Enclave Second Issue Jan 2009 [Second Edition]

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    A PREMIUM ENGLISH LANGUAGE GO MAGAZINE

    The

    Enclave

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    The first issue of the Enclave went over incredibly well. We had manycompliments and everybody seemed pleased with what wed given out. Imvery glad we could provide this service to all of you, its been a pleasure from

    the get-go.I hope you will all choose to continue downloading every issue! And if

    anybody sees an error, or something that they would like to comment on, any-thing, drop us a line: [email protected]

    Wed love to hear from you all!

    On a different note, when we first began the Enclave, I hadgrandoise visions of spreading Go among everyone I knew andhelping the entire Go community grow larger and beer. I playedas oen as I could and dreamed of one day being a truly impres-sive player.

    Even with everything changing, my grandoise visions haventle me. I still want the entire world to know about this game.

    I still want to make a difference to the Go community. Go issomething that helps the player, it develops our thoughtfulside and makes us look at life in a different way.

    When we begin to understand that Go is about seeingsomething in a way nobody else does, that it is about bal-ancing our ideas with our opponents, we begin to see that

    Go is a lot like life. And as we make the connection, maybewe can see that life is different than we first thought it was.

    Thank you everybody who has shown me that Go is notwhat I thought. Your teaching and your thoughtful wordshave really opened up something for me personally, andnot just in my game.

    I hope that you all will help me continue to grow, bothas a player and as a person. And I hope that I can do thesame for you.

    Come with me and lets learn a thing or two on theway. Id be pleased to pass what Ive learned on to you.

    ~Eric Dunham

    A Letter from Our Founder

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    2 A Letter From Our Founder

    7 Beginner Lessons Why We Start in the Corner

    9 Go Around the World

    26 Beginner Life and Death

    27 Amateur Life and Death

    28 From Heights Above Lee Kibong, 7d

    35 Go: A Matter of Life and Death

    38 Insights king8egg [7d] vs. Artem92 [7d]

    54 A History of Go Go In Europe

    63 Stones and Gems

    64 A Picture Worth a Thousand Moves

    65 Marketplace

    Index

    Features

    Articles

    5 Upgrade 1.1

    6 A Step to The World Stage: The North American Fujitsu

    15 A Few Good Moves: A Joeski Study

    36 Hamete or Tennozan?

    58 Playing Against a Diagonal Fuseki

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    Misplay!In the spirit of I missed the throw-in!

    A few mistakes that we made in our first issue have come to our aention, so

    to keep things straight well correct them here.

    You Got the Linux Right... Ill Call That Wrong!

    In a true display of the value

    of fact-checking, in the article Go

    in a Land of Ice and Snow we

    incorrectly stated that the author,

    Alexander Rdseth, currently at-

    tends the Norwegian University of

    Science & Technology, and that he

    lived with his family.

    Turns out both of those facts

    were wrong! So, for a correction,Alexander currently works as a

    freelance 3D graphics artist and

    lives by himself in Oslo, Norway.

    But... we got the Linux part

    right!

    It was noted on the forum at

    www.godiscussions.com that com-

    puters are still far away from beat-

    ing top poker plays.

    We did a lile research and

    found that the comment had some

    ground to it. But, computers are far

    beer than the average poker play-

    er, something they cannot claim to

    be in Go.We do have to admit however

    that the post had merit; computers

    still cannot beat top poker players

    consistently.

    Ar Y A Wtr?Would you like to write for the finest English-language Go publication in the world? The

    Enclave is actively seeking talented writers to cover Go subjects of all kinds!

    This is an excellent way to get your work seen! If interested, just send a completed article or

    short story (200-600 words) to: [email protected]

    Further information will be provided upon contact.

    Doyou have any questions or comments? Let us know at: [email protected]

    http://www.godiscussions.com/mailto:%[email protected]:%[email protected]://www.godiscussions.com/
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    Upgrade 1.1

    Timeline of the future:The Enclave will publish a magazine Accompl ished!

    Wed like to follow the above line with the words, and improve it

    constantly. Nice thought, but kind of a hard thing to do when you are

    run entirely by volunteers, and the entire project is personally overseen in

    ever aspect by just a single person.

    But thats no excuse to not try!

    And try we did, so here are a few things you can look for in this is-

    sue:

    1. Clickable hyperlinksSee a hyperlink? Click it and follow the

    path out to the worldwide web. This also includes pictures and e-mails; if

    you see a link in a picture, go ahead and click it.

