The eighth edition of the Canary Islands Go Open brought together 36 participants this year, making it the largest held so far in the islands. Players came from several clubs across Spain, along with international participants from Slovenia, France and Luxembourg. The title went to Guifre Estall 2d, who won all five of his games in a relentless tournament. Group photo The weather cooperated, as always in the Fortunate Islands. The playing hall at the Hotel Parque welcomed the participants at 9:00 on the 24th, with two morning rounds and a break for refreshments. The bar was set at 2k, and the first pairings already made it clear that nobody was going to give anything away. In the afternoon came the first big game: Joan Alemany-Flos 4d beat Isaac Ripoll 3d and took away his chance of finishing undefeated. The day's games had been so intense that most of the players went off to rest early, although a few stayed behind to review their games in search of the mistake that had cost them the win. One of the Saturday rounds: Carlos 1d and Hiro 1d, in the middle of their game Everything was decided on Sunday. In the fourth round, Guifre (3d) defeated Joan and became the sole leader. In the final game he faced Timotej Suc (4d), the highest-rated player in the tournament, and Guifre (3d) beat him too, finishing with a perfect five wins out of five. The La Pedra club swept the podium with three very strong players who only lost the games they played against each other. Isaac Ripoll 3d and Joan Alemany 4d finished with four wins, the same McMahon points (37) and the same SOS (179). Second place was decided by SOSOS: 890 for Isaac and 882 for Joan. The same thing happened for fourth place, where Pedro Méndez 1d finished ahead of Timotej 4d by 887 to 885 in SOSOS, after tying on everything else. Podium Another aspect worth highlighting is the new blood: five players were taking part in a tournament for the first time. In my section of the table, I'd like to talk about a player with a very distinctive style, whom I met for the first time: Julio César López, 9 kyu. His game is an example of how Go allows for creativity. Julio doesn't play orthodox moves; he doesn't follow josekis or build bases the way you're supposed to. Even so, he has reached single-digit kyu level by learning on his own. The prizes for four wins went to Isaac Ripoll 3d, Joan Alemany 4d and Irina Manzano 13k. Isaac Ripoll 3d will also be our national representative at the 2027 Korean Prime Minister Cup. The prize for the best-placed player below the bar went to Jonathan Decembry 4k. The trophies There were also prizes for those playing in their first tournament, and gifts of Canarian products for all participants, including, of course, gofio. Our thanks to everyone who helped with the organization, and to the Hotel Parque, who made possible a top-level weekend of Go. Gifts for All Participants The Cookie of the 8th Open Published in La Esquina #011 (November 2026). Download the complete magazine as a PDF
