Twenty-year-old Israeli Ali Jabarin 6d (right) is leading the field at the end of the second series of online training leagues for the upcoming competition to qualify two players as the first European Go Professionals (see European Go Federation and CEGO Launch Online Training for Pro Students – 4/1 EJ).
Thirteen players have been competing in two online leagues and the A-league of the second series of five ended as scheduled last Friday, April 25, with Jabarin (“OohAah”) winning four out of five games, losing only to CEGO teacher Zhao Baolong 2P. Austrian Viktor Lin 6d (“Sandmann”) and Slovakian Pavol Lisy 7d (“cheater”) were demoted to the B-league, to be replaced by promoted Romanian Cornel Burzo 6d (“Cornel”) and Serbian Dusan Mitic 6d (“shinobi90”). Lisy is in fact temporarily withdrawing from training to devote himself to studying for his high school final exams. The B-league was not decided until Sunday April 27, as many players, along with teacher Zhao Baolong, attended the Korean Ambassador Cup 2014, 43rd Prague Go Tournament at the weekend.
All the training games are played in a public room, “Euro Dream Team” on KGS, default start-time 20:00 CEST, and European Go Federation (EGF) Secretary Lorenz Trippel, who manages the leagues, has noted up to 400 spectators watching the games at one time, and 100 – 200 typical.
The fourth series ends on May 21 and the double knockout qualification competition kicks off with the 1st round CEGO Pro Qualification on May 23 at the Strasbourg Tournament. Then at the Amsterdam Tournament, on May 29, the 2nd round CEGO Pro Qualification will see a player with four straight wins (two games per round) certified as the first ever European Professional. Finally, after a fifth training series May 2-13 and a “Power-week” of special teaching June 16-20, those with only one loss will compete in the 3rd Round CEGO Pro Qualification at the Vienna Tournament, running June 20-22, to select a second European Professional.
Click here for full details, including league tables, player profiles, game records and more.
Report by Tony Collman; photo courtesy of CEGO/EGF
