European Go Congress in Villach

Around 1,000 players from Europe and Asia are in Austria expected

From July 14th to July 28th, 2007 the European Go Congress will take place in the Congress Center Villach, Austria. After Prague and Rome in the previous years, this large event will be held in Villach in 2007 for the first time. Over 1,000 active participants from all over Europe and Asia are expected to attend this Championship. The acting European Champion is female: Svetlana Shikshina (26) from Russia is going to defend her title in Villach. Aside from the Annual General Meeting of the European Go Federation the Congress also offers background knowledge for interested onlookers: Workshops by professional players from Asia as well as presentations and lectures enrich the program.

Villach and its surroundings provide the perfect setting to combine the hobby Go with a two-week holiday. A fraction of the participants will fight for the Championship title. The majority of the Congress participants from 40 countries from Ireland to Korea will use the opportunity to exchange ideas or to enjoy the Carinthian holiday region.

Learn Go

For those interested in Go it will be possible to have the rules and basic tactics explained on-site. Tutors in the Congress Center are available daily from 11:00 to 12:00 for free.

Go: Japanese Government sends professional player to Austria

The Japanese government has sent the professional player Chizu Kobayashi to Austria to popularise the traditional board game Go as cultural export from Asia. In Austria the strategic game experiences a boom, not least because the European Go Championship will take place in Villach this year. In Japan, Kobayashi enjoys the status of a sports star. Since March she has been residing in Vienna.

Basic Facts about Go:

Go is played with black and white stones on a board with 19x19 lines. The strategic game was invented around 4,000 years ago in China and is therefore the oldest documented board game in the history of mankind. In ancient Japan it was developed scientifically and was a regular pastime of the upper class. Today there are around seven to ten million Japanese Go players. Unlike chess and other similar tactical games, the rules of Go are so simple that they can be understood in a few minutes. Nevertheless, it is at the same time the most sophisticated strategic mind sport – so much more complex than chess that no currently available computer program can win against a practised hobby player.

Dates and Links:

European Go Congress in the Congress Center Villach: July 14th to July 28th, 2007
More information at the Austrian Go Association: http://egc2007.goverband.at

The Austrian Go Association organizes the European Go Congress in the Congress Center Villach. President: Rainer Stowasser. Homepage: www.goverband.at

Go Verband Austria
1140 Vienna, Tinterstraße 13
http://www.goverband.at

Press: Richard Pyrker, +43-699-17733033, presse@goverband.at

This release was published on openPR.