Home
Subscribe!
About us
Contact us
Archive
FAQ
Book "9 Graceful Solutions"
Sponsors
Friends
Advertise in «Goama»
Learn Go Game

“GOAMA”, International Go Newsletter
Go back

42nd issue
go-test.sgf (go_test.sgf)

1. Igor Grishin, "The art of commenting games"
2. "Go and Chess – Two Games, Shared Experiences". Opinions of our readers.
3. World Go news
4. Go test answers (in sgf at the attachment)
5. The most exciting game of the week
6. New gift for our readers!
7. Future tournaments – Russian Go Cruise

Dear friends!
We are glad to present you the 42nd issue of the "Goama" newsletter, including:
1. Igor Grishin, "The art of commenting games"
2. "Go and Chess – Two Games, Shared Experiences". Opinions of our readers.
3. World Go news
4. Go test answers (in sgf at the attachment)
5. The most exciting game of the week
6. New gift for our readers!
7. Future tournaments – Russian Go Cruise

***************************************************************************

"The art of commenting games"

- Could you tell, please, if it is possible, what is game commentary? What is it for?

- Without noting down parties you don't need the commentary, right? I suggest that we regard commentary as an attempt of getting a result in Go practice. So then we'll have to assume that the result of a Go party is an object of search. Those who do not search anything but rely upon the statement that "everything is known" might answer that the result of a Go party is the victory of one side and the defeat of another one. I've heard of such a view of point and I even try to understand it. When you don't intend to search every stamp is ok. But what if a person needs to search? And what can you get searching? It seems to me that a game notation can be similar to retelling (summary) and commentary is like an essay on a certain topic (a certain party). To my mind, High Go is an art of composing. My Go school searches in this direction.

- If you don't show and explain mistakes that have led to defeat, what should be shown and explained instead?

- What is better? What is higher? An answer or a question? A question is a search and an answer is an end of a search. My answer will be worse than the question.

If you show only those mistakes that have led to defeat how are you going to show those trains of thoughts that are important as stages of growth but caused defeat in this certain party anyway? If a commentator analyses my mistakes this is very good. But where can I find an integral commentator? Where can I find a commentator that analyses not only my mistakes but my discoveries and my attempts of discovery; my strong sides and my strong moves? How can I learn about my strengths if I don't see then from inside? As well as don't see my mistakes?

If a commentator encourages me only in avoiding of defeat how can I find a commentator who will explain me that a war is not a single battle? Or it isn't so and there is no any strategy? What is the name for a person who can show me that the victory in a war is a course of triumphs and defeats where defeats have a very important place? Who will show me the place and the meaning of my concrete defeat? The place without which the victory in a war is impossible?

Let's ask one more question. On what or against whom is this war? It is on nothing and against nobody. It is a war for your own trainability? Is this war ordinary and evident? Certain powers inside me are not on my side in this war. The war is waged while I'm studying and thay say it is possible to win. The victory in this war is a person's ability to study. Inability to study is defeat in the war. If I teach myself only how to avoid defeats a question will rise: might it be a different war? And with what purposes is it waged?

That is why, maybe, there is a grain when they say that a party commentary is an essay on a difficult topic. A topic about my education. Isn't it meaningless to analyze without any connection with my education as well as to explain corner joseki without its whole-board situation?
But can everyone write such an essay? Isn't it the reason for its high price if you go to a specialist? And if you go to a nonexpert isn't it better not to go at all?

Igor Grishin, the president of the Go Federation, Russia.

****************************************************************************


"Go and Chess – Two Games, Shared Experiences”. Opinions of our readers.

Alexander Dinerchtein discussed some very important questions about the development of modern Go. That said, I do think the point about the method of recording games is relatively unimportant, so I would like to suggest that Alex delete it before sending the article to Korean Go magazines.

I believe that the situation with databases in Korean Go will change much in the next few years because the advantages of using computer databases are so clear! Yet, Korean and Asian conservatism make their adoption slower. We may also see other internet technologies being accepted by the Korean community later than other countries, even Russia.

The most important question Alex raised is the idea of deciding an undisputed world champion. I believe that the absence of such a champion is a problem for all Go organizations interested in Go popularization. Without doubt, a champion would have a positive influence on the Go world. We may compare Go with other sports: almost every sport has only one world champion. Consider the situation in football. There is only one champion (for 4 straight years), so the World Cup is very attractive to sponsors and popular among football fans. Even Korea and Japan fought for the right of hosting the World Cup in their homeland. To be sure, there are some reverse examples, such as boxing. But even in boxing they organise fights between the champions of different federations so only undisputed champions like Muhammad Ali can enter boxing history.

