Michael Chen 8D extended his winning streak to eight on Thursday afternoon, winning the first game in the best-of-three final against Eric Lee 6D, after sweeping 5-0 in the round robin section and 2-0 in the semifinals. Chen is now just one game away from becoming the next AGA professional Go player.
Lee had created a massive moyo covering two thirds of the board, but Chen skillfully handled his weak group in the middle by cutting off and killing part of the attacking wall, forcing a resignation in 135 moves, which was an improvement on their game in the round robin, which Chen had won in 117 moves.
Game two will be at 9:30a PST Friday morning, with Game 3 (if needed) at 2:30 that afternoon. Watch the livestream on the AGA’s homepage, and follow us on social media for complete coverage and updates.
Results, standings and game records are posted here.
Report/photo by Chris Garlock; photo: Jeremiah Donley shares AI game analysis with Chen and Lee