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Chen Yaoye 9P took his fifth consecutive Tianyuan title when he bested Gu Lingyi 5P on May 15. Although Gu joined the top ten Chinese pros in 2009, and was once viewed as one of China’s “most promising” players, he wasn’t able to dethrone Chen.

Chen himself was in a similar situation five years ago when he secured the Tianyuan title from six-time victor Gu Li 9P. As Gu Li defeated Chen in his first international final, at the 10th LG Cup in 2006, some could say Chen’s counter-attack was a long time coming. Before he can even contemplate matching Gu Li’s six-year streak, however, Chen will need to focus on his upcoming match against Lee Sedol 9P in the final round of the 10th Chunlan Cup, on June 17. He will also have to watch out for this year’s Korean Chunwon champion Park Younghun 9P at the China Korea Tengen playoff, rumored to take place in September. Unlike the stereotypical Korean combative style, Park (like Chen) is more flexible. According to Jing at Go Game Guru, “he’s a master of the endgame and tends to prefer more peaceful, territory oriented games.”

For more information about the Gu Lingyi - Chen Yaoye match, including photos and game records, please visit gogameguru.com.

-Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

With just 73 miles left to go in his 200-mile Coast to Coast walk across northern England, E-J Managing Editor Chris Garlock took a tsume-go study break Wednesday on a fence stile outside Richmond (using SmartGo for iPhone).

“Everyone along the way has been so friendly, hospitable and generous,” Garlock says, “just like those who have contributed to the American Go Foundation” in support of the walk (the fundraising drive is almost up to $1,500).  ”We’re into Yorkshire now,” Garlock adds, “and the going is a bit easier, with soothing strolls through pastures and woodlands in place of Cumbria’s mountains and bogs.” - photo by Lisa Garlock

Tra i numerosi schemi d’apertura dall'angolo  gli joseki che partono dal punto 3-4 sono quelli più numerosi; esistono diversi modi di approcciare tale punto e diversi modi di reagire con una manovra a tenaglia. Gli joseki qui introdotti sono il minimo sindacale che dovreste conoscere per apprezzare il gioco.

Diagramma 1
Diagramma 1 Come detto precedendemente, vi sono almeno 4 possibili scelte per approcciare il punto 3-4. Tra di esse, “A” e “B” sono più comuni rispetto alle altre due. Abbiamo già visto quella con Bianco “A” ed il Nero che la attacca in “B” in una delle precedenti lezioni, quindi cominciamo con Bianco “A” e il Nero che risponde con una pinza di due spazi.
Diagramma 2
Diagramma 2 Bianco 2 è una sorta di sacrificio che aiuta il Bianco a rinforzare la sua posizione sul lato destro. Grazie a questa pietra, il Bianco può forzare il Nero a rispondere da 5 a 9. Dal momento che il Nero deve aggiungere una pietra al lato destro con 13 al fine di chiudere la via a Bianco 2, il Bianco può giocare altrove mantenendo l’iniziativa.
Diagramma 3
Diagramma 3 Se la sequenza mostrata nel Dia.2 sembra troppo complicata, allora il Bianco può semplicemente saltare verso il centro con 2. Dopo aver costruito influenza con 4, il Bianco può attaccare la pietra nera sul lato destro. Sebbene la sequenza fino a 6 sia piuttosto semplice, il combattimento che ne seguirà sarà difficile ed impegnativo per entrambi i giocatori.
Diagramma 4
Diagramma 4 Nel momento in cui il Bianco gioca un approccio alto di uno spazio, come mostrato in questo diagramma, il Nero può anche attaccare da sopra. Dopo essere arrivati a 4, il Nero può scegliere tra giocare altrove o continuare in quest’angolo. Esistono due opzioni tra cui deve scegliere il Nero se vuole proseguire nell'angolo  influenza o profitto.
Diagramma 5
Diagramma 5 Se il Nero vuole costruire influenza, allora l’hane ripetuto per due volte in 1 e 3 è una buona opzione. Dopo Bianco 10, il Nero può sviluppare il lato alto. Ma il risultato è soddisfacente anche per il Bianco, dal momento che può far suo il territorio sul lato destro.
Diagramma 6
Diagramma 6 Nero 1 e 3 sono le mosse che normalmente si eseguono quando il Nero vuole ottenere profitto (ovvero conquistare territorio) piuttosto che guadagnare influenza. Mentre il Nero ottiene territorio sul lato alto, il Bianco può sviluppare influenza sul lato destro.
La differenza tra Hane-per-Due-Mosse ed il Doppio-Hane
L’hane per due mosse ed il doppio hane sono termini del Baduk che possono talvolta essere confusi. Solitamente l’errore è quello di usare il termine “doppio-hane” invece di “hane per due mosse”.