    2. Colored, scalable diagramsA lot of our readers complained last

    issue that our diagrams werent too prey. Even those that didnt noticethe low quality compained that they didnt really add much to the appear-

    ance of the page. So, now they are vector-based art (which is infinitely

    scalable) and they have colored boards underneath!

    3. More non-feature articlesA lot of our content in the last issue

    was made up of what is called a feature, that is, it is featured in every

    issue. While we like features, we think its good to keep different things

    coming in for every issue. So, over half of our content this issue is made

    up of this type of content.

    If you have any suggestions for future issues, or comments on the

    current one, feel free to send an e-mail to:

    [email protected]

    Note that the e-mail is clickable!

    5

    http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.htmlhttp://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.html
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    A Step to the World StageA Step to the World StageA Step to the World Stage

    The North

    American Fujitsu has been

    around since 1990, the year that the Fujitsu Cup became

    an international tournament. Each year the Fujitsu includes 16 play-

    ers from all around the world, but only one from North America. So for

    the players from North America, there is only one chance to perform on theworld stageThe Fujitsu Cup in Japan.

    This year was no exception. And so sixteen of the top players in North

    America matched up against each other for the honor and privelege of perform-

    ing among the best players in the entire world.

    For the past five years the manner of competing has changed from a physi-

    cal match to a competition in cyberspace, due to the Nihon Kiins cutback of

    sponsorship for the event.

    This year the games were played on the KGS Go Server, rather than the usu-al International Go server, in a gathering of 9d cyberteurs rarely seen on a west-

    ern Go server.

    The event begins on November 22, at 5 PM GMT. Preparations for this tour-

    nament began immediately aer labor day, and two months of work is coming to

    a close.

    The games start well, and all around the server people began sending mes-

    sages to friends telling them to watch the games.

    Article continued on page 23

    The North A merican FujitsuThe North A merican FujitsuThe North A merican Fujitsu

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    Beginner LessonsWhy We Start in the Corner by Lamar Bishop

    7

    When we first begin playing Go, many of us are unsure of what is a good

    move, or even a decent move. Most of us will begin by playing random moves

    all over the board. Where do we move? What comes first? Whats the best strat-

    egy? Why?

    If you are new to the game and find yourself asking these things, dont

    feel bad, everybody has the same question when they

    first start playing.

    Corners first, then sides, then center

    A good rule of thumb is the old proverb, Corners

    first, then sides, and then center. Its one of the firstthings that Go players learn, because its so very impor-

    tant.

    For those who dont quite understand why this

    rule is so important, have a look at Diagrams 1-3. The

    stones in each diagram surround exactly nine points,

    but look how much easier it is to capture those nine

    points in the corner.

    The corner takes only seven stones to surround

    the nine points, on the sides it takes eleven stones to

    surround the same amount, and in the center it takes a

    whole sixteen stones to surround just those nine points!

    Thats over twice the amount of stones to surround the

    exact same amount of points!

    Not only that, but as you play your game, you

    will find that it is incredibly easier to capture those ninepoints in the corner than in the center, even if you dont

    consider all of the extra moves.

    The 32-36 Rule

    Something I was taught when I first started playing was the 32-36 Rule,

    which can be seen in Diagram 4 on the next page. This is an excellent example

    of why we take the corners and the sides first. If we were to count, we would

    Diagram 3

    Diagram 1

    Diagram 2

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    see that the result of this peculiar setup is black with 121 points and white with

    136 points (even without any komi). Thats where the name for the rule comes

    from: black gets 32 percent of the board, and white gets 36 percent of it. Not a

    completely decisive win by any means, but definitely a clear win.

    As we can see, even if you capture all but two lines of territory along the

    edge of the goban, the center is still not large enough to compensate for the out-

    side of the board.

    Wrapping Up

    As you can see, the sides and corners are just way too vital to give up

    without a fight, as they have more points than the center. Sure, the center is im-

    portant, but if you have to make a choice between the two, the sides are easier

    to capture and bigger in the end.

    So, Corners first, then sides, then center. Playing in this order guaran-

    tees a good start to the game for beginning players. There are a lot of options

    for fuseki, but none as simple and straightforward as the one we just showed.

    Diagram 4: The 32-36 Rule

    8

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    Go Around the WorldIntroducing the New President of the Irish Go Association

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    Go Around the World is a new feature. Every issue we will

    interview a major Go figure and ask them questions about their

    Go background and what they currently do in the Go world.

