NOTE: This series of reports covers the second half of 2025. The order is based on the date of the final
deciding game in the tournament.
By John Power
The closing months of 2025 featured major international events across Asia, with China's Liao Yuanhe claiming his first Samsung Cup title, Korea's Kim Eunji reclaiming the Go Seigen Cup, and China's Wang Xinghao emerging as a finalist in the inaugural Shinhan Bank World Championship. Meanwhile, the Nongshim Cup headed into its final stage with all three countries still in contention.
Nongshim Cup Evenly Poised
After two rounds of the 27th Nongshim Cup, the prestigious three-country team championship was perfectly balanced. Korea, China, and Japan each had two players remaining heading into the decisive final stage, which was scheduled for February 2026. The event featured five-player national teams competing in winner-stays-on format for a 500 million won first prize. China's Tan Xiao won two straight games before Korea's Kang Dongyun ended his run. Japan then climbed back into contention thanks to victories by Shibano Toramaru and veteran Iyama Yuta, leaving all three teams on equal footing after nine games.
Senior Nongshim Event
The companion 3rd Nongshim White Mountain Water Senior Tournament also paused after its opening stage. China's legendary Rui Naiwei strung together three straight wins before finally losing to Korea's Cho Hunhyeon, leaving the senior competition to be decided in February.
Onishi Captured First Career Title
Onishi Ryuhei 7-dan won the 20th Hiroshima Aluminum Cup Young Carp Tournament, defeating defending champion Yokotsuka Riki in the final. Restricted to players aged 30 and under who were 7-dan or below, the event used NHK Cup-style fast time controls. Onishi recovered from an early deficit to win by 1.5 points and claim the first title of his professional career.
Shida Rebounded with Crown Title
After being swept by Ichiriki Ryo in the Tengen title match, Shida Tatsuya quickly bounced back by capturing the 66th Crown title. Playing Black against defending champion Ida Atsushi 9-dan, Shida won by 2.5 points, ending Ida's nine-year reign as Crown titleholder.
Kim Eunji Regained Go Seigen Cup
Korea's Kim Eunji 9-dan reclaimed the Go Seigen Cup, defeating fellow Korean Choi Jeong two games to one in the championship match. Held in Fuzhou, China, the women's international championship featured players from across Asia, Europe, and North America. Defending champion Ueno Asami of Japan reached the semifinals before falling to Choi, while Kim defeated China's Zhou Hongyu to earn her place in the final. The victory returned the title to Korea, which had now won six editions of the tournament.
Wang Won Agon Kiriyama Playoff
China continued its dominance of the Japan-China Agon Kiriyama Cup Play-off as Wang Xinghao 9-dan defeated Japan's Ichiriki Ryo 9-dan online on December 16. The victory gave China its 20th title in the series, compared with Japan's six.
New Shinhan Bank Championship Debuted
The year's final major international event introduced the Shinhan Bank "God of Go" World Championship, which offered the richest first prize among the annual international tournaments. The inaugural event began with a 32-player field and progressed through the semifinals before pausing for a best-of-three final to be played in 2026. China's Wang Xinghao advanced to the championship match by defeating Korea's Shin Jinseo in the quarterfinals and Japan's Shibano Toramaru in the semifinals. Awaiting him in the final was Korea's Park Junghwan, who eliminated Ichiriki Ryo in the quarterfinals before edging China's Dang Yifei by 2.5 points in the semifinals. Japan enjoyed a solid showing, with both Shibano and Ichiriki reaching the quarterfinals, while Nakamura Sumire, now representing the Korean Baduk Association, scored a notable first-round victory over Kyo Kagen.
Shibano Ended the Year with Ryusei Title
Japan's "big three" again dominated the 34th Ryusei Tournament, with Ichiriki Ryo, Iyama Yuta, and Shibano Toramaru claiming three of the four semifinal berths. They were joined by Hirata Tomoya, who earned his place by defeating defending champion Fukuoka Kotaro in the opening round of the final knockout stage. In the semifinals, Iyama defeated Hirata while Shibano edged Ichiriki by the slimmest of margins—a half-point victory. Shibano then defeated Iyama by resignation in the final to capture his third Ryusei title.
Played under NHK Cup-style fast time controls—30 seconds per move plus ten minutes of accumulated thinking time used in one-minute units—the Ryusei is one of Japan's premier rapid-play events and carries a first prize of 6 million yen. Shibano first won the Ryusei title in 2017 at the age of 17 years, 8 months, setting a record as the tournament's youngest champion. He added a second title in the 30th Ryusei before claiming his third to close out 2025. Although the year was otherwise relatively quiet by his standards, Shibano began it by winning the Judan title and ended it with another major championship.
Tomorrow: Promotions & Retirements