In a sun-dappled corner of Japantown, as the Cherry Blossom Festival unfurled its pink and white banners across the city, the San Francisco Go Club staged its special tournament—an afternoon where strategy, chance, and human ambition converged over the ancient grid of black and white stones.
The 2025 BadukPop Tournament drew players from across California, offering more than a thousand dollars in prizes and something rarer: the promise of brief, crystalline excellence. In the Open section, Zheng Hongkui, who journeyed north from Irvine, played with unerring clarity, capturing first place in a series of matches that seemed, at times, more dance than contest. In the divisions beneath, Joshua Flank, Benjamin Lo, and Timothy Basanov each carved their own paths to victory, navigating the delicate currents of skill and nerve.
At midday, the club’s players gathered over plates of smoky, indulgent 4505 BBQ, swapping stories and, inevitably, analyzing games. The tournament’s spirit was buoyed by BadukPop, the event’s generous sponsor and one of the fastest-growing forces in the Go world. With more than two million users across the globe, BadukPop has made the timeless game accessible to a new generation—turning idle minutes on a phone into opportunities for learning, connection, and mastery. Its presence at the tournament served as a reminder of how tradition and technology can intertwine, bringing an ancient art to modern life.
In the end, it was not simply a tournament, but a small festival of its own—a celebration of intellect, community, and the enduring pleasures of a good game, well played.
Originally posted on the SFGC website; CLICK HERE for complete tourney results.