Belgian Go Federation

Three rounds down, the final matches approaching, and the championship is still wide open!

The 2026 Belgian Interclub Championship is entering its decisive phase, with defending champion Gents Go Genootschap (GGG) leading the standings on 7 points.

But the race is far from over! Antwerp remains unbeaten after three consecutive victories, Hoshi is building momentum, and the remaining encounters could still shake up the leaderboard.

GGG Chasing Back-to-Back Titles

GGG has enjoyed a strong campaign, securing two convincing 3–0 victories against Phénix and Leuven. Their only setback came against Antwerp, who handed them a 2–1 defeat in Round 2.

With 7 points and 15 tie-break points, GGG currently leads the championship.

Two players have been particularly reliable: Maarten Marien and Kenny Debacq, both undefeated in their two games this season.

For Maarten, the winning streak goes even further. After losing his opening game in 2025, he won his remaining four matches to help GGG claim the title. Add two more victories in 2026, and he now stands at six consecutive Interclub wins!

His progress goes beyond the Interclub. Having steadily climbed from 6 kyu to 4 kyu, Maarten is showing consistent improvement, with his results on the board reflecting his growing strength.

GGG also has history to chase. Since 2023, the championship has changed hands every year, with Phénix winning in 2023, Antwerp in 2024, and GGG in 2025. A victory this season would make GGG the first team since Phénix in 2023 to successfully defend the title.

Antwerp: The Undefeated Challenger

Three matches. Three victories. Antwerp remains unbeaten!

Antwerp has been remarkably consistent this season, winning all three of its encounters by identical 2–1 scores, including an important victory over defending champion GGG.

With 6 points from three matches, the 2024 champions sit second, just one point behind GGG. Despite trailing in the standings, Antwerp remains the only team with a perfect match record.

One of their key players is Tom Van Den Broeck, who has built an impressive Interclub record. After winning all six of his games across the 2023 and 2024 editions, Tom has now collected 11 individual victories since 2023, making him the player with the most individual wins since the competition began keeping individual results.

His first defeat this season came against Leonard Brand in Round 3, but with two victories from three games, Tom remains an important contributor to Antwerp's title ambitions.

Undefeated but still chasing the leaders, Antwerp remains a serious contender for the 2026 championship!

Hoshi: The Comeback Team

After an opening defeat against Antwerp, Hoshi bounced back with consecutive 2–1 victories against Leuven and Phénix.

Now third with 5 points and 13 tie-break points, Hoshi remains firmly in the title race.

Among its standout players is Yannick Kuy, whose Interclub history speaks for itself. Yannick went undefeated in both 2023 and 2024, winning all seven of his games across those two seasons.

His remarkable streak ended in 2025, but he returned to winning ways in the opening round of 2026.

And with a final showdown against GGG on 2 December, Hoshi could still have a major say in who takes home the trophy!

Phénix and Leuven Look to Finish Strong

For Phénix, the 2026 campaign has been a difficult one. The former champions, who claimed back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, have lost all three encounters so far.

Their final match against Leuven on 3 November offers one last opportunity to finish the season on a positive note.

Leuven, meanwhile, still has one match remaining against Phénix. Although currently at the bottom of the standings, Leuven could still play an important role in deciding the final positions.

Current Standings

#	Team	Played	Points	Tie-break
1	GGG	3	7	15
2	Antwerp	3	6	10
3	Hoshi	3	5	13
4	Phénix	3	2	3
5	Leuven	2	1	1

Each individual board victory earns one point. Tie-break points are weighted by board: 3 for Board 1, 2 for Board 2, and 1 for Board 3.

GGG has the lead and a six-game winning streak from Maarten Marien. Antwerp has the perfect team record and the competition's all-time individual wins leader in Tom Van Den Broeck. Hoshi has the momentum and a chance to challenge the defending champions directly.

Three teams in the title race. Two matches remaining. Everything still to play for!

Who will be crowned the 2026 Belgian Interclub Champion?

The 2026 Brussels Go Tournament celebrated its
40th edition this weekend, with Fu Tianyi (6 dan)
emerging victorious after an impressive performance.

