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AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL: News from the American Go Association

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July 7, 2003

In This Edition:
U.S. GO NEWS: A Go Game A Day Keeps The Doctor Away; California Leads In Strong Players; Go Returns To Chicago Botanic Garden; Top 10 Reasons To Attend The 2003 Us Go Congress (#9) WORLD GO NEWS: Shuko Restored As Honorary Kisei; 21-Year-Old Yi Setol Wins Fujitsu Cup; Cho Hunhyeong To Challenge For Throne; Yoda Norimoto Takes First Game In Gosei; Koreans Dominate Kansai Kiin; Macfadyen Wins Welsh Open: GAME COMMENTARY: International Team Go YOUR MOVE: Letter from Anybody THE EMPTY BOARD: Avoiding Alzheimer's GO CLASSIFIED CALENDAR OF EVENTS

U.S. GO NEWS

A GO GAME A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY: It's official: playing go really does keep your mind sharp. Researchers have just released a comprehensive study of the benefits of challenging intellectual activity among the elderly and found that exercising the mind through board games, social activities and education offers powerful protection against mental deterioration and disease. "Those who played board games had a 74 percent lower risk and those who played an instrument had a 69 percent lower risk. Doing crossword puzzles cut the risk by 38 percent," reported Shankar Vedantam in the June 19 Washington Post. The report found that seniors who regularly engaged in mentally challenging pastimes reduced their chances of developing Alzheimer's disease and other dementias by as much as 75 percent, compared with those who didn't exercise their minds.

CALIFORNIA LEADS IN STRONG PLAYERS: The AGA Ratings List [http://www.usgo.org/ratings.asp] contains a lot of fascinating information besides everyone's personal rating. For example, among currently active non-professional members living in the US we have one 9 dan (informally translating a 9.3 rating into a rank of 9 dan), six 8 dans, and thirty 7 dans—an impressive collection of strong players. California has the most with nine from this group, followed by New Jersey with six, New York and Maryland with five each, Texas and Colorado with three each, Massachusetts with 2, and four states with one each: Hawaii, Louisiana, Illinois, and Oregon. The players in the open section of the US Open at the Congress in Houston will be drawn from this group, along with some visitors from abroad. This group also supplies players for the Ing Cup at the Congress and the Fujitsu Qualifier tournament later on.

GO RETURNS TO CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN: "For the fourth year in a row," reports Chicago-area organizer Bob Barber, " the Evanston Go Club demonstrated go at the Japan Festival, held at the beautiful Chicago Botanic Garden." Bob reports "nonstop action" on both Saturday and Sunday as he and Mark Rubenstein, aided by club members from 20 kyu to 4 dan, challenged all comers, and taught all beginners. "Our club was not undefeated," Bob says, "we did meet a new 6 dan and 7 dan. We also gave away lots of 9x9 sets, and invited all to visit us at our weekly meetings." Mark Kovac, a sometime 2 dan who hasn't been active on the Chicago scene for years, happened to be in the Garden for an unrelated conference and recognized Bob from Go Congresses a decade ago. "It was an amazing weekend, and already we look forward to next year," says Bob.

TOP 10 REASONS TO ATTEND THE 2003 US GO CONGRESS (#9): Professional instruction: at the Congress the emphasis is on learning and improvement. With more than a dozen professional players from all over the world on hand, the schedule is full of lectures, simultaneous play and game analysis. Every morning, players can drop in to a lecture room and watch professional analysis of the morning's games, perhaps even their own game! And in the afternoon and evening, simultaneous play and lectures offer a full schedule of educational activities. The Congress runs August 2-10 in Houston, TX: 268 people are already registered. More details at: http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735530&u=http://www.houstongoclub.org/USGC2003/intro.html&g=0&f=84735543


WORLD GO NEWS

SHUKO RESTORED AS HONORARY KISEI: On July 1st, the Nihon Kiin restored the title of Honorary Kisei to Fujisawa Shuko, whose notorious career was the topic of a recent Moments in Go History. For more highlights of Fujisawa's career see http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735529&u=http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php%3fname=Fujisawa%20Hideyuki&g=0&f=84735543 and http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735527&u=http://gobase.org/information/players/%3fpp=Fujisawa%20Shuko&g=0&f=84735543 .

