Planet Go

This is the third game of the 18th GS Caltex Cup final, between Kim Jiseok (8p at the time) and Lee Sedol 9p. It was played on April 22, 2013.

Kim Jiseok won the first two games of the best of five final on April 16 and 17, so he only had to win this game to win the 18th GS Caltex Cup.

Lee Sedol is currently ranked #1 in Korea, and Kim Jiseok is ranked #3.

Even after Kim won the first two games, their head to head record still stood at 12-6 in Lee’s favor. Things would become more interesting if Lee won this game.

Both Lee and Kim like fighting, but Kim is more of an infighter.

Let’s have a look at the game. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.

Commented game record

Kim Jiseok vs Lee Sedol

[Embedded SGF File]

No, it’s not Gomoku. It’s the Tianyuan.

On May 13 and 15, 2013, Chen Yaoye 9p defended his Tianyuan title against yet another challenger, in the 27th Tianyuan title match, in China.

This victory marks Chen’s fifth consecutive year as title holder!

 

A challenger appears!

This year’s challenger, Gu Lingyi 5p, won the right to challenge Chen earlier in February.

Gu, was once considered one of the most promising players in China.

He broke into the top 10 Chinese pros (by ranking) in 2009, and unsuccessfully challenged the more famous Gu (Li 9p) for the Mingren (Chinese Meijin) title in 2010.

However, he was unable budge Chen from his Tianyuan throne – losing in two games straight.

Chen to equal Gu’s record?

Chen has maintained a stranglehold on the Tianyuan title since 2009, when he ended Gu Li’s six year run.

Chen’s now only one title defense away from equalling Gu’s record.

The China Korea Tengen

Chen’s victory means that he’ll once again represent China in this year’s China Korea Tengen playoff (probably sometime in September).

His record in the ‘international edition’ of the tournament is just as impressive, with Chen having won three out of the four matches he’s competed in.

Chen’s defensive, counter-attacking style is noted as being particularly effective against the stereotypical Korean attacking style, which is exemplified by players like Choi Cheolhan 9p (whom Chen faced in 2011 and 2012).

However, his opponent this time round will be Park Younghun 9p, who won this year’s 17th Chunwon tournament in Korea.

Park’s style is very different to Choi’s. He’s a master of the endgame and tends to prefer more peaceful, territory oriented games.

In good form for the Chunlan Cup?

In recent years, Chen’s regularly appeared to be in excellent form – especially around this time of year, when he’s defended his Tianyuan title.

However, success in a major international title still eludes the wunderkind who’s now all grown up.

The child prodigy reached his first international final in 2006 – at the age of 16 – defeating Lee Changho 9p en route, but eventually losing to Gu Li in the final of the 10th LG Cup.

Now 23 years old, Chen will have another chance on the international stage in June, when he faces the formidable Lee Sedol 9p in the final of the 10th Chunlan Cup.

Game 1 of the final will be played on June 17, 2013. See the Pro Go Calendar for more details.

The Tianyuan

The Tianyuan title is the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese Tengen title.

The tournament uses a knockout format consisting of 48 players vying for the right to challenge the previous year’s winner. 16 players are seeded into the second round of the knockout tournament.

The title match is decided over the best of three games. The current winner’s prize is 150,000 RMB (approximately $25,000 USD at the time of writing).

27th Tianyuan photos

Game records

Gu Lingyi vs Chen Yaoye – Game 1

[Embedded SGF File]

Chen Yaoye vs Gu Lingyi – Game 2

[Embedded SGF File]

We learned 'net'!

I was quite happy to see that

everybody improved their own levels faster than I thought,

and I hope that my students will be strong enough

to enjoy the profundity of the world of Baduk.



I am proud of you!!







2013-05-16 USFKBC 11th Session



I got the 'net' material from Sensei's Library.

http://senseis.xmp.net/

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 90.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

Sometimes you can live by exploiting a shortage of liberties.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

There’s more than one way to attack this shape. As the situation changes, you should be flexible.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

Black can preserve his own liberties and live, but only with exquisite move order.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Hi friends!!

I was greatly excited that the special guest showed up in the Yongsan Baduk class!

Perhaps the woman strongest player in the USAG(The US Army Garrison in Yongsan), Jenine came to the Baduk class and showed her strength in Baduk!

She played me with a nine-stone handicapped Baduk, and later, she taught the endgame to some students. We should be grateful to her cooperation.

Above all, her excitement overwhelmed the whole class!



Thank you Jenine and the assistant, Mr.Kim!





2013-05-09 USFKBC 10th Session

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 89.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

It looks like white has plenty of eye shape, but is that really the case?

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

Sometimes you can stop your opponent from taking a vital point without playing there yourself.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

Force white into a familiar shape and use what you’ve learned to capture the corner.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

What would you be willing to do to promote the game of Go?

Next week, Chris Garlock and his wife Lisa will answer that question by walking 200 miles across England!

Raising funds to promote Go

The couple are raising funds for the American Go Foundation (AGF) – a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Go in the US.

The AGF has introduced Go to thousands of students in schools, libraries and community centers, and continues to do so.

“The AGF is one of the unsung heroes of the American Go community,” says Chris.

“They’ve been working steadily for years to teach kids and supply Go teachers with materials, and several generations of young American players can be directly traced to these efforts.”

“The AGF’s small but dedicated group of volunteers and a lot of generous donors inspired my own small effort to contribute.”

Click here to contribute now, or donate to the AGF directly if you prefer.

The AGA E-Journal

Some readers might recognize Chris as the editor of the American Go Association’s E-Journal – a free resource which is enjoyed by many thousands of Go players worldwide.

Apart from this fundraising walk, Chris has worked tirelessly for years (on a volunteer basis) to provide the Go community with up to date news and articles on the E-Journal.

How about donating a fiver for his trouble?

 

“The AGF is one of the unsung heroes of the American Go community.”

200 miles is a long way

Walking 200 miles is a serious effort.

It’s like walking from New York to DC, London to Paris or Sydney to Canberra.

Go Game Guru has already donated to this worthwhile fundraiser and you can too.

Support the AGF

Chris and Lisa will be walking in the UK during the second half of May, 2013.

By supporting them, you’ll be helping to get Go equipment and teachers into more schools and libraries, and fostering the next generation of Go players.

All money will go directly towards promoting Go.

Chris and Lisa are quite literally doing the hard yards to promote Go. They just need you to give them a hand.

No amount is too small.

Click here now to support the fundraiser

 

My students became very very strong!

Who knows?

Maybe one of the students in USFKBC

can conquer the US Baduk open Championship!

Way to go my dear friends! We can do it!



Are you fired up?

"Fired up!"



Are you ready to go?

"Ready to go!"







2013-05-02 USFKBC 9th Session

This is the 4th game from the 7th Ing Cup final, between Park Junghwan 9p and Fan Tingyu 3p (now 9p).

Fan won the first and the third games, and was leading the best of five series 2-1 at this point.

With the score at 2-1 in Fan’s favor, the pressure was now on Park to win the next game, just to stay in the final.

Park Junghwan

Park Junghwan 9p is ranked #2 in Korea, and Fan Tingyu 3p is ranked #9 in China.

It’s hard to find the weak points in Park’s game, but his style of play doesn’t yet have a unique character.

Lee Sedol 9p once said that this could be Park’s weakness, and that he needs to develop a his own style in order to become #1.

Fan Tingyu

Fan Tingyu’s style of play is similar to Park’s, but Fan’s style is thicker and more solid, and more defensive too.

Park’s style is more flexible and he’s more of an all rounder.

Anyway, let’s have a look at game 4 from the 7th Ing Cup final.

Commented game record

Fan Tingyu vs Park Junghwan

[Embedded SGF File]

The inaugural Tri-Nation Pair Go competition was held in Heifei, Anhui Province, China on April 30, May 1 and 2, 2013.

Chang Hao and Wang Chenxing

Much to the delight of the home crowd, China’s Chang Hao 9p and Wang Chenxing 5p won the tournament, which featured pairs from China, Japan and Korea.

