RALEIGH, N.C. — Under sunny skies and comfortably warm temps at Umstead State Park on Sept.
20, a 32-player field teed it up for the North Carolina State Go Championship—and young Toby Chen stole the show. Chen ran the table at 4–0 to capture the Open title and the state crown.
Shiqin Song and Runjing Guo finished close behind at 3–1, with Song taking second and Guo third on the SMS tiebreaker.
In the sections:
• Section A: Botian Liu clear first; John Moore second.
• Section B: Paul Celmer edged David Jakab for first, both 3–1 (SMS).
• Section C: Matthew Gregoire posted the day’s only other perfect mark at 4–0; Ben Parrott second over Neal Siekierski (both 3–1, SMS).
• Section D: Nathan Jacobsen took first over Martin Kelly, both 3–1 (SMS). Kelly battled through two 9-stone handicap games and another at 8 stones.
The Triangle Go Group kept the day humming: Arlene Bridges served up a crowd-pleasing lunch and Jeff Kuang handled TD duties with trademark calm. Seven players made their AGA tournament debuts, and the event awarded $1,000 in prize money along with trophies. Shout-out to the parents who fueled the day with rides, encouragement, and support.
More details here.