Nakamura Sumire

    Keywords: Game commentary

https://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/images/player/000496.jpg
Nakamura Sumire (Nihon Ki'in)

Nakamura Sumire (Kanji 仲邑 菫, Hiragana なかむら すみれ;) was born on 2 March 2009 in Toyko but raised in Osaka. She is a Japanese Go prodigy, often called Japan’s genius girl, who became 1 dan professional of the Nihon Kiin through the newly created “Elite Special Qualification by Recommendation” on 1 April 2019. She was only 10 years and 0 months old, setting a new record for youngest pro in Japan. 3 dan in October 2022.

According to the [ext] Rating list, 2024-11-22, Nakamura is the #3 ranked female player and #57 overall in Japan; 5th ranked female in Korea; #13 ranked female, #3 ranked female teenager, and #303 overall in the world.

She transferred to Hankuk Kiwon, the Korean professional baduk organization aka KBA, in March 2024. The Hangul characters of her name are 나카무라 스미레 “Nakamula Seumile”. But [ext] she prefers to be known just by her given name Sumire, with three syllables like the commonest Korean full names.

Table of contents

Name and family

Her surname Nakamure means “middle of the village” or “inside the village”. In Chinese, the characters 仲邑 would be pronounced Zhòngyì. (Most often, the characters of the same Japanese name are written 中村, which would be pronounced Zhōngcūn in Chinese.) Her given name Sumire is the Japanese word for the violet flower (in Chinese, it is pronounced jǐn, and in Korean Hanja is it pronounced geun, both with the same meaning). In Japanese culture, the violet symbolizes modesty, simplicity, and faithfulness.

Sumire’s father is Nakamura Shin'ya 9 dan, and her [ext] mother Miyuki is an amateur 6-dan Go instructor and the elder sister (by two years) of Tatsumi Akane 3 dan (both sisters née Ishii). Sumire became an insei of the Kansai Kiin in Japan and Yeongusaeng of the Hankuk Kiwon in Korea. Sumire is an only child. She won the only official game she has played against her Auntie Akane, when she was 11 years and 11 months old (W+5.5).

Early Go career

Wins as young child prodigy

On 6 May 2014, when she was only 5, [ext] the Nihon Ki'in awarded Sumire an amateur 4-dan certificate. In 2015, when she was 6, [ext] she won the 4th Watanabe Kazuyo Kids Cup, a pre-school tournament. Fujisawa Rina, who had taken a friendly and big-sisterly interest in Nakamura’s career from a very young age, [ext] tweeted:

“The winner was Nakamura Sumire, the daughter of Nakamura Sensei! She is not yet 6 years old, but her Go skills and concentration were so amazing that it was hard to believe she was 5 or 6 years old (*^o^*) and she was so cute (lol) ♡”

Sumire had good results in other children’s and female tournaments, but after she was 7, she stopped playing in amateur tournaments and trained to be a pro. But she did win the [ext] 4th Pandanet Ladies Tournament in July 2018 aged 9. Her opponents were all adult women. In the [ext] final, she beat the strong lady 6-dan amateur Fujiwara Akiko, twice winner of the All-Japan Women’s Amateur Championship. Sumire won 1st prize: 20,000 yen ($US130) and aspecial stained glass shield made by Creare.

Sumire’s talent was so obvious that she was the first candidate for the Young Stars Special Promotion System for Recommended Players. One of the most important factors in earning her promotion to professional ranks was a jigo in a test game with Cho U Meijin, on 13 December 2018, still aged only 9. Sumire took black with a 6-point reverse komi. According to Ichiriki Ryo’s commentary, she took the lead in the middlegame but lost points in the endgame.

Police chief for a day

On 12 January 2019, she served for one day as chief of the Konohana Police Station in Konohana Ward, Osaka. She spoke at a park to warn the elderly to beware of scams, and handed out flyers for more information. [ext] “Youngest professional Go player in history”, Nakamura Sumire , chief of staff for one day, Japan Television Broadcasting Network The police department made an anti-fraud poster featuring her in police chief uniform.[ext] Sumire Nakamura “Don't be fooled” … on the prefectural police poster, 30 March 2019

Test and exhibition games with leading professionals

The same month, when Sumire was only 9 years old, just before she turned pro, she was invited to South Korea to play a game with her “idol”, the world’s current #1 female player Choi Jeong. Sumire took black with reverse komi. [ext] Choi outclassed her.

