A quiet and common joseki suddenly turns into a big battlefield after this brute extension.
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Visit Seattle on a Tuesday
“Visitors to Seattle should save Tuesdays for the Go Center”, advises Center Manager Brian Allen. “It’s our biggest day.” On Tuesday, May 20, the Center had 47 players visit, including 12 children. New players can find instruction on Tuesday as well. Saturdays are smaller, but usually there are more than 20 visitors at all levels. There are evening classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Your first ten visits to the Go Center are free, including classes. Visitors are invited to check out the weekly schedule, and the special events calendar. Photo: A Tuesday night in June 2013.
– photo/report by Brian Allen.
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First Knockouts in Euro Pro Qualifications
The first two rounds of the European Go Federation (EGF) / CEGO Pro Qualification Tournament were held on Friday May 23 at Strasbourg, with four of the 16 who started in this double-elimination Swiss tourney no longer in the running to achieve professional status this year: Viktor Lin 7d of Austria, Timur Sankin 6d of Russia, Dusan Mitic 6d of Serbia and Juri Kuronen 6d of Finland, who all lost both games.
One of the four who won both their games at Strasbourg and who goes on to win both games at Amsterdam on May 29 will become the first-ever European Pro (under this EGF/CEGO procedure). Those four are: Pavol Lisy 7d (left) of Slovakia, Thomas Debarre 6d of France, Mateusz Surma 6d of Poland and Cornel Burzo 6d of Romania.
The remaining eight, who have so far won one and lost one, all still stand a chance of becoming the second new European professional. That will be the one of those eight who wins both his games at Amsterdam (where four more will be knocked out of the running) and then both games at Vienna on June 20. Those eight are: Benjamin Teuber 6d of Germany, Fredrik Blomback 6d of Sweden, Lukáš Podpera 6d of Chechia, Csaba Mero 6d of Hungary, Jan Hora 6d of Chechia, Cristian Pop 7d of Romania, Ali Jabarin 6d of Israel and Jan Simara 6d of Chechia.
The games are all being broadcast live with professional commentary by Korean website WBaduk. For full details of the tournament, including results table, player profiles and links to tournament rules and constitution, visit the EGF’s European Pro Qualification webpage.
Report by Tony Collman. Photo courtesy EGF/CEGO website.
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This Week’s Go Calendar: San Francisco
May 31: San Francisco, CA
Bay Area Go Spring Go Tournament
Roger Schrag roger.schrag@gmail.com 510-501-2701
Steve Burrall sburrall@comcast.net 916-688-2858
Get the latest go events information.
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Andy Liu 1P Wins Maryland Open
Andy Liu 1P continued his recent run of wins (Andy Liu 1P Sweeps Washington Baduk Open 4/27/2014) EJ on Memorial Day weekend, winning the 41st Maryland Open on May 24-25 with a perfect 5-0 record. Daniel Chou 6d, with 3 wins, was the top qualifier for the Pro Certification tournament, Joe Maia 2k was the Kyu Champion and the Feng Yun Go School won the Gregory Lefler Award. There were 57 players; Todd Heidenreich directed and Keith Arnold was the organizer.
Open Section: Andy Liu 1P (5 wins); Zhaonian Chen 7d (4 wins); Xinying Jiang 6d (3 wins); Daniel Chou 6d (3 wins; top qualifier for Pro Certification tournament); Yuan Zhou 7d (3 wins); Joshua Lee 5d (3 wins); James Pinkerton 5d (2 wins); Zhenying Gu 5d (2 wins); Zhihong Ma 5d (2 wins); Willis Huang 5d (2 wins); Juntin Ching 5d (1 win).
A Section: Patrick Allen 3d; Jared Beck 3d; Brian Gu 3d
B Section: Victor Kang 1d
C Section: Joe Maia 2k (Kyu Champion); Yukino Takehara 1k
D Section: Bob Bacon 6k; Steve Colburn 5k
E Section: Brendan Berger 9k; Tevis Tsai 9k
F Section: Elizabeth Small 12k; Deirdre Golash 13k
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San Diego Spring Soiree Draws Record Turnout
A record number of players turned out for the San Diego Go Club’s 2014 Spring Go Soiree on Saturday, May 17. Over 30 players, aged 7 to 70+ attended the all-day informal event at chapter president Ted Terpstra’s home. Tony Koslow 16k walked off with the $50 first-place prize for most number of AGA-rated wins, while David Baran, who traveled down from Beverly Hills, took second place. There was spirited action from a group of 3-dan players from the club and the UCSD club. After the games, people were treated to a burgers and chips dinner as analysis carried on into the evening.
