Dear Go Players,

Here are the full details of our coming tournament - NZ Open 2025. Let's spend a weekend with friends enjoying Go. Click here to register online.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again!  

 

2025 New Zealand Go Open  

The 2025 New Zealand Open Tournament, will be held in late November (22nd & 23rd) 

The tournament will be held in person and online. The venue will be the SASIT building in Greenlane, reasonably central and easy to get to. Hopefully most people will be able to go there to play, however people can also participate online, using the OGS server. (Online you must be a New Zealand citizen or hold a New Zealand permanent visa, in person is open with no restrictions).

The tournament will have two divisions 

• Open Even games for strong players, winner will be the New Zealand
  Champion!

• Division 2 Even games for mid strength players and weaker players who
  want to test themselves
  Limited to players 1 dan and below on the NZGS ranking list

The tournament is sponsored by New Image. Thanks to their help lunch will be supplied on both days.

Coffee, tea, fruit and other snacks will be available throughout the tournament.  

 

Divisions

Open: Our premier division.

Open to all, but recommended for strong players. The winner becomes NZ Champion,  receives the trophy that goes along with the position, a nice little cash prize and, of course, the bragging rights.

Six rounds will be played. Three on Saturday and three on Sunday. May the best player triumph!

Division 2 (kyu division)

Designed for kyu players (and newer 1-dans) seeking competitive, even games. The Open division often includes a wide range of strengths, so Division 2 offers more evenly matched play under the same rules and timing.

 

Venue

The SASIT building, Greenlane, corner of Gt South Rd & Woodbine Ave.

Entrance is on Woodbine Ave, press the doorbell for entry, go upstairs and turn right. 

Parking is available on Woodbine Ave. 

 

Players outside of Auckland

We think it is best to attend tournaments in person so that you can meet other players, talk, have meals together and so on. If you can come to Auckland - please do so - and let us know if you need accommodation. Probably we can find someone playing at the tournament that you can stay with instead of paying for a hotel or similar. However, so that this is truly a New Zealand championship, if you cannot come to the tournament venue you can play remotely instead.

Anyone who attends in person is welcome to play, regardless of nationality or residence.

 

To keep this a true New Zealand championship, remote participation is limited to New Zealand citizens and permanent residents (wherever they live).

Games will be ‘real time’ - with the same schedule as for people at the venue.

OGS is the preferred server, however other servers can be used by mutual agreement.

Video recording of remote players is required 

• Use your phone to record yourself playing, the view should show both you and the computer you are using. 

• Hold the video recordings for at least a week after the tournament ends so that they can be reviewed if questions are raised about behaviour and results.

The game records, or a link to them, must be sent to the organiser.

Tournament organisation and communications will be done using our Discord server.

• If you have not got a logon, use this link, and accept the invitation to Discord.   Under the ‘NZGS 2025’ category see the channels we will be using:

• welcome-announcements-etc
  This will be used for all general tournament communications

• open-division
  Used for Open division specific information, such as the draw for each round

• division-2
  Used for Division 2 specific information

• meetings
  This channel allows video and audio and will be used for the AGM

 

Players attending the venue

Please bring a laptop or tablet that can be used for matches with remote players.

• If you do not want others to use your device that is fine, but if others can use it that would be great as not everyone can bring their own device.

• OGS will be the online Go server used. This runs in a browser, nothing needs to be installed on your device.

• A guest wifi network is available.

Everyone, even people coming to the venue, need to be able to play online as people at the venue may be matched against people playing remotely.

• Your OGS username is required to enter the tournament 

• If you have not already got an OGS user name, register with the OGS server at https://online-go.com/ 

• Please contact us if you need help

  

Entry Fee

Wow, this is complicated! Which division? Playing in person or remote?, Pre-registered or walked up? Earning or no income?

• $25 if participating in person and pre-registered

• $5 more for people who don’t pre-register and just walk up on the day.

• $10 less if not earning. 

• $10 less if participating remotely

Please register in advance and pay by bank transfer. (see Registration below for how to pay)

 

Prizes 

Everyone has a chance of winning a prize if they do well! 

