Dia. 1: The Orthodox Fuseki

I didn’t make time this week to put together a set of problems (I’ll try to get ahead of the game this weekend), so I’ve posted an article about one of my favorite openings — the orthodox fuseki.

Orthodox has been a popular opening throughout the modern era, but has surged in popularity among professionals since about 2001, now appearing in in about one in four professional games. It has also seen a number of recent innovations. Orthodox is a solid, steady opening, balancing influence and territory. It’s also relatively easy to understand — a good choice for novice players who are want to start studying specific openings.

Take a look at the extended entry for a more detailed examination.

Dia. 2: This is the most common sequence in current professional play after the wedge at 1. White often chooses simpler variations by making a two-space extension with a instead of 3.

The basic formation is shown in diagram 1. Black opens with 4-4 and 3-4 stones in adjacent corners, then completes the formation with a low shimari (the particular order of moves shown is most common, but not fixed). Black need not play 5 immediately; for instance, black might first approach a white corner as a probe.

The first two black moves are also the same as the mini-Chinese fuseki, so this formation can also appear when white plays to prevent the mini-Chinese. If the placement of the lower left white stone is such that a normal approach is disadvantageous, or white pincers the approach to the lower left, black always has the option to simply finish the shimari, creating an orthodox formation. This makes 1 and 3 a very flexible opening for black.

White can, of course, prevent the orthodox or the mini-Chinese opening by approaching the 3-4 stone with 4, but that permits black to take the open corner.

Dia. 3: This is the second most common sequence after the wedge. Black presses from above, white makes an extension and black gets thickness by attacking the small white group. 4-13 might not be played out immediately. If white plays here first instead, an invasion at a or b is common.

Dia. 4: This is the most common variation after the inside approach at 1. This is the most popular approach to the orthodox fuseki in current professional play, and this joseki is the modern choice by black in response. Black gets a solid corner and white gets thickness.

White will usually waste no time in breaking up the right side. If black were allowed to get in a move at z in dia. 1, the resulting formation would be difficult to deal with. The aim is to establish an easily settled group and prevent black from taking the whole side. With black already having played three moves here, white can’t expect to get a large amount of territory in this part of the board.

Historically, the wedge at 1 in diagrams 2 and 3 has been the most popular choice, appearing in more than 60% of all professional games with this opening. Black will then press firmly from below (2 in diagram 2), from above (2 in diagram 3) or more loosely from above (one point higher) or may just play elsewhere, considering the two approaches as miai.

Dia. 5: The close pincer is also a common choice after the approach, and this elementary joseki is the most common continuation. The wider pincer at a is more common in professional play recently, and coordinates better with the enclosure in the lower right, but the variations can be more complicated. 12 might not be played immediately; if not, white will play a reducing move, such as a shoulder hit on 2.

If white gets the next move on this side, an approach to the 4-4 stone from the outside is common, as are several possible extensions from the wedge stone, or both.

The inside approach at 1 in diagrams 4 and 5 used to be much less common than the wedge. However, with the recent surge in the popularity of this opening, it’s seen more interest, unseating the wedge as the most popular move by white for the first time in 2009. An alternative wedge (c in dia. 1) was also common in the past, but waned in popularity starting in the 1990s and is now extinct at the professional level today. The alternative approach at d is seen, though it is not common. White may choose that direction when there is a particular interest in the top. Other moves are fairly rare and may be considered special-purpose.

The following SGF was generated from the GoGoD game database, summer 2009 edition, and shows the relative popularity of different variations in 3607 professional games where this opening has appeared since 1950. A number of sequences are joseki, having appeared in a many professional games. Try navigating the variations to get some ideas for how to handle this opening, and then give it a try in your own games.

Once you’ve had one comment approved, further comments should get approved automatically. I’ll also get user registration set up at some point in the future, and will get the members area going. I’ve got lots of stuff planned, like a database search, club game archive, club ratings, correspondence games, even limited KGS integration are all possible.

