AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL: News from the American Go Association
December 9, 2002
This month, join the AGA and take 5% off Go books, equipment and software at
Samarkand! Samarkand offers a range of fine products for Go enthusiasts of every
caliber and taste. "Every item we carry is reviewed by a group of dedicated Go
players," promises owner Janice Kim, dan professional, "and we don't carry it
unless it passes the key 'hey, can I get one of these?' test."
Check out these great new products at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025451&u=http://www.samarkand.net/&g=0&f=53025460
- Japanese Hiba table boards -- "An unbelievably good deal we got on these,"
raves Janice, "less than half you'd expect to pay for Hiba."
- Japanese Shin-kaya table boards -- also a great price
- New Roll-Up SoftMats -- the new Go board from Japan, portable, economical,
chic
- Reversible Slotted Boards -- finally, 13x13 on the back!
- Stone Bags -- From Japan, the new way to carry stones
Get your discount now by joining the AGA at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025454&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=53025460
and when you order from the good folks at Samarkand, just let them know you've
joined and are eligible for the new member discount!
Click here to send the E-Journal to a friend :
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=4&g=0&f=53025460
Click here to subscribe to the FREE E-Journal :
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=7&g=0&f=53025460
In This Edition:
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
YOUR MOVE, Readers Write: Anyone Seen Tim?; Go Classified Works!; Hikaru No Go
Not Gone GO CLUBS: Guo Juan Plays the Catskills; Go LSU; Upstate NY Gets New
Club GAME COMMENTARY: A Well-Commented Game GO NEWS: Six Straight Months of
Growth!; Go As Communication; Lunar New Year A Shining Opportunity; Lost in LA
WORLD GO: China THE GO PLAYER'S GUIDE TO JAPAN: Sansa's Board GO ONLINE: Win
Slate and Shell on the Internet GO CLASSIFIED AGA OFFICER CONTACT LIST
CALENDAR OF EVENTS (U.S.)
January 4/5: Santa Clara, CA
11th Zhu Jiu Jiang Goe Tournament
1st Prize $1500!
Professionals: Zhu Jiu Jiang 9-Dan, Ming Jiu Jiang 9-Dan, Jimmy Cha 4-Dan Janice
Kim 1-Dan Pre-register at indagoe@goedharma.com
Info: Ernest Brown 415-641-1452 indagoe@goedharma.com
January 11/12: Piscataway, New Jersey
Feng Yun Doubleheader
Two tournaments sponsored by Feng Yun, 9P, including a 4-round rated event and a
Youth Tournament.
Details at:
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025437&u=http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/~lruss/feng_yun_tournament.htm&g=0&f=53025460
Feng Yun gotournament@yahoo.com
January 18-20: Evanston, IL
4th Annual Winter Workshop
(This year with Guo Juan 5P)
Mark Rubenstein 847-869-6020 mark@easyaspi.com
FOREIGN
December 28-31: London, England
London Open
Geoff Kaniuk geoff@kaniuk.demon.co.uk
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025442&u=http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/london/&g=0&f=53025460
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://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025455&u=http://www.usgo.org/usa/tournaments.html&g=0&f=53025460
For the European Go Calendar see
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025457&u=http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/go/tourn.html&g=0&f=53025460
YOUR MOVE: Readers Write
Anyone Seen Tim?
"How could I get in touch with Tim Spencer?" writes Mike Malveaux. "There was
a letter from him in the September 16 issue of the E-Journal, about starting a
go club south of Seattle." Tim Spencer was a member of the AGA in 1994 but our
address in Cary NC is not current and we have no email address nor telephone
number; anyone with contact info on Tim can send it to Mike at
tacomagofiend@yahoo.com
Go Classified Works!
"Many thanks to those of you who provided links, information and program
suggestions for a means to convert .ugf files to .sgf format," writes Fred, who
ran a Go Classified want ad in the E-Journal recently. "Special kudos to
E-Journal reader Lisa Maloney who tipped me off to a program called gGo, which
is the perfect program for my purposes."
