Thanks to a gratious donation of
Iwamoto Kaoru,
former Honinbo Kunwa,
the European Go Centre became possible. Iwamoto sensei, in support of
the Japanese Go Association the
Nihon Ki-in,
seeks the spread of Go throughout the world. To achieve this aim,
Iwamoto has created a special fund to finance go centers in various
parts of the world. Already established are
the center in Sao Paulo, Brasil, and the center in Amsterdam,
the Netherlands.
The European Go Centre has been officially opened on the 9th of May 1992.
The first major activity organised in the centre has been the
1st game of the
1992 Meijin match,
featuring
Kobayashi Koichi
(title holder) and
Otake Hideo,
9 dan.
This game, played on the 9th and 10th of September 1992 was
broadcasted live on the
Internet Go Server
and closely watched by hundreds of Go players all over the world.
The European Go Centre hosts a number of major go
events, like the Obayashi Cup,
the final stages of the Fujitsu European Preliminaries,
and the Amsterdam Grand-Prix tournament. Also world-wide events like
the 1st game of the
1992 Meijin match,
the
12th World Youth Go Championship,
and the 1st game of the
1996 Kisei match.
Also this event has been broadcasted live on the
Internet Go Server.
The Centre also supports cultural exchange between Japan and
Europe in a number of cultural events. Every week it is the meeting
place for many activities ranging from bridge, draughts,
ikebana to, and of course, go; the Go club
"The Two Eyes"
is happy to "live" in the Centre.
A full-time staff of executive managers is employed at the European Go
Centre to guide its activities. Included in their work is the
coordination of go organisations, promotion and instruction throughout
Europe such as the development of promotional and educational material,
like the Go promotion folder (printed in various European languages).
If you would like to read more on these activities then please check
out the EGCC staff home page.
Lots more can be added about activities organised, sponsored and supported by the European Go Cultural Centre Foundation, but maybe it is better if you pay us a visit next time you are in Amsterdam. Please do drop by!
European Go Cultural Centre |
Schokland 14 |
1181 HV Amstelveen |
The Netherlands |
Phone: (+31) 20 64.55555 |
Fax: (+31) 20 6473209 |
Email: egcc@xs4all.nl (EGCC) |
(A map for your convenience) |