It is with regret that we announce that on November 3, 2026, RNDr. Petr Raška, one of the founders of the Olomouc Go club, passed away at the age of 63. The history of the Olomouc Go club goes back to 1979. As Václav Göbl recalled in his memoirs, its founding was accompanied by a remarkable coincidence. A trio of friends (Petr Raška, Michal Mačák, and Petr Svašek) went to a lecture on the card game bridge. After it ended, however, the floor was given to the promoter Václav Šimon, who introduced those present to the game of Go. The story of the game's history and rules so captivated the trio that they agreed with Václav Šimon to meet again. Afterward, they began meeting regularly in the Gaisler Brothers Hall in Olomouc. This is how the Olomouc Go Club was born, and the four of them became its founding members. Petr Raška became one of the prominent figures of Olomouc Go in its early years. He reached the rank of 2-dan and, in 1985–1986, after Václav Šimon returned to Liberec, took over leadership of the club. At that time, around twenty players met regularly in Olomouc, and two larger tournaments were held there every year. In the late 1980s, the life paths of several of Olomouc's leading players at the time, including Petr Raška, took them in different directions. Yet their shared efforts laid the foundations of a tradition that has endured in Olomouc for decades since. The Olomouc Go Club is still active today, and its traditional January tournament is among the most popular events in the Czech tournament calendar. On behalf of the Czech Go Association, we extend our sincere condolences to his family and all his loved ones. Honor his memory. The final farewell to Petr Raška will take place on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren in Olomouc, Blahoslavova 1. Death notice The post In memoriam Petr Raška (1963–2026) appeared first on Goweb.
