Rui Naiwei
Rui Naiwei (芮乃偉 Ruì Nǎiwěi , [예내위]) 9-dan is considered the strongest female player in the world.
Born in Shanghai, China on December 28, 1963, Rui Naiwei began to play Go in 1975 and turned professional in 1985, becoming a 7 dan the same year. She was promoted to 8 dan in 1986 and 9 dan in 1988, the first woman to ever be promoted to this level.
Rui left China abruptly in 1989, just after the Tian'an-men Square Massacre. After having lived in Japan for a few years, teaching go but not playing in any tournaments (because she was not allowed to enter the Japanese professional Go association), she moved to the Bay Area of California, USA.
She married Jiang Zhujiu in 1992, and the same year she also was invited to the quadrennial Ing Cup. Despite that this was Rui's first tournament since she left China, she got through to the semi-finals where she was beaten by Otake Hideo 9-dan of Japan, but not before registering one win against him--to that point the greatest achievement by a female player in the game.
Now living in Korea, Rui participates in the Korean professional tournament circuit where she took, among other titles, the 43rd Open ("Men's") Kuksu title in 1999, thus becoming the first woman to ever hold a major open title.
Together with Jiang Zhujiu she established the American Professional Go Association. She has also occasionally been seen playing on IGS.
Rui Naiwei reviewing a game at a tournament in San Francisco:
Titles
- 6th Womens Myeongin (Jan 2005)
- 3rd Jeongganjang Cup (Jan 2005, as part of Team China)
- 5th Maxim Cup (March 2004)
- 1st Jeongganjang Cup (March 2003)
- 4th Womens Myeongin (2003)
- 7th Women's Kuksu (2002)
- 3rd Womens Myeongin (2002)
- 2nd Hungchang Cup (Feb 2001)
- 2nd Womens Myeongin (2001)
- 1st Eastern Airlines Cup? (August 2000)
- 43rd Kuksu (Feb 2000)
- 1st Hungchang Cup (2000)
- 6th Women's Kuksu (2000)
- 5th Women's Kuksu (1999)
- 4th Bohae Cup (1997)
- 3rd Bohae Cup (1996)
- 1st Bohae Cup (1994)
Links
-
Rui Naiwei -- at APGA
-
Rui Naiwei -- MindZine article
-
Rui Naiwei -- by Jan van der Steen
-
http://www.britgo.org/results/env/
-
Photos on Flickr.com