Yu Changhyeok and Choi Jung

Yu Changhyeok 9p teamed up with one of his former students, Choi Jung 3p, to represent Korea.

Yu and Choi have previously shown themselves to be formidable as a pair Go team.

Yuki Satoshi and Suzuki Ayumi

Yuki Satoshi 9p and Suzuki Ayumi 6p carried the flag for Japan.

Yuki was in good form, having just taken the Judan title from Iyama Yuta 9p, on April 26.

A three round affair

As is common in these three way tournaments, there are three rounds and the winner must win two matches.

Yu and Choi won the first spot in the final by defeating the Japanese pair, who were also unable to make good of their second chance against Chang and Wang.

Chang and Wang prevailed against Yu and Choi in the final, on May 2.

Only the first cab off the rank

Pair Go is the first event of the new Tri-Nation Go Tournament. Apart from other matches, there are also public events for Go fans to test their wits against professionals.

One familiar face was former Chinese Go Association President, Wang Runan 8p, who hails from Anhui Province.

Wang returned home to play with some of Anhui’s youngest Go players.

The Three Kingdoms

The tournament was held at the aptly named, Three Kingdoms Park in Heifei, China.

History buffs will know the ‘Three Kingdoms’ actually refers to a tempestuous period in Chinese history, filled with struggles between the Wei, Shu and Wu kingdoms.

The park’s pictureque grounds contain some ancient ruins from the Three Kingdom period.

Game records

Japan vs Korea – Round 1

[Embedded SGF File]

China vs Japan – Round 2

[Embedded SGF File]

China vs Korea – Round 3

[Embedded SGF File]

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 88.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

White has one more liberty than black, but black can still win the capturing race if black knows tesuji.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

When dealing with a familiar shapes, it’s important to pay attention to liberties and cutting points.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

The surrounding position can also affect the life and death status of groups.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

[This is a guest article by Michael J. Simon, from go9dan]

On April 29, 2013, Shi Yue 9p won the three month long World Go League at go9dan.

The World Go League is an invitational tournament for five players from South Korea and five players from China, which kicked off this year.

The organizers heralded it as the ultimate pro top 10.

10 top players

Korea was represented by Lee Changho 9p, Lee Sedol 9p, Park Younghun 9p, Kim Jiseok 9p and Park Junghwan 9p.

While the Chinese players were Shi Yue 9p, Chen Yaoye 9p, Fan Tingyu 9p, Xie He 9p and Kong Jie 9p.

Baduk TV relayed Lee Sedol’s commentaries of selected games.

Shi Yue tops the league

Shi Yue won the round robin league with a 7-2 record. Park Junghwan and Chen Yaoye were tied as runners up at 6-3.

Ironically go9dan co-founder, Lee Sedol, finished last with a 2-7 record.

The World Go League (WGL) is unique in pitting the top 10 players against one another, without any preliminaries.

45 games between top Go players

A total of 45 games were played between the world’s strongest Go players.

In a post match interview, Shi said, “I’m very happy that I could participate. I gained self-confidence and am proud of myself. I was really happy that I managed to top all these very strong players.”

One thing to note about the WGL is that 100% of the games were played online, which created some very interesting issues.

These included some players running out of time or making misclicks (unintended moves).

Lee Sedol talked about his own misclicks and those of other players on Baduk TV, pointing out that some players were used to online play while others weren’t.

An Interview with Shi Yue

Congratulations on winning the World Go League. How do you feel?

I’m very happy that I could participate. I gained self-confidence and am proud of myself. I was really happy that I managed to top all these very strong players.

Your game against Park Younghun ended up being the championship match. How did you prepare for it?

I made no special preparations apart from reviewing a few of Park’s games. Perhaps due to WGL games being fast, I felt no significant tension and I was able to play the game light-heartedly.

Can you comment on the game against Park Younghun?

The exchange early in the game was good for me. Once I invaded and lived in the upper left corner, I felt good about the game. I managed to maintain my lead until the end.

What’s your secret? In recent years, you’ve won the LG Cup and the go9dan WGL. Does that show that you’ve improved? Or do you study mind control? Do you have a special secret?

Secret? Not particularly. I should say that the secret is to maintain sound health and an active mind. I don’t seem to be improving in terms of skill (laughs).

I gained a lot of self-confidence and won the LG Cup. In Go, confidence is very important. Nowadays luck seems to matter a lot, too.

What are your thoughts on the future of Go in China, Korea, and Japan?

Recently, Japan’s been falling behind in international championships, and the competition is strongest between China and Korea.

Personally, I want to see Japan recover quickly and compete at the top of the world stage again. And I also wish to see top players from Europe and other countries competing at the highest levels.

Who do you think are the most notable up and coming players in China and South Korea?

The young players in Korea and China all have potential. They have a long, long way to go yet. Because they’re still developing, it’s difficult to say who’s strongest. They’re mostly similar in strength, I think.

Could you say something about Go in general?

I started studying Go at the age of 6 and have now played Go for 15-16 years. Go is a very attractive and free flowing game. It can be played on a grid of any size and isn’t restrictive. Human wisdom, talent, and many mysteries are to be found on the board.

What would you like to say to your fans?

I’d like to thank my teacher, who shows continued interest and support, and thank my fans sincerely. I’ll try hard to live up to their expectations.

Game records

Lee Sedol vs Shi Yue

[Embedded SGF File]

Xie He vs Shi Yue

[Embedded SGF File]

Park Junghwan vs Shi Yue

[Embedded SGF File]

Shi Yue vs Kim Jiseok

[Embedded SGF File]

About go9dan

This is a guest article by Michael J. Simon at go9dan. It’s been edited by Go Game Guru.

Go Game Guru is in no way affiliated with the go9dan project, and is publishing this article as a courtesy.

go9dan is a global online Go site co-founded by Lee Sedol and former US Champion John J. Lee. It is directly involved in the establishment and planning of projects to foster Go.

Unexpected network problems and defects in the application took longer to cure than expected so its beta period was extended. go9dan anticipates launching its full-fledged service very soon.

Full results and game records from the World Go League are available at go9dan.

During the last weeks I’ve restarted watching the anime series of “Hikaru no Go”. Filling up my night shifts with its passion forced me to find a way to play go from my hospital.

Unfortunatelly, the internet is firewalled, so any port beyond the usual ones and java applets are prohibited. This turns all go server such as KGS, yahoo, IGS useless… all but GoShrine.

GoShrine is a small server. Currently having 21 users makes me emphasize the SMALL aspect of the server. I’ve been there a few hours during the last week and found that most users are around 10k with some top users being around 1k-1d level. Most probably, there are stronger players but we may not have the same timetables… Sincerely, I don’t think stronger players may want to join this club for other reasons than badly beating weaker players. On the other hand, most of us remember the old days from KGS when it was small…

However, it is the only go server which allows me to play from my job, with a simple interface and players always asking for incomers and more games. So if you happen to see me lurking over there, I will most probably be working during my night shift. Therefore, you can bargain me a game but I may resign randomly if my job requires it.

The 2nd Huading Cup took place in Taizhou, China, from April 26-28, 2013.

Team Korea won this women’s team event with an overall score of 2-1 and 6 individual wins.

Team Korea by a whisker’s breadth

When the dust settled, Team China had the same record as Korea, but Team Korea won by a whisker’s breadth after the countback.

When two teams are tied (according to the rules of this tournament), the results of individual games (tied at 6 wins each in this case) are counted, followed by the captains’ results (if it’s still a tie).

In this case, the team captains, Park Jieun 9p and Li He 5p were also tied, with two wins and one loss each.

So the countback went all the way back to the results of the second board.

Korea’s Kim Miri 2p had won three games while, Tang Yi 2p won two. This was the result that decided the winning team in the end.

China bests Korea in round 1

In the first round, Team China defeated Team Korea 2-1, with white winning all games.

Most Go fans expected the Chinese team to win the tournament after that.

