News

About the Monthly Ratings Tournament

The monthly ratings tournament is usually on the first Sunday of the month.  Registration is from 12:15 – 12:45, and games begin at 1:00 p.m.  There are three rounds, and we usually finish between 6:00 -7:00 p.m.  There is no special  fee for the tournament, but players must be members of the American Go Association ($30/yr. for adults, $10/yr. for youth)  You can register on-line by following this link:  AGA

Tournament players must also pay their usual attendance fee, or be voting members of the Go Center (lifetime, yearly, and quarterly members).  More info on membership is here: Members

The ratings tournaments are a great opportunity to play some serious Go in a serene setting.  Whether you want to improve your AGA rating, or just want to immerse yourself in a good game, the ratings tournaments are for you.

School Team Tournament Moved to April 29

The annual Iwamoto School Team Tournament has been postponed until Sunday April 29, at 1:00 o’clock, so that our young players have more time to practice.  Teams have three players, enrolled in Kindergarten to Grade 12. Official teams have both boys and girls, and are all from the same school.  Unofficial teams can be formed too.  The event has free pizza!

Iwamoto School Team Tournament Winners

 

2002 – Kimball Elementary School

2003 – Bellevue High School

2004 – Bellevue High School

2005 – Hamilton International Middle School

2006 – Hamilton International Middle School

2007 – Tournament moved to Feb 2008

2008 – Home Schoolers

2009 –  Roosevelt High School

2010 –  Meadowdale High School

2011 – Betcher Home School 

 

Pro Visiting on Tues. Jan 24

Ms. Chizu Kobayashi 5D from Japan will be visiting the Seattle Go Center on Tuesday, Jan. 24.  She will be playing simultaneous games at 3:30 p.m., and give a lecture in the evening, at 7:30 p.m.  Ms. Kobayashi is also representing the Nihon Ki-in, which provided the funding for the Seattle Go Center.  We look forward to her visit.

January Classes Start Up

It is still possible to join our winter classes.  Jon Boley’s winter Youth Classes meet Sunday Mornings at 9:00 a.m.  Nick Sibicky’s Monday evening class for beginners and double digit kyu players meets 6:30 p.m.  Jon Boley’s Tuesday Intensive class meets at 6:00, and his Wednesday class for intermediate players meets at 7:00  You do not have to register in advance for these classes.  More information is on the instruction page.

Jordan Betcher 6-0 at U.S. Open

Congratulations to Jordan Betcher, one of our Go Center youth players, who won the “J” section (3  kyu) of the U.S. Open this August with a 6-0 record.  Jordan, his brother Job, and  Daniel Zhao of New Jersey also won the kyu section of the Youth Team Tournament at the U.S. Go Congress.  Jordon and Job often come to our local tournaments, so watch out!

Youth 19×19 Tournament – May 15, 2011

Our most challenging youth tournament of the year will be held on Sunday, May 15, from 1 to 5 or 6 p.m. at the Go Center.  If we get enough players, we will have both an open section with cash prizes, and a handicapped section with book and equipment prizes.  The tournament is free, but players must be members of the American Go Association.  ($10/yr for Youth.  More info: here)  Registration is at the beginning of the tournament.

Sukura-Con Outreach

You do not need a pass or ticket to visit the Seattle Go Center room at the Sakura-Con festival, April 22-24. Just go to the 3rd floor of the Washington State Convention and Trade Center, which is downtown at 7th and Pike, and you will find us in room 304. We have a good line-up of volunteers, but more teachers are always welcome at this busy and crazy event. You can find our schedule at this link: https://www.seattlego.org/events/.



Thanks to our volunteers!

We had a great time at Cherry Blossom Festival this year with teaching and tournaments.  Our outreach tables were very busy, with 7 volunteers teaching non-stop on both Saturday and Sunday.

Cherry Blossom Festival – Seattle Center

The Seattle Go Center will be teaching and playing Go at the Cherry Blossom Festival the weekend of April 1, 2, and 3.  On Friday morning, we will be teaching school groups.  All day Saturday and Sunday, we will be giving short lessons to visitors to our booth.  We also have a free AGA rated tournament on Saturday, and Children’s tournaments on Sunday.

Donations are now tax deductible!

The Seattle Go Center is now recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity by the IRS.  This means that donations to the Center are tax deductible, and that we qualify for “matching grants” for donations from many employers.  We are listed under our formal name: Nihon Ki-in Go Institute of the West.  For more information, contact Brian at the Go Center.