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Still alive

Sun, 08 May 2016 20:46:54 +0000

Still alive and thriving, but not having much time to play go or blog. Happily did play a game today on Mother's Day. Mostly posting so the blog doesn't self destruct :p

ALMOST Daily Tsumego

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 16:51:23 +0000

Well, the daily tsumego settled into a 'few times a week' frequency. But it's better than No Tsumego, so I'll take it. I have been playing some games in the ASR League so I am not doing badly go-wise, I just wish there were more time in the day.

Will follow up on that trick move soon, today I have to bake banana bread and such because fruit flies are taking over the kitchen. Priorities , right?

Tsuke Nobi Trick Play

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 12:58:18 +0000

Today I encountered a trick play I hadn't seen before. It is in the tsuke nobi joseki off hoshi. You know, the one which is to be avoided by black unless black is a high dan. It makes white strong and has many complicated variations.

So the new move I noticed is 3, which is a trick play. Interesting.

What do you think is the correct response for black?

Getting Back in the Groove

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:22 +0000

So it's summer vacation (no 7am school bus, YAY!) and even although it will be harder to play with all the kids commitments, I should be able to get at least a decent amount of go problems studying in. I have to admit that go problems had been one of those balls I had dropped and I could feel it in my games. "What atari three moves from now?" "How do you mean dead?"

So I decided that I should do a bunch of go problems every day. No excuses. I started yesterday and have kept it up so far (yeah, I know, two days isn't very impressive but we are talking baby steps here)

I realize that reading non-go books had totally taken over my go problems study, so this vacation I'll read less books and do more study instead. I can dream, right?

Intermezzo: Lucky Ladder

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 02:39:17 +0000

Will post the other two Boston games soon, but wanted to share my lucky game of the day.
It started 'boring' although I don't see that one space high pincer much.

I am black. I expected him to jump from his hoshi stone, but he tenuki'ed.
Since he didn't play at A, I decided to play there and see what happened.

I expected his next move.

But then he surprised me again, and I made many mistakes answering his moves.

Anyway, the game went on, and eventually we came to this position. It is black turn, so I knew that I could live with one of my groups at least.

Those two stones were going to be my second eye.

He replied at A. I immediately recognized the present he gave me and realized I just got super lucky.

He resigned... Yes, I realize it was just luck, but I still enjoyed it ^^
Here is the game.

Four Handi but STILL Lost!

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:22:20 +0000

Sigh, four handicap stones and I STILL lost...
Here is the game with review by sendol.

Here is my first mistake. White played A, and I played a simple one point jump instead of being more aggressive.

This would have been a much better way to play. Not only do I make white painful, but I made a base for black.

Go is so easy in hindsight!!!

Boston Game 1

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 02:49:18 +0000

Here is game 1, reviewed by my teacher sendol.

First interesting move was when he atari-ed on the inside instead of on the outside during this joseki. I had seen it before, but it doesn't seem as common as the outside one. Luckily I remembered not to just connect, but to atari right back at him first.

At the end I made a mistake when I didn't play A first and then B, but instead played B directly and omitted A. Oh well, next time I'll remember!

MGA Tourney!

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 02:10:03 +0000

On Sunday I actually went to a real life go tourney again! Happiness is mine.

I won two and I lost two, so that is perfect, right?

Game 1: against 1d, he tried to kill, but stumbled over his own sword, and suddenly I was alive and his killing stones were dead.

Game 2: against a 5d, with 4 handi stones. I lost one corner (oops, will have to review that joseki!) but things didn't go too badly till I decided to take points instead of fixing a cut. Yeah, she cut and and I cried and I resigned.

Game 3: against a 1d, which didn't go as well as I wanted, but somehow tricked him into suiciding. I was lucky.

Game 4: against a 2d. I captured a nice chunk of his stones, but forgot that maybe I shouldn't let him cut off a bunch of my stones. Oops. Oh well.

July Madness

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 02:14:34 +0000

I might not have been posting, but I have been busy playing. I really want to get back to ASR alpha and on the last day of June I was still stuck in gamma and not even ready to promote.

But I played and managed to promote to beta.

(ASR has four layers, with alpha being the highest and delta the lowest)

Since July 1st was a Sunday I actually could play quite a lot so I got as many ASR games in as I could. It is my experience that it is easier to get games early and late in the month. I didn't want to get stuck in desperate late month games again, so happy that I got all the early games in.

I played way more games than usual, let's see whether I can keep it up during the rest of July. Even if they aren't ASR games, I think actual playing beats boring study :D

Messy Opening

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 02:49:53 +0000

Two games today, not perfect, but not bad either. It is at least a start to get back into playing.
The second game had an interesting, but messy opening.

I was white in this game. Move 1 to 4 were unremarkable, but black 5 was unexpected. If he wanted to split up the left, I would have expected a third line move.

I decided that taking away his base from the direction of my komoku was best answer. I played white 6. Again he surprised me and played black 7. Hmmmm, I wasn't sure how to reply to that one.
Looking back I am not sure whether I like my game move, and think I would have preferred to reply at E12.

But in the game I played C15 and got this result.

Black 15 was not particularly sente, so I played white 16 to attack his lone stone.

We went on for a while, never ever playing on the right side of the board, and this was the end result on the left.Very regrettable death...

It feels good to be playing again.

Back!

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 20:14:47 +0000

Yes, I know I have said that before... But this time I mean it!

My house finally is not on the market anymore, my divorce is OVER!, and my ~~handicap stones~~ kids are growing up and fighting less and less every day. Well, kind of. Yes, I am an optimist.

I am still playing in ASR, although after a few months in alpha, I let life push me down to gamma. Which is fine, because it's fun to fight my way back up again.

Stay tunes for exciting games and interesting board positions.

To Tenuki or Not To Tenuki

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:50:07 +0000

I am playing a lot of games at the moment (for me that is) which results in interesting questions. Here is one question which came up when I played a 5-3 point as my first move. I was white. Black immediately invaded.

Hmmmm... Now what??? I wasn't sure whether to tenuki or not. I was tempted to do so, but I didn't like the idea of him coming out. I'd rather have him live small in the corner while I got the outside. Although my outside would face his hoshi, so maybe my move already was the wrong direction anyway.

I did reply locally, and I think I still stand by that decision but not with a very high confidence. What would you have done in this situation?

Midnight Games

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:54:47 +0000

Note to self: midnight games can suffer from minor issues like missing a big atari. Oh well, I knew that midnight isn't my best playing time, but I hadn't played all day. That is a good excuse, no?

One of those 'If only I hadn't missed that atari I would have won!' games ^^

Maybe I should start sleeping at midnight :p

MGA Go Tournament

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:39:21 +0000

After many months, I finally made it to a go tournament again. It was a good experience. I went 2-2.

My first game was against a 2d, I took black, no komi. I felt that all my playing on wbaduk helped me to see any weaknesses in his shape and take advantage. Won that game.
Next game against a 1k. This one didn't go as well, and I lost too much. Luckily it is really hard to win a won game, so I kept attacking and looking for weaknesses. Even although one of his groups ended up living, the bigger group passed away. Very regrettable. Another resignation.

It was nice to start the tournament with 2 wins, but things didn't go as smoothly in the next two games.

Third game against a 3d, so I got 2 handicap stones. It was a good game, I felt on top of things most of the time, but I failed to protect a weakness and one of my groups died a miserable death. Although it did go under in a fiery blaze of glory, it sure wasn't an easy game for him. I resigned when that group died.

Last game was even against 1d, and had a lot of interesting situations, but in the end I didn't have enough. Oh well.

Still, it was a good day and it was so nice to be playing serious games over the board.

The Evils of MultiTasking

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 04:30:13 +0000

Today I was playing a game and doing quite well. I played thick moves, I didn't make a lot of stupid mistakes (just a few :p) and I knew I had this game won. At the same time, I was chatting with two friends in another window. Did I mention my kids were interrupting me a few times too to ask me things, so yes, I was multitasking as usual. But that was ok, because my game was so easy by now...

I had a corner group, an L+1 group. I have studied that group only two thousand times, so I know without thinking that it can live with A or B. I also know without thinking that A is superior, so in my 'I have a won game and I don't have to try so hard and I know so much better than my opponent' grandiose thinking, I played B...

As we all know, B is inferior because there is a gote seki to be made for white now. The worst thing was that I didn't even realize I had made this mistake. In my universe the trumpets were sounding to announce my victory and I blissfully worked on killing my group...

We got to endgame, and I stubbornly kept thinking that group was just fine, even after white had played a throw-in at A.

I happily filled up all my liberties, till I got a rude awakening when white went for the kill. By ko, but thanks to my filling up of my own liberties, I could not crush this shape but had to play the ko... How stupid! I started to realize that maybe I should hold off on those trumpets for a bit after all. And that next time I should live the RIGHT way with that group.

Things actually weren't too bad, the game was won enough that even without that group I still had a big lead. So I spent time trying to find the best ko threats. So much time that my byo yomi clock ran out and white won by time.

I guess next time I will turn off my chat programs when I play :D

New Book Store on the Block

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:04:54 +0000

I was happy to find out that the excellent Go Game Guru blog now sells go books. They have a lot of the classics, Life and Death, Tesuji and more, and a bunch of new books I had not seen yet. I might have to find myself a Christmas present on their site ^^ Go check them out at http://gogameguru.com/go-game-shop/category/buy-go-books/! And yes, I am still alive, just have been playing and studying a lot instead of blogging. Good excuse, right?

Unexpected Move

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:59:30 +0000

A few days ago I had someone play this against me.

I had not seen it before and suspected it wasn't joseki, but the question is how to deal with it. If you want to see the game and how I dealt with it, click here.

Another interesting situation which came up in that game has to do with a capturing race starting at move 176. It is a simple capturing race according to the Hunter book (Counting Liberties and Winning Capturing Races). Still, I was as always surprised to see how much harder it is to read this out in a game, in 30 seconds byo yomi,than from the comfort of your arm chair in studying the Hunter book. Looking back I should have tenuki'ed from it much earlier I think.

Yet Another Go Tournament

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 20:58:26 +0000

Two tournaments in one month. Such a miracle! This was in Boston and I won one game (out of four :D) The game I won surprisingly was the one in which I was giving handicap (2H to a 2k) which usually are my weakest games. Interesting.

Picture by John Uckele.

Butterfly Conclusion

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:55:27 +0000

This position white can live, although depending on board situation, white might choose a ko anyway.

Here is David (from Go Game Guru)'s comment on it, which includes a link to a sensei's library page which is a good and thorough summary of this position.

As you and badge have said, white still can live, as shown at length here: http://senseis.xmp.net/?Butterfly

However, I've found in practise that it's often better to fight the ko as white. This is because it's a heavy ko for black and often you can force black to back down and let you live more comfortably.

Anyway, who wants to grovel for a small life when you can die gloriously in ko...

Interesting position, and thanks to my studying this, the last time it came up in a game, not only did I live, but I managed to 'cut black into pieces' like senseis library says. Ah, the sweet fruits of studying!

Don't worry, I'll find another position in which to die ^^

Butterfly Followup

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:48:47 +0000

Thanks Badge, for your input. I had forgotten about the butterfly name. I do remember it is considered bad shape because of the sansan invasion. But when I invaded... It didn't end so well for me.

This was your proposal, which is basically correct apart from missing an atari on the way. Of course is easier to see on the board than when you type a sequence.

This is how I have learned the invasion (but without the extra okeima stone at N17. As you can see, black's hane at 13 looks weird and superfluous now. Just showing it here for completeness.

One day I was playing a black who agreed and instead of the O17 protection decided to atari me at A. For a few moments I was overconfident as always, because I knew that the punishment for that is to cut at P17. No problem, ha, I would kill him so badly!

Isn't it great how we can be totally overconfident in our games, even when it is not quite warranted. Soon after he played A, and I cut at P17, I found out that the stone at B was very significant indeed. And instead of the cut being a punishment for him, it actually got me into deeper trouble.

Ouch!

Random Study Subject: Invasions

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 17:51:48 +0000

Since I am studying more again, I have been looking into invasions. This was one of my interesting ones that I didn't know yet before it jumped up and started attacking me.

When I played white in a game, I confidently invaded, because we all know that an okeima star point corner lives without any problems, right?

Well...

There was the tiny issue of the other okeima. But this was a nice and sunnny day and the birds were singing, so I was willing to pretend that other okeima wasn't there, since it was too far away to count anyway...

I bet you can predict what happened. Yes, indeed, I died a totally miserable death...

Reader input: What is status of this corner with TWO okeimas?

You Can't Get There from Here

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:46:45 +0000

Finally, I played a real life tournament again. On Sunday I drove to Middlebury in Vermont and was amazed and shocked to see the damage hurricane Irene had wrought. Even our favorit snackbar in Woodstock has been mostly washed out.

Anyway I made it to Middlebury just in time for the start of the tournament.

I played 4 games.
Game 1: Even, no komi against a 1k, I won by resignation when one of his groups died an unexpected death.
Game 2: Against a 2d, even no komi again, but this time I had black. I lost that game by quite a lot of points.
Game 3: Against a 1d, even, I took black after choosing for colour. I lost by one point on the board, but he had komi too, so 7.5 altogether.
Game 4: Against another 1d. This one I won by resignation again.

End result 2-2, not bad, but not stellar either. I'll try to post some interesting positions of the games over the next few days. In my spare time that is, so don't hold your breath ^^

I loved playing serious games over the board again, I am happy I made the drive up to there.

Still in Gamma but No Time to Play

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:06:46 +0000

Geez, story of my life. At least I got to play three games on the last day of August, but I haven't been able to get any games in since then. What is more serious is that I didn't even do any tsumego! Hoping next week will be more successful, did I mention I am an optimist?

Fighting My Way Back Up

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:26:53 +0000

Hmmmm, was without internet for a while, had a lot of life, my handicap stones were home from school for the summer and I was trying to sell a house. Somehow I didn't get to play much go.

Not only did I manage to drop down to ASR League gamma this month, but in addition I am RED, which means that I will be demoted in a few hours unless a miracle happens.

Or if we are short on miracles, an opponent to play in my class in the next hour would be awesome too. My goal in September will be to promote from whatever class I find myself in, since my kids are BACK to school today! I might have one or two hours to play go once in a while. Maybe ^^

Japan lost to Norway in WAGC

Mon, 30 May 2011 03:46:27 +0000

The 32nd World Amateur Go Championship started yesterday in Matsue, Japan. Nothing unexpected in the first two rounds, but the third round came with a big surprise: Japan lost to Norway!! The Japanese representative this year is Mr. Hironori Hirata who will be 85 next month. He participated several times at this championship in the past, and even won it once. Too bad he made a blunder in this game: he failed to protect against a simple threat and a big group of his died. If he defended, he would have won by a few points (maybe less than komi).

Here is the complete game.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[6.50] PW[Hironori Hirata]PB[Morten Ofstad]WR[8d]BR[4d]DT[2011-05-29]EV[WAGC 2011, round 3]RE[B+Resign]MULTIGOGM[1] ;B[pd] ;W[dc] ;B[pp] ;W[dq] ;B[pj] ;W[nc] ;B[kd] ;W[le] ;B[oc] ;W[nd] ;B[pf] ;W[id] ;B[gc] ;W[he] ;B[ge] ;W[gf] ;B[fe] ;W[ce] ;B[ic] ;W[hc] ;B[hb] ;W[hd] ;B[fb] ;W[jc] ;B[ib] ;W[jd] ;B[jb] ;W[kc] ;B[do] ;W[dl] ;B[eq] ;W[ep] ;B[dp] ;W[fq] ;B[er] ;W[cq] ;B[fr] ;W[eo] ;B[bp] ;W[en] ;B[bq] ;W[gq] ;B[gr] ;W[hq] ;B[mq] ;W[ff] ;B[cf] ;W[df] ;B[be] ;W[cg] ;B[cd] ;W[bf] ;B[kj] ;W[ec] ;B[fc] ;W[ij] ;B[jl] ;W[mj] ;B[jj] ;W[ik] ;B[ll] ;W[ml] ;B[mm] ;W[nl] ;B[lh] ;W[pl] ;B[ni] ;W[lm] ;B[mn] ;W[kl] ;B[lk] ;W[jm] ;B[jh] ;W[qj] ;B[qi] ;W[qk] ;B[ri] ;W[qn] ;B[ro] ;W[qo] ;B[qp] ;W[rn] ;B[rp] ;W[on] ;B[ii] ;W[eb] ;B[dd] ;W[ed] ;B[ee] ;W[de] ;B[cc] ;W[cb] ;B[bb] ;W[ba] ;B[bc] ;W[ea] ;B[ad] ;W[af] ;B[da] ;W[ca] ;B[fa] ;W[ae] ;B[ab] ;W[db] ;B[bn] ;W[kb] ;B[ja] ;W[hr] ;B[ck] ;W[dr] ;B[cp] ;W[ds] ;B[dk] ;W[qc] ;B[qd] ;W[ob] ;B[pb] ;W[pc] ;B[qb] ;W[od] ;B[rc] ;W[bd] ;B[br] ;W[gs] ;B[be] ;W[il] ;B[ln] ;W[bd] ;B[km] ;W[be] ;B[jn] ;W[kq] ;B[sk] ;W[rl] ;B[bi] ;W[jk] ;B[in] ;W[ko] ;B[kn] ;W[lr] ;B[mr] ;W[of] ;B[og] ;W[ng] ;B[oe] ;W[nf] ;B[gm] ;W[gj] ;B[lf] ;W[kf] ;B[kg] ;W[jf] ;B[hi] ;W[gl] ;B[fl] ;W[fm] ;B[em] ;W[fn] ;B[el] ;W[hm] ;B[gk] ;W[gn] ;B[dn] ;W[bh] ;B[ci] ;W[fk] ;B[ip] ;W[ek] ;B[dm] ;W[no] ;B[lq] ;W[kr] ;B[op] ;W[ms] ;B[ns] ;W[ls] ;B[or] ;W[oh] ;B[pg] ;W[nh] ;B[pi] ;W[oc] ;B[ok] ;W[ol] ;B[jp] ;W[kp] ;B[mk] ;W[sl] ;B[sn] ;W[po] ;B[qm] ;W[pm] ;B[oo] (;W[nn]LB[sm:A]C[Losing move: white hallucinates that his group is alive. White should play at A to make two eyes, and let black cut and capture one stone.] ;B[rm]C[White's group is dead after this.]) (;W[sm] ;B[nn] ;W[so]C[Black is ahead on the board, but not enough to give komi.]))

The tournament website is here. You can also read daily reports in the online bulletin Ranka.

Kisei 2011- Cho U Equals the Score in Game 2

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:35:24 +0000

After losing the first game to challenger Iyama Yuta, Kisei title holder Cho U won the second game. I found Iyama’s move 40 quite amazing, it is played in a place that would never occur to me, see the next diagram. In the game black replied by connecting with the triangle marked stone. This makes move [...]

After losing the first game to challenger Iyama Yuta, Kisei title holder Cho U won the second game.

I found Iyama’s move 40 quite amazing, it is played in a place that would never occur to me, see the next diagram.

In the game black replied by connecting with the triangle marked stone. This makes move 40 a very efficient forcing move, since now white has even more forcing moves from the outside. This diagram shows the strongest continuation for white – in fact white did play this, but much later in the game.

The last diagram shows why black cannot reply aggressively in response to white 40.

Here is the complete game.

(; EV[35th Kisei title match 2] KM[6.5] FF[3] SZ[19] GM[1] PW[Iyama Yuta] WR[Meijin] DT[2011-01-26,27] BR[Kisei] RE[B+R] PB[Cho U] ;B[qd];W[dc];B[pq];W[cp];B[nc];W[po];B[qm];W[qq];B[mq];W[pp];B[pr] ;W[ro];B[eq];W[do];B[pj];W[qr];B[ip];W[ci];B[fd];W[hd];B[dd];W[ed] ;B[ee];W[ec];B[cc];W[fe];B[cd];W[ff];B[ef];W[fc];B[cg];W[eg];B[dg] ;W[eh];B[eo];W[en];B[fo];W[dq];B[er];W[be];B[df];W[jp];B[jo];W[kp] ;B[mo];W[io];B[ho];W[in];B[iq];W[kn];B[hn];W[im];B[dn];W[cn];B[dm] ;W[cm];B[dl];W[cl];B[ph];W[ld];B[me];W[qc];B[pc];W[le];B[mf];W[lf] ;B[lg];W[md];B[mh];W[nd];B[od];W[rd];B[rc];W[ob];B[qb];W[ng];B[nh] ;W[kg];B[qn];W[mn];B[qo];W[qp];B[no];W[nn];B[lp];W[ko];B[kr];W[mg] ;B[lh];W[og];B[pg];W[oe];B[oc];W[pf];B[qf];W[qe];B[re];W[pe];B[rg] ;W[kh];B[lb];W[bg];B[bh];W[ah];B[bf];W[af];B[ag];W[rf];B[sf];W[bg] ;B[bi];W[cf];B[ch];W[ce];B[bd];W[de];B[ad];W[ae];B[ai];W[jr];B[jq] ;W[cb];B[ag];W[kq];B[lr];W[ah];B[bb];W[ac];B[bc];W[ba];B[ab];W[oj] ;B[ok];W[db];B[ag];W[pk];B[pl];W[ah];B[dk];W[ca];B[ag];W[nk];B[qk] ;W[ah];B[bo];W[aa];B[co];W[bk];B[ck];W[bj];B[cj];W[di];B[bm];W[bl] ;B[bn];W[dh];B[ag];W[ac];B[bf];W[mb];B[al];W[mc];B[nb];W[na];B[rn] ;W[mj];B[oi];W[gl];B[fk];W[gk];B[on];W[oq];B[or];W[nr];B[nq];W[op] ;B[ns];W[ps];B[mr];W[sp];B[qs];W[rr];B[sn];W[sq];B[fi];W[gh];B[lj] ;W[lk];B[ki])

Kisei 2011 – Iyama Yuta Wins Game 1

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 05:22:46 +0000

Iyama Yuta who challenges Cho U for the Japanese Kisei title won game one by resignation. Here is the exchange that took place at the end of the game: The continuation is puzzling though – did Cho U make a mistake, or just set the scene for resignation? Here are the final moves. After black cuts with [...]

Iyama Yuta who challenges Cho U for the Japanese Kisei title won game one by resignation.

Here is the exchange that took place at the end of the game:

The continuation is puzzling though – did Cho U make a mistake, or just set the scene for resignation? Here are the final moves. After black cuts with 6, a and b are miai for black, and he wins the semeai on the upper side.

White should have played as in the following diagram. The game looks close to me after this – in fact white looks a little ahead, but maybe I am missing something.

Here is the complete game.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[1]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] EV[Kisei 2011, game 1] PB[Iyama Yuta] BR[9DP] HA[0] PW[Cho U] WR[9DP] KM[6.5] DT[2011-01-14] RE[B+R] ;B[pd];W[dp];B[qp];W[ed];B[cd];W[cc];B[ic];W[dd];B[ce];W[bc] ;B[cn];W[fp];B[dj];W[oq];B[kq];W[on];B[qm];W[iq];B[ko];W[ol] ;B[pk];W[ok];B[pj];W[oj];B[pi];W[jp];B[kp];W[km];B[jo];W[im] ;B[ho];W[gq];B[hr];W[ir];B[hm];W[in];B[io];W[hn];B[hq];W[gr] ;B[fo];W[hp];B[gn];W[dn];B[dm];W[en];B[il];W[jl];B[jm];W[jn] ;B[kn];W[jm];B[lm];W[ik];B[lk];W[mn];B[ln];W[hl];B[gm];W[fl] ;B[po];W[oo];B[pq];W[pr];B[or];W[nr];B[gp];W[go];B[op];W[nq] ;B[gp];W[hs];B[ep];W[go];B[np];W[mp];B[gp];W[fq];B[eo];W[do] ;B[eq];W[go];B[er];W[dl];B[cq];W[lr];B[kr];W[js];B[mq];W[no] ;B[pp];W[lq];B[lp];W[mo];B[gp];W[cm];B[ls];W[mr];B[go];W[ks] ;B[dg];W[dq];B[dr];W[bq];B[cp];W[co];B[bp];W[bo];B[br];W[gc] ;B[nc];W[ci];B[di];W[cj];B[ch];W[eh];B[ck];W[bk];B[eg];W[fh] ;B[fg];W[gh];B[gg];W[hg];B[hf];W[if];B[he];W[ig];B[ie];W[qd] ;B[qe];W[pc];B[od];W[rc];B[re];W[ob];B[nb];W[qb];B[qr];W[dh] ;B[bh];W[bj];B[hj];W[hi];B[gl];W[ij];B[gk];W[fj];B[rd];W[qc] ;B[hb];W[gb];B[jf];W[jg];B[kf];W[mg];B[kg];W[kh];B[ps];W[pl] ;B[ql];W[pn];B[qn];W[me];B[og];W[ng];B[lh];W[oh];B[ki];W[of] ;B[jh];W[ii];B[pg];W[oi];B[ph];W[ld];B[lc];W[hc];B[ib];W[kc] ;B[kb];W[jd];B[jc];W[kd];B[id];W[mc];B[fk];W[ek];B[lb];W[ae] ;B[fm];W[bf];B[em];W[dk];B[fd];W[fe];B[gd];W[ee];B[ge];W[cf] ;B[eb];W[fc];B[ec];W[db];B[ea];W[ga];B[dc])

Kisei 2011 Started

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:35:05 +0000

The most important Japanese title in professional Go, Kisei, started yesterday. The title holder is Cho U, while the challenger is Iyama Yuta who seems to be in very good shape recently (he defeated Cho U in the final of the Daiwa Cup). Here is the game at the end of day one – Cho U [...]

The most important Japanese title in professional Go, Kisei, started yesterday.

The title holder is Cho U, while the challenger is Iyama Yuta who seems to be in very good shape recently (he defeated Cho U in the final of the Daiwa Cup).

Here is the game at the end of day one – Cho U plays white and he made the sealed move. White’s shape in the center looks bad, like damezumari, but he can capture some black stones and fix that.

Lee Sedol Eliminated from Nongshim Cup

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 18:48:37 +0000

The 12th Nongshim Cup started a few days ago. Lee Sedol is the first Korean player and he eliminated Wang Xi of China and Iyama Yuta of Japan in the first two rounds. Why is Lee Sedol the first Korean player? As a reminder, Nongshim Cup follows a “winner stays at the table” system, so usually [...]

The 12th Nongshim Cup started a few days ago. Lee Sedol is the first Korean player and he eliminated Wang Xi of China and Iyama Yuta of Japan in the first two rounds.

Why is Lee Sedol the first Korean player? As a reminder, Nongshim Cup follows a “winner stays at the table” system, so usually each team would put their best players last.

According to wbaduk.com, Lee Sedol specifically requested to be put in the first place, presumably because he was planning to win all his games. In the light of this news, I was very satisfied to learn that he was eliminated by Xie He in the third game. I like Lee Sedol a lot, but not when he is so over-confident. This reminded me of Yoda Norimoto of Japan, who is usually bragging a lot before the tournaments he is going to play in, but his results don’t usually match his bragging.

Here is the record of the game between Xie He (black) and Lee Sedol (white). Xie He won by resignation.

(; KM[6.5] FF[3] SZ[19] EV[12th Nongshim Cup 3rd round] GM[1] PB[Xie He] PW[Lee Sedol] BR[7d] RE[B+R] DT[2010-10-20] WR[9d] ;B[pd];W[dd];B[qp];W[dq];B[do];W[co];B[cn];W[cp];B[cf];W[fc];B[dn] ;W[fq];B[dj];W[op];B[oo];W[no];B[po];W[np];B[pq];W[nm];B[pm];W[qf] ;B[qh];W[qc];B[qd];W[pc];B[od];W[rd];B[re];W[rc];B[qe];W[nc];B[ef] ;W[bd];B[go];W[pi];B[qi];W[of];B[rf];W[pj];B[og];W[mj];B[be];W[qj] ;B[ng];W[nd];B[ne];W[me];B[nf];W[ph];B[pg];W[rm];B[ok];W[ni];B[nr] ;W[ro];B[mq];W[or];B[pr];W[jp];B[mk];W[pl];B[om];W[ol];B[nl];W[mm] ;B[lk];W[oq];B[os];W[kl];B[kk];W[jl];B[ql];W[pk];B[qm];W[rh];B[rk] ;W[qg];B[pf];W[ki];B[jk];W[ik];B[jj];W[il];B[ji];W[kh];B[mh];W[mi] ;B[rg];W[rj];B[ri];W[hi];B[ih];W[kf];B[hh];W[fi];B[ie];W[if];B[hf] ;W[je];B[he];W[ic];B[hc];W[hb];B[oc];W[ob];B[fk];W[di];B[ci];W[ej] ;B[ek];W[cj];B[dk];W[ch];B[bi];W[bh];B[bj];W[gj];B[gh];W[ce];B[bf] ;W[pp];B[qo];W[qq];B[qr];W[rq];B[rp];W[lr];B[lq];W[kq];B[lp];W[lo] ;B[kr];W[rr];B[rs];W[fh];B[ed];W[ec];B[fg];W[dg];B[df];W[kp];B[jr] ;W[fd];B[eh];W[ei];B[eg];W[dh];B[nb];W[mb];B[id];W[jc];B[jd];W[kd] ;B[ad];W[bc];B[jg];W[kg];B[jf];W[ke];B[ll];W[cl];B[ck];W[jh];B[hj] ;W[gk];B[gi];W[fj];B[lm];W[kn];B[km];W[fm];B[in];W[fo];B[gn];W[fn] ;B[gm];W[gl];B[jm];W[bl];B[dl];W[bn];B[fl];W[bk];B[ah];W[ag];B[ai] ;W[dm];B[em])

Xie He will play against Sakai Hideyuki of Japan next.

Complete tournament table here.

31st World Amateur Go Championship Starts

Tue, 25 May 2010 16:59:11 +0000

The 31st World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) will start tomorrow in Hangzhou, China. This eight rounds, two games per day championship will be played between May 26th and May 29th. You can follow the updates on the International Go Federation’s website and on the Nihon Ki-in’s website. The presence of the young and very strong players from Asia, [...]

The 31st World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) will start tomorrow in Hangzhou, China.

This eight rounds, two games per day championship will be played between May 26th and May 29th.

You can follow the updates on the International Go Federation’s website and on the Nihon Ki-in’s website.

The presence of the young and very strong players from Asia, several ex-insei from Europe and Fernando Aguilar from Argentina will make this a very interesting tournament, I am sure.

Fujitsu Cup: Happiness and Desolation for Japan

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:28:31 +0000

The first two rounds of the 23rd Fujitsu Cup are over. The hosting country, Japan, started very strongly with four Japanese players winning in the first round: Anzai Nobuaki defeated Chen Shiyuan of Taiwan, Takao Shinji defeated amateur Fernando Aguilar representing South America, Hane Naoki defeated Choi Cheolhan of Korea and a very big surprise: veteran [...]

The first two rounds of the 23rd Fujitsu Cup are over.

The hosting country, Japan, started very strongly with four Japanese players winning in the first round: Anzai Nobuaki defeated Chen Shiyuan of Taiwan, Takao Shinji defeated amateur Fernando Aguilar representing South America, Hane Naoki defeated Choi Cheolhan of Korea and a very big surprise: veteran Ishida Yoshio defeated Mok Jinseok of Korea!

Just like last year, though, after a strong start Japan was completely eliminated in the second round, unfortunately: Yamashita Keigo lost to Piao Wenyao of China, Cho U lost to Kim Jiseok of Korea, Anzai Nobuaki lost to Lee Sedol of Korea, Takao Shinji lost to Park Yeonghun of Korea, Hane Naoki lost to Kang Dongyun of Korea and Ishida Yoshio lost to Kong Jie of China.

Here is the record of the game in which Ishida Yoshio defeated Mok Jinseok (by resignation).

(; KM[6.5] EV[23rd Fujitsu Cup 1st round] GM[1] SZ[19] FF[3] PB[Ishida Yoshio] PW[Mok Jinseok] BR[9d] DT[2010-04-10] WR[9d] RE[B+R] ;B[qd];W[dc];B[dp];W[pq];B[ce];W[qn];B[oc];W[di];B[cg];W[cd];B[ed] ;W[ec];B[fd];W[be];B[dd];W[cf];B[de];W[bd];B[df];W[gb];B[bf];W[cn] ;B[co];W[dn];B[fq];W[ck];B[qi];W[jq];B[bn];W[bm];B[bo];W[qk];B[oi] ;W[op];B[kd];W[nh];B[ni];W[nd];B[nc];W[qe];B[pd];W[qg];B[ph];W[rd] ;B[rc];W[of];B[mh];W[rf];B[sd];W[mg];B[lh];W[rh];B[ri];W[re];B[mp] ;W[md];B[lb];W[qc];B[qb];W[lg];B[kg];W[kp];B[mn];W[ml];B[lm];W[ll] ;B[km];W[kl];B[jm];W[ik];B[ng];W[nf];B[pk];W[pl];B[ol];W[ok];B[nk] ;W[pj];B[nl];W[og];B[lj];W[hm];B[gk];W[hk];B[gm];W[gj];B[gl];W[hi] ;B[hl];W[mq];B[lq];W[lp];B[nq];W[mr];B[np];W[nr];B[oo];W[pp];B[ir] ;W[gp];B[fp];W[fk];B[el];W[ek];B[lr];W[or];B[ks];W[fo];B[eo];W[gn] ;B[en];W[il];B[im];W[iq];B[hr];W[fm];B[fl];W[em];B[dl];W[hn];B[dm] ;W[fn];B[cm];W[hq];B[gq];W[ho];B[fi];W[fj];B[ei];W[dk];B[do];W[dh] ;B[bi];W[fg];B[gh];W[kh];B[mm];W[lo];B[gg];W[jh];B[jl];W[kf];B[jj] ;W[ig];B[qh];W[jr];B[js];W[fh];B[gi];W[gr];B[fr];W[dg];B[gf];W[oh] ;B[pi];W[bj];B[ci];W[cj];B[ii];W[hh];B[jk];W[hj];B[hg];W[ih];B[hc] ;W[gc];B[hd];W[hb];B[jc];W[rj];B[pm];W[qm];B[jo];W[io];B[ib];W[gd] ;B[ge];W[ie];B[fc];W[fb];B[he];W[si];B[po];W[qo];B[pn];W[bl];B[ae] ;W[bb];B[aj];W[ak];B[ai];W[kr];B[gs];W[ms];B[ls];W[ha];B[oj];W[pk] ;B[ke];W[je];B[lf];W[jg];B[le];W[li];B[mi];W[ki];B[kj];W[ad];B[af] ;W[mo];B[no];W[am];B[mc];W[an];B[ao];W[id];B[ic])

Complete tournament table here.

Next round will be played in two days, and it will match four Chinese players (Gu Li, Piao Wenyao, Kong Jie and Qiu Jun) against four Korean players (Lee Sedol, Park Yeonghun, Kim Jiseok and Kang Dongyun).

Chunlan Cup After Round Two

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 03:12:09 +0000

China is dominating the international Chunlan Cup after two rounds. Out of the eight remaining players, five are Chinese: Kong Jie (defeated Choi Cheolhan of Korea), Wang Xi (defeated Yuki Satoshi of Japan), Xie He (defeated Iyama Yuta of Japan), Gu Li (defeated Yamashita Keigo of Japan) and Gu Lingyi (who eliminated Lee Changho of [...]

Korea will have two representatives in the quarterfinal: Heo Yeongho (who eliminated Chang Hao of China) and Lee Sedol (who eliminated Sun Tengyu of China).

As for Japan, only one of its four representatives who survived round one will play in the next round, and that is no other than the veteran Cho Chikun who defeated Qiu Jun of China.

Here is the record of the game in which Cho Chikun, playing black, defeated Qiu Jun by resignation.

(; KM[7.5] FF[3] SZ[19] GM[1] WR[8d] EV[8th Chunlan Cup 2nd round] RE[B+R] PB[Cho Chikun] BR[9d] DT[2010-03-29] PW[Qiu Jun] ;B[pd];W[dd];B[pq];W[dp];B[fq];W[cn];B[ql];W[jp];B[dr];W[gq];B[gr] ;W[fr];B[er];W[fp];B[fs];W[hq];B[cf];W[di];B[cc];W[cd];B[dc];W[ed] ;B[bd];W[be];B[bc];W[ce];B[fc];W[qf];B[qe];W[pf];B[nc];W[qi];B[po] ;W[qc];B[re];W[ob];B[oc];W[pc];B[nb];W[od];B[rf];W[rg];B[pe];W[oe] ;B[of];W[md];B[qg];W[pg];B[qh];W[rh];B[ph];W[og];B[pi];W[nd];B[ri] ;W[mb];B[bf];W[df];B[bh];W[ch];B[bi];W[cg];B[bg];W[cj];B[ae];W[hc] ;B[fd];W[fe];B[ge];W[gd];B[ff];W[ee];B[ec];W[gf];B[he];W[fg];B[hf] ;W[gg];B[ic];W[qj];B[sg];W[qm];B[id];W[pm];B[ro];W[nn];B[np];W[mp] ;B[mq];W[mo];B[lq];W[ih];B[nh];W[mi];B[nl];W[ok];B[ko];W[kp];B[kl] ;W[kn];B[ki];W[jj];B[kj];W[jk];B[kk];W[jl];B[km];W[jm];B[ln];W[jn] ;B[on];W[rj];B[sh];W[rl];B[rn];W[qo];B[qp];W[om];B[lp];W[qk];B[pb] ;W[mc];B[oa];W[qb];B[ma];W[kb];B[la];W[ib];B[hb];W[ng];B[mg];W[nf] ;B[lo];W[qn];B[bj];W[bk];B[bl];W[ak];B[cp];W[do];B[ep];W[eo];B[cq] ;W[gb];B[gc];W[ha];B[cm];W[cl];B[iq];W[ip];B[gp];W[eq];B[hp];W[fr] ;B[pj];W[pk];B[fq];W[hr];B[ir];W[fr];B[eg];W[gs];B[bn];W[dm];B[ef] ;W[bo];B[bp];W[eh];B[de];W[ra];B[rc];W[pa];B[qa];W[rb];B[qd];W[pa] ;B[co];W[bm];B[qa];W[rp];B[rq];W[pa];B[jo];W[io];B[qa];W[an];B[br] ;W[pa];B[hh];W[ob];B[hj];W[gi];B[ii];W[ji];B[jh];W[ig];B[hg];W[hi] ;B[ij];W[jg];B[kh];W[gj];B[pb];W[oo];B[qa];W[sc];B[kc];W[kd];B[jb] ;W[ja];B[jc];W[lb];B[rd];W[pa];B[kg];W[hk];B[qa];W[op];B[pa];W[oq] ;B[jf];W[fb];B[eb];W[le];B[if];W[pr];B[qr];W[pp];B[qq];W[ik];B[kq] ;W[ih];B[mn];W[no];B[dh];W[ei];B[ci];W[nk];B[gh];W[fh];B[nm];W[nq] ;B[hd];W[hb];B[mj];W[mk];B[lk];W[jq];B[jr];W[is];B[kr];W[mr];B[or] ;W[nr];B[ps];W[mh];B[mf];W[oh];B[es];W[fa];B[rm];W[sm];B[sj];W[ea] ;B[da];W[sn];B[sp])

Complete tournament table here.

