List of Go players


This page gives an overview of well-known professional and amateur players of the board game Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the country in which they played. As this was not necessarily their country of birth, a flag of that country precedes every player's name. For a complete list of player articles, see :Category:Go players.
The important dates that this separation is based on are:
A Japanese census on Go players performed in 2002 estimates that over 24 million people worldwide play Go, most of whom live in Asia. Most of the players listed on this page are professionals, though some top level amateurs have been included. Players famous for achievements outside Go are listed in their own section.

Prior to 17th century

Wei Qi was recorded throughout the history of China. The first record of Wei Qi player was by Mencius.

China

17th through 19th centuries

In the 17th, 18th and 19th century, Go was popular in both Japan and China. In Korea, a Go variant called Sunjang baduk was played.

Japan

At the start of the Tokugawa Shogunate, four Go academies were established. This table lists all heads of these houses, as well as some that were appointed heir but died before they became head of the house. Tokugawa also established the post of Godokoro, which was awarded to the strongest player of a generation. Such players were dubbed Meijin, which was considered equal to a 9 dan professional grade. Over the 300-year period covered here, only ten players received the title of Meijin. Several other players received the title of Jun-Meijin, which is considered to equal an 8 dan professional grade and listed as such below. In some houses it was the custom that the head of the house was always named the same according to the iemoto system. All heads of the house Inoue were named Inseki, heads of the house Yasui were named Senkaku from the 4th head onward, and heads of the house Hayashi were named Monnyu from the second head onward. To distinguish between these players, the names listed below are the names they had before becoming head of their house, or after their retirement. The house Honinbo had no such tradition, although heads would often take one character from the name of their predecessor into their own name, notably the character Shu from the 14th head onward.
OriginNameDOB-DODPeak rank*Notes
Honinbo Sansa 1559-1623Meijin, 9 danFounder and first head of the house Honinbo.
Nakamura Doseki 1582-1630Meijin, 9 danRetrospectively seen as founder of the house Inoue.
Hayashi Monnyusai 1583-16677 or 8 danFounder and first head of the house Hayashi.
Yasui Santetsu 1589-16528 danFounder and first head of the house Yasui.
Inoue Genkaku 1605-16737 danFirst head of the Inoue house on the unrevised numbering.
Honinbo Sanetsu 1611-16588 danSecond head of the house Honinbo, Jun-Meijin.
Yasui Sanchi 1617-1703Meijin, 9 danSecond head of the house Yasui.
Honinbo Doetsu 1636-17277 danThird head of the house Honinbo.
Honinbo Dosaku 1645-1702Meijin, 9 danFourth head of the house Honinbo. One of the greatest players of all time, and the first Kisei ; an important influence on go theory.
Honinbo Doteki 1669-16907 danHeir to the house Honinbo. Was considered an extremely talented Go prodigy.
Hayashi Monnyu 1678-17196 danSecond head of the Hayashi house.
Honinbo Dochi 1690-1727Meijin, 9 danFifth head of the house Honinbo.
Honinbo Chihaku 1710-17336 danSixth Honinbo.
Honinbo Shuhaku 1716-17416 danSeventh head of the house Honinbo.
Honinbo Satsugen 1733-1788Meijin, 9 danNinth head of the house Honinbo.
Honinbo Genjo 1775-18328 danEleventh head of the house Honinbo.
Honinbo Jowa 1787-18478 danWas dubbed Kisei, played the famous "Blood Vomiting Game" with Akaboshi Intetsu.
Ota Yuzo 1807-18567 danwas a close friend of Honinbo Shusaku and once played a famous sanjubango with him.
Intetsu Akaboshi 1810-18357 dan
Honinbo Shusaku 1829-18627 danOne of the greatest players ever, he died young. He was posthumously awarded the title of Kisei.
Honinbo Shuho 1838-18868 danWas the founder of Hoensha and the man who taught Go to Oskar Korschelt.
Honinbo Shuei 1854-19079 danwas the 17th and again 19th head of the Honinbo house. Very active and innovative in the 1890s.
Honinbo Shusai 1874-19409 danwas the last and 21st head of "Honinbo" House, and founder of the Nihon Ki-in.