Diagramma 7I termini Coreani sono, rispettivamente, yang-juchim per il doppio-hane e idan-juchim per l'hane per due mosse. Avete già visto un esempio di hane-per-due-mosse, con le pietre che muovono in diagonale verso una direzione, nel Dia. 5. Un esempio di doppio-hane è mostrato nel Dia. 7. 
Il doppio hane è una tecnica per incrementare il numero di libertà muovendo in diagonale due volte a sinistra ed a destra in una corsa alla cattura. Nero 1 e 3 nel Dia.7 rappresentano un modello di doppio hane ed il Nero può vincere la corsa alla cattura. Se il Nero muove in diagonale solo in 3 senza giocare 1, allora il Bianco può giocare l’hane in “A” (a destra di 1) e le quattro pietre contrassegnate moriranno per mancanza di libertà.

Go Congress co-director, Gordon Castanza, has compiled a list of 60 diverse activities that are “sure to fascinate those who want to see the attractions of the Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia area,” says Castanza. “From aquariums to arboretums to beaches, parks and zoos, the Pacific Northwest has something for even the most fastidious visitor.  Find the trolls of Fremont, the wonders of the Chihuly glass sculptures, the gastronomical delights of 5 species of oysters from the bays of Puget Sound, and the dizzying vistas of the Space Needle. So get a group together and eat your box lunch while reveling in the panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains to the west or one of the many volcanoes (Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. Baker) of the Cascade Range to the east. You will find the ‘Non-Players’ Activities’ list on the Congress web page here. The activities are self-propelled and self- guided.” Day off tours for players are also posted on the site, and players can of course engage in the the non-player activities as well.  Local residents will be available to help people make plans.  Photo by Gordon Castanza: “The architecture, and the layout  of the Seattle Chinese Garden is the same as in Seattle’s Sister City, Chongqing, China. These rocks not only come from, but also imitate the mountains around  Chongqing, which is in Sichuan Province.

There is a new IGS client available, GoPanda 2, which is being distributed as a standalone application. Version 2.1.0 was released May 15th. “Aside from a ton of bugfixes and new features, we also moved away from java as the supporting technology” report the developers. “The new client handles like a native app, and doesn’t rely on any specific browser being installed anymore. It’s still missing some features, but we will be adding new things constantly.”

The Pandanet/AGA City League plays Round 7 for the A & B Leagues and Round 5 for the C & D Leagues. Observers can watch live on IGS starting at 1pm EST/10am PST on Sunday March 26th. For more info on the league, click here.  Pandanet encourages players and observers to try the new client  during their games on Sunday.

 

Altra settimana, altro incontro di gioco.  L’appuntamento per è fissato come di consueto per giovedì 23 maggio verso le 21 (probabilmente qualcuno arriverà un po’ prima), presso il pub Stonewall a Fiorano Modenese in via del Santuario 3.

Come sempre fate cosa gradita confermando o meno la vostra presenza con un semplice commento a questo post.

A giovedì! Partecipate numerosi!

The E-J mistakenly reported that the Mlily Cup was possibly sponsored by the Mlily Hotel, in yesterday’s Power Report.  In fact, The Mlily Cup World Open Tournament is sponsored by Healthcare Co., Ltd.  Thanks to Ke Lu for pointing out the error.