    We will also be asking them where they think Go is headed

    and how to make the future of Go brighter than it has been since

    Confucius came along and messed it all up.

    Go Around the World

    Ian Davis1 dan BGA, President, Irish Go Association

    E: How did you get into Go?

    I: Bizarrely, it was due to being aracted to the opposite sex. That was the onlyreason I went when I first went along to a Go club. Of course, that didnt work

    out, but many years later I found myself living in the city with the biggest Go

    club in the United Kingdom. So I decided I would learn to play the game prop-

    erly. Being able to play four nights a week it was easy to get hooked.

    E: Whats your rank?

    I: I have a 1 dan certificate from the British Go Association, for a while I wasclose to 2 dan, but slipped back. Hopefully I can get my European rating back

    up again though, because Id really like to make 2 dan.

    E: Do any of your family members or close friends play Go?

    I: None of my family play Go actually, but I do have a few friends from theuniversity who play the game. Ive met most of my Go friends through the

    game.

    The PresidentIan Davis, President ofthe Irish Go Association

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    E: Describe some of your Go experiences. What tournaments have you playedin? What Go events have you aended or helped with? Have you ever taught

    Go? Anything interesting youd like to share? Have you ever studied under a

    professional player?

    I: Big question! I have represented Ireland internationally twice. I took part inthe first Korean Prime Minister s Cup, and

    the World Amateur Go Championship this

    year. My performance in both those was

    a lile disappointing for me, but they are

    obviously both tough competitions. My

    favourite tournaments would probably be

    either the European Go Congress in Lek-

    sand, Rabbity Six in Finland, or one of the

    London Open tournaments Ive aended.

    The reason is because they all have a great

    social atmosphere. Aending an event with

    a sauna party simply rocks compared to some of the tournaments Ive been

    too.

    Ive organised quite a few tournaments online and two tournaments in my

    home city. I find organising quite stressful, I much prefer playing in tourna-ments! At the moment I study with Guo Juan 5p, I take part in her group class-

    es. She is one of the best teachers I know, so flexible at being able to teach for

    any level.

    GuoJuan teaches online, her school can be found at: hp://www.guojuangoschool.com

    E: How long have you been a part of the Irish Go Association (IGA)? Whatpositions have you held in the IGA?

    I: I think Ive been in the IGA ever since I moved back to Ireland, maybe fouror five years. For two years I was on the Commiee until I became President.

    E: When did you become the president of the IGA? What does the IGA con-sider when looking to find a new president?

    I: (Laughs) Actually the Presidency isnt a very popular position. Anyone who

    Ian playing at a tournament in Belfast

    http://www.guojuangoschool.com/http://www.guojuangoschool.com/
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    will stand is probably what they are looking for. The previous President had

    held the position for 13 years.

    E: What has been your biggest hurdle while playing Go?

    I: Resisting the urge to be greedy or naughty is my biggest obstacle. Honte canbe so hard for me.

    E: How long has the IGA been around?

    I: Officially since 1989, one of the newer Goorganizations.

    E: How many members does the IGA have?

    I: We have almost 50 official members

    E: What steps has the IGA taken to popularizeGo? What has been the most successful popu-

    larization effort?

    I: As such a small organisation its difficult to make effective promotions. Ourmain efforts are usually localised. We have found universities and schools to be

    the biggest returners for advertising investments.

    E: How well does the IGA traditionally perform in international tournaments?

    I: Our highest score is 4/8 in the WAGC, the field is geing tougher all thetime, so we will wait a long time to beer that I think.

    E: What are your plans for the IGA while you are president? Are there any-major renovations or improvements youd like to make? Any new programs or

    objectives youd like to make?

    The Organization

    Deep in concentration at the Irish Open2008

    12

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    I: I dont actually have a grand plan laid out. My main aim is to increase mem-bership amongst students. If we could get a university club up and running

    that would be wonderful. For us the critical thing really is to get enough mem-

    bers so we can start making available beer services and more events. Once we

    breach a number I believe we can start to really increase awareness of Go in thiscountry. Just five years ago there was only really one club in Ireland, now we

    have four active clubs. I appreciate that this is still a small number, but for us

    this has been a really a big increase.

    E: What is the most exciting event the IGA organizes? What makes it such agreat event?