His path to victory was anything but easy! Fu defeated
three former Brussels champions:
Lucas Neirynck (2018), Cornel Burzo (2023), and Chen Xinghong (2025).
A fitting achievement for this special anniversary edition!

Despite a smaller turnout than last year, the tournament
maintained its international character, welcoming players
from at least 11 countries.
One notable absentee was reigning Belgian champion Lucman Bounoider.

Lucas Falls Just Half a Point Short

Lucas Neirynck was the strongest Belgian performer,
finishing with 4 wins out of 5.
His only defeat came against eventual champion Fu Tianyi,
by the narrowest possible margin: half a point!
Lucas had been leading during the game, making the result
particularly heartbreaking. A fantastic performance nonetheless!

Joachim Reaches 1 Dan!

Another highlight came from Joachim Laloux,
who finished with an impressive 4/5 record
and officially reached 1 dan!
He climbed from 3 kyu to 1 dan in just one year,
faster than Yannick Kuy's progression of one year and five months.
Congratulations, Joachim!

A special mention also goes to
Yuanze Gao,
who also won 4 out of 5 games,
including an impressive victory over former Brussels champion
Cornel Burzo!

40 Editions of Brussels Go

This anniversary edition also celebrated the tournament's rich history.
It was particularly special to welcome Jean-Denis,
who participated in the 1987 Brussels Go Tournament,
the earliest edition with results preserved in our database.

Forty editions, generations of players, and countless memorable games!
Congratulations to Fu Tianyi and all participants, and a big thank you
to the organizers and volunteers who made this edition possible!

Full Results

View the complete results on the

European Go Database.

Pictures

A new season, fresh faces, and plenty of fighting spirit!

The 2026–2027 Pandanet European Team Championship kicked off this week, with Belgium battling Slovakia to a hard-fought 2–2 draw in the opening round.

Belgium's lineup featured Lucas Neirynck, Lucman Bounoider, Jan Ramon, and Maxim Van Wassenhove.

A Promising Debut for Maxim

One of the highlights was the debut of Maxim Van Wassenhove, the young Belgian talent born in 2014 and currently living in China. Making his first appearance for the national team, Maxim immediately made an impact by securing a victory.

Lucman Secures Belgium's Second Win

Lucman Bounoider delivered Belgium's second win of the round. Both victories had something in common: solid fighting and the determination to come out on top.

Looking Ahead

With the first match point secured, Belgium now turns its attention to Round 2 against Finland, scheduled for Tuesday, 10 November, or during the preceding week.

Congratulations to all four players on their games!

One round down. A whole season ahead. Let's go, Belgium!

Links

Games and SGF's:

https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/rounds/1512?tourname...

Standings:

https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/draw/244?tournament_...

A new season. A new challenge. Belgium is ready to compete!

The 2026–2027 Pandanet European Team Championship kicks off this month, and Belgium is gearing up for another exciting campaign against some of Europe's strongest Go teams.

After securing its place in League B last season, Belgium returns determined to build on that success.

Meet Team Belgium

Nine players will represent Belgium this season, bringing experience, talent, and fighting spirit to the board.

1. Lucas Neirynck
2. Lucman Bounoider
3. Jan Ramon
4. Gabriel Mercier
5. Maxim Van Wassenhove
6. Renaud Gaban
7. Felix Van Wassenhove
8. Joost Vannieuwenhuyse
9. Guillaume De Keijser

Support Team Belgium

We look forward to your support throughout the season! Follow the games, cheer on our players, and help Team Belgium make this another memorable campaign.

Nine players. One team. One goal.

Let's go, Belgium!

More info about the Pandanet European team Championship: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps

It’s that time of year again! A new season of the Pandanet European Team Championship is about to begin, and we’re looking for players to represent Belgium!

Whether you’ve played for the Belgian team before or would like to take part for the first time, you’re very welcome to join. It’s a great opportunity to play serious games, meet players from across Europe and, of course, defend the Belgian colours!

