1. What were your general impressions from the WAGC this year?

The WAGC atmosphere and meeting old and new friends in Tokyo reminded me again that Go is great fun and indeed a very social game. The pre-event emails by the organisation also added beforehand to the confidence that the tournament will be a great success. I enjoyed the competition, the WAGC program, and the time in Japan throughout.

2. How did you prepare for the tournament, and how did you feel about your results?

Last year I had a good year in European and Finnish tournaments which vitalised my ‘sleeping’ confidence. The professional game broadcasts in the Internet and more and more frequent professional YouTube Go content is my main source of study and inspiration.

I was placed 19th which I am quite happy with. When younger, I was able to score higher, but otherwise I think more recently I’ve been placed below the twentieth place in WAGC results. Five wins, though one by real luck, somehow continue my good performance from last year.

3. How will you continue playing or studying go after you return home?

First, I will go through my games in the WAGC and the other kifus published from the tournament and try to grasp new ideas in the game. Also, savouring the excitement of these games is important. I visit our Go club every Thursday and there we normally go through selected pro games broadcasted just the same day. I also bought six issues of this year’s Go World magazines for further study or entertainment.

The next test will be in July in Toulouse, France, in the European Go Congress, where our family will join the fun for two weeks.

4. Would you have any message to share for Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary, and the related events at the WAGC?

The unique history of Japanese Go and Nihon Ki-in has impressed me immensely. The WAGC combined with the 100th anniversary of Nihon Ki-in again showed us how fascinating the game of Go and its history is. Let’s create more history!

I thank the Nihon Ki-in for the wonderful tournament and the effort of organising. The Nihon Ki-in diploma is also something special that will be cherished back in home.

Vesa (right) playing Etugen Bayarjargal from Mongolia

1. What were your general impressions from the WAGC this year?

It was my first time to participate in the WAGC, and I was happy that it was held in Tokyo, my favourite city. The event was very well organised, and I liked being able to meet existing friends and make new friends. The opportunity to have the games analysed by professional players was also appreciated, and I believe that I learned a lot. Receiving the beautiful dan diploma during the closing ceremony was also a highlight.

2. How did you prepare for the tournament, and how did you feel about your results?

I participated in various tournaments before the WAGC and also played training games, and analysed every game with stronger players. Solving tsumego was also part of the routine, but I really need to try harder to improve my tsumego skills. I am also taking lessons.

As for the results, I would have liked to get at least four wins, but due to the pairings this was difficult. I did not really understand the pairing algorithm; I am 1-kyu EGF and lost to a 6-dan player in the first round, then to two 4-dan players. In Western tournaments we always use the McMahon algorithm, which works well in providing competitive games.

3. How will you continue playing or studying go after you return home?

I will continue to play in tournaments and to take lessons. I also want to spend more time on tsumego. And I want to study the analyses of my WAGC games again as well as previous lessons.

My next big event will be the European Go Congress in Toulouse, France, so I hope to be able to apply the lessons I learned during the WAGC.

4. Would you have any message to share for Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary, and the related events at the WAGC?

Congratulations on the 100th anniversary! I hope that the Nihon Ki-in can continue to be beacon for the Western Go community.

Marcel (right) playing Armel-David Wolff from Switzerland

1. What were your general impressions from the WAGC this year?

I enjoyed the WAGC as usual. It was a very well organised tournament with a lot of famous people being present. There were also a lot of side events arranged; that was another positive aspect of this event. The only thing that should really be improved for the next years is the pairing system which I think didn’t work well.

2. How did you prepare for the tournament, and how did you feel about your results?

Sadly I didn’t prepare for the tournament as much as I wanted to. I was very busy with my Go work, and so I did only my regular training. My biggest preparation was actually arriving few days before the tournament to prevent jet lag issues.

3. How will you continue playing or studying go after you return home?

After I come back home to Prague, I will continue my Go career like before: teaching my students, playing in a lot of tournaments, and keeping trying hard to become a professional player, which has always been my dream.

4. Would you have any message to share for Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary, and the related events at the WAGC?

I believe the event was a very nice celebration of the Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary. It’s very clear that the WAGC means a lot to the Nihon Ki-in, and they really tried their best in making the event work perfectly in the iconic Nihon Ki-in building.

Lukáš (left) playing Minoru Ōzeki from Japan

1. What were your general impressions from the WAGC this year?

To me, the WAGC was an unbelievable experience. I started actively playing go a little over three years ago, and can still remember my first small weekend tournament in Berlin, where I participated as 15k. Now being able to attend a WAGC is quite surreal, especially at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo. Meeting some of the professional players, whose games I’ve been following, was amazing, as was experiencing the iconic Nihon Ki-in headquarters and discovering Tokyo in general. I would also like to emphasise the unique atmosphere among the players. There were participants from all continents, all age groups, and many different cultural backgrounds. Yet, everybody shares a deep passion for the game, which made it very easy to get to know and befriend many players from all over the world in just a brief period of time, and exchange ideas, both on the board and beyond.

The tournament itself was the most serious event I have played in so far, I was also representing my country for the first time. Naturally this made me feel some pressure, to play properly and not embarrass myself with silly mistakes. To make matters worse, my first round game was selected for relay, which was probably the most attention a game of mine has ever received. Luckily I was able to play a good game, despite eventually being outclassed by Davide from Italy.

I felt like the organisers did a great job in providing good playing conditions at the venue, as well as accommodation, food, professional teachers and communication. Only the rules of nigiri could have been made a little clearer at the start.

2. How did you prepare for the tournament, and how did you feel about your results?

I didn’t prepare much for the tournament specifically, other than playing a few practice games at my club, since I was nominated as a substitute for Bulgaria on relatively short notice. Nevertheless, I exceeded my expectations in terms of result. By rank, I was among the weakest players to participate, but I still managed to end up with an even score of four wins and four losses, winning a game every day of the tournament.

3. How will you continue playing or studying go after you return home?

Participating in this event, being surrounded by many players far stronger than me, and even playing some of them, gave me a lot of motivation to keep improving! I would very much like to return to the WAGC one day, when I have reached a higher level, and try to obtain an even better result.

During the game reviews, Yūki Satoshi 9p and Ichiriki Ryo 9p were kind enough to give me some advice on what to work on to improve my game. Hopefully I’ll already be able to show some progress at the European Go Congress in Toulouse later this year.

4. Would you have any message to share for Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary, and the related events at the WAGC?

It was an honour to visit the Nihon Ki-in during this special anniversary. As a fan of the game, experiencing the exhibition, and taking part in the celebratory events before the WAGC was delightful.

Nikola (right) playing in a team match against Yūki Satoshi 9p

1. What were your general impressions from the WAGC this year?

I had no prior experience with such international competition, so I got impressed and amazed by everything this week. Of course I have no comparison to make, but it seemed to me like this WAGC was an outstanding edition.

2. How did you prepare for the tournament, and how did you feel about your results?

I trained a lot since January (daily 101weiqi routine, online tournaments, etc.,) and came with high ambitions. I can say it was a success, ranking first of the registered kyu players with an unexpected 31st place overall.

3. How will you continue playing or studying go after you return home?

With my results here, I will likely achieve the 1-dan EGF milestone that has been my ultimate goal as a Go player. But I’m confident that I can still improve, and I certainly got inspired to keep playing Go for years after the WAGC.

4. Would you have any message to share for Nihon Ki-in’s 100th anniversary, and the related events at the WAGC?

I enjoyed all the activities and felt honoured to be able to attend them. In general we have been treated with great consideration throughout the week. I hope the Nihon Ki-in will be able to host other events for amateur players in the future.