Following his final victory Monday at the 2025 Latin American Go Congress in Quito — his tenth Latin American
Go Championship title — Argentine master Fernando Aguilar 7D sat down with the E-Journal to reflect on his long career, his philosophy of the game, and why Go still brings him joy after more than half a century of play.
“We’d read one chapter and then play”
Aguilar first encountered Go at age twelve, thanks to his uncle. “He taught my father and me the rules, gave us a Go set and a book — How to Play Go by Kaoru Iwamoto,” Aguilar recalled. “It was in English, so my father would translate it into Spanish. We’d read one chapter, then play. That’s how we began.”
At the time, Go was already being played in Buenos Aires through the newly formed Argentine Go Association. “We went there once a week,” Aguilar said. “We’d take what we learned from books and try to apply it in real games.”
“I studied mainly from books”
Without access to professional instruction, Aguilar developed through study and mentorship from visiting players. “There was a strong Japanese amateur, about 3-dan, living in Buenos Aires,” he said. “We played teaching games, and I improved quickly.”
He later began playing against Japanese amateurs visiting Brazil, including a 7-dan, which helped push his game even further. At 19, Aguilar traveled to Japan for the first World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) in 1979, finishing 5th. He would return several times, notably placing 5th in 1982 and 3rd in 2008 — his best result.
“I won two games against 9-dan professionals”
Aguilar’s international breakthrough came at the 2002 Toyota Denso Cup, where he advanced to the quarterfinals — defeating two 9-dan pros along the way.
“In the quarterfinal, I played against Lee Changho,” he said with a smile. “It was an honor. He’s a very nice person — I appreciate him very much.”
“We try to explain Sun Tzu through Go”
Outside the tournament hall, Aguilar’s career has been as multifaceted as his play. For two decades he did social work with Indigenous communities in northern Argentina. Now he teaches strategy courses for business and politics, drawing inspiration from Go and Chinese philosophy. “Together with my friend Stephen Calita, we study the relationship between Go and Chinese strategic thinking,” he explained. “We try to explain The Art of War through Go.”
“The secret is to enjoy it”
After fifty years and countless titles, Aguilar says the key to sustained excellence isn’t effort or talent, but attitude. “The secret is to enjoy it,” he said simply. “Study must be enjoyable — not just to win, but for the pleasure of learning.”
When asked what part of the game he loves most, Aguilar laughed softly. “I can’t choose one thing,” he said. “The whole game is beautiful. It’s serious, but it’s also joy. Every time I play, I still enjoy it.”
Interview conducted by Chris Garlock on November 3, 2025, following the conclusion of the Latin American Go Congress in Quito, Ecuador. Photo by Garlock.