Ranka: Are you enjoying the tournament?
Alexandra: Yes, it’s pretty exciting to be here with all these very strong players. I’ve been surprised at how strong they are. I’ve been losing to players listed at lower ranks, even 1-kyu player. Sometimes the great difference in strength is a problem, because you may be playing an even game against someone you could give a nine-stone handicap to, but this tournament is really well organized, very professional.
Alexandra Urban
Ranka: Any complaints?
Alexandra: A lot of the players have mentioned the observing conditions. The twenty-minute limit makes it difficult for people to see much of the games. I understand that professional players are not used to spectators, but for amateurs, it’s quite normal.
Ranka: We understand that you are studying go in Korea. How did this come about?
Alexandra: I got to know Professor Lee Ki-bong, who teaches go at Myongji University, when he came to Hungary. He said that his dream was to establish a go academy for foreign students, and this year it came true. The International Baduk Academy opened in January. I decided to take a year off from my university studies in Hungary, where I study Japanese, to study go in Korea. I was the first student at the academy. At first I was the only student. Now there are about ten of us, although the others tend to come and go.
Ranka: Please tell us what it’s like to study there.
Alexandra: We start at about 10:00 a.m. by studying life-and-death problems and going over professional games. After lunch we get lessons from Korean insei. They play instructional games with us, and go over our games. We also have a league in which we play against each other. In the evenings there are lectures. Some of the students also go sightseeing or just hang out, but I study go about twelve hours every day.
Ranka: What language do you use?
Alexandra: There are students from various places, so we all speak English at the Academy. The Academy has a web site. The address is http://baduk-academy.com.
Ranka: What are your future plans?
Alexandra: Right now I want to get stronger at go. After a year, I’ll see how much progress I’ve made and then decide what to do next.
