Details | BBQ | Entry Form | Timetable | Travel | Accommodation | Meals and Social Stuff | Useful Information
| Date | Saturday June 1st - Sunday June 2nd |
| Venue | Elvet Hill House - next to the Oriental Museum |
| Format | 6 Round McMahon; Class B |
| Komi | 7 |
| Rules | Default BGA Tournament rules apply except that handicaps, where relevant, will be at the McMahon difference and that komi will be 7. (If you don't know what this means, don't worry, you don't need to.) Mobile phones should be switched off during play. |
| Time Limits | Fischer time: 30 minutes main time + 10 seconds per move |
| Registration | 10:00am-10:30am, Saturday 1st June |
| Prize Giving | Finished by 17:30pm on Sunday 2nd June |
| Side events | Lightning, 13x13 |
| Entry Fee | £10 for people in full time education or playing their first tournament £20 otherwise (Prices are halved for one day entry - let us know if you are only able to attend one day) |
| Contact | Andrew Ambrose-Thurman (tournament@durhamgo.club) |
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| Full name: |
Email: |
| Club: |
Rank: |
| BGA member?
First tournament? In full time education? | Attending rounds:
123 (Saturday) 456 (Sunday) |
| Coming to the BBQ? | List name publicly? |
X
To sign up, please send an email to tournament@durhamgo.club with your name, club, rank, whether you're a BGA member, whether you're in full time education, whether it's your first tournament, which rounds you are planning to attend, and whether you're coming to the BBQ.
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!
If no one has signed up around your rank yet, please sign up yourself to encourage them!
Several prizes will be on offer at the tournament, such as:
For our weaker entrants - you don't have to win the tournament to get a prize! Prizes will also be given for things like winning all your games; ending on 2 wins, 2 losses and 2 jigos; winning the lightning/small board side events; etc.
If you think you're too weak to enter - one of our regular players learned to play one evening, then entered their first tournament the following morning!
Saturday 1st:
| Registration: | 10.00 - 10.30 |
| Round 1: | 10.30 - 12.15 |
| Lunch: | 12.15 - 13.15 |
| Round 2: | 13.15 - 15.00 |
| Break: | 15.00 - 15.30 |
| Round 3: | 15.30 - 17.15 |
| BBQ: | 5.30pm onwards |
Sunday 2nd:
| Round 4: | 10.00 - 11.45 |
| Lunch: | 11.45 - 12.45 |
| Round 5: | 12.45 - 14.30 |
| Break: | 14.30 - 15.15 |
| Round 6: | 15.15 - 17.00 |
| Prizegiving: | 17.00 - 17.30 |
| Dinner / drinks: | 5.30pm onwards |
You can play in as many or as few rounds as you would like, and we can give a reduction on entry fee for playing in fewer rounds. We can be very flexible, but we do need to know which rounds you're planning to play in!
Unless we have heard otherwise from you in advance, we will assume that you are doing the same as the previous round (playing if you played, not playing if you did not play) unless we hear from you at least half an hour before the start of the round.
The easiest way to let us know is to see us in person at the tournament - talk to the person who's running the draw. Otherwise, you can email us or telephone us if you are not able to see us in person. We may not receive your message in a timely manner (due to poor signal or other pressures from running the tournament), so if you do not receive a response it is sensible to try contacting other people at the tournament to ask them to pass on the message.
Throughout the tournament Sam Bithell (2-dan) will be on hand to review games and provide teaching/advice for kyu players between rounds.
Reviews and teaching games will also be offered during the BBQ on the Saturday evening.
On Friday evening Go players will be meeting in the Elm Tree from 8pm - it's a nice pub that serves real ales, and has started serving food again!
On Saturday evening we will be having a Go playing BBQ at a nearby house. (People who aren't entering the tournament are very welcome to come, including non Go players, and not playing Go at the BBQ is also permitted!)
On Sunday, after prizegiving, we'll be going to the Bridge - a pub near the station - for an early dinner and drinks while people wait for their trains.
For lunch, the Oriental Museum has a small cafe - but this can run out of food quickly. Durham has numerous other cafes, restaurants and places to buy sandwiches, but these are a short walk into town.
There will be a signup sheet before the first round on each day - if you write down what you want then we will go to a sandwich shop so your lunch is available at the start of the break.
On Saturday evening we will be having a Go playing BBQ at a nearby house. All are welcome to come to this, whether or not you've entered the tournament - including partners/families/etc. (Go playing is not compulsory!)
