as for myself i try to “pass the word of GO” by;

1) practice joseki or review games at public places, especially at a cafe (im thinking of going more often)

2) when people ask me about the game i always try to explain the basics, how rich is intelectually and how old it is and where it was born.

3) makes myself availabe to play

how can the big organizations can make GO popular in the west?

1) i feel that once in a while the BIG international tournaments should play at important west cities like new york, london, paris etc…

2) people, young and old, love the manga “hikaru no go”. i think a good distribution of this anime will work great. my kid loves to play a card game called “yugioh” where she picked up watching cartoons. by the way, i enjoy a lot playing that card game. (today i beat my kid in a match, 4-2) ;0)

3) concentrate on the kids

4) more english GO books by western or asian players that doesnt have for a title “joseki” written on it.

what do u think?

The one thing that will help: have players that are interesting for one reason or the other. Young and good looking, (young, good-looking and female for triple bonus points), set records, survived cancer, have a dad in jail, etc.

Look at chess for instance. It used to be played by boring man who appear to be middle-age to old even in their thirties. But now, you can be a chess veteran if you are 24, many players are well dressed, and several of the female players are models as well. In the age of television and the internet, people don't care whether a big tournament is played in New York or Tokio. If it's played between middle-aged men with pizza in their beards, it won't become popular.

nice point, it is shallow or “superficial”, but is the truth. that's the way many people see things.

GO is play too by the young in japan, korea or china but in the west, i believe, it is play by those that made the jump from chess to GO…thirty something guys.

the recent european GO champion is a decent good looking young guy. as well a good romanian (i thinkk he is romanian) player, catalin…something like that. they should exploit them.

yes, it is shallow but that's the way it is.

nice point.

Well, we're trying to “exploit” him, speaking of Sensei Catalin Taranu 5 dan pro.

He's doing a fine job here, in Bucharest, in “Saijo Go Club”, teaching students and giving pro commentaries on games. But with only few pro players in Europe (I know there're many of them in Northern America) and scarce funding, we cannot raise a Go movement comparing to Asia and big four countries (Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan).

And speaking of beauty and good looking, here in Romania, any good looking girl or guy dreams to become an actor or a fashion model, they don't bother to “crank” their brain before a Goban!

If it deserves it, it will eventually become popular.

if only things work like that; deserving and merit, but the world doesnt work like that…it needs a lil push and manipulating even if that “thing” deserves it or got the merits.

I doubt board games will ever become truly “popular”.

For instance, in the Netherlands, which is a prominent chess playing country, there are 23,300 registered (club) players in a population of 16.4 million, that is 1 person out of 700 is an avid chess player. Surely many more know how to play chess, but the game doesn't play a significant role in their lives.

The population of Norway is 4.6 million. If we could get more than 6000 go club players, I think that would be very impressive! :-) Popularity is relative.

Be interesting to know what proportion of the population play a chess game at least once a month, I'm sure a lot of people who play chess to a reasonable standard do not like the organised structure of a club.

Unfortunatly it's a lot easier to give figures for club membership as being an indicater of how popular a game is.

Popular isn't the same as having a large number of organized players. Football is very popular in the US, but most people who spend time watching in on television or in the stadium don't play football in an organized way. Formula One racing is popular in the Netherlands as well - probably more popular than chess and go combined, but the Dutch only have two Formula One drivers (which is more than they had in decades).

I think if iy where in more western media it whould be more popular. My website is getting very well known in my town so I mention it alot. Well I said my two cents.

If by “west” you mean “United States”, the best way for go to get popular would be for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to play go in Jennifer Anniston's front yard in a reality TV show setting. And then, Jennifer and Angelina get into a HUGE fight over Brad, but rather than kick each other's butts using kung fu and machine guns, they settle matters on the goban! What ensues will become the legendary Anniston [9 dan] vs. Jolie [9 dan] Brad Pitt SMACKDOWN! In the series finale, after 13 episodes of riveting play in this game, Jolie wins by .5 point of komi, causing a season finale cliff hanger.

Brought to you by Google and Bud Light.

THAT'S how you do it. After that, you'll get gobans in cereal boxes and 21mm black & white M&Ms everywhere. Taco Bell will serve taco salads in collectable kaya bowls.

If by “west” you mean “United States”

I find that assumption a little arrogant. :p

But we have those reality shows here as well, so I'll go along with the rest.

“by west do u mean usa”?

well, i guess u are a republican and a “bushian”.

West starts on the other side of the Hudson, in New Jersey. ;-)

Ever Since Columbus everybody knows that West really is a different route to the Far East.

THAT'S how you do it.

Too funny, Edward. Thanks!:)

The Far East? That's Brooklyn, isn't?

Very good sample, Edward :) Mr & Mrs Smith in Meijin Finals :))))

I am from California, in the United States. Last week Its Your Turn which is played here by thousands of people had a major crash. The owner has a blog with comments. Someone asked about other game sites, and someone else posted the other ones I know about, but I never heard of this one until now. Whoever posted on that blog has let all the people from IYT who read it, know about you. So word is out!! That is how I found you, and if you have had a sudden increase in members, that is probably the reason. We have about 6 really good sites with games, and it looks like this one will be another one. There is more of a variety on the other sites, but that comes with time I guess. I will play a few games here and see how it goes. I see there are a lot of people from America signed up already.

maybe better to ask “why should GO become popular in the west?”

have you read “Get Strong at Subtil Invasions”?

http://users.skynet.be/rexburton/subtilinvasions.jpg

Hold on one minute.

All of you misunderstood. When I said that if go had more of an audience in the west I meant that if go poped up more in every day life people that might not be interested in digging it up under so maney “ifs” get in the way. Like “if” he/she has heard of it, “if” the form it comes to him/her is interesting. If it showed its head more often those “ifs” would happen more often. P.S I personaly do not liked getting judjed by people with little facts.

P.S.S

That bush mark espeacialy (Yech!)

If Hikaru no go takes makes it onto a network(Which isn't inconceivable, considering the popularity of Shonen Jump anime) the game will become a bit more mainstream. I don't see it ever usurping chess, though.

George and Laura Bush were on a private…

George and Laura Bush were on a private jet en route to a public speaking in New O'leans.

After staring out the window with a curious look on his face he turns to Laura and says, “Hey Laura, how about I throw a $100 bill out of the airplane and make a person happy?”

Laura replies, “Well, why don''t you just throw two $50 bills out of the airplane and make two people happy?”

George W. thinks about this and replies again with excitement, “I know what I''''ll do! I''''ll throw five $20 bills out of the airplane and make five people happy!”

The pilot of the jet a very GO player in the west turns around with frustration and says, “Why don''''t you both jump out of the airplane and make the Players in [Go 19x19] or/and the whole LittleGolem word happy?!”

Teaching go in schools is a very good way to start promoting go in long terms.

In Europe are plenty of such projects, and we hope we can collect the fruits soon.

Blame the next death of a go professional on Osama bin Laden, Barth loyalists, the Axis of Evil, or Darth Sidius. And black homosexual neo-nazis.

Or if you prefer notoriety, force POWs/non-combatants to play go in stress positions. (No komi for you, boy!)

Along the same lines,: 私はそれを言う"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.

Astv