News

Mr. Tajiri, 5 Dan Professional, March 4 – March 7

Mr. Yuto Tajiri, 5 Dan professional Go player of the Nihon Ki-in, will be visiting Seattle!  Here is his profile page.

Mon. March 46:30-8:30 PMMr. Tajiri takes over Nick Sibicky’s “Double Digit Kyu” class!
Tue. March 52:00-4:30 PMSimultaneous games! $10 donation requested ($5 Youth / Voting Members). Sign up in advance.
Tue. March 56:00-8:30 PM Simultaneous games! $15 donation requested ($10 Youth / Voting Members). Sign up in advance.
Wed. March 66:00-7:30 PMVisit to the Uwajimaya Go outreach project.
(600 5th Ave. S., Seattle 98104)
Thu. March 76:00-8:00 PMMr. Tajiri lectures about Go! No charge (donations gratefully accepted; and ordinary Go Center admission applies).

Mr. Tajiri departs Friday; no weekend seminar this time around.  Mr. Tajiri will also visit two Go programs at Seattle schools on this trip. 

Seattle Go Center is incredibly fortunate that professional players share their expertise with us. Please enjoy these special events.

Tournament Report: 6th Pair Go Gala

Saturday, December 8, 2018 was the Go Center’s 6th annual Pair Go Tournament — the Gala Night of Pair Go!  Thirty Go players teamed up in pairs, seeking to beat the other pairs at their table.

Go players smiling and laughing in the middle of their games.

Table 3 players express their mirth. (Catherine Ozols Photography)

Each table had four teams — so, two games going at once. The winners of Round 1 faced each other in Round 2. At the end of Round 2, each table had one undefeated pair.

Final results – 2018 Pair Go Table Winners:
Table 1 – Lee Anne Bowie, 4k and Bill Chiles, 3k
Table 2 – Xiangnan Chen, 3k and Brian Dai, 7k
Table 3 – Monique Nickerson, 15k and Rick Campbell, 14k
Table 4 – Ann Thompson, 18k and Bill Thompson, 13k

Go players pose in a group, displaying prize folding fans.

Seattle 2018 Pair Go Table Winners. (Catherine Ozols Photography)

Fun fact: Hajin Lee, professional 4 dan, and her partner defeated popular Go Center lecturer Nick Sibicky and his partner, in Round 1. Here’s Nick’s review of his Pair Go match vs Hajin Lee.

Go players gaze fiercely at the board in the early midgame.

Hajin Lee and Dan Maas vs. Nick Sibicky and Sonny Cho (Table 1, Round 1). (Catherine Ozols Photography)

–Mike M.

Gala Pair Go Tournament Dec. 8 With Haylee!

Seattle Go Center is pleased to present the 6th Annual Gala Night of Pair Go

  • * Saturday, December 8 (following 2nd Saturday Speed League).
  • * Register in person, 5:00 – 5:30 PM.
  • * $10 entry ($5 for youth 17 and younger / Go Center voting members).

This is a great holiday event, with two rounds of Pair Go, cake, prizes and lots of fun.  (We expect to finish the evening around 10 PM.)  We will be following International Pair Go Rules.  Each team must have one male partner, and one female, transgender, or non-binary partner.  Team members may be of any age.  This is not an official Pair Go competition, so formal dress is encouraged, but not required.

Special guest Hajin Lee, 4 Dan professional —  Haylee’s World of Go/Baduk — is expected to play!

Fall Youth Tournament Nov. 18

Sunday November 18, 2018, Seattle Go Center held our annual Fall Youth Tournament. It was a fun event where the kids could choose whether to play their games on 19×19 or 13×13. Eight kids played three rounds on 19×19, and thirteen played four rounds on 13×13.

A girl and a boy studying their game of Go moves

Intent 13×13 players

For most of them, it was their first tournament ever. The youngest player was in preschool! The oldest players were in 7th grade.

All participants got to choose a prize from a pool of Go equipment, toys, and interesting items, awarded in order of results. Players with more wins and higher SODOS statistics got to choose their prize sooner. The Go sets went very quickly! (Go equipment prizes were donated, so if you have a board in good condition that you just don’t use anymore, consider donating it to the Go Center.)

Smiling boy holds game of Go equipment

Go equipment – most popular prize

Deep thanks go to Sonny Cho, Peter Kron, and Brian Allen for making it smooth and satisfying; also to the families who make it possible for their kids to play!

Kids and an adult observe a Go game in progress

Competitors and onlookers

–Mike M.

Party and Silent Auction

This October marks the Go Center’s 23rd year.  To celebrate, we’re throwing a party this upcoming Saturday, October 13!  The monthly “Second Saturday Speed League” tournament will run as usual.  (Register in person, 1:15 – 1:45; three rounds; first round starts at 2:00; relatively short time limits mean we finish around 4:15 or 4:30.  Come join the frenzy!)

