Youth Go News 38 - December 2024

Editor, Toby Manning.

You are receiving this Newsletter as we believe you have an interest in Youth Go. If you do not wish to receive future Newsletters, or if you receive multiple copies, please let us know at ynews AT britgo.org

Your Newsletter

This is your Newsletter: We welcome contributions from our readers; if you have any news, an interesting article or suggestions for inclusion in future newsletters please send it to ynews AT britgo.org. If you are a parent or teacher reading this, please pass it on to your children!

European Youth Go Online Tournaments

We are taking part in two European on-line tournaments, the "Competition" and the "Championships". The Championships are only open to British citizens (this includes those born in the UK but who may not hold a UK passport) who are Under 18 on 1 January 2025, while the Competition is open to anyone who has been resident in the UK for 2 years and is Under 20 on 1 June 2025. The matches will take place in the New Year.

We will select a squad of about 15 players for each event. Each tournament will consist of 4 or 5 matches; there will be a team of 5 in each match, the team to be selected from the squad. We need players of all ages, as each match must include at least one player who is Under 12 (and the Competition requires some players who are Under 16).

If you would like to apply to join the squad, please email Team Manager Alison Bexfield with your name, grade, date of birth (month/year only), and status (British citizen, born in UK, time of residence in the UK), by 7 December. We will announce the squad members shortly afterwards.

NEWS

SEYGO

In the 2024 SEYGO European Youth Go Tournament held in October in Istanbul, Turkey, Ryan Zhang won the U12 group, beating strong U18 opponents Dragos Boldeanu (Romania 2d) and Stjepan Medak (Croatia 4d).

UK Go Challenge Finals

The 2024 finals were combined with British Small Board Championships to celebrate 30 years of the Cambridge Junior Chess and Go Club. The junior overall place and age group categories were determined by a knockout system, but the top juniors could also aim for places in the British Small Board.

Winners:

U16 Boys  - Jianzhou Mei
U14 Boys  - Andrew Volovich 
U12 Boys  - Ethan Chen 
U10 Boys  - Clarence Qin  
U08 Boys  - Yuchen Wu   
U16 Girls - Belinda Chen
U12 Girls - April Chen   
U10 Girls - Kacey Chen   
U08 Girls - Alethea Peck   

Results:

1st - Belinda Chen
2nd - Andrew Volovich
3rd - Ethan Chen

The top three winners each got a large certificate showing their achievement, a prize and a cash prize. All age group winners received a certificate, prize and a cash prize, and the rest of the 27 young players received a participation certificate.

Highlights of the day were undoubtedly being able to play the Go robot and the many cakes provided by Smith family.

British Youth Go Championship

The British Youth Go Championship was held at Leicester Bridge Club for a fourth time. It was run by Toby Manning and Tony Atkins, with Helen and Martin Harvey running the novices, and with help from Peter Fisher.

Here are some Photographs of the event, and here are the full Results.

Congratulations to Ryan Zhang (3d) who was Under-12 champion and became British Youth Go Champion for the first time. However he was not the best of the 37 players as Chenhe Yuan (5d), just arrived in the UK, won all six games to take the Open title.

The was nobody in the Under-18 category this year, but the other age-group winners were:

Under-16: Alvina Kwok, 
Under-14: Audrey Fung, 
Under-10: Aidan Fung
Under-8: Ezreal Yang. 

The Novices Winner was Nathaniel Armstrong from Cheadle Hulme School. Winners of 5/6 games were Joshua Fai, Clinton Yu and Claude Robinson.

Hong Kong Match

On 9 November we started a fourth match on KGS between eight British youth players and a team of eight children from Hong Kong Children's Go College. This will carry on for several weeks with usually two games each weekend, early morning each day. The format, as in the other matches, is that of last team standing, like the former China-Japan Supergo Matches, with the winner of each game staying on. The games are played online in the KGS British Room, with Chinese Rules with 30 minutes main time + 3 x 30 seconds byoyomi and komi is 7.5 points. The British team was selected from our list of young players, taking those who were active, settled in the UK and who replied to the invitation. The HK team plays under username "hkteam".

The match is currently tied at 4-4.

Results (UK team named first):

• Adam Siqi Chan lost to Owen Lin by 19.5
• Aidan Fung beat Owen Lin by 5.5
• Aidan Fung beat Man Hok Lam by 61.5
• Aidan Fung beat Alan Zheng by 1.5
• So Wai Kiu beat Lau Yan Ming by 49.5
• So Wai Kiu lost to Lam Pak Yin by 14.5
• Aidan Fung lost to Lam Pak Yin by 42.5
• Audrey Fung lost to Lam Pak Yin by 47.5

The next game is on Saturday 7 December at 09:00, when Lin Ho Lai will play Lam Pak Yin. The match will be on KGS in the British Room.

TOURNAMENTS

European Youth Go Championships

These will take place in Vatra Dornei, Romania, between 6 and 8 March 2025. Here are more details. The tournament will be split into two sections:
Under 12: birth date on or after 1 January 2013
Under 18: birth date between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2012

If you wish to go and would like a letter to support your absence from school, please email ynews AT britgo.org.

TEACHING/TRAINING

ONLINE MEETINGS

The Online Go Club continues, but with a few week's break for Christmas, on Tuesdays from 5:30pm until 7:00pm (players can drop in at any time during this period). However, meetings will now take place on playstrategy.org, instead of OGS, in the "team" called "Euro City Youth Go League". For instructions on using playstrategy.org or any other information/questions please contact Paul Smith, email paul361smith AT gmail DOT com.

DIARY SUMMARY

8 December - British School Teams ** Cancelled **
1 February - London Youth (London Go Centre)

USEFUL RESOURCES

Here are some useful resources/links:

BGA Youth Go Twitter ("X") account (kept fairly active, 352 followers)
BGA Youth Go OGS (closed group, 155 members including adult organisers). If you are a new member, please complete this form.
BGA Youth Go Discord Channel
BGA Website: Junior Pages

PROBLEMS

Black to play