In February 2019, Sumire played Hei Jiajia 7P (Joanne Missingham in Japan, and Sumire had black without komi. According to Fujisawa Rina’s commentary, Sumire took the lead in the middle game, but overplayed later and lost a lot of points, and [ext] resigned after 228 moves. Sumire [ext] narrowly lost exhibition games, taking black with no komi, to top male professionals Iyama Yuta, who said she was stronger than he was at 9, and to Cho Hunhyun.

Japanese TV often shows celebrities crying, and sometimes they showed Sumire in tears after a loss when she was little. But she didn’t shed tears after these games, because she respected those players.

Fujisawa Rina’s mentorship

In August 2019, a few months after becoming a professional, Nakamura played a commemorative game against Fujisawa Rina, then the strongest female player in Japan. After their game, [ext] Fujisawa said:

“Even though she’s only 10 years old, she’s able to see the entire Go board, such as her ability to concentrate and judge the situation. She’s so competitive that she thinks there might be a (title match) in a few months, not just a few years.”

Fujisawa has also played both her parents. She won the only official game she has played against Sumire’s father (2022-07-07), but lost to Sumire’s mother when she was still an amateur. Fujisawa even [ext] joked on Twitter (29 Nov 2020):

“When I was 10 years old, I played against Sumire-chan’s mother in a women’s amateur Go tournament. At that time, she was pregnant, and the child in her belly was Sumire-chan. 😳 I was completely defeated. It must be fate with Go. ☺️”

[ext] Fujisawa also introduced Nakamura to the Detective Conan manga and they enjoyed chatting about it. Fujisawa played about 20 training games with Nakamura around the time she was a new pro, of which Nakamura won two. She said:

“Fujisawa Rina Sensei is very kind to me and has always been very good to me. She is also very good at Go and her character is very worthy of my respect. She is a teacher I admire very much.”

Fujisawa said:

“Nakamura Sumire is like my own sister to me, but she is really scary in Go. Although she is younger than me, she deserves my respect. Gave me a lot of motivation. I hope I can grow in this title fight.” [ext] The friendship between Fujisawa Rina and Nakamura Sumire (16 April 2022, in Chinese)

Childhood Go heroes

In an [ext] interview with her mother on 11 October 2019, Sumire agreed that she admired some of the best players from the “Three Kingdoms” Iyama Yuta, Ke Jie, and Park Jung Hwan. [ext] She had a chance to meet Park when she was 10, and ask him how he became so strong. Already, Sumire knew enough Korean to understand everything he said. Sumire commented, “He seems like a kind person.” Park in return was asked about Sumire choosing him as her role model, and responded:

It was amazing just knowing that she knew me, but I’m so grateful and happy that she said that. … I wanted to meet her too.

Sumire said she liked the top female Japanese players the most, Fujisawa Rina, Ueno Asami, and Xie Yimin, because they were very kind to her.

At a [ext] celebration party in Korea in 2019 for Sumire becoming a pro, two leading female Korean professionals, Kim Chaeyeong and O Yujin, posed in a photo on each side of Sumire, who still looked tiny by comparison.

Younger professionals

There are now younger Japanese female professionals: Cho Koharu, 8 months younger, Yanagihara Saki, 1 year and 6 months younger, and Takayama Nonoka, 1 year and 9 months younger. And there is a female Korean professional, Lee Nahyun, who is 6 months younger than Nakamura. They didn’t break Nakamura’s record as the youngest pro, or repeat her successes at the same age.

There are now younger male professionals, although they didn't become professional as young as Sumire did. E.g. Kim Ha-yoon is 2 years and 6 months younger, and became pro at 12y 4 months. 20 Dec 2024, [ext] two even younger male professionals were inducted, Kim Si-Hwang who is 2y 11m younger than Sumire and became pro at 12y 10m; and Park Tae-jun who is 4y 2m younger than Sumire and became pro at 11y 7m.

