Following his impressive 5th place finish at the 43rd World Amateur Go Championship, Alan Huang maintained his remarkable form by securing the 1st place at the Massachusetts State Go Championship. Interview coordinator: Edward Zhang Interviewer: Leshan Feng Interviewee: Alan Huang Q: Share your early experiences of learning Go. What motivated you to learn Go? A: When I was young, my interest in Go really stemmed from my dad. He was into the game, and I used to squat beside him, watching him play. I didn't understand much back then, but I found it intriguing. My dad taught me the basic rules. At around eight or nine, I was sent to Fengyun Go School. We had a computer at home, but my parents wouldn't share the password, so I couldn't play games. Instead, I turned to Go to pass the time, solving problems and playing games. I studied at Fengyun for over a year and reached the 1-dan level. After that, I didn't really take lessons; I just figured things out on my own and played online. I think Go, being similar to math and logic puzzles, suits people like me who love to use their brains. Now working in the computer field, I find these logical skills quite applicable. So, I play Go partly because I genuinely enjoy it, and partly because it aligns well with my interests and my job. Q: Congratulations on winning the Mass Go State Championship! What was your overall experience of participating in this tournament? A: The experience was quite good overall. The tournament was held in a school, which was spacious and had a great environment. Especially noteworthy were the high-quality boards we used for the top tables. The event was well-organized, with no major issues. The way they scheduled and announced the timings was spot-on, which was crucial. Q: In the Mass. Go tournament, you played 5 games. Which game did you feel the most pressure? A: The game with Michael was probably the most intense because it was extremely fierce. We basically had two large dragons battling it out, creating a very tense scene. It was like a 'mutual capture' situation. Each of us taking turns to attack and defend. Against Alex, the game was more stable. We played around 160 moves, and the process was pretty smooth. He made some moves I didn't anticipate, causing me to fall slightly behind. In the end, I lost by 3.5 points. In this tournament, I had 4 wins and 1 loss, the loss being to Alex. Q: As an amateur 8d player, you, along with 7.5d Alex and 8.5d Michael, are top players. Despite Michael and Alex being professional players, you three often have mixed results in competitions. What's the reason behind this? (e.g., performance in recent tournaments like the Maryland Open, Boston Labor Day, New York, and Mass. Go) A: My record against Alex and Michael is quite decent. I think I'm at 5 wins and 1 loss against Alex, and Michael 4 wins and 1 loss against Alex. My record against Michael is 3 wins and 6 losses, so the performance is somewhat aligned with our ratings. But lately, I feel both Alex and I are in good form, so maybe we can still challenge Michael, haha. Q: What are your goals for 2024? A: I don't really have specific goals in Go. I'm just seeing how well I can perform. Setting a goal like winning the masters division of the American Go Congress seems too ambitious. But aiming for the top three might not be fully satisfying either. Q: Can you offer some tips for kyu players aspiring to reach 1-dan? A: For kyu players, having a teacher is probably better. If self-learning, the main focus should be on solving problems, about 40% of the time, playing games 40% of the time, reviewing games 10% of the time, and listening to lectures 10% of the time. Among these, solving problems is the most important. Q: The American Go Association (AGA) shows the following data. What are your thoughts? Alan vs Michael 2 wins and 6 losses, Alan vs Xiaodi 2-0, but Xiaodi vs Michael 2-1. A: First off, I need to correct you; it's 3 wins and 6 losses now :). This might be somewhat random, given the small sample size. It's definitely not a case of Michael being stronger than me, me being stronger than Xiaodi, and then Xiaodi being stronger than Michael. It might also have to do with our styles of play. My reading skills aren't the best, so Michael often tricks me. In at least two of the six games I lost, I was ahead by more than 30 points, but I couldn't maintain the advantage during byo-yomi and got tricked (laughs). Xiaodi and I have similar styles, but I think maybe I'm slightly stronger, so I can beat her. She doesn't trick me because she plays more conservatively. She only had a 15-point advantage against Michael, so she doesn't get tricked by him and can win against Michael(joked with laughs).
