13th - 14th March 2010

Introduction

This will be the first Isle of Skye Go Tournament. Our club has been meeting since 2006, some of us have been travelling to tournaments since 2008, now we’d like to invite others to come here.

The dates are just before the tourist season begins, just before everyone here gets busy again, and before pressure on accommodation develops. The weather can be ‘interesting’ in March. Huge waves may be crashing on the rocks at Neist Point, but we’ll be playing Go in a comfortable hotel’s function room, in the centre of Portree, the island’s only town; experiencing the weather will be an optional extra.

Dates and Times

Saturday 13th March

09:00   Registration
10:00   Round One   
12:30   Start of the Novices League
13:30   Round Two
16:00   Round Three
18:00   Results and prizes for the Novices League

Sunday 14th March

10:00   Round Four
13:30   Round Five
16:00   Round Six
18:00   Results and prizes for the main tournament

Format

The main tournament will be run on the McMahon system. Each player will get 60 minutes per game, but there will be no byo-yomi.

A small board competition will run concurrently on the Saturday, the Novices League.

Novices League

We expect to have a number of learners on Skye over this Winter. To encourage them we plan a Novices League, to be played on the Saturday, on 9X9 boards. It will be open to anyone who has never played in a full board tournament, has a low or no rating, and who would not feel comfortable playing in the main tournament.

All games will be even, with 6.5 komi. Each player will have 20 minutes per game, and will be guaranteed at least 6 games. The League’s format will depend on the number of entrants on the day, but there will be an equal chance to win the (small) money prize. Novice family members or friends of participants in the main tournament are particularly welcome to join this competition.

This contest will start alongside the main tournament, at 12:30 on Saturday. Players must be available for their next game from quarter of an hour after finishing their previous game.

Those who have played in this competition can decide to join the main tournament on the Sunday for rounds 4, 5 and 6, at a rating based on their play in the Novices League.

Cost

Participants can take part in the main tournament on one day or on both.

One day £7.50 (£5.00 unwaged)
Both days £12.00 (£8.00 unwaged)
Novices League £5.00 (£2.00 unwaged/school age)

There is a surcharge of £1.50 per day in the main tournament for anyone who is not a member of the BGA. This helps cover the costs the BGA (British Go Association) has in laying on, insuring and advertising the tournament; these would otherwise have to be met from the members’ subscriptions alone (currently £18.00 per year). In effect, this surcharge buys temporary membership of the BGA. Players from abroad, and the unwaged, are exempt from this surcharge.

Venue

The venue will be the Tongadale Hotel, in Wentworth Street, Portree, IV51 9EJ. Wentworth Street is short, and runs from Somerled Square, which is where the buses from Glasgow and Inverness stop, to the top of Quay Brae, the way down to the harbour. There is a clear (google) map in the Tongadale’s website.

In mid-March there is no parking problem in Portree. Free, long-stay, parking is at Bayfield, 300 metres from the Tongadale. The google map in the Bayfield Backpackers website shows where that is. Or park initially at the door of the Tongadale and one of us will show you where Bayfield is.

Travel

There are several City Link buses a day between Glasgow and Skye; some of these go via Glasgow Airport, some do not. There are frequent shuttle buses from Glasgow Airport to Buchanan Street Bus Station, from where the Skye buses depart. Glasgow Airport is served from many destinations, including Easyjet flights from Stansted. Note that Glasgow Prestwick (serve by Ryanair) is a different airport; from there frequent trains, quite cheap, go to Glasgow Central, which is about a mile across the city centre from Buchanan Street Bus Station. Glasgow Central is also where trains from England arrive.

We do not recommend using the train service from Glasgow to Mallaig to link with a ferry to Skye in March. If a storm forces ferry cancellations it could take a day to get round to Skye by train and bus.

Inverness Airport has flights to and from London and Birmingham. There are shuttle services to Inverness bus station, and several buses a day from there to Skye; these are also Citylink services. There are also trains, on a very scenic line, from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, and buses from there to Portree.

Driving from Glasgow to Skye, a five or more hour journey, is best done along the A82. This goes up the west side of Loch Lomond, and through Fort William; turn left onto the A87 at Invergarry, and cross the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh.

From further south the best route is possibly M9, A74(M)/M74, M73, A80/M80 and A9, following signs for, but bypassing, Glasgow, Stirling and Perth. About 70 miles north of Perth turn off the A9 at Dalwhinnie, and cut across for a few miles on the A889 to join the A86, the Fort William road. At Spean Bridge turn right onto the A82, and at Invergarry (about 20 miles north of Spean Bridge) turn left onto the A87, the road to the Skye Bridge.

A9/A889/A86/A82/A87/Skye Bridge is also the simplest route to Skye from the southeast of Scotland.

Accommodation in Portree

B&B will available at the Tongadale for sure; it’s not decided yet if that early in the season they will already be offering full board.

The owner of Givendale Guest House will be playing in the tournament; he is offering participants B&B at the reduced price of £20.00 per night (which is cost, plus £5.00 to go towards the costs of the tournament ). Givendale is in Heron Place, under half a mile from Wentworth Street. There is a map on the Givendale website.

There are two very similar, equally priced, bunkhouses in the centre of Portree. We thought it would be more fun for those participants who want this type of accommodation if they all went to the same one, so on the toss of a coin we’re recommending Bayfield Backpackers. If you book with them through that site please let them know in their “other information” box that you will be at the Go tournament.

Even pre-season there are many other places to stay, see Skye or Visit Highlands websites.

Food

The Tongadale Hotel will serve us with tea, coffee and soft drinks, and access to where we will be playing is through the hotel bar.

The Arriba Café, about 50 metres from the Tongadale, will be ready for us at lunch time, between 11:30 an 13:30, and will take orders then for evening meals, which will be served from 18:00 onwards.

Even pre-season there are quite a few other places to eat, from good restaurants to fish and chip shops. Bayfield Backpackers has a kitchen for guests who want to cater for themselves.

More Information and Pre-registration

For more information contact Carel Goodheir or John Macdonald, details below.

It will help us a lot if all or most of those intending to come to this tournament pre-register. Please print, fill in and post the form below to

John MacDonald
6 Raasay Court
Portree
Isle of Skye
IV51 9TG

Do not send money now, please, that will be collected on the day.

Or email us with the information at ruth.goodheir3 “at” virgin.net

Or phone John MacDonald on 01478 611207 or Carel Goodheir on 01478 612909

Entry Form

Entry form
Family name:		required
Given name:
Email:		required
Phone:
Club:
Grade:
BGA member?
Overseas?
Unwaged:
Main on Saturday?
Main on Sunday?
Novices tournament?
Other info:

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