 32 players in the tournament, only five were 9-dan pros, with only Hao surviving to the semifinals. (more info and game records) Cho U Defeats Hane Naoki in NEC Cup Second Round. Cho U 9P defeated Hane Naoki 9P by 4.5 points in the second round of the 30th NEC Cup tournament. Cho U will face the winner of the second round match between So Yokoku 8P and Kono Rin 9P, the defending NEC Cup title holder. The remaining second round matches are between Iyama Yuta 9P and O Meien 9P (scheduled for August 19th) and Yuki Satoshi 9P and Yamashita Keigo 9P.  An Kukhyun Forces Playoff in Myeongin. By virtue of defeating Kang Dongyun 9P in the Myeongin A league, An Kukhyun 2P has put himself into position for a playoff against the winner of the August 19 match between Lee Changho 9P and Lee Sedol 9P.  Changho and Sedol are both 2-2, so Kukhyun’s 3-2 record forces the playoff to continue into the main tournament. Kukhyun is a relatively new 18 year-old Korean pro and defeating either Changho or Sedol would be a major boost for his standings.
- reports/photo from JustPlayGo

Iyama Yuta 9P, the young turk among Japanese pros, is doing well in his first year as Meijin. He is about to start his first defense of that title against Takao Shinji 9P and has played in every Japanese tournament this year, except for those restricted to women and members of other branches of the Nihon Ki-in. Here’s his record this year in the top seven Japanese titles: in the Kisei League B, he is the only player with two victories; in the Honinbo he lost the challenger decision match to Yamashita Keigo; he’s in the semi-finals of the Judan, lost in the semi-finals of the Oza to Yamada Kimio 9P, lost in the second round of the Tengen to Cho U 9P, and lost in the final of the Gosei to challenger Sakai Hideyuki 7P. In lesser tournaments, he lost in the first round of the Agon Cup, lost in the final preliminary game of the Ryusei, is seeded into the second round of the NHK Cup, is in the second round of the NEC Cup, in the third round of the Daiwa Cup, and lost in the semifinals of the Daiwa Cup Grand Champion to Takao Shinji. Given this track record, it seems likely that he will become an ever bigger threat to Cho U’s current dominance of the Japanese scene.
- Bill Cobb

Ilya Shikshin 7d (l) of Russia is this year’s European Go Champion, winning the main tournament at the recently-concluded European Go Congress in Tampere, Finland. Click here for complete results in all EGC tourneys, including the Weekend, Rapid, Pair Go and more. Six Congress Bulletins with reports on the EGC were published and are available online as well. Click here for Congress photo albums and news. There are also some reports on EuroGoTV. photo of Shikshin by Judith van Dam, EuroGoTV

Lee Sedol vs. Lee Changho in Price Information Cup: Lee Sedol 9P defeated Won Sungjin 9P by resignation in their semifinal match on August 8 to advance to the finals of the Price Information Cup. The title match is a best-of-three series that will begin on September 1. The winner will challenge current title holder Kim Jiseok for the 2010 Price Information Cup title.  More information and the game record can be found at JustPlayGo.com. Surprising Advances at the Samsung Cup Qualifier: Two players who were not expected to advance have played their way into the main Samsung Cup.  The qualifier tournament finished on August 6 with Min Sanhgyun, a Korean amateur, defeating several professional opponents to advance.  In addition, the only Japanese player to advance was Murakawa Daisuke 5P.  He is not a high profile Japanese pro, but is the second youngest Japanese pro in the modern era, just one month older than Cho Chikun was when he qualified.  Click below for more information and game records.
- JustPlayGo.com

