The British Go Association  (BGA) promoted go at the UK's first Mindsports International (MSI) Festival at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium the weekend of September 14-15. MSI says the event attracted about 500 enthusiasts of Scrabble, chess and the card-trading game Magic.

Rachel Riley (left), co-presenter and number-wizard on British terrestrial Channel 4¡Cs ever-popular words-and-numbers TV gameshow, Countdown  – which also had a stand at the festival – was MSI's UK ambassador and hosted the event on Sunday, providing commentary on some of the games.

Although no go tournament took place, BGA Councillor Roger Huyshe  ran a stand with the aim of introducing attendees to go, managing to sell four beginner's books and three basic sets as well as putting eight or nine people in touch with their nearest go club and playing trial games with half a dozen. The most promising contact was with a couple who have Local Authority responsibility for 17 schools and are interested in setting up school chess and go clubs. Also helping staff the stand were BGA Membership Secretary Paul Barnard, Welsh Champion Dylan Carter  and, from the Cardiff Go Club, Neil Greenwood, Keiran Grayson and club secretary Neil Moffatt.

Mindsports (International) Ltd plans to mount a similar festival at the Palazzo Congress Center, LA on Dec 7-8, the second in the US. (SeeEJ 7/10 for a report of the first LA event).

- Report by Tony Collman, British correspondent for the EJ; Photo: Rachel Riley, seen here appearing on BBC TV's top-rated reality show Strictly Come Dancing, courtesy of fansite rachelriley.org
- Source from American Go E-Journal