21-YEAR-OLD YI SETOL WINS FUJITSU CUP: Yi Setol (Lee Sedol) 6 dan has defeated Song Taekon 4 dan to win the Fujitsu Cup. This makes Yi's third world championship. Under Korean promotion rules he will now become the youngest 9 dan in history at the age of 21. Song will be promoted to 5 dan. In the match for 3rd place, Yi Changho 9 dan defeated Yoda Norimoto 9 dan, so the Koreans took the top three places in this international tournament held in Tokyo. In the semi-final round, Yi managed to squeak by Japan's Yoda Norimoto 9 dan with a half point win, while Yi Changho 9 dan was upset by Song Taekon 4 dan, who only became a pro in 1999, leaving an all-Korean final. You can download the game records at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735531&u=http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/momoyama/news/13fj/13fj.html&g=0&f=84735543 .

CHO HUNHYEONG TO CHALLENGE FOR THRONE: Cho Hunhyeong 9 Dan has defeated Yi Setol (Lee Sedol) 3 Dan in the final game of the challenger's round of the Wangwi (Throne) tournament in Korea to win the right to challenge Lee (Yi) Changho for the title. Cho has been the challenger several times in this title match in recent years, but has yet to succeed. You can download the game record at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735533&u=http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/momoyama/news/kr/ww/ww.html&g=0&f=84735543 .

YODA NORIMOTO TAKES FIRST GAME IN GOSEI: Yoda Norimoto 9 Dan, the challenger, won the first game in the Gosei title match in Japan against Kobayashi Koichi 9 Dan, the current title holder. Both players made huge territories, but Yoda ended up with 10.5 more points. You can see the game record at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735534&u=http://www.shinmai.co.jp/2003gosei/&g=0&f=84735543 .

KOREANS DOMINATE KANSAI KIIN: In a match between six members of the Kansai Kiin in Osaka, Japan, and six Korean players, the Koreans won all six games. You can download the game records at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735532&u=http://www.kyoto.zaq.ne.jp/momoyama/news/etc/etc.html&g=0&f=84735543 .

MACFADYEN WINS WELSH OPEN: The 11th Welsh Open on June 28-29 at Barmouth was won as always by Matthew Macfadyen 6 Dan of Leamington. Second was Tatsushi Akiya 4 Dan, who traveled from Tokyo for the event. Winning 5 out of 5 was Alistair Brooks 20 kyu from Swindon and 4 out of 4 was organizer Philip Ward-Ackland 6 kyu of Barmouth. On 4/5 were Tom Widdecombe 2 kyu Devon, Gary Beman 6 kyu Leamington and Jonathan Englefield 12 kyu High Wycombe. 52 players took part. Continuous 9x9 winner was Shawn Hearn 6 kyu Sleaford. [from the BGA News]

GAME COMMENTARY: International Team Go
An exciting come-from-behind game from a 2002 international team tournament is featured in today's commented game, as Chinese 7d Hu Yaoyu takes on Kim Seungjun, a Korean 7d. The Nongshim Cup has been played for four years and the Korean team has won every time. Hu won five games in a row (his opponents included Kato Kensei (Masao) Honinbo and Yoda Norimoto Meijin), but was eliminated by Yi (Lee) Changho 9 Dan later in the tournament. Yi clinched the Cup for the Koreans. Commentary by Liping Huang, a 4dan Chinese pro who lives and teaches in Chicago, IL

Today's bonus problem is an elementary level problem from a new book of problems by Liping Huang to be published soon by Slate & Shell. Watch for the solution next week.

THE BEST DEAL IN GO: 52 weeks of up-to-date go news, reviews, original columns PLUS game commentaries and problems for just $20 a year! Sign up today for the Games Edition at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735537&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=84735543 and start receiving your game files next week!


