Janusz Kraszek — A Life Shaped by Go, and a Legacy That Returned to Warsaw

Among the figures who have left a lasting imprint on the history of European Go, few stand as prominently as Janusz Kraszek, a Polish 5-dan player whose journey has intertwined competition, scholarship, innovation, community-building, and cultural stewardship for nearly five decades. His relationship with Go began in 1976, when a fellow student at Warsaw University introduced him to the game. What started as a moment of curiosity gradually became a defining intellectual pursuit, supported by long hours studying professional games in Go Review, later in Go World, and in classic Kido texts. His early exposure to the World Amateur Go Championships beginning in 1980 further deepened his understanding and positioned him among the strongest players in Europe.

Champion of Poland and Europe

Kraszek’s competitive achievements represent an important chapter of European Go history. He claimed the title of Polish Individual Champion twelve times, across the years 1979–1986, 1988–1989, 1993, and 2003, demonstrating both longevity and consistency. His most celebrated triumph came in 1983, when he became the first and only Polish Go player to win the European Go Championship, completing the tournament with a perfect 9–0 record. The complete record of those nine games later formed part of his book, World of Go (Świat Go), published in 1989, which combined introductory guidance with annotated play.

Earlier milestones marked the evolution of his skill: second place at the 1977 Prague handicap tournament as a 12-kyu; fourth place the following year as a 1-dan; and fifth place later as a 4-dan. His international tournament history includes a 6th-place finish at the WAGC in 1986, followed by 7th place in both 1987 and 1989, reinforcing his position among Europe’s strongest competitors. He also won the Polish Pair Go Championship twice, reflecting a versatility that extended beyond individual play.

Innovation and the “Star of Poland”

Alongside his tournament record, Kraszek made a pioneering contribution to the emerging field of computer Go. His program, Star of Poland (SOP), achieved recognition far beyond Poland, winning the 1st Open Computer Go Playing Programs European Championship in 1987, earning multiple European titles, and placing second at the World Computer Go Championships in 1993. His work revealed how Go could intersect with computational thinking at a time when machine play was still considered a distant frontier.

Organizer, Mentor, and Cultural Contributor

Kraszek’s influence was not limited to the board or the laboratory. He became the main organiser of the 1994 European Go Congress in Tuchola, hosted Tozawa Akinobu Sensei during his many visits to the Warsaw Open, and was later named an Honorary Member of the Polish Go Association (PGA). Through these roles, he helped cultivate an environment where Go could be learned, shared, and appreciated—long before the game gained wider European visibility.

Strategic Thinking Beyond GoDan S.A.

Since 1993, Kraszek has also been active as a businessman. His company, GoDan S.A., began with imported mylar balloons from the United States and expanded into one of Central Europe’s leading suppliers of party and event products. The name of the company was inspired by the phrase he frequently used during his travels in Japan—“Watashi wa godan desu,” meaning “I am 5-dan.” Kraszek has acknowledged that the patience developed through Go contributed meaningfully to his business success, shaping his approach to growth, timing, and resilience.

A Return to Warsaw at EGC2025

When the European Go Congress 2025 was held in Warsaw, the event offered a symbolic moment of continuity. GoDan S.A. served as the Diamond Sponsor, reflecting Kraszek’s long-standing commitment to supporting the Go community. Participants described his involvement as a gesture that connected generations—linking the memory of his 1983 European Championship victory with a modern gathering of players from across the continent.

The congress became an opportunity to recognize how his achievements had influenced Polish Go, and how his support had strengthened the infrastructure needed for young players to experience the same sense of belonging and aspiration that motivated earlier generations. For many, his contribution illustrated that the legacy of a Go player is not defined solely by victories, but by what he sustains, enables, and leaves behind.

A Continuing Presence Beyond the Board

With EGC2025 now part of European Go history, Janusz Kraszek remains a figure whose contributions reach far beyond tournament records. His story reflects how the game can accompany a person through youth, maturity, and professional life, offering a framework for thought, discipline, community, and identity. For Kraszek, Go was once a field of personal competition. Today, it is a heritage to be shared, a culture to be preserved, and an experience to be passed forward.