Taebaek City, South Korea — Team USA’s Albert Yen (8D) takes on Korea’s Shin Hyeon-seok
tonight at 7 p.m. in a pivotal Round 7 clash at the 20th Korea Prime Minister Cup (KPMC), with second place on the line.
Watch live: European Go Federation Twitch; The 7p ET broadcast will be by Stephen Hu and professionals from Seungjin "Blackie" Kim 9p's International Baduk Academy.
Nearly 100 of the world’s top amateur Go players are competing in this year’s tournament, which continues to showcase the global strength of the game. The European Go Federation will stream the match live on Twitch.
Yen, a familiar name on the international stage, is no stranger to high-stakes competition. The Illinois standout placed fourth in the 2019 World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) with a 6–2 record—finishing ahead of both Taiwan and Japan—and has consistently placed in the top six at the U.S. Open Masters. Off the board, Yen balances Go with medical school, community organizing, and culinary pursuits with his new wife. Chicago Go organizers credit his leadership for helping revitalize the city’s Go scene.
Yen’s Go journey began in 2005 after discovering Hikaru no Go. Trained first in Taipei’s Zhonghua Qiyuan by Mr. Hsu Raohe, he became Taiwan’s youngest 6-dan at age seven before continuing his development under Mingjiu Jiang 7P in the U.S.
Joining Yen on Team USA is Evan Tan (6D) of San Diego, who finished tenth in the U18 division. Tan earned second place in the 2025 Redmond Cup, went 3–4 in the North American Masters in Texas this summer, and 2–2 in the NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament in Washington, D.C.
Recent U.S. KPMC finishes include Tianyuan Zhang (15th, 2024) and Jeremy Chiu (9th, 2023).
Meanwhile, American players have also shown strong results at the WAGC, with Alan Huang (5–3) in 2025 and Edward Zhang (4–4) in 2024.
“For 20 years, the competition has been a venue for globalization and international exchange of Baduk,” said Keun-yool Ha, president of the Korea Baduk Federation.
Watch live: European Go Federation Twitch
Player list & results: KPMC official site
Includes reports contributed by the Capital Go Club. Photos: Baduk.club, Korea Baduk Federation, Edward Zhang.