YOUR MOVE: Letter from Anybody
I'm an anybody. Oh boy, another e-mail journal from the electronic age. Somebody somewhere generates these out-of-nowhere 50-hour-minimum-to-study lightning-match messages and has the bigalews to add commentary. Oh, not talking here about the game-kind but the I-think-I-actually-have-something-interesting-to-say kind. Hey, your momma! Why, even she probably doesn't find them interesting. I got the scare of my life last week. I hit onto an I-ain't-never-gonna-win-again losing streak at Kiseido. I couldn't do anything right, against any player, of any denomination. Then, I started changing my game, searching for anything that might change the outcome, if only once, if only by a half-point. I hate this game. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Am I the only one who is exactly three stones weaker on Kiseido versus AGA? Gee, to write for the electronic journal, it's obvious that you must be a member of the anybody club. Hey, I'm a member. I'm an anybody.
- by Quentin Dombro

THE EMPTY BOARD: Avoiding Alzheimer's
The latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reports solid evidence that playing board games significantly lowers your risk of developing various kinds of dementia, including Alzheimer's (see "A Go Game A Day Keeps The Doctor Away" above). Naturally, this is very good news, but the go community already knew about this, thanks to research led by Yasuda Yasutoshi in Japan. Although US researchers were unaware of go, it is obviously good for this purpose, but it has broader uses in this area. I have been running a go program for over a year in Washington, DC, at a center for people diagnosed with chronic mental illness. The impact is dramatic. People who usually are seriously withdrawn and passive become animated and actively interact with each other and with me when we're playing team games of capture go on a big demo board. Go has distinctive advantages in this sort of context. Team games involving everyone allow one leader to engage a large group continuously. Mo! reover, the rules of play for capture go are very simple and anyone can participate, including people who are barely able to place a stone on an intersection. Becoming part of an activity that involves other people and is an exciting, complex process is a healthy and beneficial experience for people who tend to be very isolated. The fact that the game takes people out of themselves in this way is one of the most obvious benefits of go. The NEJM report was concerned about people with no symptoms of dementia, while my program deals with people who already have definite symptoms, but that is another of the advantages of go. In order to play a game like chess, you need a lot of mental acuity, but capture go can be played by anyone. So go offers hope to people for whom chess is not a possibility. The go community should make a greater effort to introduce this amazing game to care givers who work with people with mental disabilities and challenges.
- William Cobb
Past columns are archived at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735535&u=http://www.slateandshell.com/billcobb.asp&g=0&f=84735543


GO CLASSIFIED

FOR SALE: Very high quality old go board: check out photos at http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735528&u=http://mycgiserver.com/~suyuri/&g=0&f=84735543
Redmaxima@aol.com (6/16)


GO PLAYERS

BAYTOWN, TX: Looking for people in the area to start up a go club in the Houston Bay Area, since the Houston Club is a little too far away. gilgamesh@binary-fusion.com (6/23)

LAS VEGAS, NV: Trying to drum up club interest here: contact Ray Kukol at rkukol@lvcm.com (6/16)


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


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

July 12: Shaker Heights, OH
4 Round AGA Rated Tournament
Harold Lloyd 216-382-0752 hlloyd@core.com

July 12,19,26: Piscataway NJ
AGA rated games
GoLesson@yahoo.com

July 13: Boston, MA
MGA Summer Handicap Tournament
(Skip Ascheim Memorial)
Don Wiener 617-734-6316 donwiener@earthlink.net

July 19/20: San Francisco, CA
Northern California Open Tournament
Danny Swarzman 415-221-7194 ncal@stowlake.com

July 19: Arlington, VA
NOVA Congress Tune-Up
Allan Abramson 703-684-7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net

July 19-August 2: St. Petersburg, Russia
47th European Go Congress
egc2003@mail.wplus.net

August 2-10: Houston, TX
U.S. GO CONGRESS http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735530&u=http://www.houstongoclub.org/USGC2003/intro.html&g=0&f=84735543


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://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735540&u=http://www.usgo.org/usa/tournaments.html&g=0&f=84735543
For the European Go Calendar see http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735541&u=http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/go/tourn.html&g=0&f=84735543

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.org
Ratings are on the web! Check the website; http://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735536&u=http://www.usgo.org&g=0&f=84735543 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://gm14.com/r.html?c=215107&r=214674&t=88498618&l=1&d=84735538&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/index.asp#contactinfo&g=0&f=84735543

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
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