Filip, first of all, congratulations on your victory! 
You are a well known name in the Dutch go community, but we have not seen you around for some time. What made you decide to play in Utrecht this year? And how was it to play a tournament again?

Thanks!
I have been very busy these last ten years or so. 
My wife is from Ukraine and arranging permission to get married involved a lot of red tape. 
Also, I wanted to be there when she and my stepdaughters had to get accustomed to Holland, so I focused strongly on domestic life.
My wife is not into go at all and she often nagged about me playing on the internet so much, but things have mellowed down now. Some time ago she actually encouraged me to take up go again.

I like playing one day tournaments. I do not like games with extensive time allowances, since I have lost my total devotion to just playing go, and put much value on meeting friends, having a beer and just having fun.
I work full time as a teacher and have my own web development company, so my time off is rather valuable. Usually, I decide whether to participate at the very last moment, depending on my mood and on how fit I feel.
The Utrecht tournament has always been on my list, so I decided to play. I had been hoping to meet old friends and enjoy some go - and I did.

Playing a serious tournament is fun. It is more fun than internet games, because of the added pressure.
My reading skills in go are still more or less ok, but I tend to get a bit tired and careless when the game proceeds - I am not getting any younger. Also - although I try to win each game, of course - I have lost some sharpness, since I do not mind the result as much anymore.

 

What was your most fun game of the tournament and how did it go?

That would be the first game against Robert Rehm (5d). I had made an oversight in the center and on top of that played a horrific move that lost me sente. A huge group was dead. My only chance was to create a giant seki with his surrounding stones. He had so much aji that it seemed like too tall an order, but I managed. I was very relieved to find that this put me about 10 points ahead.

What was your most difficult game, and what do you think you could have done better?

My game against Dick Riedeman (3d). He played very well and I got a bad position. I struggled on, and in the late middle game he messed up and I got a lucky win. 
Overall, my endgame was rather weak. In my game against Michiel Eijkhout (6d) I missed a decisive endgame tesuji (although I probably would have lost by a small margin anyhow) and I found myself losing focus during the matches several times.