XXIII Го Конгресс 1979
Кёнигсвинтер, ФРГ 1979, 21 июля – 4 августа
A report on the Congress by Rob Koopman and Peter Zandveld
Dutch Go Magazine, volume 16, number 6
This year pros from Japan, China and Korea were present and there was also a pro on holidays: Chizu Kobayashi, last years Women Honinbo. Saturday the official opening ceremony was held and the next day the European Championship started with a restday. The ligthning tournament, which took place that evening was won by Henk de Vries (4 dan, Nld) and second Michiel Eijkhout (Nld). This Sunday it showed that EGF decisions are easily ignored. The settlement of last year, a restriction of the number of participants, didn't stand. Jьrgen Mattern could play to make the number of participants even, like Wolfgang Isele, because he is strong, and Rob van Zeijst, to make it even again, and Henk de Vries and Horst Kippe, because they were the only 4 dans left.
A week later it turned out that this time it was even more difficult to take decisions. A proposal by Matthew Macfadyen couldn't be put on the agenda, because these kind of business have to be put on the agenda twenty days before the meeting. This according to the EGF constitution, which appearently was only known to the people who made the constitution.
'Das Tohuwabohu' of Sunday and Monday morning had as a consequence that the European Championship was the strongest Tournament in Europe ever. Tenty participants, nine rounds. Favourites for the title were Jьrgen Mattern, Helmut Hasibeder and Ronald Schlemper, but after seven rounds it was to everybodies surprise Robert Rehm who lead the pack with 7 out of 7, two points ahead on the rest of the field. Unlucky for him he lost his eight round game against Max Rebattu and lost by a big blunder in the last round a won game against Rob van Zeijst. This gave the opportunity to Ronald Schlemper and Jьrgen Mattern to catch up with Rehm. What followed was a
play-off between these three, for the first place. Schlemper won against Rehm, and next he played Mattern. Schlemper started this game very well, but refused on several occasions to play a certain cowardly move, which gave Mattern the opportunity to cut off a large group in byoyomi. Just when Schlemper managed to make this group alive, he resigned in a probably won position. The move which the audience had seen on Video, Schlemper didn't see. In the evening Mattern won an easy game against Rehm and became champion for the eight and last time.
Pl. | Name | Co. | Str. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Pts. |
1 | Jьrgen Mattern | Ger | 6d | xxx | 0 | | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 7-2 |
2 | Ronald Schlemper | Nld | 5d | 1 | xxx | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 7-2 |
3 | Robert Rehm | Nld | 4d | | 1 | xxx | 0 | 1 | | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7-2 |
4 | Max Rebattu | Nld | 5d | 0 | 0 | 1 | xxx | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 6-3 |
5 | Matthew Macfadyen | Gbr | 5d | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | xxx | 1 | 1 | - | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6-3 |
6 | Rob van Zeijst | Nld | 4d | - | - | | 0 | 0 | xxx | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | 6-3 |
7 | Wolfgang Isele | Ger | 5d | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | xxx | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 5-4 |
8 | Terry Stacey | Gbr | | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | xxx | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 5-4 |
9 | Michael Kitsos | Ger | | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 0 | xxx | 0 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | - | 5-4 |
10 | Helmut Hasibeder | Aut | 5d | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | xxx | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 4-5 |
11 | Jerome Hubert | Fra | 4d | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | xxx | - | - | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 4-5 |
12 | Gerfried Beck | Aut | 4d | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | xxx | - | 0 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4-5 |
13 | Ernst Novak | Aut | | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | - | 0 | 1 | - | 0 | - | - | xxx | - | - | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 4-5 |
14 | Henk de Vries | Nld | 4d | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | - | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | xxx | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 4-5 |
15 | Frank Hansen | Den | | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | xxx | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 4-5 |
16 | Rob Koopman | Nld | | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | 1 | 0 | xxx | - | - | 1 | 1 | 3-6 |
17 | Cas Muller | NLD | | - | - | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | xxx | - | 1 | 0 | 3-6 |
18 | Horst Kippe | Ger | | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | - | - | 0 | - | - | 0 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | xxx | 0 | 0 | 2-7 |
19 | Igor Bizjak | Yug | | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | xxx | 1 | 2-7 |
20 | Berndt Wolter | Ger | | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | xxx | 2-7 |
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Play-off for the
1-3 pl.
