Xi ‘an vs Brisbane Friendly Match 2010

In May 2010, BGC plans came to fruition when a party of players from the Xi ‘an Weichi Association visited Brisbane for a friendly team match. Larry Wen and I had visited Xi ‘an in 2009 and extended the invitation at that time. The Xi ‘an group of nine amateur players was led by their President, Professor Zhou, a 3 dan player.  They were accompanied by Miss Meng 1P in the position of coach.

On Friday 28th May we hosted a banquet dinner for our guests, attended by members of the Mainland Chinese Society of Queensland (MCSQ) and Q001 (Brisbane Chinese societies), a consular representative, and a brief visit by the Deputy Mayor of Brisbane, Mr. Graham Quirk. Following Chinese custom the conviviality was helped along by numerous toasts, although sparingly partaken of by Australian drivers. One of the visitors turned out to have a wonderful singing voice, and treated us to a Chinese song in an impromptu performance.

On Saturday 29th May a team go match was organised at a local church. We had invited David He 7D of Sydney, and Billy Sun 6D of Melbourne to participate with the Brisbane side in a well – judged move designed to bring home the teams Cup. It was a great pleasure for us to renew our acquaintance with these two gentlemen. As it turned out, David He was well known to the Xi ‘an visitors as well so friendships were renewed, and not much was said about ring – ins. We played a round in the morning and then another round after lunch.

Top Board in Rd. 2

David He vs Li Gangyi in Round 2

 

 The match was played with one hour each and no byo – yomi. All games were even which resulted in some mismatches but after all, it was a friendly match. Hopefully the Brisbane players have learned a few things from their more experienced opponents.

There was often animated discussion after the games were over, with some moves being replayed, sometimes even leading to a reversal of the result! Too bad, though, as only the original result counts.

When the battles were over and the dust had cleared, Xi ‘an emerged the winner by 12 – 6.

Presentation Ceremeony

Presentation Ceremony

 

Professor Zhou , here seen with John Hardy (L) and Larry Wen (R) in front of the beautiful wall hanging which the visitors presented to the BGC, hoisted the winner’s cup. Brisbane vowed to get that cup back in a return match next year in Xi ‘an. Xi ‘an offered to import some players from Beijing to ensure that it stays in China :)

After the presentations, everyone enjoyed an Aussie BBQ hosted by the MCSQ – and importantly, prepared and cooked by them! Mark Bell and I sat with our feet up and would not have called the King our uncle.

We continued into the evening with friendly go, and not a few fourexes, plus some powerful liquor contributed by the guests for any who dared. It was a great way to finish the day, and already plans were afoot to make that return match a reality.

Group shot

Group shot

 

Thank you, Xi ‘an go players, for honouring us by visiting our home town, and we will surely meet you again next year in China.

Have a safe trip home.

Visit by President of Chinese Weiqi Association

Mr. Wang Runan 8P, President of the Chinese Weiqi Association, is visiting Australia. This is a historic event indeed – Mr. Wang is the highest ranking go official ever to visit Australia.

The party arrived in Melbourne on 2nd March 2010, and then flew to Brisbane on the 3rd. We held a welcome banquet for them, with local dignitaries and BGC members.

Mr. Wang with leaders of the Brisbane Chinese community

Before dinner there was friendly go with the visitors, who were all strong players.  Each visitor received a small gift, and we presented a special gift of a boomerang, signed by BGC members, to Mr. Wang.

Presentation to Mr. Wang Runan 8P by John and Larry

 

We all enjoyed a delicious dinner, and afterwards there was more go, until the restaurant kicked us out at 9.00pm. They just can’t understand, it seems.

On Thursday the 4th March, the visitors enjoyed a day out, and in the evening BGC hosted a BBQ. Thank heavens we were able to give them one fair dinkum Aussie meal on their trip. Four of the visitors brought their wives, who had to put up with the go players. The ladies kindly helped with the BBQ preparation, we can call them part of the BGC team.

Honorary BGC team members

 

What would a day be without go? Of course we again played social go with the visitors.

Jeremy won this six stone game against Mr. Wang

 

Everyone had a marvellous time. Mr. Wang is a warm, enthusiastic and friendly person – he even speaks excellent Japanese, which certainly helped me with communication. We dare to hope that this party will visit us again some time.

There are many people who must be thanked for their efforts in bringing this event to fruition. Bill Sun (Melbourne) and David He (Sydney) looked after the southern cities. David was responsible for the travel arrangements and put in a huge amount of effort on that. Larry Wen conceived and drove the idea to a successful conclusion and made most of the Brisbane arrangements. Brisbane members Erli Qiu and Kevin Jiang helped out with donations to help cover expenses (the AGA also contributed). BGC President Mark Bell did s sterling job behind the BBQ.

We consider this to be a highly succesful event which may lead to more exchanges between Australia and China.

For more pictures of this event -

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/jackoheart1/WangRunanVisitMarch2010#

Visit to Sydney Weichi Club

During my recent Sydney holiday, I visited the Sydney Weichi Club (SWC), which meets Sundays from about 2pm (although there were people there well before that). The venue is the Campsie RSL Club in Anglo Road. Obviously there are many benefits of this meeting place – parking, full bar facilities, and a quiet place to play as it is upstairs away from the main public areas.