The party will be 5:00 – 7:30 PM.  There will be Thai vegetarian food and Korean barbecue.  There also will be several uncommon donated items at a silent auction fundraiser — two sets of Go postcards from the Nihon Ki-in, a set of Go stones in boxes marked with something that looks like Mickey Mouse, a “Picnic Magnetic Baduk” set with ornate decoration, and a few other items.  Be sure to tell your friends who collect Go stuff!

Here are some of the items that will be up for auction.

Shell and slate Go stones with wooden bowls.

Silent auction — thin slate and shell stones

White and black Go stones in cardboard box decorated with an iconic rodent.

Silent auction — Go stones in original boxes

Black plastic Go case with intricate decoration.

Silent auction — Picnic Magnetic Baduk

 

See you Saturday!

23rd Anniversary Tournament

Sunday, October 7, 2018, the Go Center held a three-rounds tournament to celebrate our 23rd anniversary.  32 players attended, a quarter of whom have Youth memberships in the AGA!  The “Open” section was limited to eight players maximum, all vying for the First Prize of $150 cash.  It was won by Alex Xinlei Liu 7 dan with a 3-0 record, who has been a strong contender here, even winning the Seattle Go Center Spring Tournament Open in 2017.

Go players focused on their games

23rd Anniversary Tournament, Round 1

Tournament Director Bill Chiles handled clock malfunctions and consequent pairing delays with aplomb, and Daniel Top stepped in smoothly to render assistance.

The twenty-four players in the “Handicap” section all had games with handicaps of 3 stones or less, and all but two games were at 2 stones or less.  “Handicap” players who won all three of their games were awarded prizes of Go books and equipment.  In addition, there was a cash prize for the Youth (under 18) player with the best win-loss record, which was divided among three Youth who went undefeated!

Open Section 3-game winner:  Alex Xinlei Liu 7 dan

Handicap Section 3-game winners: Yao, Zhihong (2 dan), Chen, Xiangnan (3 kyu), Brown, Frank (6 kyu), Lu, Lucas Wu (9 kyu), Schmitten, George (9 kyu), Lu, Yulissa Wu (10 kyu), Ling, Amy (15 kyu).

 

Yang Yi, 6P, simuls in July

Saturday, July 7, 2018, Seattle Go Center was honored and delighted to receive a visit from Mr. Yang Yi, Chinese Professional 6-dan and Vice Chairman of Chinese Weiqi Association.  Mr. Yang is a widely respected Go player and teacher in China. Many famous Chinese Go players, including Gu Li, have benefited from his instruction.

The simuls event on July 7 was very successful. Mr. Yang engaged seven players in simultaneous games of Go, and reportedly won all games. The Go Center is very grateful to Mr. Yang for making time to visit and teach!

One Go player faces off against six other players seated at a U-shaped table arrangement.

Mr. Yang Yi, 6P, playing simuls at Seattle Go Center

Advanced Go Class

Yue Zhang offers a series of classes to accelerate the learning of players 9 kyu through 6 dan.

Classes will meet twice a week for 4 weeks — Wednesday and Sunday evenings, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM — at the Go Center, beginning June 20, 2018 and ending July 15, 2018.  Attend all 8 sessions for the most efficiency in learning (and the most favorable pricing).

Yue’s relatively novel classes will be composed of whole-class lectures, games, and game reviews. Compared to traditional teaching which emphasize whole-class lectures, the Advanced Go Class series will focus more on individualized instruction, which will be offered during the games and game reviews.

Register for the whole series of 8 classes:  $200
Register for one or more classes separately:  $35/class

More information and registration: Advanced Go Class

Strong Go player seated at a Go board

Yue (Vincent) Zhang

About Yue Zhang:  Currently rated 7.8 in the AGA, Yue placed 1st in the 2016 Seattle Anniversary Open and the 2018 Spring Open.  Yue holds a PhD from Ohio State University, and he has extensive college teaching experience.

Rengo with Pie and Coffee at Seattle Go Center

Twenty-eight players — fourteen teams of two — competed in the “Rengo with Pie and Coffee” tournament on Saturday, June 9, 2018. Pair Go stalwart Bill Thompson organized the event, brought the fancy pies, directed the tournament, and even played in it.

Man refers to paper, talking to audience

TD Bill Thompson explains the rules

The event was run with the International Pair Go Association rules, but with no restrictions to team composition. [ Read more… ]

Rengo Tournament Poster

Catherine Ozols has created a great poster publicizing the Rengo tournament on June 9!

Rengo Tournament poster for June 9, 2018

 

You can download it as a high resolution JPEG for printing, if you want to help publicize the event.  The more, the merrier!