Aaron Ye 6d won the Diehard Tournament on Wednesday, the event traditionally held on the Congress day off. 76 players participated and seven had perfect 4-0 records: Aaron Ye 6d (Overall winner); Daniel Puzan 1d; David Frankel 1k; Steve Wishnousky 3k; Vincent Tam 5k; Aaron Pearson 7k and Chris Ramsumair 8k.
– report by Andy Olsen, TD; photo by Garrett Smith
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In American Go Association Board of Director election results, incumbents Martin Lebl and Chris Kirschner retained their seats in the Central and Western regions respectively, while Diego F. Pierrottet defeated George Lebovitz for the Eastern seat. Kirschner received 18 votes (85%) while Andrew Jackson got 3 write in votes. Lebl got 19 votes. Pierrottet received 17 votes (60%) while Lebovitz got 7 votes (25%); there were 4 abstentions.
AGA President Andy Okun welcomed Pierrottet, congratulated Lebl and Kirschner and spoke warmly of Celmer. “Paul has been on the board since before I first joined in 2008 and has been thoughtful, positive and productive as a board member,” said Okun. “That’s on top of everything else he’s done for the go community including co-running two successful US Go Congresses. I’ll miss him in our meetings, but look forward
to seeing him at go events around the country.”
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This game is from the Korean Baduk 70th Anniversary Match – an exhibition match to celebrate 70 years of modern Korean baduk.
Cho Chikun 9p played Cho Hunhyun 9p on July 11, 2015, in Seoul, Korea.
Cho Hunhyun 9 dan (left) and Cho Chikun 9 dan at the 70th Anniversary Exhibition Match.
Both Cho Hunhyun and Cho Chikun are two of the greatest Go players born in Korea, along with Lee Changho 9p and Lee Sedol 9p.
Korean baduk fans wanted to see a game between these two players for the Korean Baduk 70th Anniversary Match, and the players granted their wish with this game.
This exhibition match celebrated 70 years since a group of players, led by Cho Namcheol 9p, established a professional system for Go players in Korea.
Cho Hunhyun has been the most popular and strongest Go figure in Korea for a long time. He’s been credited with raising the level of modern Korean baduk to a higher level, and making Korea competitive with China and Japan.
The majority of Cho Chikun’s professional Go career has been spent in Japan, but he was born in Korea, and most of Korean Go fans are very proud of him.
That’s not only because what he’s achieved, but his way of playing, thinking and his passion for Go.
The head to head record between Cho Hunhyun and Cho Chikun before this game was 8-5 in Cho Hunhyun’s favor, including unofficial matches.
Cho Hunhyun 9 dan (left) and Cho Chikun 9 dan at the post-game review.
Cho Hunhyun 9p was born in 1953, in Korea. He became a pro when he was 9 years old, and he still holds the record as the youngest player to turn pro in Korea.
When he was 10, he went to Japan to learn and play Go, as the best option to further his Go career at the time.
He studied under Segoe Kensaku 9p, who was famous as the teacher of Go Seigen 9p and Hashimoto Utaro 9p.
In 1967, when he was 14, he became a pro in Japan. That was because the level of Korean baduk was far below that of Japan at the time, and Japan didn’t accept Korean pro qualifications.
In 1972, unluckily, he had to go back to Korea to complete his compulsory military service for two and a half years. After that, he won the 14th Chaegowi (the Top Position tournament), defeating Kim In 9p in 1974. It was his first career title.
On three occasions Cho won all the Korean titles in one year. In 1980, he won 9 out of 9 titles, and he repeated the feat in 1982 (with 10 titles) and 1986 (with 12 titles). He also became the first 9p in the history of Korean baduk in 1982.
In 1989, he won the 1st Ing Cup (an international title), defeating China’s Nie Weiping 9p in the final, and it was very sensational in Korea. The second big baduk boom in Korea occurred after Cho won the Ing Cup (we’ll come to the first boom below).
Cho Chikun (left) and Cho Hunhyun just after the game finished, with Lee Sedol (center).
At the 1st Ing Cup, Cho was the only participant from Korea, because Korean baduk was still regarded as being inferior to Japanese and Chinese Go.
However, Cho defeated all the strong players at that time and became the world champion.
The 1st Ing Cup was the catalyst for the success of modern Korean baduk. Yu Changhyuk 9p and Lee Changho 9p emerged to compete against top Chinese and Japanese players on the international scene soon afterwards.