GU LI IS THE NEW SUPER MEIJIN: In a close and well-battled final round, Gu Li (l) came out on top defeating Lee Changho by 1.5 points in the first Super Meijin Tournament on July 26. Gu Li had lost to Lee Changho in the first round, defeated Iyama Yuta in the second, and came back in the final round to win (click here for an interview with all three players). LEE CHANGHO ADVANCES TO PRICE INFORMATION CUP FINALS: Lee Changho 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P by 2.5 points in the semifinal match of the 6th Price Information Cup on Saturday. The other semifinal match between Lee Sedol 9P and Won Sungjin 9P will be played on August 8th. The Price Information Cup title match is a best-of-three series. The winner of this tournament will challenge current title holder Kim Jiseok for the 2010 Price Information Cup title. KUKSU UNDERWAY: The 54th Kuksu is now underway. Two of the eight first-round matches were played on July 26th and 28th. The first tournament match was close, with Hong Kipyo 4D defeating Yeom Junghoon 7D by just half a point. In the second match, An Hyungjun 2P defeated Park Jinsol 4D by resignation in a very short game of only 94 moves. The remaining six first-round matches will be played in August. The winner of this tournament will challenge Lee Changho, the current Kuksu title holder. The Kuksu — the longest running competition in South Korea — is held by the Hanguk Kiwon and sponsored by The Dong-a Ilbo. Even though it is no longer the largest tournament in terms of prize money, many people still consider the Kuksu title (Kuksu literally means “hand of the nation” or the best player in the country) to be the most prestigious of all Korean titles, especially given its long tradition. The winner’s prize is 40 million KRW.
- JustPlayGo for full reports, photos and game records; Kuksu report includes reporting from Wikipedia

Yusuke Oeda 9P has died. Born in 1935, he was a student of Nobuaki Maeda, and was Michael Redmond 9P’s dojo mentor. “In addition to his work with young players, he was a prime mover in international go,” says Barbara Calhoun, former director for the International Go Federation. “Through his efforts, the Meijin Tournament came to New York City for the first time, in 1987, and many other such exchanges have followed.” Oeda was a major organizer of the annual World Amateur Go Championship, as well as the IGF. “Mr Oeda was a skilled teacher of professional students,” Michael Redmond tells the E-Journal. “He created a strict and go-centered environment that pushed his students to professional strength. In my case, my years spent living in his house were vital for my future success as a go player. Mr Oeda was also generous with his knowledge of the fine points of Japanese language and culture, and he gave me a basic understanding of the country that I live in.” Adds Calhoun, “He was an emotional man who could relate to and communicate with people culturally different from him. He seemed to thrive on traveling and networking. A natural for the work he was doing.”
- Chris Garlock; photo courtesy Sensei’s Library

“Mr Oeda was a skilled teacher of professional students,” Michael Redmond tells the E-Journal. “He created a strict 

Gu Li Stays Alive in Super Meijin (7/25): In the second round of the Super Meijin Tournament, Gu Li defeated Iyama Yuta by 4.5 points. The third and deciding round will pit Gu Li against Lee Changho on July 27th. Lee Changho defeats Gu Li in Super Meijin First Round (7/24): In the first game of the new Super Meijin Tournament, Lee Changho defeated Gu Li by resignation. Kang Dongyun Advances to Myeongin Semifinals (7/23): In League A of the 38th Myeongin, Kang Dongyun 9p pulled off a coup by defeating Lee Sedol 9p in their second-to-last league game. Third Round Results in Caltex Cup (7/21): In third-round play of the 15th GS Caltex Cup tournament, Won Sungjin (9d) advanced to the semifinals by defeating An Choyeong (9d) by resignation. Cho U takes 2-1 lead in 35th Gosei (7/20): Cho U 9p is one game away from winning the Gosei for the fifth year in a row. He defeated Sakai Hideyuki 7p by resignation in the third round. The fourth round will be played on August 19th. Mannami Kana Wins Daiwa Ladies Cup (7/18): Mannami Kana (4d) defeated Okuda Aya (2d) by 6.5 points to win the 4th Diawa Ladies Cup title. Price Information Cup Final Begins (7/18): Lee Changho and Won Sungjin both won their respective first round matches in the 6th Price Information Cup. Chen Shiyuan Wins 2nd Round In Qiwang (7/16): In the second round of Taiwan’s 3rd Qiwang title match, the defending champion Chen Shiyuan (8d) defeated Lin Zhihan (9d) by resignation.
- JustPlayGo for full reports, photos and game records

Like Park Yeonghun 9d in League B, Kang Dongyun 9P remains undefeated in League A of the 38th Myeongin. He defeated Baek Hongsuk 7d by resignation on July 15, which eliminates Hongsuk from a spot in the Myeongin semifinals. Dongyun, however, is facing a significant obstacle in maintaining his undefeated league record: his next opponent is Lee Sedol, who is in a must-win situation if he expects to make it into the semifinals. Sedol currently stands at two wins and one loss in league play and will face Kang Dongyun and Lee Changho in his final two games. At this stage in the tournament, there are four remaining players competing for two semifinal spots in League A: Lee Changho 9P, Lee Sedol 9P, Kang Dongyun 9P, and An Kukhyun 2P.
- JustPlayGo