It is currently Thu May 08, 2025 6:37 am

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 33 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2
Author Message
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #21 Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:54 am 
Beginner

Posts: 2
Liked others: 0
Was liked: 0
Ellyster wrote:
ShinFlash wrote:
Hello,
I am currently in Tokyo and searching for a friendly go-club.
Do you have to be a student at the University of Tokyo to go to the go club or is it open to anyone ?
KGS 7d sounds nice, because I am searching for strong players and I heard it is hard to find them in regular go clubs in Tokyo.


Mostly we are students from the University of Tokyo (is a really young enviroment, everyone is 18~24), except sometimes that we have some visitors from others universities, OB/OJ, ...

In Tokyo, there are Go salons with really strong amateurs, like the one in Shibuya (http://igo-club.net/), that is the one with the strongest players (probably).


Thank you for your answer !
Actually I am 20 years old so that sounds perfectly fine or isn't it open to someone not studying in Tokyo?

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #22 Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 8:15 am 
Dies in gote

Posts: 62
Location: Granada, Spain | Osaka, Japan | Turku, Finland | Tokyo, Japan
Liked others: 50
Was liked: 22
Rank: KGS 3 kyu
KGS: Ellyster
ShinFlash wrote:
Ellyster wrote:
ShinFlash wrote:
Hello,
I am currently in Tokyo and searching for a friendly go-club.
Do you have to be a student at the University of Tokyo to go to the go club or is it open to anyone ?
KGS 7d sounds nice, because I am searching for strong players and I heard it is hard to find them in regular go clubs in Tokyo.


Mostly we are students from the University of Tokyo (is a really young enviroment, everyone is 18~24), except sometimes that we have some visitors from others universities, OB/OJ, ...

In Tokyo, there are Go salons with really strong amateurs, like the one in Shibuya (http://igo-club.net/), that is the one with the strongest players (probably).


Thank you for your answer !
Actually I am 20 years old so that sounds perfectly fine or isn't it open to someone not studying in Tokyo?


It's not officially close to outsiders of Todai, is just almost nowbody comes (since is inside the campus of Komaba), so feel free to come and visit. Right now, I'm not sure if we are in a break (for the exams).

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #23 Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:06 am 
Lives with ko

Posts: 227
Liked others: 9
Was liked: 11
Rank: KGS 4 Kyu
KGS: PeterN
Online playing schedule: KGS some weekday evenings GMT/BST
KGS weekends semi-randomly
City of London Go Club

We meet on Friday evening's between 6pm and 11pm in the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn. It's made up of a mixture of regular and semi-regular people, plus people who are in the area and drop by, typically getting around a dozen people a night I think.

The pub stores the equipment for us so no one has to bring anything and we typically play in the more secluded area upstairs. By and large it's a pretty informal setting, there are some clocks around for example but I've not once seen them used, and the main group of players are about 3k-7k or dan level players. I would know their ranks better, but to me there's not a massive difference between low dan and 9 dan :blackeye: By no means are weaker players unwelcome though, I was 11k when I started going and another regular was about 18k.

PeterN


This post by PeterN was liked by 2 people: joellercoaster, moyoaji
Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #24 Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:21 am 
Oza

Posts: 2180
Location: ʍoquıɐɹ ǝɥʇ ɹǝʌo 'ǝɹǝɥʍǝɯos
Liked others: 237
Was liked: 662
Rank: AGA 5d
GD Posts: 4312
Online playing schedule: Every tenth February 29th from 20:00-20:01 (if time permits)
PeterN wrote:
City of London Go Club

We meet on Friday evening's between 6pm and 11pm in the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn. It's made up of a mixture of regular and semi-regular people, plus people who are in the area and drop by, typically getting around a dozen people a night I think.

The pub stores the equipment for us so no one has to bring anything and we typically play in the more secluded area upstairs. By and large it's a pretty informal setting, there are some clocks around for example but I've not once seen them used, and the main group of players are about 3k-7k or dan level players. I would know their ranks better, but to me there's not a massive difference between low dan and 9 dan :blackeye: By no means are weaker players unwelcome though, I was 11k when I started going and another regular was about 18k.

PeterN


If you meet in a pub what is the difference in rank between 6pm and 11pm?

_________________
Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject:
Post #25 Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:08 pm 
Honinbo
User avatar

Posts: 8859
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Liked others: 349
Was liked: 2076
GD Posts: 312
Hi PeterN,

Nice to hear about the London club -- very good of the pub to keep the equipment for you!
PeterN wrote:
to me there's not a massive difference between low dan and 9 dan :blackeye:
It's massive. May I ask how many stones do you take from your local 1d's ?
If your profile rating of 6k is about right, then you probably take about 5 or 6 stones from you local 1d's ?
Which means they cannot give you 9 stones, or at least 9 stones would be quite difficult for them against you.
In contrast, when you play against pros or near pro levels, then 9 stones are most likely insufficient for you.

