I'm Ben Mantle, Canadian 5 Dan/Fox 8 Dan. I stepped through the Hikaru no Go gateway to this world in 2006, started teaching in 2008, and in 2009 trained in South Korea. After that I took the usual path of university and beyond until finally In 2021 I left my software career to Go full-time. Now I'm teaching, streaming, building the BenKyo community and training to achieve a solid rank of 9 Dan on Fox to challenge the North American Pro Qualifiers!
I think believing in your own potential is the cornerstone of improvement. I like to understand my students on a deep level and draw from my own past experiences to resonate with the student and offer relatable advice and conceptual solutions. "The journey is the reward" is my mantra.