Annual seminar
IX Go Seminar
The IX Go Seminar will take place in Vilanova i la Geltru, near Barcelona, from August 17 to 23, 2026.
The seminar is open to anyone interested in Go, regardless of rank, and is designed as a welcoming week of classes, tournament play and shared activities.
Location
Where it takes place
The seminar will take place at Societat Cultural Recreativa La Gran Penya, Rambla Principal 52, Vilanova i la Geltru, Barcelona.
Stay
Recommended accommodation
Residencia Vila Nova (website). It is around a 10-minute walk from the venue where all seminar activities take place.
For this seminar we have pre-reserved double, triple and quadruple apartments. Players must book directly themselves; accommodation is not included in the registration fee.
Bookings should be made by emailing info@residenciavilanova.cat and mentioning the booking type plus the reference CAMPUS GO.
| Type | Double apartment | Triple apartment | Quadruple apartment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole week | 70€ per night (420€ total) | 90€ per night (540€ total) | 105€ per night (630€ total) |
| Weekend | 80€ per night (160€ total) | 100€ per night (200€ total) | 115€ per night (230€ total) |
Programme
Calendar and schedule
August 17
- Tournament, lessons and special activity.
August 18
- Tournament, lessons and special activity.
August 19
- Tournament, lessons, special activity and Joanna Koike concert.
August 20
- Free day.
August 21
- Tournament, lessons and special activity. Weekend participants arrive.
August 22
- Tournament, lessons and special activity.
August 23
- Tournament, lessons and special activity. Closing of the seminar.
More information
Contact
If you still have any questions, please contact us at info@clubgomadrid.org.
How to join
Registration process
Bank details: account ES91 2100 0600 87 0202142843, account holder Club de Go Nam-Ban del Circulo Catalan de Madrid. Please include SNB and the player name in the payment concept.
-
Complete the registration form.
-
Wait for our confirmation email acknowledging receipt of the registration.
-
Pay a 40€ deposit to reserve your place. This deposit is deducted from the final price and is not refundable.
-
Wait for our confirmation before paying the remaining amount.
-
Send the final bank transfer for the outstanding balance.
We cannot guarantee participation in limited-capacity activities until payment has been received.
Team
Teachers and collaborators
We are still finalising the line-up of teachers for the event. More information soon.
Joanna Koike
Embajadora de la Nihon Ki-in y cantante. Ofrecera un concierto de unos 30 minutos durante el seminario. Instagram: @joan711.
Yuki Kato (1p)
My name is Yuki Kato. Professional Go player from Japan. I turned professional in 2023. I usually train at the "Hong Dojo" in Tokyo.
This is my first time visiting Spain, and I'm very excited to be here. I look forward to meeting everyone in Spain. Thank you.
Kaku Maekawa
Researcher, EGF 6-dan, Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine graduate
Kaku Maekawa began playing Go at the end of first grade in elementary school. In fourth grade, he competed in the National Youth Go Championship. Although he stopped playing Go in fifth grade, he resumed the game during his second year at university. Through a rigorous approach focused on verbalizing and systematizing his understanding of the game, he reached 8-dan on Fox Go. He also won the team event at the All-Japan University Go Championship.
After graduating from medical school, he worked as a physician in Japan for two years before moving to Germany in April 2024 to pursue a research career. During his time at the Kyoto University Faculty of Medicine, he conducted research in New York, the results of which were published in the international scientific journal PNAS, with Maekawa as first author.
Achievements
Winner, All-Japan University Go Championship — Team Tournament
Winner, 8th TipTap Frankfurt
Winner, Brussels Tournament 2024
Winner, Demcon BGoT 2024
Winner, 16th Pokal der Botschafterin von Japan im Go
Winner, 7th Winter-Go-Treffen Karlsruhe / Winter Open 2025
Winner, 2nd Frankfurter Fruehlingsbanger
8th place, GoDan European Go Congress 2025 — Grabol Open European Championship
Akira Fukushima
Go influencer based in Germany | EGF 5-dan
Akira is a Go influencer based in Germany who works to connect people around the world through Go and to pass the game on to future generations.
She has planned and organized several pioneering Go events, including the first-ever Europe–Japan professional team match (Kagaribi Cup) and the Ukraine–Japan Youth Go match (Rising Go Stars Ukraine vs Japan). She is also promoting Go education for children through various projects in Japan and Germany.
On YouTube, she shares information about the Go scene in Japan and Europe, along with fun and engaging Go-related content. She also offers one-on-one Go lessons for Go fans of all nationalities.
Achievements
All-Japan Women’s Amateur Go Championship — Youngest participant in the tournament, age 10
National Elementary and Junior High School Go Tournament — Top 16 nationally
National High School Go Invitational Tournament, Girls’ Individual Championship — National runner-up
All-Japan Women’s Student Honinbo Championship — 4th place nationally
Japanese Ambassador’s Cup, Berlin — 3rd place
3rd ISGS Go Promotion Awards 2025 — 3rd place
EGC Women’s Tournament, Warsaw — 3rd place
Ueno Tournament, Madrid — 3rd place
Registration
Seminar fees
Prices are per person. They do not include accommodation, but they do include full participation in classes, tournaments and special activities. The weekend option includes the Saturday and Sunday programme.
| Type | Before June 15 | Before July 15 | Before August 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole week | 160€ | 180€ | 200€ |
| Whole week Nam-Ban or La Gran Penya members | 160€ | 170€ | 180€ |
| Weekend | 80€ | 100€ | 120€ |
| Weekend Nam-Ban or La Gran Penya members | 80€ | 90€ | 100€ |