AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL: News from the American Go Association
December 23, 2002
AMERICAN GO E-JOURNAL: News from the American Go Association
Just 8 days left on this special offer: through December 31, 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, from
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Get your discount now by joining the AGA at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823119&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=-1
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!
In This Edition:
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
GAME COMMENTARY: Holiday Bonus!
GO NEWS: E-Journal Off Next Week; The 8-Pound Tesuji; Fujitsu Finals Come to
Baltimore; Been There, Done That; Export Diagrams in New SmartGo Release GO
CLUBS:DC Club Lands Yuan Zhou as Resident Pro; Central NY Club Invites
Beginners; Northern VA Club Sets Annual Dinner WORLD GO: China THE EMPTY BOARD
GO ONLINE: Wing It! GO REVIEW: Five Hundred and One Opening Problems 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 5: Seattle, WA
Monthly Ratings Tournament
Jon Boley 206-545-1424 go@seattlego.org
January 11: Salem, OR
Salem Winter Tournament.
levenick@willamette.edu, 503-370-6486
January 11: Arlington, VA
Winter Warner
Allan Abramson 703-684-7676 mediate8@worldnet.att.net
January 11/12: Piscataway, NJ
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=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823109&u=http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/~lruss/feng_yun_tournament.htm&g=0&f=-1
Feng Yun gotournament@yahoo.com
January 18: Baltimore, MD
Fujitsu Finals & Amateur Tournament
Keith Arnold 410-788-3520 hlime@earthlink.net
January 18-20: Evanston, IL
4th Annual Winter Workshop with Guo Juan 5P
Mark Rubenstein 847-869-6020 mark@easyaspi.com
January 19: Boston, MA
MGA Winter Handicap Tournament
Don Wiener 617-734-6316 donwiener@earthlink.net
FOREIGN
December 28-31: London, England
London Open
Geoff Kaniuk geoff@kaniuk.demon.co.uk
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823112&u=http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/london/&g=0&f=-1
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=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823120&u=http://www.usgo.org/usa/tournaments.html&g=0&f=-1
For the European Go Calendar see
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823121&u=http://www.win.tue.nl/cs/fm/engels/go/tourn.html&g=0&f=-1
GAME COMMENTARY: Holiday Bonus!
We're very pleased to present a whopping three (3!) attached files this issue as
a year-end holiday bonus for our members. In our regular game commentary, two
top amateur American 6-dans face off in Round 2 of this year's Ing Cup. Jong
Moon Lee's game with Yuan Zhou is commented thoroughly by Liping Huang. The
bonus files include a Rin Kaiho lesson that was originally published in Go
Review X, 10 (October 1970). The lesson is designed to help 6 kyu players reach
5 kyu and the topic is basic fighting tactics. The final file is a capturing
race problem in which Black's enclosed group of nine stones has only four
liberties while White's inside stones seem to have more liberties. In fact,
Black can actually win this race by making use of the power of seemingly
captured black stones. We hope you enjoy the files and welcome your comments and
suggestions, as we hope to continue to expand this type of content in the year
ahead. Email us at journal@usgo.org
NEW! Now you can get the weekly game records in a new special Games Edition of
the American Go E-Journal for just $20 a year! Go to
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823119&u=http://www.usgo.org/org/application.asp&g=0&f=-1
and select "Games Edition" and you'll start getting the weekly game records!
GO NEWS
E-Journal Off Next Week
The E-Journal will take a break next week but will return on Monday, January 6.
We've included extra material this week to tide you over and wish go players
worldwide a very happy, peaceful and go-filled New Year: see you on the goban!
- the Editors
The 8-Pound Tesuji
The latest addition to the go world is Malachi Aidan Joon Kim-Price, who made
his appearance last Thursday, December 19. The son of Janice Kim, pro 1-dan, and
amateur player Bruce Price weighed in at 8 pounds 13 oz and the proud poppa
assures us that this is the most perfect child ever, with lots of hair and
Janice's nose (thank god, says Bruce). Kid's Go Camp founder Susan Weir is on
hand to sign the newbie up so the 6 and 7-year-olds better start brushing up on
their fuseki now.
