Tony Yang 7D has become the second U.S. Go player to place in the top three at
the World Youth Go Championship (WYGC) after emerging victorious this week against Taipei representative Ko Pei-Chen 7D in the final match. A few weeks prior to Yang’s triumph in the international tournament, he swept the U.S. Go Congress’ Open Section with a 6-0 record, repeating as champion.
The World Youth Go Championship is an international tournament held annually with the sponsorship of the Ing Foundation. The tournament is well-known for many strong youth participants, some who have gone on to become world champions.
The 38th World Youth Go Championship was held August 14th-16th in Singapore, with representatives from 15 countries. Tony Yang 7D participated in the Youth Section and Eric Yang 3D competed in the Junior Section, both representing the United States and led by Coach Jiang Mingjiu 7P. The WYGC consists of a 5-round preliminary competition, with the top four players of each section competing in the Semifinals and Finals. After securing his spot in the top four after the preliminary rounds, Tony Yang faced Chinese pro Wang Shun Bo 1P in the semifinals match.
During the match, Yang demonstrated fierce gameplay and perseverance, putting up an intense fight against the Chinese professional. The two played a very close match, and Yang lost by a few points in the end. Despite the loss, Yang said he was “determined to give it his all” in the finals match against Ko Pei-Chen 7D. The finals took place in the afternoon of the 16th, with Yang putting all his training into play. With both sides holding very equal positions throughout the beginning, Yang outplayed his opponent during the mid-game and won by resignation, securing his third place spot while ensuring his place in American Go history.
- reported by Mingjiu Jiang
photos: top left: Tony Yang 7D (left) vs. Do-yun Kim 3D (right); middle left: Wang Shun Bo 1P (left) vs. Tony Yang 7D (right) in the semifinals; bottom left: Tony Yang 7D (left) vs. Ko Pei-Chen 7D (right) in the finals; top right: Jiang Mingjiu 7P (right), Tony Yang 7D (middle), Eric Yang 3D (left); bottom right: group photo