I was accompanied by Hong Zheng 9P, a professional player from Beijing who has been visiting Sydney for a few months. In the group photo you can see him to my right (can you guess which one is me?).  The attendance is pretty high, as you can see, although players come and go throughout the afternoon. There were three former Australian champions there at one time or another, and plenty of other strong players as well, so it is the place to go for a tough game.

I don’t know much about the management of the SWC, but I did meet Ming Xu (to my left in group photo) who is one of the leading lights. Thanks to him they organise a very popular weekend tournament from time to time.

The members enjoy the game play, but they have also taken the art of the post mortem to a new level. Sometimes the discussions get VERY animated, and attract crowds as in the second photo. This also leads to stones from different sets often being mixed together – Chinese flat bottomed ones, Japanese style, little ones – there is no discrimination in the go bowls.

I have been assured that all players are welcome to attend, and to find out more about it I’d suggest just to go along one Sunday and introduce yourself. Alternatively you can check the details on the AGA website.

 

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John Hardy with members of the SWC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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An exciting game draws a crowd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit to Sydney Baduk Club

At the end of October I visited a few Sydney go clubs, including the Sydney Baduk Club (SBC), located at 19 Railway Pde. Eastwood. It is extremely easy to find and to visit, being situated directly across from the Eastwood railway station.

The SBC is in the heart of the Korean community, and is surrounded by many Korean restaurants. On the other side of the rail line is a Chinese community, with a great choice of chinese restaurants. In other words, the SBC would be a magnet for go lovers and foodies alike.

By now, many of Australia’s go players have at least heard of Younggil An 8P, the friendly Korean professional player who is trying to make a life for himself in Australia. Younggil is the “master” of the SBC, where he also offers go lessons to young and old. There’s a $10 attendance fee, but there are special arrangements for regular players.

The main meeting is on Saturday from about 2.00pm until late, but when keen players like the well – known amateur Hae Taek Choi come to town, it might be open all night. Players can get tea, coffee, or soft drinks to keep up the fluid intake.

If you are in Sydney, head over to Eastwood sometime for a game or three. To find out more about the SBC, contact is through the AGA website.

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New South Wales Go Championships report

The NSW Go Championships was played in at the Sydney Go Club rooms in Surrey Hills on the weekend of 6 – 7 June 2009. Twenty players entered the dan division – a massive 82 dan aggregate! Fifteen players from the Chinese go community boosted the numbers, and Guyu Liu 7 dan was first with 6-0, while Miao Zhao 7 dan was second with 5-1.

The kyu division was not so blessed, with four entrants including tournament director Robert Vadas playing as 1 dan. Only four rounds were played due to one withdrawal, and Robert was first with 4-0, while Guo Liang Xu 1 kyu was second.

The event ran smoothly under Robert’s guiding hand. Lunches were provided for participants. Popular professional Younggil An 6P provided commentaries on some of the key games, adding to the overall fun and excitement.

A young lady who did well was Cuiying Xu Tring 2 dan (2-4), the only female and also the youngest participant at about 14 years. We remember her from one of the early Toyota Cups, still barely able to reach across the board. Another young entrant Edwin Tang 2 dan (2-4) also did well. It is just so great to see young players joining in and chasing the older ones.

For those interested, full results will be available on the AGA website very soon. Thanks to Robert Vadas for organising the event, and to all participants who made this such a memorable occasion.

Melbourne Go Lovers Club

On the evening of Thursday 14th May 2009 I paid a visit to the Melbourne Go Lovers club, currently convened by James Kaaden. This group was previously convened by Chizuko Katanaya, with a change necessitated by ill health.

Melbourne Go Lovers, Thursday 14 May

Melbourne Go Lovers, Thursday 14 May

The club meets at a large private residence and usually attracts about six players. The playing fee is $5 and some delicious snack food, coffee or tea, and wine are provided. The club maintains a small library of go books which may be borrowed by regulars. It seems to be a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, but the go games are just as intense as in the most important tournament.

Shimada-san at Melbourne Go Lovers

Shimada-san at Melbourne Go Lovers

I met some old campaigners – Shimada-san and Bao Nguyen were there, both of whom have played at AGA events in the past. James Kaaden is a young man with an interest in go administration as well as playing, and we will see more of him in the future.

John Hardy

SPGo Visit

On Friday 15th May 2009 I visited the SPGo club at the Melbourne University. A tram ride up town brought back old memories. The Alice Hoy Building was easy to find, and soon after 1pm large numbers of go players filled the lecture room. There were about 14 players, including Anna, one of the leaders in the club.

Pretty soon everyone had paired off, and I found myself playing Shiny from Shanghai, who said she was 15 kyu. I don’t think so! After a long drawn out battle, during which Shiny parried all my best blows and overplays, I found myself fifteen plus points behind and therefore resigned.

This being a university club, it is no surprise to note that all members are quite young. Most were of Asian background, and there was a good mix of males and females. Everyone seemed very keen, and the AGA can dream about getting such a large group to join in our activities.