Seven players showed up today, including a couple on vacation from Minnesota. I won my weekly game against Rob, for the third week in a row (the game record is below the fold, as usual). Josh K. won a couple 13×13 even games against Kevin, and two more against Giovanni. Libby from Minnesota beat Kevin, giving five stones on a 19×19 board, but lost a nine stone game against me. Her husband (sorry, I didn’t catch your name!) lost a couple quick games to Rob.

An eighth player showed up later in the meeting, but I haven’t caught his name, nor the outcome of the games he played against Kevin. Sorry! Let me know next week and I can record your Grand Prix points.

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We had six members show up today. Nate and Grant quickly played three games, Nate winning one while giving four stones, and going 1-1 while giving five. Grant also played Josh K., winning while giving nine stones on the full sized, board, but Josh beat Scott in an even game on the 9×9. Nate also played Josh K., this time winning on a 13×13 while giving 6 stones. I won my second in a row against Rob. The game record is posted in the extended entry.

Remember, meetings are every Sunday at Books-a-Million in Fort Myers from 12:30 to 4:30.

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Just five members showed up today, but there were still a lot of interesting match-ups. Newcomer Josh K. lost his first 19×19 game at nine stones to Grant, but went on to force Rob down to five stones on the 9×9. Nate beat Grant in consecutive four and five stone handicap games earning four Grand Prix points before narrowly losing a seven stone game to me.

Meanwhile, Rob and I engaged in a titanic slug-fest. I put together a good opening and early middle game, breaking out into a huge lead which I naturally squandered. We both ran short of time and some mistakes in the endgame let me eke out a 1.5 point win. Our latest series is tied at four games apiece. I’ve posted the game record below the fold.

Remember, we meet every Sunday from 12:30 to 4:30. We had a couple people show up four hours late today, so they didn’t get to play! Also, we’re still planning on running a tournament in February, though the location still needs to be confirmed. Check back here for updates.

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We had six people show for today’s meeting including three beginners. Rob beat Nate in a six stone handicap game and me in a fast game to earn four Grand Prix points. Nate went on to beat newcomer Josh in a very close 13×13 game while giving nine handicap stones, earning three GP points total.

Here’s the game between Rob and Nate.

Tanuki no hara tsuzumi!

A total of six players showed up for the last meeting of the year, including a couple new members. Rob and I got to play for the first time in almost a month, and I got skunked pretty badly. There will be no meeting next Sunday (the 27th), but meetings will resume the first Sunday in January (the 3rd).

We also plan on running a tournament in February, probably the second Saturday (the 13th). Check here for updates and confirmation of the date.

In the New Year we’re also going to be scrapping the club ladder, which isn’t quite workable with the range of skill levels we have on a weekly basis at the club. It will be replaced by a point system – the Fort Myers Go Club Grand Prix. You’ll get one point for every game you play at the club (up to two games per week) and any games you play at a Fort Myers Go Club tournament, plus an additional point for each game you win. So if you play two games, and win one of them, you’ll get three points for that week.

The games will be regular 19×19 games with appropriate handicaps. For beginners who aren’t ready for the 19×19 board, you can count games played on a 13×13 board. At the end of six months, there will be a prize and trophy for the top players. Even weaker players can come out on top this way if they attend regularly and show improvement.

I’ve posted the record of the game between Rob and me in the extended entry.

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With the everybody doing something for the holidays, the December meeting schedule is going to have a few holes in it. There will be no meeting this Sunday (the 13th), or the Sunday after Christmas (the 27th). There will be a meeting on the 20th if you need to get your go fix, and regular meetings will resume on January 3rd of the new year.

I’m also going to try to start posting problems (like the one on the right) on a regular basis. I’d love to hear your feedback.

If I don’t see you before then, have a nice Christmas!