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Published in the November 12, 2019 edition of the American Go E-Journal.

In this game between 2 dan players, Kaz shows how even 2 dans make serious mistakes on basic shapes.  Kaz makes his usual strong case that thoroughly understanding these shapes is necessary to improve.

A longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal, former insei Kazunari Furuyama has returned with his popular EJ column, now in sgf files and re-named “Lessons with Kaz”. Visit his newly improved website, including the advice column and example problems. Kaz also has room for offline teaching.

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Black to play. An important moment – should Black help the single stone or split White’s 2 stones?
Published in the November 12, 2019 edition of the American Go E-Journal.

Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

November 16: Corona, CA
Superstar Go Championship
Yixian Zhou missbear@gmail.com 626-617-5870
Ted Terpstra ted.terpstra@gmail.com 619-384-3454

November 16: Springfield, MA
MA State Championship 2019
Neil Ritter nritter@massgo.org 978-621-5936
Trevor Morris gotrevor@gmail.com 413-548-6256

November 17: San Diego, CA
Yilun Yang (7P) Sunday Afternoon Go Class for dan and kyu players
Ted Terpstra ted.terpstra@gmail.com 619-384-3454

November 21: San Diego, CA
Hai Li (5P) Thursday Evening Go Class
Ted Terpstra ted.terpstra@gmail.com 619-384-3454

November 23: Santa Fe, NM
2019 NM State Go Championship
Robert Cordingley rjcord1@gmail.com 281-989-6272

Get the latest go events information.

“The American Go Honor Society is hosting its annual Young Lions Tournament, ” says Promotion Head Sophia Wang, “All go players under age 18 of any rank are welcome. It is a great tournament where youth players can compete against others from the United States, Canada, and Mexico for prizes. There is a total prize pool of $600 in cash, trophies, and other awards.”

For registration, click here.
For detailed rules, click here.

A few follow-ups to the Cotsen Open, which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with one of the biggest tournaments yet:
Games: Top-board game records are posted here.
Videos: Click here for a playlist of all the Cotsen videos, including a brand-new highlights reel and interviews with founder Eric Cotsen, first-time game recorder Timothy Yu and more.
Results: See below for the complete list of winners.

Credits: The Cotsen is sponsored by Eric Cotsen; this year’s tournament was organized by Ryan Murray and directed by Kevin Chao. The tournament Co-Organizer was Chris Saenz and the Assistant Director was ChiWu (Jack) Chao. Yilun Yang 7P was the resident pro. Leah Wilson was the MG Studio rep, Georgett Cota was the Assistant Organizer and the official tournament photographer was Charles Brewer, who also served as a volunteer. Other volunteers were Wenguang Wu and Devin Fraze. Vendors were Kogi (food truck) and TPT (tables/chairs). Paula and Cindy were the massage therapists.

The E-Journal crew was headed up by Managing Editor Chris Garlock, who also produced the videos. Jeff Fitzgerald was the videographer and video editor. Game recorders were Kevin Hwang, Vince Ma, Yen-Chin Wang, Timothy Yu and Lionel Zhang. Stephen Hu provided technical support.

Special thanks to AGA president Andy Okun.

Winner Mark Lee (r) with Eric Cotsen.
photo by Chris Garlock

2019 Cotsen Winner Report (Final)
Open Section: 1st: Mark Lee (5-0); 2nd: Andy Liu (4-1); 3rd: Evan Lin (4-1); 4th: Xiaocheng Hu (4-1); 5th: Calvin Sun (4-1); 6th: Ying Ngai Yu (3-2).
Section A (4d-2d): 1st: Kosuke Sato (5-0); 2nd: Zhizhe Zhang (5-0); 3rd: Ashish Varma (4-1)
Section B (1d-2k): 1st: Tony Yang (5-0); 2nd: Tommy Yinhe Liu (5-0); 3rd: Andrew Luo (4-1)
Section C (3k-5k): 1st: Billy Maier (5-0); 2nd: Samuel Kennedy (5-0); 3rd: Shawn Blue (4-1)
Section D (6k-10k): 1st: David Su (4-1); 2nd: Mario Espinoza (4-1); 3rd: Viet Nguyen (4-1)
Section E (11k-30k): 1st: Jiqi Wang (5-0); 2nd: Michael Lee (5-0); 3rd: Xiao Tiao Wang (4-1)Club prize winner: Santa Monica Go Club

