   |    |
AGA News!
World Go News from the American Go Association December 24, 2007 ERIC LUI TO REP N.A. AT WORLD YOUTH OZA SIGN-UP OVER 130 GATES, BUFFET ENDORSE MIND GAMES CALENDAR: London & January Preview WON WINS CHUNWON TAKAO SPEEDS TO DAIWA CUP VICTORY SIGN-UP TIME FOR YOUTH TOURNEYS WHICH YANG? IN MEMORIAM: Duane Burns  ERIC LUI TO REP N.A. AT WORLD YOUTH: Eric Lui 8d has been selected to represent North America in the 6th World Student Go Championship in Tokyo in February, American Go Association President Michael Lash announced last weekend. Lui, a student at Carnegie Mellon University, was selected “based on proven AGA ratings from among those eligible,” Lash said. “Eric has been a rising star in the AGA since a very young age and earns his rating with a lot of competition.” Lui finished second in this year’s ING Redmond at the U.S. Go Congress, finishing in the top ten for the last three years. Lui took 5th in the 2007 US Open and won both the 2007 New Jersey Ing Master Qualifier and the 2007 Maryland Open. “Eric will take a short break from his studies to compete over the goban,” Lash added, “We wish him the best."OZA SIGN-UP OVER 130: Early registration for next month's Toyota/Denso North American Oza Tournament is now over 130. The bi-coastal event features $25,000 in prizes at simultaneous tournaments in Baltimore, MD and Los Angeles, CA on January 19-20. Pre-Registration online http://www.oza2008.com/Register.html is highly recommended, as there’s a $10 penalty to register at the door and same day registrants who arrive after 9A will not play in the first round. Top boards will be broadcast on KGS, with live commentary on selected rounds by Alexandr Dinerchtein 1P. Also the Baltimore site has extended the $99 special . . . GATES, BUFFET ENDORSE MIND GAMES: The World Mind Sport Games (WMSG) are nearly a year away, but they're already picking up important support in their quest to raise the respectability of mind sports. The WMSG website http://www.2008wmsg.org/ home page -- available only in Chinese for now -- carries endorsements by Bill Gates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_gates and Warren Buffet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_buffet. Mr. Gates is also on the event's "honorary committee". International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) President Jose Damiani has planned worldwide tour, including a reception with "A-list celebrities," to draw attention to the event. Up to 24 U.S. players will compete in six events against up to 150 other nationalities in Beijing next October, in the National Stadium that is being built for the Olympics. To support the US team, click here http://www.usgo.org/agf/WMSGFund.html to make a tax-deductible earmarked donation to the American Go Foundation. In other WMSG news, a draft of the official U.S. participation guidelines in the first World Mind Sport Games has been published online http://www.usgo.org/WMSG08.html. The document covers everything from how to qualify to who’s eligible and how the point system works. Feedback is welcome until January 2; send comments or questions to operations@usgo.org CALENDAR: London & January Preview December 28-30: London, UK London Open Organised by the Central London Go Club and the British Go Association http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/2007/logc/ Geoff Kaniuk london-open@britgo.org +44.0.1223.710.582 January Preview January 5-6: San Francisco, CA: Annual JuJo Jiang Goe Tournament January 12: Salem, OR: Salem Winter Tournament January 13: Somerville, MA: Massachusetts Go Assoc. tournament January 18-20: Brisbane (Bardon), QU: Toyota & Denso Cup Oceania Division (AUSTRALIA) January 19-20: Los Angeles, CA: North American Oza West Coast Section January 19-20: Baltimore, MD: North American Oza East Coast Section January 19: Maidenhead, BK: Maidenhead–Furze Platt January 19: Tacoma, WA: Verna Castanza Memorial Tournament WON WINS CHUNWON: Won Sungjin http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=75 8P defeated Kang Dongyun http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=304 3-1 to take the Korean Chunwon http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/pg_titlelist_detail.php?title=Chunwon%20Title (Japanese: "Tengen") title. Won, who is in his early twenties, has now won two titles this year: the Chunwon and the BC Card http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/pg_titlelist_detail.php?title=BC%20Card%20Cup (New Pro) Cup, which are also the only titles he has won. Kang, still a teenager, has gotten only one title so far: the Electron-Land Cup http://senseis.xmp.net/?KingOfKings (King of Kings) which he took earlier this year by beating Lee Changho 9P 2-1. [pic of Won at http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=75 ] TAKAO SPEEDS TO DAIWA CUP VICTORY: Honinbo Takao Shinji http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/playerinfo.php?id=214 9P defeated teen Iyama Yuta http://senseis.xmp.net/?IyamaYuta 7P to win the Daiwa Cup http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daiwa_Cup, a very fast play Internet tournament sponsored by Daiwa Securities Group http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daiwa_Cup . Time limits are five minutes plus a thirty-second byoyomi. This was the third edition of the Daiwa, which starts with twenty-nine players. Takao also won the first edition of the Daiwa Cup, defeating Cho U http://senseis.xmp.net/?ChoU 9P in the finals. SIGN-UP TIME FOR YOUTH TOURNEYS: Registration is open for the annual Redmond Cup Tournament and the Ing Redmond Tournament, both major events for young North American players. Young go players up to 17 years old are eligible to play in the Redmond Cup Tournament’s two divisions, the Junior League for kyu players 5k and stronger who are 11 years old and under, and the Senior league for dan-level youth age 12 through 17. Participants must be members of the AGA or the Canadian Go Association and residents of the U.S., Canada or Mexico. Citizens of the United States living anywhere in the world are also eligible. Finalists will be invited to the 2008 Go Congress where the three final games will be played. The Redmond Cup is sponsored by Michael Redmond 9P and his family, the American Go Association, the Ing Wei-Ch'i Foundation, and IGS. The Ing Redmond Tournament is open to players 5 dan or stronger who are less than 30 years of age. Citizenship and residency requirements are the same as the Redmond Cup, but players may not play in both the Redmond Cup and the Ing Redmond Tournament. To register for either tournament e-mail organizer None Redmond at chinski@inreach.com, with your name, address, phone #, date of birth, email address, AGA rating, citizenship, and go club. Be sure to indicate which tournament you are registering for. - reported by Paul Barchilon, E-Journal Youth Editor; photo of Hugh Zhang, 5d (l) vs. Calvin Sun, 6d (r) at the 2007 Redmond Cup finals by Jian Zhang. WHICH YANG? Which of Yilun Yang's monthly problems do you prefer, life and death or endgame? Click here http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AJ832ZL7NUWKQ25g_2fPbB6g_3d_3d now to vote! Participants will be entered in a random drawing for cool EJ prizes,  IN MEMORIAM: Duane BurnsDuane Burns 2d of Cleveland, Ohio, passed away late last week after a lengthy illness. One of the few AGA members to have attended every Go Congress, Burns co-directed the 1996 Congress in Cleveland and directed several US Opens, including this year’s in Lancaster, PA, despite failing health. “His departure is a loss to the entire AGA community,” said American Go Association President Mike Lash, “and those who knew him understood and appreciated his quiet and effective demeanor in getting the job done.” Actively involved in promoting go in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, Burns “directed nearly all of our local tournaments, taught beginners for over two decades, and after Roger White passed, was one of the principle leaders of the Cleveland Go club,” longtime friend Harold Lloyd tells the EJ. Burns graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a degree in electrical engineering and worked for Perkin Elmer Corp. and later for G-tech Corp, which provides software support for the Ohio State Lottery. Other interests included poker and traveling. Photo: Phil Straus | |
| | |
