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.