    I: Our biggest event is the Irish Open. Its played in a Teachers Social Club inDublin. I think it has a good atmosphere, due to the availability of Guinness

    and trips to nearby restaurants. We are aracting increasingly large crowds to

    the event every year.

    For event info, check:hp://www.irish-go.org/clubs-tournaments/irish-open/2009-irish-go-congress/

    E: Does the IGA have any grants like the Ing Foundation or the AGA? How doyou help new chapters start up?

    I: We are lucky to be able to get equipment grants from the European Go Fed-eration. It is certainly possible for members to apply directly to the IGA for as-

    sistance though.

    The PlanE: What is the biggest issue facing the Go world today? What plans do youhave to rectify it in Ireland?

    I: In the age of the credit crunch I think finanical concerns might be the biggestworry. Unfortunately, the Niihon-Kiin ( [the Japanese Go Association])

    is still in a poor financial position, and as a big sponsor in Go across the world,

    that has to be a worry for us all. Hopefully we can see some extra assistance

    from Korea and China . Overall I think Go is still world remains healthy, and

    the numbers are growing in the West.

    13

    http://www.guojuangoschool.com/http://www.irish-go.org/clubs-tournaments/irish-open/2009-irish-go-congress/http://www.irish-go.org/clubs-tournaments/irish-open/2009-irish-go-congress/http://www.guojuangoschool.com/
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    E: What would you consider the best method for popularizing Go among thegeneral population?

    I: No idea!

    E: Do you think Go players in Europe will be able to raise their skill level tothat of players in Asia? If so, how would it happen?

    I: Until European players have the opportunity to aend a Go School from age5 I really cant see us geing to that level. Certainly though, our level is increas-

    ing. The internet and greater availability of Go literature has started to power

    up our Go. Players like Catalin Taranu have reached the level of 5 dan profes-sional, so we can do this, but we need to start younger, and we need to have

    the level of competition more readily available. To achieve this would probably

    take a massive financial seachange in the WestGo would have to be hugely

    more popular than it is today.

    E: To wrap it up... is there anything youd like to say to the international Gocommunity?

    I: Dont flood. (Ian is a Senior Admin on the KGS Go Server)

    Many thanks to Ian Davis for the interview and the Irish Go Association for their help in writing this article!

    For further information on the Irish Go Association or their events, visit: hp://www.irish-go.or

    Upcoming IGA Events:January 17th: University College Cork Open Go Tournament

    March 20th-22nd: Irish Go Congress

    14

    http://www.irish-go.org/http://www.irish-go.org/category/tournaments/cork-go-tournament/http://www.irish-go.org/clubs-tournaments/irish-open/2009-irish-go-congress/http://www.irish-go.org/clubs-tournaments/irish-open/2009-irish-go-congress/http://www.irish-go.org/category/tournaments/cork-go-tournament/http://www.irish-go.org/
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    http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.html
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    The top games gather literally hundreds of observers as the games wear on,

    everybody crowding in to see some of the strongest players they know of play-

    ing against other players their own rank.

    The first round goes well with no real surprises or problems. The tour-

    nament is so normal that in all but one game, the higher rated player won thegame, there wasnt a single upset or surprise. And so the

    games progress into the second round, where the first

    real surprise of the tournament happens.

    Mingjiu Jiang, rated at 9.57 dan, a 7 dan profes-

    sional, and seeded first for the event, is matched against

    Gan Sheng Shi, rated at 7.77 dan, seeded ninth, a Ca-

    nadian player. Shi is fourteen years old and becoming

    known in Go circles as a Canadian phenomenon. He

    seems to be unstoppable, but even a fantastically skilled

    fourteen year old is no match for the wise playing of a

    professional player, and the game tips continuously in

    Mingjius favor as each second ticks by.

    During the game Gan Sheng Shi plays very well

    against Mingjiu, especially considering the difference in

    strength. Gan Sheng Shi later estimates that as the game drew to an end that

    Mingjiu had a 70% chance of winning the game.

    But the goban is sometimes more friendly than the clock, and as the sec-onds ticked down, observers began to wonder how long it would be before

    Mingjiu was forced to resign on time.

    And then... the clock stops ticking.

    Many players express their dissapointment, or comment that Gan Sheng

    Shi should have already resigned before the game got to this point. The general

    sentiment is that Mingjiu should not have lost, but as Jie Li, 7d AGA, later com-

    ments, It is common knowledge that in tournaments, Time is territory, time is

    blood.