Japan outplays China in round 3

However, in the final round, the Team Japan beat Team China 2-1.

This result was somewhat unexpected, because Japanese teams generally haven’t defeated Chinese teams in recent years.

Xie Yimin 9p defeated Li He by resignation, in the captains’ match (first board).

Meanwhile, Mukai Chiaki 5p prevailed against Wang Chenxing 5p in a tight half point game.

Xie is the top female player in Japan and Mukai is practically #2.

Team Korea defeated Team Taiwan 3-0 and, with some luck and some help from Team Japan, was able to win the tournament.

Korean women on a roll

At the 1st Huading Cup, in 2012, the Korean team members won all nine of their games, so they were able to win the tournament without dropping a single game.

The Korean women’s team also reclaimed the Huang Longshi Cup a few weeks ago (on April 11), taking it back from China, so they’re on something of a roll lately.

Joanne Missingham in the limelight

Beyond the excitement of the games, Joanne Missingham 6p (also known by her Chinese name, Hei Jiajia) was the darling of the photographers and reporters.

Missingham was born in Australia and later lived in the US too. She qualified as a professional Go player in China, in 2008, and later joined the Taiwanese Go Association (her mother is originally from Taiwan).

Unfortunately, Missingham didn’t win any games this time, playing as Taiwan’s team captain, but she’s still the top women’s player in Taiwan.

The Huading Cup

The Huading Cup is a women’s team event played between China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. It was first held in 2012.

Each team has three members, and they play a three board round-robin over three days.

The tournament uses Chinese rules and each player receives 2 hours main time and 5 x 1 minute byo-yomi for each game.

The winning team receives 200,000 RMB (approx $32,000 USD at the time of writing) and the runner-up receives 100,000 RMB. The remaining two teams receive 50,000 RMB each.

The tournament is sponsored by Huading Tea, and is supported by the Chinese Weiqi Association and the local government in Zhejiang Province.

2nd Huading Cup photos

2nd Huading Cup results

April 26: Round 1

China 2 – Korea 1

• Li He 5p (white) vs Park Jieun 9p, 290 moves, W+3.5
• Tang Yi 2p (black) vs Kim Miri 2p, 186 moves, W+R
• Wang Chenxing 5p (white) vs Kim Chaeyoung 1p, 202 moves, W+R

Japan 2 – Taiwan 1

• Xie Yimin 6p (black) vs Joanne Missingham 6p, 284 moves, B+0.5
• Okuda Aya 3p (white) vs Su Shengfang 2p, 195 moves, B+R
• Mukai Chiaki 5p (black) vs Zhang Zhengping 3p, 265 moves, B+7.5

April 27: Round 2

Korea 2 – Japan 1

• Park Jieun (black) vs Xie Yimin, 205 moves, B+R
• Kim Miri (white) vs Okuda Aya, 322 moves, W+R
• Kim Chaeyoung (black) vs Mukai Chiaki, 210 moves, W+R

China 3 – Taiwan 0

• Li He (black) vs Joanne Missingham, 163 moves, B+R
• Tang Yi (white) – Su Shengfang, 102 moves, W+R
• Wang Chenxing (black) vs Zhang Zhengping, 187 moves, B+R

April 28: Round 3

Korea 3 – Taiwan 0

• Park Jieun (white) vs Joanne Missingham, 222 moves, W+R
• Kim Miri (black) vs Su Shengfang, 211 moves, B+R
• Kim Chaeyoung (white) vs Zhang Zhengping, 174 moves, W+R

Japan 2 – China 1

• Xie Yimin (black) vs Li He 243 moves, B+R
• Okuda Aya (white) vs Tang Yi, 305 moves, B+R
• Mukai Chiaki (black) vs Wang Chenxing, 300 moves, B+0.5

Game records

Park Jieun vs Li He

[Embedded SGF File]

Xie Yimin vs Li He

[Embedded SGF File]

Mukai Chiaki vs Wang Chenxing

[Embedded SGF File]

Joanne Missingham vs Park Jieun

[Embedded SGF File]

The Colonel was interested in Baduk and everyone around me was very excited!



Could it be possible, that the whole U.S Army Garrison will participate in the Baduk Class? I hope so. Above all, learning a game of Baduk is the first step in having a relationship with the eastern society - really!





The USFKBC(US Forces Korea Baduk Class) 8th Session - 2013-04-25

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 87.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

With some experience, black’s first move should become reflexive.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

Save as many of black’s stones as you can.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

If reducing eyespace from the outside doesn’t work, the next thing you should try is a placement on the vital point…

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

On April 22, 2013, Kim Jiseok 8p took the 18th GS Caltex Cup from the defending champion, Lee Sedol 9p.

In doing so, Kim also earned himself a promotion to 9 dan!

3 straight wins

After winning the first two games of the best of five final on April 16 and 17, it seemed likely that Kim would win the title.

However, few would have predicted such a decisive 3-0 victory, especially against Lee Sedol.

En route to the final

Lee’s semifinal match against Park Younghun 9p was a reprise of last year’s GS Caltex Cup final.

Meanwhile, Kim defeated Cho Hanseung to earn his spot in the final.

Living up to expectations

Kim has long been considered one of the strongest players in Korea.

He’s particularly strong at fighting, especially in fast games. His only other win as an individual was in another rapid tourament, the Price Information Cup, in 2009.

So far, international success has eluded him, but his results have been getting better and better lately.

Kim also excels in team events. He’s received the Korean Baduk League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award three times.

He’s also been selected three times for the Korean Nongshim Cup team.

Is Lee Sedol in a slump?

Lee Sedol also lost the Maxim Cup final to Park Junghwan 9p last week, leading some to question his form.

Hopefully Lee can get back in shape in preparation for his jubango with Gu Li later this year.

GS Caltex Cup

The GS Caltex Cup is one of the most generously sponsored Korean domestic Go tournaments, with the winner taking away 70 million Won (approximately $60,000 USD).

It’s also one of the fastest tournaments with only 10 minutes main time and 3 x 40 seconds byo-yomi.

Until 2004, when LG restructured into LG (which sponsors the international LG Cup) and GS, the tournament was known as the Korean LG Cup.

In this tournament, professionals play in a knockout format with the final decided by a five game match. The tournament structure has changed several times over the years.

Up until the 15th year, the tournament was played with a challenger facing the defending title holder. The challenger has been decided by both round robin and single knockout formats.

GS Caltex is a South Korean oil and energy company.

18th GS Caltex Cup photos

Game records

Kim Jiseok vs Lee Sedol – Game 1

[Embedded SGF File]

Lee Sedol vs Kim Jiseok – Game 2

[Embedded SGF File]

Kim Jiseok vs Lee Sedol – Game 3

[Embedded SGF File]

Today we added six new Go books from Hinoki Press to the Go Game Shop and also updated a couple of older books.

The highlights of the current and upcoming titles are the four new books from Valery Shikshin’s Theory and Practice of Go series and two books from the Best of Kido series.

The Theory and Practice of Go

Hot off the press, The Theory and Practice of Go is a new series by Valery Shikshin.

 

The four book series includes:

• The Theory and Practice of Tsumego (available now – click here to buy)
• The Theory and Practice of Semeai (May 2013 – pre-order now)
• The Theory and Practice of Shapes (July 2013 – pre-order now)
• The Theory and Practice of Analysis (July 2013 – pre-order now).

Valery Shikshin (the author) is a Go coach at the Russian Go Federation who’s taught many top European players – including Alexandre Dinerchtein 3p, and his children Svetlana Shikshina 3p and Ilya Shikshin 7d.

These books are Shikshin’s training manuals, and contain the insights from more than 25 years of Go playing and teaching, condensed into four books.

They’ve just been translated into English for the first time, by Svetlana Shikshina and Shaun Cepla.

I’ve only had a chance to read Volume 1 (Tsumego) at this stage, but I enjoyed the book and learned some new rules of thumb for life and death problems. Shikshin focuses more on explaining things in terms of principles than other authors do and this book would make a good alternative to James Davies’ Life and Death.

