European Go Federation

The European Go Federation (EGF) is a non-profit organization with the purpose of encouraging, regulating, co-ordinating, and disseminating the playing of the board game Go in Europe. The EGF was founded in 1957, the same year that the inaugural European Go Congress (EGC) took place in Cuxhaven, Germany. The Congress has been an annual event every year since then, held each time in a different European city.[1] The European Go Championship takes place during the EGC, as well as the Annual General Meeting (AGM). In 2014, the European Professional System was established by the European Go Federation.[2]

European Go Federation
Formation1957
TypeSports federation, International Go Federation
HeadquartersAmstelveen, Netherlands
Membership
Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Official language
English
President
Martin Stiassny
Websitewww.eurogofed.org

Membership is open to any Go-organising association in a country in or near Europe. There are currently 35 full members, and two suspended members.[3]

Function

The EGF elects an Executive Committee which supervises a number of commissions in charge of normal activities in between the AGMs.

Major European tournaments do not fall under the Executive Committee's supervision, but are directly co-ordinated by the EGF itself. Major events organised by the EGF include the European Grand Prix; the Pandanet European Team Championship; European Youth Go Championships in three age categories; the European Youth Team Championship; the European Pair Go Championship, the European Women's Championship; the European Student Championship and the European Championship, held during the annual European Go Congress.[4] An official Rating List is maintained by processing the results of as many European tournaments as possible.[5]

The European Go Federation is a member of the International Go Federation.[6]

Members
CountryMember name
Armenia Armenian Draughts and Go Federation
Austria Austrian Go Federation (Go Verband Österreich)
Belarus (membership suspended) Belarus Go Federation
Belgium Belgian Go Federation (Belgische Go Federatie - Fédération Belge de Go)
Bosnia Go Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Go Asocijacija Bosne i Hecegovine)
Bulgaria Bulgarian Go Association (Bulgarska Go Asotsiatsija)
Croatia Croatian Go Alliance (Hrvatski Go Savez)
Cyprus Cyprus Go Association (Kypriakos Syndesmos Go)
Czech Republic Czech Go Association (Ceska Asociace Go)
Denmark Danish Go Association (Dansk Go Forbund)
Finland Finnish Go Association (Suomen Go-liitto ry)
France French Go Federation (Fédération Française de Go)
Georgia Georgian Go Federation (საქართველოს გო-ს ეროვნული სპორტული ფედერაცია)
Germany German Go Federation (Deutscher Go-Bund)
Hungary Hungarian Go Association (Magyar Goszovetseg)
Iceland Icelandic Go Association (Hið Íslenska Gofélag)
Ireland Irish Go Association (Irish Go Association)
Israel Israeli Go Association (Agudat Ha-Go Ha-Yisraelit)
Italy Italian Go Federation (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Go)
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Go Federation (Kazakhstan Go Federation)
Lithuania Lithuanian Go Association (Lietuvos Go Asociacija)
Luxembourg Go Club Luxemburg (Le Club de Go du Luxembourg)
Netherlands Dutch Go Association (Nederlandse Go Bond)
Norway Norwegian Go Association (Go i Norge)
Poland Polish Go Association (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Go)
Portugal Portuguese Go Association (Associaçăo Portuguesa de Go) Archived 2020-07-10 at the Wayback Machine
Romania Romanian Go Federation (Federatia Romana de Go)
Russia (membership suspended) Russian Go Federation (Rossiiskaya Federatziaya Go)
Serbia Serbian Go Federation (Go Savez Srbije)
Slovakia Slovak Go Association (Slovenská Asociácia Go)
Slovenia Slovenian Go Association (Go Zveza Slovenije)
Spain Spanish Go Association (Asociacion Espanola de Go)
Sweden Swedish Go Association (Svenska Goförbundet)
Switzerland Swiss Go Association (Schweizer Go Verband - Fédération Suisse de Go - Federazione Svizzera di Go)
Turkey Turkish Go Players' Association (Türkiye Go Oyunculari Dernegi)
Ukraine Ukrainian Go Federation (Ukrainska' Federatsiya Go)
United Kingdom British Go Association (British Go Association)

Note: On the 3rd March 2022, the EGF decided during an emergency general meeting to suspend indefinitely both the Russian and Belorussian Associations due to the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine by Russia. All planned or future events organised by the EGF were cancelled and players from both countries were banned from representing their nations at European events. The first major event affected was the 2022 European Youth Go Championship held between the 10 and 12 March in Czechia.[7][8]

EGF Professional players

The EGF established a professional system in 2014 with Chinese sponsorship. Top European players are invited to take part in a Qualification Tournament, with one or two of the most successful competitors being awarded professional status. Professionals can then be promoted by earning points from wins against other professional players in major tournaments. As of 2021, there are eight such players, who enjoy benefits including automatic qualification to the Grand Slam and the opportunity to represent Europe in major international tournaments.

