October 13, 2003
In This Edition:
GO NOVEL RE-ISSUED:
The Girl Who Played Go, Shan Sa's tale of a
Japanese soldier and female Chinese go master has found a new publisher.
Alfred A. Knopf's new edition is now available in bookstores and online at
http://www.randomhouse.com/knopf/catalog/display.pperl?1400040256
Check out our review of this book in the July 15, 2003 edition at http://www.hilltopgo.com/agej/index.html.
- reported by Roy Laird
GUO JUAN ON BUILDING A BASE:
"If we build a tall building without a solid base it will crash,"
Guo Juan
told the E-Journal last weekend. Guo, a professional go player
and teacher based in Amsterdam, was in Round Top, New York to give a 3-day
workshop. "In the West, people learn go without teachers. They learn
from friends, or at a club, so they learn go by playing, with no-one to
tell them about bad shape" or other fundamentals of the game. This is
why, Guo says, players in both the U.S. and Europe tend to get stuck in the
low-dan ranks for many years. "There is no go school where you can
learn the basics. Many players like to teach, and that is very nice, but
they need a base, too," Guo insists. Lacking a solid grounding in go
fundamentals, she adds, "even top amateur players make basic mistakes."
With teachers and books more widely available now, new players, especially
children, have an opportunity to learn properly, says Guo, while established
players who want to break through to better go will have to work hard to
build a base to underpin years of old habits. Like most pros, Guo prescribes
daily study of life and death problems to learn key shapes. Game review is
also critical, she says, "Not so much the specific tactics of why you
won or lost, but the crucial points in the game, whether you should have
been building or destroying, for example."
CH'ANG-HO WINS FIRST ROUND IN LG CUP:
In the first game of the 8th Korean LG Cup final,
Yi (Lee) Ch'ang-ho once again easily defeated
Cho Han-seung 6p. Cho is one of the strongest young
players in Korea, but his record against Yi is very poor, currently 1:11.
You can download the game at http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/momoyama/news/kr/lg/lg.html .
- reported by Dennis Hardman
JAPAN WINS FIFTH CYBER-5X5 GAME:
Preventing a total sweep by China, Japan's O Rissei 9p (playing
white) defeated China's Kong Jie 7p by resignation after 182
moves on September 30th in the fifth and final game of the China-Japan
Cyber 5x5 Team Match. The final score of this 5-game "good will"
match was 4-1 (China). Game records can be found at at
HTTP://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/pub/web_goweekly/nicchu/index-e.htm.
-reported by Dennis Hardman
KOREANS SWEEP INTO JEONGGANJANG CUP SEMIS:
In the last week, four Korean players, Rui Naiwei 9p,
Park JiEun 4p, Yun Yeongseon 3p, and
Lee Yeongsin 3p have advanced to the semi-finals of the
2nd Jeongganjang Women's Cup held in Beijing, China. The
second round play resulted in disappointment for Chinese players and fans
who, like last year, expected to be represented all the way to the finals.
The clear favorite is last year's winner "Iron Lady" Rui Naiwei,
who is considered by many to be the best female player in the world. The
semi-finals will be held in Seoul, South Korea in late November and the
finals in Shanghai, China in January 2004. Game replays can be found at
http://www.go4go.net.
- reported by Dennis Hardman
OTHER ASIAN GO NEWS IN BRIEF
[compiled from http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/momoyama/news/news.html]
We're also pleased to offer the latest set of Yilun Yang's tsume go (life and death) problems, ranging in difficulty from beginner to intermediate and advanced. Look for solutions next week!
GET game commentaries and problem files PLUS get the E-Journal's go news, reviews and columns 24 hours earlier! Sign up for the Games Edition today at http://postsnet.com/r.html?c=243841&r=243392&t=46044451&l=1&d=84877022&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=84877028 and start receiving your game files next week!
WHY NOT THE BEST?
