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Published On 6/4/2023
Current candidates are Trevor Morris for the east, Devin Fraze for central and Chris Kirschner, Adam Anaya and Yixian (Michael) Zhou in the west.
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Published On 6/4/2023
In Season 2, Episode 2 of Astrid, a French TV show aired in the US on PBS, there’s a brief view of a floor goban.
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Published On 6/4/2023
“Recently I visited the Lan Su Chinese garden in downtown Portland, Oregon,” reports Pete Schumer. “This go board was on display with the stones scattered willy nilly across it..."
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Published On 6/4/2023
For the twelfth year, there is a new San Diego Go Champion (no player has ever won the title twice): Moxuan Liu, 6.2-dan from La Jolla.
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Published On 6/2/2023
Finishing up the long-awaited Volume 2 of their AlphaGo to Zero series, Michael Redmond 9P and EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock are looking for photos of some of the professionals who took on the Master AI in 2017.
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Published On 6/1/2023
Eric Lui 2P emerged as the champion of the 2023 Chicago Open, triumphing over 109 players at the tournament held in Evanston, Ill., over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28. Lui finished with a 7-1 record in a highly competitive event where no player in the Masters and Open section remained undefeated.
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Published On 6/1/2023
The AGA’s first livestream from the new website’s homepage on Wednesday night, featuring commentary by Ryan Li 4P, was a success, reports Gurujeet Khalsa.
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Published On 5/30/2023
A strong field celebrated the return of the Maryland Open, the oldest running AGA tournament, last weekend just outside of Baltimore. The 47th Maryland Open attracted 57 players, 16 of whom were 4 dan and above.
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Published On 5/30/2023
Registration for the Santa Monica Go Club’s June 17-18 special event with Japanese professional player Kenro Osawa 4P is now open.
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Published On 5/24/2023
Yixian (Michael) Zhou has entered the race for western region board member against Chris Kirschner along with Devin Fraze in the central region. The eastern region is still wide open.
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Published On 5/22/2023
Jeremy Chiu was the top winner at the Golden Gate Go Tournament last Saturday, May 20th. The San Francisco Go Club, a bastion of go history – it predates the completion of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge -- and community, served as the venue...
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Published On 5/17/2023
The novel Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Knopf, 2023) is about Sam and Sadie, two friends who are creative partners in video game design.
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Published On 5/16/2023
The 2023 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament details have been finalized. Scheduled to take place at the San Francisco Go Club from August 6 to 11, “the tournament will feature an exciting competition,” says NAGF Executive Director Hajin Lee.
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Published On 5/16/2023
The last of the 4496 official games played in the 2022 tournament year at the Nihon Ki-in were played on December 26. Here's our statistical overview of the year.
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Published On 5/15/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 5/15/2023
If a week of go and workshops with professionals sounds good to you, check out the Burning Board Go Festival, set for June 12-18 at Camp Crabtree in Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Published On 5/15/2023
The Santa Monica Go Club will host Japanese professional player Kenro Osawa 4P at a special go event in Los Angeles June 17-18; the visit is supported by the Japan Foundation.
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Published On 5/15/2023
Nominations have come forward for incumbents Devin Fraze in the central division and Chris Kirschner in the west.
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Published On 5/15/2023
This year’s U.S. Go Congress will include two of the top-rated professional go players in the world, with both Kim Jiseok 9P and Lee Donghoon 9P confirmed to be in attendance.
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Published On 5/14/2023
With 98 players already registered, attendance at this year’s Chicago Open is almost certain to break 100, with players coming from more than ten states. The Open is scheduled for May 27-28 in Evanston, Illinois.
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Published On 5/14/2023
Over 100 players turned out April 1 to battle for $2,700 in cash prizes. “Everyone loved the new location at the NYU Game Center,” reports Peter Armenia.
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Published On 5/14/2023
Jaewoo Park won the San Francisco Go Club’s Cherry Blossom Tournament on April 15th.
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Published On 5/14/2023
Zhizun Zhao (Troy) 7D topped the Austin Go Club’s Austin Spring Fling Go Tournament held April 22-23.
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Published On 5/14/2023
“Zoom go is fun of course but there's nothing quite like good old-fashioned in person go,” says Eric Osman.
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Published On 5/14/2023
On May 6, Columbus-based go player and streamer Jae Donley was making deliveries with his scooter when a truck driver brake-checked him, causing him to lose control and fall.
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Published On 5/10/2023
After months of preparations, working with many partners and stakeholders, the Churchill Road Elementary School (CRS) in McLean, Virginia started a school go club and had their first club meeting after school on April 20.
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Published On 5/7/2023
Twenty-eight players, coming from as far away as Ithaca, Rochester, New York City, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, convened at the Syracuse Center for Peace and Social Justice on April 15 to compete in the first Salt City Tournament in three years.
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Published On 5/7/2023
The 2023 U.S. Go Congress has passed the 300 registrant mark, organizers report.
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Published On 5/4/2023
I got to know Dennis Wheeler, who died of cancer on April 14 (see below for details on his memorial service this Saturday), after I became manager of the Seattle Go Center in 2008.
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Published On 5/4/2023
N.A. Go Federation professional Alexander Qi 1P will challenge Li Weiqing 9P in the 2023 Quzhou Lanke Cup world championship in Quzhou, China on May 5.
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Published On 5/2/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 5/1/2023
The 2023 U.S. Go Congress Early Bird discount has been extended through May 7th. The $50 discount set to go through April 30th mistakenly cut off early; anyone who registered on Sunday but did not get the discount will have it credited to their account by the Congress team. In addition, the discount is being extended through May 7th “to make sure everyone who wants to take advantage of it gets a chance,” said AGA president Gurujeet Khalsa. “We are looking forward to a great event and seeing many of you in Ohio in July.”
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Published On 4/30/2023
Review of Go news from April 2023.
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Published On 4/27/2023
Registration for Season 3 (May-June)is now open and an official announcement will be sent soon. Registration is limited to 204 people, so sign up soon, and will be open through May 9. Pairings will be released on May 10, and the first round is scheduled to take place on May 16. The last round is scheduled on June 13. You can reschedule games as late as June 17, but games played after June 13 are not eligible for review.
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Published On 4/26/2023
Three American Go Association (AGA) Board of Director seats are in play for the Eastern, Western, and Central regions.
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Published On 4/25/2023
The early bird discount for registering for the 2023 US Go Congress -- July 8th – 16 in Kent State, Ohio -- expires on April 30th.
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Published On 4/25/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 4/24/2023
Longtime E-Journal game recorder Dennis Wheeler was released from his battle with cancer on Friday, April 14. “Dennis was one of our most stalwart team members,” said EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock. “His devotion to the game as well as his utter unflappability no matter what the crisis was an inspiration to us all and we miss him every day.”

