Seven professional players will compete in the 2026 North American Pro Championship, October
16–18 at the San Francisco Go Club. The champion will earn $10,000, with prizes for all competitors.
The North American Go Federation is organizing the championship in partnership with the American Go Association, Canadian Go Association and San Francisco Go Club. Hajin Lee and Matthew Barcus will serve as co-tournament directors.
The field is: Myungwan Kim 9P, Mingjiu Jiang 7P, Ryan Li 4P, Alexander Qi 3P, Michael Chen 2P, Bill Lin 1P, Qiyou Wu 1P.
Bill Lin and Ryan Li will be seeded in opposite halves of the bracket based on their performances in the 2025 championship. The remaining pairings will be determined by a live draw at the opening ceremony on Friday, October 16.
Organizers will retain the planned three-round format, with a single-elimination championship bracket and placement games to determine final standings. Three boards will be in play each day.
Games begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time daily and will use AGA rules. Colors will be determined by nigiri each round, with 90 minutes of main time followed by five 60-second byo-yomi periods. There will be no scheduled lunch breaks during play.