Games

• KGS - 5 games ( 1 win : 4 losses )
• DGS - 5 ongoing games

Tsumego

• Go Game - Life and Death (iPad App) - Practice Phase 2 ( Class 18 - 20 )
• Five Hundred and One Opening Problems - Page 55 - 90

Other

• The Chi­nese Open­ing — Page 63 - 87

Thoughts

I’m happy to announce that the StudyGroupKyu site went live this week! There are still some enhancements to be made, and that will continue to take up my time; but it’s been fun to combine my love for design with go. Definitely hoping to do more of that as time goes on.

With that being said, this week has a decently studious week combined with sporadic blitz go. Now although none of the game time settings will indicate that, I generally didn’t spend more than 30 seconds on a move. This is probably due to my lack of time and newly acquired ability to not be attached to winning or losing a game. I’ve been more obsessed with trying out new things and experimenting with what I’ve been learning. And to be honest, it’s quite refreshing.

On April 2nd, 2013, I had the honor of being able to attend a professional go event that featured Narumi Osawa (4p) and was hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Washington D.C. It was a free event that consisted of a short talk designed for beginners, a simultaneous game against Narumi, and a lecture/review on one of the games.

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Weekly Go Wednesday, Issue #22

When I first started playing go, it was right around the time I started graduate school. Like most other enthusiastic players, all I wanted was to spend every waking moment studying and playing the game. Unfortunately, in the mad dash of trying to do well in school and find a job, I couldn’t find the time to keep up with go the way I wanted to. As a result, I ended taking a break from go.

With graduate school behind me, I have to say that I’m not any less busy than I was before. In fact, I might even argue that living on my own while having a full time job and strong obligations to the people around me has caused me to be even busier than before. So the question becomes, how do I find time to continue my study of go?

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I just got back from the Japanese Embassy where I got a chance to meet and play Japanese pro Narumi Osawa (4p). Although the event went differently than I expected, it was a unique experience in that she mainly spoke Japanese and therefore I had to rely on translations and my best interpretations of what she was aiming at. Although I haven’t processed a lot of it yet, it feels like something else clicked tonight. Hard to say what, but although I’m quite tired, it was a great experience that I look forward to reflecting on. More on this Thursday…

Shin-Kaya - 1-1/2” (4cm) Go Set

Overall Rating: 10 /10 Ponnuki

Highlights

• This is a fantastic set that is complete with high quality yunzi stones, kitani jujube bowls, shin-kaya board, and a travel case for the bowls and stones.
• A perfect set for any player interested in playing go and wants a quality set without breaking the bank.
• The go board doubles as a table and floor board, so the set has even more value than simply having a floor board.

Product Description

• One 2-3/8” (6cm) thick Tibet Spruce (Shin-Kaya) wood board
• Made of 2-4 solid pieces of wood joined together to prevent warping over time.
• Measures 18-1/4”L x 17”W x 3-3/4”H (46.5cm x 43cm x 9.7cm)
• Board is 1-1/2” (4cm) thick
• 180 white and 181 black genuine Yunzi Go stones.
• Large, double convex, size: 9.2mm tall and 21mm wide (about 3/8” x 3/4”)
• Two Kitani style jujube wood bowls that measure 5”W x 4”H (12.7cm x 10cm) with travel vinyl case

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Yunzi Biconvex Stones Set

Overall Rating: 10 / 10 Ponnuki

Highlights

• This is a fantastic set that comes with quality stones and bowls.
• The stones are durable so you can play them with as much force as you’d like without fear of easily damaging them (as you might with slate and shell stones).
• Bowls are excellent quality and have a beautiful finish to them.

Product Details

• 180 white and 181 black genuine Yunzi stones.
• Large Size 33 double convex stones measure 9.2mm tall and 21mm wide (about 3/8” x 3/4”)
• Two Kitani style jujube wood Yunzi stone holders that measure 5” W x 4” H (12.7cm x 10cm)
• Vinyl travel carrying case

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Go Bowls and Stones Carrying Bag

Overall Rating: 8 / 10 Ponnuki

Important Notice

This review is based on the bag that I received two years ago. Since then, YMImports has upgraded the carrying bag to also include bowl straps as well. With that new feature, the bag’s review would escalate to a 9 or 10 Ponnuki status.

Highlights

• Best carrying bag for go stones and bowls that I’ve seen on the market.
• The bag is made of durable material that hasn’t shown signs of ripping.
• The handles are a little more fragile, so be a little more careful relying on those.

Product Details

• Travel vinyl bag with two handles and a single zipper for the top.
• Fits standard Go bowls up to 5’’ wide and 4’’ high

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Shin-Kaya - 1-1/2” (4 cm) Go Floor / Table Board

Overall Rating: 10 / 10 Ponnuki

Highlights

• Legs are removable, which allows the board to function as both a floor and table board.
• The floor height is not nearly as high as the standard floor board, but it is pretty good for the price and quality of the board.
• This is a good board that is more suited for staying at the house and not quite suitable for bringing to a coffee shop to review a pro game.
• Stones that measure 9.2mm (Size 33) fit comfortably on the board. Any size larger maybe a bit of a squeeze.

Product Details

• One 2-3/8” (6cm) thick Tibet Spruce (Shin-Kaya) wood board [including feet].
• Made of 2-4 solid pieces of wood joined together to prevent warping over time.
• Measures 18-1/4”L x 17”W x 3-3/4”H (46.5cm x 43cm x 9.7cm)
• Board is 1-1/2” (4cm) thick.

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For those of you who read my series of posts on the North American Go Convention, you might recall that on Day 2, there was a crew doing a special interview with Joanne Missingham. Guess who made the cut? I guess my play was so incredible they decided to feature me! Hahaha. Just kidding! Anyhow, I can’t seem to download the video from Facebook. So here is the link to the video and some screenshots below:

Joanne Missingham Interview

Fun times. xD

*Thanks to DeepSnow for seeing the scene at 8:10. I have no idea how I missed it.