Playing online has always felt just as good as playing on a real board for me. Of course, many still prefer the physical board, but online play is fun in its own way. When I first started learning Go, I only played against AI (I already shared this in “My Go Journey”). As a beginner, it was still very challenging. Later, I searched on Facebook and other platforms for Go players in the Philippines, and that’s how I discovered the Philippine Go Association (PhGo). I joined in 2020, and I was so glad to be part of the organization—even if at first I only met the members online.
Since PhGo players live in different regions, meetups didn’t happen often. Some members were from Mindanao, while most were in NCR or Luzon. There were also players in the northern provinces, but that was too far from Manila. Naturally, only those in NCR had the time to regularly attend in-person games and tournaments.
When I joined, we organized many friendly matches online. At one point, we even scheduled games every weekend, though if I remember correctly, there were only about 10 active members then. I once asked why the number was so small, and they explained that many players had become busy or moved abroad. Still, I thought it was a good number. I also remember a player from Mindoro—just to reach Manila, they had to travel 2–3 hours across the island, take a “roro” ferry for another 3 hours, and then spend 2 more hours on the road depending on traffic. That’s exhausting if you commit to playing every weekend in Manila. Honestly, online play is much more practical in cases like that.
I played online for about three years, especially during the pandemic when in-person games weren’t possible. Most of my Go experience comes from online play. I only had a few chances to play on a real board. My first was during a meet-and-greet with Alanie Paet, Sunshine Basinang, and Owen at Mall of Asia in 2023. I was in Mindanao at the time, but I booked an early flight just to join them. Playing on a real board was a wonderful experience, and I made new friends that day. Later, when I was reassigned to Luzon, particularly NCR, I had more opportunities to meet players and join tournaments like “Talaghay” and the SHODAN Invitational.
Even now, I continue to play Go online, usually on weekends. You might wonder why I still prefer online play even though I’m based in Manila. The simple answer is that players rarely meet up these days, and there are reasons for that.
If you’ve read this far, feel free to message me if you’d like to ask anything. I’d love to play with you online. That way, even if we’re on opposite sides of the globe, Go can still connect us. Let’s play!
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