Click here for more information about these new books.

Best of Kido

The Best of Kido series was published in 2012 and is now available worldwide with fast and affordable shipping from our warehouses in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

The two book series is a collection of some of the best articles from the Japanese Go magazine Kido.

It includes:

• The Art of Positional Analysis, and
  
  
• The Ins and Outs of Life and Death.

Click here for more information about these books.

Also in store now…

Vital Points and Skillful Finesse for Sabaki

The second edition of Vital Points and Skillful Finesse for Sabaki has just been reprinted.

Chris Greene from Hinoki Press has updated the text to incorporate all known errata and the page weight and binding have also been improved to the standard of Hinoki’s newer books.

What was already an excellent book is now even better (read some book reviews here).

Zone Press Park

Zone Press Park is part of the Heart of Go Discovery Series and was actually published about five years ago. However, I don’t think it was that widely distributed at the time, because it received some very harsh early criticism.

Because of that, I’d never read the book myself until I finally got a copy late last year.

I was very surprised to discover that, rather than being the terrible book I’d heard about, it was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking Go books I’d read for a long time.

I can only assume that the author, O Meien 9p, irritated some people because of his strong desire for the reader to think things through for themselves.

The book uses a dialectic style, with a couple of Go writers from the Nihon Ki-in interviewing O Meien about his philosophy of Go.

At times, it seemed to me like O Meien thought the interviewers were asking too many questions, ‘grasping for knowledge’ too quickly and glossing over important points. At those times he often changed the subject to talk about food or something else (before coming back to the point).

It reminded me of some of the opaque and brain snapping texts I encountered when I took some Asian philosophy courses in my university days. So I can definitely see that this book isn’t for everyone.

However, while it isn’t for everyone, it’s a unique book that will be treasured by some players, and that’s why we’ve added it to our store.

Coming soon…

For those of you who’ve been waiting patiently for Volume 2 of Commented Games by Lee Sedol, we also have some news about that.

I’ve been helping Baduktopia‘s Daniela Trinks (the translator) to proofread some of the chapters this week and the book will (hopefully) be ready to print in a few months.

So far I can say that the second volume is just as good as the first! As soon as I know more, I’ll let you know.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive news about new Go books, as well as Go news, game commentaries and more…

Our cute boy, Peter showed up again! Lovely kids grow up fast!

Oh my, the great leader of our class learned many things but failed to master the concept of 'the false eye'!

That's okay, because we have lots of time to learn the false eye and the perfect two eyes!

Life is so fantastic. I hope my students enjoy the journey with the Baduk class!





USFKBC(US Forces Korea Baduk Class)7th Session 2013-04-18

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 86.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

There are five different ways for black to defend his stone on the second line. Each one serves a special purpose in the right circumstances.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

Black’s move here is the sort of thing that often seems to be overlooked in games. In a game, finding this sort of move is good, and waiting until the right time to play it can be priceless.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

It should be fairly clear where black’s potential eyes are, but look for the catch too. This is basically a move order problem.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

We had a very special guest for the 6th USFKBC(US Forces Korea Baduk Class)! Kim Myung Wan 9p, who is working as a teacher of a lot of US Baduk fans in LA, visited Yongsan with me. He also gave a lecture about US Baduk society, E-Journal, the difference between Baduk and Chess, and so on. I learned a lot from his brief lecture, and at the same time, I felt that our teaching styles were a bit different. His message was powerful; you should learn Baduk. Baduk is good for dementia, and many other things. You should bring your children. Whereas, I am saying like, "It will be better for you to learn Baduk." I was impressed by his strong attitude!

Oh, and one more thing; one of our good friends, C, just bought his own Baduk board when he visited KBA(Korean Baduk Association) yesterday! He got a nice and expensive one! It was awesome!





2013-04-11 USFKBC_6th Session

Almost every teenager and many adults will end up with acne at some point in their life. This is one of the most common skin conditions, and it can affect anyone, regardless of their age or background. Some people only end up with minor breakouts that involve small pimples, or whiteheads or blackheads. However, other people may suffer from more severe cases called cystic acne. This can lead to nodules and pustules, or red scaly skin and it often results in scarring. The good news is that there are currently many effective treatments to help people clear up their acne safely and effectively.

Recently there have been persistent rumors about an upcoming ten game match between Lee Sedol 9p and Gu Li 9p.

We didn’t mention this news earlier (at Go Game Guru), because there was very little detail to discuss.

However, over the last few weeks, more concrete details about the proposed event have emerged.

 

Lee Sedol and Gu Li

Both Lee and Gu were born in 1983, and became pros in 1995.

Many Go fans regard Lee Sedol as the top player in Korea and Gu Li as the best player in China, so there’s been a lot of interest in a ten game match (jubango) between the two for several years now.

A Gu Li – Lee Sedol jubango

The Dong-A Ilbo, one of the major newspapers in Korea, published some details about the proposed matches recently and I’d like to share some of this information with Go fans from other continents.

We might be able to see the first game of the jubango between Lee Sedol and Gu Li in October 2013.

According to the Korean Baduk news on this topic, both players have agreed to play the ten games between October 2013 and May 2014, in various locations throughout China.

The venue for the first match and the final details are not completely settled yet, but they should be soon.

Details of the proposed jubango

According to reports, the budget for the match is around $1.15 million USD and the winner’s purse would be approximately $620,000 USD (at the time of writing).

In an interview earlier this year, Lee Sedol suggested 1.5 million USD, when asked to nominate a reasonable amount of prize money for this kind of event.

He explained at the time that the loser of a jubango between Gu and himself would suffer severe damage to their reputation, throughout the Go world and in the history books.

Because of that, Lee regards this as a very high stakes match, which should offer enough prize money to make the risks worthwhile.

This would be a winner takes all event, with the remaining budget slated to be used for promotion and other expenses.

It appears that the sponsor – a furniture company in China – has convinced the players to agree to the prize money on offer.

Gu Li and his wife are expecting a baby in September. Because of that, the match won’t start until October at the earliest.

The Jingdezhen agreement

The arrangements for the match progressed rapidly at the recent exhibition match in Jingdezhen, China (March 20, 2013), where high ranking Go officials were in attendance.

Lee Sedol defeated Gu Li in that game.

At the time, the Chinese Weiqi media published interviews with Gu Li and Lee Sedol.

Gu Li said, “I always fight intensely whenever I play against Lee Sedol. I’d like to create more exciting games for Go fans.”

On the other hand, Lee Sedol said, “Gu Li is the best rival for me to play against, but he’s also a best friend of mine for life.”

The official record between them is 17-15 (1 draw – quadruple ko game) in Gu Li’s favour, but it’s 17-17 (1) including exhibtion matches (like the recent game in Jingdezhen).

Rumors and reasons for doubt

According to Cyberoro, there was a rumour about the jubango during the draft for the 2013 Korean Baduk League, and some teams didn’t include Lee Sedol in their picks because of the possibility of his absence during important league matches.

On the other hand, some pros still doubt that the jubango will go ahead, with one player saying, “even if there’s a sponsor for the matches, it’s still not easy to make it happen in this case.”

It’s worth noting that neither the Korean Baduk Association, nor the Chinese Weiqi Association have officially confirmed that the match is going ahead yet.

Despite this, the Weiqi media in China are still very interested in this topic and several interviews with Gu Li and representatives from the Zhongguo Qiyuan (Chinese Go Association) have been published.

A tight lipped Chinese Go Association

A journalist asked Liu Siming, the director of the Chinese Weiqi Association, about the planned jubango. He neither confirmed nor denied the news, saying only, “I have no idea.”

He added, “I haven’t yet read the news about this online, and nobody’s talked to me about it recently either. There have been some concrete discussions about the matches, but nothing’s been decided. I haven’t seen any official documents relating to this match.”

When the reporter said that there was news about the match in the Korean Baduk media, he said, “If it’s organised in Korea, it’s their matter. I have no idea what’s going on.”

He wouldn’t be drawn to talk about how deeply the proposed jubango had been discussed previously or why negotiations didn’t go well earlier.

Gu Li’s take

At an interview about the proposed jubango, Gu Li said, “If Lee Sedol is still playing Go at the ages of 40, 50, and 60, I’d like to play matches with him at 40, 50, and 60.” [Both players will be 30 years old this year.]

“If I’m still playing at the age of 60, I wish to have played 100 official games with Lee.”

“I’m always happy to play Go with Lee. Those are the matches I really look forward to. However, I know it’s hard to organize this sort of event and that there are many obstacles to deal with.”

My take

I think there’s still quite a bit of work to be done before we can be certain that the jubango between Lee Sedol and Gu Li will go ahead.

One thing’s for certain though, Go fans around the world will be looking forward to it! And that makes the proposed event more enticing to potential sponsors.

I think we have reasons to be optimistic.

Who do you think would win a jubango?

The win rate in games between these two friends and rivals currently sits at exactly 50/50.

They’re both excellent players, but who do you think would win a ten game match between the two and why?

Click here to leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 85.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

Black should be able to win this capturing race. Getting to the vital point quickly is the best way to prevent any possible resistance.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

Under normal circumstances black would be in trouble here, but there’s nothing normal about life and death in the corner.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

White’s just struck at the vital point. Try to resist, but be careful not to end up short of liberties.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

[This is a guest article by Tony Collman from the Letchworth Go Club.]

The 2013 British Go Congress took place last weekend, April 5-7, at the Cromwell Hotel, Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England.

It was deemed to be a great success by those who attended.

Michael Redmond kicks off

Special guest, Japanese/American professional Go player, Michael Redmond 9p, started events on Friday with a teaching session and a spot-the-move competition, which was followed in the evening by simultaneous games against Redmond.

Meanwhile, competitive play kicked off in the match room next door, with a lightning tournament won by 10 year old Oscar Selby 12k.

The British Open Go Tournament was held on the Saturday and Sunday.

Chinese national Du Zebin 4d took first place, winning all six games. His compatriot, Zhang Yuanbo 4d, was the runner up.

Priorities for the BGA in 2013-14

Saturday evening saw the Annual General Meeting of the British Go Association (BGA).

The President’s Report for 2012/13 was presented to the membership, where the priorities for 2013-14 were outlined as recruitment and retention, outreach and youth development.

It was noted that a couple of new clubs opened in Britain this year, though some existing clubs “seem to be giving up”.

The continuing difficulty in recruiting the ever increasing number of online players was also noted.

British Open Champion

The Tournament was over and the results were in by 5.30pm on Sunday. The prize giving followed in short order, with Redmond presenting prizes.

The British Open Championship Trophy went to Du Zebin, an International Business Management student at the University of Nottingham, who has been playing and studying Go since the age of 8.

Sadly, he felt unable to take the trophy away, as his course finishes in the summer when he expects to return to his native China.

Du said, “I’m a little surprised at how many people play Go in the UK, and I would like to play Go with them again in the future.”

Terry Stacey Memorial Trophy

The Terry Stacey Memorial Trophy, for the player who won the most tournaments above the bar this year went to Andrew Simons 4d of Cambridge.

The precocious Oscar Selby

The precocious Oscar Selby took away a clutch of prizes, including a special category prize of a copy of Counting Liberties and Winning Capturing Races, by Richard Hunter 3d (signed by the author and by Michael Redmond).

Before presenting the prize, Redmond recounted that about half an hour after the beginning of every (2 hour) tournament game, a certain little boy would come up to him, having already dispatched his opponent, and review his own game, pointing out exactly where his victim had gone wrong!

Click here (or see below) for his third round game as black, with a variation at 54: Oscar’s demonstration of a tesuji to kill the black’s group in the top right, overlooked by white at the time.

Thanks to the organizers

The events were organized by Alison Bexfield 2d of the Letchworth Garden City Go Club, ably assisted by her husband Simon 1d, who also had a hand in the design and production of some of the lesser prizes – ‘flying’ Go stones and rotating geared puzzle Go stones.

The assembly gave them a well deserved cheer and vote of thanks before heading back to their homes throughout the UK.

All competitors’ grades are as published on the Tournament Results Sheet.

Click here for more details of prize winners in British Go Association’s report.

Click here for the American Go Association’s report of the event.

2013 British Go Congress photos

Game records

Du Zebin vs Zhang Yuanbo

[Embedded SGF File]

Oscar Selby vs Ben Murphy

[Embedded SGF File]

Our dear students in the class are great! All students have followed the very difficult curriculum - so far, they learned the various rules in Baduk such as ko, ladder, the non-move(forbidden move), komi, half a point conception, and so on. You know, one of the students asked me to explain about the 'style' in Baduk. What should I do?

I am greatly excited to see them play a game of Baduk!





2013-04-04 USFKBC_5th Class

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 84.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

Black can decisively win the capturing race with a single move.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

White’s short of liberties, but so is black. You need a tesuji to reduce white’s liberties even further.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

There are only a few possible moves. Don’t give up too early.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Two Korean Pros, a 7dan pro and an 8dan pro,  will be brought to our Yu Go club this Wed by Evan Cho and they will play simul games. There will be a required $5 donation for the evening for paid up cub members. Non-club members may also  join by donating an additional $5 to the club fund.

This was the second game in a ten game match between Fujisawa Hosai 9p and Go Seigen 9p. It was played on February 25 and 26, 1943.

Go Seigen

Go Seigen is regarded as the greatest Go player in the history of Go.

We refer to him as a ‘living legend’ in Korea.

He was born on June 12, 1914, so next year (in 2014), he’ll celebrate his 100th birthday.

By the way, according to the way age is counted in some Asian cultures, Go Seigen will turn 100 this year (in 2013).

His style of play was so different from other top pros at the time, and he won nearly all of his ten game matches (jubango).

The only ten game match Go Seigen lost was this series against Fujisawa Hosai (4-6 in Fujisawa’s favor).

However, Fujisawa was taking black in all games and there was no komi. They played with a handicap called ‘josen’ (black in all games) because Go Seigen was 8 dan and Fujisawa was 6 dan at the time.

Fujisawa Hosai

Fujisawa Hosai was very famous for his mirror Go.

He kept experimenting with mirror Go because he wanted to learn all about it.

He didn’t just mimic though, he spent more time than his opponents did, and he often got into byo-yomi situations (was short of time) in the middle game.

He played with the sort of full concentration that Cho Chikun 9p does.

There were two famous players named Fujisawa in the Japanese Go world. Fujisawa Shuko (Hideyuki) 9p was the uncle of Fujisawa Hosai, even though he was 6 years younger.

Fujisawa Hosai was also the first professional player to be promoted to 9 dan under the Japanese Oteai system (Go Seigen was the second).

They played two more ten game matches on even terms when they were both 9 dan (the only two 9 dans at the time) and Go Seigen won both of them.

Commented game record

Fujisawa Hosai vs Go Seigen

[Embedded SGF File]

Our dear pretty girls showed up before us!

They were daughters of David, thank you Daddy, and I could know that he expected something good from Baduk and brought his lovely girls.

It was your excellent choice! Learning Baduk shows a new world and insight, I strongly assume.

I hope three girls will show up again, even though they are extremely busy with the school schedules.

To everyone's surprise, three girls actually played a game of Baduk for the first time in their lives, and they came to understand the conception of 'Dansoo' and 'Capturing prisoners', even though they never learned Baduk before. Very talented, huh?

I hope I want to see our lovely boys, Peter and Luis again. :) Show up, you talented and smart kids! ^^



2013-03-28 USFKBC(US Forces Korea Baduk Class) 4th Class

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 83.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

Black’s position looks miserable, but you can turn things around with a beautiful tesuji.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

Don’t just try to cut white’s stones, try to capture them.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

Finding the first move is the hard part this week. The rest of the stones should just fall into place.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Crazy Stone, a computer Go program by Rémi Coulom, defeated Ishida Yoshio 9p with a four stone handicap, as part of the inaugural Denseisen at the 6th Computer Go UEC Cup in Japan (March 20, 2013).