A memorial service for Wheeler will be held on Saturday, May 6 at 1 p.m. PST at the Bellevue Church of Christ, 1212 104th Ave. SE, Bellevue, WA 98004.
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Published On 4/23/2023
A detailed video review of the deciding game for the 2023 Texas State Championship has now been released.
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Published On 4/23/2023
Eighty players turned out for the 7th Zheng Cup Go Tournament, held April 15 - 16
In Irvine, California. “It's great to see players of all ages and skill levels competing and having fun,” said TD Kevin Chao.
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Published On 4/23/2023
Washington DC is famous for its cherry blossoms, which attract tourists to the nation’s capital every Spring. The National Go Center joins the festivities each year with a tournament at the NGC as well as a booth at the Sakura Matsuri festival in downtown DC.
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Published On 4/18/2023
Nominate your favorite teachers for a free trip to the Go Congress!
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Published On 4/18/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 4/15/2023
Registration is open for the upcoming 12th Annual San Diego Go Championship, reports the San Diego Go Club. The 3-round AGA rated competition is set for Sunday, April 30, at the San Diego Chess Club in Balboa Park.
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Published On 4/12/2023
The 2023 Chicago Open is taking place over Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28, in Evanston, Illinois. Players are encouraged to register before the May 6 earlybird deadline to be entered into a raffle to win a prize from the Nihon Ki-in.
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Published On 4/11/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 4/6/2023
People attending the US Go Congress can now sign up for dorm housing on the Congress website.
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Published On 4/4/2023
A listing of in-person go events coming up in the next two weeks.
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Published On 4/3/2023
Within easy driving range of the city of Kent, Ohio -- the site of this year’s U.S. Go Congress, July 9-16 on the campus of Kent State University -- are a number of attractions in Cleveland, Canton and Akron...
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Published On 4/3/2023
The battles were fierce behind the doors of the scarlet-red rooms at the Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, but passersby could be forgiven if they failed to notice the 30 competitors in the 2023 Midwest Open quietly playing go the weekend of March 25-26.
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Published On 3/28/2023
After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Zheng Cup Tournament is back this year, with its biggest prize pool ever. It’s scheduled for April 15-16 in Irvine, California.
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Published On 3/27/2023
Shin-An World Baduk Masters is a professional tournament in South Korea for players over 45 years old. The North American Go Federation, along with the San Francisco Go Club, will host a qualification tournament to select one player to represent North America in this tournament. For North America, both professional and amateur players are accepted.
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Published On 3/22/2023
Thinking about going to the U.S. Go Congress? 3 quick questions...
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Published On 3/22/2023
Lukasz Lew topped the San Francisco Go Club’s Spring Tournament on March 18th, but the “scrumptious” rice bowls from Waraku were also a big winner, reports club president Matthew Barcus.
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Published On 3/20/2023
Registration for the 39th annual US Go Congress is now open. The Congress -- set for July 8–16 at Kent State University near Cleveland, Ohio -- is the largest go activity in North America; events include the US Open, professional lectures and game analysis, continuous self-paired games, and all kinds of go-related activities from morning to midnight.
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Published On 3/18/2023
The Spring Season of Weekly Go Problems will begin on March 26th. With 5 go problems of varying difficulty every week, AGHS hopes to help go players practice tsumego.
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Published On 3/17/2023
Tianyaun “Tian” Zhang emerged as the Central Iowa State Championship champion last Saturday, March 11, 2023, after a three-year hiatus from go. “I play whatever I feel like just works,” Zhang told the E-Journal. “My playing style used to be quite aggressive, but now I play wherever necessary. A more logical way to play.” He described his win as “pretty easy” due to the few high-Dan players. “The tough opponent was in the last round, but I got a head start, and I killed a group of his," Zhang said.
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Published On 3/14/2023
Organizers of this year’s U.S. Go Congress are searching for a Registrar.
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Published On 3/12/2023
The Barrington (IL) Chinese Immersion Council (BCIC) recently granted approval to a proposal to introduce the game of go to Chinese immersion classrooms in Barrington’s District 220 school district. “I hope that this game-based learning program will not only teach students how to play go,” said Xinming “Simon” Guo, the founder of Go and Math Academy in Chicago, who made the proposal, “but also spark their creativity, imagination, and critical thinking skills, as well as enhance their math abilities”
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Published On 3/11/2023
On March 15, Hashimoto Ūtarō 9d defeated Rin Kaihō Meijin in the first game of the Pro Best Ten Final. Rin took the second game on March 22, and the third on March 28. (Game Records: Game One, Game Two, Game Three)

