Go in Britain: 1989

A record 110 attended the Wanstead; Piers Shepperson was the winner at the start of 1989. Matthew Macfadyen's title of Games Person of the Month bestowed by Games Monthly magazine was justified by his second (to Schlemper) in the Fujitsu Qualifying Tournament in Amsterdam and a second place at Prague at the end of 1988, and wins at Oxford and Cambridge.

The 1989 British Go Congress was held at Oakham School in the ancient county of Rutland. Matthew Macfadyen beat Adam Pirani to win the Lightning, but lost on tie-break to Piers Shepperson of Nottingham in the Open. Unfortunately the accounts had not been brought to the AGM causing an EGM to be held during Leicester.

Bracknell was won by Eddie Shaw, but the prize giving did not start until after 8:30. Leicester was won by Adam Pirani and the Youth Championships at Stowe was won by Matthew Cocke (1 kyu) from Norwich, with Sam Beaton and Mark Simmons winning the other age groups. Harold Lee won the Northern and the Wessex; Matthew Macfadyen won at Shrewsbury. The first Open University Tournament was held in Wolverton, Milton Keynes, and was won by Matthew Macfadyen and Edmund Shaw, due to a vagary in the draw. Jim Barty was 22nd at the World Amateur.

The 1989 European was held in Nis, Yugoslavia. Matthew Macfadyen was European Champion and won the European Fujitsu Cup with 24 points more than Robert Rehm. Yoo won the Grand Prix and also won the tournament to celebrate the Meijin game in London in September. Awaji Shuzo beat Kobayashi Koichi, but Kobayashi went on to win the match 4-1.

Furze Platt won the Schools Championship at Stowe at the end of 1989, for the sixth time, but new prospects Brakenhale School from Bracknell were second. The third Farnham Teach-in was followed by the Handicap Tournament won by Harold Lee.

133 players attended the London Open, the first held at Highbury Roundhouse and also the first where Russians were present. Winner on the first day of 1990 was Dr. Shutai Zhang, second was Hans Pietsch, third was Frank Janssen and Matthew Macfadyen was fourth. Hans Pietsch won the Lightning with Viktor Bogdanov second.

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