Hello from Vancouver

prichards · #1

Hello everyone, greetings from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I just got introduced to Go ~2 months ago, and I've been looking online for resources to improve, so here I am! Can't wait to dive in and get some more practice. So far, I've been learning from my roommate who is ~6 kyu. He has me on a 9x9 board learning basic shapes and attack/defense.

My first epiphany about learning at Go:

"Go is the game I play when I want to lose and feel good about myself" - Since even when I lose, I can use it as an opportunity to get better. It has definitely been a useful tool for addressing my own fear of losing, and the desire to not want to do soemthing unless I can be good at it.

In any case, I will end this by saying I can't wait to start contributing, and please bear with me as I make all the blunders along the way to becoming a better Go player

1986 · #2

Welcome to L19!

EdLee · #3

Welcome.

Solomon · #4

Hi hi. Do you guys still have the annual Vancouver tourney at Crystal Mall? I miss going to those.

Chew Terr · #5

Howdy, and welcome!

palapiku · #6

Hello from Vancouver!

Redbeard · #7

Welcome to L19!
I have always wanted to learn more about the Go scene in Vancouver. You will have to keep us informed of your progress and the places you find to play. If you ever come down south, look us up at The Seattle Go Center. We have several seminars and tournaments throughout the year that are worth a train trip to the states.

palapiku · #8

Redbeard wrote:

I have always wanted to learn more about the Go scene in Vancouver. You will have to keep us informed of your progress and the places you find to play.

You could just ask me. I think I already wrote about this at some point. Basically, the Vancouver go scene is dismal, apart from university clubs at UBC and SFU.

On the other hand, there's a tournament this weekend!

prichards · #9

palapiku wrote:

Redbeard wrote:

I have always wanted to learn more about the Go scene in Vancouver. You will have to keep us informed of your progress and the places you find to play.

You could just ask me. I think I already wrote about this at some point. Basically, the Vancouver go scene is dismal, apart from university clubs at UBC and SFU.

On the other hand, there's a tournament this weekend!

I can't really speak for the scene in Vancouver, since I just started playing. However, it will be nice to contribute now that I've started. Can you tell me more about this tournament?

palapiku · **#10**

Sure. I'll send you the details in private.

Violence · **#11**

It's so hard to find people to play regularly up here since I moved to Vancouver. It's really been annoying me how we have a large playerbase, but no regular clubs besides the one that meets... like... twice a month, and two school clubs that meet during most peoples' work hours.

I guess I'll see you both at the tournament on Sunday.

Oh snap, I think I'm the second closest player to Palapiku on IgoLocal.

palapiku · **#12**

O snap

There have been several heavily Chinese-oriented go clubs. They all closed down. It's strange that the nearby Seattle has a much better go scene, given that we probably have more players. I don't think we ever had a "culture-agnostic" go club outside of the universities.

Redbeard · **#13**

palapiku wrote:

O snap
It's strange that the nearby Seattle has a much better go scene, given that we probably have more players. I don't think we ever had a "culture-agnostic" go club outside of the universities.

A big part of the current Seattle scene is due to Iwamoto Kaoru and the Nihon Ki-in purchasing a building and dedicating its use as a Go club. However, the scene started in a Seattle coffee shop and grew from few players a week to a group large enough to be noticed by the Nihon Ki-in. Dedicated people from that group like Chris Kirschner and Frank Fukuda convinced them to open a Go Center in Seattle and many people have worked hard over the years to keep the center open and self-sufficent. The only reason we have a Go scene is Seattle is because we want it bad enough to create it and show up every week to keep it going.

It sounds to me like you guys need to start a new Vancouver Go Club. Why not find a centrally located coffee shop and pick one day a week to play? Even if only two or three show up each week it's a start. Advertise the club on IgoLocal and the AGA website and more people will come. Eventually you will have a Go scene that others would be envious of.

prolepsis · **#14**

sounds like a great plan! if you do start a club: please send me details; i have a friend in vancouver hwo'd surely attend...

palapiku · **#15**

A new club just opened in Richmond, by the way. The address is Unit 3010, 8888 Odlin Crescent - at the Pacific Plaza mall. The hours are Tue/Wed/Thu 2:00PM-9:00PM, Fri/Sat/Sun 12:00PM-9:00PM. That's right, six days a week!

prichards · **#16**

That is great news about the new club! I will have to make a trip down to Richmond soon to check it out. Whoever goes first, can you find out about fees? Looks like I will get to make use of the Canada Line.

Nikolas73 · **#17**

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, I've been away for a while. Thought I'd share something I wrote up last year, but I think most of this is still accurate:

Quote:

You might want to check some of the contacts at http://senseis.xmp.net/?Vancouver but I think some of the lists there are outdated. Here is what I know:

There is the Vancouver Go Association: http://www.geocities.jp/qxbqd097/Vango2.htm
-It's a Japanese Go and Shogi club which meets at Nikkei Place in Burnaby (about 20 minutes from Vancouver). Their next meeting is on September 11, and after that they meet once every two weeks. I've only been there twice, but from what I've seen the usual attendance is 10-20 people and there are quite a few at 3d-6d level. Also some SDKs, and one or two DDks. It's a really friendly club, very easy to get a game there.

There are two university clubs: The SFU Go Club (their Facebook page is here) and the UBC Go Club (contact info on Sensei's Vancouver page). I have no idea how active or strong these guys are; you may want to contact them.

The Canada West Go Association (Chinese website) is run by the same people who are organizing the 2010 Go Open - they also run most of the local tournaments once or twice a year. I believe they meet in Richmond (about a 25 minute drive from Vancouver) and also offer Go classes for kids once or twice a week, but I don't know the details. I believe they have a lot of strong players, some of whom have a history at amateur and professional Chinese tournaments. You should probably contact Cathy Li (who is organizing the Open) for more info.

You might also want to join the room "Clubs > Van Go" on KGS and ask around there - someone may know more than I do

.

Araban wrote:

Hi hi. Do you guys still have the annual Vancouver tourney at Crystal Mall? I miss going to those.

-Me too. I haven't heard anything about it this year. Last year I think it was cancelled because of the Canadian Open around the same time, and I think the year before that there was low registration so the tournament happened in a smaller Church facility. Although, the organizers have run some smaller tournaments in Richmond once or twice a year.

palapiku wrote:

A new club just opened in Richmond, by the way. The address is Unit 3010, 8888 Odlin Crescent - at the Pacific Plaza mall. The hours are Tue/Wed/Thu 2:00PM-9:00PM, Fri/Sat/Sun 12:00PM-9:00PM. That's right, six days a week!

-Thanks for sharing!

Oh, and a late welcome to Prichards

Joaz Banbeck · **#18**

My wife wants to go skiing in Whistler, and I'm coming along for the ride. ( I ski down a mountain like a slinky goes down stairs )
How is the go scne in Vancouver now?

Joaz Banbeck · **#19**

BUMP. I'm in Vancouver now. Anything happening?

Hello from Vancouver

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