© 2015 Yuan Zhou

The Young Chinese Go Masters

Volume 1

Yuan Zhou

Buy the full book at gobooks.com

The professional go world is suddenly being overwhelmed by teenage and twenty something Chinese players who are winning both international and Chinese national titles—virtually all current world title holders are Chinese, and several of them were born in the 1990s. Most of these players are not yet well known in the west, which is what prompts Slate & Shell to bring out a collection of the games of some of these impressive young go masters. This book has four fully commented games involving eight of them, and we plan to publish more soon. Their style tends to be more territorial than you might expect, but, as Yuan Zhou makes clear, they find amazing moves.

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About the Author

Yuan Zhou (American Go Association 7 dan) was born in Tianjin, China. Tianjin is a major city in the northern part of China, near Beijing. His father taught him to play go at the age of six, and a year later he won the Tanggu District Junior Go Championship. After this auspicious beginning, Zhou began professional go training while he was still seven years old. He was twice invited to represent Tianjin in the All China Prodigy Cup.

In 1989 Zhou immigrated to the USA, becoming a US citizen and joining the American Go Association (AGA). Zhou earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, where he was president of the go club, and became increasingly involved in AGA events, winning many go tournaments. Please see the list below for Yuan Zhou’s 30 US go titles. Zhou was also elected to the AGA board of directors in 2005.

Zhou is one of the top competitors on the American go scene, winning the Eastern US Open, one of the biggest US tournaments in 1992. He also won the New Jersey Open, one of the biggest US tournaments, four times. Twice he has won the Maryland Open, another major tournament that attracts strong players. Zhou has placed in the top ten in the US Open many times, as well as in the North American Ing Masters Cup and the North American Fujitsu Qualifying Tournament. These tournaments involve the strongest North American go players and include pros. In Zhou’s go career, he has defeated pros many times, including four times in even tournament games: Hak Soo Kim 6p in the 1996 Fujitsu, Xuefen Lin 1p in the 2001 Eastern Oza, Huiren Yang 1p in the 2009 North American Ing Masters, and Feng Yun 9p in the 2011 SAMG World Team Go US Team Qualifier. Zhou also won the US Pair Go Championship four times. Zhou represented the USA in international tournaments many times (WAGC, Korea Prime Minister Cup, World Pair Go Championship, etc).

In 2009, Zhou represented USA in the 4th Korea Prime Minister Cup World Go championship in Jeonju, Korea and finished in 5th place.

In addition to his competitive successes, Zhou has become a popular teacher and lecturer, frequently giving lectures and teaching lessons at various go clubs in the Eastern US region. He has also published many go books with Slate & Shell (www.slateandshell.com) and SmartGo Books (www.smartgo.com). Zhou resides in Germantown, Maryland, USA. His website is at www.zhouyuan.com.

Copyright Page

(c) 2015 Yuan Zhou

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

Slate & Shell
1425 Westshire Lane
Richmond, VA 23238
www.slateandshell.com

Edited by William Cobb

Cover design by Laurie M. Crammond

Conversion to SmartGo Books by William Cobb

ISBN of print edition:
1–932001–72–2

Table of Contents

The Young Chinese Go Masters
Volume 1

About the Author

Copyright Page

Introduction

Game One: Chen Yaoye 9p vs Tan Xiao 7p

The chapters in gray are included only in the full book.

Game Two: Shi Yue 9p vs Tang Weixing 9p

Game Three: Mi Yuting 9p vs Tuo Jiaxi 9p

Game Four: Tong Mengcheng 4p vs Yang Dingxin 3p

About SmartGo Books

Introduction

In recent years, young Chinese pros have been astonishing the go world by winning international tournaments in their twenties and even in their teens—and there are a lot of them doing this. Unfortunately, these players are little known by western players. Many westerners would probably recognize the name of Chen Yaoye, born in 1989, who is now in his twenties. He became the youngest 9 dan in history in 2007 as the result of being the runner-up in two international tournaments, the LG Cup (losing in the final to Gu Li 9p of China in 2006 when Chen was fourteen) and the Asian TV Cup the next year (losing to Lee Sedol 9p of Korea). A very fully commented game between Chen and Cho Chikun is in my book Deep Thought, Volume Two. That game is an interesting battle between two solidly territorial players.

A significant factor in the rise of this crop of young stars is that, thanks to the Internet, they play an enormous number of games. Also, starting as very young players they do not go to normal schools, but spend a lot of time with their teachers and in pro level study.

