By Josh Larson
So, you’ve made it to the US Go Congress. You wander into the main tournament hall, and the atmosphere is electric—but also utterly silent. It is a room full of intense concentration, furrowed brows, and the rhythmic whirring of clocks and clicks. But what happens when your open match ends? Where do you go when you desperately need to analyze a missed vital point on move 147 with your opponent without earning a ‘Ssshh’ from the tournament director?
Enter: The Skittles Room. If the main playing hall is the serious, quiet mind of the Congress, the Skittles Room is its loud, beating, 24/7 heart.
But.. Wait, Why "Skittles"?
..no, the room is not indicative of a new Go Congress sponsor. Skittles here actually originates from a traditional British pub and lawn game, similar to modern bowling, where players throw a wooden object to knock down nine pins (the "skittles"). This phrase, co-opted decades ago by chess players, describes casual high-speed blitz games. Why? Because when chess players start slamming down pieces and hitting the clock with half a second to spare, the captured pieces inevitably end up flying horizontally off the board—exactly like wooden pins being bowled over in a pub.
Our Skittles - The 24/7 Hub of the Congress
At this year’s Go Congress, the Skittles Room is designed to keep the main tournament hall focused on our serious tournaments - primarily the Open. In contrast, Skittles is a massive, dedicated space where the "shhh" rule does not apply. Here is what you will actually find inside:
- The Post-Game Analysis: This is the primary laboratory for game analysis. As soon as you and your opponent report your game result, reconvene in the Skittles Room to debate life, death, and everything in between. Even better, it’ll be staffed by Pros during key hours and one can ask for a Pro review or observe them reviewing other player’s games.
- Pro-Simuls and Side Events: The room is large enough to host the chaotic fun of side-tournaments (think Pair Go or Lightning) and simultaneous exhibitions, where professional players casually demolish twenty of us at once.
- Endless Self Paired and Pick-Up Games: Don't have a game scheduled? Just sit down at an empty board. It takes roughly three minutes to find someone willing to play a casual match.
- Zero Closing Time: The Skittles Room is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether it is 2:00 PM or 3:00 AM, you will find people playing, studying, and socializing.
The Sweet Irony
Of course there is accidental irony in the name that isn't lost on us. We sit in the Skittles Room for hours, staring intensely at a board covered in hundreds of small, round, shiny, colorful pieces, picking them up one by one.
Just remember: taste the victory, not the stones.
photo: Ryan Li 4P in the skittles room at the 2025 Latin American Go Congress; photo by Chris Garlock/EJ