MIDDLEBURY, VT — With bragging rights and hardware on the line, New England’s Go scene packed the house last Saturday as 19 players from four states turned Middlebury into a two-tournament cauldron: the AGA-sanctioned Vermont State Championship and the Vermont Fall Open.
The marquee State Championship featured eight of Vermont’s best in a single-elimination bracket (even games, players choosing color). Jack Homer 1D was untouchable, ripping through three straight to claim the 2025 Vermont title, while Bill Arrand 2k battled to second at 2–1.
In the handicapped Fall Open, Jon Paquette 7k ran the table at 3–0 to take top honors, edging a surging Jacqueline Hood 22k, also 3–0, on SOS/SOSOS tiebreaks. Ethan Bruekner 5k secured third at 2–1, with winning records from Lei Xie 2D, Eric Osman 1k, and Pete Schumer 3k.
Prizes spanned trophies, certificates, books, magazines, 9×9 sets, and assorted Go swag, plus a “Fighting Spirit” award to keep spirits high after tough outings. TD duties were handled by Pete Schumer, with organizing and co-hosting support from Jack Cary, capping a crisp fall Saturday of sharp reads, steady nerves, and clean endgames.
- report by Pete Schumer, photos by Jack Cary.
photos: (top left) Jack Homer (l) with Pete Schumer; (top right) Paquette; (middle right) Arrand; (bottom right) Hood; (bottom left) group shot.