Torben Pedersen, 3 dan, is a 54-year-old engineer from Vallensbaek in Denmark. He also competed in the WAGC in 2011 in Matsue, where he finished 32nd out of 57 contestants.

Torben Pedersen

Ranka: How did you start playing go?
Torben: I got started in go when my sister found a copy of Go for Beginners by Iwamoto in a library. We then managed to find and buy a go set and started playing. Afterward, in 1991, I made contact with a go club and started playing regularly.

Ranka: What’s the current go situation in Denmark?
Torben: It’s doing okay. I don’t think the number of players is either increasing or decreasing. We play in clubs, and we have perhaps three or four major tournaments in Denmark tournaments a year.

Ranka: Has AlphaGo had any effect?
Torben: In Denmark it’s mainly something we talk about. It hasn’t made any big changes. It has brought the game of go to the attention of more people, but it hasn’t increased the number of players.

Ranka: How do you hope to do in the World Amateur Go Championship this year?
Torben: I hope to do okay. My ambition is to win four games, as I did in 2011, but that may be a little difficult because there are many strong players here.

Ranka: Thank you and good luck.