Go Teaching Services

This page lists suppliers of Go teaching, who provide a service tailored to the customer’s needs, and who charge for their service. If instead you are looking for elementary instruction in Go, see Tel’s Go Notes or this site’s introduction to Go.

There are many suppliers of such services, so this page will be restricted to suppliers who can deliver the lessons in English. Anyone offering English-language Go teaching is invited to email us with some information, so as to be listed on this page.

Also note the BGA now runs the Shodan Challenge which couples challengers with a mentor to help them reach a target grade.

Peter Wendes

BGA Education Officer.

Peter is the only full-time freelance Go promoter in the UK. He offers workshops for complete beginners, with no prior knowledge of the game required. Most of his time is spent in schools and colleges, but he works with a wide variety of other organisations, public and corporate. Recent clients include:

The Embassy of Japan, London
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Eton College
Millfield School
SCOPE West Sussex
The Academy for Gifted Youth, Warwick University
West Sussex LEA
Portsmouth LEA
Tower Hamlets LEA
Surrey LEA
The Mathematical Association

Peter describes Go as ‘The Extreme Mind Sport’—extremely challenging, creative and inclusive. Organisations are invited to visit his ZenMachine web site zenmachine.co.uk, or contact him by email at pwendes@hotmail.com or telephone 02392 267648.

Tony Atkins, 3d, Kiseki Go

Tony started working full time on Go in 2004, but has plenty of previous experience promoting and teaching the game. He was BGA Secretary for many years and was elected President of the European Go Federation in 2001, a post he still holds. He is an amateur 3 dan player having learned the game over 30 years ago. He lives in Reading.

The Kiseki Go web site, kisekigo.com, describes Tony’s introductory workshops and his sessions for players who have just started to play Go and who want to know more.

Matthew Macfadyen, 6d

Matthew Macfadyen has been the British Go Champion and is Training Advisor to the BGA. He has in the past taught by email and given seminars.

Matthew Macfadyen’s web site describes his seminars and his email courses.

Guo Juan, 5p

Guo Juan is one of the strongest Go players in Europe; she played as a professional in China. She is also an inspiring teacher. She lives in Amsterdam but can travel to do workshops. She used to deliver her lessons by email or as teaching games on the Kiseido Go Server, but nowadays she uses her Internet Go School to deliver lessons and courses, including her on-line audio teaching service.

Alexandre Dinerchtein, 3p

Alexandre Dinerchtein was the first Russian professional and lived in South Korea for some years after 1997.

His web site is at breakfast.go4go.net.

Franz-Josef Dickhut, 6d

Franz-Josef Dickhut offers online teaching games (on IGS or KGS) with thorough commentary provided by email, for €20 per game. He also runs study groups on KGS for €8.

Franz-Josef Dickhut’s teaching is described on his web site fjdickhut.de/teaching-en.htm.

Christian Pop, 7d

Christian Pop offers teaching in the format required by his pupils; he recommends playing a game against him, which he then reviews. He charges US$20–$25 per hour.

He plays on KGS as ‘Solaris’.

Christian Pop’s teaching is described on his web site goschool.resurse.com.

Dragos George Bajenaru, 6d

Dragos Bajenaru offers on-line lessons for from $7 to $10 per hour; and also provides game commentaries from $10 per game. His teaching is described on web site go4you.net, or you can email him at go@resurse.com.

He plays on Dashn, IGS-PandaNet and KGS as ‘toxxicu’.

Ion Florescu, 6d

Ion Florescu teaches on KGS and other servers, at €10 per lesson. He uses the name ‘Tsurukame’.

Ion Florescu’s teaching is described on his Tsurukame Go School web site learngo.world-go.org.

Cornel Burzo, 6d

Cornel Burzo is a Romanian Go player. He offers online teaching games on IGS-PandaNet and also on KGS. He charges €12 per hour (with bulk discounts) and uses the names ‘Cornel’, ‘CornelB’, and ‘MyMaster’ online.

More details at his web site golessons.com.

Ron Polak

Ron Polak is not as strong as some of the other players listed here, having given up competitive play after an illness. He specialises in helping his pupils to break the dan-barrier. In teaching he values humour as much as technical analysis.

He used to be found on the Kiseido Go Server, where he played as ‘Polak’ and as ‘Tictactoe’, but seems to have stopped. You can email him at hirakistichting@planet.nl.

Cho Seok-Bin, 7d

Cho Seok-Bin is Korean and lives currently in Berlin, having started his stay in Europe in Hamburg. He has attended and won many large European tournaments in 2005 and 2006. He teaches at seminars and is advertising personal teaching, in German and English.

You can email him at bin7674@hotmail.com.