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Published in the December 13, 2022, edition of the American Go Journal

Commentary by Kazunari Furuyama 8d

Edited by Gordon Fraser

In this lesson he emphasizes common amateur mistakes, especially kyu players. He makes comments for kyu players, from 25 kyu to 1 kyu, and dan players, from 1 dan to 4 dan. This is a game between 4 kyu players.

Kaz has been examining more than 120 or 150 amateur games every month for many years. Based on that, he can state common adult mistakes in his commentary.

There has been a worldwide inflation. However, he decided to reduce the lesson fees for new students for 2 months to help the Go community. For 2 dan or weaker players, he is offering a half price lesson. See his website, kazsensei.com/teaching/offline-lessons“, for details.

Former insei Kazunari Furuyama 8d is a longtime contributor to the American Go E-Journal. Visit his website at kazsensei.com.

Download SGF File

Fueled by hot chocolate and cookies, 30 players came in from the cold to compete in the National Go Center Winter Warmer last Saturday, December 10. There were three first-place winners all with 3-1 records: Huang Qi (6D), Joel Kenny (5D) and Qingbo Zhang (5D)

All three- and four-game winners received their choice of a go book, a souvenir mug, or an NGC t-shirt.

The other winners were: Qiuhua Zheng (4K) 4-0, Michael Lash (4K) 3-1, Laura Wu (6K) 3-1, Regina Kim (10K) 3-1, Davis Zetlan (10K) 3-1, Michael Zeller (11k) 4-0 and Calvin Li (21K) 3-1.

“We are expecting to bring back the Chinese Lunar New Year tournament after a 2-year hiatus as our next event.” reports TD Gurujeet Khalsa. “The exact date is still to be set but will be around the start of the Year of the Rabbit on January 22nd.”

Yoonyoung Kim 8P (l) defeats Oh Yujin 9P on Nov. 22, broadcast by BadukTV

From November 21-29, Yoonyoung Kim 8P, Choi Jeong 9P, Eunji Kim 5P, and Kim Chaeyoung 7P made their ways to the semi-finals round of the 6th Haesung Korean Women’s Kisung. The tournament is a notable women’s championship in Korea featuring top female Korean professional players. Most games have been broadcast live on BadukTV, and the total prize pool sums to 121 million won (US $93,000) with a top prize of 50 million won ($38,000).

On December 12th, Yoonyoung Kim will face off against Kim Eunji. In the past two months, Yoonyoung Kim has achieved an impressive 12-game winning streak, during which she defeated world champion Oh Yujin 9P and Asian Games gold medalist Cho Hyeyeon 9P. Coincidently her winning streak was ended by rising star Kim Eunji on Dec. 4 in the Nanseolheon Cup championship match, but it ensures an exciting and perhaps emotional battle between the two in the Female Kisung semi-final.

The Korean Baduk Association has built a robust support system to ensure that generations of female players will continue to thrive. From as young as 15 years old, Kim Eunji 3P was able to play as many as 156 official games this year, winning 108. Choi Jeong 9P and Kim Chaeyoung, both aged 26, logged 95 and 94 rated games, and won 69 and 65 games respectively. Yoonyoung Kim 8P, aged 33, is a young mom who also spent several years teaching go in North America. Still, she managed to play 45 matches at around a 70% win ratio, and delivered enormous victories for her team in the Women’s Baduk League.

The marked black stone in the middle is believed to be a critical error, and Kim 8P wisely seized the opportunity to counter with the arrow-marked white stone.

Tournament table and game records can be found on the “GotoEveryone” website.

Analysis of game on Baduk TV:
Choi Jeong vs. Kim Eunseon: https://youtu.be/sRUsQPGusIU
Yoonyoung Kim vs.. Oh Yujin: https://youtu.be/AzwrS86hxAQ
Kim Chaeyoung vs. Kim Hyemin: https://youtu.be/sNgsyDA-Mpc
Kim Eunji vs. Heo Seohyun: https://youtu.be/gnBLvxDZnto

Sat, Dec 10: Washington, DC
NGC Winter Warmer; 4 round AGA rated event open to all levels.
Gurujeet Khalsa (17036260777)

Sat, Dec 10: Raleigh, North Carolina
Go Rebuilds: Ukraine Fundraiser: 100% of the funds raised are used to provide needed medical supplies to Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
Boris Bernadsky (9293663998)
“We have players ranging from 25 Kyu to 3 Dan. We’ve raised over $700 so far and are hoping to raise at least $1000. All participants get free go books, access to premium memberships for AI Sensei, The European E-journal, and all players under 15kyu get Premium access to BadukPop.”

