Female Go players


This is an article about the history of female Go players in Asia and Europe.

Social background

Female Go players are viewed to be a minority. This is due to these reasons:
  • There are many male players but only few female players.
  • * In Japan, there are no female winners at games without gender rules. Asami Ueno was the first female player who managed to be a finalist.
  • * In China, there was no female 9-dan before Rui Naiwei.
  • * Most players and winners at World championships are male.
  • Not all female players are paid equally to male players. Joanne Missingham is known for her protests to this issue.

Comparison with female shogi players

In Japan, Go players are always compared with shogi players. This is because newspapers like The Asahi Shimbun treat them equal. But there is a big difference among female players. Female Go players usually belong to the same organization with others. But this does not happen for shogi. Female shogi players belong to the Ladies Professional Shogi Association. The others belong to the Japan Shogi Association. Some LPSA players like Kana Satomi have tried to enter JSA. But currently, no one has entered.

Promotion of female players

Europe

In Europe, there were no notable female players before Svetlana Shikshina and Diana Koszegi. In order to increase the number of female players, the European Go Federation is holding the European Women's Go Championship since 1996 and the European Pair Go Championship since 1997.

Japan

Kansai Ki-in has eased the age rules to female players. At Nihon Ki-in, there is a special exam for female players. Most female professionals have got their pro status by this way. In 2019, Nihon Ki-in has started a female player test system to give more support to them. Nihon Ki-in is also sponsoring female amateur games.

Female Student Honinbo

This is a tournament operated with the All Japan Student Go Federation. Some winners have got pro status, or became top amateur players. Only players who cleared regional games can attend.

All Japan Female Amateur Go Championship

The All Japan Female Amateur Go Championship is the highest match for female amateur Go players. Some winners have become a pro. The next table shows the notable winners.
YearWinner
1965Tomoko Ogawa
1970–1971 and 1975Kazuko Kanai
1977–1978, 1980, 1985 and 1987Yoshiko Kamekura
1981–1984Yasuko Yoshie
1990–1991 and 1993–1995Akiko Sato
1997Narumi Ohsawa
2000–2001Mieko Nakajima
2002 and 2013Maya Ohsawa
2003Kaori Mukai
2004Miori Shimosaka
2005 and 2007Akane Ishii
2014–2015Akiko Fujiwara
2016Reina Oshima
2017Saeka Iwata

Kaori Chinen, Yukari Yoshihara and Rina Fujisawa also participated in this championship before becoming a pro.

World Ranking Changes by Year

Since 1986, four female Go players have held the top spot. For the past 7 years, Choi Jeong has been ranked number 1 in the rankings.
Year1st2nd3rd
1986-1989Rui NaiweiZhang XuanFeng Yun
1990-1993Rui NaiweiZhang XuanYang Hui
1994-1997Rui NaiweiZhang XuanFeng Yun
1998-2003Rui NaiweiCho HyeyeonZhang Xuan
2004Rui NaiweiCho HyeyeonPark Jieun
2005Cho HyeyeonRui NaiweiPark Jieun
2006-2007Rui NaiweiCho HyeyeonPark Jieun
2008-2010Rui NaiweiLi HeQiao Shiyao
2011Rui NaiweiYu ZhiyingChoi Jeong
2012Rui NaiweiChoi JeongYu Zhiying
2013-2015Yu ZhiyingChoi JeongRui Naiwei
2016Yu ZhiyingChoi JeongOh Yujin
2017-2019Choi JeongYu ZhiyingOh Yujin
2020-2023Choi JeongYu ZhiyingZhou Hongyu
2024Choi JeongKim EunjiZhou Hongyu
2025Choi JeongKim EunjiAsami Ueno