Poland win the Pandanet Go European Team Championship!

Last Sunday we saw Mateusz Surma 3p on stage accepting the European Championship trophy from his compatriot and 1983 Champion, Janusz Kraszek. This evening, the Polish team, with Mateusz at the helm, sailed to victory in the finals of the Pandanet Go European Team Championship! After the league round, played between October 2024 and May 2025, Poland scraped their way into the finals. Entering fourth of the four teams, they pulled out their finest performances when it mattered most. In the third and final round this Tuesday 29th July, they soundly defeated the Czech team 4-0 to seal their win.

The winners of the two previous finals, Ukraine and France, had to settle for second and third place this year ahead of Czechia. This is the first time that Poland has ever won the Team Championship, and they certainly chose the right year to do it! So far, the Warsaw EGC has hosted the largest go tournament ever held in Poland, crowned the second ever Polish European Champion and now sees the Polish squad claim the title of strongest team in Europe. What could be a better reward to the EGC organisers, and better thanks for a fantastic Congress?

Photo by James Putnam

Mateusz Surma 3p – 2025 European Champion

Emerging from six marathon games with six straight wins, Mateusz Surma 3p of Poland has claimed victory in the 2025 European Championship at this year’s EGC in Warsaw! On his way to the title, Mateusz beat bright up-and-comers, tough veterans, a previous finalist and the 2022 Champion. Although he had already tasted victory in other major tournaments, such as the Grand Slam, the Grand Prix Finale and the Professional Championship, Mateusz seemed especially motivated this year to complete his trophy collection.

What better year, and what better place to fight for the most prestigious title in European go, than in one’s home country during the biggest Congress in Polish history? Poland showed its finest qualities in this event, showcasing its two strongest players and propelling them on a wave of home support to the podium. Mateusz’ compatriot, Stanisław Frejlak 2p, took fourth place in the Championship.

The final itself was a masterpiece in coolheaded focus; facing fierce competition from Valerii Krushelnytskyi 7d, who has the talent to beat anyone on the right day, Mateusz turned a tricky situation in the early middlegame to his favour and comfortably led for another 180 moves. After a week of four-hour games, Mateusz’ ability to maintain his composure and play at full strength is commendable.

With one trophy already in the bag, Mateusz will play on in the Pandanet Team finals that conclude on Tuesday, then go back to dedicating his efforts to promoting and enriching European go with his teaching platform, Polgote.com. We thank him for a fantastic show, congratulate him on his success and look forward to seeing him play in future Championships!

At the Prizegiving Ceremony on Sunday 27th July, Mateusz was presented with the trophy and a rather large cheque by the first, and until this year only, Polish European Champion, Janusz Kraszek 5d. Seeing two Polish Champions on stage at a Polish EGC was a fantastic end to a fantastic competition.

Title: Chess + Go at EGC2025!

The rivalry between chess and go is eternal, right? Fans of each are sure that their chosen game is more complex, more fun and better for your brain. Maybe you’ve played both before and enjoyed it? Well, too bad. You have to choose!

Or maybe not: At this year’s EGC, Chess + Go featured again as a hotly anticipated side tournament. In teams of two, players play a game of pair go and pair chess simultaneously, with each person playing one move of each game in turn. 22 pairs took part, with combined levels ranging from 11-kyu to 2-dan. The games are always super chaotic, with players swapping places between the two boards frantically. As a special quirk of the rules, chairs are expressly forbidden!

What do you think, did you believe that chess and go could be played side by side? At EGC2025 even miracles happen!

Third International Conference of Go Studies at the 2025 EGC!

The 2025 EGC isn’t just a venue for tournaments, today it also hosted the annual conference of the International Society of Go Studies. Academics from around the world presented their research and gave talks on current subjects related to go. The speakers included Prof. Chihyung Nam, Prof. Yuan Sun, Diána Kőszegi 2p, Seungjun Kim 9p and many more, and ended with a prizegiving by the Vice-President of the ISGS, Daniela Trinks. These awards are given each year to projects that are recognised for their efforts in promoting go worldwide. 

The conference was well attended, well organised and commendable for the relaxed spirit of academic discussion and cultural exchange. With speakers from Asia, Europe and North America and Central America, it was truly an international event unique of its kind in the world.

