Between March 30 and April 9 Michael Redmond, 9 dan, will be visiting the UK. Michael was born in the USA in 1963, but moved to Japan in 1979 to become an insei. He is the only non-oriental player to have achieved the strength of professional 9 dan.
You can see his profile on the Nihon Ki-in site here [1], but you need to be able read Japanese...
Here is some information in English and some photos [3].
For all events, early booking will be much appreciated - even to the extent of 'maybe/probably/yes'. This will help in organising food, premises and sets, as well as helping the tutor to pitch to the level of the audience.
Michael will be conducting several events during that week (click for details).
On Saturday March 30, Michael will visit Cambridge Junior Chess and Go Club from 16:00 to 18:00. It is at St Augustine’s Hall, Richmond Road, Cambridge CB4 3PS. Contact Paul Smith 01223 563932 paul.smith25 at ntlworld.com.
On March 31 and April 1 (Easter Sunday/Monday) there will be a "Strong Players Weekend" in Cambridge. Entry is limited to 20, and selection has been based on current position in the EGF ranking list. Please note that British Summer Time starts on Sunday 31st, so the clocks will go forward on Saturday night. Those selected have already received an invitation: if you think you have been left out please let Toby Manning know immediately via treasurer AT britgo.org
This venue is the “Doubletree by Hilton” in Granta Place, Mill Lane, Cambridge CB2 1RT. This used to be the Garden House Hotel.
On March 31 the event will start at 11:00 and finish at 18:00.
On April 1 it will be 9:30 until 16:30.
On Tuesday April 2 Michael will be visiting Swindon Go Club. There will be 2 sessions:
The cost will be £7.50.
For further details please see www.swindongoclub.org.uk and click on the link to Michael Redmond.
On Wednesday April 3, Michael will be visiting Chester Go Club at The Olde Custom House (see link for map & details). Note that the event will take place upstairs, in the private function room. There will be 2 sessions:
The cost will be £5 for one session, or £7.50 for two sessions.
Please contact Pat Ridley Patrick.Ridley AT ntlworld.com for further details (also 01928 719 787, or 07816 200 512).
On Thursday April 4, he will be visiting Leamington Go Club.
The evening session will take place in the conference room of the Granville Arms.
The Granville Arms is a gastropub in Barford, Warwickshire. Barford is a village about 1 mile from the A46/M40 (M40 Junction 15). The room will be available from 19:00. The pub serves food from 18:00, it's advisable to book beforehand if you would like a meal.
From 19:30 to 20:30, Michael will do a lecture using his own games, focusing on reading, counting and sente. There will then be a half-hour break, when you can do the team quiz, chat or whatever.
From 21:00 to 22:00 Michael will do three game commentaries. If you have a game that you would like to be commented, please submit it to Kirsty Healey by March 26th, Matthew Macfadyen will choose the three most interesting games (trying to reflect a range of strengths) and Michael will comment these. It would be good if you could submit games against other attendees so we get double benefit.
There will be a charge of £7.50, to cover room hire and entertaining Michael.
Please let Kirsty Healey know if you plan to come and what your strength is, so that Michael can plan his lecture appropriately.
Further details from Kirsty Healey mshealey AT live.co.uk
Between Friday April 5 and Sunday April 7 Michael will be attending the British Go Congress in Stevenage. On the Friday afternoon, from 14:00, he will be giving a teaching session, and during the Congress he will be providing game reviews.
Michael Redmond was born in 1963 in Santa Barbara, California, and began playing Go at age 11. At the age of 14, he became an insei at the Nihon Ki-in. He was promoted to professional 1 dan at age 18, and 2 dan in the same year. He was promoted to 5 dan in 1985; 8 dan in 1996; and 9 dan in 2000, becoming the first western Go professional to reach 9 dan.
Michael has not won any titles but has come close. He was runner-up in the Shinjin-O, Kisei 7 dan section, and NEC Shun-Ei competitions in the early 1990s. He was also a semi-finalist in the Fujitsu Cup and Tong Yang Cup. Currently he is a celebrated commentator for the NHK channel. In 2005, he was voted "Best Commentator" for the NHK channel, over Ishida Yoshio.
He is married to Xian-Xian Niu, a Chinese 5 dan professional. They have two daughters, Yumi and Emi. Micahel and his family are sponsors of many Go activities for children in America, such as the Redmond Cup and the Redmond Handicap Tournament. (acknowledgement - Wikipedia)
Links:
[1] http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/ki000174.htm
[2] http://www.britgo.org/image/tid/48
[3] http://www.britgo.org/redmond/photos
[4] http://www.britgo.org/tournaments/bgc2013