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Andy Liu 1P Wins New Jersey Open

The New Jersey Open -- held March 2-3 in Princeton, NJ -- had a near-record turnout of 114 players. Professionals participated for the first time in the 54-year history of the tournament, and the final round came down to Andy Liu 1P (US, at left) and Ming-ming (Stephanie) Yin 1P (CN, at right), with Andy Liu emerging victorious. This is his second time as NJ State Champion. "Another highlight of the event was the drawing for the Beginner's Prize, which has been a feature of the NJO since 1990," reports organizer Rick Mott. The names of all players 15 kyu and below who completed at least three games were written on index cards, and the newly-crowned New Jersey Champion picked a card at random. This year, the winner was young Audrey Shin, playing in her first tournament. She was much too small to hold the box with a new board, bowls and stones, so it fell to her dad David Shin 4k, who also won a prize as a 4-game winner, to carry it home. "All in all, it was a pretty good day for the Shin family," said Mott. Click here for a full NJO tournament report, including prize-winners, and complete tournament standings, including updated ratings and all game results. - photo by Rick Mott