Go champ reflects on TO event

Among board games few are anymore respected than the ancient game of Go.

A quick look, and the game looks ridiculously simple. It is a two-player effort, with players placing stones on the intersections of a board typically 9x9 for new players, and 19x19 at the best levels of the game.

But for its simplicity in terms of rules, Go which dates back centuries, is incredibly deep.

“One can see why many people say it’s one of the most elegant brainburning abstract games in history, with players trying to claim territory by walling off sections of the board and surrounding each other’s stones,” states the game’s entry at boardgamegeek.com.

The game is ultimately determined with whoever controls the most territory winning.

The game is one of those ancient gems still being played at the highest levels – like chess, shogi, Othello and others.

There are notable tournaments held around the world and that includes the Toronto Go Spectacular held in December.

The event featuring the first North American professional championships, North American Go youth championships, and large side open tournaments.

The professional championship was captured by Ryan Li, who was good enough to answer a few questions via email.

“I have won different tournaments in the past, but this is the first professional Go tournament that I’ve won,” he said.

So was the key to Li’s success in Toronto?

“I was very focused and told myself the reason why I am participat-

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meeple.guild@gmail.com ing in this tournament was to win it,” he said.

“My wife helped a lot since she took care of everything else.” Winning the TO event was certainly meaningful for Li.

“This is the first ever professional Go tournament for North Americans, and it means a lot to be the champion. We hope tournaments like these can bring more Go interest in the community,” he said.

Li was born in Beijing, China but raised in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada. After completing his undergraduate in Physics in Toronto, he went to the US to obtain a PhD in Climate Physics. Li currently works as a software engineer at Amazon.

Not surprisingly to be an elite Go player, Li learned the game at a young age.

“I have been playing Go for 25 years; since I was four,” he explained.

While finding success at the Toronto event, Li is not exactly on the tournament trail.

“I compete in a couple of tournaments a year, not a whole lot though. I used to compete more when I was a grad student,” he said.

That said Go still completely holds Li’s interest.

“Go is fascinating for me because of its complexity,” he related. “One can ponder about it endlessly and always have new findings. I guess I just always liked complex things.”

So, is there a general approach he take in each game? Or is he more reactive to what opponents are doing?

“There is definitely a combination of both,” offered Li. “You have to come into each game with general strategies, but improvise based on each opponent’s move.”

As for a tip as to what make a good Go player, Li answered rather philosophically by simply stating the key was “understanding yourself.”