International tournaments won by Chinese pros in their early twenties or younger in recent years:

Bailing Cup in 2013: Zhou Ruiyang (born in 1991)
Bailing Cup in 2014: Ke Jie (1997)
Chunlan Cup in 2013: Chen Yaoye (1989)
Ing Cup in 2013: Fan Tingyu (1996)
Limin Cup: Tong Mengcheng (1996)
LG Cup in 2014: Tuo Jiaxi (1995)
LG Cup in 2013: Shi Yue (1991)
LG Cup in 2012: Jiang Weijie (1991)
MLily Cup in 2013: Mi Yuting (1996)
Qionglong Cup (women pros) in 2012: Li He (1992)
Qionglong Cup in 2013: Wang Chenxing (1991)
Samsung Cup in 2013: Tang Weixing (1993)

Recent young winners of the most prestigious Chinese national tournaments with their birth years include:

Mingren: Lian Xiao (1994); Chen Yaoye (1989), twice; Tan Xiao (1993); Jiang Weijie (1991), twice

Tianyuan: Chen Yaoye (1989), for the last seven years in a row

Chang-ki Cup: Yang Dingxin (1998), Shi Yue (1991), Chen Yaoye (1989), Tuo Jiaxi (1995)

Qisheng: Zhou Ruiyang (1991), twice

Game One: Chen Yaoye 9p vs Tan Xiao 7p

Chen Yaoye

Chen Yaoye, born in 1989, became the youngest 9 dan in history in 2007 as the result of being the runner-up in two international tournaments, the LG Cup (losing 2–3 in the final to Gu Li in 2006 when Chen was fourteen) and the Asian TV Cup the next year (losing to Lee Sedol). He won his first international tournament, the China-Korea Tengen, in 2009. In the same year he won the national Tianyuan, again defeating Gu Li (often ranked number 1 in China), and has held this title for six consecutive years so far. He won his first major international tournament, the Chunlan Cup, in 2013, again defeating Lee Sedol (often ranked number 1 in Korea). Chen has won the three most prestigious national titles: the Tianyuan, the Mingren (three times in a row since 2013), and the Changqi Cup (in 2012).

Tan Xiao

Tan Xiao, born in 1993, won the Chinese fast play tournament, the Qiwang, in 2011, and the prestigious Mingren in 2012, becoming the youngest player ever to win the Mingren, which is one of the two Chinese pro tournaments that include all the professional Chinese players. (The other is the Tianyuan.) Tan is a private student of Nie Weiping. Both Tan and Chen have been ranked as the number one player in China at various times.

This game, played on November 5, 2013, is the fourth game in the best-of-five-games finals in the 26th Mingren, one of the most prestigious national Chinese titles. Chen is leading 2–1. Tan won the title the previous year by a score of 3–0. The players have three hours of basic time followed by five periods of sixty seconds byoyomi. Chen is White; Tan is Black.

Moves 1–2

＞＜

The game opens with two 3–4 point plays, traditional territory-oriented moves. Generally, pros avoid well-studied opening patterns such as the Chinese opening or the sanrensei. Instead they look for new ideas. This can involve rehashing old ideas, as here. Starting this way was very popular a long time ago, before the development of New Fuseki in the 1930s.

Moves 3–4

＞＜

Both players continue with a very traditional and often played pattern of alternating 3–4 point moves. White has often played 4 in this situation at A—that was a favorite pattern of Go Seigen with White. A common, traditional continuation in a solidly territorial style would be Black at either A or B. Black B and White A next is also a common pattern, in effect a mirror opening.

Move 5

＞＜

However, Tan tries something different, playing a high approach at Black 5, which would be seen as a bad play in traditional theory. Of course, there is a great deal of freedom in go—you can play many different ways. From a directional point of view the left side is not a good area for Black since White has a low stone below. If White pincers Black 5, the fighting here should be good for White. However, Black is disrupting White’s best area for development and Black 5 indirectly helps Black develop at the top or attack White strongly if White approaches at A next.

Move 6

＞＜

White responds with a similar corner attack at 6.

White would like to pincer , but doesn’t want to risk losing sente at this point—Black might get to play at White 6 then.

Chen is a solidly territorial player who likes to avoid risk. He does not usually start early fighting, preferring to accumulate small gains rather than start large fights. Moreover, with komi, White generally prefers to break the game up into small pieces.

