England’s reigning pair go King and Queen lost their crowns last weekend. At the June 9 British Pair Go Championships, 25-time British Champion Matthew MacFadyen 6d and his wife and pair go partner Kirsty Healey 2k won the final game by 12.5 points to usurp the UK pair go throne held by 2012 champs Matthew Cocke 5d and Natasha Regan 1k . The outgoing royalty took some consolation from their prize for Best-Dressed pair, having come attired as a medieval royal couple (photo).
Eight pairs competed in the main tournament, for which world amateur pair go and European pair go qualification points were allocated. A further seven pairs played in a separate handicap tournament, won by Rebecca Margetts 20k and Oscar Selby 9k.
The event took place at Foxcombe Lodge Hotel, Boars Hill, near Oxford, England, and was organised by Francis Roads on behalf of the British Go Association (BGA). Click here for full results.
– Tony Collman, based on material on the BGA’s website; photo by Tony Atkins
CORRECTION (6/17): MacFadyen-Healey won the final game by 12.5 points, not 2.5 as originally reported.