    The next round of games progresses prey much as expected, except for

    Gan Sheng Shis, again. His third round opponent is Huiren Yang, seeded in

    fourth at 8.87 dan, and Chinese 1 dan professional. Amidst complaints about

    his last game and predictions that Yang would destroy him this round, Gan

    Sheng Shi plays an excellent game that more than makes up for any doubts

    about his ability. Five hundred people watch unbelievingly as Shi matches

    Gan Sheng Shi, a Canadian, isbecoming a top Go player

    23

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    in the earlier matches.

    But even before the comments can be given any credit, technical difficul-

    ties start to impede the game and at move 55 Li disconnects and is not able to

    reconnect to the server to finish the game.

    When Jie Li cannot reconnect, the game has to be reschduled for anothertime. The observers leave slowly, waiting hopefully for word from Li, until the

    tournament director finally announces that the game will be rescheduled to a

    later date.

    When the later date comes on November 30th, all those predictions do

    indeed come true, with Jie Li crushing Shi by 13.5 points.

    Shi is not discouraged however, saying, I felt that I performed very, very

    well, because last year I lost in the second round. It was hard for me to believe

    that I came so far into the tournament as to defeat two pros. I think I am very

    satisfied with my results and I would like to perform the same next year.

    As for Jie Li, hes happy to be able to aend the World Fujitsu again, say-

    ing, Ive been to the World Fujitsu and the World Oza, and they are really

    fascinating events. I am happy that I have the chance to participate in another

    world class championship again.

    As for how well he thinks he will perform in the upcoming Fujitsu, he

    says, Realistically, I just want to have the opportunity to play with the worlds

    top pros.For him, the difficult part is yet to come. In North America, he is on famil-

    iar ground and is quite confident of his ability to win. In the World Fujitsu, Lis

    position as a player might best be summed up by Philip Waldrons (the tourna-

    ment Director) quote: I would be thrilled if the North American representa-

    tive won his first game. The Fujitsu field is composed of the top players in the

    world, and North America just still doesnt compete at that level.

    Congratulations are in order to Li for his fine performance at the North

    American Fujitsu, and well-wishes for his performance at the World Fujitsu.

    Li will be performing at the Fujitsu Cup in Japan sometime in either July or

    August.

    Anybody wanting to keep track of the date or to see the results from previous

    years can visit: hp://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.html

    http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.htmlhttp://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/fujitsu/index-e.html
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    Life and death is a vital element of improving ones game. Every problem requires

    the player to kill or save a group of stones. In each problem there is a vital point.

    The vital point is a brilliant play that will either save or kill the group. Take a look at

    these problems and see if you can solve them!

    Beginner Life and Death

    White to kill White to kill

    White to kill White to kill

    White to kill White to kill

    26

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    White to kill

    White to kill White to kill

    White to kill

    27

    White to kill

    Black to kill

    Amateur Life and DeathTsumego for amateur players. These tsumego are not as easy as the beginner life and

    death problems, and some will present a challenge even for fairly good amateurs.

    Some are relatively easy, and some are much more difficult. Either way, we hope

    your game gets beer!

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    Frm Higts AbvLee Kibong, Korean 7d

    Lee is an incredibly talented 7 dan Korean amateur with decades of Go experienceunder his belt. Though not a professional, dont let his rank fool you! Lee is very,

    very strong, and probably would have made pro at some point if he had studied Go

    with the goal of becoming a pro.

    He began teaching Go in the 90s, something he continues to do to this day at his

    own Go institute, the groundbreaking International Baduk Academy in Seoul.

    Between his performances at tournaments, his lessons, organizing his school, and

    trying to keep his own Go up to par, Lees lucky he has time to breath, so we were

    very lucky we got a chance to interview him. Enjoy!

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    The Enclave:How did you get interested in Baduk? Obviously you are a

    good player, since you have the highest amateur rank you can get in Korea.

    Why have you dedicated so much to Baduk without ever becoming a profes-

    sional player?

    Lee: When I was seven my father showed me Baduk, and I got interested in

    the game. When I was in school, I was not able to spend as much time on baduk

    as was required to become a professional. Later when I was around 30 and got

    7d I tried to get professional, but that was not possible anymore.

    E: What have you done in your Baduk career? Where did you study, and what

    tournaments have you played? Ive heard you won some tournaments back inthe 1990s, but not much else.

