Christopher-Cory Paquet-Clouston

Cory has been playing Go for about 2 years now. He learned the game from Daniel, at school. I heard they used to play on lined sheets during math classes ^_^. During these two years, he didn't play much, but his teacher was Daniel... This, combined with the fact he also plays chess, might explain why he reached 4k without playing much. We all expect him to improve a lot at BIBA !

About five days ago, Cory and his mother organized a party before we all leave for Korea. Parents were invited and we had a lot of fun:

From left to right: Cory, Daniel, myself and Maxime

Daniel's parents, Cory's mother, Maxime's mother and sister

KGS account: houloulou
Age: 18 years old

Trip duration: 1 month

Here's Cory's most recent game on KGS :


That's about it for presentations! Next post should be a quick coverage of the Quebec Open on June 4 and 5.

Maxime Bergeron

Maxime has been playing Go for about 11 months, and he's now getting close to 2D. A rare achievement. He recently reached the second round of the ''Tournoi des maîtres'' and considering how fast he improves, he might eventually challenge Daniel for the title ^_^.

We played tonight at the go club and I lost. It's the second time in a row he wins with 4 stones, so if he wins the next game, we'll start playing with 3 stones.

KGS account : maxime5

Age: 18 years old
Trip duration: 2.5 months

Maxime is on the left

To conclude, here's the game he played in the first round of the ''Tournoi des Maîtres''. I commented the game, but it's in French :

Daniel Gourdeau

I never won a serious game against Daniel. Right now, he holds the title of  ''Maître du Québec'', which literally means he's the strongest player in the province of Quebec. He's been holding this title for three consecutive years and now he's 18 years old... For more details on the ''Tournoi des Maîtres'', take a look at this website (it's in French).

Daniel started playing Go when he was quite young with his father, François (5D). He eventually surpassed his father and he's now 6D CGA (Canadian Go Association). I have to say that Canadian ranks are not very precise. Some 6Ds are 4D on KGS, but Daniel turned 7D recently...

In 2008, he represented Canada at the World Mind Sport Games, in Beijing. He also plays in the CLIG (Canadian League Internet Go) and right now he's challenging Xianyu Li 7D, the current ''Dragon'' (Strongest player). For more details about this league, look at the CGA's website.

KGS Account: goseki
Age: 18 years old
Trip duration: 1.5 month
Gossip: He is also monstrously strong at StarCraft II. Korea is definitely a good place for him ^_^.

Here's a game he played recently with Kim Seungjun 9p (Blackie) on KGS:

Departing

It seems I don't realize yet. In less than 2 weeks, I'll be in Korea. The four of us bought our tickets a few weeks ago, and we'll be leaving in two groups. Maxime and I will leave on June 6 from Montreal, immediately after the 33rd Quebec Open. Daniel and Cory are also playing in that tournament, but they will leave on June 13. Those who are curious about this tournament should look at the account ''Omnium'' on KGS.

The purpose of this blog is of course to share our experience. We will post anecdotes, pictures, videos and games ^_^. If you are eager to see what BIBA looks like, you should take a look at their official blog.

In the next 4 posts, I'll introduce Maxime, Daniel, Cory and myself. Notice that once in a while, we will write in French !


J.S.