Go in Britain: 1983

The London Open attracted 130 including the usual batch of strong foreigners. Liu Xiao Yuang from Dsseldorf won the event ahead of Japan's N. Hosakawa. The most notable result was from Dutch 1 kyu, Mark Boon, who won seven out of eight.

Terry Stacey won at the new Oxford Tournament and at Cambridge. Leeds Grammar School won the Schools Championship at Hornchurch in Essex. and the third East Anglian event was the British Small Board at Wanstead; Francis Roads won the Go and Ian Carson the lunchtime Liar Dice.

In Osaka Ma Xiao Chung, from China, won the World Amateur. Jim Barty was eighth.

The British Go Congress was held in Coventry, with only a beer festival between the tournament site and the cathedral. Matthew Macfadyen won, with Jim Clare second. Leeds Grammar School boys dominated the lower boards and left well furnished with bottles of corrupting influence. At the AGM, Richard Granville replaced Toby Manning as president after four years and Jeff Ansell took over Bob Thompson's role as treasurer.

The London League was won by Reading who won all their games; a combined Huddersfield-Sheffield team led by Robert Berry won the Northern League; Malvern won the Midland. Tournaments were won as follows: London May, Mr Fuji; Bracknell, Jim Barty; Leicester, Quentin Mills; York and the Northern, John Smith.

At the European Go Congress in Edinburgh Janusz Kraszek from Poland surprised all by winning all nine games of the McMahon system event, to become the champion. Terry Stacey was second, and Matthew Macfadyen and Pierre Colmez were third. Local player Jim Cook won 7 games and Mueller from Austria won 8 games at 3 kyu. Robert Rehm won both lightning tournaments and Mark Hall won 18 games in the handicap. The weekend was won by Yoon from Korea, who travelled with two professionals. As well as three Chinese pros, there was also Nakayama sensei from Japan.

October 1983 saw the second British Go Week. Richard Granville appeared on Radio 4's Women's Hour. Tony Atkins played 30 hours of non-stop Go in Nottingham, and Matthew Macfadyen did the same for 68 hours 3 minutes, a new British record. France Ellul arranged several matches in Maidenhead. South London played in Croydon shopping centre, and busy was very busy in Aberdeen.

Matthew Macfadyen beat Terry Stacey in three straight games in the British Championship. The Susan Barnes Trust was set up following her death in an accident earlier in 1983. The Wessex was won by Macfadyen, the Black Bull Handicap by Granville, and the first Nottingham Tournament by Brian Chandler.

At the London Open, over the new year, Andre Moussa won the Lightning and lost a tie break in the main tournament to Matthew Macfadyen and Hosokawa from Japan.


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Last updated Wed May 03 2017.
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