Recently I flew to Hungary to take part in the Hungarian GP 2010 International Go Tournament. It was a very pleasant experience. Despite lacking in size when compared to the Korean amateur tournaments, they more than make up for that with soul and love for Baduk.
Here I will write a small review on my views and experiences I've had while participating in this wonderful event.

Location
The tournament was held on the small, but very historically rich, city of Budakeszi. Just walking around in the city was a nice experience on itself. The city was home to the great Hungarian composer Erkel Ferenc, and his life is still remembered in the city through statues. I'm not sure if I will go back to Budakeszi anytime soon, but I will definitely never forget Budakeszi, its appealing churches and gentle inhabitants.

Strength
The participants were composed mainly of recreational players the overall strength of the tournament is not high. There were only a handful of dan strength players, the strongest Hungarians were Pal Balogh and Csaba Mero both 6 dan.
In Korea, due to the large number of participants in amateur events, the tournaments are separated by strength, age and gender. But in Hungary the player pool is not very big, so everybody plays in the same event and that creates a more relaxed and fun oriented event. Make no mistake, they still take their matches as seriously as possible, and I could see a lot of painful faces in the playing room.

Motivation
The motivation and drive of Korean and Hungarian players seem to be different. In Korea on the main amateur tournaments you find a lot of players whose only goal in life is to strive on the Baduk world and go pro. For them Baduk has not been about fun for a long time, it's about improving ones skill at all costs and finding that decisive move that could lead to victory. On the other hand Hungarians do not have these kind of aspirations. The main reason Europeans go to these events is to make new friends and have a good time.
This difference is especially visible on the mood of the players. In Korea the atmosphere on big tournaments is very strict without much talks or smiles, in Hungary the atmosphere is more relaxed and fun inviting.


Future
The future is looking good for Hungarian Baduk. A lot of the participants on this event were children, who clearly showed a great love for Baduk. They also have people willing to go that extra mile to make Baduk a more popular game. I will especially mention Diana 1 dan pro's father. He teaches children Baduk and he has a real passion for it.
Recently 3 Korean professional players went to Hungary to open a Baduk school, with the help of Diána Kőszegi. I'm sure they have a great chance to succeed, if they communicate well with the local players. The only obstacle is that Europeans currently do not see Baduk as a business and that could be a problem. I'm sure the European Baduk world will change a fair amount in the next few years.

Personal View
Overall I've had an amazing time in Hungary. I'm really happy to see that the love for Baduk can be shared even if the language is an obstacle. As a Baduk lover I'm thrilled to have taken part on this tournament. I hope to be able to participate in more European tour events in the future. It's always fun to see other countries and how much they all cherish Baduk.
I will continue helping the Baduk community here in Netherlands to make Baduk a more popular game. I hope one day Baduk can be as popular in Europe as it is in Asia. After staying in Europe for a while.  I'm not sure if Baduk will ever be in Europe what it is in Asia as the people's views on the game are very different But I think it's definitely possible for a much larger population of Europe to enjoy this amazing game.

 Writer: Kyoungnang Kang 6D

 Kyoungnang Kang is teaching Baduk in Netherlands for
 the globalization of Baduk.