Just three months after winning the Amateur Tianyuan title, 13-year-old He Yuhan has added the Fencheng Cup to his trophy bag. Fengcheng is a central Chinese city that has prospered through agriculture and coal mining. The prizes in the Fengcheng Cup ranged from 50,000 yuan (over $8000 or €6000) for 1st place down to 500 yuan for 33rd-50th places. There were also prizes of 5000 to 600 yuan for the best ten seniors (age 35 and up) and cups for the members of the best teams. Over 150 players took part. The games were played at the four-star Hongzhou Hotel.

The competition began on May 12. In the afternoon round on that day He Yuhan was paired against Qian Liuru, the only player he lost to in the Amateur Tianyuan. Revenge was duly taken: He won; Qian ended up in 59th place. Round six featured a match between China's two top rated amateurs, Hu Yuqing and Bai Baoxiang. Bai (number two), the Fengcheng Cup winner last year, won this game to stay undefeated. Also undefeated at this point were number-three-rated Ma Tianfang and He Yuhan.

In the seventh round He took undisputed possession of the lead by beating Ma while Bai lost to Ye Lingyun, who eventually finished 8th. For the rest of the tournament He could not be dislodged from first place. In the next two rounds He defeated Liao Yuanhe, a player near his own age but even younger, who was on his way to a 4th-place finish, and Kang Rui, who finished 14th. He finally lost in the tenth round, to Xie Ke (who finished 7th), but then He defeated Bai Baoxiang by resignation in the eleventh and final round on May 17, sending Bai down to 13th place, although with the consolation of a team cup. Ma Tianfang, the Fengcheng Cup winner in 2009, finished 2nd with a 9-2 score, one game behind He's 10-1. Click here for a Java replay of the He-Bai game (He is black)

 

by John Power,  Japan Correspondent for the American Go E-Journal

Iyama makes good start in Honinbo defense: The first game of the 68th Honinbo title match was played in Ota City in Shimane Prefecture on May 16 and 17. Taking white, Iyama  Honinbo defeated Takao Shinji 9P by 4.5 points. The game was closely fought, but Iyama drew ahead with a severe attack launched a little over 100 moves into the game. Winning with white is a good way to start off a best-of-seven. The second game will be played on May 28 and 29. Photo: Iyama Yuta, current Honinbo, courtesy Nihon Ki-in

38th Kisei Leagues: Two more games were played in the new Kisei leagues on May 16. In the second game in the A League, Cho U 9P (B) defeated Kiyonari Tetsuya 9P (Kansai Ki-in) by 15.5 points. In the first game in the B League, Murakawa Daisuke 7P (Kansai Ki-in) (W) beat Mizokami Tomochika 8P by resignation.

Youngest title-winner: Iyama Yuta’s record for youngest title-winner has been broken, though in an unofficial tournament. In the final of the 4th Okage Cup, held in Ise City on May 16, the fifteen-year old Ichiriki Ryo 3P defeated Anzai Nobuaki 6P, who had won the previous two cups.  Iyama Yuta won the Agon Kiriyama Cup at the age of 16, so Ichiriki has lowered his record by a year, though Iyama retains the record for an official title.  The tournament is sponsored by a manufacturer of traditional sweets, and is open to members of the Nihon Ki-in aged 30 and under. The format is NHK-style (30 seconds per move plus ten minutes of thinking time taken in one-minute units). The best 16 competed in a final knockout tournament, held on May 15 and 16. Born in Miyagi Prefecture on June 10, 1997, Ichiriki is a disciple of So Kofuku 9P. He became a professional in 2011. He is also enrolled in first year of high school. It will be interesting to see if he can follow further in the footsteps of Iyama. Photo: Ichiriki Ryo, courtesy Nihon Ki-in

