US to take on Thailand in Round 1 of 2026 World Amateur SENKO Cup
Justin Teng | Published on 3/12/2026
Seowoo Wang 5d (l) with Michael Redmond 9p (r) at the 2026 SENKO Cup in Tokyo, Japan
The
2026 World Amateur SENKO Cup kicks off in Tokyo, Japan on March 13, 2026 (March 12 evening in the US). Seowoo Wang 5d will be representing the US for a third consecutive year after winning the North American qualifier. She will face off against Pinyada Sornarra 4d from Thailand in round 1, who will be a fearsome opponent to overcome. This year marks the sixth edition of this tournament, which consists of a single-elimination bracket between eight top female amateur players from North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The games will all be played on the same day with NHK Cup style time settings of 30 seconds per move plus 10 additional periods of 1 minute. Quynh Anh Ha 6d from Vietnam, who won the tournament in 2024 and competed in the pro edition of the tournament last year, will be returning as the favorite to win the tournament. The tournament will be streamed live on the
Nihon Ki-in's Youtube channel at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on March 12.
The 2026 World Amateur SENKO Cup is run alongside the 2026 SENKO Cup itself, which is a single-elimination tournament consisting of seven top female professional players and the winner of the previous year's World Amateur SENKO Cup. The players will compete between March 13-15 with each round beginning at 11 am local time, and the top prize is 10 million yen. Ueno Risa 4p from Japan is the returning champion from last year after defeating Choi Jeong 9p, but will once again face tough competition against the female world #1 ranked Kim Eunji 9p from Korea along with other top female professional players. Both tournaments are primarily sponsored by SENKO Group Holdings and organized by the Nihon Ki-in.