On Saturday evening I arranged to meet up with professional go player Li Tianzhu and go to the class of school kids which she teaches. Go is a traditional Chinese board game which I have played for a few years, for those who don’t know.
I ate quickly before leaving and she rang me when I was nearly at the station we had arranged to meet at. After some difficulty finding each other (we were standing on opposite sides of a pillar for a while, I believe), she took me to a restaurant where her uncle and mother were waiting. I had expected to go straight to the class and was surprised to find that some of her family members had turned up to meet me. The uncle taught Li Tianzhu go when she was young, and so was particularly excited when he heard about the visit of a European who knew how to play go. They had a meal waiting for me, which I was expected to eat before we went to the class. This was a bit of a struggle as I had just eaten, but since the food was delicious I managed.
At the class I was introduced to the boss, the boss’s uncle, and the kids, who were very excited by my visit. Li Tianzhu told me that they ranged in strength from 2 to 4 dan, so as an EGF 6 kyu I was not feeling very confident as I sat down to face the first, despite assurances that KGS 5 kyu was about Chinese 1 dan. The first child I played was 2 dan, and very shy (he was introduced as ‘the shy one’, and it proved to be true). I lost by resignation, but had some winning chances along the way. My second game was against a 3 dan, and I had a big loss in the opening when I fell for a 5-4 point joseki trick play. Li Tianzhu scolded the boy, because she always tells him not to play that move (since the result isn’t good when his opponent answers correctly), and we took back the trick play and played on from there. I lost again by resignation, though I had my chances. As the other games were still in progress, I played one more with the same kid, and again soon felt like I was being beaten. However, Li Tianzhu looked at the board and said ‘I think white (me) is doing very well here’. This encouraged me and after several more moves I was winning a very big capturing race (and with it the game). Unfortunately I blundered at the last moment and lost the capturing race by a move, leading to my resignation once more.
After a few pictures with the kids and Li Tianzhu’s family it was time to go back. I chatted to the uncle for a bit on the train as we were going the same way, before I had to get off. Overall it was a fantastic experience – the family and people at the class were very friendly, and although I didn’t win a game I was told that I was probably 1-2 dan from watching my play. I suspect she was being generous with that assessment, as I didn’t think Chinese ranks were quite so different from European ones. Definitely my most enjoyable moment of the trip so far.
What a great way to be introduced to the Chinese Go culture. You’ve had the same experience of great hospitality that we had while living in Hong Kong and I’m glad you managed it in the context of a Go class.
Oh this is so cool!
I’ll go to Shanghai in August. Maybe I can arrange a visit to this go school as well. It would be a fun experience. 😀