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Monthly Ratings Tournament - August 14, 2010: Thirty five players came out for face to face go games at this tournament in Palo Alto. There were several 5 dan players, a 30 kyu, and everything in between. People averaged three tournament games each, although several got in five games. Photos by Lisa Schrag.

Janice Kim Workshop - July 24-25, 2010: Professional Go player Janice Kim 3P taught a weekend Go workshop in San Francisco July 24-25. Students provided game records in advance so that Janice Kim could prepare material geared to the specific needs of the students. Based on the records, Kim discussed blunders (losing the game when you are ahead), self-defeating moves (sente moves with obvious responses that don't provide significant benefit), and "stone capturing disease". Kim co-authored the popular book series Learn to Play Go, and is one of only a few western women to be recognized as a professional by the Korea Baduk Association. Photos by Roger Schrag.

A wide variety of people play Go: Thirty five adults and children gathered to play at a friendly Go tournament in Palo Alto on July 10, 2010. The players ranged in age from seven to 72, and represented at least half a dozen nationalities. Some players were beginners starting out with an initial rank of 30 kyu, while others held a rank of 7 dan (nearly the highest amateur rank possible). Some folks were preparing for the US Open (the largest Go tournament held in the US) coming up next month in Colorado Springs, CO, while others were just out to play some fun games in a friendly atmosphere. Lucas Baker 3d topped the Dan division with three wins, while Larry Qu 5k and Eric Sumner 17k led the Kyu division with three wins apiece. Photos by Rene Griffith.

Go Expo Day in Oakland a big success: On May 2, 2010, Bay Area Go Players Association held its first Go Expo Day in Oakland. Go players of all levels participated in an official tournament rated by the American Go Association, while others came to learn about Go, how to play, and its cultural and historical significance. Twenty seven children and adults played in the tournament, while about 100 others enjoyed free lessons and teaching games. We gave out over 50 Go sets and instruction booklets so that dozens of families will have everything they need to play the world's oldest board game at home. Seven teachers talked about Go's role in Asian culture and relevance in today's world while explaining the game's simple rules and some elementary strategy.

Twenty nine play in a friendly tournament in Palo Alto: Kfir Dolev 5k and Larry Qu 6k each went 4-0 to top the Kyu division at the monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto on April 10, 2010. David Tang 2d led the Dan division with a 3-0 result. Anthony Chiang 2d gets an honorable mention for completing a whopping ten games—a Dan division record. ("Our flexible tournament format lets people play as many or as few official games as they like," explains tournament organizer Roger Schrag.) Twenty nine adults and children, ranging from 24k to 5d played, with eight of the 29 playing in their first tournament ever. Says Phil Ng 12k who was pleased to have his game pictured in this photo gallery, "Now I have a photo to show my family and friends that I won a game by half of a point. You just made my day."

A weekend workshop with a top Korean pro: Myungwan Kim 9P, a professional Go player from Korea, taught a Go workshop in Berkeley on March 20-21, 2010. Thirteen students gathered to listen to lecture, ask questions, solve problems, have their games reviewed, and play against the pro. Mr. Kim was happy to take questions from students, and spent a lot of time discussing techniques for assessing the value of different endgame moves, as this was a popular topic among the attendees. Mr. Kim became a pro in 1994 at the age of 16. He is a three-time runner-up in the BC Card Cup for rookies (1998, 1999, and 2002). In 2004 he was a member of the Bohae team in the Korean league. In 2005 he made it to the final eight in the Samsung World Championship.

A perfect record for a promising young player: Larry Qu 7k topped the monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto on March 6, 2010, finishing with a perfect 5-0 record. In the Dan division, Bogdan Dobrescu 5d, Lucas Baker 3d, Samuel Gross 1d, and Sammy Zhang 1d each won three games apiece. The playing field consisted of 33 players, ranging from 7d to 24k, with eight playing in their first AGA-rated tournament ever.

A weekend workshop with three pros: Professional Go players Seung-jun Kim 9P and Diana Koszegi 1P came all the way from Korea to teach a workshop October 10 and 11, 2009 in Oakland. They were joined by local pro Janice Kim 3P. Twenty eight students participated in the workshop, which consisted of lectures, game reviews, team matches, simultaneous play, Go problems, and homework. Yes, homework! "We're going to emphasize the 'work' in workshop," Janice Kim proclaimed at the start of the first day. She then proceeded to hand out packets of problems specifically geared to each student's individual level. Indeed, students spent time in class and at home solving Go problems that were then graded by the pros. From California Seung-jun Kim and Diana Koszegi headed to Las Vegas for some fun and games before continuing on to New York to teach another workshop. The Oakland workshop was co-sponsored by the Bay Area Go Players Association and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

Bringing in the Fall season: Thirty adults and children brought in the new season playing in the monthly Go tournament held September 19, 2009 in Palo Alto. Mike Bull directed the tournament, whose participants included several beginners, three people playing in their first rated tournament ever, and players as strong as 7 dan as well. Dan-level players winning three games: Xiaohan Huang 5d, Lucas Baker 2d. Kyu-level players winning four games: Vincent Huang 4k, Larry Qu 21k, Donald Swen 25k.

