In 2021 we had a huge Spring Cleaning, as we had to clear out one of our warehouses in Japan. Instead of throwing away unsold inventory, we decided to find free homes for some of our Go Boards in a huge Easter Giveaway. You can read our blog post about it here. In 2022 we decided to continue the tradition, and you can read the update here. We didn't want to let 2024 go by without continuing the tradition, so we are adding a board every other day until the end of the year (even days, beginning with December 14th), for a total of 8, more details on our blog here.
All told, we've given away over $10000 worth of equipment!
Boats and planes carried these boards around the world to their recipients, making the Go world just a bit richer. We didn't mind taking a loss on the gear itself, as there are so many great boards in Japan looking for a home. We are seeking help from the Go Community to assist us with the substantial shipping costs - for this reason, we ask players receiving large boards to contribute towards that expense.
We hope to continue the tradition! If you'd like to be a part of buying a stranger a free Goban, simply add this item to your cart and complete Checkout.
You can use the Drop-Down Menu to select the amount you'd like to donate. We'll credit your purchase towards future shipping costs.
If you're looking for a Free Goban, check the Free Goban page. If there are any In stock, then the availability will be visible in the drop-down menu. Please subscribe to our newsletter to be in the first group informed of future events like this.
Updates will be made each time we receive a donation or do a giveaway. Here's the nuts and bolts:
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The Gear:
2021 Free Gobans awarded: 18 = $5000
2022 Free Gobans awarded: 5 = $1500
2023 Free Gobans awarded: 1 = $500
2024 Free Gobans awarded: 10 = $3600
2025 Free Gobans awarded: (none so far)
Total Free Gear = $10300
Actual Shipping Costs:
8 Table Boards: $436
12 Small Gobans: $1276
14 Large Gobans: $3818
Total Shipping Costs = $5530
Community Contributions:
2021 Pay-It-Forward donations: $680
2021 recipients (5) paid $750 of their own Shipping fees
2022 Pay-It-Forward donations: $1275
2022 recipients (2) paid $380 of their own Shipping fees
2023 Pay-It-Forward donations: $0
2023 recipients (1) paid $50 of their own Shipping fees
2024 Pay-It-Forward donations: $0
2024 recipients (10) paid $1371 of their own Shipping fees
2025 Pay-It-Forward donations: $100
2025 recipients (0) paid $0 of their own Shipping fees
Total Community Contribtions: $4606
Remaining needed to goal = $664
Thank you to James, Evan, Paul, Tom, Nicholas, Timothy, Joseph, Eric, Solomon, Max, David, Douglas, Thomas, Jason, Anonymous, Jacob, Nicolaus, & Chuch for your support!
This info last updated: March 2025
