Major Tournaments and Championships
Encounters between top players from different nations were practically unknown until the late 1970s, when Japan and China began a series of goodwill matches that eventually became the NEC-sponsored Japan-China "Super Go" competition. Around the same time, the International Go Federation was established and began holding annual amateur championships. Within a few years, tournaments like the Fujitsu Cup and the Ing Cup appeared, with fully international fields of players. Today, companies sponsor more than a dozen international competitions. There are special events for children, women, male-female pairs and even computers.
This page lists international tournaments to which the AGA is invited to send representatives, as well as major domestic and North American events. (See the youth events page for events specifically serve younger players.) Many of the international tournaments we are invited to are a result of our membership within the International Go Federation. Event pages contain more detailed information about particular tournaments and championships. For more detailed scheduling information about individual events, contact the AGA Tournament Coordinator at tournaments@usgo.org.
International Professional Events
Ing Cup World Professional Goe Championship
The Ing Cup is a quadrennial Go championship that started in 1988. Ing Cup offers $400,000 USD prize money for the Champion. It's sponsored by the Ing Chang-ki Weiqi Educational Foundation. View qualification history
Chunlan Cup World Professional Weiqi Championship
The Chunlan Cup is an international championship tournament in China every 2 years, sponsored by the Chunlan Group. The last event was in March of 2012. The tournament invites 24 players, one from North America, to compete. View qualification history
Bai-ling Cup
This tournament had it's first event in 2012 and takes place every 2 years in China. Sponsored by Bai-ling Pharmaceuticals, all professionals may register and compete in the tournament while North American is invited to select and send one amateru player to also compete.
Bing Sheng Cup World Women's Go Tournament
The Bing Sheng Cup is an annual women's championship held in Suzhou, China in September. One woman from North America is invited to compete in a field of 16 players.
Zhu Gang Cup World Team Go Championship - New December 2013
This event for both professionals and amateurs features a significant prize-money pool and for the first year, runs December 19-26 in Guangzhou, China. It’s hosted by the Chinese Weiqi Association and the Guangzhou All-Sport Federation.
The Fujitsu Cup
The Fujitsu Cup is sponsored by Fujitsu Limited, with a top prize of ¥15,000,000, and was held from 1988-2011. The field always included several of the world's top players. The winner of the North American Fujitsu Cup represented the continental region at the Fujitsu World Championship each year. This tournament was terminated after the 2011 event.
SportAccord World Mind Games
The SportAccord World Mind Games (SAWMG) is a multi-sport event focusing on mind sports. The first four SAWMG were held in Beijing in December, from 2011 to 2014. While there have been discussions about restarting the event, no announcement has been made.
International Amateur Events
General information about eligibility requirements and the process by which the AGA chooses representatives to participate in international events is available here
The World Amateur Go Championship
The World Amateur Go Championship(WAGC) is organized under the auspices of the International Go Federation. Held annually since 1979, the WAGC brings together top amateur players from all over the world for a week-long Swiss-style tournament. Players representing 60 countries participated in the 2010 WAGC. US players have competed every year, placing in the top ten several times.
The Korean Prime Minister's Cup
The Korean Prime Minister's Cup is the world's second major amateur championship. Held each fall in Korea, this championship offers the world's top amateurs another chance at high-level competition.
The World Student Oza
The World Student Oza is the de facto world university championship. Sponsored by Japanese publisher Nikkei Newspaper, this tournament brings representatives from universities in Asia, Europe and the Americas together for top-level competition.
The International Amateur Pair Go Championship
The International Amateur Pair Go Championship, sponsored by NKB, is a fun-filled event whose aim is to add a more social element to the game. Male-female teams compete for prizes, and abide by special rules governing order of play and communication between players. The United States has participated in the International Amateur Pair Go Championship since 1991.
The World Mind Sports Games
The World Mind Sports Games (WMSG) was organized by the International Mind Sports Association as part of an effort to have go and other mind sports recognized as Olympic events. Players in a variety of mind sports, including go, played in the first WMSG, held in Beijing shortly after the 2008 Olympic Games.
Domestic and North American Events
Numerous local and regional events are held across the country throughout the year. See the calendar for a listing of upcoming events. Two major events covering the Americas are held each year at the US Go Congress.
US Professional System
The US Professional System is a way for players in North America to vie for the chance to become professional go players. This was started in 2011 and the first professionals were crowned in August of 2012 at the US Go Congress.
US Open/US Championship
The US national championship has been held since 1959, making it one of the oldest continually running tournaments in North America. Currently held annually at the US Go Congress, the US Open welcomes all comers, regardless of playing strength, age, gender or nationality. The tournament is also used as the selection tournament to decide the AGA's representatives to the World Amateur Go Championship and the Korean Prime Minister's Cup.
State Championship System
The State Championship System has provided each state an opportunity to hold a championship with financial support from the AGA since 2018. All states are eligible and encouraged to apply to run a championship that will be nationally recognized.
The North American Masters Tournament
The North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) is the North American championship. Sixteen of the continent's top players, both amateur and professional, meet each year at the US Go Congress for an exciting week of competition.
North American Go Convention
This event had its first year in 2013 and is comprised of rated tournaments and activities over 2 weekends on the East Coast accompanied by professional lectures, games, and simuls.
Pandanet-AGA City League
The City League is an AGA tournament where teams, made up of go players who reside in the same city, play in a league system on the Pandanet-IGS server in the AGA Tournaments room. Each team consists of up to four players, out of which three are selected to play in each round.
Young Kwon National Online Tournament (YKNOT)
The YKNOT tournament began in 2011 and is sponsored by Young Kwon, an avid go player and promoter from Pearl River, NY and past winner of the US Open. The tournament welcomes all to participate, and is 5 rounds on KGS over 2 weekends.
Large Regional Tournaments to Watch For
Cotsen Open
This tournament is sponsored by Eric Cotsen and held annually in Los Angeles, CA. Often drawing around 200 players, it is often a qualifier for tournaments like the US Professional Tournament.
New Jersey Open
Held annually in New Jersey, this tournament draws up to 120 players. The tournament is one of the earliest regional go events in the US, beginning in 1959, and has been a qualifier for the North American Masters Tournament.
Maryland Open
Held annually in Maryland, this tournament had its first year in 1963. The 5-round weekend event offers prizes in all sections.