Registration deadline: September 29th
Belgium will once again compete in League B
Games are played online on Pandanet

Who can join?

Players must have Belgian nationality and a Pandanet account.

Don’t have an account yet? You can create one here.

Due to the anti-cheating regulations in League B, participants are also required to join a face-to-face video call during their games. You can find more information about this requirement here.

Ready to join Team Belgium?

To register, fill in the registration form here or send an email to board@gofed.be.

You can also see the list of registered players here.

Every player helps make the Belgian team stronger. Whether you’re aiming for the top boards or simply want to challenge yourself in an international competition, we’d be happy to have you on the team.

Let’s make the 2026–2027 season a great one for Belgium. See you on soon!

Dear members and Go enthusiasts,

As our game and Federation evolves, to serve you better we are thrilled to give you an exclusive first look at the prototype of our future website !
Here it is: https://new.gofed.be/

Developing a new site has been a long saga spanning more than ten years, and sadly it's not the first time that we made such kind of announcement only to disappoint shortly after.
This time, however, it looks very likely to have good chances to cross the finish line thanks to one of our players with alias “Rikikilord” who you maybe know about already. :)

This project is designed to be modern, even futuristic thanks to AI usage with advanced features, above all—better suited to your gaming needs whenever you are a curious passer-by or a Go expert in search of detailed information.
You are of course welcome to get the chance to browse and explore its features.
Warning: Many features can be tried and tested, but pages content is far from being ready

Feedback is welcome at: gofedsite@gofed.be
We're also of course very interested by volunteers for testing, or if you have web coding skills.

More news should be coming in the next few days...

The 2026 Belgian Go Championship came to an unforgettable conclusion this weekend, with a dramatic final showdown needed to decide the new national champion.

After the opening day, only four players remained: François Gonze (4 dan), Jan Ramon (4 dan), the unbeaten Lucman Bounoider (4 dan), and surprise contender Laurens Teirlinck (2 kyu).

Teirlinck delivered one of the standout performances of the tournament, securing impressive victories against Joachim Laloux (2 kyu) and Guillaume De Keijser (2 kyu) to earn his place among the final four.

A Historic Final

The championship match featured Lucman Bounoider against François Gonze in a high-stakes encounter. With neither player having previously won the national title, the final guaranteed that Belgium would crown a first-time champion.

François Gonze took the first decisive game, forcing the championship into a final playoff match to determine the winner.

For the deciding game, both players brought their sharpest preparation and fighting spirit to the board. The tension remained high throughout the encounter, but when the dust finally settled, it was Lucman Bounoider who emerged victorious, claiming the title of 2026 Belgian Go Champion.

A huge congratulations to Belgium’s newest national champion.

Relive the Games

Live commentaries were available throughout the event, and recordings of the games can still be found through the BGFScribe demo boards on Online Go Server.

The final game can also be viewed here:

Links

Final Game: https://online-go.com/game/87069493 - https://www.twitch.tv/belgiangofederation

Final Results

Place	Name	Level	Wins
1	Bounoider Lucman	4 Dan	5
2	Gonze Francois	4 Dan	4
3	Ramon Jan	4 Dan	3
4	Teirlinck Laurens	2 Kyu	2
5	Kuy Yannick	2 Dan	1
6	De Keijser Guillaume	2 Kyu	1
7	Tranchida Philippe	1 Dan	1
8	Laloux Joachim	2 Kyu	0

The final round of the regular season delivered exactly the kind of tension expected from a relegation battle.

Heading into Round 9, four teams at the bottom of the standings were around the five match points, meaning the pressure was fully on. In the worst-case scenario, Belgium would still have needed to play relegation playoffs to remain in League B.

Standing in the way was Croatia, another team sitting on five points. Belgium’s final lineup featured Lucas, Lucman, Renaud, and Guillaume.

Croatia Strikes First

Boards 2, 3, and 4 were played on Monday evening.

On Board 2, Lucman took Black against Matej Zakanj (5 dan). Early in the middle game, Lucman successfully isolated a weak white group and applied heavy pressure. White defended resourcefully by targeting weaknesses in Black’s shape to keep the game balanced. The turning point came after a complex fight in the center, where Lucman ultimately lost a key group and was forced to resign.

