Not to be published. Translation.
The village of Guitte, hidden in the
countryside half an hour outside the Breton capital welcomed anew the Rennes Tournament during the Easter weekend. Irene, the manager of the Ker Al Lann holiday camp still doesn’t know the rules of Go, but she understands one thing very well, that the regulars who descend there every year to put stones on a board require only a few things: a room to play quietly and repose until nightfall and some good meals to reset their clocks to zero.
Fourty-odd players came together to do battle, but as announced, the duel was limited to a battle in fuseki, joseki, or tesuji. Because the fabric of the Rennes Tournament is not based on the diverse range of drinks consumed, nor the korrigans (French leprechauns) who tickle the feet of those who go to bed late to wake them up in time for the next round – it is made from the innumerable activities and games that the organisers offer to the participants. Thus, we have presided over a second Olympiad of Go and outdoor Games, won this year by an all female team, the Gazelles, composed of Christèle (whose cakes we enjoyed all weekend), Brigitte and Élise. They lead the competing teams in a programme mixing skill and endurance : pétanque, Möllky and Go-Athlon (10 minute blitz on a 13×13 board). The prize for our 3 winners: a magnificent chocolate goban!
Photo : Sébastien Cordrie and Bertrand Vachon
In the evening, the place was filled with games large and small, the more athletic passed the time with table tennis, whilst the rest amused themselves at the carrom table. Meanwhile, the eventual winner of the blitz tournament played all the while, whilst serving drinks at the bar.
(Photo : Sébastien Cordrie and Bertrand Vachon)
At midnight, the poker players made their appearance and the sound of chips announced that the night would not finish until all accounts were settled at OK Ker-Al Lann.
For the other nocturnal side events, Alban defeated Mael to win this year’s Phantom Go World Championship, the famous Blitz (is Wrong) Championship passed into the hands of Tanguy Le Calvé (who faced Jean-Loup Naddef in the final), and the backgammon tournament was energetically won by Emeric who faced a very combative Florence.
And what about the Go? We are getting there. 40 participants and 5 rounds full of surprises, notably Remi, our president, who in a style as thoughtful as the thought he put into succeeding to beat successively Tanguy Le Calvé and Matthieu Delli-Zotti, the joint winners of the tournament (4 points each, Matthieu winning on tiebreak while also being the official barman). We can equally cite Emmanuel Nadeau, a young player who arrived in Canada and for whom the Breton air seemed to suit very well, since he managed to score 4 points in his category and shone brilliantly in the egg chase of Saturday morning.
(Photo : Sébastien Cordrie et Bertrand Vachon)
In conclusion, it was a very beautiful weekend, and we are able to give you the dates of the 5th to 8th of May 2016 to book in your diary for next year’s event.
