NOTE: The E-Journal is providing live coast-to-coast coverage of all three Memorial Day weekend tournaments in Maryland, Chicago and San Diego. Check out the livestream on our Twitch and YouTube channels, starting around 9:30A ET. Saturday’s Youtube stream featured commentary by Paige LeMaster, Jared Nishikawa, Eunkyo Do, Tin Do, Joel Kenny, Laura Wu and Sathya Singh.
CHICAGO: DoHyup Kim Leads the Pack, By a Whisker
Day 1 of the 2025 Chicago Open wrapped up after four intense rounds across all divisions, setting the stage for a dramatic Sunday finale. With 122 players registered, it stands as one of the largest regional Go tournaments in the country this year.
At the top of the leaderboard, DoHyup Kim 8d has emerged as the frontrunner, finishing the day undefeated at 4-0. Kim displayed deep reading, steady control, and razor-sharp endgame play. He holds a narrow lead on tiebreaks over Yihan Guo 6d, also at 4-0, whose impressive run has included wins against higher-ranked opponents. Chasing the leaders are veterans Tienchu Liu 8d, Juanshu Lan 6d, and Tianyuan Zhang 5d, all sitting at 3-1 and still very much in contention with three rounds remaining on Sunday.
Sunday will see top contenders face off in high-stakes matchups likely to determine division champions. While early leads are valuable, tie-breakers and late-round performance often prove decisive. Will Kim maintain his edge? Can Guo break through? Will an underdog emerge?
Kudos to the tournament staff and volunteers who kept Day 1 running smoothly across dozens of boards and multiple divisions. Click here for complete match results and standings.
MARYLAND: Michael Chen Sets the Pace
A blistering Day One marked the 49th Maryland Open, where top seed Michael Chen 1P and 
Liang Yu 5d went undefeated with 3-0 records, seizing early control of the A and B divisions.
Chen, showcasing confident form, compiled 109 SOS points to top a closely contested A division. Close behind is Ninghan Duan 7d at 2-1, while Alexander Qi 1P and Yuan Zhou 7d stumbled with 1-2 records.
In the B division, Yu was equally dominant, going 3-0 ahead of strong showings from Zhenying Gu 4d and Ashish Varma 4d, who both posted 2-1 results.
Other standouts include Jason Siyi Li 1d, undefeated in the C division, and three perfect 3-0 performances in the D and E divisions from Andrew Liu 4k, Bob Crites 4k, and Michael Yang 21k.
Sunday will bring final rounds and trophy matches across all divisions.
Click here for complete match results and standings.
SAN DIEGO: Liu Eyes Third Title
After three rounds of fierce competition on Saturday, Jasper Liu 7d and Wenguang Zhao 5d sit atop the standings at the 2025 San Diego Go Championship Open Section, both undefeated at 3-0.
Liu, a two-time champion, showed calm precision and deep reading to maintain his perfect record. Zhao matched that pace with solid wins of his own, despite holding the lowest SOS among the leaders, leaving plenty of room for movement on Day Two.
A tight group of 2-1 players—including Yixian Zhou 6d, Yingxu Zhu 6d, Yihao Man 6d, and Andy Shunwei Zhou 2d—remain within striking distance, setting up high-stakes pairings in Sunday’s final two rounds.
Several contenders, including Tyler Oyakawa, Christophe Humbert, and James Lou, will be looking to bounce back from 1-2 starts, while others will aim to turn lessons from Day One into stronger play on Sunday.
With two rounds left, the title is still very much up for grabs—and a Liu-Zhao showdown looms large. Click here for complete match results and standings.