American Go Association#Professional players

{{Short description|American organization to promote the board game of Go}}

{{Infobox organization

| name = American Go Association

| image =

| size =

| motto =

| type = Sports association

| formation =1935

| headquarters =

| membership = International Go Federation

| leader_title = President

| leader_title2 = Vice-President

| leader_name = Gurujeet Khalsa

| leader_name2 = Chris Kirschner

| language = English

| website = {{URL|https://www.usgo.org}}

}}The American Go Association (AGA) was founded in 1935, to promote the board game of Go in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/resources/downloads/goinamerica.pdf |title=Go in America - a history of the American Go Association |last=Laird |first=Roy |year=2001 |work=The Proceedings of the First International Conference on Go |publisher=Department of Go Studies, Myongji University, Seoul, Korea, 5-11-12 |accessdate=28 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718234928/http://www.usgo.org/resources/downloads/goinamerica.pdf |archivedate=July 18, 2011 }}

Founded by chess master Edward Lasker and some friends at Chumley's restaurant in New York City, the AGA is one of the oldest Western Go associations.

The AGA publishes a weekly online newsletter that reaches more than 13,000 subscribers worldwide, The American Go E-Journal, and an annual Yearbook; maintains a national rating system; organizes an annual national event, The US Go Congress; selects North American representatives in international tournaments; and provides support to its members and chapters as they promote Go in their communities.

Events for youth have also been established, including tournaments and an annual AGA youth summer camp that features instruction from professional players. The AGA has developed a set of rules that attempts to reconcile difference between "area"-based rule sets and "territory"-based rule sets, and participates actively in an international committee, trying to establish a unified worldwide set of rules.

As a member of the International Go Federation, the AGA is the official organization responsible for managing and promoting Go in the United States.

Publicity and exposure

President Barack Obama's administration contacted the AGA for an American-made Go board etched with the presidential seal and signature, the gift given on November 17, 2009 to China's President Hu Jintao.{{cite web|url=http://www.trianglegoclub.org/theboard.htm|title=A Gift Between Nations - Frank's Board|publisher=trianglegoclub.org|date=27 November 2009|accessdate=1 January 2015}}

Whilst the US Go community were buzzing about getting exposure, and the BBC covered the event on its Newsnight programme{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}, the US press did not really pick up the story, except the Chapel Hill Herald, the local paper where the board was made.{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2009/12/go-in-the-news-carrboro-carpenter-crafts-go-board-for-obama-gift/|title=GO IN THE NEWS: Carrboro Carpenter Crafts Go Board for Obama Gift|publisher=usgo.org|date=14 December 2009|accessdate=1 January 2015}}

The association and its aim of finding the first professional American Go player were heavily featured in the 2018 movie The Surrounding Game.

Professional system

In December 2011, The AGA partnered with the Korea Baduk Association and the Korean Go server Tygem to promote a new professional players system for the US.{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/aga-professional-system|title=AGA Professional System|publisher=usgo.org|accessdate=3 March 2015}} Tygem agreed to sponsor and be the broadcaster for the 2012 professional certification tournament. In addition, several Asian professional tournaments have invited AGA professionals to compete.{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2015/10/andy-liu-1p-wins-exchange-match-plays-in-sankei-cup-game-sunday-night/|title=Andy Liu 1p Wins Exchange Match, Plays in Sankei Cup Game Sunday Night|publisher=usgo.org|accessdate=24 July 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2013/06/new-aga-pro-to-play-in-first-korean-tournament/|title=New AGA Pro To Play in First Korean Tournament|publisher=usgo.org|accessdate=24 July 2016}}

In 2021, the AGA transferred its professional system to a new governing organization, the North American Go Federation, formed by the AGA and the Canadian Go Association.{{cite web|url=https://www.usgo.org/news/2021/02/aga-and-cga-announce-the-north-american-go-federation/|title=AGA and CGA announce the North American Go Federation|publisher=American Go E-Journal|date=2021-02-06}} The certification system is open to both US citizens and Canadian citizens via invitation pending the residency requirement and qualifying as a finalist.

=Professional players=

Professional status in Go is customarily for life. The dates below indicate when the players were granted professional status.

2012: Andy Liu 1p and Gansheng Shi 1p{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2012/08/gangshen-shi-wins-to-join-andy-liu-as-first-aga-profesionals/|title=Gangsheng Shi Wins to Join Andy Liu as First AGA Profesionals|year=2012|accessdate=11 January 2015}}
2014: Calvin Sun 2p{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2014/01/calvin-sun-edges-out-bill-lin-to-win-aga-pro-tourney/|title=Calvin Sun Edges Out Bill Lin in Dramatic Final to Win AGA Pro Tourney|year=2014|accessdate=11 January 2015}}
2015: Ryan Li 3p{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/news/2015/01/li-closes-in-on-2015-pro-victory-finals-round-3-underway-live-now-on-kgs/|title=Ryan Li Sweeps Final to Win 2015 AGA Pro Victory|last=Garlock|first=Chris|year=2015|accessdate=11 January 2015}}
2016: Eric Lui 1p{{cite web|url=http://www.usgo.org/aga-professional-results-2015|title=AGA Professional Results 2015}}
2022 Kevin Yang 1p and Alexander Qi 1p{{cite web|url=https://baduk.club/2022pqt|title=North American Pro Qualification 2022|year=2022|accessdate=1 July 2022}}

AGA City League

The City League is an AGA tournament where teams from different cities play each other in a league system, on the Pandanet server in the AGA room.

The teams consist of up to five players, out of whom three are selected to play in each round.

The current rules are listed on Pandanet.{{cite web|url=http://pandanet-igs.com/communities/agacityleague/113|title=Pandanet-AGA City League Rules Year 3|publisher=Pandanet|date=October 7, 2014|accessdate=October 25, 2017}}

References

External links

[http://www.usgo.org/ Official site]
[http://www.usgo.org/news/ The American Go E-Journal]
[http://www.usgo.org/american-go-yearbook AGA Yearbook]
[http://www.usgo.org/ratings AGA ratings]
[http://www.gocongress.org/ US Go Congress]
[http://www.usgo.org/summer-go-camp US Go Summer Camps for Kids]

Category:Go organizations