    L: When I was young there were no facilities like public dojangs (baduk

    schools) here in Korea and I also did not want to become a professional. So I

    studied Baduk by myself mostly.

    In the 1990s I won a national tournament and started to study seriously to try

    to become a professional. I won the Korean national championship three times

    in the 90s.In Korea there are usually about ten national championships a year, and back

    then I participated in nearly every one of them. I also particiapted in the Euro-

    pean Go Championship four times and in several other European tournaments.

    E: When was your most active involvement with Baduk?

    L: As I said, in the 1990s as a tournament player, and of course now, leading

    the International Baduk Academy in Seoul as a teacher.

    To learn more about Lees Go school, visit hp://www.baduk-academy.com

    E: Who was the most difficult opponent you have ever faced?

    L:In Korea there are lots of strong players so that question is prey much

    http://www.baduk-academy.com/http://www.baduk-academy.com/http://www.baduk-academy.com/http://www.baduk-academy.com/
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    impossible to answer.

    E: You took 2nd in the main tournament and 1st place in the weekend tourna-

    ment of the 50th European Go Championship in 2006. What was your impres-

    sion of European players at that time? Would you say that Asian players are

    stronger than Europeans? Are the style between continents very different?

    L: Considering the circumstances (referring to the infrastructure of Go schools

    and teachers) I was surprised at how strong the European players were. But

    there are lots of top level amateurs in Asia that could beat the top European

    players, so I think that Asia is still ahead.

    I dont think that style is a very important point, but usually european players

    tend to overplay. Here in Korea you have a lot of very strong opponents so you

    quickly learn what type of overplay can be punished and what type is okay. I

    think that European players oen miss that experience, so they dont even rec-

    ognize that they are overplaying.

    Also, many westerners play very theoretically, while in Asia, especially in Ko-

    rea, reading and fighting is more important than pure knowledge about theo-

    retical concepts.

    E: Tell us a bit about your school, the International Baduk Academy. What does

    it cost, where do you live while aending, how do you study?

    L: The International Baduk Academy in Seoul is my Go school. It is designed to

    address foreigners who want to come to study Baduk here in Korea. Our

    Considering the circumstances, I was sur-prised at

    how strongthe European players were, but...

    I think Asia is still ahead.

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    students live in shared appartments, close

    to the Academy.

    Usually in the morning, I give a lecture or

    the students can selfstudy by doing things

    like Life and Death, stufying professional

    games, and so on. Then in the aernoon

    students play in our internal league or

    play and review teaching games with our

    teachers.

    At the moment, the basic cost per month

    if you include an apartment here is 500*,

    but there are a lot of possibilities for discounts such as prepayment, or youthdiscounts, and there are also scholarships. *Roughly $700

    E: Youve said that your travels to Europe inspired you to start the Internation-

    al Baduk Academy, were the European Go Championships that you aended

    part of this inspiration, or was there something else that inspired you?

    L: Yeah, you guessed that right, it was mainly my experiences when traveling

    to Europe (not only the EGC, but also the other tournaments I aended there).There was nothing like a Go school for Europeans, but I met a lot of people

    who told me that they would like to experience something like that, but they

    were afraid of language problems or things like that. So I thought to myself

    that this kind of academy might be a good solution for that problem.

    E: Baduk academies used to be more common, but Ive heard that they are less

    common in Korea now, and smaller than before. Why did you choose to start

    an academy when it seems interest in Baduk is waning?

    L: Actually, the academies you are talking about are dojangs, the traditional

    Korean version. They only teach in Korean and are mostly for players who

    want to become professionals. Also, the minimum level is prey high. The

    goals of the IBA are very different. The official language of the IBA is English,

    The facilities at the IBA are comfortable and pleasant

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    so it is much easier for foreigners to communicate here, and we also address

    weakerplayers who just want to study for a shorter time and improve for some

    stones. Of course, I also try to help those, who want to become professional

    here.

    E: Did you build the IBA by yourself, or did you have business partners?

    L: I built it mainly buy myself, but some friends helped me with it.

    E: Sounds like you had some drive! Even today, you are one of the professors

    at the IBA, so you keep going. Who are some

    of the other teachers, and how are they in-volved with Baduk?

    L: Our teachers here are mostly top level

    Korean amateurs and former yeonguseng*. At

    the moment there are four Korean 7d teachers

    here at the IBA, including Kim Jung Hyeop,

    who won last years lightning tournament at

    the EGC and scored eight wins in the main tournament (also beating Alexan-der Dinerchteinn, 3p) Oh ChiMin, who won two big tournaments now in Berlin

    in the past weeks, is also a former teacher of the IBA.*Students trying to become professionals, the equivalent of a Japanese insei.

