The main organisers (from the left): Vincent Lochen, Marie Jemine, and Gabriel Mercier

The European Go Congress 2019 was held in Brussels, Belgium from 20 July to 3 August. This year the venue of the congress was in the heart of Brussels, and its location turned out to be perfect for both playing and sightseeing. Even the famous statue, Manneken Pis, was just a stone’s throw away.

With over 800 participants, this year’s EGC was popular as ever, although it not quite as packed as the previous two congresses in Pisa, Italy and Oberhof, Germany, both of which had over 1,000 participants. Even so, everybody had a great time playing the game and meeting many friends (old and new), as well as trying out the famous Belgian beers.

This year there was a fierce fight in the decisive game of the European Championship. After a drawn-out battle, finally Ilya Shikshin 3p defeated Artem Kachanovskyi by the smallest of margins, half a point.

You can read more impressions on this year’s European Go Congress on the EGF website.

The final game: Ilya Shikshin 3p (left) and Artem Kachanovskyi