How Strong Are Professional Players?

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:15:15 +0000

Just how strong are top professional go players compared to amateur players? This question comes up again and again. The replies vary a lot, from saying that current amateurs are so strong that there is little difference between them and top professionals, to saying that there is such a huge gap that amateurs can never get [...]

Just how strong are top professional go players compared to amateur players?

This question comes up again and again. The replies vary a lot, from saying that current amateurs are so strong that there is little difference between them and top professionals, to saying that there is such a huge gap that amateurs can never get any close to top professionals levels.

It is being said that top Asian amateurs are quite close in strength to mid-level (5 dan) professionals. It is not easy to get a very accurate comparison though due to the fact that there are few chances for amateurs and top professionals to play together. One interesting data point is the series of results of the annual games between the professional Honinbo and amateur Honinbo in Japan. The handicap is adjusted each year according to the previous year’s result, and the handicap seems to vary between 2 and 3 stones.

A very big surprise came recently when Lee Changho was defeated in BC Cup by a Korean ex-insei amateur. A few years ago Fernando Aguilar, a very strong Argentinian amateur, defeated two 9 dan professionals in a row in Toyota and Denso Cup.

These kinds of exceptional results are keeping the amateurs hopes high. But exceptional results are statistical improbable. We have to look at several games to draw a meaningful conclusion.

At the recently finished Shusaku Cup organized in Romania there were two Chinese professional players invited (Luo Xihe 9p and Huang Yizhong 7p), and they played teaching games with several top players. Last year the guests were Mok Jinseok 9p and Kim Seung-Jun 9p of South Korea. The professional guests gave between 2 and 4 stones handicap to several European players rated 5-7 dan and won almost all games both in 2009 and 2010 editions. This shows that professional players are very very strong.

Pal Balogh 6d received 3 stones from Luo Xihe 9p and won by 3.5 points. This is the only instance when the amateur player won in the series of the Shusaku Cup demo/teaching games that I saw.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]HA[3]KM[0.5]TM[1800]OT[10/300 Canadian] GN[Shusaku Cup 9p demo game]PW[Luo Xihe]PB[Pal Balogh]WR[9p]BR[6d]DT[2010-03-27]PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania]AB[pd][dp][pp]RE[B+3.50] ;W[dc] ;B[de] ;W[nq] ;B[lq] ;W[qf] ;B[qh] ;W[pm] ;B[np] ;W[of] ;B[nd] ;W[pi] ;B[oq] ;W[lc] ;B[me] ;W[jd] ;B[rd] ;W[oc] ;B[od] ;W[nc] ;B[pc] ;W[qi] ;B[cc] ;W[cn] ;B[cl] ;W[en] ;B[fp] ;W[dh] ;B[db] ;W[ec] ;B[eb] ;W[cd] ;B[bc] ;W[hq] ;B[go] ;W[fr] ;B[bp] ;W[dr] (;B[ip] ;W[iq] ;B[jp] ;W[dk] ;B[bn] ;W[co] ;B[bo] ;W[cp] ;B[ck] ;W[cq] ;B[fc] ;W[cj] ;B[bj] ;W[bi] ;B[bk] ;W[rp] ;B[qo] ;W[ro] ;B[qn] ;W[qq] ;B[pr] ;W[rn] ;B[qm] ;W[qr] ;B[rf] ;W[rg] ;B[qe] ;W[sf] ;B[pf] ;W[qg] (;B[pg] ;W[ph] ;B[og] ;W[hc] ;B[fe] ;W[kr] ;B[kq] ;W[ql] ;B[rm] ;W[rl] ;B[nm] ;W[nr] ;B[mq] ;W[or] ;B[pq] ;W[ps] ;B[os] ;W[ns] ;B[mr] ;W[cf] ;B[ce] ;W[be] ;B[df] ;W[bg] ;B[dl] ;W[dj] ;B[sn] ;W[rr] ;B[pl] ;W[pk] ;B[ol] ;W[gb] ;B[hl] ;W[bq] ;B[bm] ;W[jl] ;B[re] ;W[ri] ;B[jk] ;W[kk] ;B[ik] ;W[ll] ;B[kj] ;W[lj] ;B[li] ;W[ki] ;B[jj] ;W[mj] ;B[mi] ;W[ok] ;B[km] ;W[lm] ;B[kl] ;W[nl] ;B[om] ;W[kn] ;B[lk] ;W[mk] ;B[jn] ;W[kk] ;B[jm] ;W[bd] ;B[dd] ;W[pb] ;B[qb] ;W[ob] ;B[cg] ;W[bf] ;B[dg] ;W[ch] ;B[kh] ;W[nh] ;B[qs] ;W[rs] ;B[je] ;W[id] ;B[kd] ;W[kc] ;B[ie] ;W[fh] ;B[gh] ;W[gi] ;B[hi] ;W[gg] ;B[hh] ;W[hg] ;B[ig] ;W[qa] ;B[rb] ;W[gn] ;B[fi] ;W[he] ;B[gj] ;W[ac] ;B[ab] ;W[ad] ;B[bb] ;W[fo] ;B[gp] ;W[qs] ;B[jr] ;W[ir] ;B[jq] ;W[eq] ;B[ep] ;W[ng] ;B[nf] (;W[lg] ;B[gd] ;W[hd] ;B[sl] ;W[js] ;B[ms] ;W[os] ;B[sk] ;W[rj] ;B[aq] ;W[ar] ;B[ap] ;W[br] ;B[hn] ;W[so] ;B[sm] ;W[mn] ;B[no] ;W[gm] ;B[hm] ;W[jg] ;B[if] ;W[jh] ;B[ji] ;W[kg] ;B[ih] (;W[ni] ;B[ko] ;W[ln] ;B[ra] ;W[ge] ;B[pa] ;W[mc] ;B[ei] ;W[di] ;B[se] ;W[sg] ;B[ks] ;W[is] ;B[lr] ;W[fb] ;B[rk] ;W[qk] ;B[gl] ;W[qp] ;B[pn] ;W[fk] ;B[em] ;W[fn] ;B[fq] ;W[gq] ;B[dq] ;W[er] ;B[eh] ;W[fg] ;B[eg] ;W[nn] ;B[on] ;W[ff] ;B[hf] ;W[gf] ;B[ef] ;W[gk] ;B[hk] ;W[hp] ;B[ho] ;W[gc] ;B[fd] ;W[fa] ;B[ea] ;W[oh] ;B[oe] ;W[aj] ;B[ak] ;W[ai] ;B[sj] ;W[si] ;B[oa] ;W[na] ;B[qa] ;W[lo] ;B[lp] ;W[mo] ;B[lk] ;W[ml] ;B[mp] ;W[kk] ;B[el] ;W[ek] ;B[lk] ;W[le] ;B[ke] ;W[mf] ;B[mh] ;W[md] ;B[mg] ;W[ne] ;B[sq] ;W[sr] ;B[me] ;W[lf] ;B[ld] ;W[ne] ;B[gr] ;W[gs] ;B[me] ;W[lh] ;B[ki] ;W[ne] ;B[hs] ;W[hr] ;B[me] ;W[cb] ;B[ca] ;W[ne] ;B[rh] ;W[sh] ;B[me] ;W[ed] ;B[ne] ;W[ee] ;B[fj] ;W[kk]C[Game record not complete. Reportedly, black won by 3.5p. The result would have been jigo if white didn't make a mistake in yose, earlier.]) (;W[ko])) (;W[sl] ;B[mg] ;W[lf])) (;B[hc])) (;B[el]))

Ilia Shikshin 7d received 2 stones from Luo Xihe 9p and lost by 0.5 points.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] GN[Demonstration Shusaku Cup 2010] PB[Ilia Shikshin] BR[7d] HA[2] PW[Luo Xihe] WR[9p] KM[0.5] DT[2010-03-26] PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania] RE[W+0.5] TM[1800] OT[10/300 Canadian] RU[Japanese] AB[pd][dp];W[dc];B[pq];W[qo];B[qk];W[qf];B[qh];W[cn];B[fq];W[nc] ;B[pf];W[ci];B[jc];W[pg];B[of];W[qg];B[qe];W[qc];B[rf];W[pc] ;B[rg];W[hc];B[de];W[cd];B[eh];W[ie];B[lc];W[md];B[ke];W[ei] ;B[fi];W[fh];B[eg];W[di];B[ge];W[gi];B[fj];W[gh];B[gc];W[ff] ;B[hd];W[ed];B[np];W[qq];B[qr];W[rr];B[pr];W[rp];B[rn];W[qn] ;B[rm];W[qm];B[ql];W[om];B[jp];W[mn];B[lo];W[hq];B[hp];W[iq] ;B[ip];W[gq];B[fp];W[lr];B[mr];W[kq];B[jr];W[jq];B[gr];W[mq] ;B[nr];W[ko];B[kp];W[lp];B[mo];W[hr];B[kn];W[gp];B[go];W[fo] ;B[gn];W[fr];B[er];W[gs];B[ml];W[nk];B[pp];W[pl];B[oj];W[mk] ;B[lk];W[lj];B[kk];W[mi];B[cl];W[cp];B[cq];W[do];B[dq];W[el] ;B[bp];W[ji];B[dm];W[em];B[dn];W[fn];B[eo];W[gm];B[in];W[ic] ;B[id];W[gb];B[fc];W[fb];B[jb];W[ec];B[fe];W[ee];B[hb];W[jm] ;B[jn];W[ck];B[bk];W[bl];B[dk];W[cj];B[bm];W[dl];B[cm];W[gf] ;B[rd];W[rc];B[bj];W[bi];B[hm];W[gl];B[mb];W[nb];B[hl];W[en] ;B[co];W[hk];B[ik];W[hj];B[ga];W[eb];B[nh];W[he];B[ib];W[ij] ;B[jk];W[mm];B[nl];W[ok];B[pk];W[ll];B[lm];W[nq];B[oq];W[oo] ;B[op];W[nm];B[kl];W[ng];B[og];W[ni];B[oi];W[mh];B[jf];W[oh] ;B[ph];W[ig];B[qp];W[ro];B[rq];W[sq];B[sc];W[sb];B[sd];W[qb] ;B[rs];W[sn];B[rl];W[ls];B[sr];W[kg];B[jg];W[jh];B[od];W[na] ;B[mp];W[lq];B[je];W[aj];B[al];W[ld];B[kd];W[la];B[lb];W[ma] ;B[lg];W[kh];B[mg];W[nf];B[ne];W[nh];B[me];W[po];B[ms];W[ka] ;B[es];W[fs];B[oc];W[kb];B[kc];W[ob];B[no];W[ai];B[ak];W[nn] ;B[if];W[hf];B[nd];W[mc];B[fa];W[ea];B[ha];W[fd];B[gd];W[ol] ;B[ll];W[sm];B[sl];W[so];B[nj];W[mj];B[lh];W[kj];B[li];W[ja] ;B[gk];W[fk];B[sp])

Ondrej Silt 6d received 3 stones from Luo Xihe 9p and lost by resignation.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] GN[Demonstration game Shusaku-cup 2010 board 1] EV[Demonstration game Shusaku-cup 2010 board 1] PB[Ondrej Silt] BR[6d] HA[3] PW[Luo Xihe] WR[9p] KM[0.5] DT[2010-03-25] PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania] RE[W+R] TM[3600] OT[1x10 byo-yomi] RU[Japanese] US[HW9x9] AB[pd][dp][pp];W[dc];B[de];W[nq];B[lq];W[gp];B[ip];W[dn];B[eo] ;W[gn];B[en];W[no];B[pn];W[in];B[ko];W[nm];B[km];W[pl];B[pq] ;W[el];B[em];W[dl];B[fl];W[fm];B[dm];W[cl];B[cm];W[iq];B[jq] ;W[dr];B[dq];W[il];B[fk];W[di];B[hq];W[gq];B[ho];W[go];B[er] ;W[ir];B[hr];W[hp];B[jr];W[io];B[is];W[fd];B[fe];W[ge];B[ff] ;W[fi];B[cc];W[cb];B[cj];W[ci];B[bl];W[dj];B[bk];W[bj];B[ck] ;W[dk];B[ed];W[fc];B[gf];W[he];B[cd];W[nc];B[hf];W[ie];B[if] ;W[je];B[hk];W[hi];B[ik];W[jk];B[hl];W[ij];B[im];W[jl];B[hm] ;W[jm];B[hn];W[jn];B[gm];W[fn];B[gk];W[cf];B[df];W[be];B[kg] ;W[qf];B[oe];W[nf];B[ki];W[jh];B[jf];W[ne];B[ke];W[kd];B[ji] ;W[kh];B[ih];W[lh];B[ii];W[hj];B[gr];W[li];B[hh];W[fj];B[fq] ;W[dg];B[eg];W[qc];B[cg];W[bg];B[ld];W[le];B[lf];W[kf];B[ec] ;W[eb];B[ke];W[jp];B[iq];W[kf];B[lj];W[mj];B[ke];W[gj];B[fp] ;W[kf];B[fb];W[hc];B[ke];W[me];B[jd];W[kf];B[gb];W[hb];B[ke] ;W[kc];B[lk];W[mk];B[ll];W[mm];B[kn];W[qo];B[dh];W[ch];B[qn] ;W[po];B[oo];W[on];B[op];W[ro];B[rn];W[rq];B[rl];W[qr];B[qj] ;W[ri];B[pr];W[so];B[sn];W[qq];B[rj];W[mq];B[om];W[nn];B[qh] ;W[rh];B[qg];W[qi];B[pi];W[rg];B[pf];W[pj];B[rf];W[qe];B[re] ;W[qd];B[oi];W[rd];B[si];W[se];B[pk];W[oj];B[ok];W[nj];B[ol] ;W[jj];B[jc];W[kf];B[bi];W[bh];B[ke];W[gc];B[lc];W[kf];B[db] ;W[da];B[ke];W[kb];B[lb];W[kf];B[ml];W[mg];B[nr];W[mr];B[np] ;W[mp];B[mo];W[lo];B[lp];W[mn];B[ms];W[os];B[or];W[ls];B[ps] ;W[qp];B[lr];W[ns];B[ms];W[ns];B[ks];W[qs];B[ms];W[mo])