The difference is massive. :)

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #26 Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 6:01 am 
Lives with ko

Posts: 227
Liked others: 9
Was liked: 11
Rank: KGS 4 Kyu
KGS: PeterN
Online playing schedule: KGS some weekday evenings GMT/BST
KGS weekends semi-randomly
DrStraw: -

Tend not to drink too much, and most people are declining at similar rates I suspect, but I have heard murmurings of a beer handicap being equal to 30 points :cool:

EdLee: -

Agreed, it is nice of the pub. I think the weakest dan level player is 3 dan, I know there is a 6 dan who turns up from time to time, and there was an 8 dan there once. I know that there is a massive difference really, but against me the difference manifests as I lose, I get brutally beaten, or I get utterly annihilated! :blackeye:

PeterN

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #27 Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 7:15 am 
Judan

Posts: 6727
Location: Cambridge, UK
Liked others: 436
Was liked: 3720
Rank: UK 4 dan
KGS: Uberdude 4d
OGS: Uberdude 7d
PeterN wrote:
I think the weakest dan level player is 3 dan, I know there is a 6 dan who turns up from time to time, and there was an 8 dan there once.


Who is the 6d? There aren't many 6d Brits. Maybe a Chinese student? Or there's Shinichi Nao who's Japanese 6d but that's weaker than Euro 6d.

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #28 Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:28 am 
Lives in gote
User avatar

Posts: 452
Liked others: 74
Was liked: 100
Rank: 4 Dan European
Uberdude wrote:
PeterN wrote:
I think the weakest dan level player is 3 dan, I know there is a 6 dan who turns up from time to time, and there was an 8 dan there once.


Who is the 6d? There aren't many 6d Brits. Maybe a Chinese student? Or there's Shinichi Nao who's Japanese 6d but that's weaker than Euro 6d.


I occaisonally turn up there, although I'm 5d not 6d. I haven't been there while a 6d has been there, but I'm quite lazy about attending. The Epsom Go club also meets on Fridays now, and I go there more often.

Epsom club write up: Meets on Fridays at a local player's house. It's a very friendly club, and a large number of children typically turn up. Their interest in playing fluctuates a bit over time. Attendance has also fluctuated over the years, and is in a bit of a dip at the moment. Player strength varies between 5 dan and 35 kyu - the median is probaly 1 kyu. Games at the weaker end tend to be on 9x9 or 13x13 boards. Paul is an excellent host for all those who turn up.

It's a relaxed, informal affair - thoroughly recommended. I suspect I typically drink more there than I do at London City. (I typically bring a bottle of something when I show up, which isn't as often as I'd like to...)


This post by drmwc was liked by: moyoaji
Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #29 Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:56 pm 
Judan

Posts: 6727
Location: Cambridge, UK
Liked others: 436
Was liked: 3720
Rank: UK 4 dan
KGS: Uberdude 4d
OGS: Uberdude 7d
Cambridge is blessed with several Go clubs in a city of just 120,000.

On Monday during term-time from 8pm until 11:30 or so there's the university club, mainly frequented by students but others such as myself sometimes turn up. Strength is beginners all the way to high dan if there are strong chinese students around, with the current core of keen players being sdk. We used to meet in the buttery (cafeteria) or Clare College (because the grandfather of one former Cambridge player is a fellow there so we got the room free) but this year have switched to some rooms in Robinson College because that's where the current club president Ryutaro is and he doesn't fancy lugging the kit around (quite a chore I can attest to!). It has a friendly informal atmosphere and Ryutaro even brings snacks now.

On Thursday evenings in the university centre (a concrete monstrosity) there's a town club which is rather dull with the same 3 people playing (nominally 2d, 1d, 10k) in silence. It used to be more interesting but the guy who breathed some life into it left Cambridge a few years ago. It used to be in a function room, now in the bar.

On Friday and Sunday evenings from around 5 or a bit later until 9 (Fri) or 8 (Sun) there's the main town club in the CB1 internet cafe, pictured below (with some visiting players for Michael Redmond's teaching day last year), which is my usual club. It's more friendly and afterwards we go to the pub. The cafe is a bit hippy and has music. We have a few Go books and the sets stored there. There's around a dozen players who turn up reasonably often, 4 is a quiet day, 10 is busy. The core players are from 10k to low dan. I'm the strongest there now with the tragic death of David Ward late last year. Sometimes other cafe folk ask us about the game and we teach them and give them leaflets, but not many stick with it.