*All ranks are professional dan grades unless otherwise noted.

China

The term Qi Sheng was first mentioned by Ge Hong in 《抱朴子》：“棋之无敌者，则谓之棋圣。” The literal meaning is the Invincible Qi player is called the Saint of Qi.
Note that both Guoshou and Qisheng were not tournament winner titles; instead they were honorific titles used by Wei Qi players and historians respectively to refer to the best players who were invincible in highest graded tournaments. Guoshou was the normal term used to refer to the promo player while he was alive, whereas Qisheng was used more as posthumous fame.
The ranking of players began in West Han Dynasty and formally recognized by the Governments during the North and South Dynasties Period. There were 9 ranks called pin 品 in the system, the same as the ranking system for government officials. The lowest rank was 9 pin, then 8 pin, etc. up to 1 pin. The difference of the lower 5 pin was about 1 zi, and the difference between the top 4 pin was half zi.

20th century

Japan

Women

China

OriginNameDoB-DoDPeak rankNotes
Chen Zude 1944-20129 danwas the chairman of Zhongguo Qiyuan from 1992–2003 and was former president of the association. Famous for popularizing the Chinese fuseki.
Wu Songsheng 1945-20079 danOne of the very first three professional 9 dans in China. Dedicated international educator of Go. Honoured guest player at Hanguk Kiwon. Affiliate of Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Nie Weiping 1952-9 danOne of the strongest players of 1980s, he led China to victory in several team matches against Japan. Challenged for many top international titles in the late 1980s. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Liu Xiaoguang 1960-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Cao Dayuan 1962-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Ma Xiaochun 1962-9 danA top player in China during the 1990s. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Feng Yun 1966-9 danSecond woman ever attain rank of 9-dan. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Qian Yuping 1966-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Yu Bin 1967-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Shao Weigang 1973-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Chang Hao 1976-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Zhou Heyang 1976-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Luo Xihe 1977-9 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Wang Lei 1978-8 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Ding Wei 1979-8 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Huang Yizhong 1981-6 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Kong Jie 1982-9 dan3 world championship titles. One of strongest players in the World in 2000s. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Qiu Jun 1982-8 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Tang Li 1982-1 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Hu Yaoyu 1982-8 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Gu Li 1983-9 dan7 World championship titles; One of strongest players in the World in 2000s. He had exceptional record between 2008 and 2010. He lost to Lee Sedol in a Jubango match in 2014. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Xie He 1984-5 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Liu Xing 1984-6 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Wang Xi 1984-6 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Piao Wenyao 1988-5 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Chen Yaoye 1989-9 danYoungest professional 9 dan at 17 years of age. Affiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Li Zhe 1989-4 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.
Zhou Ruiyang 1991-5 danAffiliate of the Zhongguo Qiyuan.

