A Baduk Blog

For anyone not aware, I started a residency program for Baduk, open to people from all over the world to apply and live a life more fully dedicated to this wonderful game! Below is the first in what I hope will be a series of post about how things are going there. This first post is written by resident member Jeremiah “Jae” Donely.

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WARNING: What you’re about to read was from a complete amateur. It might be cringe, hard to read, or hard to comprehend.

The First Week

Whenever you do something new there is always that time people need to acclimate themselves to it. With six other people coming into someone's home there was a risk that it might just not work in the first week. However I think, for me at least, transitioning into the program was easy but not without some chaos. I personally had no trouble but I know a few of my Baduk House mates definitely had doubts.

The first week was a bit chaotic for me, as I had no plan nor schedule I followed. Not in any particular order I just slept, played Baduk and did volunteer work. Other than the teaching games I needed to give I was basically free to do whatever.

You could really just consider the first week as the trails of acquaintance. I think almost instantly Angelo and Soren clicked. Like two peas in a pod from an outside perspective. Eva-Dee was very charismatic and helpful with technology! Jake and I mostly can be viewed as the “want to play baduk gang?” Which to be honest was mostly Jake. For me, I would assume the others would think about how confident I am about anything. We all hashed out what was acceptable of each other and created boundaries to provide a space for ourselves within the domain of the home.

The Second Week

The only changes in the second week was that I was now responsible for helping with some of the MidWest Open organization, albeit mostly physical. Besides loading and unloading boards, stones and clocks. I helped set up the Open division tournament and set up the bracket on poster board. The last change was I started doing lectures for the Columbus Go Club on Thursdays. This week’s lecture was about L and L+1 groups found here: https://senseis.xmp.net/?LGroup. The following week was finishing the L group and onto the J groups.

Our 6th member joined us on Monday of the week. Nikolai’s hobbies and personality definitely received a warm welcome. He knows a bit of woodworking, and computers to trivia knowledge. Jake was by far the most prolific Baduk player, despite there being two teachers of Baduk. Wherever Jake was, there was a game most definitely being played.

The end of the second week was most likely the highlight. Soren, one of the Baduk House residents, came in 4th place at the tournament. Albert Yen won 1st place followed by Edward Zhang and Alex Qi. I think an honorable mention would have to be for Shawn Ray who went 7-0 in the main division. It was a great experience playing like minded individuals and being able to help Devin Fraze with the tournament.

The Third Week

From streaming, gaming, playing baduk, learning no-code website building, going out on walks with the house-mates and other community driven activities, I think we all started on different projects of our own. During this time, sadly, we also lost Jake who needed to return home. With the absence of Jake there has been a lot less games being played. But there has been no shortage of quality games. Instead of forcing you to download the information of what happened after the tournament I am going to present you all with questions and answers from each of the residents. Enjoy!

Soren: “Has this experience at the Baduk House gone as expected? Were there aspects you weren’t expecting/prepared for?”

Jae: “For me, most definitely. My expectations were mostly that I would be able to make a bunch of Go content. Nothing has stopped me from being able to. As for aspects that didn't go well… I made the choice of not preparing for the tournament and that's on me.”

Soren: “I had a general idea of what to expect, but the specifics of what would be required of us on a day to day basis I was not. But ever since being here everything has gone smoothly.”

Angelo: “In a sense I didn't know what to expect and I tried to be prepared for anything. I think everything has gone as well as I could have hoped for.”

Eva-Dee: “More or less. I didn't really know what to expect going into this, and I certainly didn't expect to get along with everybody as well as I do. I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome all the other residents are – as individuals, Go players, and parts of a team.”

Nikolai: “I didn't know what to expect at all coming here, but the thing I was most worried about was being left out. I'm the weakest player, and I showed up a week late due to travel circumstances. Instead, I was instantly welcomed into the house, offered a game of Go, and I've been enjoying it since.”

Nikolai: “What's the most memorable moment for you in the Baduk house so far?”

Jae: “I can't really think of a single moment right now. The most memorable thing for me though is the overflowing positivity that people give at the house. In the past few months, especially in the Baduk House, the people I know have been very positive and my outlook on a lot of things has changed.”

Soren: “The first beginners night at the Baduk House, I pretended to be a total beginner, and played one of the most energetic, passionate, and funny beginner player. Everyone was a great sport and it was a ton of fun.”

Angelo: “The most memorable moment for me so far was when I was recording the top game at the Midwest Open Tournament. I had a front row seat to two high level players playing out a broken ladder across most of the board in a serious game. I got to see their facial expressions, feel the tension and share their amusement at the situation. I won't be forgetting that any time soon.”

Eva-Dee: “The most memorable moment for me was the Broken Ladder game at the Midwest Open. I was running a local stream of the top board each match, and couldn't believe my eyes when they started playing it out. I found myself running all around the lobby grabbing people and making sure they were watching the stream, to make sure I wasn't going absolutely insane. “

Nikolai: “It's hard to choose just one, since I'm sure this is an experience I'll remember for the rest of my life, but honestly the first game of Go I played here I think is one thing that will really stick with me. It turns out there's no better way to induct someone into a Go house than by playing Go, and it instantly made me feel at home. I hope I get a bunch more memories over the next couple months!”

