Cho Hanseung 9P successfully defended his Kuksu title against Lee Sedol 9P on January 13 in Seoul, Korea. This gives him the title for a third consecutive year, as he overcame Choi Cheolhan 9P in the two previous editions. Cho (left) took the first match of the best-of-five clash and then extended his lead to 2-0. Lee fought back in the third round, narrowing the gap to 2-1, but the fourth game proved to be the decider. Cho’s play was clinical. Holding black, he established a strong position in the early game. Lee tried to reduce, but with solid play, Cho maintained his lead throughout. Professional commentators were left somewhat bemused, as it was difficult to find any mistakes in white’s play, a testament to the calm strength shown by Cho in this match. The victory extends a healthy rivalry between the two players. They know each other well, having achieved professional status in the same group in 1995. Lee remains ahead in wins (23-17), but Cho is now ahead 2-1 in finals.
– Ben Gale, Korea news correspondent for the E-Journal

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Alex Panaccione won all four games to win the January 12 MGA Winter Tournament. Twenty eight players turned out for the event, which was directed by Eva Casey with support from Eric Tillberg, whose entry fee was waived as a result. “I hope others will begin to learn the ropes of directing this way too in upcoming tournaments,” says Casey. Tillberg took third place and Graham Higgins was second. Click here for more photos.
photo:  Panaccione (right) playing Eric Osman; photo by Eva Casey

via American Go E-Journal http://www.usgo.org/news/2014/01/alex-panaccione-sweeps-mga-winter-tourney/

The British Go Association has announced that the Nihon Ki-in are to send two professionals to the UK in February/March 2014. Minematsu Masaki 6p and Kobayashi Chizu 5p will make a teaching tour of the country and will attend the European Youth Go Congress (EYGC) in Bognor Regis. Full details have yet to be confirmed, but it is hoped that the tour will include Scotland for the first time for such a visit.

In other EYGC news, the winner in the Under-20 category will this year gain a place in the new GLOBIS Cup World Youth Go Championship, to be held in Japan on 8 – 11 May 2014 (see Nihon Ki-in Announces New Under-20 World Tourney, EJ 11/30).
– Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal.

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download SGF file

Black to play.  Both sides must find a clever move for optimal play.
Published in the January 14, 2014 edition of the American Go E-Journal.

This bonus tsumego is just one example of the material, including pro game commentaries, available to Member’s Edition subscribers.  Click here for more on how you can sign up today.

Michael Redmond 9P shares with the E-Journal some of his own tsumego compositions.  For these more challenging problems, dan players can test their reading speed and accuracy, while kyu players can play through the solutions to learn ideas and techniques.  The solution will appear in a few days.

Michael based this problem on a very similar position that arose around move 63 of the just completed 1st game of the Kisei championship match in Spain. Click here to see the game record.

via American Go E-Journal http://www.usgo.org/news/2014/01/michael-redmonds-kisei-bonus-tsumego/

The AGA is launching a new event for young players, the North American Kyu Championships (NAKC), to be held on KGS, on Saturday Feb. 15.  The event will replace the USYGC, which had been tied into the Ing Foundation’s World Youth Goe Cup.  The NAKC will  welcome kids who live in both Canada and Mexico to compete with their counterparts in the US.  Dan level players will be able to compete in the Redmond Cup (including players from Canada and Mexico).  Youth who compete in either event will also be eligible for $400 scholarships to the AGA Go Camp, or $200 scholarships to the US Go Congress, courtesy of the AGF, on a first come first served basis.

Brackets in the NAKC will be divided by rank, with a new bracket formed approximately every 5 ranks or so depending on the range of participants. Within brackets, all games will be played even. Depending on the number of entrants in a given bracket, there will be either 3 or 4 rounds. There will be a trophy for the best Junior player (under 13) and the best Senior (under 18) in each bracket. Jr. and Sr. level youth will compete together.  Registration is now open for both the NAKC and the Redmond Cup, and more information can be found on the AGA webpage for youth events.  The deadline for the NAKC is Feb. 11th. to register, click here.  For Redmond Cup registration, click here.  The AGA is no longer involved with the Ing Foundation’s private tournament for youth.  AGA members who wish to play in Ing events can find information on the Ing Foundation’s website here. –Story and Photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo: Kyu players competing at a tournament in Colorado.

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January 18: Cupertino, CA
Northern California Ing Cup
Ernest Brown indagoe49@yahoo.com 415-606-7641
Mike Bull bull@lmi.net 510-220-0760

January 18: San Diego, CA
2014 San Diego Go Championship
Ted Terpstra ted.terpstra@gmail.com 619-384-3454

Get the latest go events information.

via American Go E-Journal http://www.usgo.org/news/2014/01/this-weeks-go-calendar-cupertino-and-san-diego/

Iyama Yuta 9P (left) defeated Yamashita Keigo 9P by half a point in the first game of the 38th Kisei title match, which was  hosted in Alcalá de Henares by the Nam Ban Madrid Go Club on January 11-12, in accordance with the tradition that this title’s first game is played outside Japan. In the postgame analysis, Yamashiro Hiroshi 9p (Referee and Vice President of the Nihon Ki-in), Osawa Narumi 4P (game recorder) and Makihata Taeko 3p (game recorder) watched.
– report/photo by Harry van der Krogt, European Go Cultural Centre

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