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Cheng Defends Redmond Cup Junior; Senior Division Tied

10-year old Ary Cheng 4d (r) swept the Junior Division Finals to defend his Redmond Cup title. Despite falling to 12-year old Luoyi Yang 4d (l) in the preliminaries, Cheng bounced back in the finals, seemingly unfazed by his opponent’s strength. In game 1, Cheng  utilized the slightest bit of aji in a corner to start a large ko, after which he was able to kill a group on the side and cruise to a victory. Yang fought back in game 2, however, with a huge fight developing in the center of the board as Cheng aggressively tried to kill a dragon. While there was a decisive opportunity to launch a counterattack and seal the game, Yang, perhaps slightly fatigued by jet lag, having arrived at Congress from China just one day before the first match, made a crucial mistake during byo-yomi giving Cheng the chance to close out the series. Both players will receive trophies at the banquet at the conclusion of Congress, with Cheng receiving $300, and Yang receiving $200. In the Senior Division, 16-year old Albert Yen 7d is intent on defending his title. Yen stumbled in game 1, after making a severe miscalculation early in the game. His opponent, 14-year old Jeremy Chiu 6d, capitalized immediately on the error to kill a large group and essentially end the game. Switching his strategy to a moyo-based opening in game 2, Yen was able to take a territorial lead after Chiu made a slow move when invading Yen’s framework. Game 3 will occur tomorrow, 8/4, at 3 pm EDT, and will be broadcast live on KGS, Youtube, and Twitch with commentary by Gansheng Shi 1p and Andrew Lu 7d.  Videos of the earlier matches are below. Game 1 Commentary by Jennie Shen 2p and Lionel Zhang 6dGame 2 Commentary by Stephanie Yin 1p and Michael Chen 8d The Redmond Cup is a premier youth tournament named after Michael Redmond 9p for dan players under the age of 18. Players compete in an online preliminary tournament in April to determine two finalists in both a Junior (under 13) and Senior (under 18) division. Finalists are given a free trip to the US Go Congress to compete in a best-of-three finals. -EJ Special Report by Justin Teng.  Photo by Paul Barchilon.