The Computer vs the computer

It was an ironic showdown between the computer and ‘The Computer’.

Ishida was nicknamed ‘The Computer’ in his prime, because of the accuracy of his counting and endgame skills.

Ishida Yoshio

Born in 1948, Ishida is now 64 years old.

However, back in the 70s, Ishida won the prestigious Honinbo title for an impressive five consecutive years, making him one of the top players of that era.

After the game, Ishida said that he thought the program was a ‘genius’ and marvelled at the calmness and flexibility of its moves.

In contrast, Ishida admitted that he felt frustrated at not being able to catch up.

Towards the end of the game, as Crazy Stone began to play some safety first moves that lost points, it became clear to those who are familiar with computer Go that Crazy Stone believed it had won.

We can assume that Ishida was briefed about the possibility of this happening before the game, so he wouldn’t be taken aback.

In the end, Crazy Stone won by 2.5 points.

Rémi Coulom

Coulom and Crazy Stone also won the 6th Computer Go UEC Cup a week earlier, defeating the defending champion, Zen.

Crazy Stone seems to be enjoying a resurgence after having previously won the 1st and 2nd Computer Go UEC Cups.

Those of you who follow computer Go will be familiar with Zen. It defeated Takemiya Masaki on four stones in 2012.

Takao Shinji’s comments

At this more recent event, Ishida also played against Zen on 4 stones. However, Zen didn’t fare as well against the Ishida and, according to Takao Shinji 9p, made many unforced errors.

Takao, a former Honinbo himself, also commented on the game between Ishida and Crazy Stone.

He admired black 52, pointing out that it’s the kind of move a human would overlook (preferring to atari from the other side instead).

That’s because it would be a bad move under most circumstances, but in this case it was surprisingly effective.

Takao said that white didn’t get any other good chances after black’s excellent play (with 52 and so on) at the bottom.

A four stone handicap

For the benefit of readers who aren’t necessarily Go players, a four stone handicap means that black (the computer) was allowed to place four stones on the board before white (Ishida) made any moves.

This may sound like a lot but, while it is a significant handicap, it’s not really as big as it sounds.

Only a fairly strong amateur player can hope to defeat a professional player like Ishida Yoshio with four stones.

More to come!

The University of Electro-Communications and the Nihon Ki-in (Japanese Go Association) have teamed up to host more computer-human Go tournaments over the next five years!

This event, the Denseisen, translates literally to something like ‘electronic holy war’

The nitty gritty – rules and hardware

The games were played under Japanese rules and the players were given 30 minutes main time, followed by 30 seconds per move byo-yomi (quite a fast game by professional standards).

Crazy Stone ran on a 64-core server when playing Ishida. Zen ran on a 30-core cluster of 5 PCs.

We don’t have more details about the exact specifications of the hardware at the time of writing, but if you know, please leave a comment below.

What do you think about the games?

What do you think about the games (just below)?

Did Crazy Stone’s steady play surprise you? Or are you getting more used to a world where computers are now very good at Go?

Leave a comment below to let me know what you think

Game records

Crazy Stone vs Ishida Yoshio

[Embedded SGF File]

Zen vs Ishida Yoshio

[Embedded SGF File]

Zen vs Crazy Stone

[Embedded SGF File]

Further reading

• Takao Shinji’s commentary (Japanese)
• More about the Computer Go UEC Cup
• A list of human vs computer Go challenges
• Article in the Mainichi
• Denseisen event page (Japanese)
• Rémi Coulom’s homepage
• Takemiya Masaki 9p vs Zen
• Computer Go demystified – with computer Go expert Martin Müller
  
  
• Man vs Machine Showdown – The Shodan Go Bet

Luis came with his father!

Luis and Peter belonged to one team and they cooperated with each other!

Every student played 'rock, scissors, paper' and winners got black and losers got white.

Eventually, white team won the game! But our Big hero of the black team, 'Curt' knew what had happened to the game.

He pointed out that black incurred a small loss in the center.

It was just cool(I didn't even mention it in my lesson)!



2013-03-21 USFKBC (U.S. Forces Korea Baduk Class) 3rd Class

Reference: The Way To Go (Karl Baker, 2008)

Our cute boy, Peter came with his mother! The future of the U.S. Baduk world is bright!



2013-03-14 USFKBC 2nd Class

Reference: Go! More Than a Game (Peter Shotwell, 2003)

The Way To Go (Karl Baker, 2008)

I became the intructor of USFK(United States Forces Korea) in Yongsan from this March,

and thankfully, I teach Baduk to soldiers and family members

with the cooperation of people in the USFK and KABA(Korean Baduk Amateur Association).



I called the class 'USFKBC'(U.S. Forces Korea Baduk Class), and I will upload material for each session.

Hope you enjoy it!

-Cho Hye-yeon 9p





2013-03-07 the 1st class of USFKBC

Congratulations Younggil and Jisun!

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 82.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

It might look like black’s under attack and white’s flexible, but there’s a crucial defect in white’s shape.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

When there are two places where you’d like to defend at once, you can sometimes prepare a makeshift defense in sente and effectively cover both weaknesses.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

When the first technique that comes to mind doesn’t quite work, instead of giving up, try changing the move order slightly.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 81.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

Black can paralyze white with a single blow to the vital point.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

To defend against a double threat you need a double defense. How can black respond to white A?

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

If you can find black’s beautiful tesuji, you can avoid the fiendish variations. It’s all in the first three moves.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

This is the second game of the 17th LG Cup final, between Won Seongjin 9p and Shi Yue 5p.

Shi Yue won the first game, and the LG Cup final is a best of three match, so he only had to win this game to win the LG Cup.

Won Seongjin

Won Seongjin’s currently ranked #6 in Korea.

He won the 16th Samsung Cup in 2011, defeating Gu Li in the final.

It was very sensational at the time, because it was Won’s first international final and he beat Gu Li 2-1.

This was his second time in an international final, and possibly his last.

He knew he’d have to join the navy to complete two years of compulsory military service after this final.

 

 

Shi Yue

On the other hand, Shi Yue is ranked #5 in China.

His career in international tournaments so far hasn’t been that impressive, but he defeated many strong Korean players in this LG Cup.

He knocked out Lee Sedol 9p in the second round of the main tournament, and he beat Na Hyun 2p and Kang Dongyun 9p, in the quarter final and semifinal respectively. And now he was in the final.

This was Shi’s first time in and international final, so it was a very good opportunity for both players.

Contrasting Go styles

Their styles of play are quite different. Won likes solid, thick games and he’s good at attacking.

His nickname is ‘Won (one) punch’ because of his skill at landing a knockout blow.

He’s played in many important games, compared to Shi, so many Korean Baduk fans expected him to win this time.

On the other hand, Shi likes territorial games, but his game is well balanced at the same time.

It’s hard to find the weakness in his style, and this is his strong point.

Shi plays even better when he’s coming from behind, so it’s difficult to win a game against him.

Commented game record

Won Seongjin vs Shi Yue

[Embedded SGF File]

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 80.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

With a little creativity (or experience), I’m sure you’ll be able to capture white’s big clump of stones.

Remember that it doesn’t matter if a few of your own stones are captured. Only the final outcome matters, so stay focused on your target.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

If white’s cutting stones move out, there doesn’t seem to be much happiness in store for black. So..?

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

tl;dr – This is a classic Go problem that I like. The objective is to save both of both of black’s groups at the same time.

This famous problem has appeared in various incarnations, in classic Go problem collections like the Xuanxuan Qijing.

It’s one of my all time favorite problems, along with the ‘Monkey Magic’ problem from week 30.

It looks like two separate problems, but it’s actually just one. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to save both of black’s weak groups simultaneously (though you can start by analyzing them individually to make it easier).

While it might look like Mission Impossible, the problem isn’t actually as hard as it looks, so don’t be intimidated by it.

