National Go Week: 2006-2008

6th July - 13th July 2008

National Go Week was on again, this time it was the first full week in July 2008.

• 6/7/8 - UK Go Challenge Finals in Milton Cambridge
• 7-8/7/8 - Teaching at Asian Festival at Gravesend Grammar School
• 9/7/8 - Teaching by Zen Machine at Warwick Uni
• 10/7/8 - Teaching at China Day at Highdown School, Reading
• various - lectures for Home Education Network in Hampshire by Zen Machine
• 13/7/8 - BGA Picnic, Purbrook, Hants, sponsored by Zen Machine, where attendees were encouraged to bring Go banners and a non-playing friend

1st - 7th July 2007

National Go Week was the first week in July 2007.

Various events were held around the country, details of which appear below.

• Friday 29th June 2007 - Tameside Go Gala - Many school children from East of Manchester were taught Go by Zen Machine.
• Sunday 1st July 2007 - Postponed to 12th August - BGA Picnic in Purbrook, Hampshire
  This was similar to the previous picnic: a very relaxing day of Go, eating, drinking and interesting conversation, for both Go players and non-playing friends and family. Unlimited green tea was served in the much improved Wendes' garden, with many Japanese maples and bamboos.
• Sunday 1st July 2007 - The UK Go Challenge Finals were held in Cambridge. Best of the 55 children was Hai Xia.
• Sunday 1st July 2007 - A Scottish Go Picnic was held in Edinburgh. About 10 people attended the wet weather venue of the Harlequin Cafe in Buccleuch Place, instead of the outside venue of The Meadows.
• Tuesday 3rd July 2007 - Peterborough Schools Event by Zen Machine
• Saturday 7th July 2007 - NAGTY Workshop, by Zen Machine in Purbrook, Hampshire
• Saturday 7th July 2007 - Epsom Tournament was attended by 51 players and won by Miss Gook-Hwa Park from Korea.

2nd - 8th July 2006

National Go Week 2006 was the first week in July. Various events were held around the country, details of which appear below.

Pictures of the events attended by Peter Wendes (Publicity Officer)

Sunday 2nd July 2006 - BGA Picnic in Purbrook, Hampshire

Peter and Sheila Wendes opened their house and garden and had 44 visitors in all, from 6 months old to 78. They hope to do something similar next year. Some photos from Paul Margetts:

Sunday 2nd July 2006 - Belfast Go Club Picnic

Half the rapidly growing Belfast Club met in Jan's garden for their Go Picnic.

Sunday 2nd July 2006 - UK Go Challenge Finals, Loughborough

26 of the best players from 10 school heats and other youngsters met for the finals of the third UK Go Challenge at Loughborough Grammar School. Top boy (William Brooks) and girl (Maria Tabor) won a LG Chocolate Mobile and all section winners won LG MP3 players kindly donated by LG Electronics UK Ltd.

Thursday 6th July 2006 - Go Cake Extravaganza Purbrook Go Club

Peter Wendes, BGA Education Officer and Go Teacher, had a very busy National Go Week. Peter and Sheila Wendes provided a special Go cake for the Purbrook Go Club meeting during a busy week starting with their picnic and continuing with a Go session at IBM Hursley, a presentation to asylum seekers in Portsmouth and the worksop in Horsham.

Saturday 8th July 2006 - Let's Go Further

The second West Sussex Schools' Go Fest in 2006 was an improvers' workshop, held as normal in Horsham; the event was known as "Let's Go Further". Aided by dan players Simon Goss and Tony Atkins, Peter and Sheila Wendes taught yet more beginners (13), and also taught more advance Go techniques to two boys who learnt Go last year and to two boys from London Meed School in Burgess Hill who are 17 and 18 kyu already.

Saturday 8th July 2006 - Epsom Tournament

The annual Epsom Tournament was held in Go Week instead of its normal August. 48 players took part and the winner was Li Shen (6 dan), the Chinese boy from London. It also featured again the first game in the British Title Match, in which Bei Ge beat Matthew Macfadyen by 3.5 points.

First BGA Picnic

This had been held in Green Park, London, in 2005, and inspired those that followed.