Hikaru No Go Not Gone
The January 2003 issue (Volume1, No.1) of Shonen Jump, Viz Communications' new
manga magazine (reported on in last week's E-Journal) has a full-page article on
Hikaru no Go. The author, Patti Duffield, mentions that the American Go
Association is very interested in seeing the manga translated. "This comes from
a conversation I had with Rick Bauer, VP of Sales and Marketing for Viz, at the
last Comic Con International in San Diego this year" reports Joe Sanet. "With
the blessing of AGA President Roy Laird, I mentioned that the AGA was interested
in having the HnG manga published and would cooperate with Viz to make it a
success. He told me that HnG was one of three titles that had been considered
for the debut of Shonen Jump but didn't make the cut."
"As it turns out, quite a few of the staff including the CEO of Viz are fans of
HnG," says Joel. "They don't play go but they like the characters. Shonen Jump
is currently 290 pages and eventually they would like to see it expand to the
telephone book size of the Japanese version, which has a weekly circulation of
3.6 million," Joel adds. "Bauer said that if the monthly US version is a
success, HnG should be considered for the expansion."
The upshot, according to Joel, "is that we have a vested interest in the success
of the magazine. If you are a teenager, you might want to consider buying it. If
you have teenage kids, you might want to consider getting them a subscription.
Even if you are an old codger like me, you might want to buy it just to support
it. Shonen Jump can be purchased at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025456&u=http://www.viz.com/&g=0&f=53025460
GO CLUBS
Guo Juan Plays the Catskills
New York City area organizers are planning a Guo Juan workshop for Memorial Day
2003 in the Catskill Mountains. Guo Juan is a 5 dan chinese professional who's
been living and teaching in Amsterdam in addition to participating in all the
European Tournaments. She never misses the French Go Camp, recently started
attending the US Go Congress and is now a regular contributor of game
commentaries for the E-Journal. Check out the workshop plans at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025438&u=http://brooklyngoclub.org/generic_club/cgi-bin/disp_topic.iphtml%3ftopic_id=117&g=0&f=53025460
Go LSU
Go is getting big enthusiasm and support at Louisiana State University, where a
club was recently founded. Check out the full story at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025445&u=http://www.lsureveille.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2002/11/20/3ddb3445e9bc9&g=0&f=53025460
Upstate NY Gets New Club
Check out the brand-new Central New York Go Club at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025440&u=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cnygo/&g=0&f=53025460
The club first met on December 2 and meets Monday evenings from 7-10P in the
cafeteria of Wegman's on East Genesee Street in Dewitt, near Interstate Rt. 481.
Organizer Anton Ninno reports that ten players of various strengths came out to
join the fun on the 2nd, including some from the Syracuse University Go Club.
Organizers invite players to come on out; "If you have a go set, bring one to
share, and bring friends, too. Children are always welcome," says Anton.
GAME COMMENTARY: A Well-Commented Game
Today's game between two top European players was reviewed with both players, a
group of top players from Europe, a Japanese 7 dan pro and today's commenter Guo
Juan. The 4th-round game from the 2002 European Fujitsu Semi-Finals in The
Netherlands features Alexandr Dinerchtein of Russia and Cristian Pop of Romania.
"Cristian Pop's play makes a strong impression on everybody," says Guo Juan. "In
Europe we love all the Romanian go players. Pop studied go in Japan a few years
ago and is becoming one of the top European players. Alexandr Dinerchtein went
to Korea to study go many years ago and just became a 1 dan pro in Korea this
year."
To view the attached game record (2002.12.09 Pop vs Dinerchtein, Guo-Nov.sgf),
simply save the file to your computer and then open it using an .sgf reader such
as Many Faces of Go or SmartGo. Readers who need .sgf readers can get them for
most platforms at Jan van der Steen's
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025439&u=http://gobase.org/sgfeditors.html&g=0&f=53025460
GO NEWS
Six Straight Months of Growth!
Membership in the American Go Association increased for the sixth consecutive
month in November, eclipsing the previous record of five straight increases.
Significantly, the new record of 1,633 members includes more than 1,300 full
members for the first time. Monthly average growth ticked up slightly in
November, holding the blazing pace for a 21% increase in membership this year.
With new leadership set to take office in January, the national organization of
U.S. go players is poised for an even bigger year in 2003.
