Using a gift from the Seattle Chapter of the AGA, the Seattle Go Center will provide up to $300 in additional scholarship funds to youth from the State of Washington who are attending the US Go Congress.  “We would like to help with travel costs for qualified youth from our area,” reports Go Center manager Brian Allen. The total funds available are $1,200; if there are more than four qualified youth by May 30, they will divide up the $1,200 proportionately.  The Seattle Go Center funds are intended as a supplement to the current AGF scholarships for the Go Congress.

If youth have already completed their AGF scholarship application, no additional forms will be needed for the supplemental scholarship funds. They should simply notify Paul Barchilon, who is administering the AGF scholarships, that they are interested in the additional help. For more information about the AGF Go Congress scholarship program, and to apply, click here.  Photo: Teacher’s Workshop at the 2013 Go Congress. Story and Photo by Brian Allen.

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1idYPmd

Meet Me In St Louis? No, there are no current plans for a Congress in St. Louis, just your film buff quizmaster’s way of introducing the unanimous answer to this week’s quiz. Everyone got the link between four Congress cities and another event. “World’s Fair, at a guess,” replied tournament directing expert Ken Koester, adding, with his usual eye for detail, that “technically the Chicago Congress was in a suburb, not city limits proper.” Speaking of details, Peter St. John provides “World’s Fair (or Expo) Seattle 1909 and 1962, NY 1964 and 1862, San Francisco 1915 and 1939, Chicago 1893 and 1933.” Congrats to this week’s winner, Esteban Ley of McKinney, TX, chosen at random from among those answering correctly.

Correction: I was afraid that there might be an Asian pro who had been born in Asia and sure enough the great John Fairbairn wrote in to say that “The answer to the quiz about pros born in the west was wrong. Kim Chun-u was born in Sydney, and (Francis) Meyer is only the second from North Carolina: An Tai-hun was a Tar Heel before him. My prize of a crate of bourbon may be donated to the next US Congress.” Thanks John for the great addition, and though we don’t do prizes for the quiz, I happen to know that 2014 Congress Director Mathew Hershberger is almost as big of a bourbon fan as your quizmaster, and the good news is that New York City is NOT a dry campus!

This Week’s Quiz: With the 2014 U.S. Go Congress coming up this summer in New York City, which Congress had the biggest US Open field, in number of unique players? Was it Tacoma 2005, Lancaster 2007, Washington 2009 or Santa Barbara 2011? Click here to submit your responses and favorite bourbons and here to check out — and sign up for — the 2014 US Go Congress.
– photo: the main playing area of the 2013 US Go Congress by Phil Straus 

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/RfLp30

Earliest Indication of Go in North America? “I was just reading the latest copy of the Archaeology Magazine, May/June 2014 and I came across an article by Samir S. Patel about the early Chinese work camps in North America,” writes Sam Zimmerman. “In the article on page 41 they showed a picture of ‘gambling pieces’ (right) from a British Columbia camp of the 1850s-1860s. They certainly look like they are wei-chi stones and they may be the earliest indications of the game being played North America. I have contacted Archaeology Magazine in hope so getting more information.”
See also: ‘The Archaeology of Internment’  5/9/2011 EJ 

Another Turn-Based Site: “In your latest newsletter you mentioned that Yahoo was ceasing its online gaming site (Website Update: Yahoo Go Gone 5/2/2014 EJ) and listed several sites where you could play turn-based go,” writes Jim Hopper. “You failed to list a site located at ItsYourTurn.com which is also a nice place to play people all over the world a variety of games including go. Check it out.”
– graphic from Archaeology Magazine courtesy Doug Ross, Simon Fraser University

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1odUDYV

Feng Yun 9P, Myungwan Kim 9P, Yang Yilun 7P and Stephanie Yin 1P have confirmed that they’ll be teaching at this year’s U.S. Go Congress. Pro delegations from Japan, China and Korea are also expected. The weeklong event will be held August 9-17 in New York City and features pro lectures and simuls, as well as rated and unrated tournaments. Click here to register.
– photo: Stephanie Yin, playing on Board 2 at the recent Washington Open Baduk Tournament, checks out the Board 1 game between Andy Liu 1P (right) and Kevin Huang 7d. photo by Chris Garlock

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1kwLHgl

The recent Cuba – Mexico go exchange (Cuban Go Community Hosts Visits by Mexican Youth & Japanese Teachers 4/15 EJ) “was a big event and a beautiful experience,” said Rafael Torres Miranda, President of the Academia Cubana de Go. The go competition between Mexican and Cuban school children was held April 14-18 in Havana. Five Mexican children, accompanied to Cuba by a relative, and seven Cubans participated, ranging from age 7 to 11 and from 13 to 20 kyu in strength. The event was featured on Cuban television.
– Bob Gilman; photos courtesy Rafael Torres Miranda; collage by Chris Garlock

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1nLCfsV

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1rHoeKq

On May 1 and 2, the Second China-Korea-Japan Professional Pair Go Championship will be held in Anhui, China, with live broadcast on Pandanet-IGS.  Three new pairs pairs, Rui Naiwei – Yu Bin (China), Yashiro Kumiko – Iyama Yuta (Japan), and Oh Jeong – Jin Siyoung (Korea), will join the reigning champions Wang Chenxing – Changhao for a top prize of 200,000 RMB (~ 35,000 USD).  The venue is the historic Three-Nation Theme Park.

