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.

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.

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

Raising funds to promote Go

Chris Garlock on a training walk on the Seneca Creek Trail Greenway. Photo: Lisa Garlock

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

Chris Garlock trying out rain gear in preparation for the walk. Photo: Lisa Garlock

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

Support Chris and Lisa in raising funds to promote Go.

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

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 (left) and Fan Tingyu after the game.

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]

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.

Team China: Chang Hao 9 dan (left) and Wang Chenxing 5 dan.

Yu Changhyeok and Choi Jung

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

Team Korea: Choi Jung 3 dan (left) and Yu Changhyeok 9 dan.

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.

Team Japan: Suzuki Ayumi 6 dan (left) and Yuki Satoshi 9 dan.

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.

Yuki and Suzuki play Yu and Choi.

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.

Yu and Choi play Chang and Wang in the final.

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.

Suzuki Ayumi plays simultaneous Go with children.

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

Wang Runan 8 dan plays teaching games.

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

The Three Kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms Park in Hefei, China.

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]

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.

Shi Yue 9 dan won the 1st World Go League.

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.

Shi Yue 9 dan, after winning the 17th LG Cup in February 2013.

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.

Lee Sedol 9 dan gives a commentary on Baduk TV

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.

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

Park Jieun 9 dan, captain for Korea: Tied on wins with China’s captain, Li He 5 dan.

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.

Kim Miri 2 dan breaks the tie with three wins.

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.

Li He 5 dan, China’s team captain.

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).

Xie Yimin 9 dan defeated Li He by resignation.

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 Japan’s Mukai Chiaki (5 dan, left) plays China’s Wang Chenxing (5 dan).

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.

From left (ladies): Park Jieun, Kim Miri and Kim Chaeyoung receive the obligatory oversized check.

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.

Joanne Missingham 6 dan: Taiwan’s team captain was a favorite with the media.

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]

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.

A triumphant Kim Jiseok gives a post game interview.

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.

Lee Sedol (9 dan, left) plays Park Younghun (9 dan) in the semifinals.

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

Kim Jiseok’s semifinal opponent was Cho Hanseung (9 dan).

Living up to expectations

Kim Jiseok (center) reviews a game with Lee Sedol (left) and Park Junghwan.

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.

Is Lee Sedol in a slump?

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]