2026 Pair Go World Festival Kicks Off in Nagoya, Japan; US Pairs at 2-1 with Two Rounds Remaining
Justin Teng | Published on 9/26/2026
The 2026 Pair Go World Festival kicked off in Nagoya Japan on September 25 featuring four Pair Go tournaments including the 2026 Pair Go World Championship, the 35th International Amateur Pair Go Championship (IAPGC), the 10th Matsuda Cup, and the Araki Cup. While the latter three tournaments wouldn't begin until the subsequent days, the Pair Go World Championship began with its opening preliminary rounds featuring eight pairs of top professional players from Japan, China, Korea, and Chinese Taipei. The games were played in the Honmaru Palace of the historic Nagoya Castle, which was originally constructed in 1612. After four intense rounds of play between September 25 and 26, the pairs of Ichiriki Ryo 9p/Fujisawa Rina 7p and Xu Haohong 9p/Yang Zixuan 6p have advanced to the Finals, while the pairs of Iyama Yuta 9p/Ueno Asami 6p and Wang Xinghao 9p/Yu Zhiying 8p will play for 3rd place. These matches will be played on September 27th.
Meanwhile, the 35th International Pair Go Championship and the 10th Matsuda Cup (World Student Pair Go Championship) began on September 26th. This year, the IAPGC featured pairs from 17 countries. The day began with the annual Pair Go Promotion Partners meeting between all of the players from the countries represented as well as distinguished directors from the International Go Federation and the Japan Pair Go Association. In addition to the directors (including newly appointed AGA President Jonas Acres) giving their remarks about the event, several countries (Macao, Slovakia, and the representatives from Hokkaido, Japan) gave presentations on the status of Go and Pair Go activities in their respective countries or regions. After a lunch break, the opening ceremony ensued with Taki Hiroko (l), Vice-Chairperson of the Japan Pair Go Association and President of the Japan Go Association, giving an opening speech welcoming all of the players from around the world and emphasizing the significance of Pair Go in fostering international friendship and promoting Go around the world.
After three rounds of competition, both US pairs of Eric Lee 6d/Annie Wagner 3d (2026 US Pair Go Champions) and Edward Zhang 5d/Yinli Wang 5d (2025 US Pair Go Champions) stand at 2 wins and 1 loss with two rounds remaining to be played on September 27. The Matsuda Cup concluded on September 26th with China's pair of Tang Zhenghe 6d/Xu Huier 5d becoming the champions. Stay tuned tomorrow for a report on the conclusion of the World Pair Go Championship, the International Amateur Pair Go Championship, and the Neo-Human Pair Go Exhibition Match.