GO Club for Middle Students
教练夏老师保证学生能学会！
Time: Every Monday afternoon, 5/5/2014 to 6/2/2014 (total 5 sessions. Students can stay at SpringLight from 3:00 to 6:30pm)
4:00-5:00pm, Mathcounts （夏老师，中科大数学系毕业。二十年教学经验）
5:00-6:30pm, GO (围棋）（夏老师介绍见最下方）
Address: 1340 S De Anza Blvd, Suite 204, San Jose, CA 95129
Fee: total $10 for GO club. $100 for Mathcounts.
Contact: 408-366-2204, spring.light.edu@gmail.com
Age group: 5th to 8th grade students.
A Brief History of Go
Go was invented in China around 4,000 years ago. According to legend, the board game was created as a teaching tool by the Chinese Emperor Yao (2337 – 2258 BC) designed it for his son, Danzhu, to learn discipline, concentration, and balance. Go is believed to have been introduced to Japan by Kibi Makibi, who had studied in China during the Tang Dynasty at the beginning of the 8th century. It then became a game of the noblemen and samurais. After World War II, the game became increasingly popular outside of Asia as well – but there still existed a large gap in strength between non-Asian, amateur players and Asian professional Go players. Over the last decade or so, the international Go scene has been mainly dominated by China and Korea, closely followed by Japan.Go in America
The earliest Go players in North America were most likely Chinese workers toiling on the transcontinental railroad in the mid-1800s, and the game did not immediately attract notice outside the Chinese-American community. The game first came to the attention of Westerners in the early 1900s when a group of German mathematicians and game players stumbled upon it, such as Edward Lasker. With Lee Hartmann (editor of Harper’s Magazine) and a few others, Lasker formed the American Go Association in New York in 1937. Today, with over 2000 members, the American Go Association remains a small, tight-knit national community that generally greets new players as a long-lost member of the family.Influence of Go in the Bay Area
There are two traditional youth tournaments in the San Francisco Bay Area: The Ing’s Cup Youth Goe tournament and the Jujo Jiang Cup Youth Goe tournament. Both have been holding tournaments for more than 15 years. Today, there are many other available youth tournaments and Go clubs in the Bay Area. Bay Area Go Players Association is a nonprofit organization created to serve the go community by sponsoring and publicizing tournaments, lessons, and educational events in Northern California. Thanks to the increasing number of professional Go players in the Bay Area, the overall level of Go in the area has improved significantly within the past 20 years. Top Ten Reasons To Play Go ( by American Go Association ) 1) Go is the simplest of all games. (Rules can be learned in minutes) 2) Go is the most complex of all games. (Its strategy is very subtle) 3) Go is the most popular game in the world today. 4) Go is about building, not destroying. 5) You always know where you fit in. 6) All players are equal. 7) It’s easy to learn from mistakes. 8) Ancient rituals impart important values. 9) Every game has a winner. 10) Go is the oldest game still played in its original form. Benefits of playing Go 1) Mind games where luck is not an element are known to exercise both halves of the brain. This has been found to be helpful in avoiding degenerative brain diseases. 2) Go teaches patience, discipline, and open-mindedness. It is a game where greed is punished, and creativity is rewarded. 3) The skills learned and developed in Go to be applicable to all areas of life. Information About the Coach Harley Xia, a 3d player, has played Go for over 30 years. As a student and a professor, he has represented his university and school by winning team and individual awards. Now, he enjoys playing the game leisurely by coaching at local youth Go clubs to support and analyze games for beginner and intermediate level students.Share the joy