AGA Organization
Contact InformationWhat is the American Go Association?
Who is the AGA?
Organizational Information
AGA Publications
Contact Information
American Go Association
P.O. Box 397
Old Chelsea Station
New York, NY, 10113-0397
Tel. 917.817.7080
aga@usgo.org
What is the American Go Association?
The American Go Association is the official national organization of American go players, cooperating with similar national organizations around the world. In our efforts to promote the game and support the development of the American go-playing community, we:
- Publish The American Go E-Journal. Click here for an archive of past issues.
- Maintain a national rating system.
- Provide local chapters with material and organizational support.
- Help local chapters organize and publicize tournaments, workshops and other events.
- Organize national and international qualifying tournaments.
- Organize Annual US Go Congress.
- Represent US go players as members of the International Go Federation.
- Select professional and amateur representatives for international competition.
- Provide financial, informational, and material support to AGA chapters and go teachers.
- Administer funds donated by the Ing Wei-chi Education Foundation to promote go in the US.
- Sponsor and moderate e-mail lists for teachers, organizers and on go-related topics
The AGA is working in every way to build a sustainable
community of go players in the United States. Join us
today!
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Who is the American Go Association?
The AGA is made up entirely of go loving volunteers. They wish to share their enjoyment with others and put in a lot of time and effort. We appreciate their work. Please take a look at the AGA Staff. This also includes our Life Members, who have also provided significant financial support. Below is a list of contacts to find the department and person you are looking for.
AGA Board of Directors
| Paul Celmer* (Eastern) | Click here to e-mail |
| Chuck Robbins (Eastern) | Click here to e-mail |
| Laura Kolb* (Central) | Click here to e-mail |
| Roy Schmidt (Central) (Chair) | Click here to e-mail |
| Andrew Okun (Western) | Click here to e-mail |
| Willard Haynes* (Western) | Click here to e-mail |
| Jie Li (At large) | Click here to e-mail |
Minutes of Board meetings: Since January 2003, when the current Board was created by amending the bylaws.
Official documents: Policies, procedures and other documents adopted by the Board.
[return to top]AGA Officers
| President | Allan Abramson | president@usgo.org |
| Secretary | Pauline Pohl | secretary@usgo.org |
| Treasurer | Adam Bridges | treasurer@usgo.org |
| VP - Communications | Chris Garlock | communications@usgo.org |
| VP - International | Thomas Hsiang | igf@usgo.org |
| VP - Planning | Chris Kirschner | operations@usgo.org |
National Coordinators
Services Coordinators
| Chapter Services | Coordinator | Arnold Eudell | chapterservices@usgo.org |
| Community Outreach | Coordinator | John Goon | outreach@usgo.org |
| Congress Liaison | Coordinator | Chris Kirschner | congress@usgo.org |
| Membership Services | Coordinator | Mark Rubenstein | membership@usgo.org |
| Pair Go | Coordinator | Allan Abramson | |
| Summer Go Camps | Coordinator | Walter Knox | |
| Tournament Coordination | Coordinator | Philip Waldron | tournaments@usgo.org |
| Youth Coordination | Coordinator | Todd Heidenreich | youth@usgo.org |
Operations Coordinators
| Archivist | Coordinator | David Doshay | archives@usgo.org |
| Database Management | Coordinator | Sam Zimmerman | database@usgo.org |
| Elections | Officer | Arnold Eudell | elections@usgo.org |
| Policy & Governance | Chair | Keith Arnold | governance@usgo.org |
| Rank Certification | Coordinator | Ellen Willard | rank@usgo.org |
| Ratings System | Coordinator | Paul Matthews | ratings@usgo.org |
| Rules | Coordinator | Terry Benson | rules@usgo.org |
| Volunteer & Recruitment | Coordinator | volunteer@usgo.org |
Communications Coordinators
| EJournal | Editor | Chris Garlock | journal@usgo.org |
| Web Design | Webmaster | Steve Colburn | webmaster@usgo.org |
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Organizational Information
The AGA Annual Report: Detailed accounts of the
year's activities
1999-2000 Report
2000-2001 Report
2001-2002 Report
2003 Report
2004 Report
2005 Report
2005
Addendum -- Final Financial Report
2006 Report
2007 Report
Minutes of the National Assembly: Minutes of the
annual meetings of all Chapter Representatives
1999 Minutes
2000 Minutes
2001 Minutes
2002 Minutes
2003 Minutes
2004 Minutes
2005 Minutes
2006 Minutes
2008 Minutes
Governance and Elections: This page contains links to our governing documents, as well as information about elections and other procedures.