Go As Communication
Slate & Shell has just published "Go As Communication: The Educational and
Therapeutic Value of the Game of Go," by Yasuda Yasutoshi 9P. Yasuda is the
Japanese pro who has popularized the use of the Capture Game in schools and
institutions in Japan and around the world. This is the story of how he
developed the program and his discovery of the unexpectedly positive impact of
the Capture Game. The book includes practical guidance for developing such
programs. $12 at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025452&u=http://www.slateandshell.com&g=0&f=53025460
Lunar New Year A Shining Opportunity
The Lunar New Year celebrations in January/February could offer an opportunity
for Go community outreach in your region, suggests Membership Secretary John
Goon. "Check with the Asian culture and language schools or associations in your
area to see if they have programs planned where a Go/Weiqi/Baduk info and demo
table might fit in," John says. "These groups are usually responsive to such
offers of support and they may engage you in similar promotional activities
throughout the year. Now is not too early to uncover the lay of the land. Good
luck!"
Lost in LA
"Ai-goo cham-nah," sighs the middle-aged Korean man sitting next to me. It's a
common Korean expression, and presently it means something between "Oh shit" and
"Jesus." It's the kind of sigh that takes all the breath his tar-stained lungs
can muster.
Queena Sook Kim's terrific LA Weekly story on "Getting lost in the game" at the
Korean Go Club in Los Angeles is still as good as when it first ran in 1999.
Read the rest of it at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025444&u=http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/16/news-kim.php&g=0&f=53025460
WORLD GO: China
by Yuan Zhou
At the 4th Nonshim Cup (China-Japan-Korea Super Go) 6th round, Hu Yaoyu 7P
(China) beat Kato Masao 9P (Japan). Remaining players: China: Hu Yaoyu 7P, Luo
Xihe 9P; Japan: Yoda Norimoto 9P; Korea: Cho Hunyun 9P, Lee Changho 9P.
In the 4th China-Japan Agon HayaGo match in Tokyo, Japan, Cho Chikun 9P beat Yu
Bin 9P by B+5.5 on December 5th. Japan has now won four times in a row.
The 4th Jiangling Cup China National Team Championship has wrapped up after 22
rounds. The Chongqing Team won the tournament for the 4th time; team members are
Zhou Heyang 9P, Gu Li 7P, Liu Jing 8P and Mok Jinseok 6P (Invited from Korea).
The current top ten Chinese professionals: 1: Wang Lei 8P; 2: Zhou Heyang 9P; 3:
Chang Hao 9P; 4: Gu Li 7P; 5: Ma Xiaochun 9P; 6: Kong Jie 7P; 6: Hu Yaoyu 7P; 8:
Luo Xihe 9P; 9: Yu Bin 9P; 10: Peng Quan 5P.
THE GO PLAYER'S GUIDE TO JAPAN: Sansa's Board
NOTE: In this special series, E-Journal editor Chris Garlock reports on his go
experiences, adventures and observations during a recent trip to Japan. Comments
and suggestions -- especially from readers who live or travel in Japan - are
most welcome.
There are more than 2,000 temples and shrines in Kyoto, many of them bigger and
more beautiful than Jyakkoji. But if you want to go back to where it all began
for go in Japan, Jyakkoji is the place.
Vigorous hammering shattered the peace of a quiet autumn afternoon and the smell
of freshly-cut cedar filled the crisp air. The Jyakkoji temple is in the midst
of a major renovation and craftsmen were hard at work when we arrived on a late
November afternoon. Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, the Jyakkoji temple is
all that's left of a major complex of temples that existed five hundred years
ago, when Nikkai, a Buddhist priest, lived in a pavilion named "Honinbo" on the
temple grounds. The strongest go player of his day and the founder of the
Honinbo school of go players (one of the four major schools that began in the
early 1600s and dominated the go world for centuries), Nikkai is better known as
1st Honinbo Sansa (1559-1623).
Jyosin Okawa, Jyakkoji's chief priest, welcomes us into a room just off the
temple's main hall, where the workers continue their hammering and sawing. In a
glass case on one wall is an astounding artifact, the go board used by Sansa
himself, a board made from dark mulberry, no more than half an inch thick,
slightly warped upwards at each edge. Ceramic stones, chipped and stained by
time and use, fill ceramic bowls, as if waiting for the master's imminent
return.
This is probably the very board on which Sansa taught the great warlord Oda
Nobunaga (1534-82), who first began unifying Japan after centuries of civil
strife. Nobunaga was so impressed by Sansa's go skill (the warlord took five
stones from Sansa) that he called him "mejin" or master player, which is said to
be the origin of the term's use in go. It's just an old piece of wood but it's
one that's survived centuries of upheaval and, more than simply a tangible
connection to a game that stretches back thousands of years virtually unchanged,
it's a small reminder of our impermanence.