Cornel Burzo 6d received 3 stones from Huang Yizhong 7p and lost by time.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]HA[3]KM[0.5]TM[3600]OT[1x30 byo-yomi] GN[Demonstration game Shusaku-Cup 2010 board 2]PW[Huang Yizhong]PB[Cornel Burzo]WR[7p]BR[6d]DT[2010-03-25]EV[Demonstration game Shusaku-Cup 2010 board 2]PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania]AB[pd][dp][pp]RE[W+Time] ;W[dc] ;B[de] ;W[nq] ;B[cc] ;W[qn] ;B[oo] ;W[qq] ;B[dd] ;W[ec] ;B[cb] ;W[ic] ;B[mp] ;W[qp] ;B[mq] ;W[cn] ;B[fq] ;W[nc] (;B[qf] ;W[bp] ;B[cm] ;W[bm] ;B[bn] ;W[cl] ;B[dm] ;W[bo] ;B[dl] ;W[ck] ;B[dn] ;W[an] ;B[pb] ;W[kr] ;B[nr] ;W[hq] ;B[ql] ;W[ne] (;B[ir] ;W[hr] ;B[iq] ;W[ip] ;B[hp] ;W[jq] ;B[io] ;W[jp] ;B[gq] ;W[ho] ;B[gp] ;W[is] ;B[in] ;W[on] ;B[nn] ;W[om] ;B[gr] ;W[jr] (;B[ro] ;W[po] ;B[qo] ;W[pn] ;B[rn] ;W[op] ;B[no] ;W[or] ;B[lr] ;W[kn] ;B[ko] ;W[jo] ;B[jn] ;W[km] ;B[kp] ;W[ks] ;B[nm] ;W[ol] ;B[pq] ;W[pr] ;B[mk] ;W[nk] ;B[nl] ;W[mj] ;B[lk] ;W[qj] ;B[rp] ;W[rq] ;B[rj] ;W[rk] ;B[qk] ;W[rl] ;B[pj] ;W[qi] ;B[ri] ;W[qm] ;B[ok] ;W[rh] ;B[nj] ;W[qg] ;B[pi] ;W[qh] ;B[pf] ;W[ie] ;B[gc] ;W[ej] ;B[kc] ;W[ke] ;B[ch] ;W[dh] ;B[ci] ;W[dk] ;B[id] ;W[jd] ;B[ib] ;W[hb] ;B[hc] ;W[hd] ;B[jc] ;W[id] ;B[jb] ;W[df] ;B[ef] ;W[cf] ;B[eg] ;W[dg] ;B[eh] ;W[di] ;B[gb] ;W[fe] ;B[gg] ;W[jh] ;B[hf] ;W[gd] ;B[jg] ;W[kg] ;B[jf] ;W[kf] ;B[kh] ;W[ee] ;B[gj] ;W[be] ;B[fc]LB[md:A] ;W[ed] ;B[eb] ;W[gi] ;B[hi] ;W[hj] ;B[fi] ;W[gk] ;B[gh] ;W[cd] ;B[md] ;W[lh] ;B[ki] ;W[hn] ;B[im] ;W[hm] ;B[il] ;W[hl]) (;B[po] ;W[qm] ;B[qo] ;W[ro] ;B[rp])) (;B[pr] ;W[on] ;B[nn] ;W[om] ;B[qi])) (;B[co] ;W[qf] ;B[oe] ;W[qc] ;B[dn]))

Lucian Corlan 5d received 4 stones from Huang Yizhong 7p and lost by 2.5 points.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] GN[Shusaku Cup 2010 7p demo] PB[Lucian Corlan] BR[5d] HA[4] PW[Huang Yizhong] WR[7p] KM[0.5] DT[2010-03-27] PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania] RE[W+2.5] TM[1800] OT[10/300 Canadian] RU[Japanese] AB[dd][pd][dp][pp];W[nq];B[qn];W[fq];B[hq];W[fo];B[cn];W[ip] ;B[eq];W[fr];B[kp];W[iq];B[mp];W[cf];B[fd];W[cl];B[di];W[ef] ;B[en];W[el];B[fn];W[fi];B[go];W[hd];B[ge];W[bd];B[jd];W[he] ;B[hf];W[if];B[gg];W[je];B[dg];W[df];B[fh];W[eh];B[ei];W[eg] ;B[hh];W[fj];B[dk];W[dl];B[ek];W[fk];B[fl];W[ck];B[ci];W[hj] ;B[jh];W[jj];B[ld];W[le];B[md];W[lh];B[ki];W[fm];B[ir];W[hr] ;B[jr];W[gp];B[ho];W[hp];B[hs];W[gq];B[gs];W[io];B[gl];W[gm] ;B[hm];W[hl];B[gn];W[gk];B[jn];W[in];B[im];W[ko];B[lp];W[jm] ;B[hn];W[km];B[ln];W[kn];B[li];W[mh];B[lk];W[qc];B[pc];W[qd] ;B[qf];W[rf];B[pq];W[qg];B[pf];W[rh];B[qk];W[pb];B[ob];W[qb] ;B[er];W[nb];B[nc];W[oa];B[mb];W[oc];B[od];W[jg];B[cc];W[bc] ;B[bb];W[ml];B[jp];W[jo];B[be];W[ce];B[cd];W[bf];B[ac];W[ae] ;B[kg];W[ih];B[re];W[qe];B[ig];W[hg];B[rg];W[sg];B[ig];W[jf] ;B[ii];W[kh];B[ji];W[me];B[ob];W[fs];B[bm];W[bl];B[es];W[db] ;B[cb];W[gc];B[id];W[ie];B[na];W[ec];B[ed];W[jq];B[kq];W[nn] ;B[np];W[rk];B[ql];W[rj];B[rl];W[lo];B[nf];W[ic];B[jc];W[ib] ;B[jb];W[ja];B[ka];W[ia];B[kd];W[fc];B[sk];W[sj];B[sl];W[pm] ;B[pn];W[om];B[on];W[no];B[mo];W[mn];B[oo];W[ok];B[qi];W[ri] ;B[qm];W[dn];B[do];W[dm];B[bo];W[gr];B[ol];W[nl];B[pl];W[nm] ;B[ll];W[lm];B[ke];W[kf];B[ne];W[mg];B[da];W[ea];B[ca];W[is] ;B[ks];W[pa];B[dc];W[eb];B[pg];W[qh];B[al];W[ak];B[am];W[fg] ;B[ff];W[gh];B[eo];W[fp];B[ij];W[jk];B[hi];W[ee];B[fe];W[mf] ;B[gi];W[ab];B[aa];W[qj];B[oj];W[pj];B[nk];W[pk];B[nj];W[oi] ;B[ph];W[pi];B[pe];W[mk];B[mj];W[og];B[of];W[ep];B[js];W[hs] ;B[ab];W[ad];B[ng];W[oh];B[il];W[ik];B[gj];W[hk];B[cm];W[jl] ;B[nh];W[ni];B[lj];W[mi];B[kj];W[kl];B[kk];W[fh];B[gd])

Artam Kachanovsky 6d received 3 stones from Huang Yizhong 7p and lost by resignation.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] EV[SHUSAKU CUP 3] PB[Artam Kachanovsky] BR[6d] PW[Huang Yizhong] WR[7p] KM[0.5] DT[2010-03-26] PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/] RE[W+R] TM[3600] OT[15/300 Canadian] RU[Japanese] ;AB[dd][pd][dp];W[qp];B[op];W[cf];B[fc];W[lp];B[pm];W[oo];B[no] ;W[on];B[pp];W[qn];B[qq];W[qo];B[pr];W[om];B[nn];W[qi];B[ip] ;W[cn];B[fp];W[dj];B[ko];W[nc];B[lc];W[pf];B[oc];W[nd];B[oe] ;W[ob];B[pb];W[od];B[pe];W[pc];B[qc];W[qf];B[of];W[ld];B[kc] ;W[mf];B[oh];W[pj];B[oj];W[ok];B[qh];W[rh];B[ph];W[rg];B[mj] ;W[nk];B[mh];W[gq];B[iq];W[gp];B[fo];W[ho];B[io];W[hn];B[fm] ;W[hl];B[fk];W[el];B[gm];W[hm];B[dm];W[cm];B[dl];W[bk];B[ll] ;W[mm];B[lm];W[hj];B[fi];W[hh];B[jg];W[je];B[jd];W[ie];B[hg] ;W[gh];B[di];W[ci];B[ej];W[dh];B[eh];W[dg];B[eg];W[id];B[gg] ;W[er];B[fq];W[fr];B[hr];W[gr];B[cq];W[ei];B[go];W[hp];B[di] ;W[dq];B[ic];W[hc];B[hb];W[ib];B[jc];W[gb];B[hd];W[gc];B[gd] ;W[fb];B[ke];W[fd];B[ge];W[ec];B[dr];W[eq];B[br];W[cp];B[bp] ;W[co];B[dk];W[ei];B[cs];W[jh];B[kg];W[fh];B[di];W[cj];B[ei] ;W[fg];B[ff];W[ef];B[ee];W[df];B[gk];W[fe];B[gf];W[kn];B[jm] ;W[jl];B[gj];W[ih];B[ig];W[km];B[jn];W[kl];B[ln];W[lo];B[kp] ;W[lq];B[il];W[ik];B[im];W[jo];B[jp];W[in];B[jo];W[jr];B[hk] ;W[jk];B[ir];W[kq])

Lucian Corlan 5d received 3 stones from Mok Jinseok 9p and lost by resignation.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.5]TM[1800]OT[3x30 byo-yomi] GN[SHUSAKU CUP 2009, Tirgu Mures, ROMANIA]PW[MOK JINSEOK]PB[LUCIAN CORLAN]WR[9p]BR[5d]DT[2009-03-29]RO[Handicap game]RE[W+R]PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/] ;B[pd] ;W[] ;B[dd] ;W[] ;B[dp] ;W[pq] ;B[dj] ;W[fq] ;B[hq] ;W[fc] ;B[hc] ;W[ch] ;B[fd] ;W[cd] ;B[ce] ;W[cc] ;B[de] ;W[eb] ;B[gc] ;W[eh] ;B[fj] ;W[gh] ;B[hj] ;W[ih]LB[gd:A] ;B[if] ;W[ge] ;B[gd] ;W[cn] ;B[fp] ;W[gp] ;B[gq] ;W[cp] ;B[cq] ;W[ep] ;B[fo] ;W[dq] ;B[do] ;W[eo] ;B[en] ;W[eq] ;B[dn] ;W[fn] ;B[go] ;W[co] ;B[dl] ;W[cr] ;B[bq] ;W[br] ;B[fr] ;W[er] ;B[es] ;W[dr] ;B[cm] ;W[bm] ;B[bl] ;W[an] ;B[hp] ;W[ck] ;B[cl] ;W[nc] ;B[ld] ;W[ne] ;B[qf] ;W[pb] ;B[mc] ;W[md] ;B[lc] ;W[qc] ;B[nb] ;W[oc] ;B[qd] ;W[ob] ;B[qi] ;W[qo] ;B[nq] ;W[mp] ;B[pp] ;W[qp] ;B[pr] ;W[qq] ;B[np] ;W[mq] ;B[mr] ;W[lr] ;B[or] ;W[ms] ;B[nr] ;W[mo] ;B[on] ;W[qm] ;B[nm] ;W[lm] ;B[kh] ;W[fm] ;B[el] ;W[hn] ;B[jj] ;W[ik] ;B[ij] ;W[bk] ;B[kq] ;W[kp] ;B[jp] ;W[jo] ;B[ko] ;W[kn] ;B[lp] ;W[lo] ;B[lq] ;W[kp] ;B[jq] ;W[lk] (;B[di] ;W[dh] ;B[bj] ;W[bi] ;B[dc] ;W[db] ;B[bb] ;W[cb] ;B[be] ;W[ki] ;B[ji] ;W[jh] ;B[kj] ;W[ba] ;B[cj] ;W[jf] ;B[fg] ;W[ei] ;B[fh] ;W[ej] ;B[fk] ;W[aj] ;B[dk] ;W[al] ;B[kg] ;W[ie] ;B[ke] ;W[fi] ;B[gi] ;W[hi] ;B[gj] ;W[ef] ;B[gg] ;W[gf] ;B[eg] ;W[df] ;B[dg] ;W[cf] ;B[cg] ;W[bg] (;B[bf] ;W[hg] ;B[hh] ;W[kf] ;B[lf] ;W[gh] (;B[bp] ;W[ff] ;B[bo] ;W[gr] ;B[gs] ;W[fs] (;B[ac] ;W[ir] ;B[bc] ;W[ec] ;B[ed] ;W[gb] ;B[fa] ;W[hb] ;B[ib] ;W[bd] ;B[ad] ;W[ic] ;B[jb] ;W[jc] ;B[kc] ;W[hd] ;B[ca] ;W[fb] ;B[aa] ;W[ia] ;B[kb] ;W[ae] ;B[af] ;W[da] (;B[ba] ;W[ag]C[Black resigned.]) (;B[ga] ;W[ba] ;B[ja] ;W[ab] ;B[ae] ;W[ag] ;B[ha])) (;B[kl])) (;B[kl] ;W[ff] (;B[ll]) (;B[jm]))) (;B[ff] ;W[fe] ;B[hh] ;W[ee] ;B[bf])) (;B[dc]C[Black should first play here.] ;W[db] ;B[bb] ;W[cb] ;B[be] ;W[ba] ;B[di] ;W[dh] ;B[bi] ;W[ci] ;B[bh] ;W[cj] ;B[al]))