Move 7

＞＜

Attaching with Black 7 helps , Black’s weakest stone, and prevents a white attachment at A, which would be a strong play.

Move 8

＞＜

White does not continue in the top left since there would be a risk of Black’s getting sente to close the lower right corner. Moreover, is on the outside, so it is not badly located, and could now be considered a little slow.

Moves 9–13

＞＜

Playing again in the upper left would be too slow for Black so Black aims to take another corner with the attachment at 9, which is consistent with Tan’s territorial style and reflects an aversion to unclear, risky plays, especially in the opening. A common, well-known joseki follows. Black gets a large, solid corner. White will now extend up the right side—but how far?

Moves 14–15

＞＜

Black must get out and not allow White to seal him into the corner by playing at 15. This is the famous “Shusaku kosumi”, the diagonal move in the opening associated with the 19th century Honinbo Shusaku. Black does not want to touch a white stone at either A or B since that would help the white stone to become stronger, aiding White’s development of the side.

Moves 16–17

＞＜

White 16 makes a solid position on the right side. So Black needs to help his upper right corner now, but instead of defending the corner by simply attaching at A, Black 17 attacks by splitting White’s stones at the top, putting pressure on both white stones there. Black plays three spaces away from so as to leave more potential for Black to the left. Defending at Black A would be a little passive. Pros naturally look for more active ways of playing. See the variation diagrams below.

Slow and Passive

＞＜

If Black plays this way, his corner becomes safe, but White gets to make another large position at the top. Black would be in danger of falling behind if he played this way.

Little Pressure

＞＜

However, Black 17 () puts little pressure on because the corner is open. If Black seals White in this way, White can still make a live shape in the corner. After White 4, A and B are miai for White to live. Moreover, because White has a strong position on the right side, Black’s group in the upper right has little value, giving White less reason to play there.

Moves 18–20

＞＜

Chen next plays in the upper left corner so that Black cannot make a big position in that area. White 20 is not at A, which would be normal in this joseki, because of Black’s stone to the right. White A would make it easier for Black to make a good extension from . After White 20, White could make a two space extension to the right. See variation “Too Good for Black” below.

Too Good for Black

＞＜

If White 20 is at White 1, Black would attack with 2 and make a good position with 4. would be perfectly situated and White’s corner would still be vulnerable, requiring White to run out at 5. This is too good for Black for White to allow.

Move 21

＞＜

Since White has miai to live at A and B, Black returns to attacking White’s upper right stone. However, later study shows that this play is a little slow. Tan should play Black 21 at A, which is very big. After Black A, White would make an extension to B and then Black should attack at 21. Black A would also support a wider extension down the left side later.

Moves 22–23

＞＜

White 22 makes White alive in this corner. This makes Black’s group here heavy so Black needs to extend with 23.

Move 24

＞＜

White uses sente to close the last unsettled corner with 24.

At this point in the opening, most players prefer White, but it’s not easy to see what to do next—there’s no obvious target. An extension to A would be attractive for Black, but a little inefficient and White would get sente.

Moves 25–28

＞＜

Extending all the way to the attachment with Black 25 is a good move; White’s corner is already strong. Chen makes good shape with White 26 and 28, and Tan gets sente.

Turning at A next would induce White B, giving White a perfect local shape. That exchange would also lead White to invade on the lower left side since there is a four space gap there. However, fixing that weakness with Black C now would be inefficient.

Move 29

＞＜

So Black plays the knight’s move jump to 29 instead. This move threatens to make a huge position on the left side but it leaves a potential cutting point, as shown in the variation diagram below.

Bad for White

＞＜

White could push at 1 and cut with 3. White would capture two stones that way, but Black would get outside influence in return. Moreover, becomes a slow, unnecessary move. Black would be satisfied with this shape—and have sente. So White will not play this way.

Moves 30–31

＞＜

White 30 is an interesting and good move. It threatens to destroy the lower left part of Black’s position here, which is a better way than an invasion exploiting the weakness in Black’s shape below. Black cannot attack White 30 from the outside so Black must defend. However, after Black 31, White can still play the push and cut shown in variation “Bad for White” above. Black 31 would be better at A, since that would prevent a cut, but the game play puts more pressure on White 30 and aims at center benefits.

The full book continues this game to the end, followed by a thorough analysis of three more games.

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© 2015 Yuan Zhou

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