Top left: Richard Duan with organizer Edward Zhang; right: Tournament play

Eleven-year-old Richard Duan 2D upset two adult 4-Dan players in even games at the November 27th Capital Go Club’s Fall Tournament in Fairfax, Virginia, winning the Youth Championship, a subset of the overall tournament. Three other players achieved two wins: Chebong Cho 4D, Raymond Kim 4D and Sun Lee 14K. Samuel Lee 7D (1W-2L) and James Park 7D from the Korean American Baduk Association (Annandale Va.) have been invited to the 2022 VA State Championship Final, coming up this Sunday, December 11. Pairings for the first round, which starts at 9:30a at 4119-B Chatelain Rd, Annandale VA, will be Park 7D vs Zhang 6D, and Lee 7D vs Yaming Wang 5D.

Ms. Mei Cai (1-2) is a candidate for the Virginia women’s champion though other Virginia female players may request a challenge by 12/15/2022 via email agatd1@gmail.com. Meng Wang and Michael Zhou helped organize the quarterly tourney.

Report by Capital Go Club; photo by Bin Duan.

Guo reviews a 7K game.

Commentary: Guo Juan 5P
Game Editor: Tim Hoel

Guo Juan 5P is a popular go teacher based in Amsterdam. Her online go school features a Spaced Repetition System with over 13,000 custom-made problems covering specific subjects plus short focused lectures that explain WHY. And there is a new feature that lets you make and upload your own problems into the SRS. Try it for two weeks for free. www.internetgoschool.com.

Download SGF File

Join the more than 20 returning teams this year’s season. Registration continues until Friday December 23rd. Head to your club, hop on discord, slide into your local players DM’s; convince them to join! Read through the rules on the Pandanet League site to learn of the new qualifications. Send the registration link  to your team to have them sign up. If there are any questions contact the TD for more information.

The 21st World Student Go Championship will be held at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo from February 21 to February 22, 2023. The North American Go Federation is now accepting applications for one player to represent North America in this tournament; full airfare, accommodations and meals will be provided by the tournament organizing team.

Eligibility requirements include: Must be a university student under the age of 30 at the time of the tournament; Must be currently enrolled as a student in a university in either Canada or the US. (Students who are studying outside these two countries as exchange students are not eligible.); Must be able to participate in the tournament in person. (Expected to be in Japan from February 20 to February 23, 2023. There will be a reception and pairing drawing on the 20th at 6:30 p.m. Must be able to arrive in time for the reception and drawing.); Must be an amateur player; Must be able to communicate in English or Japanese via email.

To submit your application, please fill out this application form by the end of December 11. Questions? Contact Hajin Lee at hajin.lee@usgo.org.

On December 10th in Raleigh, N.C., local organizer Boris Bernadsky is hosting Go Rebuilds, a tournament to raise funds to benefit Ukraine. “All of the proceeds are going towards providing civilian medical supplies or helping displaced pets in Ukraine,” says Bernadsky. “We are working with two charities, but participants may directly donate to the charity of their choice.” A number of sponsors have already signed on to provide prizes, including Ai-sensei.com (all registrants will receive a basic membership), the European Go Journal (participants will receive a 3-month digital membership) and BadukPop; click here for the full list. Register here or email badukboris@gmail.com with questions.

Samsung Cup finals.

White: Shin Jinseo
Black: Choi Jung

Edited by Bill Cobb

Yuan Zhou is a popular go teacher and author of many go books (available on Amazon and as e-books from SmartGo, including several on the impact of AI on current pro play). His unusually thorough commentaries make pro games clear and understandable to players of all levels. Zhou is based in Germantown, Md. His web site is at http://zhouyuan.com
Note (12/5): The white and black player names have been updated/corrected.

Download SGF File

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) is seeking to fund one or two university projects for a comprehensive literature survey and review of research linking mind sports to cognitive science. Of particular interest is how mind sports such as go may contribute to the cognitive development of youth and to the cognitive maintenance of senior citizen. The deadline for submitting a proposal is March 31, 2023. CLICK HERE for details.

By Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister

On November 5, Takao Matsuda, once again, secured the title of U.S. Hon’inbo, winning the telephone match by a half a point over Shigeo Matsubara. Matsuda had never lost this tournament since it began in 1968.

Hashimoto Utarō challenged Sakata Eio for the Ōza title. Sakata won the first game on November 16, but Hashimoto evened the score on November 30. (Game records: Game 1, Game 2.)

The 33rd Anniversary of Shūsai Meijin’s death was memorialized with an exhibition match between Rin Kaihō Meijin and Ishida Yoshio Hon’inbo. Over 2,000 people watched the match. We also share this casual picture of the two men at the top of the Japanese go world.

We lack specific dates on some other events. First, Bruno Rüger passed away in mid November (according to Go Review; Sensei’s Library states September 24). Born in 1886, Rüger (pictured) was one of the leading proponents of go in Germany. He founded the “German Go News” in 1920, and went on to write at least 10 books on the game. He received, along with Edward Lasker, the prestigious Ōkura Prize. Sadly, he passed before he could receive his nidan diploma from the Nihon Ki’in.

Two “Gaijin” leagues took place in Japan. James Davies won the Gaijin Hon’inbo at 6-0, while Manfred Wimmer won the Gaijin Meijin with a 7-0 record. Other members of both leagues were Stuart Dowsey, Horst Müller, Richard Bozulich, William Pinckard and Mark Hall.

Finally, a family match was resumed in New York. Robert Ryder 5d and his son Jonathan Ryder 2d played Mitsuo Horiguchi and his son Tsuneo for the 4th time in their rivalry. The Ryders prevailed to even the series at 2-2. Robert Ryder was a president of the American Go Association and one of the first Western 5 dan players. Horiguchi was the long time manager of the New York Go Club. Here is a picture from the early 1980s of Ryder playing a game at a crowded New York Go Club, with Mr. Horiguchi looking on.

[See image gallery at www.usgo.org]

Photos courtesy of Go Review and Keith Arnold, game records from SmartGoOne

“When a nation’s fortunes rise or fall, so too do its fortunes in Go.” That’s from “Why Chinese players of Go aren’t winning any more” in the Nov. 12 issue of The Economist, quoting Marshal Chen Yi, a go-playing soldier in China’s civil war. The column notes that after decades of dominating the go world, “Chinese players have been losing more than they have been winning.” Things reached a new low this month when not a single Chinese player qualified for the Samsung Fire Cup. Some – including the EJ’s own Stephen Hu — say it’s because Chinese players have not embraced AI as much as other international players, while others say the strict covid lockdown in China has prevented elite Chinese players from competing in the weekly domestic tournaments that provided invaluable experience. The lockdowns have also made it harder for China’s national team to meet to analyze opponents’ styles. “It has been very difficult for us to do intensive training,” team coach Yu Bin told The Economist.  

Thanks to Dave Weimer for passing this along. Send your go-spottings to us at journal@usgo.org

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) Board has approved establishing a new “INAF Lifetime Achievement Award” to honor individuals who, over their lifetime, have made significant contributions to the advancement of the culture and sport of go in North America. It is expected that up to one award will be made each year. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 31. CLICK HERE for details.

The 7th Ing Cup World Collegiate Invitational will be streamed live this Saturday, November 26 on the USGO Twitch channel with commentary starting around 8am EST. Stephanie Yin 1p is organizing the US team and the event and Devin Fraze will manage the AGA E-journal broadcast. Commentators will be Alex Qi 1p and the U.S. youth team from the New York Institute of Go (NYIG) (graphic). The Invitational is organized by the Ing Foundation; the format consists of 8 versus 8 matches between teams across the world. Saturday’s is the first match.   

Board one will be played by Tianhao Li (黎天浩) an AGA 8.5 dan and a graduate student in Chemistry at Princeton. He learned go in Nanjing at the age of 4 and by 10 he had won a championship for children. After that he focused on academic goals and played go on the internet in his spare time. At Tsinghua University he joined the go team and played as one of the principal players going on to win first place in the amateur group of the 25th Ing Cup Go Tournament for Chinese undergraduates. Recently he attended his first tournament in the U.S. and looks forward to playing in more competitions in the future.

For more information on the other players, tune into the stream on Saturday.

