LeiMagnus

Hi, my pseudonym is LeiMagnus. My real name is Carl and I'm the Fall 2003 president of Viking Go Club in Bellingham, Washington (in the US). I'm an East Asian Studies major at Western Washington University, also in Bellingham, with my studies focused primarily on Japanese historical culture and some Chinese history as well.

I became fascinated with go after seeing Hikaru no Go and reading the manga. Although still fairly weak (I'm only 15 kyu or so), I still love the game. It's only a small part of my life, however. I'm not one of those fanatics you'd find at a chapter of the American Go Association.

My interest in go is in it as a game, since I was a fan of chess when I was younger; as a cultural aspect, since it is related to my field of study; and as an obstacle for AI programming. Even though I don't understand most of what is talked about in regards to computer go, I find the whole issue intriguing nonetheless. Also, my Japanese friend told me that shogi is much more popular than go. That was a little more than a year ago. I find the decline and reascension of go fascinating as well.