International Tournaments and Major Domestic Championships
Encounters between top players from different nations were practically unknown until the late 1970's, 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. For more details see The Go Player's Almanac 2001.
This page lists major domestic championships, as well as international tournaments to which the AGA is invited to send representatives. Information about general criteria and selected representatives for the current year can be found in the Administration section. Tournament pages contain more detailed information about particular events. For more detailed scheduling information about individual tournaments, contact the AGA Tournament Coordinator at tournaments@usgo.org.
International Events
- The World Amateur Go Championship
The 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 64 countries participated in the 2004 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 Fujitsu Cup
The World Fujitsu Cup is sponsored by Fujitsu Limited, with a top prize of ¥15,000,000. The field always includes several of the world's top players. The winner of the North American Fujitsu Cup represents the continental region at the Fujitsu World Championship each year. Featuring both professionals and top amateurs, this event is one of the most prestigious and heavily contested events on the continent.
- The International Amateur Pair Go Championship
The International Pair Go Tournament, sponsored by NKB, is a fun-filled event whose aim is to add a more social element to the game.
- The World Mind Sports Games
The WMSG was organized by the International Mind Sports Association (IMSA) 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 Beijing shortly after the 2008 Olympic Games.
- The World Mind Sports Games
Domestic Events
- US Open/US Championship
The US national championship has been held 1959, making it one of the oldest continually running tournament 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.
- The North American Ing Masters Tournament
The North American Ing Masters (NAIM) is the North American championship. Thirty-two of the continent's top players, both amateur and professional, meet each year at the US Go Congress for an exciting week of competition. The NAIM features the largest prizes in North America, and combines and replaces two previous events - The North American Masters Tournament and The North American Ing Cup.
- The North American Ing Masters Tournament
Youth Events (youth page)
- The World Youth Goe Championship
The World Youth Goe Championship (WYGC) is the world's second-longest running international amateur tournament. Sponsored by the Ing Wei'Chi Foundation, the tournament has invited youngsters from around the world to compete since 1984. This event often provides an early showcase for top talent of the future, with several top professionals showing good finishes here early in their careers.
- The US Youth Goe Championship
The USYGC is the AGA's championship system for players under the age of eighteen. Sponsored by the Ing Wei-Chi Education Foundation, the USYGC is held online each January and selects the US representatives to the World Youth Goe Championship. The tournament also names national single digit kyu champions and double digit kyu champions, with prizes every five ranks.
- The Redmond Cup
The Redmond Cup tournament was America's first national youth tournament. Named after professional 9-dan Michael Redmond and first organized by his family, the tournament was created to encourage play amongst grade school children and to discover excellence amongst North American youth players.
Discontinued Events
- The North American Masters Tournament
The North American Masters Tournament (NAMT) was North America's first professional tournament and the world's first professional tournament run on the Internet. This event ran for ten sessions before being merged with the North American Ing Masters championship.
- The Toyota-Denso North American Oza Championship
The North American Oza is sponsored by Toyota and Denso Corporations. Unlike the North American Fujitsu Cup, the North American Oza is run as an open tournament, featuring more more than 300 players and the largest prize pool of any tournament in North America. These events are also used as the regional qualifying tournaments to select the North American representatives to Toyota & Denso Cup world go championship, which has a top prize of ¥30,000,000 and a new Lexus.
Administration
Information about the general policies and procedures the AGA uses to select international representatives, as well as a list of players selected for the current tournament year.