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The Summer 2025 edition of the BGJ is now available for members to read in the Members' Area, with printed copies being sent out to those that receive them.

The first Manchester Open was held on Saturday 9th August, a sunny summer day. The venue, Luther King House, is nestled in a peaceful, tree-lined suburb just a short distance from the vibrant heart of Manchester.

A total of 48 players joined this inaugural event, with strengths ranging from 25k to 6d. Most players competed in the spacious main room, where tall windows and skylights filled the space with natural light. The top seven boards played in a smaller, quieter room, with the first board broadcast live on OGS.

After three rounds, Yuhang Xing (6d), a university student from Glasgow,…

The British Congress returned to Edinburgh after 15 years, this time hosted by the New Melville Bridge Club. With leafy Corstorphine and Edinburgh Zoo as a backdrop, the venue offered a quiet and spacious setting for a long weekend of Go. Fifty-seven players, matching last year’s turnout, gathered to make up one of the strongest player fields in recent memory.

The Congress kicked off on Friday night with the traditional British Lightning Championship. Twenty-six players were split into six round-robin groups, battling fiercely for a place in the top 12 knockout bracket. Congratulations to Dohyup Kim (8d Seoul),…

On Saturday 7th June around 40 Go players descended on Elvet Hill House for the 2025 Durham Go Tournament. Ranks ranged from 7d down to a 30k player who played his second ever 19x19 game in Round 1, and there was also a good range of ages - including several youth players as well as a number of university students. Players came from across the UK, from London to Cardiff to Edinburgh.

Unusually, the side room was upstairs this year - due to our usual side room being filled with instruments for a student musical group. This did mean we had a notably larger room to review games (and consume tea and biscuits), though, so…

On 28th and 29th June, Barmouth's Dragon Theatre was again the venue for the Welsh Open. 43 players - 13 up on 2024 - took advantage of the two-day tournament - a rarity on the BGA calendar. The higher numbers enabled the hiring of a separate room, where many reviewed their games and non-players could relax and mingle. A standout feature for 2025 was that no fewer than 10 players were from the Welsh clubs of Cardiff (9) and Aberystwyth (1) - surely a record?

The weather was mixed, but there were chances to climb the cliffs for views of the town, its wide bay and the start of Snowdonia National Park's scenic mountainous region. It was great to see old faces and new, as it was also…