A strong playing field and a record turnout: Fifty three players participated in the monthly ratings tournament August 22, 2009 in Palo Alto—the biggest turnout since Bay Area Go Players Association began running monthly tournaments a year and a half ago. Joey Hung 8d, Matthew Burrall 7d, and Hugh Zhang 7d were part of an impressively strong playing field that boasted ten players ranked 4 dan or above. Meanwhile there were plenty of good opponents for beginners, with a dozen players entering at a rank of 20 kyu to 30 kyu. For 17 players this was their first rated tournament, and eight players joined the American Go Association at the event. "It is so nice to have so many strong players and so many newer players together at one event," said tournament organizer Roger Schrag. "I bet we could fit 100 players in this room," mused Joey Hung. Dan-level players winning three games: Mengmeng Chen 3d, Lucas Baker 2d. Kyu-level players winning four games: Matthew Fu 4k, Leon Hsieh 10k, Larry Qu 23k.

Children and adults gathering to play Go: Thirty nine kids and grown ups gathered in Palo Alto on July 25, 2009 for Northern California's monthly ratings tournament. The playing field consisted of 22 youths and 17 adults, representing an age range from five to over 70 years old. Six participants were playing in their first Go tournament, and four players joined the American Go Association at the event. Old and young alike can play Go, making it a great activity to bring generations together. The monthly tournaments are set up so as to be challenging for experienced players while also welcoming to beginners. Four game winners: Albert Chen 3d, Brian Kirby 3k, Henry Zhang 4k, Vincent Huang 6k, Larry Qu 24k.

Learning Go from a professional: Bay Area Go Players Association held its first professional player workshop July 11 and 12, 2009. Students ranging from 20 kyu to 6 dan gathered for two intense days of Go study with professional player Janice Kim 3P. Janice Kim is co-author of the award-winning book series Learn to Play Go and was a popular instructor at the 2008 U.S. Go Congress. Janice is one of only a few western women to be recognized as a professional by the Korea Baduk Association. The workshop included lectures on endgame, life and death, and sente; simuls; review of professional games and students' games; and a group dinner. Janice also introduced unique activities such as play on a pyramid-style Go board to introduce a new perspective, and using a random event to dictate in which quadrant of the board a player must place their next stone in order to explore the effect of not responding to your opponent's last move.

Tournament fun in San Francisco's Japan Center: Thirty four Go players participated in Northern California's monthly ratings tournament held June 13, 2009 in San Francisco's Japan Center. Players ranged from 7 dan to 27 kyu, and from 5 to 70 years old. Nine people joined the American Go Association at the event and played in their first rated tournament ever, while some participants have played in nearly every monthly tourney since we began 18 months ago. Four game winners: Eric Su 2d, Linden Chiu 2k, Kevin Fang 5k, Vincent Huang 8k.

Playing Go on a holiday weekend: Twenty one Go players ranging from 5d to 26k gathered in Palo Alto over the Memorial Day Weekend to play in the May, 2009 monthly ratings tournament. Xiaohan Huang 5d and Justin Shieh 4d topped the Dan division with 2-1 records, while Matthew Fu 4k, Christopher Manning 6k, and Vincent Huang 9k led the Kyu division with four wins each.

Go tournament serenade: What do you think would be the most appropriate live music to listen to while playing go? Twenty five players gathered April 25th at the Asian Cultural Center in Oakland for the Bay Area's monthly ratings tournament, and were treated to a pleasant surprise. "In the next room from the tournament students were taking guzheng lessons, and the music from these Chinese stringed instruments set a wonderful mood for the tournament," reports tournament organizer Roger Schrag. Sammy Zhang 1d started the day by giving two stones to Eric Weg 2k (photo at left) and went on to finish the day with a 3-1 record. There were six three-game winners in all, in a playing field that ranged from 6d to 30k. Three-game winners: Hongyu Min 6d 3-0, Sammy Zhang 1d 3-1, James Klemm 1d 3-1, Linden Chiu 2k 3-1, Herb Doughty 3k 3-1, Michael Plotz 5k 3-0.

A busy weekend in March: Forty Go players packed the Ing Goe Center in Menlo Park the weekend of March 21-22 to play in the combined monthly ratings tournament and regional qualifier event for the US Youth Go Championship to be held in May. In the monthly ratings tournament participants ranged from 7 dan to 26 kyu, and came in all the way from Southern California and Iowa's quad cities area. In the junior division of the youth qualifier, eleven year old Andrew Lu 6d was undefeated and Eric Su 2d came in second place with a 4-1 record. Hugh Zhang 6d won the youth qualifier senior division, with Justin Shieh 4d taking second place. "The final game between these two was very exciting," reports Tournament Director Steve Burrall. "I had to struggle in the endgame to beat Justin," explained Hugh.