Ali Jabarin 5d received 4 stones from Mok Jinseok 9p and lost by resignation.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.5]TM[3600]OT[3x30 byo-yomi] GN[demonstration]PW[MOK JINSEOK]PB[ALI JABARIN]WR[9p]BR[5d]DT[2009-03-27]EV[SHUSAKU CUP 2009]PC[The KGS Go Server at http://www.gokgs.com/]RE[W+Resign] ;B[pd] ;W[] ;B[dd] ;W[] ;B[pp] ;W[] ;B[dp] ;W[nq] ;B[qn] ;W[iq] ;B[gq] ;W[cn] ;B[cp] ;W[ck] ;B[go] ;W[cf] ;B[fc] ;W[qf] ;B[nd] ;W[pj] ;B[pr] ;W[lp] ;B[ci] ;W[bd] ;B[cc] ;W[de] ;B[cd] ;W[bc] ;B[bb] ;W[ed] ;B[db] ;W[ec] ;B[eb] ;W[fd] ;B[gc] ;W[ei] ;B[dj] ;W[el] ;B[dl] ;W[dk] ;B[ej] ;W[fi] ;B[ek] ;W[dm] ;B[fl] ;W[em] ;B[gk] ;W[lc] ;B[gd] ;W[ff] ;B[jc] ;W[oc] ;B[pc] ;W[nc] ;B[od] ;W[md] ;B[mb] ;W[mc] ;B[nf] ;W[rd] ;B[rc] ;W[qd] ;B[qc] ;W[jb] ;B[ib] ;W[pg] ;B[lb] ;W[kc] ;B[kb] ;W[jd] ;B[ic] ;W[kg] ;B[nh] ;W[mg] ;B[ng] ;W[gn] ;B[ho] ;W[hn] ;B[hf] ;W[ik] ;B[hj] ;W[hg] ;B[ij] ;W[ig] ;B[jk] ;W[io] ;B[rj] ;W[kj] ;B[kk] ;W[mj] ;B[lj] ;W[li] ;B[lk] ;W[qm] ;B[qk] ;W[pn] ;B[qo] ;W[pm] ;B[pk] ;W[oj] ;B[qi] ;W[pi] ;B[ph] ;W[qh] ;B[oh] ;W[rh] ;B[ok] ;W[nk] ;B[nl] ;W[mk] ;B[ml] ;W[mi] ;B[om] ;W[pe] ;B[ob] ;W[nb] ;B[pb] ;W[ll] ;B[im] ;W[lm] ;B[in] ;W[oo] ;B[mo] ;W[mm] ;B[on] ;W[po] ;B[lo] ;W[nn] ;B[no] ;W[ol] ;B[pl] ;W[rl] ;B[rk] ;W[op] ;B[kn] ;W[qq] (;B[rq] ;W[ri] ;B[mn] ;W[nm] ;B[ol] ;W[sj] ;B[km] ;W[sk] ;B[ln] ;W[qr] ;B[pq] ;W[rp] ;B[qp] ;W[rr] ;B[mq] ;W[mr] ;B[nr] ;W[lr] ;B[oq] ;W[np] ;B[mp] ;W[rn] ;B[ro] ;W[sp] ;B[sn] ;W[rm] ;B[jr] ;W[jq] ;B[kr] ;W[lq] ;B[kq] ;W[kp] ;B[ir] ;W[jp] (;B[be] ;W[gp] ;B[fo] ;W[hr] ;B[bo] ;W[bn] ;B[gr] ;W[hq] ;B[hs] ;W[fp] ;B[hp] ;W[eq]C[Black resigned]) (;B[hq] ;W[os] ;B[bo])) (;B[qr] ;W[rr] ;B[pq]))

Lucian Deaconu 5d received 3 stones from Kim Seung-Jun 9p and lost by 0.5 points.

(;GM[1]FF[4]CA[UTF-8]AP[CGoban:3]ST[2] RU[Japanese]SZ[19]KM[0.5]TM[1800]OT[3x30 byo-yomi] GN[SHUSAKU CUP 2009, ROMANIA]PW[KIM SEUNG-JUN]PB[LUCIAN DEACONU]WR[9p]BR[5d]DT[2009-03-28]RE[W+0.50] ;B[pd] ;W[] ;B[dd] ;W[] ;B[dp] ;W[pp] ;B[qn] ;W[np] ;B[pj] ;W[fq] ;B[cn] ;W[ip] ;B[jd] ;W[cf] ;B[ch] ;W[ef] ;B[fd] ;W[di] ;B[ce] ;W[bf] ;B[dh] ;W[eh] ;B[ei] ;W[ej] (;B[eg] ;W[fi] ;B[df] ;W[fg] ;B[dg] ;W[qf] ;B[qe] ;W[pf] ;B[nd] ;W[ql] ;B[ph] ;W[ol] ;B[ng] ;W[nj] ;B[kq] ;W[jq] ;B[jo] ;W[jp] ;B[qp] ;W[qq] ;B[po] ;W[rp] ;B[ro] ;W[qo] ;B[kp] ;W[ko] ;B[qp] ;W[oo] ;B[rq] ;W[qo] ;B[kn] ;W[lo] ;B[qp] ;W[ee] ;B[qo] ;W[de] ;B[cd] ;W[ci] ;B[bh] ;W[bi] ;B[ff] ;W[fe] ;B[ge] ;W[gf] ;B[ed] ;W[ff] ;B[pq] ;W[oq] ;B[op] ;W[he] ;B[or] ;W[pp] ;B[qr] ;W[cq] ;B[dq] ;W[cp] ;B[co] ;W[dr] ;B[er] ;W[cr] ;B[eq] ;W[fr] ;B[eo] ;W[fp] ;B[gn] ;W[fo] ;B[fn] ;W[dm] ;B[cm] ;W[dl] ;B[en] ;W[es] ;B[bk] ;W[bo] ;B[bn] ;W[bp] ;B[fl] ;W[gd] ;B[ln] ;W[mo] ;B[jn] ;W[nr] ;B[pm] ;W[qi] ;B[pi] ;W[qh] ;B[qj] ;W[rj] ;B[rk] ;W[si] ;B[rf] ;W[rg] ;B[re] ;W[qk] ;B[rl] ;W[rm] ;B[pl] ;W[sk] ;B[pk] ;W[qm] ;B[be] ;W[ai] ;B[gb] ;W[lc] ;B[nc] ;W[gc] ;B[fb] ;W[ic] ;B[jc] ;W[hb] ;B[jb] ;W[jf] ;B[ld] ;W[fc] ;B[ec] ;W[jk] ;B[hk] ;W[ho] ;B[jl] ;W[kl] ;B[il] ;W[os] ;B[op] ;W[pr] ;B[on] ;W[ji] ;B[hi] ;W[ih] ;B[af] ;W[ag] ;B[ae] ;W[ah] ;B[no] ;W[mp] ;B[dk] ;W[ek] ;B[cl] ;W[ke] ;B[kd] ;W[el] ;B[hh] ;W[hg] ;B[lk] ;W[lj] ;B[kk] ;W[kj] ;B[ll] ;W[oe] ;B[pg] ;W[qg] ;B[mj] ;W[mi] ;B[mk] ;W[od] ;B[oc] ;W[pe] ;B[qd] ;W[mg] ;B[mf] ;W[lg] ;B[ni] ;W[nh] ;B[oi] ;W[mn] ;B[mm] ;W[nn] ;B[nm] ;W[nf] ;B[ne] ;W[og] ;B[lf] ;W[kf] ;B[id] ;W[eb] ;B[db] ;W[hn] ;B[hm] ;W[oo] ;B[go] ;W[gp] ;B[no] ;W[gh] ;B[ie] ;W[if] ;B[fk] ;W[gj] ;B[hj] ;W[an] ;B[am] ;W[ao] ;B[ak] ;W[le] ;B[me] ;W[dj] ;B[ck] ;W[gk] ;B[gl] ;W[ga] ;B[ea] ;W[sf] ;B[se] ;W[sg] ;B[fj] ;W[gi] ;B[ii] ;W[jh] ;B[oo] ;W[qs] ;B[rs] ;W[ps] ;B[ib] ;W[hc] ;B[ia] ;W[ha] ;B[hd] ;W[em] ;B[in] ;W[fm] ;B[io] ;W[hp] ;B[gm] ;W[sn] ;B[so] ;W[ge] ;B[fa] ;W[sl] ;B[rn] ;W[dn] ;B[do] ;W[jj] ;B[ik] ;W[sm] ;B[je] ;W[oh] ;B[cj] ;W[bj] ;B[aj] ;W[ep]) (;B[fi] ;W[fh] ;B[dj] ;W[ci] ;B[cj] ;W[bi] ;B[ek] ;W[bj] ;B[fj]))

Shusaku Cup

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:32:28 +0000

The third edition of the Romanian Shusaku Cup has ended. In-Seong Hwang 7d of Korea won all six rounds. Catalin Taranu 5p or Romania came second as he lost just one game, against In-Seong Hwang, by half a point. Ilja Shikshin 7d of Russia was third, leading the block of players who had two losses [...]

EuroGoTV did an awesome job broadcasting the videos of the top two tables live as video as well as on KGS (archives here and here).

Here is the game that In-Seong Hwang, playing black, won by half point against Catalin Taranu.

(;FF[4]GM[1]SZ[19]ST[2]CA[UTF-8]AP[SGFC:1.16] GN[Shusaku Cup 2010 board 1 round 4] RO[4] PB[In-Seong Hwang] BR[8d] PW[Catalin Taranu] WR[7d] KM[6.5] DT[2010-03-27] PC[Tirgu Mures, Romania] RE[B+0.5] TM[3600] OT[10/300 Canadian] RU[Japanese] ;B[pd];W[dc];B[pq];W[co];B[ep];W[eo];B[fo];W[en];B[cq];W[fp] ;B[eq];W[fq];B[go];W[hq];B[fr];W[hp];B[gm];W[gr];B[er];W[lq] ;B[el];W[cl];B[dj];W[bp];B[bq];W[fm];B[fl];W[gl];B[hm];W[gk] ;B[dm];W[cn];B[gp];W[gq];B[ho];W[bk];B[bj];W[aq];B[ar];W[ap] ;B[jp];W[jq];B[cr];W[ek];B[fk];W[fj];B[ej];W[dk];B[gj];W[fi] ;B[hk];W[dh];B[ip];W[iq];B[kp];W[mr];B[cg];W[ci];B[cj];W[bi] ;B[ai];W[bh];B[bg];W[ah];B[cm];W[dl];B[hl];W[bm];B[cd];W[cc] ;B[dd];W[ed];B[ee];W[fd];B[fe];W[gd];B[fg];W[gi];B[hi];W[hh] ;B[gh];W[ei];B[hg];W[ih];B[ig];W[ii];B[hj];W[jg];B[jf];W[kg] ;B[ki];W[if];B[hf];W[ie];B[he];W[hd];B[kf];W[lf];B[id];W[je] ;B[ke];W[jd];B[kd];W[jc];B[kc];W[jb];B[jh];W[lh];B[md];W[li] ;B[ji];W[lk];B[pj];W[pg];B[ng];W[nh];B[mg];W[oh];B[nj];W[ni] ;B[qe];W[lg];B[ne];W[jk];B[jj];W[ml];B[mj];W[lj];B[ol];W[lo] ;B[po];W[rg];B[ri];W[jn];B[kn];W[ko];B[jo];W[ln];B[nn];W[oj] ;B[pi];W[ok];B[pk];W[nl];B[rf];W[om];B[pl];W[on];B[oo];W[nm] ;B[pn];W[ma];B[lb];W[la];B[ka];W[kb];B[mb];W[na];B[ob];W[qf] ;B[pf];W[qg];B[og];W[ph];B[or];W[oa];B[pa];W[ja];B[nb];W[ka] ;B[qb];W[bd];B[be];W[bc];B[dg];W[qi];B[qj];W[rh];B[rj];W[re] ;B[rd];W[sf];B[jl];W[kl];B[jm];W[km];B[em];W[sd];B[rc];W[nq] ;B[cp];W[bo];B[kq];W[kr];B[gs];W[hs];B[fs];W[oq];B[pr];W[pm] ;B[qm];W[ql];B[rl];W[qn];B[rm];W[op];B[pp];W[no];B[is];W[jr] ;B[hr];W[ae];B[bf];W[ik];B[ij];W[lp];B[io];W[fn];B[eh];W[di] ;B[sc];W[se];B[js];W[ks];B[ns];W[ms];B[oi];W[nk];B[sh];W[fh] ;B[eg];W[ge];B[gf];W[le];B[ld];W[mh];B[me];W[mf];B[nf];W[nr] ;B[os];W[in];B[il];W[kk];B[dp];W[sg];B[si];W[qh];B[do];W[dn] ;B[ad];W[ac];B[af];W[ad];B[ag];W[aj];B[ch];W[ck];B[hn];W[kn] ;B[im];W[gn];B[kj];W[kh];B[hs];W[ir])

You can find the final results here.

