October 20, 2003
In This Edition:
REDMOND CUP TOURNAMENT OPEN TO YOUTH:
Young North American go players are invited to join the eleventh Redmond Cup
Tournament, organized by Michael Redmond 9-Dan and his family,
the American Go Association, the
Ing Wei-Ch'i Foundation
and IGS. There are
two divisions in the Cup; the Junior league for those under 12 and the Senior league
for those over 12 (and under 18 as of August 1st 2004). Competitors must be playing
at Dan strength and be residents of the U.S., Canada or Mexico. All games are played
on the Internet, courtesy of IGS, except for the finals which will be played at the
2004 American Go Congress. Travel expenses are paid for the finalists, as well as
their Congress room, board and registration fees, thanks to the Ing Foundation. The
finals are played using the Ing rules of Goe. To register, send the following
information to None Redmond at chinski@inreach.com
before December 1st 2003: name, address, phone #, date of birth, email address,
AGA rating, citizenship, go club.
NEW PHILLY CLUB FORMS:
The Penn Go Society has just been formed in Philadelphia; an
initial session was held on October 15 and more are planned at the Intermezzo Cafe
at 3131 Walnut Street at the Left Bank. For more details contact Jung M Park
at jpark1917mee@yahoo.com
WOODLANDS PICS POSTED:
Pictures from the Columbus Day Guo workshop at
The Woodlands
have now been posted on the Brooklyn Go Club website; check them out
on the Guo webpage on the first screen of http://brooklyngoclub.org
Organizer JC Chetrit will host the October 31 BGC meeting
"When we will also have the pleasure of Jean Michel's
company," reports JC. "As usual, he will play fast and a lot."
THE VIEW FROM THE 18TH FLOOR:
Players at the 2004 North American Toyota/Denso North American Oza Championship
in New York next January will enjoy a spectacular skyline view of New York
as they play. Organizers have announced that the tournament will take place
in the Penntop South Ballroom, on the 18th floor of their
midtown Manhattan location. "The glass walls are going to make it hard
for players to keep their eyes on the board," says organizer
Roy Laird. Check out the venue at http://www.hotelpenn.com/business.htm,
where you can also reserve rooms for as little as $109/night. But
don't make your reservations just yet: Laird is trying to negotiate a
group discount. The New York festivities will begin with a reception at the
Nippon Club featuring a concert by shakuhachi master Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin,
who you learn more about at http://www.nyogetsu.com/index.html
Entry to the reception and concert is free to tournament registrants, who
can also bring a guest.
CARTOON BOOKLET:
A nifty cartoon introduction to go by Andreas Fecke is on the
BGA website: http://www.britgo.org/cartoons/cartoonc1.html
A GO SCHOOL GROWS IN NEW JERSEY:
Arriving in the United States just three years ago, 9 dan professional go player
Feng Yun has moved quickly to make her mark on the American go scene.
Almost immediately after arriving, Ms. Feng began teaching private lessons and giving
lectures to clubs in the northern New Jersey/New York City area. Mozheng Guan,
a young 7 dan player who has twice won the Redmond Cup is among her
students. "He found me at random on the Internet," Ms. Feng said. Not satisfied
with the number of children she was teaching, Ms. Feng began organizing a go school in
New Jersey in the spring of 2002, advertising primarily in Chinese-language newspapers.
The Feng Yun Go School
held its first classes in September of last year and today she has 50 students, ranging
from total beginners to 4 kyu in strength and ranging in age from six-year-olds to
teenagers. "Iım surprised at the number," Feng Yun says. "I didn't expect so
many students." While most of her students come from Chinese families, she has
American students and "an Indian boy who's only six years old." Feng Yun teaches
in three locations in New Jersey, mainly on the weekends, the only time the busy children
are available. Parents enroll their children, says Feng Yun, because of their respect for
the game and its ability to hone concentration, "To train their minds." It's not
a cakewalk running the only go school in America, even for a 9-dan. Because there are
few materials appropriate for teaching kids go, Feng Yun spends much of the week creating
them from scratch. Plus, go must compete with other extra-curricular activities that
might look better on a college application. And when students go home, they rarely have
other children to play. To that end, the Feng Yun Go School has begun organizing
tournaments, the first of which was held in January of this year. With 104 competitors,
more than 40 were children. But the problem won't really be solved, she said, until
the game spreads into American schools so that it's more popular. The Internet helps,
says Ms. Feng, but "Kids don't like to play on the Internet. Go is a game of
communication, and it's important to play face-to-face. They help each other and they
communicate."
- reported by Jeff Miller
KERWIN ON LEAPING INTO WISDOM:
"You have to make a leap into the unknown," James Kerwin 1P
told the E-Journal Saturday. Kerwin, the first Westerner to achieve professional shodan
in Japan, was in the Washington, DC area to teach a go workshop over the weekend.