"I was stunned when I saw in
a recent E-Journal report that the North America
representative at the Women's Cup is Ms. Xiaoren He
5p," writes 2003 U.S Open Champion Jie Li. "In absolutely no
offense to Ms. He, a great promoter of go in North America, where is the sole other
female 9 dan professional player in the world, Ms. Feng Yun? Ms. Feng
won the North America Ing Pro Cup this year, defeating all other
professional go players on this continent, which undoubtedly makes her the strongest
pro living in America. Most go players in Asia consider Ms. Feng the closest female
contender to Ms. Naiwei Rui, the only other 9 dan pro. I know there
are issues in the process of choosing the North American candidate, and there are
also some international disputes which cannot be easily solved. However, I also
wonder how much we have progressed on this particular topic. The best precedent was
already set by Ms. Naiwei, who now represents Korea in most of the international go
tournaments, despite not being a Korean citizen. Shouldn't we try our best to send
our strongest candidates to world competition? Certainly, the process of making
changes won't be easy, as the AGA does not have great world-wide recognition yet.
However, I do believe this is a change that we must undertake, instead of simply
obeying the old-fashioned rules."
GET THE PICTURE?
"I noticed in the 9/29/03 E Journal
that there was a referral to http://www.usgo.org
to see the picture of the week 'Child's Play -- kids playing go', writes
Jean DeMaiffe. "It sounded worth checking out, but when I
went to the website I couldn't find it. Could you be more explicit about where to
look?"
NOTE: We now feature a new photo on the AGA homepage every week: check out Mike Samuel and Phil Straus playing Nakayama sensei this week at http://www.usgo.orgCORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS:
Past homepage photos are now archived on the AGA's photo album page at http://www.usgo.org/photos/
Even with directions it isn't easy to find. Perhaps that's appropriate for The Woodlands, a little go Shangri-la tucked away in the verdant Catskill Mountains just a few hours north of New York City.
A small 20-room inn, The Woodlands is co-owned by a group of New Yorkers that includes Brooklyn Go Club organizer Jean-Claude Chetrit. For more than a decade, JC has organized annual go gatherings at The Woodlands, starting with the July 4th holiday and expanding in recent years to Labor Day and, this year, workshops with pro instructor Guo Juan on the Memorial Day and Columbus Day holidays.
As you'd expect in Shangri-la, time is a very fluid concept at The Woodlands. Schedules are loosely kept, if at all, and things never go according to plan, which is fine, because there usually isn't a plan. Therein lies the attraction of the Woodlands for the several dozen regulars who return year after year, as well as the new friends who find their way through the questionably-marked country roads. Go players drift in, equipment appears and the games begin. It is possible to not only find yourself playing go as the sun is just peeping over the nearby mountains and the grass is still heavy with morning dew, but to still be at the board hours (days?) later as moonlight casts shadows across the now darkened lawn stretching out in front of the inn's grand wrap-around porch. As your grip on time loosens, you find yourself noticing the sound of crickets and the sighing of the wind in the trees, the smell of thyme growing wild in the lawn. The passing of clouds or the progress of a mountain storm - brief and violent, followed by fresh-washed blue skies - reflects in and on the battle between slate and shell.
There's never any organized play at The Woodlands and clocks, while not specifically banned, tend to fall into disuse fairly quickly from lack of interest. Competition is as intense as you'll find anywhere else, but at The Woodlands it's common to come across boards abandoned mid-game for a pick-up soccer game, dip in the pool or raucous political debate. While folks fend for themselves for breakfast and lunch - everyone kicks in to stock the community fridge - someone always steps forward to whip up dinner for 40, which is fairly gourmet more often than not (Saturday night we dined on pork tenderloin medallions in a mustard-caper sauce). Evenings usually find the porch a peaceable kingdom of go and impromptu concerts, ranging from classical to folk and of course the entire Tom Lehrer songbook.
Non-go players and children (though in recent years more and more of the children have become quite formidable on the board) are welcomed and find plenty to do, from mountain hikes to the Catskill Game Farm, caverns and the many other attractions of the Catskills, including the ubiquitous yard sales and antique shops.
Recent repairs and a new coat of paint notwithstanding, the glory days of The Woodlands as a top-notch Catskills inn are long-gone. The beds sag in the middle, the porch roof leaks, the china is chipped and there are no mints on the pillows at night. If those things are important to you, try one of the resorts down the road. But for good company, plenty of go and a peaceful place where time slows down to a long stroll on a lazy country afternoon, The Woodlands is hard to beat. If you can find it.
