Go players

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A list of well-known champion players of the game of go along with some promising youngsters and amateurs. As is standard in go, players' peak rank is listed.

Honinbo Sanetsu (本因坊道悦, 1611 - 1658) 8p, was the second Honinbo.
Honinbo Doetsu (本因坊道悦, 1636 - 1727) 8p, was the third Honinbo.
Honinbo Dosaku (本因坊道策, 1645 - 1702) 9p, was one of the greatest players of the Edo period, and the first Japanese go saint; an important influence on go theory.
Huang Longshi (1650's - ?) was the Chinese national champion. Claimed to have been at least as strong as Honinbo Dosaku.
Honinbo Doteki (本因坊道的, 1669 - 1690) 7p, was the first Go prodigy.
Honinbo Dochi (本因坊道知, 1690 - 1727) 8p, was a disciple of Dosaku.
Honinbo Chihaku (本因坊知伯, 1710 - 1733) 6p, was the sixth Honinbo.
Honinbo Shuhaku (本因坊秀伯, 1716 - 1741) 6p, was the seventh Honinbo.
Honinbo Satsugen (本因坊察元, 1733 - 1788) 8p, was the seventh Meijin and ninth Honinbo.
Honinbo Genjo (本因坊元丈, 1775 - 1832) 8p, was the eleventh Honinbo.
Honinbo Jowa (本因坊丈和, 1787 - 1847) 8p, was famous for the "Blood Vomiting Game" with Akaboshi Intetsu.
Yuzo Ota (太田雄蔵, 1807 - 1856) 7p, was a close friend of Shusaku and once played a famous sanjubango with him.
Intetsu Akaboshi (1810 - 1835) 7p, a promising go player whose life was cut short.
Honinbo Shusaku (本因坊秀策, 1829 - 1862) 7p, was one of the greatest players of castle go during the 19th century "golden age" of go, and the player most recommended to apprentice professionals to study.
Honinbo Shuho (本因坊秀甫, 1838 - 1886) 8p, was the founder of Hoensha and the man who taught Go to Otto Korschelt.
Honinbo Shuei (本因坊秀栄, 1854 - 1907) 9p, was the 17th and again 19th head of the Honinbo house. Very active and innovative in the 1890s.
Honinbo Shusai (本因坊秀哉, 1874 - 1940) 9p, was the last inheritor of "Honinbo" title, and founder of the Nihon Ki-in.
Kensaku Segoe (瀬越憲作, 1889 - 1972) 9p, was famous for bringing and teaching Go Seigen and Cho Hunhyun in Japan.
Utaro Hashimoto (橋本宇太郎, 1907 - 1994) 9p, was the founder of the Kansai Ki-in.
Minoru Kitani (木谷実, 1909 - 1975) 9p, was a great friend and rival to Go Seigen. Go and Kitani were the vanguard of the Shin-fuseki or "New Opening", a great advance in go theory. Most prolific teacher ever. Pupils include Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, Hideo Otake, Kim In, Cho Chikun, Masaki Takemiya and Koichi Kobayashi.
Toshihiro Shimamura (島村俊廣, 1912 - 1991) 9p.
Miyashita Hidehiro (宫下秀洋, 1913 - 1976) 9p.
Dogen Handa (半田道玄, 1914 - 1974) 9p.
Go Seigen (呉清源, Wu Qingyuan in Chinese, born 1914) 9p, is considered by many the greatest player of the 20th century, perhaps the greatest of all time. He had a superb match play record, before the current era dominated by annual titles.
Kaku Takagawa (高川格, 1915 - 1986) 9p, one of the greatest players of the 50's.
Hosai Fujisawa (藤沢朋斎, 1919 - 1993) 9p, one of the greatest players of the 60's.
Eio Sakata (坂田栄男, born 1920) 9p, his nicknames include "Razor Sakata", the "Master of myoushu" (brilliant move). He was the former longtime holder of most championship titles with 64.
Shuchi Kubouchi (窪内秀知, born 1920) 9p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in.
Toshio Sakai (酒井淑夫, 1920 - 1983) 6p.