Cho also won the 7th Fujitsu Cup, defeating Yu Changhyuk 9p and the 5th Tongyang Cup, defeating Yoda Norimoto 9p, in 1994.
He won the 8th Tongyang Securities Cup, defeating Kobayashi Satoru 9p, in 1997, and he won the 1st Chunlan Cup, defeating Lee Changho 9p, in 1999.
Cho won the Fujitsu Cup twice more, in 2000 and 2001, and he also won the Samsung Cup twice, in 2001 and 2002. He won the Asian TV Cup in 2000 and 2001 as well.
All in all, he’s won 159 titles in his career, which makes him absolute #1 in terms of titles, and he’s won 10 international titles as well.
Cho Hunhyun only had one pupil in his lifetime, and that was Lee Changho 9p.
Cho Hunhyun 9 dan (left) and Cho Chikun 9 dan in front of a poster promoting the match.
Cho Chikun 9p was born in 1956, in Korea, and he went to Japan to study Go when he was 6 years old. Cho Namcheol 9p, the ‘father’ of modern Korean baduk, was Cho Chikun’s uncle.
When he was still young, Cho Chikun promised himself that he wouldn’t return to Korea until he’d won the Japanese Meijin title, and he achieved his dream after defeating Otake Hideo 9p, in 1980, in the 5th Meijin title match.
He’s won 74 titles in his career so far, and that’s a record in Japan. He recently added one more title to the list; the 5th Igo Masters Cup, defeating Takemiya Masaki 9p in the final.
Cho was regarded as a national hero in Korea after he won the Meijin title in Japan. The first big baduk boom began in Korea after that, and Lee Changho was one of the children who started to play Go during that boom.
In a post game interview, after this match, Cho said that he still studies hard, but the problem is that he soon forgets what he’s studied these days. However, he keeps studying because he doesn’t want to play a shameful game if he’s getting paid to play.
He still plays right down to the last byo-yomi in nearly every game he plays, and that’s long been his way of doing his best in Go.
Many fans watch a live commentary at the Hankuk Kiwon (Korean Baduk Association).
Unfortunately this game ended abruptly, because of a shortage of time, but the game was still interesting so we’re going to review it together anyway.
Let’s have a look at the Korean Baduk 70th Anniversary Match.
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Here are the weekly Go problems for week 136.
Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!
There’s more than one solution, but it’s all about finding the vital point.
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Never give up just because it looks like stones might escape. That’s the very moment when you’ll see how to capture them!
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Perhaps it’s stating the obvious, but thinking about your opponent’s plans more than your own is one of the secrets of playing well.
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You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.
If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.
You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.
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by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Iyama taking aim at two former titles: The first quarterfinal of the 63rd Oza tournament was held on July 13. Playing white, Iyama Yuta (r) defeated Ichiriki Ryo 7P by resignation. With both players in byo-yomi in the late middle game, Ichiriki made a snap judgement that he could live with a large group, so instead of starting a ko to make sure of two eyes he moved into his opponent’s territory. Iyama made a snap judgement that the group couldn’t be saved by a player in byo-yomi; he connected the ko and killed the group. Iyama thus became the first player to reach the semifinals of this tournament. The titleholder is Murakawa Daisuke, who took the title off Iyama last year. Iyama had previously reached the semifinals of the 41st Tengen title by beating beat Ko Iso 8P. In the semifinal, played on July 30, he beat Ri Ishu 7P 
by resignation. In the play-off to decide the challenger, he will meet the winner of the other semifinal between Yamashita Keigo and Yuki Satoshi 9P.
Iyama retakes lead in Gosei title match: After a break of a month from the opening game, two games were played recently in the 40th Gosei title match. On July 20, the second game was played at the Hokkoku (North Country) Newspaper Hall in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. Iyama Yuta Gosei (white) got a favorable position in the opening, but Yamashita Keigo 9P launched a bold series of do-or-die moves that eventually drew a misjudgment from Iyama. He later started a ko to try to get back into the game, but played an invalid ko threat and had to resign after 183 moves. The third game was played at the Nagaoka Grand Hotel in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture on July 27. Iyama, playing black, built up a small lead, though the game was marked by complicated fighting. Late in the middle game, Iyama had a chance (with move 175) to set up a large-scale capturing race. Research by the players following the game showed that he would have won it by one move, but, in byo-yomi, he hesitated to take the risk. Yamashita almost caught up, but Iyama just managed to hold on to his lead. The game finished after 292 moves and ended in a win for Iyama by one and a half points. The fourth game will be played at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo on August 7. photo: Iyama Yuta Gosei (l); Yamashita Keigo 9P
Takao to challenge for Meijin title: The final round of the Meijin League is one of the biggest events of the summer, which this year has been its usual hot, humid and unbearable self in Tokyo. Four players were in the running to win the league, which added to the interest. They were, in order of ranking, Kono Rin, Yamashita Keigo, Takao Shinji (right), and Ko Iso.
