On August 29 and 30, we were lucky enough to take part in the launch of Go Around, an initiative driven by Polgote, the Go project of Mateusz Surma (马特乌什·苏尔马) 4p, which aims to bring the game to extraordinary places and turn each gathering into an experience that combines games, travel and discovery. The adventure began with an invitation to take part in the Salt Mine Open 2026, under a slogan that was hard to turn down: "Play Go 250 meters underground." Playing Go 250 meters underground, inside a historic Polish salt mine? There was no need to think twice! So we packed our bags and set off from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, by way of Norway, bound for Poland. The salt mine is located in Bochnia, the small town that gives it its name. We arrived the night before the tournament and stayed at a little hotel where we had our first encounter with Polish cuisine. The adventure began by winning us over through our stomachs before we had even reached the boards. Mateusz Surma (马特乌什·苏尔马) 4p designed a weekend that was a true Go marathon: a blitz round-robin so that we could all face one another, another handicap competition, simultaneous games with the professional, and even the chance to play against him in different formats. It was a fantastic opportunity to play with people from different countries and of different levels. Bochnia Salt Mine Simultaneous Games And there was also an unexpected star: a robot for playing Go! It became one of the biggest attractions of the event and sparked everyone's curiosity. Personally, I was captivated. I loved the experience of being able to play on a physical board against an artificial intelligence. But, of course, we hadn't traveled all the way to Poland just to play Go. The stay at the Bochnia salt mine was an impressive experience. Just riding the mining elevator down and suddenly finding yourself in that underground world is striking enough. More than two hundred meters below the surface, a network of galleries and chambers excavated over centuries opens up. A genuine human Moria: an underground city with halls, restaurants, a church, a sports center, and spacious chambers where you can even spend the night. Rock salt Robot Tournament hall Tables On Saturday night we went on a guided tour that combined history, technology and surprising spaces, although one experience stole much of the spotlight: sailing in a small boat across an underground brine lake. Brine mill Gliding over those waters, surrounded by walls of salt and in such a particular silence, is hard to describe. One of those experiences that justify the trip all by themselves. And one of the most special parts was still to come: spending the night inside the mine. We slept in bunk beds, in an enormous underground chamber about 250 meters deep. Sharing that space after a full day of games, tours and discoveries was a very particular experience. It's not exactly common to end a day of Go by climbing into bed beneath hundreds of meters of rock and salt. The Salt Mine Open 2026 was much more than a competition. It was one of those experiences that the world of Go gives us every once in a while, and that connect with the Nihon Ki-in's beautiful belief that Expedition into the mine! Spreading Go around the world is the path to harmony and universal understanding. The atmosphere was familial, intimate, and heartwarming. Mateusz Surma (Mateusz Surma) 4p came with his family: his parents and his children, all Go players. It was truly magical to join them on this first adventure of the Go Around project and to have the privilege of playing a game with all three generations of the Surma family in a setting of pure fantasy. If there's one thing that became clear to us, it's that Go can take you to unexpected places. Even 250 meters underground. Simultaneous games We came away with memories of a fascinating mine, wonderful food, a robot playing Go, and above all, a group of people who made us feel at home despite being hundreds of kilometers away. Congratulations to Mateusz Surma and Polgote for organizing such an original event, and thank you for turning that weekend into an unforgettable adventure. Published in La Esquina #011 (November 2026). Download the complete magazine as a PDF