Masao Suguichi (杉内雅男, born 1920) 9p, nicknamed "the God of Go".
Cho Namchul (1923 - 2006) 9p, was the founder of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Takeo Kajiwara (梶原武雄, born 1923) 9p, one of the "three crows".
Sunao Sato (1924 - 2004) 9p.
Hideyuki Fujisawa (藤沢秀行, born 1925) 9p, is Honorary Kisei after winning the Kisei 6 times in a row.
Toshiro Yamabe (山部俊郎, 1926 - 2000) 9p, one of the "three crows".
Keizo Suzuki (1927 - 1945) 3p, one of the "three crows".
Yasuro Kikuchi (加藤朋子, born 1929) 8d, is the most famous amateur go player in Japan.
Shuzo Ohira (大平修三, 1930 - 1998) 9p.
Naoki Miyamoto (宮本直毅, born 1934) 9p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in.
Shoji Hashimoto (僑本昌二, born 1935) 9p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-In.
Yasuo Koyama (1937 - 2000) 9p.
Takeo Ando (安藤武夫, born 1938) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Kang Cheol-min (1939 - 2002) 8p.
Hiroaki Tono (东野弘昭, born 1939) 9p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in.
Norio Kudo (工藤紀夫, born 1940) 9p, current President for the International Go Federation. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Kunio Ishii (石井邦生, born 1941) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Rin Kaiho (林海峰, born 1942) 9p, was one of Go Seigen's students. Known for winning many titles at a young age. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Kim In (김인, 金寅, born 1943) 9p, was one of Korea's best Go players before Cho-Hunhyeon became a professional. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Yasumasa Hane (羽根泰正, born 1944) 9p, father of Hane Naoki.
Chen Zude (陈祖德, born 1944) 9p, is a Chinese Go player who was active during the 60's and 70's. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Kunihisa Honda (本田邦久, born 1945) 9p.
Masao Kato (加藤正夫, 1947 - 2004) 9p, was the master of the attacking style, who died on December 30, 2004.
Ha Chanseok (born 1948) 8p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Yoshio Ishida (石田芳夫, born 1948) 9p, is the youngest ever Honinbo winner and one of the strongest players of the 1970s. TV commentator. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Shigeru Baba (馬場滋, born 1949) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Goro Miyazawa (宮沢吾朗, born 1949) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Shuzo Awaji (淡路修三, born 1949) 9p, famous for his Go school. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Akira Ishida (石田章, born 1949) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Jimmy Cha (born 1951) 4p.
Masaki Takemiya (武宮正樹, born 1951) 9p, is famous for his 'cosmic style', aiming for territory in the center of the board rather than the sides. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Koichi Kobayashi (小林光一, born 1952) 9p, has the third most titles in Japan with 57. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Nie Weiping (聂卫平, born 1952) 9p, was one of the world's top players from the 1980s. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Cho Hunhyun (조훈현, 曺薰鉉, born 1953) 9p, is perhaps the second strongest player in the world, after his former pupil Lee Changho. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Cho Chikun (조치훈 ; 趙治勳, Cho Chihun in Korean, born 1956) 9p, is among the best players of the late 20th century - passed Sakata in late 2002 for most titles in Japan with 66. Current holder of the Judan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Seo Bongsoo (born 1957) 9p, was Cho Hunhyun's biggest rival in the 80's. Known for his excessive list of runner up titles. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Mingjiu Jiang (born 1957) 7p. Affiliate of the American Go Association.