The results were:
Cho U 9P (B) beat Kono Rin 9P by resignation. Both players finished on 5-3.
Yamashita Keigo 9P beat Ko Iso 8P by resig. Yamashita finished on 6-2 and Ko on 5-3.
Takao Shinji Tengen beat Murakawa Daisuke Oza by resig. Takao finished on 6-2 and Murakawa on 3-5.
Hane Naoki 9P beat Kanazawa Makoto 7P by resig. Hane ended on 2-6 and Kanazawa on 1-7. They both lost their places, as did So Yokoku 9P, who was on 3-5 and had a bye in the last round.
Takao and Yamashita were tied for first, so they met in a play-off on August 3. Takao beat Yamashita by 5.5 points, so he will make his first challenge for the Meijin title for five years. Takao lost his last challenge to Iyama Yuta 0-4 in the 35th Meijin tournament. In general, he has done badly against Iyama, but his results have improved in the last couple of years. The title match will start on September 3.
Promotion: To 2-dan: Mutsuura Yuta (aged 16) (30 wins) (as of July 17)
photo research by Maeda Ryo & Todd Heidenreich
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Yulin Tong Takes Lead in US Open Masters: The lead in the Open Masters changed not once but twice on Tuesday. First, Youyin Cao 3P (right) beat defending champion Mark Lee by half a point in the morning round. Cao is a Champion Team member of the 2014 Huang Long Shi Shuang Deng Cup Ring Contest. Then in the fifth round on Tuesday night, Yulin Tong 4P defeated Cao in just 107 moves. Click here for the latest results. Three rounds have been played in the US Open; click here for the latest results.
Day Off: Anyone signed up for Stillwater bus ride: bus will load/depart 9a at Flynn Circle, next to building #7.
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Both the AGA Teacher Certification and the Tournament Director Workshops kicked off Monday afternoon. This is the third year for the Teacher Certification, consisting of four 2-hour sessions, which have been a great success. Nearly two dozen participants showed up for the first session Monday afternoon, which was about learning to teach go to an absolute beginner. Later sessions will focus on teaching DDK, SDK players, and one-on-one teaching.
Chris Kirschner conscripted a volunteer from the campus staff at St Thomas University, where the Congress is being held. Interested but somewhat mystified, Diane Kruger, Associate Dean of Finance and operations, College of Education, Leadership and Counseling, stood at the demo board while Kirschner demonstrated how to teach someone to play go for the very first time. He was quite entertaining and encouraging and fielded questions from the audience about various teaching methods. Before the session was over, not only had his volunteer learned some of the basics of the game, but she was eagerly requesting contact info from everyone to continue learning and also to share with the rest of her faculty staff.
This is the first year for the TD Workshop, and actual certifications will not be granted at the end of the four 1-hour sessions, as the format is still evolving. Topics will cover pairing, reporting, and organizing for your own local tournament. To encourage new TDs, the AGA will provide mentoring help from established AGA TDs as they start their first tournaments. A number of experienced go teachers and tournaments have been enlisted to share their knowledge and mentor interested members for both workshops. A schedule of events was included in Congress welcome packets. Myung Wan Kim will be teaching Thursday 1 to 3 — “Mathematical end games”, that is, counting — and “After school programs” on Saturday 1 to 3. Kirschner and Maeda will be teaching the “one on one” session on Friday.
– Dennis Wheeler; photo: volunteer Diane Kruger observing an Open Masters game Tuesday with AGA president Andy Okun; photo by Chris Garlock
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Xinyiang Jiang 7d and Xiangnan Zheng 7d took first place at the top table at Youth-Adult Pair Go at the Go Congress on Aug. 4th. Often a warm up for the official Pair Go Tournament on Thursday night, the more casual event gives many teams their first chance to play pair go in a tournament setting. 18 pairs competed for prizes and fun, with pros Hajin Lee 3P and Calvin Sun 1P both getting in on the action as well. Rengo pair Yunxuan Li 6d and Ashish Varma 4d took first place at table two, while Andrew Zhang 7k and Nqua Xiong 3k won at table three, Steve Zhang 17k and Collette Bezio 11k won at table four.
