| The Triangle Go Group | Staying Connected for Over 50 Years |
The Triangle Memorial Go Tournament has been a SouthEastern US tradition since the beginning of the 21st Century. Originally called the Joe Shoenfield Memorial Marathon Go Tournament, this popular and well-attended tournament was established to commemorate Joe Shoenfield, one of the founders of the SouthEast's strongest Go community, the Triangle Go Group. The name was changed in 2005 in order to recognize and remember Dick Scoville, another long-time Duke math professor who helped create a strong Go tradition in central North Carolina.
The Triangle Memorial Go Tournament is well known for offering generous cash prizes to winners in the open section, and significant prize incentives for winners in all sections. The tournament organizers are rightfully proud of their southern hospitality, traditionally providing attendees an incredibly delicious lunch prepared and served onsite. This annual event occurs every September, 6 to 8 weeks after the US Go Congress.
In 2018 the Triangle Memorial Go Tournament was merged with the North Carolina Championship Tournament.
The Seventeenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament happened September 30th, 2017.
The Sixteenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament occurred on Sunday, September 25th, 2016.
The Fifteenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament took place September 19, 2015. Organized by Paul Celmer, the Tournament Director was Charles Alden.
The Fourteenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held September 20, 2014. This year the open section prize winner took home a prize of $500.
The Thirteenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held September 21, 2013. Results
The Twelfth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held September 23, 2012.
The Eleventh Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held on September 17, 2011.
The Tenth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held on September 25, 2010, at Umstead Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. The site was the familiar Reedy Creek shelter #2, located just off the Harrison Avenue exit on Interstate 40. Online registration was required.
This well-attended tournament offered cash prizes in all sections, with a $200.00 top prize in the open section, and cash prizes in all sections, in addition to prizes provided by the Confucius Institute.
The following are links to brief descriptions of previously held tournaments. The Triangle Memorial Go Tournament will continue to be a significant regional Go event for many years to come.
The Triangle Go Group hosted its 13th annual Triangle Memorial Tournament in an autumn outdoor setting at the Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina on Sept 21. Following tradition, the 29 participants were treated to a picnic lunch and all the entry fees were returned to the players as prize money. As dusk settled on the final game to be completed, Liqun Liu 7D topped perennial champion Changlong Wu 7D in a showdown for the championship of the Open Section.
The A section (1D-2k) was swept by Seth Cardew, also with a perfect 4-0 record, with Brian Wu 3-1 placing second. In the B section (6-11k) Kerianne Squitire, Andrew Zhang, and Alvin Chen tied with scores of 3-1. Finally section C (14k+) was swept by Andrew Zhang 4-0, with his brother Colin Zhang, playing in his first tournament, finishing second with 3-1.
The Twelfth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was attended by 31 players on a beautiful early fall day at Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. The open section included 6 Dan players ranging from 7 Dan to 2 Dan, and was won by Changlong Wu, with second place taken by Jeff Kuang 5 Dan. Section A, made up of 5 1 Dans, was won by Brian Wu, followed by Andrew Zalesak in second. Section B was won by Seth Cardew 2 Kyu, and second place went to Adam Bridges 2 Kyu. This section included 4 players at the 1 and 2 kyu levels. Section C consisted of 6 players ranging from 4 Kyu to 6 Kyu, with the best record posted by Tanner Hancock, 6 Kyu, followed by William Ray, 6 Kyu. The D Section was won by Russel Herman, 21 Kyu, and second place went to Alvin Chen, 11 Kyu. There were 4 rounds in the tournament, and the following players won all 4 of their games: Changlong Wu, Brian Wu, Tanner Hancock and Russell Herman. The TD was Owen Chen, and lunch and snacks were again provided by Arlene and Adam Bridges.
Perennial champion Changlong Wu 7d was joined on the Triangle Memorial Tournament winner podium by Jeff Kuang 5d and Jimmy Yang 4d as co-winners of the Triangle Open section. The tenth annual edition of the Triangle Memorial Tournament was held in Umstead State Park in Cary, North Carolina September 25, 2010. A total of 32 players from North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland spent a summery day playing in the park until sunset, with a picnic lunch provided by the Triangle Go Group. Following tradition, all the entry fees were returned to the players as prizes, which were augmented by a generous donation of books and certificates for Chinese language and cultural lessons from the Confucius Institute at North Carolina State University. Winner Report: Section A (1-2D) was topped by Joseph Contarino and Craig Garrett, both 3-1. The only perfect score of the day was recorded by Andrew Zalesak in Section B (3-6k), followed by Alex Panaccione at 3-1. Steven Mabe at 3-1 won Section C, and perseverance awards went to Danielle Ward and Alvin Chen in Section D.