Hiroshi Yamashiro (山城宏, born 1958) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
O Rissei (王立誠, born 1958) 9p, one of the first Taiwanese Go players to become a professional in Japan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Satoshi Kataoka (片岡聡, born 1958) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Satoru Kobayashi (小林覚, born 1959) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Liu Xiaoguang (刘小光, born 1960) 9p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
O Meien (王銘琬, born 1961) 9p, famous for his "Meien-isms", a special way of opening a game. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Cao Dayuan (曹韩, born 1962) 9p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Zhujiu Jiang (born 1962) 9p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Rui Naiwei (芮乃伟, born 1963) 9p, First woman to attain rank of 9-dan. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Michael Redmond (マイケル・レドモンド, born 1963) 9p, is the first non-Asian (American) to attain rank of 9-dan. TV commentator for the Japanese network NHK. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Ma Xiaochun (马晓春, born 1964) 9p, is one of the top players in China from late 1990s. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Shinichi Aoki (青木紳一, born 1965) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Norimoto Yoda (依田紀基, born 1966) 9p, has one of the best track records in international tournaments for Japan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Yoo Changhyuk (유창혁 ; 劉昌赫, born 1966) 9p, is considered the third strongest in the world. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Toshiya Imamura (今村俊也, born 1966) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Feng Yun (丰云, born 1966) 9p, Second woman ever attain rank of 9-dan. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Qian Yuping (born 1966) 9p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Yu Bin (俞斌, born 1967) 9p, currently holds the Qisheng, Qiwang, and New Sports Cup. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Hideki Komatsu (小松英樹, born 1967) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Kikuyo Aoki (青木, born 1968) 8p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Hans Pietsch (1968 - 2003) 6p, was murdered in 2003. Known for spreading Go around the world.
Tomoyasu Mimura (三村智保, born 1969) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Janice Kim (born 1969) 3p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Michihiro Morita (森田道博, born 1970) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Cho Sonjin (조선진, born 1970) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Ryu Shikun (류시훈, 柳時熏, born 1971) 9p, one of the better Korean players in Japan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Kimio Yamada (山田規三生, born 1972) 9p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Satoshi Yuki (結城聡, born 1972) 9p, the third youngest player to become a professional, and second youngest professional for the Kansai Ki-in. He currently holds the Kansai Ki-in Championship. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-In.
Catalin Taranu (タラヌ・カタリン, born 1973) 5p, is one of Romania's best players and a pro in Japan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Umezawa Yukari (梅澤由香里, Umezawa Yukari, born 1973) 5p, is the Go player who supervised the production of the manga Hikaru no Go. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Shao Weigang (邵孙维刚, born 1973) 9p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Hideyuki Sakai (坂井秀至, born 1973) 8p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in.
Shinya Nakamura (仲邑信也, born 1973) 8p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Atsushi Kato (加藤充志, born 1974) 8p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Kaori Chinen (知念かおり, born 1974) 4p, Honorary Women's Kisei. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Lee Chang-ho (이창호 ; 李昌鎬, Yi Chang-ho (also written as Lee Changho), born 1975) 9p, is generally considered the strongest player in the world. He currently is the holder of the Chunlan Cup, Wangwi, Guksu, Sibdang Cup, and Electron-Land Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Choi Myung-Hoon (born 1975) 9p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Chang Hao (常昊, born 1976) 9p, is the current holder of the Ing Cup. Ranked 9th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Zhou Heyang (周鹤洋, born 1976) 9p, is the current holder of the Chang-ki Cup. Ranked 3rd in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Shinji Takao (高尾紳路, born 1976) 9p, is the current holder of the Meijin, Honinbo and Daiwa Cup. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Naoki Hane (羽根直樹, born 1976) 9p is the current holder of the NHK Cup. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Han Zenki (ハンゼンキ, born 1977) 7p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in
Luo Xihe (罗洗河, born 1977) 9p, is the current holder of the Samsung Cup and CCTV Cup. Ranked 6th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Wang Lei (王磊, born 1977) 8p, is the current Xinan Wang. Ranked 7th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Tomochika Mizokami (溝上知親, born 1977) 7p, is one of the best players in his age group. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Keigo Yamashita (山下敬吾, born 1978) 9p, has a spectacular and innovative style harking back to shinfuseki. Current holder of the Kisei and Oza. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Kim Shushun (김수준, 金秀俊, born 1979) 7p, the current holder of the Shinjin-O. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
An Choyoung (born 1979) 9p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Csaba Mérõ (born 1979) 6d amateur from Hungary.
So Yokoku (蘇耀国, born 1979) 8p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Ding Wei (born 1979) 8p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Alexandre Dinerchtein (born 1980) 1p, is the first ever Russian professional Go player. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Dragos Bajernu (born 1980) 6d amateur from Romania.
