Xuqi Wi lost to Zoran Mutabzija 5d of Croatia, defeated Sebastien Ott 1d of Switzerland, Charlie Akerblom 4d of Sweden, Sin-Voon Chin 2d of Brunei, Cesar Sanchez Munoz 4d of Spain and Dusan Mitic 5d of Serbia, and lost to Yuan Zhou 7d of the United States in his final round, to score 5 points, 27 points SOS, and 190 points SOSOS. Zhou subsequently placed fifth in the competition, so not a bad player to be defeated by.

Yiming Guo defeated Ott and Ruechagorn Trairatananusorn 5d of Thailand, lost to Chun-Yen Lin 6d of Taiwan, defeated Ralph Spiegl 5d of Australia, lost to Cristian Pop 7d of Romania, defeated Wan-Kao Lou 5d of Macau, and lost to Victor Chow 7d of South Africa to score 4 points, 28 points SOS, and 197 points SOSOS.

Congratulations to both representatives for a strong showing, and thanks to Sensei’s Library for a proper English translation of the official results, and Jayden Sia for the photos.

As this year the Nationals are being held in Melbourne, interstate players will be able to sample the cultural feast that is this very beautiful city and also to meet the unique bunch of people over at Students Playing Go and Melbourne Go Lovers (your lovable hosts) (I hear they’re very friendly) (and enthusiastic)

The Tournament is held on the weekend of 3rd and 4th October, running all day from 9.30am-5pm. Registration begins Saturday at 9am and closing ceremony is on Sunday 5.30pm.

Players are encouraged to be in Melbourne by Friday night (feel free to persuade your hosts to dinner) and to arrive early for Registration at 9am on Saturday.

There will be (hopefully) shops opened in Union House for food and drinks, but if there are not, your hosts will be providing tea, water and light snacks (and a free BBQ lunch on Sunday) and there are plenty of nearby eateries to ensure you get the needed energy to play go!

Players will be competing for prestigious trophies and prizes and of course for the sheer pleasure of testing your skills and having fun with players from all around Australia.I hear tell that there are also some very interesting things planned by your hosts (all quite mysterious), so you’ll just have to wait and see ;)

If you’re interested thus in participating (you should be by now), please send in your entry forms (or any enquiries) to mail@spgo.org.au or by post to Box 11, Union House, University of Melbourne, Vic 3010 care of Students Playing Go.

If you’re having trouble with your entry forms, you’re welcome to type out and send all the relevant information via email (mail@spgo.org.au)

Entry fees can also be paid by cash during Saturday’s morning registration period.

It’s vital that participating players send in your entry forms in advance so that things can be planned sufficiently to accommodate. So get filling in those forms (or emails) now!

For interstate players looking for weekend living arrangements, your hosts are planning a short list of possible motel/hotel accommodations. If you need any particular help please contact Students Playing Go at mail@spgo.org.au.

See you all there!