I’ve also turned off the contact form because it was just sending me HUGE amounts of spam. I’ll turn it back on when I have time to set up one that does a better job blocking spammers. If you’d like to contact the club, please just leave a a comment on any post – we’ll get it. Or just show up at the club! Somebody is there every week (it will be posted here if a meeting is canceled).

Elementary Problem

Sorry for the delay on this week’s problems, I’ve been sick.

The novice and elementary problems this week share a common theme; in fact, the novice problem comes from an actual game of mine from years ago and shows a real-life example of how these tesuji are applied. The intermediate problem is another from the Gokyo Shumyo.

Remember, there are new problems here every Thursday.

Novice Problem

Intermediate Problem

Intermediate Problem

Elementary Problem

You may recognize the novice problem this week, though this time roles are reversed. The intermediate problem is from section 2 of the Gokyo Shumyo.

Be sure to check back next week for more.

Novice Problem

Elementary Problem

Here are this week’s problems. The intermediate problem is yet another from the Gokyo Shumyo and the novice problem comes from the godiscussions.com forum. I composed the elementary problem to illustrate a basic life and death concept.

Be sure to check back next week for more.

Novice Problem

Intermediate Problem

Beginner Problem

This week’s beginner and novice problems are a little bit different from the usual, but the intermediate problem continues the Gokyo Shumyo series.

Be sure to check back next week for more.

Intermediate Problem

Novice Problem

We’re going to be debuting a new club ranking system for handling handicaps over the coming weeks, so be sure to show up to the meetings to establish your rank.

photo by Steve Colburn

Sadly, just a couple days after I posted the Valentine’s day problem below, its author, Nakayama Noriyuki (6 dan professional), passed away. Nakayama is well known for his generous contributions to Western go, having been a frequent visitor to the European and American Go Congresses. He was a prolific author, publishing more than 30 books, including The Treasure Chest Enigma, which compiled a number of his essays on go and a series of beautiful ladder problems.

Nakayama followed an unusual path in his professional career. While most professional players begin studying go seriously as young children and reach the peak of their career at roughly the same age as pro athletes, Nakayama first learned go at age 15, didn’t pass the pro exam until age 30 and didn’t reach his highest rank until age 60.

Nakayama Sensei was admired by all who met him for his generosity, sense of humor and gentle teaching style. Friends, acquaintances and students are sharing personal anecdotes at godiscussions.com. Below you can see another of his wonderful ladder problems. The black stones spell out his name (中山) in Kanji.

Elementary Problem

Both the elementary and novice problems this week are from Beginner exercises at Sensei’s Library, and the intermediate problem is another from the classic collection Gokyo Shumyo.

Let me know what you think and be sure to check back next week for more problems.

Novice Problem

Intermediate Problem

Elementary Difficulty

Better late than never! The intermediate problem is inspired by a zipper pattern I saw in Conway’s Game of Life, and the novice problem is another from the Beginner exercises at Sensei’s Library.

Novice Difficulty

Intermediate Difficulty

I’ve posted the games Rob and I played against Wayne in the extended entry.

Elementary Difficulty

Here are this week’s problems. The intermediate problem is another from the classic collection Gokyo Shumyo and the other two problems are from a collection of beginner excercises at Sensei’s Library.

Remember, new problems appear here every Thursday.

Novice Difficulty

Intermediate Difficulty

Remember, we meet every Sunday afternoon at Books-a-Million in Fort Myers.

Intermediate Difficulty

Here are this week’s problems. The intermediate problem is a clever composition of Go Seigen. I composed the two easier problems; both illustrate important life and death concepts.

Be sure to check back next week for more problems.

Novice Difficulty

Elementary Difficulty

An eighth player showed up later in the meeting, but I haven’t caught his name, nor the outcome of the games he played against Kevin. Sorry! Let me know next week and I can record your Grand Prix points.

Intermediate Problem

Here are this week’s problems. The novice problem may be familiar to you if you’ve seen Hikaru no Go. Do you remember the key move?

New problems are posted here each Thursday morning, so check back again next week.

Elementary Problem

Novice Problem

Remember, meetings are every Sunday at Books-a-Million in Fort Myers from 12:30 to 4:30.