There will be plenty of meat (and vegetarian options), plenty of drink, and plenty of opportunity for Go playing. Inside if wet.
The Go BBQ will be £5 per head, and this includes unlimited food and soft drinks (last year everyone seemed stuffed when they left). Durham has plenty of shops where alcohol can be bought if you'd prefer non-soft drinks.
To help us to plan how much to buy, please fill in the entry form - if you're entering the tournament, tick the 'Coming to the BBQ?' box; if not, deselect all 6 of the 'Attending rounds' boxes as well as selecting 'Coming to BBQ?' (or just send us an email!). It's probably fine to just turn up (or not), but it'll be handy to know rough numbers.
The BBQ will be at a house in West Rainton, a short journey by bus/car, and hopefully lifts will be available. (It's the same house that it was at last year)
Travel instructions to Elvet Hill House (from Google Maps)
Travel instructions to the Oriental Museum (from the Oriental Museum website - Elvet Hill House is directly next to the Oriental Museum)
Durham is easily accessible by train, as it is on the East Coast Main Line and has direct connections to several major cities. Travel time is about 3 hours from London, 2 hours from Edinburgh, 3 hours 30 minutes from Liverpool, 2 hours 30 minutes from Manchester, 4 hours 30 minutes from Bristol.
- Last train from London Kings Cross which will get you to Durham in time for the tournament: 07:00 (last direct train at 06:12)
- Last train from Edinburgh which will get you to Durham in time for the tournament: 08:07
Having arrived at the station, you can either walk (which will take about 30 minutes), take a taxi, or catch a bus from the bus station (at the bottom of the hill the railway station is on).
For more directions, the instructions on the Oriental Museum website will take you to the tournament venue (Elvet Hill House is directly next to the Oriental Museum)
Are you interested in giving people a lift? We're trying out a car pooling website where you can sign up your car or request a lift
Durham is generally approached from both North and South via the A1M. Which junction you choose to leave the motorway from will depend on which bit of Durham you are heading for and where you are coming from.
Limited free parking is available at the Oriental Museum, and at Teikyo (the car park just up from the museum).
On street parking is available on Elvet Hill Road and Potters Bank, very close to the tournament venue. This is metered (free on Sundays), and will cost approx. 40p per half hour, 8am-6pm.
The tournament venue is very close to the Howlands Farm Park and Ride. This costs £2, and is a 5-10 minute walk from the venue. It is locked overnight from 7pm, so make sure you remove your car before then. Please remember to buy a £2 ticket for each day of parking.
For most Go players, we recommend that you park either at your accommodation and walk (Durham is a beautiful city which you will appreciate far more on foot!), or use either on street parking or the Durham Park and Ride.
For more directions, the instructions on the Oriental Museum website will take you to the tournament venue (Elvet Hill House is directly next to the Oriental Museum)
- You would have to leave London on the Saturday morning by 6am to drive to Durham in time for the tournament.
- You would have to leave Edinburgh on the Saturday morning by 7am to drive to Durham in time for the tournament.
If you're running late, contact us to let us know - we can enter you and start your clock for Round 1
Durham has several hotels and B&Bs, for example:
There are many websites that give hotel listings that you can try:
If you find anywhere particularly good, please let us know and we'll tell people about it.
If you prefer camping or caravanning, Durham has a Caravan and Motorhome Club site nearby (which can be rather cheaper than some of the hotel options)
Since the tournament is held during term time, accommodation in Colleges is likely to be limited. However, there may be some accommodation available (St Chads has a separate website).
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.
We will have two rooms available - one will be for the tournament itself, and the other can be used for reviews, side event games (prizes are available for both the Small Board and the Lightning side events), and general socialising.
Soft drinks and refreshments will be provided at the venue, on an honesty box system. If you would like to donate any cakes/biscuits/etc. then they would be gratefully received!
The Oriental Museum cafe will also be available - serving a range of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, etc.
There will also be a signup sheet before the first round on each day - if you write down what you want then we will go to a sandwich shop so your lunch is available at the start of the break.
Other places you might like to visit while in Durham include:
Printable city map (pdf)
There are many other places to visit in the area around Durham; if you are coming to the tournament but not playing, we can recommend some things to see.
For more information about the club, please email the Exec.
For questions, comments and suggestions on this site, please email the webmaster.