Go career highlights

  • 2014: Age 5: [ext] Winner, B class of the Kansai Amateur Women’s Go Meijin Championship
  • 2014: Age 5y 2m—Promoted to amateur 4 dan
  • 2015: Age 6y 0m—Winner, 4th Watanabe Kazuyo Kids Cup for preschoolers
  • 2018: Age 9y 4m—Winner, 4th Pandanet Ladies Tournament, beating leading adult female high-dan amateurs
  • 2019: Age 10y 0m–Record for youngest Japanese pro of either sex; first to be promoted via the “Elite Special Qualification by Recommendation
  • 2019: Age 10y 4m: Record for youngest player to win a professional game (Tanaka Chieko 4p, W+R)
  • 2019: Age 10y 6m: Record for youngest player to beat a male professional (Furuta Naoyoshi 4p, W+1.5)
  • 2019: Age 10y 8m: Record for youngest player to beat a 9 dan professional (Baba Shigeru 9p, W+R)
  • 2020: Age 11y 7m—Record for youngest player to win a first round in a major tournament, 24th Female Kisei (Ueno Asami 1p, W+6.5)
  • 2021: Age 12y 0m—Record for youngest Japanese 2p of either sex
  • 2021: Age 12y—Kido Prize New Star
  • 2022: Age 13y 0m—Runner up, 33rd Female Meijin; record for youngest challenger to major title
  • 2022: Age 13y 0 m—Winner, unofficial Discovery Cup for players under 18 and under 3p, only female winner.
  • 2022: Age 13y 3m—Record for youngest player of either sex to win 100 official professional games
  • 2022: Runner up, 7th Female Strongest
  • 2022: Age 13y 7m—Record for youngest female 3 dan by far, second youngest 3 dan of either sex
  • 2023: Age 13y 11m—Winner, 26rd Female Kisei; record for youngest winner of a major title
  • 2024: Age 14y 11m—Runner-up, 27th Female Kisei; record for youngest to lose a major title
  • 2024: Age 15y 3m—Winner, 7th International Baduk Chunhyang Tournament 2024 (unofficial)
  • 2024: Age 15y 5m—3rd place, 4th Supreme Female Player
  • 2024: Age 15y 7m—smashed record for the shortest time for a Korean professional of either sex and any age to play 100 games after debuting as pro
  • 2024: Age 15y 7m—Captained winning team in the 10th Korean Women’s League, scoring 11/14 in her individual games in the regular event; Team was runner up in finals, and she scored 2/3 in her games
  • 2024: Age 15y 8m—reached her first final in major Korean title, 8th Female Kisung. But she but ended up runner up to world #1 female Choi Jung, losing 1–2 after winning the first game.
  • 2024: Age 15y 9m—reached her second final in major Korean title, 29th Female Kuksu, losing 0–2 to Kim Chaeyeong.

Career successes playing for Japan

In 2019, the year she became professional, she scored 17 wins, 7 losses, and a win rate of 70.8%, the highest of any 1 dans that year. So there was no doubt that she was a real professional and not a concessional entry.

Sumire’s Oro challenge, 2020

In July–August 2020, when she was 11, [ext] Sumire was invited to play an internet challenge against four Korean professonals, two veteran 9-dans and two young female professionals (still older than her). [ext] Her scores were 0–3 against Kim Chaeyoung, then 6p, and Seo Pong-su 9p; and 1–2 against Seo Neung-uk 9p and Jeong Yujin, then 1p.

Despite losing all three matches, professionals were very impressed with her skills. E.g. Seo Pong-su said [ext] after finishing their match:

Sumire is the best of the future. … I didn't know who Sumire was. In fact, I was surprised to learn that she was a female player. With this level of skill at this age, she has the potential to become a world-class player like Choi Jeong in the near future.

He [ext] told her:

You’re getting better and better. You may look weak now, but I might lose next time we meet.

After all four challenge matches were complete, [ext] Sumire commented:

I learned a lot from being given many opportunities to play against me. All of the games were educational, but I learned a lot from the game against Master Seo Bong-soo. The most difficult game was the game against (Jeong) Yu-jin. (Overall) I wanted to win more. I learned a lot about my shortcomings through this project. My baduk is lacking overall from the beginning to the end. However, I think my strength is in the combat part.

After she moved to Korea fou4 years later, [ext] she said she was closest to Jeong Yujin>

24th Female Kisei, 2020; youngest qualifier for main tournament

In 2020, Nakamura became the youngest player to win a first round in a major tournament, the 24th Female Kisei. She, then 1-dan, beat Ueno Risa, also 1-dan, the next youngest female pro. Their combined ages was only 25, another record. Since then, Sumire and Risa have become fierce rivals over the board and very good friends off the board.