Jae: “What sacrifice(s) did you make to come to the Baduk House?

Jae: “I have sacrificed short-term-gevity for the longevity of becoming a Baduk content creator. I’m hoping and I know I can make this a reality while being in the program.”

Soren: “Honestly, I did not make many sacrifices coming here. Only sacrifices I made were lifestyle changes, such as running training, food/diet, and other hobbies were affected.”

Angelo: “In order to come to the Baduk House I potentially sacrificed my job (they hadn't answered me about a leave of absence yet) and I sacrificed my comfort zone, taking time apart from my partner and moving into a house with 7 strangers! “

Eva-Dee: “I was going back and forth between my place in Philly with roommates I absolutely adore and my partner's place in DC before coming here. Leaving all of them behind was hard enough on its own, but they all knew how excited I was about this program and told me that I had to follow my dreams. Aside from that, I had to quit my job as a church music director. I certainly felt that I was giving up a lot to join the Baduk House, but so far I can say it was absolutely worth it.”

Nikolai: “I was planning on moving to Pennsylvania this July anyway, so in that sense making a stop in Columbus actually works out really well for me, schedule wise. That said, uprooting my life 3 months ahead of plan was a pretty big logistical challenge. There was a lot of re-figuring out exactly what I was going to do, where all my stuff would go, etc. Shout out to my old roommates, who made the biggest sacrifice of paying more rent until the lease is up so I could take advantage of this opportunity.”

Angelo: “Has immersing yourself in Baduk changed your outlook on it at all?”

Jae: “Absolutely, before I joined the Baduk House I was actually on the fence, due to many outside issues, about Baduk. I’m glad I stuck with it because I’ve been able to strengthen my wavering love for the game.”

Soren: “Prior to coming to the Baduk House, I was already a Go teacher, content creator, and tournament director. So I was already pretty immersed before arriving. But it has motivated me to become better in all facets of Go.”

Angelo: “Immersing myself in Go and spending time with others who are passionate about it has reinforced my love of the game. “

Eva-Dee: “If anything, it's made me enjoy the game more. Being around other players who share this passion has been a new experience for me, and I've only felt my love of the game grow in this time.”

Nikolai: “The thing I was most shocked to see coming to Columbus was a dedicated group of players actually playing Go. I used to live in Los Angeles, and even in such a giant city I could count the go players who showed up to my local club regularly on one hand. In my small college town, I couldn't find a game hardly anywhere, unless I taught someone else how to play. The second day I got here, 10 or so people showed up to beginner's night, and we've continued to see big turnouts since. The Midwest Open was enormous. Devin's work in Columbus has given me a snapshot into what the Go community could look like everywhere, and I hope to help make that a reality wherever I go next”

Eva-Dee: “What have you learned since arriving at the Baduk House (Go related or otherwise)?”

Jae: “ I have learned a lot about my personal limits when it comes to playing serious games of go. In terms of skill nothing much has changed but I have learned a lot about computer stuff, IE: Bubble and Arch Linux”

Soren: “I have learned, or at least reaffirmed to myself, that I really do love teaching Go. While I do enjoy competing and getting stronger, I think I thrive and enjoy helping people become stronger.”

Angelo: “Since arriving at the Go house as one of the weaker players I have learned a lot about the game and I will continue to soak up as much knowledge from my stronger housemates as I can. Overall I've learned to take more opportunities as they come and to make the most of them.”

Eva-Dee: “I've learned a lot about myself and how I work with others. I used to think I liked working on my projects alone, but helping with the Midwest Open and some of Devin's other projects has made me realize that I love working on a team to help make all these awesome projects come to light. “

Nikolai: “I've learned a few new juggling tricks, the basics of poi, how to open a pack of Poke'mon cards in the most spoiler-free way possible, a bunch of joseki, and a lot about corner groups. Overall, it's been awesome both learning from the stronger players in the house (which for me is basically everyone), while also getting to share people's passions for the other hobbies they have in our downtime, whether that's bird watching, rhythm gaming, or haggling for electric scooters at pawn shops.”

Bonus: “What does squeezy Jibs mean to you?”

Jae: “Just something Soren got from Game Grumps but it has been turned into a hype call. Whenever you see Soren just yell ‘squeezy jibs!’”

Soren: “Squeezy Jibs is a lifestyle. It’s an emotion, a state of being. We are all Squeezy Jibs, yet not at the same time. Squeezy Jibs is love, is life, is friendship, is hardship, is pain. Without Squeezy Jibs, we are empty. With Squeezy Jibs, we are whole. Squeezy Jibs is the vast ocean, the lush canopy, the pristine peaks of the tallest mountains. Squeezy Jibs is everything, yet nothing all the same. Squeezy Jibs is whatever the beholder wants it to be.”

Angelo: “Squeezy Jibs is the battle cry of the Ohio State Champion.”

Eva-Dee: “”Sente Jibs” is when your opponent plays a sneaky sente move and hopes you don't realize it's sente.”

Nikolai: “A squeezy Jib is either a term for Soren, or a thing to say after you've made a move, clever or not, in a game of Go, depending on context.”