Find out more about the Brooklyn Go Club at http://brooklyngoclub.org/bgc/index.iphtml
WANTED: Look for go/weiqi/baduk players in the Schaumburg IL area who can teach a beginner (like me) or maybe hold regular sessions in Barnes and Noble, Schaumburg Library or Caribou coffee. I'll help in forming a club in the area. Email asian_dude@yahoo.com (10/13)
WANTED: Professional go player and American Go Journal contributing editor James Kerwin is now accepting game records for a new E-Journal feature. Kerwin will review selected games online with both players and the game, with commentary, will then appear in the E-Journal. There is no cost to players, but at least one must be a member of the American Go Association. Please send .sgf game records to E-Journal Assistant Bill Cobb at wmscobb@comcast.net (10/6)
WANTED: Go clubs or players on Maui; billandcorrine@comcast.net (10/6)
WANTED: Go players in the greater Towson, Maryland area. We're a small club that meets weekly, but on various nights (usually Mon.). Contact Jim Pickett j.m.pickett@att.net (10/6)
WANTED: Players of all strengths. Rumors of the Bayou Go club's demise have been greatly exaggerated. We meet Wednesdays at 7p at the PJ's Coffehouse (1532 Robert E Lee Blvd) near the University of New Orleans. Come one, come all ... we need players. Meisch.Robert@nola.sysco.com (10/6)
WANTED: Santa Barbara, CA players; I'm currently a student at UCSB and I'm looking for a go club in the area. Pierre Tournier, pierre.tournier@colorado.edu (9/29)
WANTED: I would like to hook up with go players in the Sullivan County NY area. The nearest go club meeting in Woodstock NY with is a 2 hour drive from my house. Port Jervis or Middletown NY or the Honesdale Pa area would also be good. Ouida.Edington@ssa.gov (9/29)
Got go stuff to sell, swap or want to buy? Do it here and reach more than 5,000 Go players worldwide every week at Go Classified! Send to us at journal@usgo.org
October 18 & 19: San Francisco, CA
Dote Sensei Memorial Fall Tournament
Steve Burrall 916-688-2858 sburrall@comcast.net
October 25: Tacoma, WA
UPS Fall Tournament
Tyler Sellon 253-759-6860 tsellon@ups.edu
http://www.hilltopgo.com/ev/upsfall2003/index.html
October 25: Arlington, VA
Pumpkin Classic
Allan Abramson 703-684-7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net
October 25: Piscataway, NJ
Feng Yun Fall Tournament
GoLesson@yahoo.com
October 26: Canada-Japan Friendship Tournament
Ottawa, Canada
Pre-registration required (limit 60 players): Charles Chang 613-722-0603; ab073@freenet.carleton.ca
November 1 & 2: Rochester, NY
Empty Sky Fall Tournament 2003
Gregory L. Lefler 585-424-2269 glacticjoke@hotmail.com
HTTP://www.emptysky.org/tournament
November 1 & 2: Portland, OR
Portland Open Go Tournament
Glenn Peters 503-753-4919 glenn@aenigma.com
Robert O'Malley (Open Division) 541-929-5468 omalley@coas.oregonstate.edu
NOTE: this listing is not all-inclusive, featuring only upcoming tournaments in the next month or events which require early registration. For a complete U.S. listings, go to http://www.usgo.org/usa/tournaments.html
For the European Go Calendar see
http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/go/tourn.html
GET LISTED & BOOST TURN-OUT! Got an upcoming event? Reach over 5,000 readers every week! List your Go event/news In the E-Journal: email details to us at MAILTO:journal@usgo.orgPublished by the American Go AssociationRatings are on the web! Check the website; http://www.usgo.org for the full list.
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AGA CONTACT LIST:
For a full list of AGA officers, contacts & their email addresses, go to: http://www.usgo.org/org/index.asp#contactinfo
To make name or address corrections, notify us at the email address below.
Story suggestions, event announcements, Letters to the Editor and other
material are welcome, subject to editing for clarity and space, and should
be directed to:
Editor: Chris Garlock
mailto:journal@usgo.org