WillerZ

About me

Real Name: Philip Willoughby

Lives: Southampton, UK

Works: for a large technology company.

May look something like this:

This photo on flickr

Played go since 2003, didn't play much in 2005-2006.

Where to play me

When I play online, I mostly play on OGS. I prefer games with proper handicap and 5days + 1day Fischer settings. If the game is unrated I will comment on my moves and yours, please do the same. If you tell me who you are on SL I'm more likely to accept a challenge.

I now have an IGS account too, also named WillerZ. I have a KGS account but prefer my native IGS client, Sen:te Goban, to the Java KGS client.

I have a DGS account, but I'm not starting any new games there.

Offline, I mostly play go at the Winchester or Purbrook? Go Clubs. BGA description of Winchester is here.

How strong am I

The BGA have a strength graph for me which takes into account all the BGA-sponsored tournaments I've played in here. It's based on the EGF rankings list so it can be four or five weeks out of date.

I also play at Winchester Go Club on Wednesdays and Purbrook Go Club? on Thursdays. I'm 5-6 kyu on those ladders at the last count.

Based on recent tournament games, I'm probably 8kyu in real life.

Ramblings

The random page link just took me to Practical Endgame Test 6 which I solved (correctly!) in about 2 minutes. When I clicked on the solution link I found I was credited with finding it, and the memory of how long it took (and how many hints from Bill I needed) came back.

At least I know I'm getting better :-).

Here's a real life-and-death problem from a 9-stone + 10 reverse komi handicap game between myself and an EGF 2-dan: TsumegoFromGames72

Aims

I am intending to play a lot of tournaments in 2007; if nothing else it should help me to use up my annual leave from work without taking the last month of the leave year off.

I'm also finding that the more different people I play the better I get. Playing the same group all the time you get used to how they play

I will try to get to 4kyu this year. If that starts to look easily attainable I'll aim higher.

Tournaments 2007

Results

• Maidenhead (Furze Platt), January 20th. Entered at 10kyu, won 2 from 3. Full result is here.
• Oxford, February 17th. DNS.
• Cambridge Trigantius, February 25th. Entered at 7kyu, won 2 from 3. Full result is here.
• British Go Congress (Cambridge), March 30th to April 1st. Entered at 6kyu, won 1 from 6. Full result is here.
• Bar-Low (Cambridge), May 6th. Entered at 7kyu, won 2 from 5. Full result is here.
• Welsh Open (Abermaw), June 23rd to June 24th. Entered at 7kyu, won 1 from 5. Full result is here.
• Olympiad Open Championship (MSO), August 26th. Entered at 8kyu, won 2.5 from 4. Full result is here.

Planned

• Three Peaks, November 10th to 11th
• East Midlands, November 24th
• West Surrey Handicap, December 2nd

B means booked. D means doubtful due to distance.

SL People I've met in real life

I met topazg of OGS fame at the Cambridge Trigantius 2007. We started a blitz game in the lull before prizegiving, which was sadly interrupted after around 3 minutes (about 200 moves in). When we went back to look at the state of the game it was quite interesting; I wouldn't have bet on the outcome.