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"Kuma Sensei" Visits Seattle

On November 15th and 16th, the Seattle Go Center welcomed Yu Hou 6 P from the Nihon Ki-in for a workshop event. "Kuma Sensei" provided instruction on a variety of basic go techniques to a group of eager students. As the participants learned about go, Kuma Sensei had the opportunity to practice English, giving everyone a chance to study. For both days, the workshop followed the same routine, with the morning schedule starting at 9:00am. Kuma Sensei began by holding a lecture, followed by review of participant games, and then with everyone going to eat lunch. In the afternoon, after playing simultaneous teaching match with the participants, Kuma Sensei reviewed the games. Saturday's lecture on about the Double Approach was truly great, captivating the attention of all of the students. Even though the lecture covered basic techniques, not only beginners, but also dan players thought it was a very interesting lecture. Thanks to Kuma Sensei's way of speaking and sense of humor, everyone was delighted. Personally, I especially enjoyed the time after the event on Saturday - while eating dinner with Kuma Sensei, we could discuss a variety of cross-cultural topics outside of go. It was truly enjoyable. The workshop, being only two days, really seemed to end too quickly. Through this workshop, covering a variety of topics ranging from Go Lectures to matches with Kuma Sensei, we "enjoyably" learned a lot. Through this rare opportunity of having a pro come from Japan, participants deepened their interest in go, and could boost their go abilities. The Kuma Sensei Workshop went quite well, so Seattle Go fans hope for events of the same kind to happen in the future.  Report by Brian Kirby/photo by Thane Williams