Happy New Year!
I would like to wish Go players worldwide a happy and successful new year. This is a perfect time to reflect on what the game means to us, and what we hope to achieve.
Pay Attention
Last Sunday I competed in the 2nd Canada West Go Open tournament. I scored three wins and two losses, not bad. However, I was slightly annoyed; I feel those two losses could have easily been avoided. In the first one, I made an oversight about the life of a large group and played a greedy endgame move instead of saving it. In the other game I lost, I “hallucinated” and thought I had killed a group, letting it try to make eyes in my territory, when it actually was able to escape. After this tournament it occurred to me that I didn’t lose these games because of a lack of skill – the positions were relatively easy to read out – but rather because I stopped paying as much attention to the game as I should have. I believe such mistakes are quite common at this single-digit-kyu level. It seems that often, close games are not won or lost because of a brilliant move or superior tactics, but because of a fatal oversight or mistake that can be exploited by the opponent. How can we avoid these situations (and stop losing won games)? Pay attention…
Motivation
“You win.”
What? Did I hear that correctly? Although it was over two months ago, I can remember quite clearly my reaction when Seung-Hyun Park (Korean 6P) finished counting the score and told me I had won in a simultaneous game with him at the 33rd Canadian Open. That was my first real game with a professional player. Sure, I had a six-stone handicap and he was playing between eight and eleven other players during our game, but it was a proud moment for me and I felt a strong sense of confidence in my games throughout the day. Overall it was a very motivating experience – what motivates you?
All About Go Gallery Contest – Results!
It’s been a long month, but the results are finally in for the All About Go Gallery Contest! The number of pieces submitted was impressive, and it was great to see the artistic side of the Go community. All the entries have been added to the All About Go gallery here:
http://www.allaboutgo.com/gallery/pictures/
The 33rd Canadian Open: Vancouver 2010
The Canadian Open in Vancouver concluded yesterday. It was the largest Go event in Vancouver since the World Youth Goe Championship in 2004; over 110 participants attended and contributed to a great weekend. Astonishingly, 12 year old Zi Yang Hu (CGA 6-dan) went undefeated in the main tournament and won the championship. Seung-Hyun Park (Korean 6P) provided game reviews and played simultaneous games with participants. Overall it was a very successful event, and I think everyone improved a little. There was an impressive number of children at the event, including Zi Yang Hu and runner-up Ryan Li. The future of Canadian Go looks very promising.
Photo: Canadian Open Go Championship – Division Winners & Organizers