Fujitsu Finals Come to Baltimore
Professionals Jimmy Cha and Huiren Yang will battle it out with Thomas "Nomad"
Hsiang, Journal contributor Yuan Zhou and others at the Fujitsu finals January
18 and 19 in Baltimore, MD. Amateurs can observe the exciting competition, hear
game commentary and compete in a 4 round amateur tournament on Saturday, 1/18.
Info: Keith Arnold 410-788-3520 or hlime@earthlink.net
Been There, Done That
Number 14 on the list of "81 Things to do before the World Ends" in this month's
"Esquire" (page 90) is "Learn the ancient game of Go. Play in the World Ing Cup,
a quadrennial event with $1 million in prizes." Kudos to sharp-eyed Larry Gross
for spotting this!
Export Diagrams in New SmartGo Release
Go book editors and publishers, as well as anyone using go software for study or
review, will appreciate the latest version of SmartGo for Windows, which can now
export high-quality diagrams as EPS or PDF files. SmartGo is a tool to play,
replay, annotate, analyze and study Go games. See www.smartgo.com/t_diagrams.htm
for details. Download the free 9x9 version at www.smartgo.com/download.htm.
SmartGo:Player (the full version) is available for $59; SmartGo:Board (without
computer
play) is $29. Check www.smartgo.com web site for details.
GO CLUBS
DC Club Lands Yuan Zhou as Resident Pro
Due to the success of their recent Yuan Zhou teaching visits, the Greater
Washington Go Club has now scheduled regular visits through July 2003, beginning
January 10, continuing March 14, April 4, and then every first Friday of the
month, through July. The events run from 8:30-10:30PM, in the basement of the
Cedar Lane Unitarian Church, 9601 Cedar Lane. The format will be flexible,
featuring reviews of both dan and kyu games (be sure to bring game records!),
all open to observation. Cost is $5 per participant and video tapes will be
available at a rental cost of $4 per 2 hour video. Be sure to take advantage of
the superb teaching skills of Yuan Zhou, 7-dan, at this very reasonable cost,
made possible by GWGC's sponsorship.
- Haskell (Hal) Small; haskellsmall@starpower.net; 202-244-4764
Central NY Club Invites Beginners
The new Central New York Go Club has scheduled a "Beginners Night" at the CNY Go
Club, Monday, Jan 6th, 7-10P in the cafeteria at Wegman's on East Genesee St in
Dewitt, NY. Members will teach beginners. Experienced Go players & children are
welcome, too. Free! Check out the club at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823110&u=http://community.syracuse.com/cc/cnygo&g=0&f=-1
Info: aninno@cnyric.org
Northern VA Club Sets Annual Dinner
Join the Northern Virginia (NoVa) Go Club Monday, 1/13 us for food and
Conversation and the club's annual dinner. Main dish provided; bring desserts or
salads and ideas for improving the club. Calendar Notes: the NOVA Winter Warmer
2003 Tournament will be held on Saturday, 11 January, at the George Mason
University Arlington campus. Cherry Blossom Alert: please hold Saturday March
22, for the Cherry Blossom Tournament.
WORLD GO: China
The 5th Lebaishi Cup just wrapped up with title holder Chang Hao 9P defeating
challenger Yu Bin 9P (2 to 0). Chang Hao thus completes a sweep of all 5
Lebaishi cups. The 8th NEC cup Semifinals have now been has completed: Wang Lei
8P defeated Shao Weigang 9P and Zhou Heyang 9P defeated Liu Shizhen 6P. Wang Lei
will face Zhou Heyang in the final.
The current major professional go tournaments in China are: 1. Qisheng; 2.