Elementary Endgame

Here’s the problems for the week. This week’s easier problems focus on the endgame. The intermediate problem is another from Gokyo Shumyo. Can you get them all on the first try? There are no do-overs when you’re playing over a real board!

Remember, there will be new problems here every Thursday.

Intermediate Difficulty

Novice Endgame

I’ve posted some problems in the extended entry so you can quiz yourself.

Simple, right? Of course, these shapes don’t just appear fully formed like this. If you wait that long, your opponent will surely get to the vital point first. But instinctive knowledge of these shapes is still critical to solving many more complex life and death situations. Here’s a simple example:

Bonus problems: the Butterfly-Seven! This shape is actually unconditionally alive, but it can still be profitably attacked.

Post a comment if you’re interested in a weekday Cape meeting. I want to make sure there are enough interested parties before we move forward.

Meanwhile, Rob and I engaged in a titanic slug-fest. I put together a good opening and early middle game, breaking out into a huge lead which I naturally squandered. We both ran short of time and some mistakes in the endgame let me eke out a 1.5 point win. Our latest series is tied at four games apiece. I’ve posted the game record below the fold.

Remember, we meet every Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30. We had a couple people show up four hours late today, so they didn’t get to play! Also, we’re still planning on running a tournament in February, though the location still needs to be confirmed. Check back here for updates.

Basic Shape

Here are this week’s problems. I’ve included a fairly difficult problem adapted from a game a couple months ago that earned my 4 kyu rank on KGS. The novice problem is the first problem in the classical collection Gokyo Shumyo. Most of the problems in the collection are much more difficult, however!

Be sure to check back next Thursday for a new set of problems.

Expert Difficulty

Novice Difficulty

Here’s the game between Rob and Nate.

Elementary Difficulty

I hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas break. Here are some problems to start off the new year.

Remember, Grand Prix points start accumulating Sunday, January 3rd. Show up for as many meetings as you can to earn the most points.

Intermediate Difficulty

Novice Difficulty

Tanuki no hara tsuzumi!

A total of six players showed up for the last meeting of the year, including a couple new members. Rob and I got to play for the first time in almost a month, and I got skunked pretty badly. There will be no meeting next Sunday (the 27th), but meetings will resume the first Sunday in January (the 3rd).

We also plan on running a tournament in February, probably the second Saturday (the 13th). Check here for updates and confirmation of the date.

In the New Year we’re also going to be scrapping the club ladder, which isn’t quite workable with the range of skill levels we have on a weekly basis at the club. It will be replaced by a point system – the Fort Myers Go Club Grand Prix. You’ll get one point for every game you play at the club (up to two games per week) and any games you play at a Fort Myers Go Club tournament, plus an additional point for each game you win. So if you play two games, and win one of them, you’ll get three points for that week.

The games will be regular 19×19 games with appropriate handicaps. For beginners who aren’t ready for the 19×19 board, you can count games played on a 13×13 board. At the end of six months, there will be a prize and trophy for the top players. Even weaker players can come out on top this way if they attend regularly and show improvement.

I’ve posted the record of the game between Rob and me in the extended entry.

Elementary Difficulty

Three different difficulty levels this week – elementary (the easiest), novice (pretty easy) and intermediate (a little harder). The intermediate problem comes directly from a real game between myself and Rob.

How many can you get right on the first try?

Intermediate Difficulty

Novice Difficulty

Intermediate Difficulty

Novice Difficulty

Here are this week’s problems – the intermediate difficulty problem is one of my favorites. Let me know if you like them. Are they too easy? Too hard? Too lame? Post a comment.

Pinecone Problem

With the everybody doing something for the holidays, the December meeting schedule is going to have a few holes in it. There will be no meeting this Sunday (the 13th), or the Sunday after Christmas (the 27th). There will be a meeting on the 20th if you need to get your go fix, and regular meetings will resume on January 3rd of the new year.

I’m also going to try to start posting problems (like the one on the right) on a regular basis. I’d love to hear your feedback.

If I don’t see you before then, have a nice Christmas!