Star of the show: “Sad news (Ben Lockhart: 1993-2019) from a wonderful NYC Go family,” writes Peter Armenia. “Ben was an accomplished and passionate Go player, as well as a friendly and inquisitive soul. Whenever he showed up at our meetings or tournaments he was the star of the show. He left us way too early, but he left us with an inspiring example of how to live life following your passion and how to face mortality with insight and dignity.”

Lockhart at the 2016 AGA Pro Qualifier; photo by Chris Garlock

Razor-sharp pursuit of the game: “When I think of Ben, I am sopping wet and wearing only a towel,” writes Keith Arnold. “Perhaps I should explain. Several years ago, I headed back to my dorm room to get ready to emcee the Congress Banquet. The last thing I did was check the Lightning tournament results and, with an hour till the banquet, I was in the Dan final, but the other semi-final had yet to take place. So, I happily intended to declare myself the winner.

After showering, I dripped my way back to my room. Almost immediately, there was a knock on the door. I will never know how he figured out which room was mine, but I opened the door to find Ben and a friend, Go set and Ing clock in tow. He announced that he had just won the other semifinal and was here to play the Lightning final. I am sure I hesitated, but in short order I found myself soaking down onto the dorm room carpet to play with the gangly teenager. This was the only game I ever played with Ben and I have no record of the 18 minutes we spent on the board, yet it was enough to etch Ben’s essence on my mind forever.

I mean only Ben would have done this in the first place, with his single-minded, if slightly off schedule, pursuit of the game. And he loved our lightning game, laughing at himself for an early mistake, bearing down after, with a stream of self-revelatory commentary one can only appropriately hear in a lightning game. His focus was amazing, as was his comfort in his surroundings; he found nothing strange about sitting on the floor opposite this middle-aged man clad only in a wet towel. The game was the thing. Ultimately, his youthful enthusiasm and growing strength overwhelmed both my groups and my hopes. After some hasty dressing, I was soon handing this force of nature the Lightning tournament trophy.

And I am so glad, so very glad to have been able to do so, to reward this young man, who should have had so many other victories. In many ways, we could not have been less alike, and yet we shared an absolute love for this game. Yet while I labored to a gentleman’s ‘C’ in the rest of my life to conserve what focus I could for go, that was not Ben’s way. I will always envy and admire his razor-sharp pursuit of the game, tirelessly learning and playing and also teaching. It is sad that we will never know how far he could have gone, but we can take great solace in knowing he went absolutely as far as he could have gone in the time he had, and I know that would make him smile.

Dutch artist, art historian, author and go teacher Kim Ouweleen has created an original series of Go-themed posters and postcards that are available on his website. “I’m very enthusiastic about combining my passions for drawing and Go,” Ouweleen told the E-Journal.  One of his latest efforts was a drawing he did for the Brazilian Nihon Kiin for the recent Latin American Go Congress. “My work has been travelling all over the world this year and has been sold at the Nihon Kiin in Tokyo, given to students by Blackie’s International Baduk Academy (BIBA) in Korea, was used to promote Teach the Teachers (an event for European go teachers in the EGCC), and much more,” he said. “I’ve also started customizing the backs of the cards for go schools and associations, like these for the Cyprus Go Association.”  To purchase one of his original drawings, contact Ouweleen at kim.ouweleen@gmail.com; you can also see more of his work on his Etsy shop and his t-shirts and other clothing designs can be found on his Spreadshirt webshop. Follow him on Facebook or Instagram.

Qingbo Zhang, Josh Lee, Yaming Wang and Ran Zhao will face off in the final games of the Virginia State Champion in Annandale VA on Saturday, November 16. The Korean American Baduk Association (KABA) will host, and KABA president James Lee will be the Tournament Director.