International Go Federation: Report from the US
representative to the International Go Federation and the
World Amateur Go Championship
2004 report
2005 report
2006 report
2007 report
2008 report
Table of Organization: Flow chart describing all functions the AGA needs to accomplish, with lines of accountability.
Description of Functions: This document sets forth job descriptions for all positions identified in the Table of Organization.
[return to top]AGA Publications
- The
American Go Journal: The AGJ, published from 1949
to 2003, was the oldest English-language go periodical
going when it ceased publication in 2003. Back issues
contain a wealth of articles and information you can't
get anywhere else.
- The AGA Rules of Go: The
official American Go Association rules,designed to
ensure a definitive result among any two players under
any conditions. Click here for a concise version
of the AGA rules.
The Official AGA Tournament Guide: Everything you need to know to run a successful AGA rated tournament.
- AGA Rules Committee Memorandum
Regarding Change in Komi: What is the value of
the first move? "Komi" refers to the practice of
compensating White for permitting Black to make the first
move. This memo reviews recent changes in the Asian
system and their implications for Western go.
- The AGA Archive : Thousands of historical documents pertaining to American go, and many other related subjects. There is also an extensive collection of Japanese material.
- Inside the AGA Rating System: Unlike other system that awards fixed number of points for wins and losses, the AGA system uses sophisticated statistical procedures to calculate player ratings. This method has been copied by other go organizations all over the world.
- Most Commonly Asked Questions About the AGA Rating System: Further explanation of the AGA rating System.
- Official policies and procedures for running AGA
tournaments. Click here
for more information on running a rated tournament.
- Go in America: This history of American go was presented to the First International Conference on Baduk in Seoul, Korea, and published in the proceedings of that conference. (PDF File)
- Go in the US: More detailed annural summaries by AGA President Roy Laird which originally appeared in Ranka, the yearbook of the International Go Federation.
- The AGA Song Book: Silly go song parodies for all occasions. Click here to dowload the 2002 supplement.
- AGA Brochure: This is the brochure we mail out to new members and interested parties. Please feel free to print, copy and distribute as many copies as you can! (PDF Document)
- What Is Go? (in case you were wondering)
- How to Start a Go Club
- Easy, step-by-step process anyone can use to to organize a stable group of local players.
- The Great Go Spiel: How to prepare and deliver a presentation about go in your community. It's not as hard as you think!
- How to Play Against the Stronger Player Volumes 1 and 2: This popular Japanese "Super Go" series helps players to improve their handicap go. Translated and produced by Steve Bretherick and John Stephenson of the Wings Across Calm Water online AGA Chapter, this book is now available for download in English at no charge. Go to www.wingsgoclub.org and click on the word "books" to download in Adobe or Microsoft Word format. The AGA is grateful to the Japan Go Association for making this possible.
- Capture Go: This brochure is designed for distribution to beginners who are learning go in a classroom or after-school program. It describes a simple pre-cursor to go. Available for download in trifold and 11X17 format.
- Go on the Internet: A colorful description of how to play online.
- Knockout Draw Sheet: Attractively laid out sheet for conducting a 16 player single knockout tournament.
- AGA Archives: The American Go Association maintains one of the most extensive collections of Western go materials in the world.
- TD List (for tournament directors): Frequently updated listing of the name, AGA number, and current AGA rating for everyone who has ever been a member.
The Way To Go, Karl Baker's classic instruction manual is now available in PDF format online.
Keshi and Uchikomi: Invasion and Reduction in
Go
by Iwamoto Kaoru
During the 1980's, chapters from the study of middle game
techniques were among the most popular features in The
American Go Journal. Now those articles have been
reassembled for publication in book form, along with
additional material that has never appeared in English.
(Published by Slate and Shell for the AGA)
Masterpieces of Handicap Go Volumes I & II
from the Nihon Kiin
Translated by Robert McGuigan from a variety of Japanese
sources, many of these games appeared originally in The
American Go Journal. They show actual handicap play
between established masters and rising stars of the future.
(Published by Slate and Shell for the AGA)