The Nihon Ki-in recently celebrated its 90th Anniversary in Japan. As part of the celebration, they sent Frank (Kohya) Fukuda, our Director Emeritus, an “Appreciation Diploma”, signed by their President Nori Wada. The text stated in Japanese, “Residing outside of Japan, you have been working hard for introducing and popularizing the game of Go, and you have contributed greatly to make Go prosper in your area. Through your activity, the success of international friendship was achieved.” [ Read more… ]
News
Nick Sibicky will start up the Double Digit Kyu Players Class (DDK) on Monday, September 29, at 6:30. The class is open to anybody who can finish a 19×19 game. The class is free, and your first 10 visits to the Go Center are also free.
Nick tapes his lectures and posts them on youtube.com. [ Read more… ]
We are pleased to announce that our Wednesday evening class with Andrew J for single digit kyu players has started up again. Class runs from 7-9 p.m. at the Seattle Go Center. The class is free, and your first 10 visits to the Go Center are free as well.
Some of our classes have gone on vacation for August, but the rest of our schedule is unchanged. The Monday night class with Nick Sibicky is not meeting in August, nor is the Wednesday night class with Andrew Jackson. However, the Beginner’s Class, on Thursdays from 7-9 pm, continues with Carlos Encalada the whole month. The Go Center will be open for our regular hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday. The meetup at Crossroads Bellevue also continues on Thursdays in August, from 6:00 – 8:30. The Meetup at Uwajimaya in the International District will not happen Aug. 13, but will meet on Aug 20 & 27 from 6-8 pm.
The Seattle Go Center mourns the loss of their friend Sasaki Tadashi, an 8 dan professional with the Nihon Ki-in. Mr. Sasaki often traveled to the United States for the U.S. Go Congress. He was a strong supporter of the Seattle Go Center, and he a gave an excellent workshop here in 2011. Mr. Sasaki loved to hike, and he encouraged us to enjoy our wonderful mountain trails. Photos by Brian Allen, 2013
This July, Brian Allen and Sonny Cho taught Wei Qi at the Bel Red Bilingual Academy Summer School. We had 24 students for 4 mornings. Many of the students were very young, going into kindergarten and 1st grade this fall, but they were good students and caught on quickly. The Go Center also taught a class for the summer camp organized by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington (JCCCW). This August, we will be teaching at the Feminist Karate Union summer camp.
On Wednesday night, we had cake in honor of Go Seigen’s 100th birthday, with the slogan “Go Go Seigen”. Considered the greatest player of the 20th Century, Go Seigen (吳清源) is still playing and studying Go in Japan. Go Seigen was a 12 year old prodigy living in China when our benefactor, Kaoru Iwamoto, first played him. From what we’ve read, Iwamoto Sensei may have been the first Japanese professional to play Go Seigen. By the time he was 14, Go Seigen was already of professional strength, and he moved to Japan from China to study and play Go. There is a good summary of his long life at Sensei’s Library.
The Nihon Ki-in has organized a Go workshop in Tokyo for adults and college students from August 26 – Sept 4. This is for players 10 kyu and stronger, and it is designed for non-Japanese players. It includes cultural tours, instruction from pros, and participation in a large amateur tournament. The prices look very reasonable, especially for Tokyo. For more information, please visit: http://www.summer-go-school.info/#/home
We are continuing our outreach at the Cherry Blossom Festival this Saturday and Sunday, April 26 & 27. The Festival is at Seattle Center, and we now on the main floor of the Armory (formerly known as the Center House). We are near the Starbucks, but you cannot see us from Starbucks, because we are on the other side of a red curtain. We welcome more volunteer teachers. You can also borrow equipment from us, and play a game in the food court area. We will be teaching from 10 – 6 on both days.
Sakura Con weekend is almost here! We will be doing outreach, and playing teaching games at this incredible gathering devoted to Japanese anime and popular culture. We will be in room 305 of the Washington State Convention Center (downtown on Pike St near 6th Ave). This is the same room as last year – just go up the escalator to the third floor and turn left. You do not need a convention pass to reach us.
Our official hours are: Friday, April 19, 10 am to 8 pm; Saturday April 20, 10 am to 8 pm, Sunday April 21 10 am to 4 pm. We will probably stay open later on Friday and Saturday evening.
We have a 13×13 Tournament on Sunday, starting at 10:00. Everybody can play, but the prizes are reserved for the regular Sakura Con attendees.