Adachi Tadashi, President of the Nihon Ki’in, passed away on March 29.
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Published On 3/9/2023
Sometime this coming Monday, March 13, the AGA is moving to an all-new website. The link will still be usgo.org but with a whole new look and feel. The current site will still be available through an ‘Archive’ link but all membership registration and logins will be through the new site. AGA members will be receiving an email with instructions on how to log into the new system.
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Published On 3/8/2023
“Are you part of a Go school (or a club at school) and would like to play in a team-styled tournament? Well, you’re in luck!” says AGHS President Jenny Li, “AGHS is excited to announce our upcoming tournament: STT (School Team Tournament). This tournament will occur on Saturday, March 25th, and Sunday, March 26th. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 22nd, 11:59 pm PST. We welcome all youth players (19 and under or currently enrolled in K-12).”
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Published On 3/8/2023
On February 19, 2023, the American Go Honor Society (AGHS) hosted its online Blitz Tournament. The tournament consisted of five rounds and eight divisions consisting of players of all strengths from 20K to 9D. The division winners included Shang Zhou 7D, Al Tang 2D, Jason Liu 2D, Ryan Huang 1K, David Rohlfing 4K, Phillip Briz 5K, Anna Zhou 7K, Brett Li 8K, Roger Ni 13K, and Royal Ni 18K.
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Published On 3/8/2023
The Austin Go Club will be holding a Spring Fling Go Tournament on April 22nd/23rd in Austin, TX. The tournament will consist of 5 rounds held over two days. There will be both Open and Handicap sections. Registration is open now at GoClubs.org.
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Published On 3/8/2023
The Glory of go?
“I haven’t watched it yet, but the Korean show The Glory now streaming on Netflix has go as a major element,” reports Peter Armenia. If anyone has more info, please let us know!

AlphaGo’s “Sputnik moment”
Former U.S. Go Congress Director Dave Weimer’s wife Melanie Manion spotted this mention of AlphaGo’s win over humans as a “Sputnik moment” for Chinese leaders in AI thinking in Susan L. Shirk’s Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise. (Oxford University Press, 2022).
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Published On 3/8/2023
The San Francisco Go Club hosted a 3-round tournament on Saturday, February 25th, in memory of longtime club member Guy Moreau. The tournament was held in the SF Go Club’s dojo in San Francisco’s Japantown, with all games being played on new go sets imported from Japan. Lunch was provided by Andersen Bakery.
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Published On 3/7/2023
The Gotham Go Group of New York City has teamed up with the New York University Game Center to host the next Gotham Go Tournament on Saturday, April 1. The tournament will be held in NYU’s Brooklyn location. “A relationship between the Gotham Go Group and the NYU Game Center is a natural fit” says local organizer Peter Armenia, who only recently discovered the center’s existence. Frank Lantz, an expert on games, is one of the center’s founders and is a go player himself; you may have seen him interviewed in The Surrounding Game movie.
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Published On 3/7/2023
The New York Institute of Go’s new Manhattan location celebrated its grand opening the weekend of February 24-26 with over 100 players from around the country. To mark the occasion, Will Lockhart, director of the Surrounding Game documentary, donated a treasured ING board to the center. Players were also treated to some passionate Hikaru No Go karaoke, sung by Edward Zhang in honor of the many years of Japanese support for the community.
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Published On 3/7/2023
Registration for the 2023 Chicago Open on May 27-28 in Evanston, Illinois, has started, with eight out-of-state players already registered, including five high-dan players. See the Who’s Coming List to view the current registrants. Co-organizers Cheuk To Tsui and Albert Yen expect a high turnout.

