Some members asked about organizing a low-key Pair Go time.  As a pure fun and goofiness event, it is great to bring life partners, significant others, beginners, etc., to make Go accessible and fun to them.  Technically, it is rengo, and pairs can be any gender mix.  There is no special entry fee or AGA membership required. 

Hopefully 32 or 40 (or more 😊) folks show up and join in for fun.  You can bring a pair partner, ask someone during registration time, or we can make pairs from people registering solo.  Pair Go works best with multiples of 8, so that each table with two boards can have two games and a clear winning team that won both games.  We can make multiples of 4 work if need be.  PLEASE come and play!!!

Event time is 28th June, Sat — registration 1-2pm, round 1 is 2-3:30, and round 2 is roughly 3:30-5:00.  There will be 40 min of main time with no byouyomi.

Cho Seokbin (first name is Seokbin) is a former Korean insei and one of the strongest amateurs currently.  He held the Japan Amateur Kisei title.  He started a Go school in 2013 in Japan, and six of his students became pros.

Seokbin is visiting Seattle, 21-22 JUN, and he agreed to do a two-day workshop at SGC (thanks to one of our volunteers for connecting us).  SGC will be closed on Saturday, 21 JUN, for general game play (open only for the workshop attendees).

We will have our usual format:

 * Start time Sat and Sun is 10am.  Registration from 10-10:30am Sat with mingling and visiting with Seokbin.  We’ll go until about 5pm each day.

 * We will break for lunch roughly around noon or 12:30, and we will order pizza.  Pizza costs $15/day, choice of either cheese or pepperoni, and we will order enough for four slices per person.  You can also bring your lunch.

 * The class costs is $30 per day for non-voting members (or $50 for both days) and $20 per day voting members (lifetime or annual).  

We hope to see you there.  Studying with pros and strong insei is a great way to get new insights into Go.

For more information please email programs@seattlego.org

This May 24th, we are hosting another Lightning tournament from 2pm to 6pm.  This is a casual, lots-of-fun handicap tournament with fast time control (1 min main time with 5x10second byouyomi).  They say lightning Go is about instinct, not reading, so abandon the intensity of reading for more cutting and crashing and burning and laughter.  There will be 5 rounds with an estimated 20-30 min per game.

I look forward to seeing you there and lets us start the year with some lighting fast games.