Announcing a live-in residency program (in the United States) for Go players looking to dedicate themselves more fully to the game!
The intention of the program is to allow players of any rank who are serious about mastering the game of Go to live and study together.
Players will be not have to pay for food or housing, but are expected to contribute to 20 hours a week to various Go related projects.
All the details for the program can be found at apply.baduk.club
That’s a cool idea, gotta say.
Unfortunately I’m not your target audience for a number of reasons. xD But! I hope it becomes a fantastic success.
It is a really great idea, and I hope it succeeds. If this had been around about 6-7 years ago, I would have jumped at the chance.
Who are the teachers? What level? I’m not your target market anymore, but as a 4d EGF I went to BIBA in Korea with various pro and 7d ama teachers (and I think I met you there Devin!), would an American of a similar level have strong enough teachers?
Great question!
For residents weaker than 5 kyu I would be the primary instructor, for players up the 3/4 dan, it seems highly likely we’ll have some pretty strong fellow residents (7d ama) who could instruct them.
But that being said, this isn’t a paid program, thus not a school, thus no paid pro teacher guaranteed to instruct the residents.
What I can say though is that the current applicant pool includes more than a few very strong amateurs.
Along with lots of cooperative study, there is also the option of seeking out a pro teacher to support the residents remotely. (Not to mention the hope that should the program grow, we might find support from a resident pro sent by one of the national associations).
For weaker players reading this, level is not the primary criteria for acceptance. The most important thing is seriousness about Go (which often correlates to strength of course). But I’d gladly welcome a dedicated and passionate 10 kyu over a lazy and uncaring 5 dan.
(@Uberdude perhaps we did meet there! Alas, I only passed through for one day while traveling around China and Korea.)
Update: 25 people have applied so far 
Update: the program has started and it is just as magical and awesome as I’d hoped for!
Gooplet’s been posting about it here.
https://twitter.com/gogoGooplet?s=20&t=ssS7qm1yS_06YM_z4hHVSQ
And we’ll have an email list starting soon at https://apply.baduk.club
Would you be interested in making a Sensei’s Library article?