Innuendo-Belaian Jiwa

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:48:18 +0000

Old song but quite nice.

Ladies' turn

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:30 +0000

Most of you are already familiar with three women in the Go blogosphere: NannyOgg, who started blogging back in January of 2005 (preceding me by six months), toastcrumb, who documented her effort to advance as far as possible in a summer and is still blogging, and becci, who provided considerable detail of her summer weiqi studies in China under Mr. Yan in Wuhan province. There were two other bloggers, but their journals have long been inactive.

We've seen two new entrants.

The first of these is Terri Schurter's, currently 8k on KGS. Many of us have known her as goddess or buzzsaw on KGS, as the founder of the Wings Across Calm Water online Go club (of which I am a member ... albeit a rather inactive one) and as a part-time correspondent for the AGA's ejournal.

The second is from Silent Snow (aka Yuki Nabe) who goes by the same namesake as a teacher on KGS. She carries the real-life rank of 1D and blogs from Germany. She teaches in both English and Japanese. I'm not sure if she teaches in German (but I assume that she can).

12.4 minutes

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:30 +0000

I set my games typically to a base time-limit of 20 minutes plus 5 x 30 seconds of byo-yomi (Japanese Timing). yoyoma, who often said that I needed to slow down, once chided me that I was being rather generous to myself given how fast I actually play.

Out of curiousity, I took a sample of my last fifteen games to see how much time had elapsed on average.

The answer was 12.4 minutes; only 62% of my base time-limit. Of the fifteen games, only four games lasted more than 15 minutes, and only one of those went into byo-yomi. For those who are into statistics, the standard deviation was 4.9 minutes.

This, of course, is only a simplistic analysis. I recognized a few games that were played-on even though Black or White had already won. There were also shorter games that, if my opponent chose to do so, could have been drawn-out with the possibility of winning on time by creating complications.

This still points-out however that I may be playing just a bit too fast and that I'm not taking the greatest advantage of my time allotment. I know that Sorin advises us to play fast games, but I'd also like to cultivate the habit of thinking a little deeper.

Plateau ... again. No big deal.

Click on image to enlarge.

This investigation into my elapsed game times was, in fact, prompted by a remark during one of my reviews. One of the commentators said that the difference between where I was (8k) and 5k is currently a matter of reading deeper.

Admittedly, there are days when I start a game on KGS, even when I know that I'm not ready to dedicate all my mental energies to it. It's a very bad sign when I feel an impatience for my opponent to make his/her next move.

That image above is a 20-month composite of my entire record on KGS to-date which I constructed using Photoshop. It should be noted that there was a dramatic change in the ranking method when KGS switched from CGoban2 to CGoban3 in September 2006. For many of us in the mid-kyus, that resulted in a five-rank jump.

As can be seen, I've gone through several plateaus and am currently in one of my longest ones. I remember how my early plateau back at 22k briefly made me wonder if I might be forever stuck at that rank (HAH!). If you enlarge that chart, it becomes quite obvious that my 22k plateau was one of the shortest ones I had experienced.

I expect to move forward eventually. Either something has to sink-in my brain, or I just need to change my style of play (i.e. take ... my ... time ... and ... think).

Yes, I'm you're fan!

I've made a lot of friends and acquaintances since I started playing Go on KGS, and just about all of them are on my "Fan" list.

Bill Shubert added this feature to CGoban3; a third option to marking an account as Buddy (so that it appears at the top of the logged-in roster) or Ignore (so you don't see any of their remarks). If you have the "Fan Games" room active, you will be alerted whenever a fan account starts a game.

It seems to be a natural extension of playing in the virtual world; one strolls about from board to board to see how their friends are doing in their games. It's always nice to root for your friends or just try to see how your thinking compares.

The effect of rivals (real or imagined)

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:29 +0000

In the manga, Hikaru No Go, the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira is symbiotic. Akira's concerns for Hikaru's potential strength drive Akira onward to keep his lead. Hikaru's aspirations to surpass Akira make Hikaru work harder. In the process, both become stronger Go players.

Rivals then
I had a good number of "rivals" back when I started playing Go on KGS in 2005. Most were just other players of the same rank who had started playing the game about the same time that I did. I might have played a game or two with them but we really didn't know each other.

I guess you could instead describe them as randomly-selected benchmarks rather than rivals; but they served the same purpose.

Those first months were when I had the strongest desire to advance. I would often peek at the rank charts and game tables of my so-called rivals to see how their progress was going. I would then try to catch-up if I was being left behind; or experience a subtle glee if I managed to pull ahead.

However, many of these players disappeared quickly. The great majority were flash-in-the-pan beginners and they quit the game after hitting a wall near 22-kyu (on the old CGoban2 ranking system) or sooner. A small number were notably talented and quickly left me in the dust. Two, whose life profiles are similar to mine, needed to deprioritize Go and now play infrequently.

Rivals now

These days, I find myself just aspiring to play my next game better than my last (by thinking even just a little deeper). Obviously, as an amateur, I don't have a burning need to improve as quickly as possible. On top of that, I've probably come to accept that all folks have different life circumstances and that makes it hard to really compare one's progress to another's.

I still sometimes benchmark my advancement against other players that I've known for a while; a couple of these being Typhoon and aussiemate. I compare their progress to mine just to check if I'm "falling too far behind the pack". This gives a little impetus for me to improve; a gentle tug that helps ward-off complacency with my current quality of play.

I really hope that I don't develop some intense rivalry in Go. I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle it. I have enough competition to deal with at work.

Is your game off?

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:29 +0000

Relax

I had blogged about the effects of OGA (Online Go Anxiety). Some of you had also reported suffering from RLGA (Real-Life Go Anxiety). As you've probably suspected, any anxiety makes you play worse.

Research presented by Mark Ashcroft, a psychologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, shows that Math Anxiety - feelings of dread and fear and avoiding math - can impair the brain's working capacity. Ergo, worrying about how you'll perform in a math test can undermine your performance.

Try to keep that in mind (or not) the next time you play a match.

Stay Fit
I've known for a long time that exercise can lift one's mood and suspected that it can boost brainpower. Now a new study shows that it builds new brain cells in a region linked with memory and memory loss.

Yet another good reason to maintain balance in one's life; playing Go and staying fit.

Speaking of fitness

I changed my workout at the beginning of the year to add a regular squat routine.

No, not the leg-press machines but real "bar-on-your-back-with-the-potential-to-crush-you" squats. Squats with heavy weights that make you break into a sweat on the second repetition. Squats that make you feel your heart thump.

Michael Mejia and John Berardi, fitness trainers who write for Men's Health, strongly recommend squat routines as the best way to induce overall muscle development. As they describe it, a squat puts stress on the entire body, treating it as a whole organism. Machines by contrast, isolate specific muscles.

I stopped doing squats back in late high school after the gym acquired a leg-press machine. Sure, it was safer and I could do heavier weights; but in retrospect, the switch did less for promoting muscle development.

Misconceptions about the decline of real-life Go clubs

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:29 +0000

"I hate Go."

- Cho Chikun, replying to a Dutch TV question as to why he liked Go so much.

That phrase, "I hate Go", was half-jokingly spoken to me seven times over the last three weeks by friends on KGS.

Admittedly, there are times when I too "hate" Go. The phrase encompasses my frustrations. Maybe I lost a game. Maybe I'm not advancing in rank as fast as I think I should be. Maybe I'm unhappy for not having read a move just one stone deeper, or for having found the ideal move three stones after it should have been played.

Given that "love" and "hate" are supposedly two sides of the same coin, one would come to expect similar frustrations in just about any fervent pursuit.

Interestingly though, I can't recall having felt as much frustration at any time when I practiced fencing or kendo. One possible explanation is that the intense physical activity released enough endorphins to lift my mood.

Another explanation might be the camaraderie of the salle or the dojo. Everybody acted as a fun social distraction, a cheering squad, or a mutual support group. And honestly, how can your mood not be lifted when occasionally, after two hours of practice, the gang either steps out for beer and pasta at Original Joe's or sits down for a tasty home-style Japanese meal?

Virtual vs. Real-Life
Now, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that I probably spend at least a third of my time on KGS just socializing. There's a lot of online chat that goes on in the rooms of that server and, coupled with KGS's rather well-designed game-review capabilities, I once speculated about the ultimate demise of real-life Go clubs as virtual clubs would take their place.

I probably couldn't have been more wrong.

Face it, it's a different experience to be sharing a drink, a light conversation, and a game in person than it is to be sipping tea by yourself as you play on a server. You can throw-in all the tools at one's disposal - internet telephony, webcams, and virtual worlds like Second Life - but what you get is still a substitute that falls notably short of the broad social enjoyment that comes with a club.

These days, I'm more convinced that online social interaction will always remain merely an extension of real-life social interaction; a convenient way to get together when time constraints or distance conspire to keep us separated. Online Go is enjoyable and educational, but I'd really prefer to be playing at The Berkeley Go Club, The Sunnyvale Go Club, or join the LLNL Club for it's once-a-month off-campus meets at the Panama Bay Coffee Company.

I speculate that many of us would also rather be at a club if one were nearby. The pleasure of just getting together with people who share the same interest is difficult to replicate.

What's that, mon Capitaine?!

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:28 +0000

Read this! And stop groveling!

Most folks on KGS know of TheCaptain. I first heard of him from yoyoma, who described him as "the fighting 4-Dan", way-back when I was still struggling to even get a rank. His games attract some of the largest crowds of spectators. You can read more about him in Sensei's Library.

In the English Game Room of KGS, TheCaptain said that "all kyus should read The Breakthrough to Shodan".

Gosh. Getting a message like that is akin to receiving directives from the archangel Gabriel.

The book, regretfully, has been long out of print. I got a copy in 2005 but never even cracked it open because I was still a struggling double-digit kyu and I thought it wouldn't help me; that I needed to first get closer to shodan. On top of that, the first sections looked like mere handicap Go guides.

I'll admit that I'm now curious and I'll probably give it a better reading this weekend. Is there something to this book that might help me understand my game better? Why this book?

ScatCat's new semi-precious Go stones

When I met ScatCat in person at the Berkeley beginners tournament, he had brought with him his custom-made Purpleheart board combined with Kuroki Goishi's Purple Clam stones. Pretty creative of him.

ScatCat is putting together an new custom set. He's asked Carol Dufour (owner of Board Game Go) to craft a unique slotted board. He's also gotten a set of Rose Quartz and Agate stones from Yutopian.

There currently are no photos of this set of stones on the Yutopian page, so I thought it would be helpful to share some of Scat's images with the Go community.

Here are the stones nestled in their box. Nice presentation.

ScatCat doesn't know of what wood the bowls are made of. The grain pattern reminds me of mulberry but ScatCat doesn't believe the wood is of that specie. Although the bowls may look shiny in this photo, they really are not.

ScatCat said that he finds the black agate stones most attractive on close inspection.

Not tonight

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:28 +0000

It's manga, so read right to left.
Poor Akira often has a perplexed look on his face, don't you think?

For the most part, I've managed to keep to a belated New Year's resolution that I quietly made to myself after a marathon game period.

"Play when I'm good."

"Good", in this case, is supposed to mean:

I've got a period of time wherein I'm almost guaranteed not to be disturbed.
I'm free of immediate obligations and tasks.
I've stuck to my (physical) workout routine.
I'm not physically or mentally stressed/exhausted.
I've taken time to study/research any puzzlements from my last game.

Counterproductive and frustrating
I used to play some of games as a form of escapism; to forget things that might have recently troubled me or to get my mind off an issue.

Imagine that I've just wrapped-up an exhausting day at work when things didn't go as planned and I was overstretched. "Hey! It's all over, ChiyoDad! Now let's play Go!"

BEEP! Wrong! It's probably one of the worst times for me to play Go. I'm tired and drained and even all my enthusiasm won't be enough to charge-up one tiny little brain-cell for a battle royal. Passive mental escapism might be the better alternative to active mental escapism. I should just fix myself a strawberry smoothie and unwind with a movie or, at worst, solve some very light tsumego.

It's an ironic fact that a lot of the times that I want to play Go are actually the most counterproductive times.