“We would like to see more Virginia women and youth players join us at the Virginia State Championship,” said chapter representative Edward Zhang. “Please contact us so we can host Virginia Women’s Championship and Virginia Youth Championship for you!” Players may write to agatd1@gmail.com or zhiyuanz@gmail.com if they are interested. The KABA is open 11am-9pm everyday at 7202 Poplar St, Suite A, Annandale VA 22003.

Perennial and personal trophies

The Santa Fe Go Club will host this year’s New Mexico State Championship to be held Saturday, November 23, at the Aldea Community Center in Santa Fe, NM. “Billy Maier is eager to defend his title!” reports organizer Robert Cordingly. The winner will hold the perennial trophy until the following championship, but will also receive a personal trophy to keep. Players may compete for the championship if they are full members of the AGA with at least 6 months residency in New Mexico in the past 12 months, but all players are welcome to play in the tournament. Players who register online at GoClubsOnline will receive a box lunch on the day.

Aldea Community Center

Longtime Go-player Richard Cann, 68, died on Sunday, Oct. 6th of ALS. A memorial service will be held Nov. 16th from 1-4pm at the Hopewell Valley Vineyards, 46 Yard Rd, Pennington, NJ  08534.

Born in Pasadena, California he grew up in Denver, Colorado and lived for many years in Hopewell Township, NJ. He received a BA in 1972, and a Ph.D. in 1978 from Princeton University.   He was a member of the United States Chess Federation, the American Go Association and the Recording Industry Associates of America. He was the IT Director for the Atlantic Trading Company from 2002 until the time of his death.

Richard was known for his passion for music; the game of Go, which he played at a 2 dan level; and his joy in skiing the black diamond trails of Colorado with his brother.  He enjoyed fishing and hiking on his trips to Colorado.  He had 30 years of Sunday morning hard fought racquetball games with a dear friend.  He was a skilled competitor with a generally superior ability at games of most sorts.  His talented musicianship on guitar, violin and piano was expressed by the musical bands he formed and played with over his lifetime.  He was known for his warmth, kindness, quiet sense of humor and his easy smile.  He had a gift for teaching, whether it was a game, a musical instrument or a physics theory.  He had great love for his family as well as the numerous dogs who were valued companions throughout his adult life.  He is terribly missed.

Condolences can be sent to his widow, Joanne Sheehan at joanne.sheehan@pobox.com.
photo by Phil Straus

The first meeting of the new AGA Board took place on July 19 and followed a new topic-oriented meeting structure. The board discussed expanding and improving major AGA tournaments through funding and policy. The board moved to double the sigma expansion rate of AGA ratings and to revise memberships to better allow for single event and participation in AGA tournaments by foreign nationals. The board also discussed ways to speed up the process of updating ratings following tournaments.
Minutes of the July board meeting can be found here, and the agenda for the upcoming November 17 meeting can be found here.
– Lisa Scott

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Black to play. To attack, Black must properly use the inside stones.
Published in the November 5, 2019 edition of the American Go E-Journal.

Yilun Yang 7P is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

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Commentary: Guo Juan 5P
Game Editor: Myron Souris
Published in the November 5, 2019 edition of the American Go E-Journal

In this 2 stone handicap game with an AGA 2 dan as White, Guo Juan again covers important ideas on the direction of play, including those relevant to a 2 stone handicap. She also reinforces with examples how critical keeping sente is.

Guo Juan 5P is a popular go teacher based in Amsterdam. Check out her online go school, featuring recorded lectures and problems presented in a Spaced Repetition System. Here you will learn and remember correct play. And there’s a one month free trial!

Towards the end of the 2019 US Go Congress, Greg Steltenpohl had the idea to ask volunteers, E-Journal staff, local club members, professionals, long-time attendees, and online go content creators to sign a t-shirt to give to 2019 Congress Director Dave Weimer, as a surprise at the closing ceremonies.  Since then, Greg tells the EJ, “I had the shirt professionally framed, and presented it to Dave at our local club meetup which is at the same location as the 2019 Congress. We did this in recognition of his long-standing support and service to the go community, and so that he could have a physical representation of our appreciation for all of his service.”

