AGA Professionals
| Table of contents |
Introduction
The AGA, in partnership with KBA and Tygem, has started to develop a professional system. There will be a series of preliminaries each year, leading up to a qualifier tournament held at the US Go Congress. The players will be eligible to compete in several major Korean tournaments (Samsung Cup, LG Cup, BCcard Cup, Olleh KT Cup and Myung-in), in addition to those events where AGA players may participate.
Gansheng Shi 1P AGA (left), Allan Abramson, Jeff Shaevel, Myungwan Kim 9P KBA, Andy Liu 1P AGA(right) 4 August 2012
Andy Liu and Gansheng Shi were the first two professionals. Liu and Shi received their professional certificates 4 August 2012.
| Year | Name | Advancement |
|---|---|---|
![[ext]](images/extlink.gif) 2012
| Andy Liu | |
| 2012
| Gansheng Shi | |
| 2013
| Calvin Sun | |
| 2014
| Ryan Li | 4p, 2023; 3p, 2021
|
| 2015
| Eric Lui | 2p, 2019
|
| 2022
| Alexander Qi | |
| 2022
| Kevin Yang | |
| 2023
| Michael Chen |
Prerequisites
- Competitors have to be U.S. or Canadian citizens (proof required) and AGA members. They can sign up for the AGA when they register for the tournament. In future years, competitors will need to show that they have been members of the AGA for at least a year.[1]
2023 Tournament
The 2023 NAGF Pro Qualifications Tournament was held in San Francisco, California from August 6th to the 11th. Unlike the previous year, the NAGF returned to certifying one professional player per year. Both the semi-final and final rounds were best of three match ups. Full coverage and links to game commentary can be found on Baduk Club's event coverage.
Preliminary Rounds
Group A:
| Player | Michael Chen | Emily Garcia | Eric Lee | Stephen Lin | Nate Morse | Yinli Wang | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Chen | Win | Win | Win | Win | Win | 5-0 | |
| Emily Garcia | Loss | Loss | Won | Won | Loss | 2-3 | |
| Eric Lee | Loss | Won | Loss | Win | Win | 3-2 | |
| Stephen Lin | Loss | Loss | Won | Loss | Win | 2-3 | |
| Nate Morse | Loss | Loss | Loss | Win | Win | 2-3 | |
| Yinli Wang | Loss | Win | Loss | Loss | Loss | 1-4 |
Group B:
| Player | Jeremiah Donley | Abraham Florencia | Joel Kenny | Eric Yoder | Edward Zhang | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Donley | Loss | Loss | Loss | Win | 1-3 | |
| Abraham Florencia | Win | Loss | Loss | Loss | 1-3 | |
| Joel Kenny | Win | Win | Loss | Win | 3-1 | |
| Eric Yoder | Win | Win | Win | Win | 4-0 | |
| Edward Zhang | Loss | Win | Loss | Loss | 1-3 |
Semi-Finals
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Chen | Win | Win | 2-0 | |
| Joel Kenny | Loss | Loss | 0-2 |
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Lee | Win | Win | 2-0 | |
| Eric Yoder | Loss | Loss | 0-2 |
Finals
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Chen | Win | Win | 2-0 | |
| Eric Lee | Loss | Loss | 0-2 |
2022 Tournament
The 2022 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament was held at the National Go Center in Washington, D.C. from June 26th to July 1st, 2022. Since the 2021 tournament was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the NAGF announced they would certify two professionals. In addition to the regular semi-finals, a loser's semi-finals bracket in a best of three match up. The winner of the loser's semi-finals would face the loser of the final round in a best of 3 match up. Full links to coverage of the event can be found at Baduk Club's event page.
Preliminary Rounds
Group A:
| Player | Eric Lee | Yuan Zhao | Eric Yoder | Val Lewis | Qiyou Wu | Kevin Yang | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Lee | Win | Loss | Win | Loss | Loss | 2-3 | |
| Yuan Zhao | Loss | Win | Win | Loss | Loss | 2-3 | |
| Eric Yoder | Win | Loss | Win | Win | Loss | 3-2 | |
| Val Lewis | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss | 0-5 | |
| Qiyou Wu | Win | Win | Loss | Win | Loss | 3-2 | |
| Kevin Yang | Win | Win | Win | Win | Win | 5-0 |
Group B:
| Player | Edward Zhang | Nate Morse | Tyler Oyakawa | Remi Campagnie | Alexander Qi | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Zhang | Win | Win | Loss | Loss | 2-2 | |
| Nate Morse | Loss | Win | Loss | Loss | 1-3 | |
| Tyler Oyakawa | Loss | Loss | Loss | Loss | 0-4 | |
| Remi Campagnie | Win | Win | Win | Loss | 3-1 | |
| Alexander Qi | Win | Win | Win | Win | 4-0 |
Semi-Finals
The initial semi-finals were a best of one match up.
| Group | Players | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Group A | Remi Campagine (B) vs. Kevin Yang (W) | W+R
|
| Group B | Eric Yoder (B) vs. Alexander Qi (W) | W+R
|
Finals
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Qi | Loss | Win | Loss | 1-2 |
| Kevin Yang | Win | Loss | Win | 2-1 |
Loser's bracket:
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remi Campagnie | Loss | Win | Loss | 1-2 |
| Eric Yoder | Win | Loss | Win | 2-1 |
Round 2 Final:
| Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander Qi | Win | Win | 2-0 | |
| Eric Yoder | Loss | Loss | 0-2 |
Links
- The AGA E-Journal announces the deal with Korea.
- KBA MOU
- Tygem MOU
- 2022 NAGF Pro Qualifaction Tournament Plans
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