"A large problem with trying to improve is that your bad habits hold you back. You
can't break them by trying to do something different, because, lacking a good fundamental
basis, you don't know what to do different. The only way to break those habits is to work
with a teacher, who can show you the bad habit and give you ideas about what to do
instead. When you have bad habits, your perception is wrong, it's distorted. (A move)
looks good to you, or big, and it's not. Why don't people improve? It takes an effort of
will to not play out of your perception. Playing on the basis of a theoretical
understanding is hard work. Plus, you're not comfortable. You're playing moves and you
don't fully understand the moves, they don't necessarily look good to you (and) you're
in a very uncomfortable position. You have to stop playing the game at the level of your
perception and start playing from a theoretical understanding. That leap is the beginning
of wisdom. If you can't make that leap you never get there."
A REALLY BIG NUMBER:
The number of possible positions in go (approximately), is 4.63×10^170 according to
one M. Beeler. This dwarfs the number of subatomic particles it would
take to fill all the space in the universe, which is just 1×10^110 Thanks to
Jon Kapecki, who found these and some other really large numbers at
http://home.earthlink.net/~mrob/pub/math/numbers-10.html
REDMOND OUT OF FUJITSU:
Michael Redmond 9p played two games in the Fujitsu Preliminary A
qualifying tournament on October 6th. He won the first, against Kato Atsushi 8-dan,
by a forfeit because Kato did not play, but he lost the second, against Miyazawa Goro 9p,
losing by 3.5 points with Black. This drops Redmond out of the Fujitsu this time around.
- reported by John Power on the Nihon Kiin's home page at http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/topics2003/oldtopics2003-e/20031014-e.htm
WOMEN'S HONINBO TIED 1-1:
After two games, Kobayashi Izumi 5p, the current title holder, and
Yashiro Kumiko 5p are tied with one game each in the best-of-five
22nd Women's Honinbo. Yashiro, playing Black in the first game, got
off to a good start by forcing a resignation after 243 moves. Unintimidated, Kobayashi
came back in the second game and, playing Black, won by 6.5 points after 271 moves.
Kobayashi comes from a respected line of go professionals: Her mother, the late
Kobayashi Reiko 7p dominated the Women's Championships (the
predecessor of the Honinbo) in the 1960s. Her father, Kobayashi Koichi 9p,
well known for his "Kobayashi Fuseki", is still a force in the professional
ranks recently winning the 11th and 12th Ryusei titles. Her grandfather is
Kitani Minoru, a near legendary professional who was "one of
the pillars of the go establishment from 1925 to 1964". The next game of the
Women's Honinbo is scheduled for October 29th in Tokyo. The next game can be viewed
live at http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp
-reported by Dennis Hardman
FINAL FOUR DECIDED IN THE 8th SAMSUNG CUP:
Three of Korea's top players (Yi Ch'ang-ho, Cho Hun-hyeon, and
Yi Se-tol) have been eliminated from the 8th Samsung Cup,
leaving Cho Chikun 9d to play Hu Yaoyu 7d and
Park Yeonghun 4d to play Xie He 5d in the best-of-three
semi-final matches to be held November 4th through 7th. Game records for many of the
tournament matches can be found at http://www.go4go.net
-reported by Dennis Hardman
HAN-SEUNG WINS THE KOREAN FRESH BEST 10:
In the 7th Korean Fresh Best 10 tournament, Cho Han-seung 6p
defeated Paek Tae-hyeon 5p two games in a row to win this best-of-three
championship match. Although Paek Tae-hyeon has made it to the finals of this tournament
three years in a row, he has yet to win a single game once there. Game records 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]
This week you'll also find the solutions to last week's life-and-death problems by Yilun Yang.
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=245767&r=245310&t=46044451&l=1&d=84890294&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=84890299 and start receiving your game files next week!
The American Professional Go Association (APGA) was founded in the mid-1990's after the emergence of a critical mass of North American citizens and residents who hold professional credentials from Asian go associations. Jimmy Cha, the well-known Korean-American pro, served as founding President, a position since taken over by Zhujiu "Jujo" Jiang. The roles of the AGA and the APGA are currently a matter of some controversy, largely over the issue of which organization has the right to select North American contenders for international tournaments. While event sponsors and national associations are free to decide who they will consult or invite to participate in their events, some have relied on the APGA and some on the AGA. In the matter of the World Women's Cup, the AGA arranged an open competition to select the North American representative, but the APGA vetoed participation by America's strongest female pro and made its own selection. The APGA's rules, policies and selection procedures have never been made public.[A webpage for the APGA at http://www.sfo.com/~falcon/goepros.htm appears to be years out of date. If anyone has a more current web link for the APGA, please let the AGEJ archiver know.]