A brief unexpected lull at work? Not all high-priority tasks done?
Bad time.
Overworked? Just finished a long morning of house-cleaning? Got a headache or even just a mild head-throb?
Bad time.
Substituting your gym period for Go? Got a guilty feeling because you're supposed to be pumping iron and doing a 30-minute cardio?
Bad time.
You didn't read-up on that joseki that you mis-played?
Bad time.

If I insist on playing, then I'm likely to play a sub-optimal game, which increases my chances of losing thus leaving me slightly frustrated, ...

... which may cause me to drop in rank (I'll be honest. I try not to get hung-up about rank but I occasionally still do.), thus leaving me slightly more frustrated, ...

... which may induce me to play another game to try to redeem myself ("That wasn't me. It was just an anomaly. I'll be better focused in my next game.") ...

... [BEGIN LOOP].

Holding to the conditions of my resolution often means playing only one game a day (on days that I can) or playing a handful of games infrequently. I'm playing fewer games than usual, but I'm finding myself enjoying my matches more.

Yunzi manufacturing and books from Yellow Mountain Imports

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:27 +0000

Long-time (well, in terms of internet-time) readers of my blog had seen seen the collage of photos, courtesy of Pong Yen, from the Yunnan Go Factory where boards are made. I think that's the second-most popular post of this blog in terms of independent hits. We all love taking a peek into the kitchen.

Some of you have also seen the manufacturing video from the Yun-zi Company. The video is old and you don't see the actual process until somewhere in the middle.

Pong Yen at Yellow Mountain Imports recently visited the same manufacturing facility and took these close-up shots. It's interesting to see how the Yunzis are closely consistent in size and how they turn white as they cool.

News of upcoming books at YMI
Start saving-up you cash for after-school reading.

Pong mentioned to me that they will have a whole new set of Go books available at Yellow Mountain Imports beginning in the summer. Last year, they started their book offerings with the complete game collection of Go Seigen (aka Wu Xingyuan) which was a big sales hit.

He didn't mention what the titles would be, but we had corresponded about the books that were mentioned in the July archive of becci's blog, Studying Weiqi in China. Although these are all written in Chinese, they are supposedly accessible even for those who don't read the language.

Image courtesy of Studying Weiqi in China

SOM Regret

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:27 +0000

I have no doubt that I'm improving at Go because I more often find myself experiencing SOM Regret almost immediately after setting a stone down on the grid.

That's SOM as in Sub-Optimal Move.

It's an observable difference after one advances from a totally-clueless player to a just-plain-clueless one. When you're totally-clueless player, you hardly have an idea as to whether the move you just played is truly sub-optimal until about four to eight moves later when your position is completely laid waste. In contrast, when you become a just-plain-clueless player, you realize your folly much sooner and spend the next moments praying that your opponent doesn't see the opportunity that you just handed to him/her.

The proverb goes, "You are two stones stronger when you are watching a game."

In my humble opinion, the proverb could be rewritten as, "You are two stones stronger shortly after playing a move; then you drop down to your usual strength, or less, just before you play the next one."

Results of the 2007 Winter Poll

So, the question for the 2007 Winter Poll was aimed primarily at those of us who haven't yet reached that touchstone rank of shodan, however we choose to define it. The question was:

Since you started playing Go, how long do you think will it take to reach amateur shodan?

Here's a tabulation and charting of the results. You can click on the images to enlarge them.

About 50% of of the respondents said that they're not on a timetable; and I actually think that's a good thing for amateur players who want to really enjoy the game. The next two popular responses were 5 years and 2 years. 61 respondents (9.8%) doubted that they would ever achieve shodan.

Interestingly, 15 respondents (2.4%) expected to achieve it in six months. That's rather aggressive but one never knows.

The 2007 Spring Poll

There's hardly been anyone who doesn't experience some sort of rush when playing Go since it is, after all, a battle of minds. So, I thought I would examine our states (mental and, as manifested, physical) when playing Go.

Your five choices should cover the general spectrum. Enjoy the new ChiyoPulse poll!

The old neighborhood

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:25 +0000

I recently revisited rec.games.go using Google Groups. Not having the benefits of a usenet killfile application, I was quickly reminded of what inspired Don to create GoDiscussions.com.

Usenet groups certainly have their advantages. Posts are automatically replicated and archived on several servers. Usenet posts are, in an internet sense, "immortal". They are also searchable, although it may take a little skill to find the specific posts that one is looking for.

In my first months of playing Go (mid-2005), I frequented RGG and sometimes received good advice and occasional encouragement. I seldom go there now as GoDiscussions.com has created a more welcoming atmosphere for discourse, general communications and socialization.

At some point, Google will probably build a killfile tool into its Groups interface and that may give RGG a bit of a facelift for those of us who have grown accustomed to using only browsers to read Usenet posts. Of course, it would only serve its purpose for as long as visitors to the group don't feed the trolls.

Sabbatical. Concerned and unconcerned.

Two steps forward and one step back is still progress.
- Zen saying

I'm still on a Go sabbatical. For a while yesterday, I was briefly disturbed by the thought that I might return a weaker player than when I left. Then I remembered a few Zen teachings about how much more important it was to be focused on the here-and-now and how impatience was a not a virtue.

The thought went away.

Sabbatical ... seriously

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:25 +0000

I haven't played a single game in fourteen days. For me, that's a rather long time.

Part of it was due to increased activities at the office but there was something else; something worth noting.

My desire to improve in skill and in KGS rank was making Go feel more like work rather than a leisurely challenge. It was taking a bit of the fun out of the game and probably wouldn't be helpful if I allowed it to continue. Quite naturally, I gradually stepped away and indulged in other pursuits.

I imagine that some other amateur players may have experienced a point of overload at one time or another. I'm thinking of allowing this sabbatical to continue for a couple more weeks.

Who knows? It might actually be good for my game.

Confirmed summer book offerings from YMI

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:25 +0000

Pong at Yellow Mountain Imports sent me an email confirming the summer availability of at least these five titles/collections.

Shusaku's Kifu Collection
Igo Hatsuyoron (life and death book)
Guanzi Pu (problems book first published in1689)
Xuanxuan Qijing (problems book published in 1347)
Lee Chang Ho's Life and Death Set

His email seemed to suggested that other books may be added to this list.

For those who can't wait until summer, goplayer2006 sometimes offers these books on eBay. Take note of the shipping charges as his books ship from China.

In Other News: SUPs know that the ukulele is not a toy
SUP is an acronym for Serious Ukulele Player(s); but I'm still a beginner and a chording strummer with this fun instrument.

If you'd like to see what it's capable of in the right hands, watch the video below (may not appear through the RSS feed of PlanetGo.org) of Tyler Gilman (left side) performing at Ukulele Puapua in the Pacific Beach Hotel of Hawaii.

These days, a lot of ukuleles are manufactured in China but the quality has been going up well beyond the typical tourist-trash models that one usually finds.

For example, Hamano ukuleles, made of solid mahogany and not laminates, have distinguished themselves as quality copies of the early top-caliber Martin ukuleles. Not surprisingly, they command prices of $250 to $300 (which is considered to be inexpensive for a solid mahogany ukulele).

Summer reading: YMI gets its Chinese books in

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:24 +0000

Pong had informed me months ago that they would soon be importing some Chinese Weiqi books and I'm happy to report that they've arrived. I would recommend that you drop by Yellow Mountain Import's Go book section.

I imagine that collectors will want a copy of the complete games of Honinbo Shusaku (pictured above, US$45).

The more practical choice, in my humble opinion, would be the collection of Lee Chang Ho's life-and-death problems (US$45).

Keep in mind that these books are written in Chinese but, as is the case with kifu and tsumego, they are usually not difficult to understand even if you can't read the language.

Reminders of how uninviting online Go can be for newcomers

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:24 +0000

It was 8:30pm one night and I was awaiting a critical report from our company's subsidiary in Japan. It might come within 15 minutes. It might come in two hours. I thought I could instead be playing a game of Go, but the likelihood of a sudden interruption gave me pause.

"Why not play a game of Go with your 'anonymous' KGS account?", I thought.

As I discovered, my anonymous account had floated to "5k?"; its rank destabilized from months of idleness. So I put up a game with a remark that I was actually 7k and that I would gladly adjust the handicaps as needed.

Games 1 & 2: A Hostile and An Escaper
As expected, hardly anyone wanted to play with me since I didn't have an established rank.

The first challenge came from a KGS guest (no rank and no games) after almost 20 minutes of waiting. My opponent proceeded to criticize my moves and taunt me with remarks that were occasionally laced with expletives. It was clear that he was notably stronger than me. I didn't care for his demeanor so I resigned early in the game.

"Had enough, eh?", he remarked just before I exited.

The second challenge came from a player with a similarly unstable rank. The game did not go very well for this opponent and it quickly degenerated into a losing blitz. The opponent escaped.

The good ol' days weren't always that good
As you advance in rank and become better-known to the online Go community, encounters with discourteous players become less frequent; but they still occur. On GoDiscussions.com, it's not uncommon to read the laments of new players about rude opponents.

These two games brought back memories of less-pleasant matches of online Go. In my early months, I had my share and blogged about a few; and these were the tip of the iceberg. As time passes, you learn to regard these encounters as anomalies and move past them quickly. I imagine however that they can discourage one from further play. Beginners and those without an established rank generally have it worst.

I wasn't discouraged in my early months because I had a strong desire to advance which was aided by the passion of imagined rivalries and the encouragement of many volunteer mentors and friends. After having been on this journey for two years, I can't help but wonder how many others might have chosen to not continue playing (or to play less) because of encounters with rude players.

Sometimes, real life isn't any better

Coincidentally, chid0ri captured a similar perspective in the 21st cartoon of EmptyTriangle. The difference was that it was from a woman's perspective and based on an in-person incident.

... perhaps it is not the reason why such a few girls are playing go (it could be the consequence; who knows), but it certainly might be the reason why a girl would quit playing - or, at least, stop attending tournaments
- chid0ri

Social ineptitude can be found anywhere.

Games 3 & 4: The faith restored
My data arrived from Japan shortly after the second game. I was actually relieved to have to get back to work.

Still, I was intrigued by what had happened. It's not everyday that I get to be a pseudo-noob on KGS. I thought I should carry on after my work was done and turn my evening into a social experiment.

My third challenger was a solid 6k. I got the impression that this person was in his early teens. He was refreshingly polite and cordial. He lost the game because of a couple of errors and we did a short review. We probably thanked each other for the game at least three times before we said our final goodbyes.

My fourth challenger was an active member from GoDiscussions.com and also a solid 6k. True to his form, he played a thoughtful and polite game that went into byo-yomi. I was surprised to have won by a small margin. There was no end-game review or long goodbyes, but there was his usual and fully-typed "Thank you for the game".

And so, the night ended with four games with rude players claiming 50% .

Maybe I'll try this experiment again on another evening.

Consumer Choices: What I learned today about CapitalOne Visa

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:09:24 +0000

Based on what I know to date, the credit cards issued by CapitalOne are among the few left that do not charge fees for foreign currency transactions. That's something worth considering among Go players since most of our high-end goods (like Mr. Kuroki's wares) are likely to be purchased from Japan. Foreign currency fees are typically assessed at 3% of your transaction amount.

I got a chance to deal with CapitalOne's customer service and their transaction-dispute departments yesterday and today. I was having trouble getting a timely refund for a guitar that I had returned to an eBay merchant. My experience shed some light on CapitalOne's operations and how they're able to reduce their costs (thereby reducing the fees charged to the customer).

Outsourced Call Center
Both of the service reps, Richard and Steve, had heavy Indian accents and the lines had a slight level of static. Both reps spoke clearly but in slow and halting English. These would seem to suggest that the main call center is located in India. I spoke to both during the mid-morning, Pacific Coast time.

The line to the transaction-dispute department was clear and the representative, Dee, had an East Coast accent which suggested that this department was located in the US. I expected that any "escalations" would still be handled locally.

30 Days
I was told that CapitalOne does not open a dispute until 30 days after the transaction has closed or 30 days after the date that the merchant claims to have issued a refund; whichever is later. Until the dispute is resolved, the transaction stays on the card owner's account and he/she is still obligated to pay it. Otherwise, normal credit card interest will be applied on any unpaid balance.

Comparison to CitiCard
To the best of my knowledge, Citbank's call centers are all still located nationally and I haven't yet seen any indication of an overseas operation when calling late in the evening.

With regards to contested transactions, Citibank assumes that the customer is right and immediately issues a credit for the disputed amount so that the card owner is not obligated to pay for it. If there is a difference between the claimed amount and the settled amount, the balance is debited/credited to the account on the date of settlement. The final settlement usually takes about two months to complete.

Overall, this was a good learning experience and it will help me decide when to use my CapitalOne credit card. It's best suited for transactions with trusted merchants (Amazon.com, UPS, your grocery store) and, obviously, with trusted merchants dealing in foreign currency (like Mr. Kuroki).

For yet-untested merchants, it's probably best to handle the transaction with a more service-oriented credit card issuer like Citibank. I've been their cardholder since my first year of college and they haven't yet disappointed me. I still remember the time that they upped my credit limit so that I could buy a gift for ChiyoMama when we were in Hawaii.