MSO4 is delighted to announce two special guests to its go events. Six-year-old prodigy Liao Xingwen (see New Kids 3) and his "go mother" Liu Yajie 2-dan have accepted invitations to spend the entire period of the Olympiad in London, flying out from Beijing on 17 August.
Liu Yajie
(Photos courtesy of Clive Hunt)
Xingwen's steady progress continues. Liu Yajie says: "He plays so well sometimes and my husband [Xingwen's teacher, Wang Hongjun 7-dan] and I are really surprised by his talent; but sometimes his games would collapse suddenly or he would resign when he is still in a good position, just like the game he played against my husband. It was recorded by himself."
Although Xingwen has grasped counting well enough to record games, he is still too young for school in China and so has had no formal training yet in handling large numbers. His quiet style of play, somewhat reminiscent of Yi Ch'ang-ho, makes him depend on estimating territorial balance, but it seems this is an area still giving him problems.
Liao Xingwen
Xingwen will play in the main tournament at MSO4, and will also join in some special events. One already planned is a game against Mick Reiss's top-selling computer go program. Yajie will provide the usual array of professional expertise.
We plan to keep you well informed during the event, but for the very rare chance to see and maybe play someone who could be the next Go Seigen, why not come along in person?
The game referred to above is available here in sgf format. We include another two recent games. One is against fellow pupil Jiang Yinchu, who is nine years old. The other is against a top amateur in Guilin, and was one of three games White played simultaneously.