Kido prize, youngest 2 dan promotion, 2021

In 2021, Nakamura won the Kido Prize New Star, scoring 43–18 in the year. On March that year, she became the youngest 2-dan in history at 12 years 0 months, by winning 30 games as 1 dan. Fujisawa Rina [ext] tweeted her admiration on 22 May 2021:

“Sumire-chan’s growth rate is amazing...I hear that behind the scenes, she is putting in tremendous effort, and 🙇‍♀️I have to learn from her. However, she is usually an honest, kind, polite, and nice girl who ☺️always gives me sweets lol. Lately, meeting Sumire-chan has been a source of comfort for me. 👵”

4th Wu Qingyuan Cup, 2021

Nakamura, aged 12, still the youngest professional in the world, was also a wild card for the 4th Wu Qingyuan Cup. In the [ext] first round, she [ext] scored a major upset by beating Kim Chaeyoung (W+1.5), then 6-dan and [ext] winner of the 1st edition, This was her 100th professional game and her first international win, and her first official game with Kim (she had lost 0–3 in an unofficial Oro Challenge match the previous years). But then Nakamura lost in the second round to the defending champion Zhou Hongyu (then 6-dan).

33rd Female Meijin, 2022; youngest finalist

In 2022, she became the youngest player to qualify to play in a final of a major title: the Female Meijin. On the way, she beat Xie Yimin, who had won and defended titles 27 times, and reigning Female Kisei Ueno Asami.[ext] Teen prodigy Nakamura becomes youngest women's Go title challenger, Mainichi, 2 April 2022. This broke the previous record of Fujisawa Rina, the defending Female Meijin, when she challenged for the Women's Honinbo title at 15 years and 11 months old in 2014. But Nakamura lost the final 0–2 to defending champion Fujisawa. Fujisawa was nevertheless very impressed that someone so young could play so well, and was grateful for the increased press coverage that Nakamura attracts.[ext] Koji Ode, Nakamura fails in her quest to become youngest go title holder, Asahi Shimbun

Discovery Cup and Female Strongest, 2022

In March 2022, Nakamura won the unofficial Discovery Cup, beating the previous winner Miura Taro in the final. This is open to players under 18 who are 2p at most.

On 6 June 2022, Nakamura, 13 years and 3 months old, set a record the youngest player to record 100 victories in official professional go tournaments. This broke the record that had stood for 50 years, by Cho Chikun at 15 years and 11 months set in 1972.[ext] Koji Ode, 13-year-old go prodigy becomes youngest to tally 100 victories, Asahi Shimbun, 7 June 2022

Nakamura was also runner-up in the Female Strongest, aka Female Saikyo or domestic Senko Cup, losing to Nyu Eiko in the final. Nakamura had beaten her long-term mentor and friend Fujisawa Rina, who sportingly [ext] tweeted the next day (16 July 2022):

Thank you for today’s Go Festival. I ☺️ lost to Sumire in the semi-finals of the Senko Cup, which was a disappointing result. Once again, I felt Sumire-san's strength and realized my own lack of ability.

3 dan promotion, 2022

On 14 October 2022, Nakamura was promoted to 3-Dan at the age of 13 years and 7 months, by winning 40 games as 2 dan. This time, she didn’t beat Cho Chikun’s record of 13 years and 4 months. She remains the second-youngest 3-dan in history. She easily broke Xie Yimin’s record for the youngest female 3-dan at 16 years and 4 months.

Female Kisei 2023–2024; youngest title win and loss,

In the final of the 26th Female Kisei qualifiers, she beat Fujisawa Rina by killing a massive group of 35 stones, and her killing stones also killed another group of 13 stones.[ext] Sumire Nakamura 3rd Dan vs Rina Fujisawa Women’s Double Crown [Women’s Kisei Finals, Challenger Match. This win earned her the right to play a match with the defending Female Kisei, Ueno Asami.

In February 2023, Nakamura won the quickplay Female Kisei at 13 years 11 months, beating Ueno Asami 2–1, becoming the youngest ever titleholder in Japan. Unfortunately, after this record-setting win against the #1-ranked Japanese woman, Nakamura seemed to go into a slump, at least in Japanese games. She planned to transfer from Japan to Korea, and this pressure seemed to affect her playing strength. But in Korea, she scored 7/9 in the 9th Korean Women’s League (see below).

Nakamura lost the title in February 2024 by 1–2 to Ueno Asami’s younger sister Ueno Risa. Risa had beaten her older sister in the final of the qualifying tournament. The Sumire v Risa match was the first time a major female title had been contested by two teenagers. Before this match, Risa had lost every official game to Sumire, and the first game in the match was another convincing win to Sumire.