As long as you’re familiar with all the relevant techniques and tesuji, you can combine all of them to reveal the whole picture.

In lieu of a clue this week, I recommend that you review the six problems from weeks 78 and 79, and then look for familiar patterns (if you’re not sure where to start).

There are two different ideas for the first move, which will both succeed.

Have fun, and let me know how you go!

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Fan Tingyu 3p defeated Park Junghwan 9p to win the 7th Ing Cup on March 6, 2013.

After the semifinals took place in September 2012, the stage was set for a showdown between these two precocious teenagers.

The Ing Cup is the Go world’s most prestigious event and it’s only held once every four years (starting in Olympic years).

This has led some people to dub it the ‘Go Olympics’.

 

Games 1 and 2 – Singapore

The first two games of the 7th Ing Cup final were played just before Christmas on December 22 and 24, 2012, in Singapore.

No time to relax?

Fan Tingyu 3p (at the time) and Park Junghwan 9p met in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands.

While the hotel is known for its countless shopping malls, restaurants, casino and THAT infinity pool, Fan and Park probably had little time to enjoy any of the amenities as they dueled over the Go board.

But hopefully they had some time to relax and enjoy the scenery before going home with one win apiece…

Game 3 – Shanghai

On March 4, 2013, Fan met with Park again to play the final three deciding matches of the final. This time in Shanghai.

Park was on a high after crucial wins as Korea’s anchorman in the recent 14th Nongshim Cup.

In contrast, Fan hadn’t played a serious, competitive professional match in almost a month – his most recent game was against Kim Jiseok 8p on Go9dan.

Taking the lead

Fan won the game by resignation – perhaps the extra break played in Fan’s favor – setting up a kadoban (match deciding game) in game 4.

With the score at 2-1 in Fan’s favor, the pressure was now on Park to win the next game, just to stay in the final.

History didn’t look like it was on Park’s side. The Ing Cup final hadn’t gone to five games since the 2nd Ing Cup, when Seo Bongsu 9p defeated Otake Hideo 9p.

White’s invincible

However, the punters in the Korean stalls were confident that Park could even the score in the next game.

After all, Park would have white in game 4 and white was proving to be invincible with the Ing Cup’s large komi (8 points), at a 100% win rate in this final so far…

Big komi?

[Note, since black wins ties under Ing Rules, with area scoring, the 8 points of komi is practically the same as the 7.5 points komi under Chinese rules.

Nevertheless many people seem to think it's bigger, maybe partly for historical reasons.

7.5 points of komi is already quite large anyway, and we've often seen black trying faster and more aggressive openings throughout the history of the Ing Cup because of this.]

Game 4 – The Kadoban

In a tense final game, Fan played a fast paced opening as black.

Meanwhile Park, who had 8 points of komi (Ing rules) as white, deposited solid territory in the bank and proceeded with a kind of amashi strategy.

A lesson in positional judgement

By around move 68, while having plenty of cash, white appeared to have a somewhat uncomfortable position with three relatively weak groups on the board.

However, in an impressive demonstration of positional judgement, Park calmly showed that appearances can be deceiving – by move 112 he’d sacrificed two of his weak groups while reinforcing the other one and taking the lead in the center!

The black dragon strikes

Black played aggressively to rebalance the game, giving white the opportunity to execute a severe splitting attack, which could have decided the game.

But whether by good fortune, brilliant reading or both, black was able to weather the storm and come out with a good position – white was unsuccessful in his attempt to capture the black dragon which which was burning his house down.

With the help of a few sharp endgame moves, black had a modest lead by the time the dust settled.

How 3 points become 5 points

In the end, black was ahead by 11 points on the board (3 points after adding komi) at the end of the game. The official result was that black won by 5 points after Park twice paid 2 points to ‘buy’ more time (Ing timing) and Fan also purchased one lot of extra time.

Shaking up the record books

As we said in a previous article, the winning player in this final was destined to set a new record as the youngest winner of the prestigious Ing Cup.

Moreover, the Chinese Weiqi media don’t seem to have picked up on this yet, but we believe that once Fan Tingyu is promoted to 9p (which he almost certainly will be after this) he may well have set a new record as the youngest ever professional 9 dan (previously Chen Yaoye 9p), at just 16 years and 7 months of age today.

The record buffs and Lee Changho fans out there might be pleased to know that Fan didn’t quite break Lee Changho 9p’s longstanding record as the youngest international title winner of all time, but he came within a hair’s breadth of doing so.

Lee Changho was just 30 days younger than Fan is today when he won the 3rd Tongyang Securities Cup back in 1992 (it’s usually said that he was 17, but Korean’s count their age as 1 at birth).

Show me the money!

Just in case the glory isn’t enough for Fan. He also takes home a cool $400,000 USD in prize money!

And don’t feel too sorry for Park Junghwan, he received a $100,000 consolation prize for his trouble .

Congratulations to Fan Tingyu and Park Junghwan!

The Ing Cup

The Ing Cup is the oldest continuous international Go tournament for professionals.

It started in 1988, just after the inaugural (and now defunct) Fujitsu Cup, and is held every 4 years, coinciding with the Summer Olympics.

The format is a 24 player knockout with 8 players being seeded into the second round. The semifinals are played as the best of 3 matches, and the final is best of 5.

The tournament uses the Ing Rules, which were designed by Ing Changki. Ing Rules have some unique aspects.

7th Ing Cup photos

Game records

Park Junghwan vs Fan Tingyu Game 1

[Embedded SGF File]

Fan Tingyu vs Park Junghwan Game 2

[Embedded SGF File]

Park Junghwan vs Fan Tingyu Game 3

[Embedded SGF File]

Fan Tingyu vs Park Junghwan Game 4

[Embedded SGF File]

- Jingning Xue, with David Ormerod

On March 1, 2013, the 14th Nongshim Cup concluded with Park Junghwan 9p defeating Jiang Weijie 9p and reclaiming the Cup for Korea.

With this win, Korea continues its undisputed dominance in this team tournament – this is the Korean team’s 11th win in the history of the Nongshim Cup.

Park Junghwan meets expectations

Korea’s new anchorman, Park Junghwan, lived up to the hype of being handpicked by none other than Lee Changho 9p.

This was Park’s first appearance at the Nongshim Cup, and positioning him as the goalkeeper shows just how much faith Korean players have in him.

Interestingly, Park’s final opponent and China’s anchorman, Jiang Weijie, was another Nongshim Cup newbie.

Choi Cheolhan overcomes his demons

On February 26, 2013, everyone was watching Choi Cheolhan 9p as play resumed in Shanghai for the final round.

After defeating Wang Xi 9p and Murakawa Daisuke 7p in the last round, Choi was up against his natural enemy - Chen Yaoye 9p.

Much to Choi’s relief, he finally managed to break his losing streak (of 8 games in a row) against Chen.

Xie He axes the Choi Cheolhan show

Choi’s respite was short lived, however, as he was knocked out by China’s next player and his other nemesis, Xie He 9p.

With two players left on the Chinese team and only Park Junghwan remaining for Korea, the odds were still in China’s favor.

Xie has a special affinity for this tournament. His record at the Nongshim Cup is second only to Lee Changho 9p’s and he was promoted to 9p based on his excellent play at last year’s Nongshim Cup.

Park Junghwan brings it home

Unfortunately for Xie, his run this year was quickly curtailed by Park.

And Jiang Weijie, China’s last man standing, fared no better.

With Park’s two wins the Korean team was victorious, bringing the Nongshim Cup back home to Korea.

Congratulations Team Korea!

The Nongshim Cup

The Nongshim Cup is a team event between China, Japan and Korea.

The sponsor, Nongshim, is a Korean instant noodles company.

The tournament uses a win and continue format, which is common in these team events.

Korea has dominated this event, winning it 11 times. In contrast, China has won the tournament twice and Japan only once.