“The Chicago tournaments have seen steady growth, and we hope to see this trend continue,” Tsui said. “Our goal is to make the 2023 Chicago Open a mainstay event on the calendar.”
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Published On 3/7/2023
Sign-up is now open for the second season of the North American Online League (NAOL). NAOL is an online league funded by the North American Go Federation in collaboration with the American, Canadian, and Mexican go associations. It is intended to be a primary driver of an online rating connected to your go association ID.
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Published On 3/3/2023
“We are back!” says longtime Maryland Open organizer Keith Arnold. The 47th Maryland Open will take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 and May 28 at the same great location in Catonsville. “Details and Registration coming soon!” Arnold promises.
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Published On 3/3/2023
Ryo Maeda 6p, who has attended the US Go Congress for the past 19 years, reports that the Kansai Kiin will be organizing the 8th Osaka Go Camp June 25- July 13. “During the camp, we have league games in the mornings and full teaching programs in the afternoons by professional players every day,” says Maeda. The teaching programs will be in English. “On holidays, we will also organize some day trips to places like downtown Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, and a two-day trip to Himeji and Kobe, attending an official tournament in Himeji and sightseeing includes Hmeji castle and Kobe. I promise that everyone can improve quite a lot through the Camp and the Congress and will have a lot of fun; We are looking forward to seeing you in Osaka!”
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Published On 2/26/2023
Lan claimed the title after winning a tightly contested final round with Sungjun Lee 5D who also entered that round with a 4-0 record. There were a total of 17 players in the Open section ranging from 3D to 6D. The top three finishers all with a record of 4-1 were: Juanshu Lan (1st), Sungjun Lee (2nd) and Jake Game (3rd).
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Published On 2/24/2023
EJ photographer Phil Straus sometimes has trouble finding an opponent. Here’s his solution.
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Published On 2/21/2023
Thousands of books from the Yutopian donation of 32,000 go books are now on their way to AGA chapters and programs around the country. A team of volunteers led by myself and ex-AGA president Andy Okun sent out 62 shipments last week. With luck the heavy boxes will survive and arrive, a belated Valentine’s Day gift for go lovers.
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Published On 2/20/2023
The North American Go Federation (NAGF) will hold the 2023 Pro Qualification Tournament at the San Francisco Go Club at 22 Peace Plaza #501, San Francisco, California from August 6 to 11, 2023.

The NAGF will certify one player from this tournament as a new professional player.
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Published On 2/20/2023
This year’s San Diego Winter Tournament, held on February 5, began with clear skies and brisk 60 degree weather. Roughly 40 tournament attendees arrived from as far away as England to test their strength. Local club president Enrique Garcia tried to keep the atmosphere light with a plethora of breakfast snacks, but the announcement of the first round was followed by tense silence as dark clouds began to brew over the many gobans.
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Published On 2/19/2023
The main event of February was the veteran Sakata Eio’s defense of the Jūdan title against young challenger Takagi Shōichi 7d. It should be noted, in those pre-Kisei days, the Jūdan was the number three title, behind the Meijin and Hon’inbo (the Jūdan has since fallen to 7th). We see the two players engaged in the first game on February 14-15, which was won by Sakata. The veteran also won the second on the 21st and 22nd. Finally we see a triumphant Sakata after winning three straight on the 28th.
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Published On 2/19/2023
A human player has comprehensively defeated a top-ranked AI system at the board game Go, in a surprise reversal of the 2016 computer victory that was seen as a milestone in the rise of artificial intelligence.

Kellin Pelrine, an American player who is one level below the top amateur ranking, beat the machine by taking advantage of a previously unknown flaw that had been identified by another computer.

The triumph, which has not previously been reported, highlighted a weakness in the best Go computer programs that is shared by most of today’s widely used AI systems, including the ChatGPT chatbot created by San Francisco-based OpenAI.
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Published On 2/19/2023
In a two-day, double-elimination tournament, Samuel Lee 7D defeated Edward Zhang 6D at the Seoul Kiwon Baduk club in Annandale, Virginia to become the 2022 Virginia State Champion.
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Published On 2/17/2023
February 19th is the last day for early registration to the 1st New York State Championship. The two-day tournament featuring a $1,200 top cash prize will take place on Feb. 25-26, 2023 in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

Reunite with your Go friends in the six-round tournament and in evening events such as pair Go, crazy Go, and 13×13 tournaments. For more information, please visit the tournament page or contact tournaments@ny-go.org.
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Published On 2/7/2023
This year’s U.S. Go Congress will take place Saturday July 8 through Sunday July 16 at Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio, near Cleveland. Almost all activities will be in the Kent Student Center. Details will be announced soon on the Congress registration website. “Volunteers are needed!” says Steve Zilber, the Cleveland Go Club president, who’s co-directing this year’s Congress with Jerry Jaffe.
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Published On 2/1/2023
“The AGHS is excited to announce its upcoming online Blitz tournament on Sunday, February 19th,” says AGHS President Jenny Li, “All players are welcome and encouraged to participate! The tournament will encompass 5 blitz rounds during a one-day tournament.”
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Published On 1/31/2023
Sumire’s progress

(Nov. 17) Sumire (W) beat Nyu Eiko, Senko Cup-holder, by resig. (26th Women’s Kisei, main tournament, round 2).

(Nov. 21) Sumire (B) lost to Sakai Yuki 2-dan by resig. (prelim. round final, Teikei Young Stars).

(Nov. 26) Sumire (W) lost to Koike Yoshihiro (round 1, 17th Young Carp).

(Dec. 1). Sumire (B) beat Mukai Chiaki 6-dan by resig. (main tournament sf, 26th Women’s Kisei).

(Dec. 5). Sumire (W) beat Koyama Ryugo 7-dan by resig. (First Tournament, round 1, 48th Kisei)

(Dec. 8) Sumire (B) beat Fujisawa Rina Women’s Honinbo by resig. (play-off to decide the challenger, 26th Women’s Kisei).

(Dec. 15) Sumire (W) beat Okuda Aya 4-dan (prelim., round 2, 10th Women’s Hollyhock Cup).

