Tygem Correspondents

2011 Swiss Championship

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2011 Swiss Championship

 

writer : Lorenz Trippel

 

▲ Mount Matterhorn


This year's Swiss championship was held in the mountains at 1600 meter at Zermatt. This village is entirely touristic because it lies at the foot of the most known mountain of Switzerland the Matterhorn. The atmosphere is really special, the mountain itself is worth a journey and filling up the time with a go tournament in a beautiful place is never a bad idea. Of course there are also downsides in playing in a place like this: It's a 3 ?hours journey from quite everywhere in Switzerland and there are no cars allowed in Zermatt ... no problem you'll say but if you as the organizer have to carry all the boards and stones it's quite an adventure!

 

So what about it. Who cares where you play and on what?! It's always the same game, isn't it? Yes, fundamentally it's always the same but there are some fine differences: Playing in the internet for example, putting virtual stones on a virtual board which appear on 2D on a screen at home is quite odd and the main reason is not even the virtuality of the game, it's rather the complete absence of the opponent: He is not there and that is what makes one feel isolated and thrown back on oneself. But why play in the mountain instead of playing in a city? The all over atmosphere is what brings the magic into it, the complete change of the environment, the air is fresher and thinner, the temperature is some degrees lower the sun shines stronger, all people in the streets are on holidays, wow that really inspires and puts you in an open minded mood, ok ok enough, probably you are at this very moment sitting at home in front of a computer ... to close this topic: Playing in a beautiful place is like playing in an enhanced reality and thus much more fun!

 

▲Flavien Aubelle, left, playing with John Walch 

 

The Swiss Championship is not only held to determine the strongest Swiss player, it's also the place to earn points for a point system in order to gain a place in an international tournament like the Korean Prime Minster Cup KPMC or the World Amateur Go Championship WAGC. The tournament was played in 7 rounds during three days. After the game finished the players could go outside the tournament room and show it to Li Yue a strong Chinese player, she came to give some reviews and show some better ways how to handle difficult situations which occurred in the hard fighting games.

 

▲Benoit Felix on the right who will go to the next Korean Prime Minister Cup

 

Traditionally the championship is open to foreigners and also weaker players join the tournament even if they have no chance to become champion themselves. There are simply not that many strong Swiss players to organize a three day tournament for them, it'd be too much organizing for too few people so the foreigners and fun players fill up the tournament and make the serious and competitive event more fun for everybody.

 

▲Players form the tournament


 

The former Swiss champion John Walch turned out undefeated after 7 rounds. He at the same time earned enough points to go to the next World Amateur Championship 2012 in Guangzhou, China. The second place made Sebastien Koch from Geneva earning him some points for an international tournament but not yet enough for the next KPMC in Pohang city, Korea in which the 3rd placed Benoit Felix will participate in October 2011. Also on the 3rd place made it the new elected president of the Swiss go federation
Flavien Aubelle.

 

▲Lorenz Trippel, writer, Zurich Go club president

 

More photos: http://www.swissgo.org/galleries/thumbnails.php?album=144
The results table: http://www.swissgo.org//results/swiss_champ_2011.html

 

 

TYGEMBADUK 

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