Mingren; 3. China Individual Championship; 4. Jiang Ling Cup (China Team
Tournament); 5. CCTV Cup; 6. NEC Cup; 7. Agon Cup; 8. Lebaishi Cup; 9. Tianyuan;
10. Xinren Wang (China New Stars); 11. Qiwang; 12. RICOH Pair Championship.
Current Title holders are: Oisheng: Yu Bin 9P (30+ years old) ; Mingren: Ma
Xiaochun 9P (30+ years old); China Individual Championship: Xie He 5P (18 years
old); Jiang Ling Cup (China Team Tournament): Chongqing Team; CCTV Cup: Ma
Xiaochun 9P; 7th NEC Cup: Chang Hao 9P (26 years old); Agon Cup: Yu Bin 9P;
Lebaishi Cup: Chang Hao 9P; Tianyuan: Huang Yizhong 5P (20+ years old); Xinren
Wang: Peng Quan 5P (teenager); Qiwang: Yu Bin 9P. The average age of the current
top 10 ranked Chinese professional players is about 20 years old.
- reported by Yuan Zhou
THE EMPTY BOARD
By Bill Cobb
When we hear: "Pay attention!", it usually directs us to focus on some small
part of a larger whole. This suggests that being attentive, or "mindful", means
narrowing our perspective to a brightly illuminated spot, and we come to regard
the notion of "being in the present moment" as requiring a drawing-in of our
horizons. However, this is not at all what is meant, and playing Go can help us
understand why.
In recent months I have become an avid fan of "turn-based go", which involves
playing games on the Internet. You make a move and the web site informs your
opponent that it is his or her turn via email. Each player has a set amount of
time, usually several days, to respond. Making one move at a time in this
expanded timeframe encourages a way of attending to the game that we easily lose
in over-the-board play, namely, paying attention to the whole board.
Since you usually have several games going at the same time, you have to stop
and look over the board each time you come back to a game to be sure you
remember what is going on. Unlike over-the-board play, where you can get caught
up in local fights and forget about the larger picture, in turn-based Go you are
continually pushed into paying attention to the entire world of the game.
And that's what it means to be really "in the moment" in a game: not absorbed in
a local fight, but keenly aware of the entire situation and its myriad
interconnections and possibilities. Of course, since the world of a game of Go
shades off into infinity, just as in life, you can never have an exhaustive
grasp of the whole, but it is essential to realize that "paying attention"
requires broadening your horizons, not narrowing them.
So, even when you're playing over the board, take a deep breath before each
move, glance around, and try to really be in the game.
[Check
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823108&u=http://66.39.78.200/gopcres/playl.html&g=0&f=-1
for a description of various turn-based Go sites.]
GO ONLINE: Wing It!
By Roy Laird
The Polish Go Association's Internet Competition (PGAIC) is a worldwide
Internet-based, self-paired tournament played on the Kiseido Go Server (KGS) at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823111&u=http://kgs.kiseido.com/index.html.lang-en,&g=0&f=-1
by telnet to the Polish Go Association's Aurora server from
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823115&u=http://www.pgaic.go.art.pl/rules.tmpl,&g=0&f=-1
or on the World InterNet Go-kaisho (WING) at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823122&u=http://www.wing.gr.jp/indexe.html.&g=0&f=-1
We all know the KGS server as a great place to hang out, and the PGA's server
seems a little tricky to access, or maybe I just don't understand telnet. That
leaves WING, a quadrilingual client-based server in Japan. This server is not
connected in any way with the Wings Across Calm Water online AGA Chapter, which
meets regularly on KGS
If you use any of the IGS-like client-based servers, you can just set up a new
account and go to the wing site. The address is "wing,gr.jp" and the port
setting is "1515." Or, just load the Java applet at the above address.
Compared to bustling online communities like IGS and Yahoo, WING is a sleepy
little hamlet. On a recent evening, the "who" list on the English-speaking side
contained 26 names, with 7 games in progress. People were speculating whether
the white stones on the top board were really being wielded by Ma Xiao-chun. At
other times, you may find more than 100 players there, with no one over 1d*.
The designers of WING are trying an unusual, very short-term solution to the
problem of "escapers". If your opponent loses his connection and does not
reconnect within five minutes, and you suspect that he has "escaped", you have
the option to "declare" victory or "dismiss" the game. The designers ask that
this command be used sparingly.
The WING rating system is explicitly similar to IGS ratings. You can tell WING
your rating from other servers or life experience and start there, or take your
best guess, and the system should certify a rank for you within 12 games. The
best way to play a rated game is to use the "ematch" command, which
automatically sets up a game with the correct handicap according to ratings in
the WING system. At the start of the game, WING will tell you how likely you are
to beat your opponent, and what will happen to your rating if you win or lose.