Tennis is another interesting example. For a long time they used 4 "Grand Slam" tournaments to determine the champion, but later they started using a unified rating list. Recently they created a special tournament and crowned the winner as "World Tennis Champion".

I feel that the tennis scenario should be possible in our case. It's reasonable to invent a World Go Rating List and use it for inviting contestants to elite tournaments. Joining the Olympic movement could be a very important factor too. The title of the Olympic Champion would be very valuable in Go!

The Honorable President of the Russian Go Federation,
Valerjy Solovyev, 6-dan

******************************************************************************

World Go news


Lee Changho, 9-dan lost his No. 1 position in Korean Rating list.

The current list is:
1. Lee Sedol, 9-dan 20,466
2. Lee Changho, 9-dan 20,179
3. Choi Chelhan, 9-dan 17,465
4. Park Yeunhun, 9-dan 16,176
5. Cho Hanseung, 9-dan 15,499
6. Park Cheongsang, 9-dan 15,396
7. Ko Gunte, 5-dan 13,832
8. An Joyoung, 9-dan 13,798
9. Weon Songjin, 7-dan 13,795
10. Lee Younkyu, 6-dan 13,686

The largest changes:
Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan went 4 places down, from 15th to 19th place
Mok Chinseok, 9-dan improved his position from 18th to 15th place
Hong Minpyo, 5-dan also improved his standing a lot, from 24th to 21st place

You can discuss this statistic on our Go forum:
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=205&forum=6

**********************************************************************

Go test answers

At the attachment you may find the answers of this go test:
http://play.baduk.org/

Alexander Dinerchtein explained them online on KGS on January, 28

**********************************************************************

The most exciting game of the week

21st Chinese Tianyuan, preliminary
2007-01-28: Gu Lingyi 4p (Black) vs. Nie Weiping 9p (White) B+3.5
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13804
Lot of ko fights

32nd Japanese Shinjin O, preliminary
2006-12-07: Mukai Kaori 1p (Black) vs. Tanemura Sayuri 1p (White) B+R
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13805
Black killed almost all groups on the board!

20th Chinese Wanbao Cup Amateur, pro-ama competition
2007-01-27: Shan Ziteng 7d (Black) vs. Ding Wei 8p (White) W+R
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13806
Huge group, killed by Ding Wei

20th Chinese Wanbao Cup Amateur, semi-final
2007-01-26: Hu Yuqing 8d (Black) vs. Lian Xiao 5d (White) W+12.5
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13809
An interesting tesuji Black 149

62nd Japanese Honinbo, league
2007-01-11: So Yokoku 8p (Black) vs. Kobayashi Satoru 9p (White) B+R
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13876
An interesting joseki(?)

21st Chinese Tianyuan, round 2
2007-02-01: Zhou Heyang 9p (Black) vs. Wang Lei (b) 8p (White) B+R
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/sgfview.php?id=13874
Nice tesuji Black 153

*********************************************************************

New gift for our readers!

Arkadij Bogatsij ("BAM0" on KGS) decided to offer a 10% discount for Goama readers, applying for the Premium version of the Fuseki.info account.
http://fuseki.info/ is an online version of the Bigo Assistant Profi software. It has 48 803 pro games inside (3 282 games in Demo version)
It's possible to view and study games according to players names, dates, fusekis and josekis.
You may use your discount by entering the coupon code "Goama", while upgrading the demo account to premium one.
It's a great database! Highly recommended by "Goama" experts!

You can also get a 10% discount for ordering Go (or other board games) books or equipment from http://www.thetradingcentre.co.uk/
Just enter the coupon code "Goama"!

Contact us, please, if you have your own Go shop and would like to set a special discount for "Goama" readers.

***********************************************************************

Future tournaments – Russian Go Cruise

Russian and European Go Federations are glad to invite you to take part in Russian Go Cruise, including European Pair Go Championship and many other events:
More details:
http://www.eurogofed.org/calendar/epgc2007.htm

***********************************************************************

Enjoy the newsletter!
The IGN "Goama" editor's team

You are welcome to republish any text material from the IGN "Goama" without commercial purposes: please note the source and put the link to http://gogame.info/.

To obtain republishing rights for commented game records, please contact:
A.Dinerchtein ("breakfast" on KGS), editor-in-chief
E-mail: qp@omen.ru
Go back




© 2006 by Gogame.info. All rights reserved.
Counter: Web Go Rating -
Top361.com