Round Three of the 2025 European Championship

If the first day of the 2025 European Championship saw almost universally predictable results, the third offered fireworks in compensation. For the eight players remaining in the main bracket, a win in this round would mean the reward of two full days of rest while the remaining quarterfinalists are determined in the lower bracket.

On the first board, Stanisław Frejlak 2p faced fellow professional Tanguy le Calvé 1p. The game evolved as one enormous struggle that started on the lower side of the board and slowly spread over the entire surface. The score balanced on a knife’s edge until around the 75th move, where Stanisław was gradually able to build a respectable lead in points. He emerged from a middlegame ko unscathed and a 7.5-point advantage in the final count.

In the late stage of the opening, Artem Kachanovskyi 3p found himself in a difficult situation against his compatriot Valerii Krushelnytskyi 7d. Behind by fifteen or so points, he struggled to right the ship and pull the game back to even. Despite reducing Valerii’s lead in the middlegame, Valerii held onto a lead of ten points until the final count. If Artem wants to retain a chance at the title this year, he will have to win all of his remaining games after a one-day break. 

Of the other pros, Mateusz Surma 3p and 2024 Champion Andrii Kravets 2p both beat strong opponents to continue their march towards the final rounds. It is notable that Andrii’s games this year appear to be more chaotic than in the last two editions of the EC, his wins have been secured mostly in the latter stage of the game. As the level of the amateur European players continues to rise, they make life harder for the professionals trying to claim and defend titles.

The top boards are streamed daily on Twitch from 10am local time, with commentary on the EGF channel starting later. Each round will only be more tense than the last, so don’t miss out!

Photo by Harry van der Krogt

2025 European Championship Underway

This year’s edition of the European Championship, the most prestigious of the European titles, is already in progress at the 2025 EGC in Warsaw, Poland. With a grand prize of €4,000 up for grabs, 32 players from across Europe entered the competition. The Championship is played out as a double-elimination tournament, meaning that players that lose one game have a chance to fight their way back into the competition. Last year’s Champion, Andrii Kravets 2p, is back after victories in not only the 2024 edition, but in the 2023 EC too.

The first round featured almost entirely predictable results, except in Andrii’s case. His opponent, Robert-Andrei Grosu 4d of Romania, was leading for a good portion of their Round 1 game, forcing Andrii to claw back point after point in the endgame. Finally, the 2024 Champion won his debut game in this EC by a mere half point. In the previous EC, almost all of the top players faced unexpectedly fierce competition from the amateurs – all except Andrii, who marched steadily towards the final at an unstoppable, stoic pace. Perhaps his path towards the final, since we can assume his determination to defend his title for a second time, will be a little more chaotic this time.

Of the second-round results, fans of our newest professional, Benjamin Dréan-Guénaïzia 1p, will perhaps be disappointed to hear of his loss to Valerii Krushelnitskyi 7d. Benjamin had a difficult time in last year’s EC also, so he will have to win all of his subsequent games to remain in the running. Observers with a longer memory will be aware that Benjamin is not only a newly-certified professional, but also the 2022 European Champion.

Highlights to look out for in the third round will be the all Ukrainian match-up of Valerii vs. Artem Kachanovskyi 3p, as well as the struggle between Polish vs. French professionals in Stanisław Frejlak 2p’s game with Tanguy le Calvé 1p.

The top boards are streamed daily on Twitch from 10am local time, with commentary on the EGF channel starting later. Each round will only be more tense than the last, so don’t miss out!

Photo by Harry van der Krogt

EGC 2025 has officially started!

The 2025 European Go Congress has begun, hosted this year in Warsaw, Poland! In the presence of representatives from the Chinese and Korean Embassies to Poland, European, Japanese and Korean Go Federations and hundreds of go players from all over the world, the EGC officially kicked off with a stylish opening ceremony on Saturday 19th July.

What awaits us? Two packed weeks of tournaments, teaching and cultural exchange. The team, headed by Tomasz Andrzejewski, have been tirelessly preparing for over a year, and now the EGC can get underway! Currently there are 965 registered participants from 48 countries, and the number keeps climbing towards 1000. Alongside the European Championship and the Open Championship, the schedule is packed with Women’s, Children’s, Weekend, Rapid, Pair Go and Team events.

We’ll be posting more photos, reports and information about all the events so that you don’t miss a moment of the excitement! Let the 2025 EGC commence!

Photo by Harry van der Krogt