14th Nongshim Cup photos

Game records

Chen Yaoye vs Choi Cheolhan

[Embedded SGF File]

Choi Cheolhan vs Xie He

[Embedded SGF File]

Xie He vs Park Junghwan

[Embedded SGF File]

Park Junghwan vs Jiang Weijie

[Embedded SGF File]

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 79.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

It might be hard to see it, but black can play a devastating tesuji here.

Remember what you learned from last week’s easy problem?

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

This is also a more advanced application of one of last week’s problems.

There’s still some life in black’s two corner stones, however, this time you need to read carefully and consider white’s possible resistance.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

In real games, the kind of life you negotiate can be almost as important as whether you can find a way to live at all.

White has her own agenda and she might not accept a hasty proposal…

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

Next week, 20-22 April 2007, I am going to take part in this annual GO competition in Timisoara.Never been there and I am anxious to go and visit the city and play some GO. Now there are over 60 participants signed up for the competition. Taking in account that the biggest competition I have seen was the ING last year in Bucharest with about 40 players, I think the place will be crowded and a

On February 20, 2013, the 3rd Huang Longshi Cup kicked off with China, Japan and Korea each showcasing a team of five of their strongest women.

Kim Chaeyoung’s 4 game streak

Kim Chaeyoung 1p gave Korea a running start, quickly dispatching Japan’s Osawa Narumi 4p and Ishii Akane 2p, and China’s Song Ronghui 5p and Chen Yiming 2p.

Yu Zhiying crashes the party

The baby of the Chinese team - Yu Zhiying 2p – stopped Kim’s dream run cold, and then celebrated by defeating Japan’s Okuda Aya 3p and Korea’s other Kim – Kim Hyelim 2p – too.

Here are the standings as of February 26, when round 1 concluded…

Team Japan

Team Japan still has two of its most experienced players in play – Xie Yimin 6p and Mukai Chiaki 5p

Team Korea

Team Korea is in the experienced hands of Park Jieun 9p, who still leads Choi Jung 3p and Moon Dowon 2p.

Team China

On the Chinese bench, Rui Naiwei 9p is noticeably absent.

But China still has Yu Zhiying 2p, Li He 3p and Wang Chenxing 5p, of last year’s 8 game winning streak fame, in play.

Perhaps the Chinese Go Association has decided its youngsters are ready to take on the world on their own?

Follow the 3rd Huang Longshi Cup

Find out what happens when round 2 of the tournament gets started on April 6, 2013.

You can check the Pro Go Calendar for details.

The Huang Longshi Cup

The Huang Longshi Cup is an international women’s win and continue team tournament between China, Japan and Korea.

The tournament, which started in 2011, should not to be confused with the Huang Longshi Women’s Mingren (Chinese Meijin) tournament.

Both tournaments are named after Huang Longshi – a famous Chinese Go genius from the Qing dynasty.

3rd Huang Longshi Cup photos

Game records

Song Ronghui vs Kim Chaeyoung

[Embedded SGF File]

Ishii Akane vs Kim Chaeyoung

[Embedded SGF File]

Yu Zhiying vs Kim Chaeyoung

[Embedded SGF File]

[A guest article by Sven Walther]

Take one — action!

As we all know, Go is a totally fascinating game.

Playing (or even watching) a game and seeing how groups evolve, come to life or die, is a thrilling experience – well, it is if you already know the game.

Not knowing Go and watching two players stare at a piece of wood covered in black and white marbles? Not so much…

It seems that we’re in need of a kind of appetizer, something to show those who haven’t yet heard of Go what it feels like to play the game.

We need to recruit the next generation of players.

We need an advertisement for Go.

An advertisement for Go

The internet is, of course, a medium of choice for promoting Go.

The internet, including social media, allows information to spread far and wide. What if we created something that could work as an online advertisement for for Go?

If it’s online, there’s a possibility of it going viral. And if it’s interesting, exciting or funny – even if you don’t know Go – the possibilities are endless.

We need an advertisement where Go is the catch, the punch line… the story.

You might see it and think “cool, I’ll share this with my friends”. And perhaps you, or some of your friends, might also wonder “what is this Go they mentioned?” Let’s see.

There are already some Go related advertisements online, but what we’re thinking about is something that promotes the game itself, rather than a special event.

And we’re working on that. Who’s ‘we’?

Introducing the team

We are Lars Walther, movie maker and actor, and his brother Sven Walther, Go player. We’re both from Germany.

We have a plan to make a professional Go advertisement, in the form of a short (2-4 min) video, that looks like a movie trailer for a feature film.

And – since our claim to be ‘professional’ includes real actors, crew, make-up, music and more – this will cost some money to do properly.

Fortunately, online ‘crowdfunding’ has become more common in recent years, and we think it’s the perfect way to fund this project.

Support Play More Go

In January 2013, we launched a crowdfunding project on indiegogo.com, to raise $8,000 USD.

This will enable us to create our first Go commercial. If the funding succeeds (and only then), we’ll start filming in spring and release the commercial this summer.

Online. For free. On Youtube.

While the film will be recorded in fluent English and German, there will also be as many subtitles as we can manage, to reach as many players in the world as possible.

If you’re interested in supporting us, please visit indiegogo.com/playmorego and pledge whatever you can afford.

Click here to support Play More Go now.

Here are the weekly Go problems for week 78.

Black plays first in all problems and all solutions are labeled ‘correct’. Have fun!

Easy Go problem

It’s important not to stop reading when you get to an atari or a capturing move.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Intermediate Go problem

When you’re trying to setup a shortage of liberties, your move order is critically important.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Hard Go problem

There are many times when the monkey jump proves to be a weak attacking move. This is one of those times.

[Embedded SGF File]

 

Still want more Go problems?

You can find Go books packed full of life and death problems, tesuji problems and other valuable Go knowledge at the Go Game Shop.

Discuss other possible moves

If you have any questions or want to discuss any of these problems, please leave a comment below at any time. You can use the coordinates on the problem images to discuss a move or sequence of moves.

You can also download the solutions as a PDF or SGF file by clicking the links below each problem.

On February 20, 2013, Shi Yue ended the 17th LG Cup early, defeating Won Seongjin 9p in two straight games.

Dangerously strong

Coming into this final, Shi’s game seemed to be dangerously strong against the Korean style.

His record in 2012 was 17-2 against Korean pros – ‌including a win against Lee Sedol in the 2nd round of this tournament.

These games were no different. Shi skillfully parried Won’s severe attacks, never giving him a chance to land the famed ‘Won punch’.

All this despite having never won a major domestic title in China. His only domestic title to date was the Xinren Wang (Rookies’ Cup) in 2009.

‘Exclusive’ interview

In a riveting post match interview, Shi revealed that he likes walking and watching TV (hopefully not at the same time), and that he’s currently single.

To be fair to Shi, he was just answering the questions he was asked.

In addition, Shi said he studies Go for 6-7 hours every day.

Shi Yue celebrates a decade in style

Interestingly, this win comes 10 years after Shi turned pro. Not a bad way to toast a decade!

Based on the Chinese Go Association promotion rules, Shi Yue will be promoted straight to 9p for winning an international title.

China on a roll

With Shi’s win, China has now won five consecutive LG Cups and eclipsed Korea’s previous record of four consecutive wins (the 5th-8th LG Cups).

No doubt the Korean players will be eager to start their campaign to reclaim the title in the 18th LG Cup.

About the LG Cup

The LG Cup is a major international Go tournament. It started in 1996 and the prize money is currently 250 million Won (about $230,000 USD at the time of writing).

The main draw of 32 players is part invitational, comprising of 5 Korean players, 5 Chinese players, 4 Japanese players, 1 Taiwanese player and including the previous year’s winner and runner up.

The rest of the main draw is determined through a preliminary tournament. The format is single knockout, with the final played as a best of 3 games.

The tournament is sponsored by LG Electronics, a multinational consumer electronics company whose headquarters are in South Korea.

17th LG Cup photos

Game records

Shi Yue vs Won Seongjin – Game 1

[Embedded SGF File]

Won Seongjin vs Shi Yue – Game 2

[Embedded SGF File]