European Student Go Championship 2025

Durham, England

Welcome to the historic city of Durham in the North East of England. The city is built around a UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the 900 year old Cathedral and Castle, and is home to England's third oldest university - where this year's European Student Go Championship will be held.

Tournament details

Format

5 rounds McMahon
Fischer time - 45 minutes main time + 15 seconds per move (Class A)
AGA rules

More details and a full timetable will be released soon

Who can play?

Are you joining us?

Enter part of your surname to search

To sign up, please send an email to tournament@durhamgo.club with your name, club, country, and rank.

Note that you can change your grade on registration, if it's no longer correct.

If you register but then can't make the tournament, please let us know - otherwise we will assume you are playing!

4d+: 2
1-3d: 2
1-5k: 2
6-10k: 1
11-15k: 0
16-20k: 1
21-25k: 0
26k+: 0

If no one has signed up around your rank yet, please sign up yourself to encourage them!

List names

Friday 10th October

Full details TBC

An evening of social activities starting with a tour of Durham Cathedral at 3pm

Saturday 11th October

  • 09:00-09:30 Registration
  • 09:30-11:30 Round 1
  • 11:30-12:15 Lunch
  • 12:15-14:15 Round 2
  • 14:15-14:30 Break
  • 14:30-16:30 Round 3
  • 17:00 onwards An evening of social activities (details TBC)

Sunday 12th October

  • 10:00-12:00 Round 4
  • 12:00-12:45 Lunch
  • 12:45-14:45 Round 5
  • 15:00-15:30 Prizegiving

    • Outside the tournament

    Playing Go is only half of the fun of a tournament - there's also the social side outside of the games

    There are several things planned - the exact details may change between now and the tournament as things are organised

    Experience over 1,000 years of history on a Durham Castle Tour and discover how it functions today as the home of University College.

    Durham Castle, together with the Cathedral, was awarded the status of a World Heritage Site in 1986 providing international recognition for this unique, historic and scenic site. Built in the Norman period as an imposing fortress, Durham Castle’s story is entwined with that of the Prince-Bishops of Durham, whose semi-regal status made them some of the most powerful and wealthy men in the country.

    Discover a castle that gradually turned into a lavish palace, which was affected by major historical events from the Norman Conquest to the English Civil War. It was transformed in the Victorian period into a place of learning, as the home of University College, the founding college of Durham University.

    Today Durham Castle remains a living building, evolving to modern day life while retaining its power to impress as part of the iconic Durham skyline.

    Enjoy a guided tour of Durham Cathedral to discover the cathedral's remarkable stories and hidden history.

    Highlights include the twelfth-century Galilee Chapel with its original medieval wall paintings, the towering sandstone pillars in the nave, and the stunning Rose Window in the Chapel of the Nine Altars. Don’t miss the medieval Cloister, which featured in the first two Harry Potter films.

    The Chapter House was used as the filming location for Professor Minerva McGonagall's classroom in the first two Harry Potter films. Dame Maggie Smith's character led Transfiguration lessons that saw the young students attempt to turn animals into goblets.

    Durham Cathedral has been a place of worship, welcome and hospitality for almost a millennium, inspiring all who come. Built in 1093 to house the Shrine of St Cuthbert, Durham Cathedral is renowned for its magnificent Romanesque architecture and spectacular location at the heart of the Durham World Heritage Site. It is also the resting place of the Venerable Bede.

    A traditional tea ceremony

    A visit to Durham's Oriental Museum

    Getting to Durham

    Durham is relatively easy to get to. If you're in the UK, we're on the East Coast Mainline for rail and the A1 for road - so good links from anywhere between London and Edinburgh.

    If you're coming from outside the UK we're close to Newcastle Airport, which has flights from most European countries - including direct flights to 22 of the 35 EGF member countries, with links to others

    Wherever you're from, Google Maps can tell you what your best route will be.

    If you're coming for the tournament, why not stay for a few more days? There's plenty to see and do in the local area!

    Accommodation

    We're trying to arrange a bulk room booking - we can confirm this in the next few weeks. This may be single rooms, or multiple people per room (twin or triple). When you register, please mark down if you are happy to share a room.

    Durham has several hotels and B&Bs, including:

    There are many websites that give hotel listings that you can try:

    • ThisIsDurham has many options for accommodation, including hostels, hotels, and caravan and campsites
    • Google lists various hotels
    • Trip Advisor lists many hotels and B&Bs in Durham
    • AirBnB has several houses available

    Other options include:

    If you find anywhere particularly good, please let us know and we'll tell people about it.

    There may be some free accommodation, sleeping on floors / sofas / spare beds with local Go players - if you would like to take advantage of this, please let us know. You may need to bring a sleeping bag.

    Prizes

    Exact prizes will be worked out nearer the time, but will include locally produced alcohols, chocolate, and Durham souvenirs to remind entrants of their time at the tournament.

    The winner of the tournament will receive our traditional Durham Goat Ornament!

    Come for the tournament, stay for a holiday

    If you're travelling to Durham for the European Student Go Championship, why not extend your stay and enjoy the area for a longer break? There are plenty of things to see and do: