The Pittsburgh Go Association

History of the Pittsburgh Go Association

The history of the club on this page came from an older version of the web site. If anyone wants to fill in gaps up till the present, or at least 2005, contact .

Pittsburgh Go Association (2002 - Present)

During the Winter Break of the 2002-2003 academic year, Benjamin Tsai, Mike Clark, and Mike Goldweber independently decided that it was time for a fundamental reorganization of the then re-building Pittsburgh Go Club. Through the marvel of modern technology, Benjamin was able to draft the organization's Constitution and Bylaws in Cambridge, UK while coordinating with Mike Clark and Mike Goldweber in Pittsburgh on how to start the reorganization of the Go club.

And so it was, during the Spring of 2003, that the Pittsburgh Go Association was born. We soon became a CMU affiliated student organization and were able to make use of CMU's facilities for our regular meetings.

Pittsburgh Go Club (1973 - 2002)

1973 - Tuesdays were the only evening with rooms available at the Student Union at Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; so Tuesday became Go Club night.

1985 - Fred Hansen joined the Information Technology Center at CMU. Larry Raper and George Rosenberg became regular go players. The Go Club was established in the ITC library on Tuesday evenings (2nd floor of what is now Cyert Hall). Other players included Kurt Wallnau, Tom Bitonti, and Rich Rubenstein.

1986-1987 - Fred went to Scotland. Larry Raper continued the Go Club by carrying sets over to Skibo (old University Center). When Fred returned, regular meetings in the ITC library resumed.

1993 - The ITC disbanded and the space was occupied by the Language Technology Institute. Graciously, they allowed the Go Club to continue using the space on Tuesday evening. Jing Yang arrived from China and became just about the strongest amateur in the US. When he played simultaneous matches, it was always seven seconds per player, right around the room. When asked how many simultaneous matches he could handle, he replied that it didn't matter.

1998 - The LTI was moved and the space was closed for renovation. In lieu of a real Go club, Fred began attending 61C Cafe in Squirrel Hill on Tuesdays with a Go board. From time to time people showed up and played.

2001 - The 61C Cafe got annoyed at the Go club. Fred and George began playing in the lobby of the University Center (which had by then replaced Skibo).

2002 - Benjamin Tsai noticed the club and called Fred. When Fred professed to be a contact point and not the president, Benjamin walked into the power vacuum.