Moving to South Korea

In September 2023, [ext] Sumire applied to transfer to the Korea Baduk Association, a transfer that the Nihon Ki-in has consented to. She wants experience against the world's best—both the current #1 player in the world, Shin Jin-seo, and the strongest female, Choi Jeong, are from South Korea and play there. Nakamura can speak Korean, likes the country and its people, and enjoys eating kimchi stew. She [ext] arrived in Seoul on 27 February 2024. Because she prefers to be known by her given name Sumire in Korea, and the Korean news reports use that, she will be referred to that way in this section as well.

9th Korean Women’s league 2023

At the same time as her application, September–October 2023, but before she had officially transferred to Korea, Sumire played 9 out of the 14 games in the Korean Women's League. She scored 7 wins and 2 losses.

Score table

(From [ext] Korean Women’s Baduk League, Go4Go)

Rd Date Opponent Dan Result
1 8 Jul Kim Dayoung 4p B–5.5
2 15 Jul Heo Seo-hyeon 3p W+R
3 21 Jul Lee Suljoo 2p W+R
8 1 Sep Kim Jooah 2p W+R
9 8 Sep Kim Sangin 2p W–1.5
10 15 Sep Lee Suljoo 2p W+R
12 5 Oct Kim Hyemin 9p W+2.5
13 12 Oct Kim Eunseon 6p W+11.5
14 19 Oct Park Soyul 3p W+R

5th Supreme player tournament 2024

Sumire’s first games and tournament as a member of Korea Baduk Association was the [ext] 5th Supreme Player challenger tournament. This is a 9-player round robin to decide the challenger to the defending champion, in this case Shin Jinseo. Sumire was a wild-card entrant, enabling her to skip the preliminary events, and is the youngest person to have played in the finals. She was the only female player this year; and the only player who was not 9-dan apart from Im Sang Gyu, 2-dan, who was selected for his outstanding recent results.

Sumire’s first game was on 3 March, a day after her 15th birthday. She lost to 9-dan Lee Changseok, [ext] #11 in Korea and #46 in world. After the game, Sumire, speaking in Korean, said she [ext] wants to continue doing her best.

[ext] Sumire says that her ambition for the moment is to become the #2 female player in Korea, and will take 5 years. Han Chong-chin 9p, President of the Korean Go Professional Association, thinks she is being modest, and can reach #1 one day. As for the Korean top women, she says:

I am on the same team as O Yujin sensei in the (9th Korean) Women’s Go League (see above), and she often gives me a lot of advice.

She was very happy to be able to play one of her childhood heroes Park Jung Hwan in her second game on 11 March 2024, although that was [ext] another loss.

In Round 5, Sumire beat Park Minkyu 9p, [ext] ranked #11 in Korea.

Park Jung Hwan won the (challengers) tournament 7–1, two points ahead of Lee Changseok (the only one to defeat Park) and Byun Sangil. He faced defending champion Shin Jinseo in a best-of-five match in August but lost 0–3. Sumire ended with 2–6. Winning two games surpassed Choi Jung’s score of one win from the [ext] previous year, when she was also the only female player.

Score table

Rd Date Opponent Dan Result
1 3 Mar Lee Changseok 9p B–R
2 11 Mar Park Jung Hwan 9p W–R
3 20 Mar Im Sang Gyu 2p B+0.5
4 11 Apr An Sungjoon 9p W–2.5
5 30 Apr Park Minkyu 9p B+1.5
6 9 May Kim Junghyun 9p W–4.5
7 17 May Byun Sangil 9p B–5.5
8 12 Jul Shin Minjun 9p B–R

5th Leebong Cup

In the 5th Leebong Cup, [ext] Sumire was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Eom Dong-geon 2p, losing both games by resignation. She had an [ext] 8-game winning streak before this match. The only other female player in the Leebong Cup, her major female prodigy rival Kim Eunji 9p, was also eliminated in the quarterfinals in an upset 1–2 loss to the young new professional Lee Minseok 1p.

7th International Baduk Chunhyang Tournament 2024

On 9 June 2024, [ext] Sumire won her first tournament in Korea, the [ext] 7th International Baduk Chunhyang Contest, Professional Chunhyang Club, albeit an unofficial one. The tournament was a 32-player 5-round knockout. All players wear the traditional Korean dress (Hanbok).