Korea

OriginNameDOB-DODPeak rankNotes
Cho Nam-chul 1923-20069 danFounder of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Kang Cheol-min 1939-20028 dan
Kim In 1943-9 danStrongest player in Korea during 1960s and early 1970s. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Ha Chan-seok 1948-8 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Jimmy Cha 1951-4 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Cho Hun-hyun 1953-9 danThe strongest Go player in South Korea during the 1970s and 1980s before the period of dominance by his student Lee Chang-ho. The winner of 11 World titles, including the inaugural edition of the quadrennial Ing Cup in 1989. Last won a World title at the age of 49, at 2003 Samsung Fire Cup. Holder of the most titles by a professional player. Also holder of the most consecutive title defense, winning the Paewang title 16 times in-a-row.
Seo Bong-soo 1953-9 danwas Cho Hunhyun's biggest rival in the '80s. Known for his long list of runner up titles. Won 9 matches in a row in 1997 Jinro Cup to win the title for Korea. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Jiang Zhujiu 1962-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Rui Naiwei 1963-9 danFirst woman to attain rank of 9-dan and widely considered to be the strongest female player of all time, also won the open Guksu title in 1999. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Yoo Chang-hyuk 1966-9 dan6 time world champion, one of the strongest players of 1990s. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Janice Kim1969-3 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Lee Chang-ho 1975-9 danConsidered one of the greatest players of all time, he was the strongest player in the world between 1993 and 2005. The student of Cho Hunhyun, he is also credited with expanding the understanding for the endgame. He won record 21 world championships since 1992, the last world title being the 2007 Zhonghuan Cup. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Choi Myung-hoon 1975-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
An Cho-young 1979-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Mok Jin-seok 1980-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Cho Han-seung 1982-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Lee Se-dol 1983-9 danConsidered the strongest player in the world after Lee Chang-ho's reign. He beat Gu Li in a Jubango match in 2014. He obtained 18 world championship titles between 2002 and 2015. Played against Google DeepMind's AlphaGo in AlphaGo versus Lee Sedol match in 2016. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Park Jung-sang 1984-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Hong Min-pyo 1984-5 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Park Seung-hyun 1984-4 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Choi Cheol-han 1985-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Pak Yeong-hun 1985-9 danA young and established Korean go professional. He reached 9 dan after 5 years, making him the youngest Korean 9 dan professional ever. 3 time world champion. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Kim Dong-hee 1985-2 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Won Seong-jin 1985-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Song Tae-kon 1986-9 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Heo Young-ho 1986-5 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Ko Geuntae 1987-5 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Yun Jun-sang 1987-6 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Kang Dong-yun 1989-8 danAffiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.

Taiwan

OriginNameDOB-DODPeak rankNotes
Zhou Junxun 1980-9 dan, 1 pinAffiliate of the Taiwan Qiyuan.
Lin Zhihan 1980-9 danAffiliate of the Taiwan Qiyuan.
Chen Shien 1985-7 danAffiliate of the Taiwan Qiyuan.
Joanne Missingham1994-7 danAustralian-born Taiwanese professional Go player

United States

Europe

OriginNameDOB-DODPeak rankNotes
Manfred Wimmer1944-19952pBorn in Austria, became the first western Go professional in 1978, doing so with the Kansai Ki-in. Reached 2p the same year, and later brought Go to Kenya and Madagascar.
Hans Reinhard Pietsch1968-20036pKnown for spreading Go around the world.
Catalin Taranu1973-5pOne of Romania's best players and a pro in Japan. Affiliate of the Nihon Ki-In.
Alexandre Dinerchtein1980-3pThe first Russian professional Go player. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Svetlana Shikshina1980-3pThe first Russian professional Go player among Alexandre Dinerchtein. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Diana Koszegi1983-1pThe first Hungarian professional Go player. Affiliate of the Hanguk Kiwon.
Mariya Zakharchenko1995-1pthe first professional player of Ukraine.
Lisy Pavol1995-2pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player, European Champion, 5 times Slovak Go Champion.
Ali Jabarin1993-2pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player, 2016 European Go Grand-Slam Champion, 2018 European Grand-Prix Champion.
Mateusz Surma1995-1pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player, 3 times Polish Go Champion.
Ilja Shikshin1990-3pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player, Two times European Go Champion, 2 times Under 12 European Youth Champion, 2 times Under 18 European Youth Champion.
Artem Kachanovskyi1992-2pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player.
Andrii Kravets1990-1pEuropean Go Federation Professional Player. European U12 Champion and 2 times Ukrainian Champion.
Antti Törmänen1989-1pAntti Törmänen is a Finnish 1p with Nihon Kiin. He was an insei at the Nihon Ki-in, Tokyo from October 2011 to May 2012 and again from April 2014. He finished the Winter 2015 pro exam with over 50% win rate, which qualified him for Foreign National Pro slot