Promoting Go in the UK and beyond

Can anyone run a tournament?

Yes anyone can. Though it is best if you have some experience of go events or running other events. You should probably have attended one or two go tournaments to see how they usually work.

How do I chose a date?

Look at the BGA calendar. Preferably look for a vacant weekend, as there are fewer than 52 events per year, and look for a date that is not too close to the date of another event in your area.

How do I get the date on the calendar?

Send your proposed date to the BGA Tournament Coordinator (tourn-coord at britgo.org), to check it is acceptable, and get it reserved. It can be marked as provisional at first if you are not too sure to start with.

Is there advice about venues?

Yes the BGA Organisers’ Handbook tells you a lot about setting up and running a tournament.

What about public liability insurance?

The BGA has public liability insurance that covers all BGA-affiliated events. For more details of exactly what is covered, please contact the treasurer.

Is there information on tournament systems?

Yes the BGA Organisers’ Handbook tells you about the various tournament systems you could consider. The most common is a Three Round McMahon system event on a single day, though varying from this could make your event more unique and interesting.

Will the BGA run it for me?

You will need to do the local organisation, such as finding the venue, organising refreshments, and accepting entries, but the BGA will usually find someone to run the draw for you if you are inexperienced in running tournaments.

Is there a computer and software to help me do the draw?

Yes, the BGA can provide a laptop computer and printer, together with the GoDraw program by Geoff Kaniuk. It will also usually provide help in running the program. Contact Geoff to arrange its use (draw-program at britgo.org).

Is there software to help with registration?

There is an Excel spreadsheet available, produced by Ian Marsh, to help control registration and payments, which can run on your own computer. GoDraw now has a spreadsheet interface to load the tournament data.

Do I need my own mobile phone?

A mobile phone used to travel with the computer, but nowadays most people have a mobile phone, so advertise yours or that of another organiser so that it can be used on the day to receive notification of late or cancelled entries.

Will the BGA advertise the event for me?

You will need to produce the entry form and web page of information, but these are easily copied from existing examples. The BGA can then circulate the entry form to members, link to or host the web page and also list the event on its calendar. This is explained in more detail on the Publicising Go Tournaments page.

Can the BGA make me a web page?

Yes, if you send your entry form to the BGA Tournament Coordinator (tourn-coord at britgo.org), he will produce a web page for you on the BGA site. It can even include a template to fill in and automatically post an email to you. It can link to local information pages and map pages.

Do I have to print the entry forms?

The BGA will print simple entry forms free of charge to include with the newsletter. Just send an electronic or paper original to newsletter. If you want to distribute your own copies, for example at events before yours, then you will have to print some yourself.

Will the BGA lend go stones, boards and clocks?

The BGA can provide up to 100 go sets, boards and mechanical clocks for your event to use. Some of these are superior sets which are normally only used for special events. The normal tournament sets come in multiples of 12 (some loads have 15 clocks to cover for breakdowns).

How do the sets get to me?

Usually volunteers transport sets from one event to the next. This is arranged through the Coordinator (tourn-coord at britgo.org). Clearly it may be more reliable and helpful if you collect some sets from the previous event.

How many sets should I borrow?

Usually a guess at attendance can be made from attendance at similar events. The BGA Tournament Coordinator will then ensure sufficient sets for this number will be available. Usually you can increase the number you require, up to the night before the event, but early notice of increase is appreciated. Of course you need half as many sets as players.

Does the BGA charge for its services?

Yes; it charges a tournament levy on each competitor in your event.

The following rates are effective from 1st July 2010 :

• £1.00 per day per player if a BGA member and qualifies for Concessionary BGA membership
• £1.50 per day if a BGA member or a member of a foreign national Go Association
• £4.50 per day if a non-BGA member (£3 per day for Concessionary entries)
• Free for first time tournament entrants

Please print the levy form (PDF or RTF format) and send it and your cheque to the BGA Treasurer, promptly after your event.

Will the levy be charged if I make a loss?

For new events with uncertainty over the number of entrants, the BGA Treasurer (treasurer at britgo.org) may on request reduce or waive the levy in case of loss. Also if your event is longer than two days or experimental in some way, please contact the treasurer to request a discount.

If I am providing overnight accommodation will the BGA cover any losses?

If agreed in advance the BGA will often underwrite the costs of unused hotel or university bedrooms at important events, in return for half the profits.

How much should I charge?

Usually you can get a guide of going rates from other events. If you charge too much fewer people will come. You will have to decide whether to provide and charge for food, or not, as the food element makes the event seem more expensive.

Should I offer reductions?

Most events provide reductions for children, students, unwaged or elderly. You will have to decide how this would effect your budget and number of attendees. The levy you pay the BGA is reduced for reductions anyway.

How do I make a press release?

There is a sample press release you can copy from. If you get a report published in the media, then please send a copy to the Tournament Coordinator for the archives.

Is there other material available to help me?

See page BGA Organisers’ Material for more on resources available.

Will the BGA Bookshop be able to come?

The BGA Book Seller may attend an event at his own discretion, depending on location, likely sales, local availability of books and so on. He can also provide a box of books for you to sell if he cannot be there.

How do I report results?

Make sure the web news editor (web-news-editor at britgo.org) gets a report of your event, including a list of prize winners, number of players and other interesting information on the event, so that you will get a write-up of your tournament into his BGJ tournaments column and the news pages on this web site; this will also cause a report to appear in the next BGA Newsletter. If you have any interesting photos from the event you may also supply these for the web or for publication in the British Go Journal.

If you have used the GoDraw V6 program then you can get results to the web and the EGF ratings system easily by simply emailing your tournament file to the results officer. You will normally find the file in c:\GodrawSys\Tours and it will normally have a name including the year like MiltonKeynes_05.gdt for example. The full path to the file is also displayed on the title bar of the running program.

When you do send the file it is important to include peripheral data such as location, komi, and time limits as these are needed for the ratings system. If you have new people entering the tournament as No Club, it is helpful for purposes of identification to state their nearest town.

Where can I read more about what the BGA does for events?

See page Publicising Go Tournaments for more on selecting dates, reporting results, getting publicity and so on.