(Dec. 22). Sumire (W) beat Nyu Eiko by resig. (34th Women’s Meijin League).
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Published On 1/30/2023
The final section of the Teikei Young Stars tournament consists of two six-player leagues. The winners meet in a play-off to decide the title. In a tournament labeled as for “young stars”, it was a little surprising to find holders big-three titles, namely, Shibano Toramaru Meijin in the A League and Ichiriki Ryo Kisei in the B League. All the games were played from December 17 to 22, and, not surprisingly, each won his league 5-0 (each was two wins clear of the field) and will meet in the best-of-three play-off scheduled for March. Actually, Seki Kotaro Tengen also played in the B League, though he did not do very well, scoring 2-3.
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Published On 1/29/2023
The second round of the 24th Nongshim Cup was held on the net in late November. Japan did badly, but in the final game of the round, Iyama Yuta, who won four games in a row in the previous cup, once again saved their bacon, picking up the first Japanese win. The 27th Samsung Cup will always be remembered as the first tournament in which a woman player, Choi Jeong 9-dan, reached the final. In the best-of-three title match, however, she lost 0-2 to Shin Jinseo 9-dan, the world’s number one rated player.
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Published On 1/28/2023
Registration is now open for the 30th Redmond Cup and 6th AGA Girls Cup, the AGA’s annual premier youth tournaments for North American youth under 18 and females under 16 respectively. Players must have an accredited rank of 1-dan or higher to participate in the Redmond Cup, and an accredited rank of 9-kyu or higher to participate in the AGA Girls Cup.
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Published On 1/27/2023
The San Francisco Go Club’s Lunar New Year Go tournament was a vibrant celebration of the Chinese New Year. On a sunny but brisk Saturday, January 21, 37 players gathered to compete in three divisions. The tournament was a lively event that included a roast pig lunch.
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Published On 1/24/2023
Ida sets new record in Crown, a regional title, open only to the members of the Central Japan (Nagoya) branch of the Nihon Ki-in. China wins 23rd Agon Kiriyama Play-off. Iyama wins Ryusei title after life-and-death hallucination.
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Published On 1/23/2023
The main section (for the best 16) of the 17th Hiroshima Aluminum Cup Young Carp Tournament was held in the Central Japan Newspaper Headquarters Building on November 26 and 27. For the third year in a row it was won by a woman player and for the second year in a row that woman player was Ueno Asami. In the final, Ueno (W) defeated Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan by resignation. (The winner of the 15th Cup was Fujisawa Rina.)
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Published On 1/23/2023
The American Go Association is converting to new software in February. There will be a new website and added functionality for members and chapters that you will be hearing more about soon. The implementation team is preparing to convert the existing records to the new system and need your help in making sure the records are clean and up to date. Here is what you can do.
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Published On 1/23/2023
The tournament will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-28, in Evanston, Illinois. It will consist of eight rounds played over two days, with one-day options available. A departure from previous tournaments in Evanston, the 2023 Chicago Open will switch to McMahon pairing instead of the self-paired format.
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Published On 1/23/2023
Round 2 of Pandanet AGA City League happens this weekend. Watch teams from almost 40 teams and among 150 players from across the US and Canada.
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Published On 1/22/2023
We begin the New Year with the Uchizomeshiki, a ceremony held at the Nihon Ki’in in Ichigaya on January 5. The event, which Go Review compared to a “purification ceremony,” is an essential kick off for the tournament year. Pictured is a ceremonial game. Your editor recognizes some of the faces of the “old guard” of Japanese go at the time.
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Published On 1/22/2023
The 48th Tengen title match started off with Black winning both games (see my report of October 24). There was a gap of over three weeks before the next game, which was played at the Hotel Marital Sosei Kurume in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, on November 14. Taking white, Ida Atsushi 9-dan, the challenger, beat Seki Kotaro Tengen by resignation after 202 moves. This gave Ida a 2-1 lead, so Seki’s grip on the title seemed to have been loosened.
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Published On 1/22/2023
Could your chapter use some free books? Perhaps to stock or replenish your club’s library and/or to offer as tournament prizes? When Yutopian went out of business, it gave its stock of 32,000 books to the American Go Foundation, which teamed up with the AGA to offer free books to AGA chapters. More than two dozen AGA chapters responded to a direct mailing last Fall and now other chapters, libraries, and school programs can participate, but you must act now.
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Published On 1/18/2023
Registration for the 2023 New York State Championships is open to all players of all levels. The event will be held on February 25 and 26 at the New York Institute of Go in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

The main events include the Open Tournament, New York State Open Championship, and New York Youth Championship with a maximum of 140 seats. Besides the main tournament games, there will also be evening events like Pair Go, Crazy Go, 9X9 and 13X13 Tournaments. The event is located in the center of Hell’s Kitchen with a variety of delicious food.
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Published On 1/17/2023
The 10th annual North American Kyu Championships (NAKC) is now open for registration. The tournament will be held online on the KGS Go Server on Saturday, February 18th and consist of four rounds over the course of one day.
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Published On 1/11/2023
Ryan Li’s recent win at the 2022 North American Professional Go Championship in Toronto not only netted him the $6,000 top prize, but a promotion to Professional 4 dan, after he reached 60 points in the North American Go Federation’s Professional Rank Promotion System.
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Published On 1/10/2023
The North American Online League (NAOL) begins play on January 24th. Players will be grouped by skill level in groups of six and play a round-robin of weekly games. All games will be played even with AGA rules, 45 minutes base time and 3×30 byo-yomi.
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Published On 1/8/2023
Yilun Yang 7P has been creating original annual problems based on the digits of the New Year for many years now. Yang is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. His original tsume-go problems are a regular feature in the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.