Pl. | Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | Pts |
1 | Jьrgen Mattern | xxx | | | 2 |
2 | Ronald Schlemper | | xxx | 1 | 1 |
3 | Robert Rehm | | 0 | xxx | 0 |
|
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Other events
Not many strong players participated in the Main Tournament. It was won by Ton Hendriks (2 dan, Nld), who beat all German three dans. His only loss was against Bruce Wilcox (5d, USA).
Main Tournament, Group 1:
1. Ton Hendriks
2. Alfons Wirtz (Ger, 3d)
3. Bruce Wilcox
Group 2:
Faraway (Gbr, 1d)
Peter Zandveld (Nld, 1d)
Erik Kaper (Nld, 1d)
Group 3:
1. Koos Groeneveld (Nld, 1k)
2. Michiel Eijkhout (Nld, 1k)
Handicap Tournament:
1. Frederic Donzet (Fra, 1d)
2. Nico Lijssen (Nld, 3k)
Weekend Tournament
Hans Zschintzsch (Ger, 4d)
Gunther Ciessow (Ger, 4d)
Pecenko (Yug, 4d)
Match
Europe-Asia:
14-0 (!)
The Dutch classification committee wasn't very popular among the participants. The difference between a German 1 dan and a dutch 1 kyu was about one stone, but the other way around. Even the 2 dans were afraid for the 'strong dutch first kyus':
1. What shall we do with the strong dutch first kyu? (3x)
If they won't promote him
Chorus: Hooray! Make him shodan (3x)
Why don't they promote him?
2. Make him play an even game with Kobayashi (3x)
Or: set him at a table with a German san dan...
If they won't promote him
Chorus: Hooray! Make him nidan
3. Put him in atari while he's in the toilet (3x)
if they won't promote him
Chorus: Hooray! Make him san dan
4. Call him to the phone when he's in byoyomi (3x)
Chorus: Hooray! Make him yon dan
5. Make him give 100 komi...
Chorus: Hooray! Make him go dan
6. Make him play his games on a plastic go ban
Chorus: Hooray! Make him roku dan
7. Make him play with a patch on both eyes
Chorus: Hooray! Make him nana dan
8. Tell him that he's playing in a shogi congress
Chorus: Hooray! Make him hachi dan
9. Lock him in his room and win by default
Chorus: Hooray! Make him kyu dan
10. Make him the director of the next congress
Chorus: Hooray! Make him ju dan
11. That's what we do with a strong dutch first kyu...
Chorus: Hooray! Make him Meijin
Chorus: Hooray! Make him Honinbo
One of the most striking persons this congress was Bruce Wilcox, an American 5 dan. He gave a series of lectures for weaker Go players, with inspiring titles as: 'How to win without fighting'. A part of this course was a simultaneous session at 26 boards.
Klaus Heine organised a seminar about 'Wissenschaftliche
Go-Theorie', with subjects as mathematic theories on Go, computer Go etc.
The Chinese pros Xu and Hua and the really strong Korean pro Cho continously played simultaneous games. The Japanese pros Nagahara and Yoshida analysed many tournament games. Most active was Kobayashi Chizu, who enjoyed the commentaries on new European josekis so much, that she rescheduled her holidays to stay as long as possible.
The organisation was good, except for some small details. A pleasant surprise was the Congress bullitin, which appeared five times. It contained tournament standings, interviews with Xu, Hua and Cho, and game commentaries from the European Championship. The playing venues, and accommodation were fine and even Robert Rehm didn't complain about the food. New this year, two video cameras who focused every round on two important games, so that everybody could follow the games without disturbing the players.