Top left: Congress playing area; top right (l-r): special guest Devin Fraze, Feng Yun 9p, organizer Haroldo Brown, Eunkyo Do 1p, Stephanie Yin 1p and Argentina Go Association president Santiago Laplagne; bottom: Congress attendees.

The Quzhou Lanke Cup 4.º Congreso Latino­americano de Go 2022 (4th Latin American Go Congress) turned out to be a huge success,” reports Stephanie Yin 1P. “The event was held October 7th-11th, 2022 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires. Three professional go players were invited: Feng Yun 9p, Stephanie Yin 1p, and Eunkyo Do 1p from Korea.  We held game reviews, lectures, simul games, and had many unforgettable memories with the local players!” The presence of both Feng Yun and Stephanie Yin was funded by the American Go Foundation, notes AGF president Terry Benson. “This is the U.S. paying back the support we got for decades and paying forward go in this hemisphere,” said Benson.  

“The 84-odd participants enjoyed the Congress tremendously and in no small way this was thanks to the participation of Stephanie and Feng Yun who worked tirelessly on revisions, simultaneous games, workshops and live commentary of games. Thanks also goes to Devin Fraze, who was most supportive in all matters.” said organizer Haroldo Brown. “We had the most kids who participated in the congress this year. It is not a large number but we are very happy to see go has been introduced more in the kids community.”

“The Latin American Go Congress is a very unique Go congress” said Stephanie Yin. “It is priceless to meet so many enthusiastic go players on the other side of the states.” Players there are very humble and eager to improve, Yin added. The Pandanet City League Finals featured Chile and Brazil, and at the closing ceremony, both teams brought their handmade country flags to celebrate. 

“I believe that the world of go will expand much more quickly than we expected because we have so many such awesome go players!” said Yin. As the AGA’s Development VP, the representative of the American Go Foundation, and also as a professional go player, Yin pledged to “do my best to promote, teach, and help whenever and wherever needed. I also hope that more schools will include go as a subject in America. I am seeing a brighter future for the world of go.”

11/27: This post has been updated to include the information about the AGF and Terry Benson’s quote.

This game was played on October 30, 2022, in the second round of the Chinese Agon Cup. White is Huang Yunsong 9p and Black is Jiang Weijie 9p.

Edited by Bill Cobb

Yuan Zhou is a popular go teacher and author of many go books (available on Amazon and as e-books from SmartGo, including several on the impact of AI on current pro play). His unusually thorough commentaries make pro games clear and understandable to players of all levels. Zhou is based in Germantown, Md. His web site is at http://zhouyuan.com

Download SGF File

Video stills: top: Takemiya Masaki 9p; bottom right: Cho Zuiketsu 5p; bottom left: Tajiri Yuto 5p

The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) has just released three videos produced in cooperation with the Nihon Kiin. The first is a lecture by Takemiya Masaki 9p on his choice of the “best selection of cosmic-style game”. He gives detailed commentary of the game between himself and Cho Chikun to decide the 1988 Kisei challenger.

The second video introduces several modern “AI style Josekis” in a lecture by Cho Zuiketsu 5p. These new moves are analyzed in detail using actual games between Cho and other pros as examples, “including a very clever ladder-blocker that you don’t want to miss!” says INAF’s Thomas Hsiang. Cho should be familiar to the western players as he was dispatched by the Nihon Kiin to the Seattle Go Center in 2018 and to Europe in 2019.

The third video is given by Tajiri Yuto 5p on “how to use thickness for kyu players”. Tajiri visited the US Go Congress and the Seattle Go Center in 2019 and was a popular lecturer for the kyu players. In this lecture he discusses how to build and use thickness, an important topic as one moves from the kyu to dan ranks.

Annunciamo con piacere che sono ripresi ormai da qualche tempo i regolari incontri di gioco del Club, ci trovate tutti i giovedì alla birreria Keller in località Tre Olmi a Modena. (per info e conferma sulle serate scriveteci una mail, l’indirizzo lo trovate qui) Siete incuriositi e volete saperne di più sul gioco del Go? Sedetevi con noi e chiedete pure, saremo felici di spiegarvi le basi e di rispondere alla vostre domande. Sapete già giocare e volete passare la serata tra birra e Goban? Sedetevi con noi e.. buona partita! In ogni caso.. A presto!

in Fiera a Modena, il 21 e 22 Maggio