I’ll start off by mentioning the American Go Association and American Go Foundation web sites. If you’ve played in an AGA tournament, you’ll want to look yourself up in the AGA Tournament Database.

Sensei’s Library is wiki dedicated to the game of go with a huge amount of information. This is the first place you want to go if looking for study material.

If you want to discuss the game with other players or get game reviews, you can join GoDiscussions.com or The Tiger’s Mouth, the American Go Foundation’s youth site.

If you want to play online, the first place I’d start is KGS, which is the easiest and friendliest go server for an English-speaking audience; particularly for beginners and intermediate players.

If you have a game you’d like reviewed, or you feel like reviewing someone else’s game, you can check out The Go Teaching Ladder.

Stronger players may be interested in studying pro games. Go Game World and Go4Go offer commented pro game records. GoCommentary.com offers videos commenting on famous professional games as well as really outstanding instructional videos for intermediate level players.

EidoGo is the software used to embed game records in the blog here, but also has a easy-to-use joseki dictionary and searchable pro game database.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but should get you started.

"Sunday meetings are getting HUGE!"

Sunday meetings are going nuts! In addition to our usual regulars, we’re getting at least one new person almost every week. Yesterday we had three completely new people. We’ve also had a bunch of people asking about the club though the web site and passers-by inquiring about this mysterious game we’re playing. Several of the players at Rob’s chess club have also expressed curiosity about go and have started showing up.

I want to take a moment to encourage everyone to bring equipment with them to the meetings if you have it. Because we do have quite a few beginners who don’t have their own, we sometimes are at risk of running a little short. If you don’t bring a board you can’t complain if you get the crappy plastic one where the stones don’t stay put!

We took a some photos last week, I’ve posted a few below the fold.

We have been getting a few new people at the Sunday meetings, so those will continue. As a reminder, they’re at the Books-a-Million on US-41 between Boy Scout and Colonial from 12:30-4:30pm. Hopefully a weekend afternoon time is going to work out better for more people.

We had a couple exciting match-ups today, so I’ve posted a couple game records below the fold.

Rob and I have started our third 12-game series; Rob won the previous two 8-4 and 7-5. I narrowly won the first match this time around; it was a real nail-biter.This match is the first time Don and Rob have had a chance to play.

Just as important as playing is to review your games. This is where KGS is really useful because your games are automatically recorded. If you can find a stronger player to review with, they can help you point out mistakes you didn’t even know you made and can answer your questions about difficult situations. If you go to the Beginner’s Room or the KGS Teaching Ladder you’ll be able to find somebody who can help you out. Even if you don’t have a stronger player to review with, just go over the game yourself. Try to find the points you thought were the biggest errors on your part and try to work out a better solution.

It’s also really important to do problems. This is the best way to improve your tactics and life and death skills. Try for a mix of difficulty. Do some easy ones where you can solve them in just few seconds, and do some hard ones where you have to take a few minutes to work them out and you might get them wrong. Most importantly, do problems you enjoy, because it’s one of the best ways to improve.

With that out of the way, I have some specific book recommendations below the fold.

Go is a bit of a niche market, so Amazon does not have all of these in stock; a few are only sold there used at inflated prices. All the books I recommend are in print and are available from the publishers (Kiseido and Slate & Shell) at normal retail prices if you can’t find them elsewhere.

Most of these recommendations are for people those who are familiar with the basics of the game. You should have some games under your belt and should be familiar with terms like atari, ladder, net, cut, jump, hane, life and death, etc. If you are still geting acquainted with the rules or don’t know any of those concepts most of these books are going to be too difficult for you at this point. If you are looking for something more elementary, this interactive tutorial is a good place to get started.

Learn to Play Go, Vol. II, Janice Kim, 1-dan, Jeong Soo-hyun, 9-dan

Learn to Play Go, Vol. I, Janice Kim, 1-dan and Jeong Soo-hyun, 9-dan

If you’re looking for an introductory book, Janice Kim’s Learn to Play Go
series is a fine introduction. Volumes I and II will get your feet wet, and if you like the style of the first couple, you can go on to the later volumes to get into more advanced topics. However, I think other books do a better job once you get beyond the basics.

Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go, Toshiro Kageyama 7-dan

If you’re looking for a general purpose book on the game of go, Lessons in the Fundamentals of Go is an excellent choice. As the title suggests, the book covers general concepts and fundamentals more than specific sequences or techniques. Kageyama writes in an engaging and humorous style, introducing principles to follow, but also encouraging the right attitude to play and study go well.

Some concepts and some of the sequences shown may be difficult for a double-digit kyu, but the principles introduced are useful for a player of any level, and even the difficult parts are an entertaining read. It’s worth coming back to again and again as you get stronger; you’ll get a deeper understanding of the ideas that were confusing before, and you’ll be reminded of the fundamentals that you may have lost focus on.

The Workshop Lectures, Vol. 1, Yilun Yang, 7-dan

The Fundamental Principles of Go, Yilun Yang, 7-dan

Yilun Yang’s The Fundamental Principles of Go is a somewhat more advanced fundamentals book. Yang’s an experienced teacher and his style makes for an effective read though much of the material is fairly difficult. Topics covered include the opening, joseki, invasion and reduction with specific examples and sequences.

Yang’s Workshop Lectures series is also worth checking out if you liked his Fundamentals.

Elementary Go Series Vol. 3: Tesuji, James Davies

Tesuji is the most important introductory book on the tactical elements of the game. This is where you want to start if you are serious about improving your tactical reading. It goes beyond basic ladders and nets to discuss the clamp, snapback, loose ladders, squeeze and other tesuji for capturing, cutting, connecting and making life. An understanding of tesuji and an ability to read ahead is essential for getting a good result when the battle gets up-close and personal.

Each chapter introduces a type of tesuji and gives a number of problems to test your understanding. This book is fairly challenging; some of the problems are difficult even for single-digit kyus. However, the concepts are very important so even a mid-teen kyu will get a lot out of it. As with most of the books I’m recommending, you’ll want to come back to it again to review as you get stronger.

Elementary Go Series, Vol. 1: In the Beginning, Ikuro Ishigure

Opening Theory Made Easy, Otake Hideo 9-dan

With a vast open board in front of you, the opening can be the most daunting part of the game to a beginner. Opening Theory Made Easy is a brilliant, no-nonsense book introducing 20 general principles of the opening. The examples are cleverly composed and though-provoking. It is easily my favorite go book on a specific subject. I cannot overstate how good this book is.

If you are collecting the complete set of the Elementary Go Series, In the Beginning is also a good book on the opening, but is not as readable as Opening Theory Made Easy, and does not have as many examples.

Elementary Go Series, Vol. 5: Attack and Defense, Akira Ishida and James Davies

If you’ve broken into the single-digit kyus, or are approaching that level, an understanding of the middle-game is going to become essential. Attack and Defense is probably the best introductory English-language book on the subject. You’ll learn what it means to attack, and why. You’ll learn how to attack to gain profit or power, how to use influence and thickness, moves that destroy your opponent’s eye shape, and all the other essential techniques of the middle-game. The book is filled with real-life examples from professional games as well as problems to test your understanding.

This book is fairly challenging and will probably be difficult for the mid-teen kyu. I don’t recommend approaching it until you’ve gone through Tesuji at least once.

Elementary Go Series Vol. 4: Life and Death, James Davies

If you feel like working on life and death, the Elementary Go Series book Life and Death is a good place to start. It covers the basic life and death shapes and is full of problems to tune your reading skills.

This book covers a wide range of difficulty; from very basic shapes like the bulky-five to the incredibly complicated like the carpenter’s square.

Graded Go Problems for Beginners, Vol. 2, Kano Yoshinori 9-dan

Graded Go Problems for Beginners, Vol. 1, Kano Yoshinori 9-dan

If you are serious about improving, doing problems is essential. There are many, many, many problem books out there, and any that are the appropriate difficulty level are fine. The four-volume set Graded Go Problems for Beginners is a good place to start. Volume 1 is very introductory and is suitable for a complete beginner; if you’ve worked your way into the teen kyus you may want to jump straight to Volume 2. Volume 3 is more challenging, and Volume 4 offers a workout for single-digit kyus.