New Chinese international tournament: Launching international tournaments seems to be the latest fashion in China, reflecting both the increasing prosperity of Chinese corporations and the high status of go as an intellectual sport. The increasing success of Chinese players in the international arena is undoubtedly another factor. The latest new arrival is the Mlily Cup World Open Tournament, sponsored by Mlily Healthcare. It starts out with an international qualifying tournament being held from May 21 to 24 that will decide 50 out of the 64 places in the first round of the main tournament. Of the 50, four places are reserved for women players and four for amateurs. The disposition of the 14 seeded places is five to China, three each to Japan and Korea, one to Chinese Taipei, and two special seeds selected by the organizers. First prize is 1,800,000 yuan (about $285,000). The first two rounds will be played in July, and the next two in August. The dates of the final and semifinals have not yet been decided. China graphic from wallsave.com

Two years ago, the Shanghai Ing Chang-Ki Wei-Chi Education Foundation hosted a group of 11 American college students to participate in a week long go summer camp in China.  This year, they are hosting a new event in Shanghai, July 7-13, and inviting college students from America to compete in an international tournament.  Students from 50 different colleges will be invited, and  attendees will also have a chance to explore Shanghai and Hangzhou, while  learning a bit more about a culture that is on the opposite side of the world.  Organizer Michael Fodera reports that  ”housing, food, travel within China, and Ing sponsored tourist trips are all free.  All ranks are welcome, even beginners as week as 20kyu.  The tournament is not just limited to college students; college or university faculty members are also eligible. Though they will have to compete in the open section, which will be full of  top amateur players.”  To register for the event, visit the American Collegiate Go Association website. Photo by Will Lockhart: American students vs Fudan and Jiaotong University students, from the 2011 trip to China.

Registration is still open for this weekend’s KGS 2013 Meijin tournament qualifier. The April qualifier featured “many exciting games and drew more than 300 observers,” reports KGS admin Akane Negishi. “One of last year’s contenders, Grande, won the April qualifier again.”  The single-elimination qualifier will be held May 25-26 on an Asian/European daytime schedule (Round 1 starts at 5a EDT/2a PDT).  In this fifth qualifier, the winner will become a contender for the finals which will start in November. The runner-up may also become a contender if there are 6 or more rounds in the Qualifier. The final KGS Meijin winner will receive a minimum cash prize of $500 and a special Meijin icon. Click here for details and to register.

May 25-26: Baltimore, MD
40th Maryland Open
Keith Arnold hlime81@comcast.net 410-788-3520

Get the latest go events information.

