This announcement should not come as a shock to anyone. For more than one year Yakup was the acting country coordinator of Turkey. I am delighted to official welcome Yakup in our group and at the same time thank Balkan for his contributions all those past years. But since I know that you hate hearing my voice, let’s see what Balkan has to say about Yakup and vice versa:

Yakup is very enthusiastic and shows great dedication to his interests. Thankfully he loves Magic and fueled by his energy a whole community has grown in Izmir where he lives. He first became a tournament organizer and a Judge quickly thereafter. He literally takes care of all the needs of the player community and works for them to have fun. He is always ready to travel around the country and Europe to Judge events. He has been an invaluable addition to the Turkish Magic community where a few leaders were carrying the load for tens of years.

When I first met Balkan I was in Istanbul for an FNM and I asked him if he trains Judge Candidates. He was my mentor throughout the years I have spent as a Rules Advisor and as a Magic Judge, even after when I passed my Level 2 exam.

In the first years of my Judging career he showed great trust in me, let me handle tournaments while shadowing me even if he thinks it’s hard for me. Also I learned that being a Judge is not about knowing and delivering the rules but also leading a community, mentoring people, community service and public relations.

Over the course of years he took care of most the crowded community in Turkey. Never tired to show Magic players the correct ways of playing MtG and having right manners. Now with a second store in Turkey he has more responsibility and still handles them well.

Over the course of our relation he became my mentor, my friend and my elder brother. So thank you Balkan for educating me and players around you, thank you for always being positive and having time for Magic the Gathering and community even when you are hard at work.