At the Congress: Professionals

Chun-Hsun Chou, Professional 9 dan - Chinese Taipei Go Association, Taiwan

Chun-Hsun Chou, born in 1980, turned professional in Go at 13 (1993) and achieved 9 dan in 1998. 

Known as the "red-faced go master," he was the first to reach 9 dan while competing solely in Taiwan. Dominating the local scene with multiple Tianyuan and Mingren titles, his pivotal moment came in 2007 when he won the LG Cup, the first international title for Taiwan.

Becoming head coach of the Taiwan Elite Go team in 2013, Chun-Hsun Chou oversaw a significant rise in Taiwan's Go level, evidenced by Hao-Hung Hsu's 2022 Asian Games gold medal and Jyun-Fu Lai's 2024 JeollaNamdo Kuksu Mountains International Baduk Championship win.

Transitioning his focus to amateur Go, Chun-Hsun Chou became the head secretary of the Chinese Taipei Go Association in 2024. His current goal is to promote the game and share the joy of Go with a wider audience.

Beyond Go, his hobby is jogging, he has completed 13 full and 25 half marathons.

Donghoon Lee, Professional 9 dan

Donghoon became a professional Go player at the age of 13 in 2011. He achieved 9D at the age of 19 in 2017.  At the age of 17 in 2015, he defeated Park Jeonghwan 9D and won the first prize in the KBS Cup, one of the major Go tournaments in Korea. The following year, he added a second win in GS Cup, further cementing his reputation as a top Go player. He has also played an active role in the final stages of international Go competitions, showcasing his abilities on the global stage.

In addition to his passion for Go, he is also interested in economics and finance, and enjoys playing various sports such as soccer. He has a dream of promoting and distributing Go in the United States and has taken steps to make this a reality.

Yuan-Jyun Wang, Professional 9 dan - Chinese Taipei Go Association, Taiwan

Yuan-Jyun Wang, born in 1996, became a professional Go player at the age of 11 in 2007 and a 9 dan pro in 2018.  

Yuan-Jyun’s path to professional Go was sparked by the 2007 Ing World Cup for Children in Boston. Initially, he hadn't considered a professional career, but the event revealed the potential for greater access to the international Go community. Inspired, he attempted and succeeded in becoming a pro that same year.

Unwilling to sacrifice his education, he found a way to balance both. With Yuan-Jyun’s persistence and hard work, he rose to become Taiwan's top-ranked player in 2013 during his third year in high school. His Go achievements later secured him the admission to National Tsing Hua University, where he majored in economics and earned his bachelor’s degree within 4 years, all while remaining No.1 Go player in Taiwan. This feat earned him the respect of the university faculty and solidified his reputation as a model of diligence. 

Yuan-Jyun is affectionately called "Lao-Wang" by his online fans. He gained the title 棋王(Go King) at the age of 17 in 2013, which made him the youngest title holder in history of Taiwan. With 23 Taiwanese championships to his name and a runner-up finish at the 2018 JeollaNamdo Kuksu Mountains International Baduk Championship, he remains a leading figure in Taiwanese Go today.  

After graduating from college, Yuan-Jyun started his teaching career, sharing what he has learned with his students, some of whom are now pros. This summer, he is more than ready to participate in and make contributions to the American Go Congress, expecting lots of interactions with all the participants.

(Photo provided by HaiFong Go Academy(海峰棋院)

Yoonyoung Kim, Professional 8 dan

Yoonyoung Kim is a professional 8-dan Go player from South Korea. She became a professional in 2007 and was a member of the Korean national team from 2015 to 2017. She won a gold medal in the Women's Team Event at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and claimed her first title in the Women's Kiseong tournament the same year.

In 2017, she moved to Canada to promote Go and participated in major North American events, including the 2018 and 2019 US Go Congress and the Canadian Open. After three years, she returned to Korea in early 2021. During her time in Korea, she won the 2022 Women's Baduk League and was the runner-up in the Nanseolheon Cup.

After three years in Korea, she returned to Canada in the summer of 2024 with her two children. Now, while raising her kids, she continues to teach Go through private lessons, workshops, and educational programs.

Mingjiu Jiang, Professional 7 dan

Mingjiu Jiang was born in July, 1957. He moved to the United States in 2000. He has been a representative of North America to play the World Championship many times. In 2004, he reached the top 16 in the 9th LG World Cup. In 2007, he was the champion of the First North America Ing Masters Championship. 