Join the AGA now and receive the weekly E-Journal with members-only extras such as game files with professional commentary. Plus: participate in local and national tournaments, the national rating system, and attend the annual US Go Congress –- the largest go event in North America.

Join the AGA now and receive the weekly E-Journal with members-only extras such as game files with professional commentary. Plus: participate in local and national tournaments, the national rating system, and attend the annual US Go Congress –- the largest go event in North America.
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Published On 1/8/2023
The Iwamoto North American Foundation for Go (INAF) has released three more online go lectures, all in English. This follows release of two lectures last month.
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Published On 1/6/2023
Those looking for evidence that in-person go events can still attract a crowd need look no further than the Toronto Go Spectacular, held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) from December 28 to 30. Organized by the North American Go Federation and sponsored by Deep Mind, the event attracted nearly 200 players and included youth, novice, Open and professional tournaments.
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Published On 1/2/2023
The Guang Yu Cup Go Tournament, held at the San Francisco Go Club in Japantown on December 31st, 2022, “was a vibrant and exciting event,” reports SFGC presideny Matthew Barcus. The tournament was sponsored by the family of Guang Yu in honor of his life contributions to the go community. All participants received event T-shirts, and winners of each division were awarded cash prizes and bottles of wine.
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Published On 1/1/2023
Yilun Yang 7P has been creating original annual problems based on the digits of the New Year for many years now. Yang is one of the most popular go teachers in the US. His original tsume-go problems are a regular feature in the Member’s Edition of the American Go E-Journal. You can reach him at yly_go@yahoo.com.
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Published On 12/31/2022
In August of 2021 the Grande Ronde Go Club in Oregon took a trip to the Alvord Desert in Southern Oregon, a vast, dry lake bed, to get away from the hustle and bustle and play some go, reports Ty Bowen.
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Published On 12/29/2022
Kevin Yang 1P won the 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament by defeating Alexander Qi 1P in the final round. The 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament was hosted and organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association as part of the 2022 Youth Weiqi Forum.
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Published On 12/23/2022
Kevin Yang 1P won the 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament by defeating Alexander Qi 1P in the final round. The 2022 China – North America Youth New Pro Tournament was hosted and organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association as part of the 2022 Youth Weiqi Forum.
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Published On 12/23/2022
Under the banner of the North American Go Federation (NAGF) a new online league is launching in January. North American Online League (NAOL) playwill be a benefit open to American and Canadian members of the AGA or CGA. The league is built upon the successful models that have been run by the Massachusetts Go Association (MGA) and the CGA. “We are thrilled to offer a new venue for passionate go players of the AGA and CGA to play competitive games without traveling,” says NAGF Executive Director Hajin Lee.
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Published On 12/22/2022
Eight students competed last weekend for a chance to travel to Japan in February to represent North America in the 21st World Student Go Championship.
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Published On 12/19/2022
Two lectures by Yanagisawa Satoshi 6p, sponsored by the Iwamoto North American Foundation and Nihon Kiin, are now available on Youtube. The first, “Ko Threat for Dan players”, discusses how to make ko threats bigger before using them. The second, on “AI joseki“, discusses a popular AI joseki frequently seen in modern games.
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Published On 12/18/2022
The month began with the 4th Bled International Go Masters event in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia) on December 1-3. The undefeated winner was a Japanese visitor, a Mr. Takahashi. Second was Mr. Merrissert of France on five wins.

On December 20, challenger Honda Sachiko 4d defeated Kitani Reiko 6d to take a one game lead in the Ladies’ Hon’inbo title.

Sakata Eio continues his domination of the smaller titles with a victory over Hashimoto Utarō in the Ōza title on December 14, winning the 3 game series 2-1.

Ōhira Shūzō 9d defeated Yamabe Toshirō 9d for the right to challenge Sakata in the Nihon Ki’in Championship.
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Published On 12/13/2022
Over eighty go players gathered in San Diego on the weekend after Thanksgiving to contest the 5-round 2022 King Cup – California State Go Championship. The Open section had sixteen strong players including an 8-dan, two 7-dans, and eight 6-dans. All games were played at the comfortable San Diego Chess Club (2020 American Chess Club of the Year) in Balboa Park. The state tournament was hosted by the San Diego Go Club for the 5th year.
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Published On 12/12/2022
Fueled by hot chocolate and cookies, 30 players came in from the cold to compete in the National Go Center Winter Warmer last Saturday, December 10. There were three first-place winners all with 3-1 records: Huang Qi (6D), Joel Kenny (5D) and Qingbo Zhang (5D)
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Published On 12/12/2022
From November 21-29, Yoonyoung Kim 8P, Choi Jeong 9P, Eunji Kim 5P, and Kim Chaeyoung 7P made their ways to the semi-finals round of the 6th Haesung Korean Women’s Kisung. The tournament is a notable women’s championship in Korea featuring top female Korean professional players. Most games have been broadcast live on BadukTV, and the total prize pool sums to 121 million won (US $93,000) with a top prize of 50 million won ($38,000).
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Published On 12/8/2022
Eleven-year-old Richard Duan 2D upset two adult 4-Dan players in even games at the November 27th Capital Go Club’s Fall Tournament in Fairfax, Virginia, winning the Youth Championship, a subset of the overall tournament. Three other players achieved two wins: Chebong Cho 4D, Raymond Kim 4D and Sun Lee 14K. Samuel Lee 7D (1W-2L) and James Park 7D from the Korean American Baduk Association (Annandale Va.) have been invited to the 2022 VA State Championship Final, coming up this Sunday, December 11.
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Published On 12/5/2022
The 21st World Student Go Championship will be held at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo from February 21 to February 22, 2023. The North American Go Federation is now accepting applications for one player to represent North America in this tournament; full airfare, accommodations and meals will be provided by the tournament organizing team.
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Published On 11/30/2022
On December 10th in Raleigh, N.C., local organizer Boris Bernadsky is hosting Go Rebuilds, a tournament to raise funds to benefit Ukraine.
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Published On 11/28/2022
The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) is seeking to fund one or two university projects for a comprehensive literature survey and review of research linking mind sports to cognitive science. Of particular interest is how mind sports such as go may contribute to the cognitive development of youth and to the cognitive maintenance of senior citizen. The deadline for submitting a proposal is March 31, 2023.
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Published On 11/28/2022
On November 5, Takao Matsuda, once again, secured the title of U.S. Hon’inbo, winning the telephone match by a half a point over Shigeo Matsubara. Matsuda had never lost this tournament since it began in 1968.