Nearby is a larger goban that was used by Dosaku (1645-1702), one of just two
players in Japanese go history accorded the title of Kisei or Go Saint. The
board is important because its dimensions established the standard for gobans.
The temple has no less than fifty go boards from the Edo period (1603-1868) but
they were not on display when I visited because of the renovation.
Both priests at Jakkoji are go players and when the renovations are finished
next year, the main hall will once again function as a go club. There's also a
special room where Sansa studied and played which is now used for playing major
professional titles.
Outside, dusk is falling over Sansa's tomb. Smaller tombs to the left and right
mark the final resting place for the first four generations of Honinbos,
including greats like Inseki, Doetsu, Dochi, Dosaku and Doseki. Three evening
stars flicker in the twilight, reminding me of Sansa's famous "triple ko" game
in 1582. Played against his rival Kashio Rigen in the presence of the warlord
Nobunaga, a triple ko supposedly arose and the game was suspended without a
result. The next night, Nobunaga's ally Akechi Mitsuhide rebelled, surrounded
the temple and killed Nobunaga. After this, a triple ko was considered bad luck.
It is my good fortune to have had John Power's invaluable essay "Go Players in
the Edo Era" to guide and inform my quest for go history in Japan. Along with
just about everything else a go player needs to know, this essay appears in the
endlessly fascinating "The Go Player's Almanac 2001".
GO ONLINE: Win Slate and Shell on the Internet
by Roy Laird
No, not the publishing company -- that would be one heckuva prize. However, you
can win a set of high-quality stones direct from the manufacturer in Japan, by
facing players from more than twenty countries in a tournament hosted by the
Polish Go Association. Only on the Internet!
The PGA's Internet Competition (PGAIC) at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025446&u=http://www.pgaic.go.art.pl/&g=0&f=53025460
is structured to encourage lots of even games at all levels. It's even games
only, with 5.5 komi and a time control of 1/10. Winners gain points -- the
stronger the opponent, the greater the value. Defeating three ten-kyus is worth
more than beating a 6-dan, and they shouldn't mind, since losses don't count
against you. The six players with the most points by December 31 will each win a
set of 9.5 mm stones (winner pays shipping). The player with the most games
played will also win a set of stones. Anyone with an AGA rating of -17 or better
can enter this self-paired, all-even game event. (For other criteria see
http://www.pgaic.go.art.pl/rules.tmpl.)
Now for the bad news -- you are very unlikely to win this year. Some entrants,
including our own Steve Fawthrop, have played more than 200 games already --
that's a lot of catching up to do between now and the end of the year. With
about 150 active players registered, one Polish 5-kyu has played more than 370
games!
Despite the slim chances of winning a prize, this is the place to be if you've
ever wanted to try your stuff out on European players under tournament
conditions. Players have enrolled from Austria, the Czech republic, Denmark,
England, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and
Russia, varying in strength from 17-kyu to 6-dan. Aside from over 100 Polish
entrants, Italy, Germany and Romania are especially well represented, and one
4-kyu from Cyprus has completed almost 250 games.
You can also get a game with someone from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia
or Reunion Island -- look it up, it's a real place! Asia seems drastically
underrepresented for some reason -- the field includes a few players from
Thailand and Hong Kong, but only a few Japanese players and almost no one from
China or Korea.
Once you register and can challenge opponents, you can play official games on
the Kisedo Go Server at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025441&u=http://kgs.kiseido.com/index.html.lang-en,&g=0&f=53025460
by telnet to the Polish Go Association's Aurora server from
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025447&u=http://www.pgaic.go.art.pl/rules.tmpl,&g=0&f=53025460
or on the World InterNet Go-kaisho (WING) at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025458&u=http://www.wing.gr.jp/indexe.html,&g=0&f=53025460
a quadrilingual client-based server in Japan.
This tournament is sponsored by Kurokigoshi, a Japanese manufacturing firm that
actually makes the stones it sells. Learn more about them at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025443&u=http://www.kurokigoishi.co.jp/english/index.html.&g=0&f=53025460
Their other products include stones up to 14mm thick made from jade, "white
butterfly" clamshell, and clamshells with beige, pink and purple stripes. (A
word to the wise: "snow" grade is better than "moon" grade.) You can sometimes
pick up high-quality equipment here on special direct from the maker at half
price.