Get Strong at Tesuji, Richard Bozulich

Another problem book I recommend is Get Strong at Tesuji. This book focuses on tactical, tesuji and shape problems, and less on life and death, which is the usual focus of most problem books. This book is a good compliment to Davies’ Tesuji if you found the problems in that book too difficult. The problems have star ratings to indicate their difficulty; single ☆ are suitable for even 20 kyu players, while ☆☆☆☆ are challenging for a mid single-digit kyu. Most are easier problems (☆☆☆☆ are less than 10% of the book), and by comparison, most of the problems in Tesuji are equivalent to the ☆☆☆ or ☆☆☆☆ problems.

I’ll put together another post later on on-line study resources.

It’s just a little further North, so it shouldn’t be too much different to get to.

Be there or be square!

We’re also thinking of having club games in a tournament format so that we could get in more games against more different opponents during each meeting. We’d set up the tournaments in such a way that you could still join in if you weren’t able to arrive right at the start, or you could step out easily if you had to leave early. For each game you play you’d earn a point, and you’d earn an extra point for each game you win. There will be some sort of prize for the point leaders at the end of the year (or season or whatever).

For a location we’re considering something more centrally located. Suggestions have included the Books-a-Million or Barnes & Noble on 41, or the Books-a-Million on Colonial near I-75.

As usual, we’re looking for feedback. This is your club!

Hope to see ya there!

We’re also considering switching up locations. Everybody seems to be happy with Borders, but we’re also considering FGCU, Lakes Regional Library, Edison College or Barnes & Noble at 41 and Daniels. Let us know if you have a preference or if one location is not workable for you.

There will not be a meeting this week, but hopefully we’ll figure out the new time and location in time to have one next week.

Although the game content is extremely complex, I think it’s worth everyone’s time to watch this commentary because of the dramatic quality of the game and high level of play.

Read the rest of the post to see parts 2-7.

Some changes are coming to the club! With the new school year starting, we’re moving to a different night, probably Wednesdays or Mondays. We’re looking for feedback from everyone on what night works best and what location. We could continue with Borders or do FGCU, Lakes Regional Library or perhaps somewhere else. If you have a preferred venue among those, or have another suggestion, post here to let us know. We’d like to decide this ASAP so people can get their schedules worked and and we can keep the momentum going.

I’m also working at adding some stuff to the site. As you can see, I added a members section; it’s empty right now, but I hope to add some useful stuff there including a club game archive and get everyone set up with accounts. If there’s some feature you’d like to see, speak up.

I’ll update this post with some ladder game records tomorrow.

Note: Keyboard shortcuts are not expected to work on the first board, but they should work on the second board.

Remember, if you have a game you want to review, bring the game record to the meeting, and we’ll go over it. Game reviews are one of the best ways to improve!

The meeting kicked off with a group review of Don and Ryan’s ladder game from last week (annotated game record below the fold). Later the discussion turned to Rob’s interest in pro games and the styles of various pros. I’ve posted a famous and bizarre game of Lee Sedol below the fold.

This game between Lee Sedol 6p (black) and Hong Jansik 4p (white) is a complete freak. Lee initiates an amazing sequence with move 67, chasing a white stone in a broken ladder. He played out the ladder for several steps before springing a trap at move 73. The sequence that follows is a forced march. Black chases the broken ladder all the way across the board just so he can play move 95 in sente, allowing him to capture the entire right-side white group.

Incredibly, he read out this whole sequence before playing E17 at move 57, initiating the sequence that created the ladder. Additional analysis of the game can be had at Sensei’s Library.If that doesn’t freak you out, listen to this interview with the man himself (and check out the rockin’ mustache).

Rob has offered to keep track of ELO ratings for our club ladder games. These will be internal club ratings (not AGA rated). He’s computed an initial set of ratings based on recent ladder game results starting with KGS ratings when available) It’ll take a while before these settle down (they need about 25 games or so before they’re accurate), but they’ll be a good way to track your improvement. They’ll be updated on the web site weekly and once they settle down we’ll probably put together a way for these to be translated in to kyu/dan ranks.