Hashimoto Utarō challenged Sakata Eio for the Ōza title. Sakata won the first game on November 16, but Hashimoto evened the score on November 30.
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Published On 11/27/2022
“When a nation’s fortunes rise or fall, so too do its fortunes in Go.” That’s from “Why Chinese players of Go aren’t winning any more” in the Nov. 12 issue of The Economist, quoting Marshal Chen Yi, a go-playing soldier in China’s civil war. The column notes that after decades of dominating the go world, “Chinese players have been losing more than they have been winning.”
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Published On 11/27/2022
The Iwamoto North American Go Foundation (INAF) Board has approved establishing a new “INAF Lifetime Achievement Award” to honor individuals who, over their lifetime, have made significant contributions to the advancement of the culture and sport of go in North America. It is expected that up to one award will be made each year. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 31.
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Published On 11/24/2022
The 7th Ing Cup World Collegiate Invitational will be streamed live this Saturday, November 26 on the USGO Twitch channel with commentary starting around 8am EST. Stephanie Yin 1p is organizing the US team and the event and Devin Fraze will manage the AGA E-journal broadcast.
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Published On 11/24/2022
The Quzhou Lanke Cup 4.º Congreso Latino­americano de Go 2022 (4th Latin American Go Congress) turned out to be a huge success,” reports Stephanie Yin 1P. “The event was held October 7th-11th, 2022 in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires.
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Published On 11/17/2022
Yoda suspended by the Nihon Ki-in
This is not a matter one wants to get involved in, the reason being that, with the paucity of information available, it’s not possible for an outsider to make any meaningful judgment, but I can give some details. My report on the Masters Cup published on August 23, 2019, gives the bare bones of the dispute. More details are given in my report of February 22, 2020. The Nihon Ki-in board of directors suspended Yoda from play for six months.
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Published On 11/16/2022
Honinbo League - ehe 78th Honinbo League got off to a start on October 3 when Yo Seiki beat Fujita Akihiko.
Women’s Meijin League - Kobayashi Izumi, a newcomer to the league, and Nakamura Sumire, the previous challenger, have both made good starts.
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Published On 11/13/2022
China wins 1st Hoban Cup - Ueno Asami had just won three games in a row, including a win over the world’s number one woman player, Choi Jeong 9-dan. In game 13, played on October 20, Zhou Hongyu 6-dan (B) beat her by resignation, so China won the 1st Cup with one player, Yu Zhiying, still in reserve. First prize is 100,000,000 won ($71,225 at $1 = 1404 won). Japan came second and Korea third. Ueno received a prize of for winning three games in a row.
Shibano wins Meijin title = The sixth game of the 47th Meijin title match was held at the Atami Sekitei Inn in Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on October 24 and 25. Taking black, Iyama Yuta Meijin, who was facing his second successive kadoban, played solidly in the opening. The challenger, Shibano Toramaru 9-dan, played aggressively, making attack after attack. In the middle game, a black group suddenly got cut off.
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Published On 10/26/2022
Most wins
The top four players in this list are all women, which is probably a first.

1. Ueno Asami, Women’s Hollyhock: 39-15; Nakamura Sumire 2-dan: 39-18
3. Fujisawa Rina, Women’s Honinbo: 37-14
4. Nyu Eiko, Senko Cup: 36-16
5. Ichiriki Ryo Kisei: 34-20
6. Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan: 32-9
7. Otake Yu 7-dan: 31-9
8. Ida Atsushi 9-dan: 30-14; Suzuki Ayumi 7-dan: 30-19
10. Hirata Tomoya 7-dan: 29-6

Most successive wins
8: Rin Kanketsu 8-dan, Motoki Katsuya 8-dan, Koike Yoshihiro 7-dan
6: Akiyama Jiro 9-dan, Shida Tatsuya 8-dan, Sakai Yuki 3-dan
5: Yamashita Keigo 9-dan, Cho U 9-dan, Kono Rin 9-dan, Kono Takashi 8-dan, Muramatsu Hiroki 6-dan, Konishi Yoshiakira 1-dan
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Published On 10/19/2022
October 4-5 was the sixth and final game of the Meijin title match. Rin Kaihō retained the title, defeating veteran Fujisawa Shūkō. This was his 6th Meijin title overall. (Game record: Meijin Game 6.) Go Review had an interesting take on the generation wars at the time, opining that because Rin and Ishida Yoshio used all of their time, and Shūkō and Sakata Eio did not, the young men were somehow inferior in “the techniques of go.” Somehow, Go Review seemed to blame time controls for the players who used their time defeating the players who did not.
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Published On 9/25/2022
The month began with the 3rd International Tournament taking place in New York on September 2. Unfortunately, we cannot recover any further details on this fun team event.

