Joining the BenKyo League has not only helped me improve my Go, but it's given me the sense of community that I'd been missing for years. I've moved up about two stones on OGS in the few months I've been playing in the league (the longer time settings for higher stakes help improve game quality!), and getting to see others grow as well has been great. Lots of room for rivalry, growth and teaching, and it's been fun watching the league grow and more members get involved!
NotSimple: BenKyo League Member, 1 Kyu
When I was still relatively new to the world of Go, everything was all over the place. I had problems understanding certain concepts. Thinking back to those time, I shudder to where I'd be if not for Ben. He has been a great mentor, instructor and friend to me. He never fails to explain a certain concept in an easy way and always has a solutions for my questions. He is easily the most patient person I know when it comes to teaching people, especially for those who was just starting out like me. If you are looking at the testimonials, don't hesitate and I know for sure Ben will help you to become a better player!
DeadlyChakra (YongXiang): BenKyo League Member, 4 Kyu
The BKL is a group of players from around the world dedicated to Go. It is a genuine (Go) community. The stronger players are committed to helping the weaker players with reviews, advice and encouragement.
Holonomy: BenKyo League Member, 11 Kyu
Ben is an excellent teacher. In the short time I took lessons from him my knowledge and skills skyrocketed. He's always open to answer any question I fire at him or give me extra exercises. He shows great understanding of the game and how to improve in it.
Giovanni: Software Developer, BenKyo League Member, 5 Kyu
I have been a student of Ben Mantle since December of 2021. Ben is a strong go player and has excellent teaching skills. He gets to know his students well and spends time making sure that we all feel welcome in his Discord community. He takes the time to explain go in a way that will allow me to improve my skills, and he is so interested in teaching go that he is known to go into overtime because of his enthusiasm to share more and more go knowledge. The BenKyo League is excellent, and it continues to grow. It is the heart of the BenKyo community and is populated with friendly people who watch each other play their league games with interest. Stronger players leave variations in game records, and there is often lively discussion on the BenKyo Discord Server. Actually the community is so special that it is hard to put into words. Rather than go into detail about all the great things you can get from Ben, I urge you to check out his Tiers on Patreon. I strongly recommend players from DDK up to 3 dan to consider instruction from Ben Mantle.
Buzzsaw (Terri Schurter): BenKyo League Member, 8 Kyu
Ben is an amazing Go teacher with an expansive knowledge not only in beginning, middle, and ending phases of the game, but also useful tesuji that many of your opponents won’t know. With help from him, I improved my rank from 3 kyu to 1 dan. I have always been apprehensive to take lessons of any kind with anyone, but Ben is also the kind of person you can get comfortable with and be friends! That to me is very important between students and teachers. Plus, if you happen to have an easy question that needs to be answered about homework or something that happened in a game, he’s good at responding. If you haven’t had a lesson with him yet, your game is suffering.
Austin: Student, 2 Dan
When I started BKL in November I had only played a couple 9x9 and some 20k bots on 19x19, BKL gave me confidence to play people :) I learn so much every single game.
Jem.157: BKL Member
"This is turning into, like, THE league"
RoguePotato: BKL Member
To me, a teacher is someone who takes your hand to show you the way. They accompany you on your journey and equip you with tips and new ideas. They are your map and compass, steering you back on course when you lose your way. They have the patience to answer even the dumbest questions in a calm and constructive manner and don't mind repeating themselves. A good teacher always considers the pupil's current level and praises or criticizes them accordingly. A teacher should have empathy and the ability to put themselves in their pupil's shoes. In my eyes Ben demonstrates all of the qualities that constitute my definition of a real 'teacher.' He's really patient, flexible and adaptable.
Erik: English Instructor, 3 Kyu
When the Toronto Go Club decided to start hosting beginner Go classes alongside its usual weekly meetings, Ben Mantle was instrumental in its success. He was responsible for running the Go classes and he prepared learning materials, taught the classes and also promoted the club’s activities. Without him the Go classes would not have been as popular. He can also be counted on by the Toronto Go Club for its various outreach activities such as staffing the Go demo tables at Anime North every year.
Johnny: President of the Toronto Go Club
I had the pleasure of knowing Ben when he was working as a Go / Weiqi teacher for Golden Key Cultural Center. Ben is an excellent Go / Weiqi teacher; he is very patient with kids and his teaching is easy to understand. He is also very dedicated to the game of Go. When he was teaching our summer camp, he always made sure all the students understood the lesson's material before moving on. We had many students and parents who were very satisfied with Ben's teaching.
Joanna: Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, Children's Go Class Instructor