The American go community is always eager for reports of local tournaments, mentions of go for our Go Spotting column, new tools or study resources, and any go-related news.
Please submit to us at journal@usgo.org.
We try to acknowledge submissions within 24 hours; if you haven’t heard back from us in that time, feel free to re-send or ping us again.
Letters to the editor can also be sent to journal@usgo.org; please include “Letter to the editor” in the subject line. Letters are subject to editing for length and clarity.
American Go E-Journal
FAQ: How to submit stories to the AGA E-Journal
Sunday January 1, 2023
2023 Congress seeks Registrar
Monday March 13, 2023
Organizers of this year’s U.S. Go Congress are searching for a Registrar. Registrars receive a full comp to the event, which runs July 8-16 in Kent, Ohio. “The ideal candidate would be a veteran of at least one Congress, and comfortable with using spreadsheets and web apps such as ClubExpress,” says Congress Director Steve Zilber. The Registrar’s job begins as soon as registration is launched and continues until a few weeks after the Congress ends. If interested – and for more details on what’s involved – email Zilber at steve.zilber@gocongress.org
2023 Midwest Open set for March 25-26th
Monday March 13, 2023
Calling it “One of the more exciting and fun events of the year,” local organizers are inviting go players to join them in Columbus, Ohio from March 25-26th for the 2023 Midwest Open. “It’s a terrific place to see old friends across the board and if you’re new to in-person tournaments, this is the ultimate place to make new friends!” says Devin Fraze.
The Midwest Open features an Ultra Strong Master Division — 6 rounds for 16 players — and a large Main Division with players from all over the country. It’s hosted by the Go Club at Ohio State in partnership with the Columbus Go Club, sponsored by BadukClub, and features “rare and unique high value prizes.”
Go introduced to Chinese immersion classrooms in Barrington, Illinois.
Sunday March 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”
Xiaoyan Anderson and Zimin Mineo, members of the BCIC Board of Directors, say they hope that through the program, “more families will become involved in our organization, fostering cultural exchange and understanding, and ultimately helping our students become future leaders with an open mind and a global perspective.”
BCIC is a nonprofit organization created in 2014 to support students and families involved in the local school district’s Chinese Immersion Program. The go-related program was scheduled to begin for all third- and fourth-grade Chinese Immersion classroom students with support from teachers Mrs. Zander and Ms. Du during the 2022-2023 school year.
50 Years aGO – March 1973
Saturday March 11, 2023
By Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister
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 (pictured), President of the Nihon Ki’in, passed away on March 29.
The March issue of Kidō Magazine featured a lengthy interview with Ishida Yoshio Hon’inbo. He patiently dealt with the usual “who do you like among the classic players” questions. He stated he liked Shūho when he was a new pro. Ishida opined that the classical players would quickly catch on to komi and be very competitive. The vaunted opinion of him as “The Computer” was discussed – he denied he makes constant calculations every move. “Frankly, I have no confidence in my ability to calculate in a large-scale situation but in a localized engagement I seldom make a mistake.” He also altered the perception of his nickname, suggesting it referred to his poise and calmness as opposed to calculation. There was a lot of discussion of his main rival Rin Meijin and there seemed a perceptible bias against Rin from the questioning. Kidō remarked “Strangely enough, you are the first player to say that Rin’s technique is quite good.” Ishida pushed back against this apparent bias against the young players, and particularly Rin – forcing Kidō to concede – if Rin was not strong he would not be Meijin. Ishida previewed the youth dominated future, suggesting that while players like Fujisawa Shūkō were still superior in large scale fights, over a seven game match, Rin’s consistency, and his own, would win out.
Photos from Go Review, game records from SmartGoOne
New AGA website coming next Monday!
Thursday March 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.
“The new system represents some great work by a lot of volunteers,” says AGA President Gurujeet Khalsa. “There is still work to be done on some pages, but we wanted to get the new site up and running so we can open this year’s US Go Congress registration later in the week. We will also be rolling out a lot of new functionality for chapters over the months leading up to the Go Congress and conducting training at Congress as well. It is an exciting time for the AGA and I look forward to hearing what you think!”
Send your feedback and suggestions to president@usgo.org.
Chao Xie tops SF Go Club’s Guy Moreau Memorial Tournament
Wednesday March 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.
“The tournament was spirited and lively with participants and supporters filling the dojo to capacity,” reports San Francisco Go Club President Matthew Barcus. In Division 1, Chao Xie was the first-place winner, with Weiming Guo in second and Amy Guo in third. In Division 2, Max (Zeyuan) Zhang took first place, with Ricky Dira taking second and Yiran Shu in third. In Division 3, Andrew Shi was the first-place winner, Igor Pisarev came in second, and Benjamin Lam in third. Prizes included certificates and cash for the first-place winners of each division.
“The tournament was a great success and a fitting tribute to Guy Moreau,” says Barcus. “The San Francisco Go Club would like to thank all participants and supporters who made the tournament a vibrant and memorable event.”
Go Spotting: The Glory of go? AlphaGo’s “Sputnik moment”
Wednesday March 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).
Austin Go Club to host Spring Fling tourney
Wednesday March 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.
Please contact co-tournament directors Gilbert Garza and/or Bart Jacob for more information.
The venue will be near downtown with easy access to Lady Bird Lake and its popular hike and bike trail. “We hope to see you in Austin for a fun weekend of go!” says Jacob.
Shang Zhou 7D tops 2023 AGHS Blitz Tournament
Wednesday March 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.
Albert Yen 8D, an AGHS alumni, played in division A and described the tournament as a “very well-organized” and “low-stress” event. “My games were rife with mistakes since we only have 10 seconds per move, but I feel lucky that my sole loss wasn’t due to a single blunder,” Yen said, “I am happy I got to play five strong players in just three hours.”
In the future, Yen hopes to see more integration of AGHS events with the American Go Association. “For example, maybe participants in AGHS events can get discounts to go to the Congress to entice participants to attend more Go events,” Yen said. The AGHS hopes to continue hosting engaging events for all Go players. Players may visit aghs.us to stay up-to-date for future tournaments.
Report by Jamie Tang
Registration Open for 2023 AGHS School Team Tournament
Wednesday March 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).”
Round Schedule:
Round 1: March 25th, 10 AM PST (1 PM EST)
Round 2: March 25th, 1 PM PST (4 PM EST)
Round 3: March 26th, 10 AM PST (1 PM EST)
Round 4: March 26th, 1 PM PST (4 PM EST)
Registration form
Rules and regulations