The 2022 Pro Qualification Tournament, organized by the North American Go Federation (NAGF) will be held next week, from June 26 to July 1 at the National Go Center in Washington, DC (read more here).
Here are profiles of some of the players.
photos: top row (l-r): Alexander Qi, Qiyou Wu, Kevin Yang; bottom row: Eric Yoder, Edward Zhang, Yuan Zhou.
Alexander Qi
Alex is 14 years old and lives in New Jersey. He started playing go six years ago. His teachers include Feng Yun, Zhongfan Jian, and Ryan Li. Some of his recent accomplishments include first place in the 2022 Stone Brook Sakura Matsuri Go Tournament, and second place in the 2021 Canadian Open in 2021. Representing the US he took second place in the 2021 CCTV World Youth Amateur Online Go Tournament (13 and under group). He also represented the US in the 36th World Youth Goe Championship Junior Division in 2019.
Qiyou Wu
I first started playing go at the age of 7 back in China, achieving the rank of 5D at the age of 10, when I came to Canada. I took a detour into chess before realizing that go is my true passion. The evolution of AI in the game was fascinating, as I now find joy in watching Ai games and studying with it. The thing I love the most about go is the endless possibilities for remarkable moves. I hope to play some good games this tournament and learn from the best amateurs in North America.
Kevin Yang
I was born in Rhode Island in the United States and now live in Los Angeles, California. I am 15 years old. I began to learn Go at the age of 9 and developed a strong interest in it. I have studied with Yilun Yang 7P and Han Han 5P. I like playing basketball and piano. I have two younger brothers and one sister. They all like to play go.
Eric Yoder
I learned about go from a friend in 2009, and played a few games online before giving up. Then, in 2011 I read the manga Hikaru no Go, and this time something clicked, as I climbed up the ranks. With not many people nearby who played go, I learned and played almost entirely online, before going to my first tournament in 2016, the Go Congress that year. I’ve gone to congress most years since, and enjoyed making new friends and getting better and better at go over the years.
Edward Zhang
Edward Zhang learned go in 1986. Major past titles include the US Pair Go Championship, NOVA Cherry Blossom, Virginia State Champion, Minnesota Open, Carolina Spring Tournament and the Maryland Open. Edward has served the AGA as tournament director, National Tournament Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator and Board Director. He lives in Fairfax Virginia and is the father of two children. He was educated at Peking University, University of Minnesota. Recent records: 2021 Canadian Open: 4W-2L; 2022 Midwest Open: 3-1; 2022 Pandanet-AGA City League: 7-0. Instructors include Yoonyoung Kim 8P (金仑映),Niu Yutian 7P（牛雨田) and Cao Hengting 5P （曹恒珽).
Yuan Zhou
Yuan Zhou (AGA 7 dan) joined AGA in 1989. Zhou was the president of the University of Maryland Go club, winning 34 go tournaments in the US. Zhou was also elected to the AGA board of directors in 2005. He’s represented the US in international tournaments many times (WAGC, Korea Prime Minister Cup, World Pair Go Championship, etc). In addition to his competitive successes, Zhou is a popular go teacher and lecturer, frequently giving lectures and teaching lessons at various Go clubs in the US. He has also published many books and lives in Maryland.
Other players: Rémi Campagnie; Eric Lee; Val Lewis; Nate Morse; Tyler Oyakawa.