The WING server does not automatically adjust your rating. Instead you will lose
your * because, having one or lost too many games, your rating percentage is
less than 66%. (A perfectly balanced result, say ten wins and ten losses, gives
you a 100% rating percentage.) You must change your rating so that it reflects
your results, and the star will reappear. If you don't want to play rated games
just set your rank to NR.
WING seems like a nice place to visit once in a while -- you'll be of the few
English-speaking players there.
GO REVIEW: Five Hundred and One Opening Problems
Five Hundred and One Opening Problems
By Richard Bozulich
in collaboration with Rob van Zeijst (Kiseido)
Reviewed by Barney Cohen, IGS 4k*
"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."
Shakespeare, "As You Like It," Act 5, Scene 1.
In "Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go," Kageyama Toshiro advises us to practice
the fundamentals if we want to get stronger. In the same way that ceaseless
practice enables professional baseball players to field ground balls
effortlessly, go players should practice Go fundamentals until it becomes second
nature for them to spot certain key moves, punish their opponents' overplays,
and instantly kill commonly occurring corner patterns. Practice, practice, and
more practice. And in go, that means spending time doing mental gymnastics,
working one's way through problem books of all descriptions.
For Kyu-level players like myself, Richard Bozulich's new series: "Mastering the
Basics," is indispensable. The second book in the series: "Volume I: Five
Hundred and One Opening Problems has just been published." (Volume II: One
Thousand and One Life and Death Problems was released earlier this year and was
reviewed in the August 19th issue of the E-Journal). The current book is
designed to develop your intuition and feel for the opening, consisting of
little more than page after page of opening problems. In a brief introduction,
co-author Rob van Zeijst explains the importance of playing urgent moves before
big moves. He also suggests how to properly evaluate opening moves that either
strengthen your own stones or weaken your opponent's. These basic ideas are
illustrated and reinforced over 250 pages of problems compiled by Richard
Bozulich based on positions he's collected from professional and high-level
amateur games.
The book's central thesis is that by correctly applying a rudimentary set of
basic go principles one can fairly easily identify the most important point to
play in the opening, which later will tilt the game in your favor once the
serious fighting begins. Many players simply love to fight and the temptation
for us is to launch full-steam ahead into premature invasions or other such
maneuvers just to initiate confrontation. This superb book encourages us to
practice careful consideration and calm, qualities that all strong players
certainly possess.
Consistent with an emphasis on the simple and powerful, the book's layout is
elegantly straightforward, with four new problems on each right-sided page and
the solutions on the back of that page, which means you never have to go hunting
in the back of the book for a solution. There's also a helpful hint beneath each
problem; I suppose the authors must have grappled with where to place these
hints - either underneath the problems or in the solutions. My personal
preference would have been to have them under the solutions and my strong
recommendation is that the reader cover up the hint when attempting a problem
the first time.
None of the problems are devoted to the first dozen or so moves in the game, so
if you're looking for basic opening lessons check out Janice Kim's books or "Get
Strong at Go Volume 1: Get Strong At The Opening," before delving into this
book.
While the positions that arise in my own games rarely resemble anything remotely
like the positions that show up in professional games, this book does a terrific
job of hammering away at some very fundamental concepts of opening strategy that
will definitely serve kyu-level players well as they look for the right move in
their own games. I am sure Kageyama Toshiro would approve.
- available at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823114&u=http://www.kiseido.com/&g=0&f=-1
GO CLASSIFIED
FOR SALE: Sets of old "Go World" magazines: 1-48 and 1-15; 17-25; 50-56 and
individual copies #22, #40, #43, and #51. Check them out at
http://gm12.com/r.html?c=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823113&u=http://www.eskimo.com/~dobe/Dobe_ForSale_GO_Worlds01.htm&g=0&f=-1
Or email dobe.doinat@verizon.net
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: Copy of the go novel "First Kyu."
Mark Lybrand; maryesme@shore.net
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: 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=164895&r=164505&t=88498618&l=1&d=56823118&u=http://www.usgo.org&g=0&f=-1
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
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