France

August is going to be quite the month.

Over the last eight years I have dedicated a large part of my life to the game of Go, and on August 17th I will be representing the United States at the World Mind Sports Games in Lille, France.

I leave Boulder on August 3rd and travel to Black Mountain North Carolina. I'll be spending a week there with Tiffany, Patrick, and Lisa while we participate in the US Go Congress and search for some nearby boulders. Here is a photo from last year's Congress in Santa Barbara:

Photo by Brian Allen

On August 12th, I fly to Paris, where I will be staying with my friend Vijay. I have four days to acclimate, explore the city, and visit Fontainebleau before taking the train up to Lille for the tournament.

I am participating in the team event. It is a three player, five round, Swiss format tournament in which a 3-0 or 2-1 score denotes a win. The games themselves are short, with 60 minutes of main time, in contrast to the 120 minute games played at the Go Congress. I have been very focused on preparing for both events.

Oh and of course, I'm going to be in France! I have never been, and needless to say I am very excited. I started this blog to document the trip, but will hopefully keep it going whenever I do something cool or have something interesting to say. I have more thoughts as I am getting ready for the trip, and I will be posting these later in the week. Until then...  

Ciao,

-Philippe