– photos courtesy Jenna Jansen
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Congress Earlybird Registration Deadline Fast Approaching
The end of May is coming fast, and with it, the end of the US Go Congress’s early bird pricing. “Register before June 1st to secure the current lowest price,” urges Congress Director Matthew Hershberger. After June first, the registration fee will go up by $50. “This is also the deadline to submit your answers for our contest!” Hershberger adds. “Everyone who sends the correct answer to the problem on the Congress logo will be entered to win an extra $50 off their Go Congress registration. Send your solution to registrar@gocongress.org before June 1st; see the Congress website for more details and a larger view of the problem. “So far, only a handful of players have found the correct answer,” says Hershberger. “Perhaps the problem is too difficult? Don’t give up!”
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Gu Li Falls to Lee Sedol and Altitude
Focus was the name of the mid-point Game 5 in their 10-game match on May 25 but the intense altitude at the jubango venue in Sangri-La added an extra obstacle for Gu Li 9P and Lee Sedol 9P. Held at 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level, both players took breaks but Lee battled through what Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8P called “the most spectacular game of the match so far.” Just when everyone thought Gu would take the game, Lee dusted himself off and landed several critical blows against Gu in the final complicated fights. With questionable moves beginning at 140, Gu eventually resigned after Lee’s move at 223. Lee will be able to bask in his 3-2 lead for the next two months as the players take leave until Game 6 on July 27. For more information, including photos (check out the one of Lee using an oxygen mask and Joanne Missingham and her sister modeling local costumes) and preliminary analysis from Younggil, visit Go Game Guru.
—Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo and game record courtesy of Go Game Guru
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Lee Sedol on top of the world: Gu Li vs Lee Sedol jubango – Game 5
Lee Sedol 9p literally soared to new heights to defeat Gu Li 9p in game 5 of their jubango today.
Gu Li 9 dan (left) and Lee Sedol 9 dan in the mountains of Shangri-La – the venue for game 5 of their jubango.
The 5th game of their 10 game match took place on May 25, 2014, in Shangri-La, Yunnan, China.
Lee Sedol won by resignation, reclaiming his lead in the match with an overall score of 3-2 in Lee’s favor.
Gu Li takes an early lead
In what seems to be a ‘joseki’ in games between these too, Gu Li’s superlative sense of play in the opening saw him take an early lead.
Up to White 38, commentators agreed that Gu (playing White) had the advantage.
Sensing his disadvantage, Lee wasted no time in complicating the game, going all out with Black 45 and 47 – a rarely seen pattern of play.
Lee Sedol fights tooth and nail
Lee Sedol fought back doggedly, complicating the game through a series of hard negotiations.
All sorts of subtle trades were offered. All sorts of silent threats were made.
However, Gu responded masterfully – seeing through Lee’s snares, maintaining his balance, and preserving his advantage.
Gu was able to end the negotiations in sente, and began the macro endgame with White 106.
Lee Sedol fought hard in a difficult game and, through a combination of skill, luck and raw willpower, was eventually able to turn things around.
Lee resisted hard with Black 117, refusing to give an inch and daring White to fight a ko – an offer which Gu happily accepted.
It seemed like the game was almost over (and I was getting ready to write this article). Lee was fighting a difficult ko, but he managed to launch himself off the ropes and land several blows against Gu in the complicated fighting that followed.
Gasping for breath
It seems that Gu may have succumbed to altitude sickness. From White 140 onwards he made several questionable moves.
Lee Sedol gets some ‘fresh air’. The game was held more than 3000 m above sea level, where the air is very thin. In this photo, Lee’s breathing from an oxygen tank.
The venue for the match was apparently well over 3000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level. Usually when tourists visit Shangri-La, they stop in Lijiang for several days to acclimatize.
In fact, both players were struggling with the climate, but it seems like it may have affected Gu Li more.
While Shangri-La boasts a world heritage listed national park, I’m not sure why the sponsor chose to hold games in these elevated locations.
Game 7 will be held in Lhasa, which (according to the Chinese media) is even further above sea level than Shangri-La.
Joanne Missingham 6 dan (right, MLily spokesperson) and her sister wearing the traditional outfits for this region.
Random Go trivia: China’s legendary Nie Weiping 9p had oxygen tanks and breathing appartus on standby at many of his major matches.