Several sweeps at the February tournament: Thirty nine players participated in the AGA ratings tournament held February 27, 2009 in Palo Alto. In the Dan division Hugh Zhang 6d and Brian Leahy 3d were undefeated with three wins apiece, while Samuel Gross 2k and John Lai 25k each went 4 and 0 in the Kyu division. While many of the players are regulars at these monthly tournaments held at various locations around the San Francisco Bay Area, nine adults and children were playing in their first ever rated tournament. Eight joined the AGA at the event. We encourage players at all levels to play in the tournaments, and people seem to be taking us at our word: At this tournament there were ten players in the Dan division—four players 5d or above. Meanwhile, there were also five players in the 20k to 30k range, many playing their first official games of Go and still discovering their correct rank.

Introducing people to the game of Go: Bay Area Go Players Association organized young players Hugh Zhang 6d (left, in photo at right), Isaiah Bird 1k (seated to Hugh's left), and Henry Zhang 4k (not visible in photo) to demonstrate Go and teach the game to young and old alike in a Lunar New Year festival in Oakland. The celebration took place February 7, 2009 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and featured activities and displays of Asian culture ranging from taiko drumming to a Lion Dance. "We really wanted to give people a chance to learn about Go," explained April Kim, Programs Director at the Cultural Center.

Continuous pairing a success at monthly ratings tournaments: "Back in June we changed our tournament format to continuous pairing, and it has been very popular," reports tournament director Steve Burrall. Instead of having distinct rounds that start at specific times, players start their next game whenever they want, as long as a suitable opponent is available. Tournament organizer Roger Schrag adds, "Players who finish a game early no longer have to wait for everyone in the room to finish their game before they can start their next round." In the one day monthly ratings tournaments held at various locations in the San Francisco area, faster players may get in as many as seven rated games while players who use more of the time on the clock play only two or three games without the pressure of everyone waiting on them. Closing out the 2008 monthly ratings tournaments, 31 players ranging from 7 dan to 30 kyu gathered in Palo Alto on December 20. Hang Zhou 2d topped the Dan division with four wins, while Matthew Fu 6k topped the Kyu division with five wins.

Fathers and sons playing Go together: Gilbert Feng (center, in photo at right) watches as his father Wenyi Feng (right) plays in the November, 2008 monthly ratings tournament held in Palo Alto. Three fathers played in this tournament along with their sons. In all, 36 players aged seven to nearly 70 played in the one-day tournament held at All Saints' Episcopal Church on Waverly Street. Players of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to participate in the monthly tournaments.

The rules of Go are easy enough for a child to learn, yet the strategy is too difficult for a computer to master. Austen Liao (in photo at left), age 6, ponders a complicated situation during the October, 2008 monthly ratings tournament held in Palo Alto. Go originated over 4,000 years ago in China, and is the oldest game in the world still played in its original form. The rules of the game are so simple that even a child can pick them up quickly, yet the strategy is so involved that even the best supercomputers today can't beat a strong amateur player.

Baker tops Dan division at September 2008 ratings tournament: Lucas Baker 2d (left player at front board in photo at right) went 3 and 1 to lead the Dan division at the Bay Area Go Players Association monthly ratings tournament September 27, 2008 in Menlo Park. There were 23 players, ranging from 6d to 20k, with seven players entering at 2d or above. In the kyu division four players won four games apiece: Sammy Zhang 2k, Isaiah Bird 2k, Kevin Fang 6k, and Austen Liao 18k. Longtime AGA volunteer Mike Bull directed the tournament and Roger Schrag acted as tournament organizer.

August 2008 tournament highlights: 48 adults and kids played Go over Labor Day Weekend at the August monthly ratings tournament in Palo Alto. Players from 7 dan to 30 kyu participated, and people came from as far away as Iowa to play. For nine of the players, this was their first rated tournament. Whether you are new to Go or a veteran, we hope you'll make it to one of our monthly ratings tournaments!

Up against the wall! Tournament Director Steve Burrall lines players up along the wall at the start of the July 19, 2008 ratings tournament in order to pair people off for their first games. Thirty three players participated in all, ranging from 7 dan to 20 kyu in strength. Six of the players were taking the plunge and playing in their first tournament ever. These six first-timers got to take home a Go book of their choice from the prize table, as did five other players who won all four of their games.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the June, 2008 monthly AGA ratings tournament in San Francisco! We had 43 players—our best turnout yet. Players ranged from 7d to 25k, with eight players entering at 5d and above. Eleven of the players won a Go book—seven for playing in their first AGA-rated tournament and four for winning all of their games. Five players joined the AGA at the tournament.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the April, 2008 monthly AGA ratings tournament! We are averaging over 30 players per monthly tournament, with a good mix of stronger players and beginners too. In April we had 33 players, ranging in strength from 30 kyu to 6 dan—with 6 players entering at 5 dan or above.

The first monthly ratings tournament put on by Bay Area Go Players Association was held Saturday, February 16, 2008 in Palo Alto at All Saints' Episcopal Church on Waverley Street. Thirty one players from near and far joined together for three rounds of AGA-rated play, and a good time was had by all.