Junior winner Avik Hardy 2k (l) and Senior winner Regina Kim 2k (r)
Avik Hardy 2k and Regina Kim 2k topped a field of 83 players to be crowned the Junior and Senior champions respectively of the 2025 North American Kyu Championships, held on the KGS Go Server. Within the top two divisions, Junior (under 13 years old) and Senior (13-17 years old) players competed together, with the top player in each age bracket earning their respective first place title. First and second places were awarded in other divisions without consideration of age. The first place winners in the top two divisions as well as first and second place in the other divisions were awarded personalized crystal trophies engraved with their individual names. As winners of the top division, Hardy and Kim both also earned an invitation to the Redmond Cup (currently underway), a tournament traditionally open only to dan-level players, to compete against the top youth players in North America. Within the top division, Hardy swept the field 4-0 after defeating Kim in round 3 and last year's Division B champion Arthur Wang 2k in the final round 4 match. Kim bounced back in round 4, finishing the tournament with a 3-1 record and edging out Wang on tiebreaks to claim the Senior champion title. All 3-game winners who did not win a trophy received a certificate, and all players who completed four games were eligible for a $200 scholarship to the 2025 US Go Congress, courtesy of the American Go Foundation. Special thanks to Andrew Zhang, Katie Oh, and Melissa Cao for helping run the tournament to ensure it ran as smoothly as possible.
After the tournament, select games were spot-checked for potential AI usage as part of the AGA's commitment to fair play in online events. When initial analysis indicates AI might have been used, the AGA refers the games to an AI panel consisting of professional players, computer Go experts, and the chair of the AGA Fair Play Committee for further assessment and adjudication. At least one case of AI assistance was discovered and confirmed, and the associated player(s) received a two-year ban from online AGA/AGHS youth tournaments (this particular sanction did not apply to in-person events). The AGA would like to remind all players to compete with integrity at all times and that any form of cheating is not tolerated.
Winners List:
Division A: Avik Hardy 2k (Junior), Regina Kim 2k (Senior)
Division B: Zoe Tan 5k (Junior), Maria Aozono-Araldi 4k (Senior)
Division C: Anna Zhou 7k (1st), Inha Lee 9k (2nd)
Division D: Amy Qi (1st), Guoqian Cao (2nd)
Division E: Nolan Yang (1st), Bella Fan (2nd)
Division F: Sofia Cecilia Zepeda Medina (1st), Max Wu (2nd)