The University Team Go Championship

Name:	The University Team Go Championship
Contributor:	Alexey Lazarev
Organisation:
Edition:	2015

Project Description

Student project started in January 2013.There was not any financial or sponsorship at this time. The Internet University team GO tournament have been organized on KGS server (Swiss system in 5 rounds) from March to May 2013. It was declared that four best teams would have the right to fight for the title of Russian champion and to take part in the offline Open Russian University team GO Championship which was supposed to be organized in Petrozavodsk in September 2013.

14 teams from 13 Universities from Russia took part in the Internet University team GO tournament. Every two weeks there was a match day ( Sunday evening) when teams played match games on KGS server. A hard work on looking for financial and sponsorship continued from January until August 2013. As a result the Open Russian Universities Team GO Championship (26-27.09.2013) and the Open Russian Student GO Championship (28-29.09.2013) have been organized in Petrozavodsk. The tournament place - the hotel KARELIA (karelia-hotel.ru). Due to sponsorship not four but five best teams on results of the Internet University team GO tournament were invited to fight for the title of Russian champion in 5 rounds round-robbin competition:

All teams had got free accommodation in the hotel KARELIA during team and individual student tournaments. The prize money fund, about 2000$, was provided due to sponsorships besides award cups, medals and diplomas.

In 2014 the project continued but the system has been changed. The University team Grand-Prix competition was organized (Alma-Mater Cup) instead of the Internet tournament.

Any University can organize an Universitiy Team tournament which is a stage of the Alma-Mater Cup. Every team earns points on the result of every stage:

place - 15 points
place - 12 points
place - 10 points
place - 8 points
place - 6 points
place - 4 points
place - 3 points
place - 2 points
place - 1 point

An University team which organized a stage of the Alma-Mater Cup earns additional 15 points to the total team score.

Any University team could take part in the Open Russian University Team GO Championship 2014 (21-22.08.2014) which is the Final stage of the Alma-Mater Cup. Teams earn double points for the places in the Final stage.

There were the following stages of the Alma-Mater Cup in 2014:

Novosibirsk (www.nsu.ru)
St. Petersburg (www.ifmo.ru/stat/2/info.htm)
Tula (tsu.tula.ru)

Three best teams in the current place list of the Alma-Mater Cup just before the Final stage had got free accommodation in the hotel KARELIA during the Final stage.

The Open Russian University Team GO Championship 2014 (21-22.08.2014) and the Open Russian Student GO Championship 2014 (23-24.08.2014) took place in Petrozavodsk. All participants have got free lunches during the tournaments. The tournament venue - the hotel KARELIA (karelia-hotel.ru). Six University teams fought for the title of Russian champion in 5 rounds round-robbin tournament. Winners were rewarded by award cups, medals and diplomas.

Aim of the Project

The aim of the project is to set up GO cooperation among Universities and to attract attention state authorities, Universities boards, sponsors towards student GO activity. Target groups: students and postgraduate students of Universities.

Means of the Project

Tournaments places, hotel KARELIA conference halls, Cultural Centre Siberia-Hokkaido, Universities lecture rooms, Chess Clubs.
Catering - Hotel KARELIA restaurant.

Technologies:

TIGR computer program (created by Russian programmers) for organizing GO tournaments.

Media:

Internet sites, Russian TV channels, Internet Forums ( Russian GO Federation, KGS forum), newspapers. Go equipment: boards, stones, bowls, timers.

Timeline and Geographic Extension

In 2013 activities took place in Internet (KGS server) and in Petrozavodsk (Petrozavodsk State University). The Internet University team GO tournament 2013 took place in internet (KGS server) in March - May 2013. 14 Teams from 13 Universities took part in the Internet University team GO tournament 2013. The University team GO Championship 2013 and the Student GO Championship 2013 have been organized in Petrozavodsk (Petrozavodsk State University) in September 2013.

In 2014 activities took place in the Universities of Russian Federation:

Petrozavodsk (Petrozavodsk State University)
St.Petersburg (ITMO University)
Novosibirsk (Novosibirsk State University)
Tula (Tula State University)

The University team GO Championship 2014 and the Student GO Championship 2014 have been organized in Petrozavodsk (Petrozavodsk State University) in August 2014.

Results

A lot of publications in the Internet, mass-media and TV increased the auditorium awared about game GO.
Setting a mutual GO cooperation among Universities.
Increasing support from the state authorities and Universities boards towards spreading game GO.

Public Exposure

2013:

2014:

Human Resources

Alexey Lazarev (Petrozavodsk) - The manager of the project. The organizer and the main referee of the Internet University team tournament. The organizer and the main referee of the Open Russian University team GO Championship and the Open Russian Student GO Championship. Looking for sponsorships and partners
Dmitry Kornev (Petrozavodsk) - the referee of the Open Russian University team GO Championship and the Open Russian Student GO Championship.
Ilia Lazarev (Kirov), the organizer and the referee of the Internet University team tournament.
Innokentiy Dmitriev (Tula), organizer of the Alma-Mater Cup stage.
Gleb Cherepanov (Novosibirsk), organizer of the Alma-Mater Cup stage.
Andrey Pomeranskiy (Novosibirsk), organizer of the Alma-Mater Cup stage.
Stepan Trubitsin (St. Petersburg), organizer of the Alma-Mater Cup stage.
Ivanov Victor (St. Petersburg), organizer of the Alma-Mater Cup stage.
Konstantin Voznikov (Simferopol), manager.
Sergey Pavlov (Novosibirsk), IT technologies.
A lot of volunteers (most of them are students) took part in the activities.

Financial Resources

Government and municipal subsidies, Petrozavodsk University support, Russian GO federation support, sponsorships.

Perspective

To be continued. It is going on in 2015.

Wishes

Joining foreign Universities to the project
Joining European GO Federation and International GO Federations to the project
Spreading information about the project in mass media
Looking for partners of the project or analogous student projects

Additonal Comments

The annual project has ben realized in 2013 and 2014. It is going on in 2015. The Open Russian University Team GO Championship 2015 (27-28.08.2015) and the Open Russian Student GO Championship 2015 (29-30.08.2015) will take place in Petrozavodsk. University teams from abroad are wellcome to take part in the student festival!