UK Tournament Report

The match between the party of visiting retired Japanese Go players and the BGA/London team ended very close. With one result to come in it was tied at 8 all. The outstanding game, the bottom board, decided it in Japan's favour 9-8. Winning for the British side were Nick Krempel, Alex Rix, Jonathan Chetwynd, Michael Webster, Jonathan Turner, Xinyi Lu, Jiri Keller and Roger Daniel. After the match most players then went on for a meal in China Town.

Matthew Macfadyen, British Champion 2010, won all seven games in the Challengers' League to earn the right to defend his title. This year he will be playing Nick Krempel (3 dan London), who won five games in the League, in a best of 3 final. Hui Wang and Alistair Wall just missed out on playing for the title by one win each.

Results

For the first time in many years, the Scottish Open was won this year not by a Scottish resident but someone Scottish-born - Sandy Taylor (2 dan Durham) - winning all five games to take his first tournament title. 23 players took part in total. A drop in local players was caused by the closure of long-term sponsor Real Time Worlds and a local wedding anniversary. A new sponsor, Denki (games software), ensured that, as ever, all players took away a jar of Dundee's famous marmalade. Prizes were also awarded to David Lee (2 dan Dundee) and Dieter Daems (9 kyu Leuven) for four wins out of five, and to Martha McGill (2 kyu Edinburgh), Boris Mitrovic (2 kyu Edinburgh), Tom Croonenborghs (1 dan Antwerp), Eugene Kee-Onn Wong (4 kyu Glasgow) and Andrew Thurman (7 kyu Durham) for three wins. Edwin Brady (1 kyu St Andrews) and Sandy Taylor (2 dan Durham) jointly won the Lightning tournament with three wins out of four.

Results

The organiser of the Bracknell Tournament was also the winner: Ian Marsh (1 kyu Bracknell) was the best of the 28 players. Also winning all three were Xinyi Lu (4 kyu Maidenhead) and Laurence Anderson (7 kyu Bracknell). Poland's Marcel Zantman (6 kyu) won two and then had a last round jigo. Bahareh Afshari won the problem solving, Mike Charles won the 13x13 and Peter Collins won the caption contest.

Results

14 players took part in the Cambridge Bar-Low. The only players winning 4 games were in equal first: Graham Lamburn (1 kyu), John Richardson (1 kyu) and Adan Mordcovich (2 kyu).

Results

28 players from 2 kyu to 5 dan attended the Candidates' Tournament held at Selwyn College in Cambridge. Andrew Kay (4 dan) was unbeaten winner and Des Cann (4 dan) won five out of six. The rest of the qualifiers, on 4/6, were Hui Wang (5 dan), Alan Thornton (1 dan), William Brooks (3 dan), Nick Krempel (3 dan) and Alistair Wall (3 dan). The reserves, also on 4/6, were David Ward, Richard Hunter and Paul Taylor.

Champion Matthew Macfadyen was on hand for two days in the Lyttleton Room to analyse the players' games and suss out the likely opposition.

Results

After a 4 year gap, Guildford-based West Surrey Go Club won the Thames Valley Team Tournament for a second time, winning ahead of teams from Maidenhead, Bracknell and Reading. Mark Nubbert from West Surrey led his team by being the only player with three wins. The winners in the traditional 10x10 side event were Xinyi Lu with 7 wins and Tony Atkins with 4/4.

St Albans club held the first Welwyn Garden City Tournament in the Bridge Room at Gosling Sports Centre. 17 players took part but nobody won all three games. A tie at the top was partly split leaving Alison Bexfield (2 dan Letchworth) and Alan Thornton (1 dan St Albans) as equal winners, 1 sos point ahead of Andrew Simons (3 dan Cambridge). Only player unbeaten was Paul Taylor (1 dan St Albans) who took a bye in round one; he received the free membership of Alex Dinerchtein's Insei League as a prize.

Results

The Swindon Go Club hosted this year's British Go Congress in the delightful historic town of Malmesbury. Early summer weather made it too good to stay in doors and many took the chance to visit the Abbey or the beautiful Abbey House Gardens.

The Friday Evening British Lightning had 18 players, by a fortunate coincidence, thus making the draw easy – 3 tables of six for the round robin. A further happy coincidence was a tie for first place on one table, generating 4 winners for the knockout stage. In the final, Andrew Kay beat Sandy Taylor.

Chong Han (5 dan Loughborough) won the main tournament on a SOS tie break from Andrew Kay and Vanessa Wong. Prizes also went to everyone on 5 wins (there were none on 6), and those on 3 out of 3 on the first day. The tournament was blessed with two jigos, so four additional prizes were awarded to the happy participants in the two “perfect games”.

The second Matthew in a row has won Arundel. This year it was Matthew Cocke (5 dan Epsom) who was the best of the 26 players, taking the first place previously won by Matthew Macfadyen. Winning all three games were Michael Webster (1 kyu London) and Adan Mordcovich (5 kyu Wanstead). All those on two wins received prizes including runner up Francis Roads (3 dan Wanstead). After the event many players went on to enjoy the evening of a sunny day in the Black Rabbit.

Results