By Chris Garlock, American Go E-Journal (Quito, Ecuador)
It wasn’t as though Fernando Aguilar’s opponents in the final two rounds lacked opportunities. Twice on Monday, the wily Argentine 7-dan found himself in peril but each time, like Go’s own Houdini, he wriggled free to claim victory and secure the 2025 Latin American Go Congress Championship.
If anything, the final day was the busiest of the three-day event. Two rounds of the main tournament in the morning were followed with two rounds of Pair Go in the afternoon, plus professional lectures, reviews, and an impromptu pro-team challenge, where each of the visiting professionals — Cho Hye-Yeon 9P, Ryan Li 4P, and Guanyu Song 1P — took on groups of amateurs allowed to confer and strategize together. Judging by the frequent raucous laughter emanating from the salon below the playing area where the Pair Go finals were taking place, they might well have been having the better time than the Pair Go players locked in combat one floor up.
As dusk and Quito’s familiar evening rain settled over the Hotel Reina Isabel, players gathered one last time for closing speeches, awards, and a flurry of photos — not just of the champions, but of national delegations, friends old and new, and a final all-hands group shot capped with a Champagne toast and the cry: “¡Viva Go!”
Top Board Action: Day 3 Games
Round 5: Fernando Aguilar 7D vs Akiko Kezuka 4D
A tense, thrilling battle culminating in a desperate ko fight for the life of Aguilar’s dragon — and the game itself.
Round 6: Edisson Vásquez 3D vs Fernando Aguilar 7D
A dramatic finale as Ecuador’s hometown favorite nearly turned the tables when Aguilar slipped briefly, setting up a large-scale fight worthy of the championship board.
Huge thanks y abrazos to the entire Congress team put together by the Ecuadorian Go Alliance Specialized Training Sports Club and to the Ibero American Go Federation for making the US delegation – including the two US players – welcome. The participation by Ryan Li 4P and Guanyu Song 1P was organized by the American Go Association and funded by the American Go Foundation. "We want to build Go in this hemisphere and to repay – in part – the many years of support which the US received from Japan, China, and Korea," said AGF President Terry Benson. The AGA also sent EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock to cover and support the event. As the last glasses were raised in Quito, one sentiment echoed clearly across languages and borders alike: Go continues to grow — and connect — throughout the Americas.
Photos (top left): Top winners; (top, middle and bottom right): Team Go with Ryan Li 4P, Guanyu Song 1P and Cho Hye-Yeon 9P; (bottom left) Garlock recording Round 5.