Professional Players of the EGF[9]
Player Nationality Year Became Pro Promotion History
Ilya Shikshin Russian 2015 Promoted to 2p in 2018, to 3p in 2019, to 4p in 2021.
Artem Kachanovskyi Ukrainian 2016 Promoted to 2p in 2018.
Pavol Lisý Slovakian 2014 Promoted to 2p in 2018.
Mateusz Surma Polish 2015 Promoted to 2p in 2019.
Ali Jabarin Israeli 2014 Promoted to 2p in 2018.
Andrii Kravets Ukrainian 2017
Stanisław Frejlak Polish 2021
Tanguy le Calvé French 2019

Current title holders

Below is a summary of the current holders or most recent winners of the major EGF-organised events.

Title Title Holder Notes
European Championship Benjamin Dréan-Guénaïzia 6d[10] Winner of the 2022 edition held in Vatra Dornei from July 24–31, 2022. Former champion Shikshin was not taking part due to the war in Ukraine.[11]
European Women's Championship Dina Burdakova 5d[12] Winner of the 2021 edition held online between 4 – 6 September.
European Grand Prix Finale Stanislaw Frejlak, 1p[13] Held in Grenoble, France, this marked Frejlaks first win of the title.
European Grand Slam Jonas Welticke, 6d[14] Welticke won the 2022 edition, winning in Niš, Serbia.
Pandanet European Team Championship France[15] The French team's third time winning the title in a row.
European Pair Go Championship Natalia Kovaleva 5d and Dimitry Surin 6d[16] Held between 25 – 26 September 2021, Kovaleva and Surin's seventh time winning this title.
European Student Championship Lukáš Podpěra 7d[17] Last held in 2019.
European Youth Championship – U20 Category Arved Pittner 5d[18] Held in March 2022 in Prague, Czechia.
European Youth Championship – U16 Category Vsevolod Ovsiienko 4d[19] Held in March 2022 in Prague, Czechia.
European Youth Championship – U12 Category Bende Barcza 3k[20] Held in March 2022 in Prague, Czechia.
European Youth Team Championship Russia[21] Held online between November 2020 – February 2021. The Russian team's sixth time winning this title.

See also

References
  1. "List of European Go Congresses". Archived from the original on 2012-08-09. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  2. "1st European Pro Qualification 2014". 2014. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  3. "EGF Members". Archived from the original on 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-07-17.
  4. "EGF Top Events". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  5. "E.G.D. - European Go Database | EGF ratings system". Europeangodatabase.eu. Archived from the original on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  6. "List of official members of the International Go Federation". Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  7. "European Go Federation". European Go Federation. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  8. "EGF Suspends Russia | British Go Association". britgo.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  9. "European Pros". www.eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  10. "European Championship 2022". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  11. "Announcement regarding Ukraine". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  12. "European Women's Go Championship 2021". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  13. "6th European Grand Prix Finale 2022". www.eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  14. "6th Lanke Cup European Go Grand Slam Tournament". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  15. "Pandanet: European Team Go Champs". Pandanet: European Team Go Champs. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  16. "European Pair Go Championships 2021". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  17. "European Student Go Championship 2019 | Tournament card | E.G.D. - European Go Database". europeangodatabase.eu. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  18. "European Youth Go Championship, Under 20 | Tournament card | E.G.D. - European Go Database". europeangodatabase.eu. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  19. "European Youth Go Championship, Under 16 | Tournament card | E.G.D. - European Go Database". europeangodatabase.eu. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  20. "European Youth Go Championship, Under 12 | Tournament card | E.G.D. - European Go Database". europeangodatabase.eu. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  21. "European Youth Go Team Championship 2020/21". eurogofed.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
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