- report/photo by Charles Alden, Tournament Director
The Ninth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held September 19, 2009, at a shelter in the Reedy Creek section of Umstead Park, just off Harrison Avenue in Cary.
Top prize in the top section was $400.00, with generous cash prizes in all sections. A delicious lunch was provided by Arlene and Adam Bridges. Pairings were promptly posted and the tournment was smoothly conducted by Tournament Director Charles Alden, assisted by Paul Celmer.
The Eighth Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held September 20, 2008, at the Reedy Creek section of Umstead Park, just off Harrison Avenue in Cary.
Top prize in the top section was $400.00, with generous cash prizes in all sections. Additionally, Bill Cobb of Slate & Shell generously donated tsumego books for every player, plus a selection of titles to be awarded as prizes for the top placing players. A delicious lunch was provided by Arlene and Adam Bridges. Pairings were promptly posted and the tournment was smoothly conducted by Tournament Director Charles Alden, assisted by Paul Celmer.
The Seventh Annual Triangle Memorial Tournament was held on September 29th and 30th, 2007, and was directed by Owen Chen. The weather was spectacular in the wooded parkland setting. As has become customary, an amazingly tasty lunch was provided by Arlene Bridges.
32 players participated in the 2 day, 6 round event. Changlong Wu took home the 400 dollar first place prize as he won the top section again this year, a feat he has accomplished three years previously.
Winners by section:
Section A
1st Wu Changlong
2nd, Owen Chen
3rd, Sheng Feng
Section B
1st Dima Arinkin
2nd Xiaoping Wu
3rd Yang Cao
Section C
1st Craig Garrett
2nd Glenn Williamson
3rd Bob Bacon
Section D
1st Brian Wu
2nd Tom Carlson
3rd William Daland
Equipment was provided by the Ing Foundation.
A record-breaking total of 51 players, including 16 dans, assembled on a sunny fall afternoon at Umstead Park in Cary, North Carolina for the Fifth Memorial Go Marathon, hosted by the Triangle Go Group.
The last game to end featured a thrilling finish in the championship game of the Open Section (4D and above), where Peigang Zhang (5-0) managed a successful invasion against Changlong Wu (4-1) with both players having less than a minute for their final dozen moves in byo-yomi. In Section A (2D-3D) Jeff Kuang (5-0) edged Woojin Han (4-1) by a half point in the first round. Tom Bitonti swept Section B (1D-2k) with a perfect 5-0 score, and Glenn Williamson was clear first with 4-1 in Group C (3k-5k). Sergio Parreiras and John Moore tied for first in Section D (6k-8k) with scores of 4-1. Walter Nurmi (5-0) topped Joey O'Donnell (4-1) in the final round to win Section E (9k-12k), and Tom Carlson and Jonathan Hilt scored 4-1 to tie for first in Section F (16k and up).
Following tradition, the tournament earned its name by packing five rounds of play and two rounds of feasting into one day. All entry fees were returned to the players as prize money and meals prepared on site. The tournament commemorates Joe Shoenfield and Dick Scoville, two long-time Duke math professors who helped create a go tradition in central North Carolina.
The Third Annual Joe Shoenfeild Memorial Go Tournament was held September 20, 2003 in Durham, North Carolina. The tournament set another record, with 45 players from throughout North Carolina as well as from Virginia and even one from Lancaster Pennsylvania. Charles Alden was the tournament director.
Cash prizes were awarded in each section. Despite the tight time control, only a handful of the more than 200 games played were decided by time. Defending champion Suk Jun Kim took first prize in the open section with a perfect 5-0, with, Sheng Feng and Yuanjing Zhou tied for second place at 4-1. The A section was won by Woojin Han, 1k, at 4-1, and Brent Marinello won the B section, also at 4-1. Erik Lindquist and Wayne Hansen, both 7k, tied for first in section C at 4-1 and Frank Thorne 11K swept section D at 5-0. A three-way tie for first in section E was shared by Dave Laverdure 16k, Scott Ellis 17k, and Joseph O'Donnell 20k, all at 4-1.