But let's face it -- wouldn't you rather play with stones you actually won? I
leave you with good news -- the PGA plans to hold another Internet tournament
next year, so go for it!
GO CLASSIFIED
FOR SALE: "Modern Joseki and Fuseki" vols 1 and 2; "The Middle Game of Go" vol 1
by Sakata, (G1, G3, G5). All hardcover and all signed by the master at the
second Go Congress. Ray Kukol, rkukol@lvcm.com
FOR SALE: Go reproductions (see www. kiseido.com--Go and Art for details) can
now be ordered directly by telephone and can be paid for in the USA by checks.
Contact Peter Shotwell at (212) 874-2913.
FOR SALE: Play Go in your holiday! 10% off for all Go players at
www.shafston.com jamaica (the owner, Frank Lohmann, is 13k on KGS; players name:
shafston)
FOR SALE: Refrigerator Go sets for displaying (or playing) the game on the large
laminated board attached to the metallic surface (for example, a refrigerator -
see http://www.promptpublishing.com); $45 from Michal Lebl, storyspyder@aol.com
FOR SALE: Go boards made of 2.5" mahogany or pine, about 17X19", with 19X19 grid
(cut with small saw, not drawn) and a 9X9 or 13X13 grid on the back. Sanded and
waxed, without feet. $260 ea or $170 ea for 10 or more.
Jim Thomas; waldomesa@cybermesa.com
WANTED: MasterGo Team volunteer to enter data into a player biography database.
No pay but get your name on the MasterGo website and, possibly, get a free copy
of the program. Charles G. Robbins, crobbins@ctipc.com
WANTED: for a forthcoming book, a program or suggestions to convert .sgf files
from GoWrite to Quark. Also wanted, a way to recover GoWrite diagrams that have
turned to red Xs in a Word document. Peter Shotwell; Shotwell@nyc.rr.com
WANTED: Human Resources Coordinator for the American Go Association.
Help write & edit job descriptions, assist the AGA to seek & screen volunteers,
& guide energetic volunteers into satisfying positions. Email
chrisk.aga@attbi.com. Or call 206-579-8071 between 7:30A and 11:30P Pacific
time.
WANTED: "All About Life and Death, Volume 1," by Cho Chikun; "The Breakthrough
to Shodan," by Naoki Miyamoto. John Pinkerton, john.pinkerton@watsonwyatt.com
WANTED: Issues of 'Go World' from the past couple of years. Prefer someone who
has several issues to offer. sfragman@netvision.net.il
Got Go stuff to sell, swap or want to buy? Do it here and reach more than 5,500
Go players worldwide every week at Go Classified! Send to us at journal@usgo.org
GET LISTED & BOOST TURN-OUT! Got an upcoming event? Reach 4,000 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://gm12.com/r.html?c=161337&r=161021&t=88498618&l=1&d=53025453&u=http://www.usgo.org&g=0&f=53025460
for the full list.
GET YOUR TOURNAMENT RATED! Send your tournament data to
MAILTO:ratings@usgo.org
AGA OFFICER CONTACT LIST:
President; Roy Laird: mailto:president@usgo.org
Eastern VP; ChenDao Lin: mailto:vp-eastern@usgo.org
Central VP; Mike Peng: mailto:vp-central@usgo.org
Western VP; Larry Gross: mailto:vp-western@usgo.org
Treasurer; Ben Bernstein; mailto:treasurer@usgo.org
Membership Secretary; John Goon: mailto:membership@usgo.org Recording Secretary:
Susan Weir: mailto: susan@weirdolls.com
Chapters Coordinator; Bill Cobb: mailto:chapterservices@usgo.org
Tournament Coordinator; Mike Bull: mailto:tournaments@usgo.org
Youth Coordinator; None Redmond: mailto:education@usgo.org
Congress Liaison Officer; Chris Kirschner: mailto:cngrsliaison@usgo.org
AGA Webmaster; Roy Laird: mailto:webmaster@usgo.org
American Go Foundation; Terry Benson: mailto: terrybenson@nyc.rr.com AGA
Librarian; Craig Hutchinson: mailto:archives@usgo.org
Published by the American Go Association
Material published in " AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL" may be reproduced by any
recipient: please credit the AGEJ as the source.
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
email: journal@usgo.org
Voice: 202-857-3410
Fax: 202-857-3420
Click here:
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