Croatia moved ahead 1–0.

Renaud Answers Back

Belgium responded immediately on Board 3, where Renaud, playing White, faced Tadej Petar Tukara (3 dan), a strong player from the Yunguseng A League who had already defeated Lucas earlier in the season.

Renaud came prepared with a fresh variation in a common joseki, introducing an important hane that caught his opponent off guard. The preparation paid off instantly, giving Renaud an early lead.

Black later built a massive central moyo and managed to regain control after a difficult ko fight, taking a double-digit advantage. But Renaud stayed calm under pressure. On move 186, he found an accurate reduction sequence that stabilized his shape, reduced Black’s territory just enough, and swung the game back in his favor. From there, he never let go of the lead.

The match was level again at 1–1.

Croatia Takes the Lead Again

On Board 4, Guillaume fought hard against Teo Sladetić (2 dan), but Croatia secured another victory to move ahead 2–1 overall.

Everything would now come down to the final board.

Lucas Jinseo Delivers in the Decisive Game

The decisive match took place the following day, with Lucas playing White against Stjepan Medak (5 dan).

The opening quickly became tense, featuring an important ko fight. In an attempt to create additional ko threats, Black lost points in several areas, allowing Lucas to build an early lead of around eight points. Stjepan remained composed, however, and gradually turned the position around with steady play, eventually taking a small advantage.

Then came the turning point.

In a brilliant tactical sequence, Lucas used stones that appeared dead inside Black’s territory to launch a massive cutting sequence. With the game already deep into the endgame, Black could no longer save the central dragon and was forced to resign.

Belgium tied the match 2–2 and secured the crucial match point needed in the standings.

League B Status Secured

When the final standings were confirmed, Belgium finished 7th in League B, safely avoiding relegation and securing another season in the division.

After a season filled with close battles and pressure-packed matches, the team successfully achieved its goal.

A huge thank you goes to all the players for their commitment and fighting spirit throughout the season.

Links

Games: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/rounds/1353#2

Standings: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/draw/215

The Hoshi Go Club Tournament returned this weekend with a major milestone, doubling in size from 14 to 27 participants and marking a successful new edition of the event.

The level of competition was high throughout the tournament, with several strong dan-level players in the field. After four intense rounds, 15 years old Gao Yuanze (5 Dan) emerged on top, finishing undefeated with a perfect 4–0 record to claim first place.

Yannick Kuy followed in second place with three wins, while Zhao Ziang completed the podium in third.

Among the notable performances, Joachim Laloux continued to impress. The young and rising player secured 6th place and is now closing in on the 1 kyu level in the official ratings.

Venue and Atmosphere

The tournament took place in Brussels near Place Flagey, offering a spacious and welcoming setting. With its four-round format, players had time not only to compete but also to review games, exchange ideas, and enjoy the social side of the event.

With its strong turnout, competitive games, and great atmosphere, this edition confirmed the Hoshi Go Club Tournament as a growing success on the Belgian Go calendar.

Results

Standings: https://hoshigoclub.be/tournoi.html#results

Belgium heads into the final round of the season with its fate still in its own hands.

Despite winning just one of the four games in the previous round, the result was enough to keep Belgium in a strong position in the standings. The team currently sits in 7th place with 5 points, keeping direct survival in League B well within reach.

With only one match remaining, Belgium now has a real chance to avoid the playoffs and secure its place for next season.

The Final Challenge

The final challenge comes against Croatia, who also have 5 points and currently sit in 9th place. With both teams level on points, this matchup is set to be one of the most decisive of the season.

A draw — and certainly a win — would most likely be enough for Belgium to remain in League B next year, adding extra importance to the encounter.

Match Schedule

The round is scheduled for Tuesday, 12 May 20h CET (or the week before).

Final Push

After a season full of tight battles, Belgium now has one final opportunity to finish the job.

One more push. One more match. Let’s finish strong.

Links

Games: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/rounds/1352

Standings: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/draw/215