Grand Opening
The London Go Centre (LGC) was launched on the weekend of 17th and 18th February 2018 with an event that featured teaching, a tournament and a screening of the Surrounding Game accompanied by a free buffet.
The event was dependent upon the good will of many of the UK’s strong players, including Matthew Macfadyen, Daniel Hu, Andrew Simons, Toby Manning, Alex Rix and Jonathan Turner who provided tuition for weaker players in and around a three round tournament played over two days.
The star teacher was Catalin Taranu, 5p, who had flown in specially from Romania,.
36 players took part in the tournament. The top four players were competing for the right to play a game with the professional in the final round. Daniel Hu (5d) won two games and got to play Catalin, who proved rightly that 5p is better than 5d.
Tiger Xunrui Zhao was second on tie-break from Andrew Simons. Matt Marsh (3k Sheffield) and Ryan Carson (14k London) both won three games. Leading the group of kyu players on two wins was Sam Bithell (1k) from Cambridge.
Lectures were videoed as was the final game between Catalin and Daniel and they can be found on our You Tube channel and many Photos were taken
It had been hoped that John Fairbairn from the T Mark Hall Foundation would be there to mark the occasion but public transport problems intervened. However Alex Rix, an LGC trustee said a few words of welcome on behalf of the TMF at the start and more encouraging words were said at the close.