Mok Jin-seok (목진석, 睦鎭碩, born 1980) 9p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Zhou Junxun (周中华崇, born 1980) 9p, is the current holder of the Tianyuan, Wangjia and Donggang Cup. Affiliate of the Taiwan Qiyuan
Cho U (張栩, Zhang Xu in Chinese, born 1980 in Taiwan) 9p, is the current holder of the Gosei, Agon Cup, and Ryusei. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Takehisa Matsumoto (松本武久, born 1980) 6p, is the current holder of the Shinjin-O. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Rin Kono (河野臨, born 1981) 8p, is the current holder of the Tengen. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Huang Yizhong (born 1981) 6p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Jie Li (born 1981) 9d. Amateur player from the American Go Association.
Ko Reibun (孔令文, born 1981) 5p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Cho Hanseung (born 1982) 8p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Kong Jie (港捷, born 1982) 7p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Qiu Jun (邱峻, born 1982) 7p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Tang Li (唐莉, born 1982) 1p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Hu Yaoyu (胡耀宇, born 1982) 8p, is ranked 4th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Gu Li (古力, born 1983) 7p, is the current holder of the LG Cup, China-Korea New Pro Wang, China-Korea Tengen, China-Japan Agon Cup, Mingren, Tianyuan, NEC Cup (China), and Ahan Tongshan Cup. Ranked number 1 in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Lee Sedol (이세돌; 李世乭, born 1983) 9p, is the current holder of the World Oza, Prices Information Cup, KBS Cup, and Maxim Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Kana Mannami (万波佳奈, born 1983) 3p, is the current holder of the Women's Kisei. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Park Jungsang (born 1984) 5p, is the current holder of the Fujitsu Cup, Osram Cup and Fighting God League. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Taiki Seto (瀬戸大樹, born 1984) 6p. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in.
Xie He (谢赫, born 1984) 5p, is ranked 5th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Liu Xing (刘星, born 1984) 6p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Wang Xi (王檄, born 1984) 5p, is the current Asian TV Cup, Liguang Cup and National Sports Mass Meeting holder. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Hong Minpyo (born 1984) 5p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Park Seunghyun (born 1984) 5p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Choi Cheol-han (최철한, 崔哲澣, born 1985) 9p, is the current holder of the Zhonghuan Cup and GS Caltex Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Park Young-Hoon (박영훈 [朴永訓] born 1985) 9p, is a young and established Korean go professional. He has reached 9 dan after just 5 years. He is the youngest Korean 9p ever. He currently holds the Kisung and Yeongnam Ilbo Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Chen Shien (born 1985) 5p, is the current holder of the Donggang Cup and Zhonghuan Cup. Affiliate of the Taiwan Qiyuan.
Kim Dong Hee (born 1985) 2p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Nobuaki Anzai (安斎伸彰, born 1985) 4p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in.
Won Seong-jin (born 1985) 7p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Song Tae Kon (송태곤, 宋泰坤, born 1986) 7p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Heo Young-ho (born 1986) 5p, is the current holder of the BC Card Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Ko Geuntae (고근태, 高根台, born 1987) 3p, is the current holder of the China-Korea Tengen and Chunwon titles. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Ko Iso (黄翊祖, born 1987) 7p. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Yun Jungsang (born 1987) 4p. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Yuta Iyama (井山裕太, born 1988) 7p. Became the youngest title holder ever in 2005 after winning the Agon Cup (Japanese title). Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Piao Wenyao (born 1988) 5p. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Chen Yaoye (陳耀燁, born 1989) 5p, is the current holder of the National Go Individual. Ranked 14th in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Li Zhe (李喆, born 1989) 4p, is the current Xinren Wang. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Kang Dongyun (born 1989) 4p, is the current holder of the SK Gas Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Daisuke Murakawa (村川大介, born 1990) 3p, is the youngest Kansai Ki-in pro ever. Affiliate of the Kansai Ki-in
Zhou Ruiyang (born 1991) 3p, is the youngest challenger of the Tianyuan title in China. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Liao Xingwen (born 1994) 1p, is the youngest Chinese professional. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.