Sumire, ranked #10 among Korean women (she was #16 when she transferred to Korea), defeated O Yujin 9p, ranked 4th, in the [ext] final game. The game went back and forth, but Nakamura won in 232 moves (W+R). Nakamura won 10 million won (~$US7,300) for first prize, while O won 3 million won (~$US 2,200).

On the way, Sumire also beat Park Jiyoung 1p, Kim Eunseon 6p, and Heo Seo-hyeon, then-4p now 5p. Kim Eunji 9p, ranked #2 Korean female, also participated but lost to Heo Seo-hyeon in the [ext] quarterfinal. #1 ranked female Choi Jeong 9p, #3 Kim Chaeyoung 8p, and #5 Cho Seunga 6p did not participate in this tournament.

18th GC Auction Cup 2024

In May 2024, Sumire qualified for the Female Team in the win-and-continue Female v Seniors 18th Auction Cup by beating Heo Seo-hyeon then-4p (W+R). In the main tournament, Sumire was the second female player up after Cho Hyeyeon 9p was eliminated by Yue Liang 6p. Sumire beat Yue (B+2.5), followed by Choi Wongyong 9p (W+R). But she was eliminated by Yang Koon (Yang Keon) 9p on 1 July. (See [ext] Auction Cup games, Go4Go, [ext] 18th GC Auction Cup, Go To Everyone.)

4th Supreme Female Player 2024

Sumire beat Kim Joo-ah 3p (B+R) in the first round of the [ext] 4th Supreme Female tournament. She lost to Choi Jung 9p (W–R) on 5 July 2024 (see [ext] video commentary by Pak Chi-eun 9p). Then in the second round of the Losers’ section, Sumire beat Kim Dayoung 5p (B+R).

In the losers’ semifinal she beat Kim Dayoung’s older sister Kim Chaeyoung 8p (B+R). This game was a reversal of some of Sumire’s other games where she gained a lead early on and then lost it towards the end. This time, her opponent had an early lead but Sumire caught up. [ext] She said after the game:

I thought it was really bad in the beginning. I kept thinking it wasn’t good, but I thought it was difficult because black got thicker. Overall, I think I was lucky.

Sumire lost to fellow girl prodigy Kim Eunji 9p in the losers’ final on 29 July (B–1.5), meaning that she ended in 3rd place.

3rd Hyorim Cup Future Empresses Tournament, 2024

In the [ext] 3rd Hyorim Cup for female players born in 2002 or later, Sumire was seeded into the second round. In R2 and R3, 3 Sep, Sumire beat Kim Sang-in 3p (B+R) then Lee Nahyun 1p (B+R). In the semifinal, Sumire lost to the eventual winner, Heo Seo-hyeon 4p (B–R), on 9 Sep (Sumire had previously beaten Heo 3–0).

8th Women's Kisung 2024, Runner-up

Sumire reached the final, the first time she has reached a final of an official major title in Korea, 262 days since transferring to the Korean Baduk Association. But she lost the final 1–2 to world #1 female Choi Jung 9p, who [ext] thus won the title for the 5th time.

Sumire was seeded from the preliminaries of the Female Kisung directly into R2 as a top-ranker. In R2, she beat Kang Da-jeong 3p (B+1.5) on 15 Oct, then in R3 she beat O Yujin 9p (B+R) on 12 Nov, and in the semifinal she beat Kim Minseo 4p (B+8.5) in 18 Nov. Before that game. [ext] Sumire said:

Kim Min-seo likes home, is good at reading, and plays thick. Since she is a very good player, I will prepare well and play good Go.

She faced world #1 female Choi Jung 9p in a best-of-three final starting on 3 Dec. Before their match, [ext] Choi said:

It will be fun because my opponent in the finals is Sumire. I watched the semifinals between Sumire and Kim Minseo. Both players are very young, but I could definitely feel that they are growing. Sumire’s style reminds me of my old self, so I think Go fans will enjoy watching it if they focus on that.

[ext] Sumire won the first game of the match (W+R) in a thrilling, tense game, where Choi realized that she would lose by half a point. This was the first time Sumire had ever beaten Choi, one of her childhood ‘idols’. Sumire said after the game:

The game was so difficult that I didn’t know I won until the very end, but I think I won after the switch.

I was a little nervous before the final game, but I wasn’t nervous today.

Because there is a big difference in skill level, I prepared to create my own style of baduk.

