London December 2023 meeting will be on 17.12.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 17.12.2023. We  hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month.  Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on. We're early this month because of Christmas and New Year. 

We are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't normally see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

Autumn shogi tournaments on 25-26 November 2023

There will be two Autumn shogi tournaments on the weekend of 25-26 November 2023, held at the London Mindsports Centre. The nearest tube station is Ravenscourt Park. The two Hammersmith stations are a bit further away.  It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

Entries should be sent by email to shogi.london@gmail.com.

The plan is to hold a longer time limit event on the Saturday, and a quickplay event on the Sunday. The entry fee will be £10 for the Saturday event and £5 for Sunday. Entry fees will be waived for players who are travelling a long way to get to the tournament. 

The exact format will be determined based on the number of entries and the range of grades. We may operate a single group system, or separate groups for higher and lower graded players. 

The time limit for Saturday games will probably be 20 minutes plus 40 seconds byoyomi.

The draw will be undertaken between 10 and 10.15am once player attendance is confirmed.  

We will aim to complete all games on the Saturday, and may adjust the time limits of final round games to achieve this. Under very exceptional circumstances games might be completed on Sunday morning but we are keen to avoid disrupting player schedules and the Sunday tournament.

 

The time limit for Sunday games will probably be 10 minutes plus 10 seconds byoyomi.

The draw will be undertaken between 10 and 10.15am once player attendance is confirmed.  If there is time left we may run an event at shorter time limits.

If anyone is unfamiliar with shogi time limis please ask before play starts. Note for regular players - please bring a byoyomi clock if you have one.

London October 2023 meeting will be on 29.10.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 29.10.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email

London September 2023 meeting will be on 16.09.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 16.09.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

Extra London July 2023 meeting on 29.07.2023

There will be an extra July meeting of the London Shogi Club on 29.07.2023. 

We  are  playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs. Lionel Kent should be around from 11.30am.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

Report on the Heart of Wales Shogi Open in May 2023

The Heart of Wales Shogi Open 2023 was held from 26 to 29 May, in the green and picturesque Irfon valley (Cwm Irfon) near Llanwrtyd Wells. The venue was the Nant-y-Walch Barn, and most of the players stayed at the nearby Cwm Irfon Lodge cottages. 

This was an unusual venue for UK shogi, where most tournaments have been in cities or well connected towns. Literally in the heart of Wales and far far away from everywhere else, the location was beautiful and tranquil. I did worry that it was a bit difficult to get to, although it is on a very scenic railway line.

The tournament was run by Uwe Frischmuth from Hamburg, who emailed to check the British Shogi Federation was happy for him to run the tournament in our patch. We were of course delighted, although we did check he actually knew how remote Llanwrtyd Wells is. Not a problem explained Uwe - we like it because it's so isolated and peaceful. 

The shogi was in fact great. There were 14 players in the main tournament playing over 8 rounds. We were lucky to have ex-Shorekai player Sanada Tetsuaki playing his second UK tournament. He really showed his strength and won with a clean sheet and 8 victories. Second placed was Anton Borysov with 7, showing great attacking skill and beating all opponents except Tetsuaki. Third on tie break with 5 points was Ikeda Masahiro. 

There were of course exciting and tight games all the way through. We also had shogi fun in the evenings with quickplay and blitz side events. Extra credit to Felix McPeake who left 2 rounds before the end and still won the blitz. 

We ate at a pub on Friday evening, and thereafter ate lunch and dinner at the venue. Tasty fare was provided by Gyles and Karin who run Nant-y-Walch Barn and Cwm Irfon Lodge, and the barn was well stocked with beer for the evening. Those of us lucky to be staying at the cottages also had excellent breakfasts there. All lovely, with Gyles and Karin super friendly and the perfect hosts. 

It's difficult to capture how lovely a weekend this was, combining great shogi, shogi friends, and excellent hospitality. All against a serene backdrop of outstanding natural beauty in the mid Wales countryside.  At first I wasn't sure it would work, but I am so glad that I went.

Uwe is thinking about running a similar tournament next year, and if you get the chance to go to the Heart of Wales I suggest you take it.

London July 2023 meeting will be on Saturday 15.07.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on 15.07.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't normally see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

London June 2023 meeting will be on 25.06.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on Sunday 25.06.2023 We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs much. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

London May 2023 meeting will be on 21.05.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on Sunday 21.05.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

This month we are not using the last weekend, because there are tournaments on that weekend, including the Heart of Wales Open.   

We  are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you might not see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

More info about the Heart of Wales Open at the end of May 2023

As announced previously the Heart of Wales Open 2023 will be held over the late Bank Holiday at the Nant y Walch Barn, a couple of miles from Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys. 

The location is peaceful and beautiful, and can be reached by road or stopping at Llanwrtyd on the rural Heart of Wales rail line. Plus there will be shogi! It sounds great to me and I have booked my place.

Pretty full information is now available on the website for the venue at this page. It doesn't currently show the tournament entry fee, but this will be about £25. There is still some accommodation by the tournament venue and in Llanwrtyd Wells but if you have difficulty working things out I would advise you to contact the organiser by email to heart-of-wales-open-2023@gmx.info

London April 2023 meeting will be on 29.04.2023

There will be a meeting of the London Shogi Club on Saturday 29.04.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on.

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

London March 2023 meeting on 26.03.2023

There will be a face-to-face meeting of the London Shogi Club on 26.03.2023. We are hoping to hold these meetings monthly where possible, normally on the last Saturday or Sunday of the month. Always check to see if we are meeting, and which day we are meeting on. 

We no longer meet in Covent Garden, and are currently playing in the basement room at Starbucks on Cowcross St, Farringdon. Do check downstairs, as you won't see anyone upstairs. There should be someone around from 11.00am until at least 2pm.

Everyone is very welcome, regardless of strength or experience.

The nearest tube station is Farringdon. Barbican station is also close. It's best to check which lines are running with Transport for London.

If you want to confirm attendance or have a question, feel free to let us know by

• leaving a comment here (google+, wordpress, LJ or similar online ID required)
• posting or commenting on the Shogi London facebook page; or
• sending an email.

Heart of Wales Open 2023 will be held on the late May bank holiday weekend

The Heart of Wales Open 2023 will be held in Llanwrtyd Well, Powys. The area is peaceful and beautiful, and can be reached by road or stopping at Llanwrtyd on the rural Heart of Wales rail line.

Tournament games will be played at the Nant y Walch Barn

(Full address: Nant y Walch Barn, Abergwesyn Road, Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys LD5 4TN, Wales, United Kingdom)

The tournament will be run by experienced tournament organisers from Shogi Hamburg with the approval of the British Shogi Federation.

The main event will be 7 rounds, 40 min + 30 sec byoyomi. 

Side events are planned for the 26th and 29th.

More details about accommodation, entry fees, travel to the venue and organiser contact details will follow.

In the mean time if you want to register your interest or have a question, send an email to heart-of-wales-open-2023@gmx.info