The tournament had many unique features that contributed to the unusually strong turnout. Because of the full schedule of five rounds of rapid-pace play, players do not have time to leave the premises for meals, and the organizers provide both a full lunch and supper at a hospitable residential site. Local members Peter Armenia, Dave Fruchtenicht and Adam Bridges, and Adam's wife Arlene, as well as others provided everything from a cooked turkey and hot dogs to kim chee. The tournament was held at the home of Charles and Tessie Alden. All entry fees were returned in prizes and meal expenses.
There was also a great deal of behind the scenes cooperation amongst the members of the regional go community that was essential for success. For example, sets and clocks donated by the Ing foundation were brought in by the Richmond, Raleigh, and Charlotte Go Clubs to equip the large field.
Our club was gratified that nearly everyone who said they would come did, despite the fact that hurricane Isabel had bulldozed her way through the northeastern part of North Carolina and Virgina only two days before, leaving much of the region without power. The hurricane did, however, engender many fascinating anecdotes about harrowing adventures dodging downed trees and power lines those from out of the state encountered on their trip south.
Most inspiring of these tales, perhaps, was the inimitable Chuck Robbins' account of coming all the way from Pennsylvania only to have to crawl along the interstate as cars squeezed past an overturned RV on I-85 in Virginia, and then having to take a few hours on back roads to finally get to Durham Friday evening (in time for a little informal Go playing, I might add). After his mad trek south, he played all day the next Saturday, and then left Saturday night for a ten hour drive to Hoboken New Jersey to direct a tournament there on Sunday! We suppose the force of a hurricane is nothing compared to the passion a Go player has for the game. And as Charles Alden said in a pre-storm email to let everyone know the tournament would go on no matter what, " not to worry - a hurricane has only one eye."
Since the tournament was covered in the press by both the Durham Morning Herald and the Asian Herald of Charlotte, we hope this tournament will not only serve to strengthen the bonds amongst go players in our region, but to also attract beginners and players that are not aware that we have a strong, welcoming club with over twenty active members that meet over the board each week. We in the Triangle Go Group continue to pursue our goal of demonstrating the sometimes difficult to describe merits of "real" games as opposed to playing solely on the internet. And we are sure that internationally renowned logician Joe Shoenfield, for decades one of the few players in Durham and the best example of dedication to over the board play we have ever met, would be pleasantly amazed at how the tournament has grown.
Reported by Paul Celmer and Charles Alden
A total of 38 players participated in the Fourth Shoenfield Memorial Go Marathon, the Triangle Go Group's unique 5-round tournament distinguished by non-stop play and on-site cuisine. The tournament was hosted by the Thai Tana Restaurant in Research Triangle Park, who also provided a delicious buffet luncheon at midday. Generous prizes were awarded in all six sections, thanks to a grant from the Ing Foundation.
The Open section, with eight players rated 6 dan to 3 dan, featured a final round showdown between the top two players, who entered the round undefeated. In the decisive game Changlong Wu 6D edged Sheng Feng 5D by 3 points to capture first prize of $250. Feng won $150 for clear second place, and the third place prize of $100 went to veteran player Yoshiteru Suzuki. Mr. Suzuki, the tournament's oldest player, returned from Delaware for the tournament and showed astonshing stamina in turning around his final round game with skillful yose play.
For the second year in a row the A section (2D-2k) was won by Woojin Han, who took home $150 with a score of 4-1. In the B section (3k-6k) first place was split by Glenn Williamson and Adam Bridges. who each won $60.
In the C section (8k-11k) veteran John Greiner rolled through with a perfect 5-0 record and pocketed $100. Similarly in the D section (12k-14k) newcomer Sergio Parreiras was impressive in posting the third perfect score of the day and won $90.
And in the E section one of the stories of the day was the victory by 13-year-old Rob Lampe, the youngest player in the history of the tournament, who posted a score of 3-2 and won clear first and $80. Rob clearly understood the Ing scoring system, winning the decisive game in the section by one point by filling the final dame point in the position after his opponent had passed!
Reported by Charles Alden, Tournament Director.