I had first heard of James Kerwin back in the late '80s, when I first started playing go. He gave monthly lectures at the Twin Cities Go Club, but as a college student I couldn't afford the twenty-five bucks to attend them. And so he remained for me an awed abstraction, "The Professional." When I started playing go again this spring, with the idea of doing my next book as journey to mastery of go, one of the first sketches in my notebook was, "find Kerwin."
When I called, leaving a near-stuttering message, I wondered at my nervousness. I really wanted to become a strong go player, maybe even a five dan; maybe The Professional would just make fun of me. I was so far from local players like Martin Bradshaw 5d and Tim Hoel 2d; listening to them reviewing their games, discussing not just each move, but countless variations on each move, perhaps I was just groping after something too distant.
So I was pleasantly surprised when Kerwin first opened his door. He looked no more mysterious than a congenial math professor. He had laid out pillows beside a beautiful but banged-up kaya goban, and invited me to sit. Mimicking his posture, I sat cross-legged on the pillows and thought to myself, "Man, I haven't had to do this since boot camp." Then I said it out loud. "Uh-huh," Kerwin responded, then asked me to place nine stones on the board. After I resigned, he asked me what I wanted to get out of my lessons. He didn't laugh at me when I outlined my project, just responded with the same noncommittal "Uh-huh." I asked him if he thought it was possible for me to become a shodan in a year, "Sure, it's possible," he said. "It just depends on how much you want to work." "How much do I need to work?" I asked. "As much as it takes," he said. There were obviously not going to be any easy answers. Which isn't to say that Kerwin doesn't sometimes get downright garrulous at our lessons, just that, with respect to mastering go, the burden is clearly on me. And if I'm not serious? Well, that will become self-evident: the presence of the master discloses even our most private deceptions, leaving nowhere for them to hide.
I first noticed Carol Dufour's woodworking on eBay about six months ago because his go boards kept showing up in my searches. They were unusual, made of oak and butternut. When he offered a truly unique go board made of purpleheart, I ordered it immediately for $200, including protective packaging and shipping from Canada. Purpleheart, Leguminosae Peltogyne, grows in South America and is not endangered. The wood is incredibly dense and is difficult to work, quickly dulling edged tools. The breathtaking purple calls to the wood artist. You have seen it in wood sculptures, pool cues, marquetry, flooring, and in custom tools for the discriminating woodworker. Carol is an expert cabinetmaker; his knowledge and skill are evident. Eleven sticks were machined and planed, carefully aligned and matched for color and grain, and pressure-clamped to form the slab. As the wood ages, movement will be balanced by the opposing orientation of the grain. The grid looks silk-screened but was hand-applied using a gabarit, or drawing gauge. Several undercoats of varnish ensured the ink could not bleed. The lines are a bit thick but laser-straight. My board is 1-5/8" thick, the feet make it a nice 2-1/2", and it weighs a hefty 30 pounds. The board plays beautifully with a pleasant sound and plenty of eye appeal. The striking purple color contrasts sharply with warm shell while complimenting cold slate creating a unique visual treat.
Visit Carol Dufour's site at http://www.boardgamego.com
WANTED: Hackensack, NJ area go players of moderate to high
strength willing to do a demonstration some time later in the school year.
milkyway_locomotive@yahoo.com (10/20/)
WANTED: Ever have that deja vu feeling about a go move or situation when you
were caught in the middle of an important moment in your life or just found
yourself daydreaming about go when you are doing something ordinary? Please
tell me about it. I need more anecdotes for a project on how a
go strategy, problem or set of moves may surface in life away from the go board.
Email David Dinhofer at ddinhofer@msn.com (10/13)
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 25: Arlington, VA
Pumpkin Classic
Allan Abramson 703-684-7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net
October 25: Piscataway, NJ
Feng Yun Fall Tournament
Contact: GoLesson@yahoo.com
October 26: Ottawa, CANADA
Canada-Japan Friendship Tournament
Pre-registration required (limit 60 players)
Charles Chang 613-722-0603 ab073freenet.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.html
November 1 & 2: Portland, OR
Portland Open Go Tournament
Glenn Peters 503-743-4919 glenn@aenigma.com
Robert O'Malley (Open Divison) 541-929-5468 omalley@coas.oregonstate.edu
January 17-19, 2004: Evanston, IL
James Kerwin Workshop
Mark Rubenstein 847-869-6020 mark@easyaspi.com
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
Ratings are on the web! Check the website; http://www.usgo.org for the full list.
GET YOUR TOURNAMENT RATED! Send your tournament data to MAILTO:ratings@usgo.org
AGA CONTACT LIST:
For a full list of AGA officers, contacts & their email addresses, go
to: http://www.usgo.org/org/index.asp#contactinfo
Published by the American Go Association
Text material published in "AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL" may be reproduced by any
recipient: please credit the AGEJ as the source. PLEASE NOTE that attached files,
including game records, MAY NOT BE published, re-distributed, or made available on
the web without the explicit written permission of the Editor of the Journal.
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