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1jjLgWR

by Keith L. Arnold, hka

A soft voice slowed me as I rushed past at last weekend’s first Washington Open Baduk Championship, which was organized by Allan Abramson, Gary Smith, Todd Heidenreich, Andy Okun and myself. I turned to see Shin Kang, who embraced me like an old friend. Mr. Kang, of Ellicott City, Maryland, was the hero of Baltimore go players when I began playing back in the 1980′s, and I was extremely honored and touched that he recalled me from our few meetings over the years.

Shin Kang (at left in photo) was the highest-rated player in the U.S. during the late 1970s, above even the legendary Takeo Matsuda of New York, and Young Paeng of Pittsburgh, an old rival he asked about on Sunday. Kang was the Eastern Champion, or “Honinbo” from 1976 to 1978 and won the Maryland Open for its first 5 years, 1974 to 1978, and again in 1980. He lost in the phone relay US Championship to Kyung Kim of San Francisco in 1976, and, for the most part, paid his own way to get out to San Francisco in 1977 to try again face-to-face, but once again was defeated by Mr. Kim; their games were commented on by no less a luminary than Haruyama 9 dan. Meanwhile, he sponsored a teaching tour by Kim In 8P, and was top board in a telex match with Taipei.

In 1978, JAL sponsored the U.S. Championship in New York, but Mr. Kang’s opponent was not Mr. Kim but Shigeo Matsuhara of Los Angeles. Mr. Matsuhara’s victory in the Western Championship was considered quite an upset; after all, he had been defeated that year in the Los Angelos Open by a fifteen-year-old kid named Michael Redmond.

Mr. Kang won two straight games to become US Champion, and went on to represent the US in the first World Amateur Go Championship, along with Mr. Matsuhara, Mr. Kim and team captain Richard Dolen. Sadly for us, work pushed tournament go out Mr. Kang’s life for many years. Now retired, we can only hope we will see more of the 66-year-old former importer and wholesaler.

Kang won his first game at last weekend’s first Washington Open Baduk Championship, lost his second, but then won rounds 3 and 4 and I was excited to see him on board 2 for the final round. I was ecstatic when a re-pairing put him on Board One against the undefeated Andy Liu (at right in photo). I showed E-Journal Managing Editor — and Board 1 game recorder — Chris Garlock a listing on my IPad of Kang’s impressive Maryland Open record as Andy walked by, took a look and softly exclaimed “Oh, wow!” at the record of his fellow Maryland Open champion so many years before his birth.

Mr. Kang greeted Andy with a combination of respect, fellowship and, I think, pride, in his role in bringing American go to a place where this young man could sit across from him, “So, you are the pro,” he smiled. “I look forward to receiving a good lesson.” Liu 1p respectfully but strongly responded “We are equals here.” It was a wonderful moment, one of the first generation of great American go players, enjoying the chance to see what has grown from the seeds he planted, and today’s pioneer, recognizing and appreciating their shared and ongoing journey.

– photos by Chris Garlock (top right) and Phil Straus (bottom left) 
via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/R0ZbXf

Mingjiu Jiang 7P will lead a Summer Go Day Camp July 7-11 in Mountain View, CA. Attendance is limited to “All interested in go,” with 16 places available, at $300 each. The camp will run 10a-5p daily; lunch and snacks are included. Email mingjiu7p@hotmail.com for more info or click here for a registration form; registration form and checks must be sent in before May 31 to: Mingjiu Jiang, 1289 Lane Ave. Mountain View, CA 94040.

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1iBOWUm

A new season of American Yunguseng Dojang (AYD) starts on May 5. This will be the second season in American time zones, the ninth season in Europe, for the internet go school from top-rated European player, Korean-born Hwang Inseong 8d (below, reviewing). About 20 students, from 12k to 3d, are already signed up for AYD but there is still plenty of room for more. About 70%  are in the United States, with others in Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru.

The program consists of interactive online lectures, student league-play and game reviews on KGS. Students have access to all past lectures and reviews, including those from the European sister-school. In addition, this season Hwang is introducing “personal go reports” to help students assess the progress they are making and the areas which need most work. Each student will receive a report after the first three months and every six months thereafter. Click here to see an imaginary sample report in  Hwang’s posting on lifein19x19.

Go blogger Ben “Go” Zen is signed up and says, “I’ve started dig­ging into the lec­tures on Yun­guseng Dojang and really have loved what I have been able to watch so far. I can only imag­ine what it will be like when I’m actu­ally par­tic­i­pat­ing in the reviews and hav­ing my own games reviewed. So excited for the sea­son to start!”

Report by Tony Collman, British correspondent for the E-Journal; photo: Hwang reviews a game at a Berlin tournament, November 2013

via American Go E-Journal http://ift.tt/1hOsIJF