Bezio, the author of Aji’s Quest is attending her first Go Congress, and described her 7 year old partner as “amazing”. Other youth events this week included Lighting Go, 9×9, and 13×13 mini tourneys. Team 13×13 Rengo, with three players on each team alternating moves, and the 19×19 Youth Team Tourney are set for Thursday and Friday. -Story and Photo by Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Upper Left: Xinyiang Jiang 7d and Xiangnan Zheng 7d (l) play Albert Yen 7d and Chang Yun Hsin 6d; Hajin Lee 3p and Kiren Polora 8k (r) play Ethan Frank 6k and Sherrie Echols 9k (l).
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In the semifinals of the first-ever AGA Girls’ Under-16 Championship held Monday at the Twin Cities US Go Congress, Kelly Liu 1d upset Amy Wang 5d in a hard-fought match. In the other semifinal, Melissa Zhang 3d beat Melissa Cao 1d when she chased a one-eyed group across the board and denied it a second, life-giving eye. Ms. Liu will now play Ms. Zhang for the championship and a $100 first-place prize on Thursday at 1 p.m., while Ms. Wang will play Ms. Cao for third place.
– Ted Terpstra, TD
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by John Power, Japan Correspondent for the E-Journal
Japanese representatives eliminated from Mlily Cup: The first two rounds of the 2nd Mlily Cup, a Chinese-sponsored international tournament, were held in Beijing on July 7 and 9. The three Japanese players, Ida Atsushi 8P, Yuki Satoshi 9P, and Ichiriki Ryo 7P, were all eliminated in the opening round. photo: Li Qincheng 1P (l), Yuki Satoshi 9P (r)
Yoda keeps lead in Kisei S League: Yoda Norimoto 9P has maintained his undefeated record in the top league, the S League, of the 40th Kisei tournament. In a game played on July 9, Yoda (B) beat Takao Shinji 9P by half a point. Yoda is now 3-0. On July 16, Kobayashi Satoru 9P (B) beat Yamashiro Hiroshi 9P by resignation to pick up his first win (to two losses). Yamashiro has the same score. In another game, played on July 23, Yamashita Keigo 9P beat Murakawa Daisuke Oza by resig. Yamashita goes to 2-1 and Murakawa to 1-2.
Progress report on other leagues: In the A League, Kono Rin 9P has the sole lead on 5-0 with two rounds to go. The only other players in the running are Ichiriki Ryo 7P and Cho Riyu 8P, who are both on 4-1. In the B Leagues, Awaji Shuzo leads the B1 League with 4-2 and Yamada Kimio 9P leads the B2 League on 5-1. In the C League, which is a Swiss System, four players have unblemished records after three rounds. They are: Akiyama Jiro 9P, Han Zenki 8P, Yo Seiki 7P, and Kyo Kagen 3P. In the fourth round, Akiyama will play Han and Yo will meet Kyo. Only one player from this league can join the irregular knock-out tournament for league-winners; to win the league, you have to win all five games, so they are the only ones still in the running.
Cho Chikun repeats in Fumakira Masters: The final of the 5th Fumakira Igo Masters tournament was held in the Ryusei Studio in the basement of the Nihon Ki-in in Ichigaya, Tokyo, on July 11. Taking white, Cho Chikun 9P (l) beat Takemiya Masaki 9P by 5.5 points to win this title for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. This is an official title, so it takes Cho’s record tally to 74 titles. Takemiya was disappointed to miss this opportunity to win his first title for 20 years.
Go Seigen elected to Hall of Fame: The 12th selection meeting of the Hall of Fame Awards was held at the Nihon Ki-in on July 21. Go Seigen (r) was the unanimous choice of the 12 committee members in attendance. There were eight nominees, chosen on May 25 by the nomination committee. Each member can vote for three persons, and the support of two thirds of the members is the qualifying condition. This is the first time since the election of Dosaku that a nominee has been supported by every member.
Tomorrow: Iyama taking aim at two former titles; Iyama retakes lead in Gosei; Takao to challenge for Meijin
photo research by Maeda Ryo & Todd Heidenreich
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Weiqi To Go 