In his biography, it was explained that Nie needed to use the breathing apparatus because he concentrated so hard during his games, but Nie was also a prolific smoker, so make up your own mind.
More trivia: Shangri-La, in Yunnan Province, used to be called Zhongdian (or Jiantang in Tibetan), but was renamed to Shangri-La in 2001 to attract tourists!
It was named after the fictional Tibetan land in James Hilton’s novel Lost Horizon. The novel has also been turned into a movie.
An Younggil’s preliminary analysis
For those of you who enjoy more detailed analysis, and less trivia, here are Younggil’s preliminary comments on the game:
Black started the game with the Chinese Opening.
Black 17 was unusual (the attachment at S16 is more common) and the result up to White 28 was playable for White.
Black 33 seemed questionable. Jumping at E14 would have been better.
Black 37 was very solid, but the result up to White 38 was better for White.
Invading at Black 39 was good, and Black 45 and 47 were a nice combination.
White’s responses at 48 and 52 were good, and the result up to White 62 was still favorable for White.
Gu made a good choice in sacrificing with White 66 and the game became simple and easy.
White 76 was very big, but there was bad aji at the bottom and Black was able to move out with Black 77 and 79. The game became complicated.
White 84 and Black 85 were unexpected, but nice, moves. The trade up to Black 105 was (locally) even, but White still maintained a slight lead.
White 106, 110, 112, and 114 were nice endgame moves. The game was still better for Gu.
With Black 117, Lee played an astonishing move. It seemed to be an overplay.
White 118 and 122 were an excellent combination and Black was in trouble.
Black 127 was a subtle and tricky ko threat. Gu made a mistake here. He should have answered the ko threat with White 128.
There was another big trade up to Black 133 and the game was still playable for White. However, the game became more complicated. It wasn’t a good sign for Gu, because he was already in the lead.
White 140 looked questionable. White should have played at N12.
Black 141 was a brilliant move. There was some bad aji at the top, and Black was able to enlarge the center while eyeing the bad aji.
White 146 was another questionable move. Gu should have ataried at M14.
Black was happy to move out up to Black 153 and it seemed that the game had been reversed at this point.
White 158 seemed to be another mistake, and the game was practically over when Black took two stones with Black 163.
Even though White was able to capture Black’s stones at the top, with White 172, the game already favored Black.
Gu resisted with White 182 and 184, but didn’t succeed because of he was short of of ko threats.
It was an incredible game between Lee and Gu, and it was the most spectactular game of the match so far.
Gu Li (left) and Lee Sedol begin game 5 of the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango.
Now let’s cut across to the FIFA World Cup
As many readers will be aware, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil on June 12 and continues for one month.
Both Lee and Gu could do with a rest and it turns out that they also want to watch the football like the rest of us. Gu Li actually plays in a social football team and has played in a team with other Go players from time to time.
Because of that, the Jubango will now take a month break and game 6 won’t be played until July 27.
This is a good thing! We were having great trouble keeping track of what was going on when game 1 of this match was scheduled at the same time as the Australian Open final back in January.
Lee Sedol will be able to enjoy his lead for two months, while he watches the World Cup.
The MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango
Two of the world’s top Go players, Lee Sedol and Gu Li, will play a jubango throughout 2014, to decide which of them is the stronger player.
A jubango is a 10 game match between two players. The term originates from the Japanese language and has been imported into English language Go parlance. The first player to win six games wins the match.
The official name for this event is the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango. MLily is a mattress and bedding company that also sponsors the MLily Cup.
Go Game Guru is writing a book about this match and posting news and commentary about each game as it happens.
More photos
Game record
Lee Sedol vs Gu Li – Game 5
[Embedded SGF File]
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Game 5 Will Break Tie in Mlily Gu-Lee Jubango This Weekend
One thing’s for sure about this weekend’s Gu-Lee game: one of them will take the lead in their historic 10-game jubango. With the score tied at 2-2 and their upcoming break in July, whoever wins this game will take the lead for at least two months until they play again. Lee won the first two games but Gu Li has been making a mighty comeback inside and outside the jubango arena. Including matches from other tournaments, Gu currently has a four-game winning streak against Lee, which according to Go Game Guru is “something that’s never happened before between these two players.” Baduk TV will provide live coverage and commentary and Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p will translate and discuss the game with Baduk TV Live viewers via chat. For more information including past games and when game five will be available in your time zone, please visit Go Game Guru.
— Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru
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Weiqi To Go 