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New York Youth Team Go Championship training new generation of players

A dozen teams faced off just before Christmas in the New York Youth Team Go Championship, hosted by the New York Institute of Go.  The five-round event, held December 22-23, was organized by the New York Go Association and held at The New York Institute of Go in Queens, NY. The Institute's focus is on popularizing the game, especially among a younger generation of players. This year's Championship was the second annual competition, providing an opportunity for youth players in the New York City area to meet current students from universities including prominent Ivy League schools. The teams, with three players each, had players from different regions. 

The MustWin team (1st table: Cathy Liao, 2nd table: Chenghan Du, 3rd table: Jason Long) swept the 2017 Championship, with The Go Ninga Masters taking second and the Dark Go team in third. The World Champions team won the Best Fighter award. Almost of the players have been learning go for just one to two years, and some had met and played in the first team championship in 2016. "How did you improve so fast since the last Rating Competition" an 18-kyu player asked another player, who's now 15-kyu.  "I must practice go more often now." The MustWin team's eight-year-old Chenghan Du said "I have to get up early tomorrow morning to study a pro game before tournament, I promised Mrs. Yin to study at least one game per day." Institute founder and lead teacher Stephanie Yin called the Championship "a great opportunity for young players to learn from each other, share experience, and improve in and outside go. The success of consecutive youth tournaments led us to encourage the passion of go to prosper." Starting this year, New York Go Association will offer scholarships to youth players; stay tuned for details. The New York Go Expo and 2017 Dreamworks School Invitational is free event and will be hold on Feb 17-18, 2018 in New York. The event includes pro activities, free rated games, and etc. Details to follow.  - includes reporting by Stephanie Yin, with help from Aaron Julian; photos by Stephanie Yin