The 46th World Amateur Go Championship concluded its heated four-day competition in Mungyeong, South Korea, crowning China’s Yu Fu as champion after eight intense rounds featuring 53 players from 53 countries.
Held at the Onnuri Sports Center from 8–11 September, the tournament followed an eight-round Swiss system with two games played daily. Yu Fu captured the championship trophy with a flawless record of eight consecutive victories.
Fu took sole possession of the tournament lead on 10 September during the sixth round, defeating Japan’s Hyō Ka in a showdown between unbeaten players. On 11 September, Fu overcame Türkiye’s Ulaş Ören in the seventh round before sealing his title in the final round against South Korea’s Hyun-seok Kim, securing a 1.5-point victory with Black in 253 moves.
Japan’s Hyō Ka finished as the runner-up with a 7-1 record. Lukas Podpera of the Czech Republic earned third place with 6 wins, 2 losses, and 296 points.
South Korea’s representative Hyeon-seok Kim kicked off the event with a strong four-game winning streak, but successive setbacks in rounds five and six took him out of title contention. After rebounding with a win in round seven on the final day, Kim fell to Fu in round eight, finishing in eighth place overall with a 5-3 record and 310 points.
‘I never expected to achieve such an incredible result on my first visit to Mungyeong. It is an honour to win among so many remarkably skilled players. I would like to express my gratitude to the organisers for granting me the opportunity to compete in the WAGC and for their outstanding support throughout the event.’ – Yu Fu (Champion)
At the awards ceremony following the competition, Geun-yool Ha, President of the Korea Baduk Federation, and Jin-ho Hwang, President of the Mungyeong City Baduk Association, presented the awards. Champion Yu Fu was awarded the championship trophy alongside an amateur 7-dan certificate from the Korea Baduk Association. Trophies were also presented to all top finishers through eighth place.
Special sportsmanship honours were awarded to Byung Ju Lee (Ireland) and Fernando João Ferreira Gonçalves (Portugal), voted by players and tournament staff for their exemplary conduct and etiquette.
Participants will tour Mungyeong’s cultural and scenic attractions on the 12th before departing for their home countries on the 13th.
The 46th Mungyeong World Amateur Go Championship was co-organised and hosted by the Korea Baduk Association, the International Go Federation (IGF), and the Korea Baduk Federation, with sponsorship from Mungyeong City, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), alongside cooperation from the Mungyeong City Baduk Association. Matches featured a time control of 60 minutes per player, followed by three 30-second countdowns.
Official Tournament Results
- Yu Fu, China
- Hyō Ka, Japan
- Lukas Podpera, Czech Republic
- Yen-Ju Chen, Chinese Taipei
- Yi-Han Chen, Singapore
- Quynh Anh Ha, Vietnam
- Bruno Poltronieri, United Kingdom
- Hyeon-Seok Kim, South Korea
Special Award (Sportsmanship): Byung Ju Lee (Ireland), Fernando João Ferreira Gonçalves (Portugal)
※ Note: Vietnam’s Quynh Anh Ha, the sole female competitor in the 46th WAGC, secured 6th place – marking the highest finish ever achieved by a female player in the tournament’s history.