    E: As a teacher, what do you stress most for students? What is the most impor-

    tant thing when learning Baduk?

    L: From the standpoint of go theory, I think that Life and Death problems arethe main thing to study, to improve the students reading ability. But I also

    think that the students aitude and endurance is a very important factor. You

    need some kind of talent to do well in Baduk, but if you are studying hard and

    constantly, you can also overcome a lack of such talent.

    Q: Do you have a teaching background from before the IBA? Ive heard

    Lee teaching at a morning lesson at the IBA

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    rumors you used to teach for the Myojing University in Seoul, but as I said be-

    fore, its hard to look you up.

    A: Yeah, I was teaching Baduk for about 15 years before opening the IBA. I first

    started to teach kids in the 90s and later, when Myeongji opened, they askedme to teach there, and I accepted the offer, teaching there for eleven years.

    E: What has been the most challenging part of establishing the IBA?

    L: It was a very risky decision to open the IBA. No one had ever tried some-

    thing like it before us, so no one was able to share experiences from previous

    experience and we had to start everything from nothing. We had some trouble-

    sin the beginning and a lot of unexpected things happened, but with some help

    we managed it mostly. But even now, there are still new surprises happening

    all the time.

    E: What do you think makes the IBA beer than other Baduk academies?

    L: I explained the difference between the IBA and the normal dojangs earlier. I

    think we are adressing different kinds of people, so there is no real rivalry.

    E: What has inspired you to make the IBA so accessible? Many people praise

    you for your willingness to work with them to allow them to come. Why have

    you done this, even at a cost to yourself?

    L: Well, at the moment, Baduk is well known in only 3 countries. Everywhere

    else it is just a niche game. Also, as I mentioned that there arent any Baduk

    facilities outside of the Asian countries, but I wanted to give everyone a chance

    to experience what its like to study Baduk more seriously. But I know of course

    that money is always an issue for most people, so I always try to find a solution

    for my students that does not harm either of us.

    E: Who has been your most successful student to date?

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    L: (Smiling) How do you define successful? My strongest student at the mo-

    ment is Simon from Germany.

    E: Many of our readers will be familiar with you as LeeKibong on KGS, do

    you play oen on the internet? What is your favorite server for playing Baduk?

    IGS? KGS? Cyberoro?

    L: I mostly play on KGS at the moment. I like the friendly atmosphere there,

    even though finding opponents is oen difficult. For watching professional

    games and tournaments I usually use CyberOro.

    E: Would you explain for us a lile bit about the Korean Professional System?Many of our readers do not know about pro systems other than the Japan. Also,

    what is it like to be an amateur player in Korea?

    L: There are several ways to become a professional in Korea, with some extra

    rules and exceptions for foreigners. Some are only for yeonguseng, and have

    a maximum age limit, some are open to everyone. As for professional tourna-

    ments, there are some important Korean tournaments likse the Kuksu, but usu-

    ally the aention lies on international tournaments.This is one of the major differences if you compare Korea to Japan. There are

    two reasons for that in my opinion. First is, that the prize money in Korean

    tournaments (and also international ones) is much lower than in the Japanese

    titles, and the second one is that in the last few years, Japanese players havent

    been able to compete internationally, so it is quite natural that they would focus

    on national titles.

    Lee Kibong

    In the past few years, Lee has become one of the most influ-

    ential Korean players in the western world, performing well

    in multiple European tournaments.

    He is now a top amateur and teaches Go at his school de-

    signed for westerners.

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    Go: AMatter ofLife andDeath

    Have a funny Go-related story that you would like to share? A favorite Go joke?

    Another lame Life and Death pun that we could pretend we didnt base this sec-

    tions name off of? Maybe you think you can outdo our bad sense of humor?

    If you do, send your joke to us, and if we like it, well stick it in the next issue!

    Send all jokes to: [email protected]

    Please be tasteful, all jokes can and will be viewed by children.

    35

    Because Go players are the only ones who learn by dying

    NoKnott: tell me something, if a duck

    gets convicted of being a badduk, does

    he go to a duckslammr? :)

    CyberPunk: i think i played with a 1d

    CyberPunk: i was winning

    CyberPunk: >-...