These are not the same as your ladder position – that’s determined by who you beat in ladder challenges. This is a score based on your record in all ladder games. Don’t see your name? Then come to the meetings and get in some ladder games!

Also, we’re going to be doing game reviews for the first 45 minutes or so of each meeting. These will mostly be targeted at lower rated players in the interest of helping them improve. If you have a game record you’d like reviewed bring it in and one of the stronger players will review it for the group (within time restraints – obviously if lots of people bring in games, we’ll only have so much time for review). Some club members are recording the games they play at the club (espescially serious games and ladder games); it’s definitely worth the effort. Reviewing your games is one of the best ways to get stronger, so make a habit of it.

If you have a go topic you are interested in (e.g. if you want to know more about the opening, or a particular joseki, or life and death, etc.), please go ahead and bring it up. One of the stronger players can do a mini-lecture for interested players.

There is some interest in being able to play AGA rated games at club meetings. Rated games must meet certain criteria, but we should be able to manage that at the club. If you’re interested, give us your input and we’ll see if we can come up with a scheme for doing this.

Josh and Jordan will be back from the US Go Congress next week. They both won in the fourth round of the US Open. You can track their progress on the AGA web site.

Hear that guys? Post a few comments here to keep us in the loop – game records if you can swing it.

To put a game record in your comments or a post, just paste the SGF data between a pair oftags.

8/01/2009 update by Joshua Frye:

Well after an early morning, Jordan and I made it to the Congress! George Mason University is a pretty big campus! Immediately after we got our bags at the airport we were greeted by A guy named Trevor! Very nice guy!! After a few minutes of introduction, come to find out he is the highest rated amature thats not asian!!! By speaking with him you wouldn’t have known it!! As soon as we got to campus, we where wisked away by The AGA Youth Directore Paul B. “It was nice to put a face to a name!” We immediately enetered the Youth Room were around 40 plus players were playing pick up games and eating pizza! Jordan and myself were asked to play a quick game by to different kids. Well after putting our luggage down, we rolled up our sleeves and began our matches!. Jordan Vs a tigers mouth buddy and lost to a 1dan player. I vs a young 5 kyu player from New Jersey and won the match!! So now we are checked in and awaiting dinner!!! Can’t wait for opening cermonies!

Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my gameboy, so I’ve only got a partial game record for the ladder game between me and Josh.

The diagram below the fold lets you explore the various Chinese fuseki positions and a couple examples from recent games of mine.

Ironically, the Chinese fuseki was not invented in China; it’s only named that because it first saw widespread use by Chinese players starting in the 1960s. There are examples of these openings in historical Japanese games – the micro-Chinese appeared in a number of games in the 19th century, including some games by Shusaku, and there’s an example of the mini-Chinese in a game by Honinbo Dochi in 1710!

The most important aspect of the Chinese fuseki (the aspect that causes an opening to be classified as a Chinese variant) is the relationship between the 3-4 stone and the asymmetrical stone near the middle hoshi point, which forms a sort of hybrid enclosure/extension.

I’ve had good results with Chinese variants recently, so I suggest giving them a try.

More information can be found at Sensei’s Library.

• Chinese Fuseki
• Mini-Chinese (also known as small Chinese)
• Micro-Chinese (AKA mini-mini-Chinese)

I’ve posted the game records for a couple of the pickup games below the fold.

Unfortunately, the record of the game between David and Don was lost.

I’ve placed a couple of the game records (with variations and comments) below the fold.

EDIT: I’ve added a few variations.

In a surprise upset, Josh beat Rob for the top spot in the ladder this week (edit: partial game record below the fold). Congrats Josh!

Several regulars will be traveling over the next few weeks, but meetings and ladder games will continue.

Chi Wong Wins!

Thanks to everyone for coming to our outdoor tournament. It was a huge success with over 50 participants. Congratulations to Chi Wong for winning the advanced division, and to all the other division winners.

Check out the events page to see more pictures.