News / Articles

ING REDMOND FINALS LIVE IN BALTIMORE: Baltimore-area go fans can check out a public exhibition of the Ing Redmond Cup finals this weekend at Johns Hopkins University. Hopkins Club Member Ed Kao 6d will play Joey Hung 8d on the IGS Saturday and Sunday and the Hopkins Go Club has arranged for a game review Sunday by Yupei Xiong 9d and hopes to have high-level players available for a review on Saturday as well. The exhibition will be from 12 noon to 3:30P both days in the Sherwood Room at Levering Hall on the Johns Hopkins University campus. For details contact Robert Ferguson at robert.ferguson@gmail.com or visit http://www.jhu.edu/hopkinsgo/ingredmond.html

LEE CHANGHO TAKES LEAD IN KING OF KINGS: Lee Changho 9P won the first game in the 2nd Korean King of Kings Cup title match against Choi Cheolhan 9P on July 6th. Lee recently lost his Kuksu title to Choi. Details in Monday's edition.
  
BGA KGS TOURNAMENT COMPLETED: Fifty-three players from more than ten countries competed in the BGA KGS Tournament that ran from January 6, 2005 through the end of June. Gunnar AAstrand Grimnes of Aberdeen was the overall winner. Details on Monday.

IGS MARATHON COMING SOON: The 5th Cho Chikun Judan Cup on the IGS is a 42-day marathon in which competitors will try to play more games than any other competitor. The Cup starts July 20; details or sign up now at http://www.pandanet.co.jp/English/event/marathon2005/marathon2005.html

OF GRASSHOPPERS, GIANT KILLERS AND MORE: Speaking of marathons, one of the most popular events at the annual US Go Congress (August 6-14 at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA) is the continuous Self-Paired Tournament, in which Congress attendees can challenge anyone to a game at any time. Players have been known to report results from as many as 70 games or more as they compete for the following prizes: The Champion: The player who records the greatest number of wins over losses; Hurricane: The player who records the greatest number of wins; Giant Killer: The kyu player who wins the most games against dan players (also known as the "Dan Killer" award); Keith Arnold Award: The dan player who scores the most wins against kyu players (also known as the "Kyu Killer" award); Grasshopper: The player whose provisional rating increases the most during the tournament; Straight Shooter: The player who scores the most victories against players of consecutive ranks; Dedicated: Th e player with the highest number of total games in the tournament; Sensei: The participant who plays the most games against weaker players; Faithful: The player with the smallest change in provisional rating during the tournament; Philanthropist: The player with the most loses; Optimist: The player whose provisional rating decreases the most during the tournament. More on this and other Congress events is at http://www.usgo.org/congress/index.asp

UPDATE ONLINE: E-Journal readers and AGA members can now instantly update their contact information online! Just click on http://www.listlynx.com/MailUser1.asp and you'll not only be able to update your email address, but your mailing address and other contact info as well. We hope you find this new service useful, and welcome comments or suggestions on how we can continue to improve. Send them to us at journal@usgo.org

GAME COMMENTARY: Fighting and Weeping
           Today's game commentary is the decisive game in the 43rd Judan title match between O Rissei 9P, the title holder, and challenger Cho Chikun 9P, played on April 27, 2005. The commentary is by Wang Lei 8P in China Sports Weekly and was translated and edited by GoGameWorld. The best-of-five title match was tied at two games each, and O was hoping to achieve the status of Honorary Judan by winning the title for the fifth time in a row. In this game, Cho Chikun's fighting spirit is worth admiring. Normally when you become older, your play will become more conservative and slow, however this is not the case for Cho Chikun. He will charge ahead whenever possible.
         In our bonus file, learn how make your opponent weep as Kaz Furuyama takes a look at how to respond to a shoulder hit.
         To view the attached .sgf file(s), simply save the file(s) to your computer and then open using an .sgf reader such as Many Faces of Go or SmartGo. Readers who need .sgf readers can get them for most platforms at Jan van der Steen's http://gobase.org/sgfeditors.html

GO REVIEW: Ishida's Joseki Dictionary
By Ishida Yoshio
Published by Kiseido
Reviewed by Phil Waldron 6d
          Whatever their playing strength, every go player has had the experience of being caught in an unknown joseki sequence and wondering whether the game would be over after the first corner. After the game, it is common practice to consult a joseki dictionary to avoid being caught again in the future. In the English-speaking world, Ishida Yoshio's Dictionary of Basic Joseki collection has served as the definitive joseki reference for almost thirty years. Often simply called "Ishida", this three-volume work surveys josekis arising from the most common corner openings, and covers all major variations known in the 1970s.
           While no joseki dictionary can hope to cover all of the thousands of possible variations, the authors of this collection have done a superb job pruning away obscure sequences that are rarely played. This leaves enough space for a further analysis of mistakes and trick plays, as well as examples from actual games. Future development from the resulting positions is also discussed, although this is more the exception rather than the rule. The amount and level of analysis appears to be most suitable for players who have reached the single-digit kyu level. Beginners may find themselves, and a simpler reference such as Kiseido's "38 Basic Joseki" might be more useful.
        While it was a complete reference when it was published, the Ishida collection is showing its age. Professional opinion about many variations has changed in the past thirty years, and new sequences are constantly being invented and refined. This is most obvious in the sections related to josekis resulting from pincers around the star-point, which is almost completely irrelevant by now. This is unfortunate considering how important these sequences are to modern go.
        Whatever its drawbacks, all three volumes of the Dictionary of Basic Joseki are a must-have for all serious go players. They remain the most complete joseki collection available to Westerners and for that reason alone are worth having on the bookshelf.
           Available at http://www.kiseido.com/go_books.htm

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