Both divisions have players with a fairly wide range of skills, so realistically most of us have little chance of winning the division we enter - However we want everyone to have a chance of winning a prize. To do this we use the results of the first two games to create four groups. 1: Win-win, 2: Win-lose, 3: Lose-win and 4: Lose-lose. These groups are for prize giving purposes only and have no effect on who plays who during the tournament.

At the end of the tournament, as well as the winner and runner up receiving prizes, the winners of groups 2, 3 and 4 also receive a prize.

• If the number of players in a division is less than 12 we will only have a group 2. Group 3 and group 4 will be used if there are more than 12 people.

• If the tournament winner or runner up comes from group 2, 3 or 4 that person will receive only the tournament winner or runner up prize and the group prize will go to the player with the next best result.

The Open winner will hold the NZGS champion's trophy for the coming year.

All prize winners will receive an engraved trophy, some will also receive a cash prize. 

Thanks again New Image for providing prize money for this event!

 

Conditions

Both divisions have 6 rounds, 3 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. 

• A Swiss draw will be used. 

• No two players will meet more than once.

• Players on the same score will be matched in each round as far as this is possible.

• Players from different cities will be matched where possible.

 

Playing conditions

• New Zealand rules will be used.

• ‘Fisher’ time control will be used. Each player will start with 20 minutes and will gain an additional 20 seconds after each move they make.

• Most games have about 250 moves, 125 each. So each player will have 20 minutes plus 125 x 20 seconds - 62 minutes in total.  

• We are using Fisher time control because:

• It is more forgiving when you run short of time (you can play a few fast moves and get some time back) 

• It does not have the abrupt change of conditions that happens now when you go into byo-yomi. 

• It stops people from taking longer than the time scheduled for a round, which can happen with our traditional time controls.

• Here's a screenshot of the OGS game settings to use
  
  So that organisers can check the game record, be sure NOT to tick the ‘Private’ option

 

 

Accommodation:

People coming from outside of Auckland are invited to stay with local players. Please let us know well in advance if you want to do this.

 

Timetable:  

On Saturday please arrive before 8:45 so we have time to complete registration and make the draw.

Saturday 22nd November

09:00 - 09:45 Registration

09:45 - 12:00 Round 1

12:00 - 13:00 Lunch at a nearby cafe

13:00 - 15:15 Round 2

15:15 - 17:30 Round 3

18:00 - Dinner at a nearby restaurant (optional)

 

Sunday 23rd November

09:00 - 11:15 Round 4

11:15 - 12:00 New Zealand Go Society AGM

12:00 - 12:30 Lunch (Provided)

12:30 - 14:45 Round 5

14:45 - 17:00 Round 6

17:15 - 18:00 Prizegiving

 

 

 

Dinner on Saturday

This is optional and not included in the entry price. For those who wish to join, we will have dinner together at a nearby restaurant on Saturday night

 

Contacts and Registration

If you have any questions, or trouble registering, please contact one of the organisers

• Colin Grierson Ph 022 1656413 Email coling3a@gmail.com

• Corrin Lakeland Ph 021 467784 Email lakeland@gmail.com
  
  

Registration

Please register and pay your entry fee well in advance so we can get as much as possible organised before the tournament starts.

• If you don’t register in advance you can still come along and register on Saturday morning - but the tournament entry fee will be $5 more.

 

Click here to register online. If you can’t do this please send details to  secretary@go.org.nz

• Your name

• Your playing strength/NZGS Number if you have one

• Which division you want to play in

• Your contact details - Phone, Email and address

• If you will be playing in person or remotely

• Your OGS user name

• If you are coming to the venue can you bring a laptop or tablet that can be used for remote games?

• If you need accommodation in Auckland

• If you are a New Zealand citizen or if you hold a permanent New Zealand visa (we need this information for calculating our points table for international tournaments)

• Any special requirements that you have

 

To pay your entry fee please transfer the money to 03-0149-0095693-000 or if you are overseas it might be easier to send it to Paypal account secretary@go.org.nz. 

• Important! Put your name on the bank transfer reference so we know who has paid. Or in Paypal add your name as a comment.

You can also pay by cash when you arrive, but paying in advance will make registration on the day easier.

 

That’s it. I hope to see you at the tournament.