On September 3-4 the Hawai’i Ki’in celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a visit from the Great Kitani, his wife, his daughter Reiko, as well as Ishida Yoshio, Takemiya Masaki and Haruyama Isamu. More than 40 were in attendance.

Also this month the Argentine Championship was won by a Mr. Hara, over 100 players participated.
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Published On 8/28/2022
August 4th found Iwamoto Kaoru in London on his European tour. He gave a lecture and scored 9-1 in a simultaneous exhibition.

The European Go Congress carried into the first two weeks of August, in Ensechede, Holland. Iwamoto made an appearance there as well, along with 120 participants from all over Europe, including visitors from the U.S. and Mexico. Jürgen Mattern of Germany was undefeated, and secured his fifth Championship. Germany won the team championship, followed by the host nation.

On August 14, James Davies played T. Miyoshi, a mystery author known as the “Literary Hon’inbo,” in a special televised match. Davies opened on tengen and secured a convincing victory.

The Meijin Title, between Rin Kaihō Meijin and Fujisawa Shūkō 9d began on August 16. Go Seigen is pictured in our photo of the match, which was won convincingly by Shūkō.
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Published On 7/26/2022
On July 7-8 the seventh game of the Hon’inbo title match happened between Rin Kaihō Meijin and Ishida Yoshio Hon’inbo. We see a smiling Ishida in close up, and again in the game photo surveying his 2.5 point win. (Game record: Hon’inbo Game 7.)

The NHK television network sponsored an afternoon of go for foreigners at the Nihon Ki’in on July 16. Forty beginners participated in the lessons, led by Stuart Dowsey, ably assisted by Mark Hall. Honorary Hon’inbo Takagawa Shukaku (pictured with Dowsey) welcomed the group to a very successful event.

At the same time, on July 16-17 Fujisawa Shūkō continued his rear guard action against the attack of the younger generation, in the Meijin League. His victory (pictured) over Ishida Hon’inbo gave him the right to challenge Rin Meijin. (Game record: Meijin League Fujisawa vs. Ishida.) For our younger readers, the strange item in the corner of the playing room is a television set.
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Published On 6/26/2022
The month began with a tour group visit by 25 Japanese amateur players to London where an informal match was held at Imperial College on June 1. The group was led by Itō Tomoe, who was then 4d. Itō was a disciple of Kita Fumiko, and by the time of the tour, she had won the Women’s Championship seven times, including five consecutive victories. The British Go Journal reported that the locals won most of their games, but “Mrs. Itō…won all of her games.” The photo attached was taken when the tour group visited Köln, Germany.
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Published On 5/26/2022
The Hon’inbo Title, held by Ishida Yoshio, was the big topic of the month. The Hon’inbo League ended in a tie between Rin Meijin and the veteran Sakata Eio, each with scores of 5-2. A playoff was held on May 3 and 4 and Rin was victorious, setting up a rematch of last year’s event. The first two games (on May 8 to 9 and May 17 to 18) resulted in wins for black, the first game to Ishida, the second to Rin. But in the third game, Rin scored a win with white on May 25 to 26 to take the lead in the best of seven contest. (Game records: playoff game, Game 1, Game 2, Game 3.)
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Published On 4/23/2022
On April 12th, Ishida Yoshio nosed ahead of his modest challenger Iwata Tatsuaki 9d in the Pro Best Ten tournament. And, on April 24th, he completed his defense of the title. Although the games were all quite close, Iwata calmly remarked, “After all, the weaker player lost.” (Game records: Game 3, Game 4.)

As of April 15, the Hon’inbo League had but one game to play, and a playoff would be required to challenge Ishida Hon’inbo. Sakata Jūdan and Rin Meijin finished tied with 5-2 records. The Meijin League still had a way to go, but Fujisawa Shūkō led with a 4-0 record. Ōtake Hideo trailed at 3-1 and they had yet to play.
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Published On 3/15/2004
2004 GO CONGRESS ONLINE: The website is now up for this year92s U.S. Go Congress in Rochester, NY. Although registration forms are not yet available, you can check out the fine accommodations (Every room has two double beds with an optional rollaway, satellite TV, internet access, iron and ironing board and private bathroom) and nearby attractions (including Niagara Falls, Letchworth State Park, the Corning Glass Museum and the Rockwell Museum of Western Art) and the cool Congress logo at http://www.gocongress.org.
GUO JUAN RETURNS: The next Guo Juan workshop is set for June 3-6 in Round Top, NY at The Woodlands $300, reports organizer Jean Claude Chetrit. This popular workshop with Ms. Guo, a 5 dan Chinese professional who lives and teachers in Amsterdam, fills up fast, so register early: zorglub@brooklyngoclub.org or call 718-638-2266.
Get more info at http://brooklyngo club.org/
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