Go Go 囲碁! Inevitably, I am going to be beaten by a 12-year-old
So I finally ventured out to the local go club. The weekend before, I'd shown up at a Korean church that, according to a website, had open go games on weekends. No one there knew anything about it, though.
The club I went to is small (right now only four to six people show up regularly), but one that's been running continuously for decades.
The guy who ran the club invited me to play a game, and told me to go ahead and put down nine stones. Turns out he's an amateur 4-dan, so even with a nine stone handicap, obviously I never had a chance. But it's definitely different playing people face to face.
Like, you know immediately when you've made a bad move because the spectators will sigh or look away. I am, alas, the weakest player in the club now. There's a 12-year-old (who I haven't played yet) who's about 6-kyu. I don't know if I can handle getting my ass whupped by a 12-year-old who's not even Hikaru Shindo. :P
I mentioned the club at the Korean church, and the president said, "Yeah, they meet occasionally, but it's not organized or official, and anyway, they wouldn't play you."
"Because I'm not Korean?" I asked.
"No, because they only like to play with strong players."
Koreans are serious about their gobaduk.