First of all, I am glad that I won today and can play three games.

In game 2 on 9 Dec, [ext] Choi equalized the score (W2.5) after being behind in the early stages. Commentator Lee Hyun-wook 9p said:

I don’t know why Sumire, who played so perfectly in the last close game, wavered in such a relaxed game. … Choi Jeong, who calmly followed little by little and turned the game around, is truly amazing.

In the [ext] deciding game 3, [ext] Choi won a strong attacking game (B+R, 155 moves), [ext] capturing a big group in the top right quarter. After the game, Choi expressed relief at recovery of her old form:

I may have looked tired because my recent performance was not good, but my physical condition is good. Sumire has grown incomparably since she transferred in March. Whether it’s Kim Eun-ji or Sumire, they’re both good, so I don’t feel much pressure playing against them. It’s just that I think I’ve gotten older. My head doesn’t work as well as it used to. I think that’s natural. However, I want to maintain good condition as long as possible.

Out of the three final games, I think today’s game was the best. I was able to play comfortably because the opening was set in my style. I played loosely in the first game and then lost, so I thought I would play fiercely today. Sumire 3-dan seems to have grown tremendously since she first transferred. Since she is still young, it is hard to predict how much she will grow in the future. I feel pressured to compete with my juniors, but I also enjoy it. I am happy to have won the championship for the fifth time, and I thank Haesung Group for making this a great tournament.

At the [ext] Kisung awards ceremony, Choi said:

I’m really happy to win. I was really lucky up until the finals, but especially in the finals. I learned a lot from Sumire, and it was fun to be able to play the finals with her. I’ve reached five fingers (the number of wins), and I’ll work harder to reach the remaining five. And I hope that the Haesung Women’s Kisung Championship will continue to be fun for a long time so that not only me but also other players can reach their fingers.

Sumire, who won second place for the first timein an official tournament since transferring to Korea, said:

I didn’t think I would make it to the finals, but I’m happy to have made it to the finals and I learned a lot from this competition. I’ll work even harder to win next year.

Kim Hyemin 9p beat Kim Minseo 4p in the decision match for 3rd place (B+R). Cho Seong-rae, CEO of Haesung Industries, awarded 50 million won ($US34,500) in prize money and a trophy to the winner, Choi Jung 9p; 20 million won ($US14,000) and a trophy to the runner-up, Sumire 3p; 10 million won ($US7,000) to 3rd place, Kim Hye-min 9p, her best result in years; and 5 million won ($US3,500) to 4th place, Kim Min-seo 4p.

29th Women's Kuksu 2024, Runner-up

Sumire reached the final, but finished runner-up, losing 0–2 to Kim Chaeyeong 9p, [ext] her first win of this tile in 10 years.

Sumire beat Go Mi-so 2p (B+R) in the preliminaries. In R1, she beat O Yujin 9p on 1 Sep (B+R). In R2 on 10 Oct, Sumire beat new 1p Choi Seo-bi (W+R), less than a year older. In the semifinal on 5 Dec, Sumire beat Cho Seunga 7p (B+R) who beat Lee Suljoo 3p (who scored an upset win over Kim Eunji 9p in R1) in R2.

On 12 Dec, Sumire faced Kim Chaeyeong 9p, who beat Choi Jung 9p in the other semifinal on 7 Dec (W+R). Sumire lost the first game of this best-of-three (W–R). [ext] Kim commented after the game:

I watched all three games of the Women's Kisung Championship finals with great interest, and I think Sumire must have had a lot of regrets. However, I think she showed that her skills have risen to the top level. That’s why I was able to prepare without any pressure.

Sumire seems to play very well when she plays according to her style. When I first played against Sumire, I felt pressured because she was so young and she was getting a lot of attention, but now her skills have really improved, and I don’t feel pressured. Just like the first game of the final, I will play the second game without thinking of it as a match that will decide the winner.

Some were concerned that Sumire was tired after playing on so many consecutive days: losing twice to Choi Jung in the Women's Kisung on 9 and 10 Dec. Then she had an upset loss to a new 1 dan who is over two years younger, Kim Ha-yoon, in an unofficial U23 tournament on 11 Dec, and then two or three games on consecutive days in the Women's Kuksu final starting with this one on 12 Dec.

