UK News

With regret we report that Allan Scarff, pioneer Go programmer, died from cancer on 9th December 2011, aged 65.

Allan first came across Go in 1969, when working as a programmer with NCR in Dundee, from a Pure Science student friend, Phil Bristow. Go immediately captured his interest and he was soon teaching it to anybody and everybody, including his family, of whom son Christian still plays regularly.

In 1970, with a wife and three children to support, he got a job with ICL in Reading, and joined the existing Go club which he helped run for some years whilst reaching dan level. He left ICL in 1983 to work for himself, but stayed in Reading.

Allan had what he called a cellular automaton idea to produce a Go program which could run on a small PC like BBC Acorn. Microgo1 came on the market in 1984 and Microgo2 followed; it won places in various competitions between 1985 and 1989.

There is some nice publicity for go in this week’s edition of Ariel (the BBC staff magazine which also goes outside the BBC to some people in the wider media industry).

The article is about Alison Bexfield's participation in the World Amateur Pair Go Tournament, made the top half of page 4 and included a nice picture of her by a goban.

17th November 2011 marked a historic moment for UK Mind Sports with the first festival of all the games who are members of the International Mind Sports Association.

The International Federation of Poker had booked the entire EDF Energy London Eye for the evening for their first international team championship for Duplicate Poker and invited the other UK games organisations to demonstrate their games to the UK and World media.

The BGA participated, occupying 2 capsules (pods) with players varying in age from 8 to 73 for most of the evening. In one capsule players Michael Culver, Natasha Regan and Oscar Selby were joined by Jon Diamond, Thomas Hsiang (Vice President of the International Go Federation and Executive Director of IMSA) as well as other members of the US Mind Sports Association.

It is with great sadness that we have to report that Gerry died on Monday 14 November after a year battling cancer.

As you all know his grade was 1 dan, achieved in 1986, but much more importantly he was our Bookseller for more than 10 years. On his retirement from this role in 2010 he had been appointed a Life Member of the BGA, at which occasion this picture was taken.

The funeral will be at the Shrewsbury crematorium at 2.00 on Friday November 25, followed by a light buffet at a local hotel - venue yet to be decided.

Donations will be collected at the service and will be for the Severn Hospice where Gerry spent his final days. According to Simon Mills it is a truly wonderful place.

The BGA will be represented there by our Treasurer, Toby Manning.

It is with regret that we have to report the very tragic death of Xinyi Lu at the age of 26.

He was not just a Go player, but also an organiser and promoter of the game, being a BGA Council member from 2007 to 2010.

Xinyi died in an accident, while on holiday in China, at the beginning of October. His parents have created a website in his memory, some of you may wish to add your condolences there: https://sites.google.com/site/tributetoxinyi/

We offer our condolences to his parents and family.

On Sunday 16th January, Matthew Macfadyen beat Vanessa Wong in the fourth game of the 2010 British Championship match. This put Matthew 3-1 ahead in the 5-game match. Matthew is therefore the 2010 British Champion.

Congratulations to Roella Smith who held on to her lead to win the 2010 Youth Grand Prix. Jamie Taylor held on to second, and Roella's younger sister Kelda managed to get third place, just beating Barney Shiu.

Final results

The second season of the online team league has now been concluded.

Congratulations to Dundee on winning the Championship - the eventual outcome depended on a game between Yohei Negi and Yangran Zhang played on 15th December, won by Yohei for Dundee over CLGC A who came a close second with Edinburgh not far behind.

In Division 2 Billericay Dickies just clinched the title on "goal difference" (one more game won) over St Albans to take the lead and win promotion.

In Division 3 CLGC B convincingly took the lead and the promotion spot. Second place were Cambridge B.

In Division 4 Edinburgh 2 convincingly won promotion to division 3.

At the Extraordinary General Meeting of the BGA that approved the 2009 accounts, Gerry Mills was presented with a portrait of himself painted by Go player and artist Jiri Keller. He was also presented with a book on walking and a card, gifts in recognition of his more than 10 years running the BGA book shop (his last event being there at the East Midlands Tournament).

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Insei League won 7:3!

Time limits WERE 30 min, 30 sec/5 times