Il campionato italiano si è concluso, e vede qualificato per le finali Alessandro Pace, e alle semifinali Carlo Metta ed Alessandro Martinelli. Le partite conclusive si terranno il 7-8-9 dicembre 2019 a Roma, e saranno visibili in live streaming sul canale youtube FIGG https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZOG3VB7SUL4anRt6jdD2Rg

Non mancate!

Il consueto incontro di gioco questa settimana viene sospeso, ma non temete: si riprenderà regolarmente la prossima.

Buon Halloween a tutti !!

The weather was warm in Raleigh, and the atmosphere on fire as 25 players engaged in their favorite board game. Tournament Director Jeff Kuang ran the show smoothly and pairings appeared quickly. A sumptuous lunch was again provided by Arlene and Adam Bridges.

For the second year running, Chen An 7d won the North Carolina State Championship with a perfect 4-0 record. He faced strong competition this year from another 7 dan player, Chengyu Fu, who placed a very respectable second in the event. The Open Section was quite competitive with two 7 dans, a strong 5 dan, two powerful 4 dans and four battling 3 dans.

Section A ended with a tie between Chen Yuan 2d and Sheng Huo 2d, each with a 3-1 record. Justin Blank 3k was the clear victor in Section B with the only other 4-0 score for the day, with Andrew Thieman 7k and John Aiken 8k tying for second place. Section C produced a 3 way tie for first, with Jeremy Marshburn 9k, Ganning Xu 11k, and Bhaskar Bharath 12k each finishing with a 3-1 result. Yet another tie emerged for top honors in Section D between Justin Su 12k and Russell Herman 12k. Complete results and more photos can be found on the club website.

-report and photos provided by Bob Bacon

A very successful Vermont Go Championship in Middlebury this past weekend attracted participants from far and wide. The 20 player field included five players from Canada and two from Grenoble, France, who happened to be visiting on holiday. Players traveled from Maine, Massachusetts, and throughout New England. Rich Chalmers 1d took first and was crowned Vermont State Champion. Dave Felcan 2d and Dan Deneen 2k claimed second and third place, respectively. In the open handicapped division, Benoit Potvin 11k took first place with the only undefeated record. Robert Lafleche 1k placed second and Andrew Richter 10k placed third.  

Prizes were generous and plentiful. In addition to trophies and framed certificates, sizable gift certificates from Kiseido, Guo Juan’s Internet Go school, and the Yunguseng Dojang were awarded. Prizes also included books donated from Slate and Shell, equipment donated from Yellow Mountain Imports, and Go related goods from local vendors. Everyone received at least one prize. Jars of local honey were given to everyone as a door prize compliments of Rich Chalmer’s farm. Special thanks to Jack Cary for making some awesome posters and tirelessly promoting the tournament.

-report and photos by Pete Schumer

This is the last week to register to play in the tournament. Join the strongest players across the US and Canada in this tournament spanning months. The rules for the tournament outline when games are played and any other information. Starting mid-November you can watch many professionals at least five professionals play. Email the Tournament Director to register or find out more at steve.colburn@usgo.org

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Black: Albert Yen 7d
White: anonymous
Commentary: Albert Yen 7d
Game Editor: Myron Souris
Published in the October 29, 2019 edition of the American Go E-Journal

Albert’s commentary, on his recent correspondence game with a strong amateur player, covers a ton of go information that you can find useful on every facet of go, including playing for the last endgame point. Albert gives this game summary, “The game started fairly peaceful. However, after a subtle, yet significant mistake in the middle game I fell far behind. I fought hard in endgame and drew the game to a razor-thin margin. I think this game illustrates that it is better to be patient when one is behind. Most game reversals don’t come from a single blunder, but rather a series of small concessions.”

Albert Yen first started playing go at the age of five after watching Hikaru no Go on television. He received 6 dan at the age of 7 in Taiwan. Albert continued to compete in America after he moved to Chicago in fifth grade and studied under Jiang Mingjiu 7p. To date, he has made several showings in national and international tournaments, including winning representation to the World Youth Goe Championship in 2014, 1st place in the Redmond Cup in 2015, and 4th place at the 2019 World Amateur Go Championship. Albert is currently a second year undergraduate student in UIC’s GPPA BA/MD program in Chicago. Outside of go, Albert enjoys sprinting and running.