1. Your journey has been a real adventure. Looking back at how the platform started and where it is now, what are the most exciting turning points or "behind-the-scenes" memories that define the Go Magic story for you?
It really has been an adventure. Looking back, the most defining memory is how drastically our expectations of "quality" changed the trajectory of the whole project.
When I first had the idea—back when I was running an offline Go school —I just wanted to automate teaching rules so I wouldn't have to repeat myself. But when Vadim Efimenko joined the team, everything shifted. I thought we could film a course in two months using a phone. Vadim, however, was a perfectionist. He insisted on studio lights, professional audio, and high-resolution video.
That "two-month" plan turned into years of work. We realized we didn't want to be just another low-res screencast channel; we wanted to raise the bar for Go education globally. Another distinct memory is the sheer quiet of the beginning. We announced the project expecting a line of volunteers, and... silence. It was just us. We had to learn to be video editors, web developers, and meme-makers all on the fly. Surviving that "valley of death" where we had ambition but no team—that defines the Go Magic spirit for me.
2. By the time the Congress starts in July 2026, what new feature of your "all-in-one" platform are you most excited for the community to experience?
To be honest, our primary focus remains on creating high-quality educational content rather than churning out complex technical features. The reality of our "magic lab" is that our development department still consists of just one person—me! So, we have to be very selective about where we direct our coding energy.
That said, by July, I am most excited to present additional features for our Tsumego hub. We have had many ideas "floating in our heads" for a long time regarding how players should interact with Go problems—how they are sorted and how the interactivity feels. We are finally hoping to realize those concepts within our collections by the time the Congress starts. It represents the kind of training tool I always wished I had when I was first learning the game.
3. How has the Skill Tree evolved to better challenge and support Single digit-level and Dan-level players?
To be honest, this has been a long journey. For a significant time, the vast majority of our users were beginners and Double Digit Kyu players. Since we are a small team, we had to prioritize where we spent our energy, so we focused on polishing the "roots" of the Tree first. We put off growing the Tree "upwards" for quite a while.
However, we have finally begun work on the new upper section specifically designed for strong players, and I have to give a huge shout-out to Hoang for this. He is doing an incredible job ensuring that our problems are genuinely unique. Unlike many other platforms that simply parse public collections or copy-paste from existing archives, all our Go Problems are hand-crafted. Hoang curates and refines them to ensure they are high-quality and instructive. It is a slower process, but the result is that the Skill Tree is finally getting a crown worthy of the rest of the tree.
4. Go Magic is providing $3,000 in vouchers for participants. What kind of impact do you hope this incentive has on the growth of the Turkish and international Go communities?
I believe that financial barriers should never stop someone from studying Go. By providing these vouchers, we hope to give highly motivated players in the Turkish and international community access to high-quality educational materials that they might not have purchased otherwise. Impact comes from knowledge. If these vouchers help even a handful of players break through a plateau and become strong players in their local clubs, the ripple effect for the community will be worth far more than the dollar value of the vouchers. We want to fuel the passion of those who are hungry to learn.
5. Turkey is a historical bridge between Europe and Asia. How do you see EGC 2026 strengthening ties between European players and the growing Western Asia Go scene?
Go has always been a universal language, but geography still matters. Turkey is perfectly positioned to physically bring these two worlds together. For European players, the EGC is a tradition, but for players from Western Asia, traveling deep into Europe can sometimes be difficult.Having the Congress at this crossroads allows for a unique mix of playing styles and cultural exchange. I see EGC 2026 as a catalyst that will integrate the Western Asia scene more deeply into the European Go Federation's ecosystem. It’s a chance to make new friends who we might only ever see online otherwise.
6. What are your primary expectations for EGC 2026, both as passionate players and as a business?
First and foremost, we see the EGC as a massive amplifier for the game we all love. It is the perfect opportunity to let the world know about Go and to make our community bigger, more energetic, and simply more fun. We want to show that Go isn't just a quiet, ancient tradition, but a vibrant, living game that connects people.
From a business perspective, the Congress is the best place to connect with the brightest minds in the Go world. We started as a small team, but our library of courses is growing, and we are constantly looking for fresh voices. We hope to meet potential new teachers and strong players who might want to collaborate with us to create the next generation of Magic content. But as passionate players? I just want to play! Working on a Go platform can ironically leave you with very little time to actually play the game. I expect to enjoy the atmosphere, lose a few games, learn from them, and soak up that unique energy that only a major Go Congress provides.