About the Pandanet Go European Team Championship

Welcome to the Pandanet Go European Team Championship.

This new competition started in late 2010 and replaced the previous European Team Championships. It is played online on Pandanet (IGS) in its own room called "EuropeanTeamChamp". The League is supported by Pandanet, and they also support the top four teams attending over-the-board finals at the European Go Congress.

30 countries split into three leagues of 10 for the 2010-11 League. The finals were very successfully held in Bordeaux in July 2011 and were won by League A winners Russia.

The 2011-2012 season kicked off on Tuesday 13th September 2011, with the first C League matches. The same 30 countries started the 2011-12 League, but two teams withdrew from C-League and three new teams joined. The season ran with one match per month or so, in each division, until the end of May 2012. The finals were held in Bonn, Germany, during the EGC on 21st and 22nd July 2012; Russia won again.

The 2012-2013 season kicked off on Tuesday 18th September 2012, with the first A League matches. 30 countries again played the 2012-13 League. The season ran with one match per month or so, in each division, until 14th May 2013. The finals were at the EGC in Olsztyn, Poland, on 26th and 27th July 2013; Czechia won for the first time.

The 2013-2014 season kicked off on Tuesday 17th September 2013, with the first C League matches. 32 countries played the 2013-14 League, with the addition of new countries Greece and Iceland in C League. The finals were at the EGC in Sibiu, Romania, on 25th and 26th July 2014; Russia won again.

The 5th season (2014-2015) season kicked off on Tuesday 9th September 2014, with the first C League matches. 34 countries play the 2014-15 League, with the addition of new countries Lithuania and South Africa in C League. The finals were at the EGC in Liberec, Czechia, on 24th and 25th July 2015; France won on tie-break from Ukraine.

The 6th season (2015-2016) season kicked off in September 2015 and the finals in St Petersburg were won by the Ukraine team.

The 7th season (2016-2017) started September 2016 and, for this season, the teams are split into four, with the D league playing the same day as the C League.

We hope you are continuing to enjoy the championship, which is leading to many more contacts within Europe and helping to spread our game. Check the schedule and log in on Pandanet to watch the action!

League System

1. National teams compete, minimum 6 and maximum 12 players per team, in online matches over 4 boards
2. Nominated team is unchanged for the whole season, no transfer list, no hiring and firing
3. 10 teams in the first league, 10 in the second and up to 12 in the third league
4. Teams were assigned initially to leagues according to their strength using criteria agreed by EGF executive
5. One team per country - team members must have the citizenship of the country they represent
6. Teams are open for amateurs and professionals
7. Teams should have a leader and a proxy, who may be non-playing
8. Round Robin system, one game every 3 to 4 weeks
9. Thinking time 60 min, canadian byoyomi 25 moves in 10 minutes, 6.5 Komi
10. Team player order was fixed according to the EGF Rating List
11. Team player order remains unchanged until end of July
12. 9th round of leagues will be played by June
13. Promotion/relegation matches will be played between number 9 and number 2 of the league below in June.

14. Top 4 teams of A League will be invited to play finals (round robin) at the European Go Congress in July
15. Prize money is 10000 euro all over (only top 4 teams can win money)
16. Fixed schedule when to play, but games can be played up to 7 days earlier (so games take place on 8 different days per 3 or 4 weeks at most)
17. Teams entering in subsequent years start in the lowest division regardless of strength

Rules

A complete ruleset was created, very similar to the one used in Germany for many years.

More Info

For any communication about the team-championship there is an email address: teamchamp at eurogofed.org or visit the Pandanet Go European Team Championship Community on Pandanet.