A Word from the President of the German Go Federation

Welcome to the European Go Congress in Oberhof!

As you probably know, Germany became host of the European Go Congress 2017 just a few days before Christmas 2016. Despite the short time that this leaves for the preparation of the congress, I can assure you that we will make your time in Germany most enjoyable. Besides the main tournaments, we will set up a wide variety of side tournaments, including some new events such as Biathlon Go (giving special credit to Oberhof as a world-famous biathlon place) or Tsume Pair Go, that have never been part of an EGC program before.

You might know that the congress was originally meant to take place in Turkey and a later decision to move the congress to Russia was revoked. Taking the difficult circumstances of this process into account, we included the Turkish and the Russian Go Federation into our organising team: There will be some special Turkish and Russian events in Oberhof and we cordially invite you to join!

Of course also many professional players will be there for you, so you can enjoy professional lectures, game commentaries and simultaneous games as well.

Oberhof is easily accessible by car from many central European countries, and there are good train connections to the international airports in Frankfurt and Nuremberg. When you need a break from Go, you might want to explore the beautiful nature of the Thuringian Forest or try some winter sports in summer: Master the bobsleigh run in a real bob (with wheels), do some biathlon shooting or go for Nordic Skiing in the big indoor skiing arena! If you have children, they will enjoy the trip a lot: the hotel has a swimming pool and a big playing area with bouncy castles, slides, a small football pitch, table tennis etc. Outside the building you can play mini golf or beach volleyball. Moreover, we will offer excursions to some interesting places around Oberhof, such as the Fairy Cave in Saalfeld or the Unesco World Heritages Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, the Old Town of Classical Weimar, the Bavarian town of Bamberg and many more.

You are most heartily welcome to join the congress in Oberhof. Come and play Go with us and bring your friends and families as well for a unique experience!

See you in Oberhof!

Michael Marz

President of the German Go Federation