Project Description

Internet Go School is a place on internet where the ones who have just learned that Go exist can get more information, contacts to nearby living players, lessons, and they all can start playing Go or improve their play.

Internet Go School uses a fixed structure for commenting games. Instead of submitting games for review to a different volunteer every time all participants are assigned to teachers who are responsible for commenting games and playing teaching games with their students. In this way time is spent more efficiently, progress is overseen and people get to know each other.

Everybody in the school can act both as a teacher and a student except for the bottom and top ranks. This creates a very motivating and educational situation where participants learn to put much work into their games. At the same time being able to act as a teacher motivates them through proving that certain progress has been made. Most of the participants are kids and youth.

Objectives

1. To spread Go in a fast and efficient way.

2. To integrate players through all the country by organizing internet tournaments, on-line lessons and mutual teaching program.

3. To help beginners with basics of the game.

4. To raise level of play by teaching each other.

Realisation

We have 1/3 of people playing Go in Poland in our school after a half year of activity. There are 2 - 3 new participants per week, mostly completely beginners. Some of the participants will compete for top places in coming Polish Youth Go Championship. They are students taught by the Internet Go School.

Resources

Manpower: The school is run by one person with support from a webmaster (occasional updates etc.).

Financial resources: None.

Possibilities to copy this project

Integration of players scattered through the country is a big problem everywhere in Europe. Internet is a good tool for people having problems in finding opponents and lessons. This project can be basically cloned with no effort put into adopting to local conditions. All it takes is manpower to run it and a website.