Image


This post by Uberdude was liked by 3 people: Bonobo, Drew, moyoaji
Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #30 Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 12:32 am 
Lives in gote

Posts: 349
Location: Washington State
Liked others: 272
Was liked: 60
Rank: OGS 11kyu
KGS: gotony
OGS: nghtstalker
Thanks for sharing Uberdude, sounds like a great club, and I always enjoy when people share a photo.

_________________
Walla Walla GO Club -(on FB)

We play because we enjoy the beauty of the game, the snap and feel of real stones, and meeting interesting people. Hope to see ya there! お願いします!

Anthony

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #31 Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 5:36 am 
Lives with ko

Posts: 227
Liked others: 9
Was liked: 11
Rank: KGS 4 Kyu
KGS: PeterN
Online playing schedule: KGS some weekday evenings GMT/BST
KGS weekends semi-randomly
drmwc wrote:
Uberdude wrote:
PeterN wrote:
I think the weakest dan level player is 3 dan, I know there is a 6 dan who turns up from time to time, and there was an 8 dan there once.


Who is the 6d? There aren't many 6d Brits. Maybe a Chinese student? Or there's Shinichi Nao who's Japanese 6d but that's weaker than Euro 6d.


I occaisonally turn up there, although I'm 5d not 6d. I haven't been there while a 6d has been there, but I'm quite lazy about attending. The Epsom Go club also meets on Fridays now, and I go there more often.

Epsom club write up: Meets on Fridays at a local player's house. It's a very friendly club, and a large number of children typically turn up. Their interest in playing fluctuates a bit over time. Attendance has also fluctuated over the years, and is in a bit of a dip at the moment. Player strength varies between 5 dan and 35 kyu - the median is probaly 1 kyu. Games at the weaker end tend to be on 9x9 or 13x13 boards. Paul is an excellent host for all those who turn up.

It's a relaxed, informal affair - thoroughly recommended. I suspect I typically drink more there than I do at London City. (I typically bring a bottle of something when I show up, which isn't as often as I'd like to...)


Can't say whether he's Chinese for certain, and I don't know what system the 6d is actually under, I just ask how strong someone is, by and large the ranks all work out more or less.

PeterN

Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #32 Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 2:31 am 
Beginner

Posts: 2
Liked others: 0
Was liked: 6
Rank: Kgs 5 kyu
KGS: Playwell
Online playing schedule: Kgs most days
I live in Tomi, Nagano. Being of mature years I play go every week at the kominkan -community centre. We regularly get 20 players or so. We are all retired and play from 9 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.

Tojo sensei is the best player. He is about 90 now, deaf as a post and bent double. Smoking is not allowed but nobody dreams of stopping him taking out his baccy and rolling a thin cigarette when he wants to think. He still studies tsume go, bringing problems in for us to try and has wicked smile when he thinks he has you over a barrel. He loves it when you beat him too; sweeping the stones up to replay the game from memory. He must have been truly fearsome when he was young.

Once a month there is a tournament that attracts around 50 or 60 players. Entry is 1000 yen and that includes lunch.

There's lots of go played locally like this in community centres and the like in Japan.


This post by Tombi was liked by 6 people: Boidhre, Bonobo, Drew, goTony, happysocks, moyoaji
Top
 Profile  
 
Offline
 Post subject: Re: What is your club's culture like?
Post #33 Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2014 1:05 pm 
Lives in gote

Posts: 349
Location: Washington State
Liked others: 272
Was liked: 60
Rank: OGS 11kyu
KGS: gotony
OGS: nghtstalker
Tombi wrote:
I live in Tomi, Nagano. Being of mature years I play go every week at the kominkan -community centre. We regularly get 20 players or so. We are all retired and play from 9 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.

Tojo sensei is the best player. He is about 90 now, deaf as a post and bent double. Smoking is not allowed but nobody dreams of stopping him taking out his baccy and rolling a thin cigarette when he wants to think. He still studies tsume go, bringing problems in for us to try and has wicked smile when he thinks he has you over a barrel. He loves it when you beat him too; sweeping the stones up to replay the game from memory. He must have been truly fearsome when he was young.

Once a month there is a tournament that attracts around 50 or 60 players. Entry is 1000 yen and that includes lunch.

There's lots of go played locally like this in community centres and the like in Japan.


An intersting post would love to go there and play. Tojo Sensei sounds like an interesting man to meet. To play that strong at 90 is incredible. Maybe I should try smoking too when I am in a tough spot, rather than playing quickly!

_________________
Walla Walla GO Club -(on FB)

We play because we enjoy the beauty of the game, the snap and feel of real stones, and meeting interesting people. Hope to see ya there! お願いします!

Anthony

Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 33 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group