He teaches Go (Weiqi) on/off line. ZhuJiu Jiang, 9p (jujo) is his younger brother.

Yilun Yang, Professional 7 dan

Born in Shanghai in 1951, he became a professional Go player in 1966. He joined the Chinese National Go Team in 1973 and later coached the Shanghai professional Go team. Since moving to the United States in 1986, he has become a popular Go teacher. His many books include Fundamental Principles of Go, Whole Board Thinking in Joseki, and Ingenious Life and Death Puzzles. He has taught hundreds of students worldwide via the internet and teaches workshops across the country.

Hai Li, Professional 5 dan

Hai Li, is a 5-dan pro player originally from China. He has focused on teaching Go for almost 40 years. His students include the world Champion Yue Shi (9 dan) and dozens of pros. He served as the Henan Province and Tianjin Weiqi team coach from 1986. In 2005, he founded the Jin Hai Weiqi Academy in Tianjin, China. 

In 2018, he moved to Orange County, CA, USA. He founded the Hai Li Go School to offer Go lessons and organize Go tournaments in the local area. Since then, he has been actively teaching Go and his students have spread to many US states.

Ryan Li, Professional 4 dan

Ryan is a Canadian professional Go player. He achieved professional 1 dan in 2014 and 3 dan in 2021. Ryan won several games representing North America in world professional tournaments including the IMSA Elite Mind Games, Samsung Cup, MLILY Go Open, Ing Cup, and Chunlan Cup. He defeated world champion Chen Yaoye 9P and advanced to the world top 16 in 2017. Ryan runs the Random Opening Challenge series on the NYIG Go YouTube channel. 

Outside Go, Ryan has a PhD from Yale University and several publications in scientific journals. Ryan and his wife, Stephanie Yin 1P, run the New York Institute of Go focused on Go teaching and outreach on the East Coast.

Alex Qi, Professional 1 dan

Alex started playing go at the age of 8. By age 14, he was certified as a professional 1 dan by the North American Go Federation. 

After reaching professional rank in 2022, he has played in several major international Go tournaments, including the 1st Quzhou Lanke Cup and the 5th MLILY Cup.  

Cathy Li, Professional 1 Dan - Canadian Go Association

Born in 1974 in Shanghai, China, she started learning Go at the age of seven while studying with the famous Go instructor, Bai Rui Qiu. At the age of 11, she was the only female go player in China to be honored as a "female prodigy" of Go. 

In 2008, Ms. Li coached Canada's Go team in the first World Mind Sports Games.

Michael Chen, Professional 1 dan

Michael became 1P in the 2023 NA Qualifier after playing the game for 25 years. As both the newest Pro and the oldest by qualification age, he is excited to finally share his views and approaches to the game with the Go community.

Michael played extensively as an amateur player, including against top Professionals in the 2014 Samsung Cup. You can find more of his Go adventures, such as playing on his Pro Fox account (zchenmike) and on his Twitch and Youtube channels.

Michael works as a financial advisor in New Jersey. 

Stephanie Yin, Professional 1 dan

Stephanie became a professional Go Player through the Chinese Weiqi Association in 2007. She has represented the United States in a number of international tournaments, including the Bingsheng Cup and the MLILY World Go Open. She was a main commentator in the Google Deepmind team for the Ke Jie vs. AlphaGo matches in the Future of Go Summit. Stephanie and her husband, Ryan Li 4P, run the New York Institute of Go focusing on Go teaching and outreach on the east coast.

In-seong Hwang, Amateur 8 dan

Inseong is a strong 8 dan amateur who teaches Go for a living and who's online Go School is very popular in the U.S. and Europe.

He was a Korean Yunguseng (Insei) from 1996 to 2001. He joined the Myoung-ji University Baduk Department in 2002 and also worked as a Baduk television commentator. He came to Europe in 2005 and since then, has been teaching Go for western Go players for over 15 years. While living in Europe, he was the top-ranked player for 5 years (2013-2018), and for the last ten years he has been the Official Go Instructor of the French and Swiss Go Associations. His four-lecture series has been a popular feature of recent Congresses.

He has run an online Go academy, American Yunguseng Dojang, for over 10 years.