Gli schemi di aperture partendo dagli hoshi sono oggi tra quelli più usati dal momento che, a differenza del punto 3-4 che influenza solo un lato, l’hoshi influenza simmetricamente entrambi i lati allo stesso modo ed in questo modo è possibile scegliere uno dei due lati per sviluppare ulteriormente il proprio gioco, a seconda delle circostanze. 
Inoltre, negli ultimi 25 anni, il valore del centro è stato riscoperto tra i migliori giocatori, ed il valore dell’hoshi è cresciuto di conseguenza. Per effetto dello studio ai massimi livelli dell’hoshi, sono stati inventate sempre più aperture che lo coinvolgono, diventando tanto numerose che ora è quasi impossibile definirli veri e propri “schemi”. Tuttavia, possiamo ancora preservare come riferimento alcuni fuseki di base, utili a livello amatoriale, andiamo quindi a vederne alcuni. 
Diagramma 1
Digramma 1 Questo joseki appare di solito nelle partite ad handicap. Mentre Nero si assicura il territorio nell’angolo, Bianco ottiene l’opportunità di giocare altrove alla fine di questo schema. In altre parole, Nero ottiene territorio e Bianco guadagna velocità. Questo tipo di scambio è favorevole al Nero quando non ha bisogno di guadagnare più di Bianco, ovvero nelle partite ad handicap. Rimarrebbe, tuttavia, un modo di giocare un po’ troppo difensivo in una partita alla pari. Al posto di Nero 8, è possibile giocare “A”. 
Diagramma 2
Diagramma 2 In generale, attaccare in 2 in diagonale non è una buona mossa. Sebbene l’angolo appaia essere territorio nero, in realtà non lo è, dal momento che Bianco può sempre invadere l’angolo in 3-3 e sopravvivere. Ma se vi è una pietra nera sul lato destro come in questo caso, Nero 2 può essere una buona mossa. Ora, Bianco non ha abbastanza spazio per estendere, quindi il Nero può attaccare le due pietre bianche. Nero può anche giocare in “A” invece che Nero 4. 
Diagramma 3
Diagramma 3 Questo joseki può verificarsi dopo che il Nero ha effettuato una pinza contro la mossa di approccio del Bianco. Se non vi sono pietre nere sul lato alto, allora Nero 2 dovrebbe essere giocata in 3. Questo joseki è stato introdotto in una precedente lezione (lezione 25). Se vi è una pietra nera sul lato lungo come quella contrassegnata nel Dia.3 con il triangolo ,allora è molto meglio per Nero bloccare dal lato alto con 2. Arrivando a 6, il Nero ha costruito un muro di grande influenza sul lato alto del goban isolando il Bianco nell'angolo. 
Diagramma 4
Diagramma 4 Attaccato da una pinza, dopo la sua mossa di approccio, il Bianco ha anche un altra possibile scelta; piuttosto che andare nell'angolo il Bianco può evitare di essere isolato dal centro ed ottenere comunque l’angolo sacrificando le due pietre sul lato destro, mentre il Nero può risparmiare una mossa per giocarla altrove dopo questa sequenza. 
Diagramma 5
Diagramma 5 Se non è semplice per il Bianco fare un approccio da uno dei due lati a causa della presenza di altre pietre pre-posizionate come in questo caso, è sempre possibile giocare l’invasione in san-san ovvero 3-3. Ora il Nero dovrà scegliere in quale direzione bloccare. In questo caso la risposta del Nero dovrebbe cadere su Nero 2, tra le due direzioni. Sebbene esistano molte diverse varianti oltre a quella qui mostrata, potrete facilmente comprendere quale porterà il miglior risultato basandosi su questo esempio. Gli joseki qui introdotti sono semplicemente delle basi. Ma, anche le basi ci dicono qualcosa di importante, la scelta dello schema da seguire dovrebbe essere ponderata a seconda delle circostanze per valutarne la maggior profittabilità.

Many chess players who discover go seem to leave chess behind, but notable Swedish grandmaster Tiger Hillarp Person , the author of “Tiger’s Modern,” finds go to be a nice complement to his enjoyment of chess. Persson recently started blogging at “Chess at the Bag of Cats,” where he has set up a go section. He writes: “I started out with Go in the beginning of 2011 and, after a rapid rise to about 9kyu, I’ve been gaining around 4kyu a year since then. I can really recommend chess players to do this for a number of reasons. First, if you are too tactically inclined a player, then by playing Go you will be forced to think about things like ‘structure’ and ‘plans’. Secondly, if you work as a coach, reliving the struggle of being a beginner at a difficult game (like Chess – or Go) will definitely improve your understanding of those you are coaching. Thirdly, there are few things that let you appreciate the ‘nature’ of what you have learned as a chess player. Learning Go will make it obvious that you know stuff that transcends the chess board.” -Roy Laird, with thanks to Michael Bacon for sending the link.

Go is returning to Hollyhock Center, in British Columbia, after more than a decade.  Janice Kim 3P  will lead a workshop at the popular learning center  June 28 through July 3. The Hollyhock website says “Hollyhock was founded in 1983, and is Canada’s leading centre for lifelong learning, but you can also think of us as a ‘refuge for your soul’, a place that allows you access to what matters, or simply time to rest, play and achieve wellness.” Kim promises to “Increase your go skill through interactive lectures, small and large group exercises, game practice and analysis,” as well as help players “Develop critical thinking skills and improve their confidence while exploring effective and positive real world decision-making.” An award-winning author and professional 3-dan, Kim brings decades of experience to her acclaimed workshops; in 1984 she won the World Youth Go Championship, took second place in the 1985 Fuji Women’s Korean Go Champion and in 2008 she placed 4th in the World Poker Tour Bellagio Five Diamond Classic. She’s also been a contributor to the American Go E-Journal, most recently contributing commentary at the 2012 Sport Accord World Mind Sports Games in Beijing.  To learn more, and to register for the workshop, click here.

The 40th Maryland Open, which is also an NAMT Qualifier, will be next weekend.  Organizer Keith Arnold says it is “always a strong field and all ranks are welcome.”  The five-round, two-day tournament also offers prizes in all dan and kyu sections. Check out the Maryland Open section of the Baltimore Go Club webpage for information on schedule, directions, and nearby lodgings for traveling players.

Chen Yaoye (a destra) vince il Tianyuan per la quinta volta consecutiva.

Il Tianyuan (Tengen in giapponese) è uno dei maggiori titoli cinesi; nell'albo del torneo ci sono giocatori del calibro di Ma Xiaochun, Nie Weiping, Chang Hao e Gu Li.
Il torneo si svolge in 2 ore e 45 minuti, più un minuto di byo-yomi.
Il primo premio è di circa 25.000 dollari.

Chen Yaoye ha sconfitto in finale Gu Lingyi (5p). Al momento Gu Li ha il record di sei vittorie di fila.

Per maggiori informazioni: gogameguru.

The XVI Torneo de Madrid wrapped up on May 5 with Seok-Bin Cho 8d (left) in first, followed by Lluis Oh 6d and Pau Carles 3d. One week later, Cho defeated Lukas Kraemer 5d at the 2013 Amsterdam International while Merlijn Kuin 6d came in third. Finishing the same day (May 12) was the Grazer Go Turnier Styrian Masters in Graz, Austria. There, Viktor Lin 4d came in first with Lothar Spiegel 4d in second and Martin Unger 3d in third. For complete result tables and all the latest European go news, visit EuroGoTV.com. -Annalia Linnan, photo from Eurogotv.com

“Five days and 50 miles in, we’ve just come out of England’s Lake District, some of the most breathtakingly gorgeous scenery I’ve ever been through and certainly the toughest I’ve ever walked, hiked and rock-climbed,” reports EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock, who’s walking the 200-mile Coast-to-Coast with his wife Lisa (as reported in the EJ on May 6th)  and raising funds for the American Go Foundation (AGF). “We’re enjoying the walk and working hard — still another 150 miles to go! — just like the folks at the AGF, who do so much for American go.” Click here  to make a contribution to the AGF.  Photo at left by Lisa Garlock: At Hayeswater Tarn, with the Lake District in the background. At right, by Chris Garlock: “Great pub, terrifically creative food, but where’s the go? Hopefully our friends in the BGA will attend to this.”

In a recent interview for EuroGoTV, 17-year-old German player Jonas Welticke 4d shared some insight about his experiences as an insei. Aside from Monday study groups with Ohashi Hirofumi 5d and “playing the other insei kids every weekend,” Wilticke said there is no formal routine, and he mostly studies by himself. His current record after his first week is 10-1.

Though some might imagine feeling out of place as a Caucasian insei, Welticke seems to have had no problem. In fact, there are some that might know him as a familiar face. “They have already published a considerably sized picture of me, though I didn’t know it,” he said. “They used some footage from the European Go Center and made an article about it almost one year ago.”  More than the food, habits, and transportation, the biggest difference Welticke has found is how go is treated in Japan. He said there are “easily” 80 players at the Nihon Ki-in every afternoon. “It would be awesome to have as many go players in Europe,” he said. “Also, there are weekly newspapers dedicated to go. They are often sold out, which fascinates me again and again.” Welticke looks forward to having his name listed in the go newspaper toward the end of the month when he is promoted to D class. For the full interview, please visit EuroGoTV. -Annalia Linnan, photo credit EuroGoTV