[ext] Sumire lost the second game (B–R) and the title to Kim Chaeyeong, the first time she won this title in 10 years. Sumire attacked a weak group on the left, then one on the right, but [ext] Kim managed to connect them and save both, and left Sumire with too little territory. Kim commented after the game:

Watching all three games of the Women's Kisung Championship, I felt that Sumire liked to make her shape bigger. In both games of the final of this Women’s Go Championship, I prevented Sumire from making her shape bigger. I prevented Sumire from doing what she likes and is good at. I think this was the reason for my victory.

First of all, I’m dazed because it hasn’t been that long since the baduk match ended. I’m really happy, and I’m happy that I’ve done better than I expected this year.

I thought it was a similar flow to yesterday. At first, I thought it was okay, but later, as Sumire said during the review, if she had come to catch it accurately, there would have been no time and it would have been difficult to be sure about surviving. It was dangerous because I couldn’t see the way to survive, but when I made a shape of a hogu, I thought I survived.

At the [ext] awards ceremony, Kim said:

I first won the Women’s Go Championship in 2014 after I entered the professional ranks, so it feels really strange to win again after 10 years. It was also my first time playing a final against a player who was much younger than me, so I feel grateful that we can continue to compete for such a long time.

While Sumire was disappointed after losing both finals, she showed her strength by reaching the finals of arguably the two top Korean women’s competitions within nine months of transferring from Japan to Korea. She commented:

I had many regrets about the finals, but I am satisfied with the result because I was able to advance to the finals. I think I gained some confidence through this competition. I will work hard to win next year.

10th Korean Women’s League 2024

Nakamura Sumire was captain of the winning Pyeongtaek Brain City team, which scored 11 match wins and 3 match losses, the youngest captain of the eight teams. Her team won 55 million won (US$40,000) for first place. She won her first six games, the first five by resignation. She lost in R7.

In the second half, she resumed winning in R8–R10, then lost in R11, then won in R12, then lost in R13, and won the final game in R14.

Sumire contributed much to [ext] her team’s victory in the regular tournament with 11 wins and 3 losses. Her second-board team mate Kim Joo-ah 3p contributed more with 12 wins and 2 losses. The third board was Go Mi-so, who scored 4 wins and 6 losses.

The best individual scorer was fellow girl prodigy Kim Eunji 9p on 13/13. Other high scorers were Kim Chaeyeong now-9p on 10/12 and O Yujin 9p on 9/11. They were not on the winning team.

Finals

The finals included playoffs for the team to challenge the winning team to a best-of-three-match play-off. Boryeong Mud won those playoffs. In R1, Sumire lost to the recently promoted Kim Minseo 4p, the 8th game in Kim’s winning streak in the league. But [ext] her two team mates won so the team won 2–1. In R2, the reverse occurred. Sumire avenged herself against Kim Minseo but [ext] her two team-mates lost, with a team loss by 1–2. R3 was a repeat of R2, with [ext] Sumire winning and her two team mates losing. So despite winning the regular session, her team was runner-up.overall.

The league was sponsored by NH Nonghyup Bank. Prize money was 55 million won ($US39,000) for the winner, 35 million won ($US25,000) for the runner-up, 25 million won ($US17,500) for third place, and 15 million won ($US10,500) for fourth place.

Score table

(From [ext] Korean Women’s Baduk League, Go4Go)

Rd Date Opponent Dan Result
1 13 Jul Cho Hyeyeon 9p W+R
2 18 Jul Kim Chaeyoung 8p W+R
3 28 Jul Lee Suljoo 2p B+R
4 02 Aug Park Taehee 3p W+R
5 08 Aug Cho Seunga 6p B+R
6 15 Aug Heo Seo-hyeon 4p W+3.5
7 23 Aug Park Soyul 4p W–4.5
8 06 Sep Cho Hyeyeon 9p B+R
9 15 Sep Choi Seobi 1p W+R
10 15 Sep Kim Minseo 3p B+7.5
11 02 Oct Park Taehee 3p W–4.5
12 13 Oct Cho Seunga 7p W+R
13 19 Oct Jeong Yujin 4p B–R
14 23 Oct Kang Dajeong 3p W+R
Final 1 01 Nov Kim Minseo 4p W–R
Final 2 03 Nov Kim Minseo 4p W+1.5
Final 3 04 Nov Kim Minseo 4p B+9.5

Other games since transferring to Korea

On 25 March 2024, Sumire beat Choi Wonjin 2p with White. On 8 April, she beat Kim Eunji's conqueror Lee Minseok (W+6.5), who is four months younger than Nakamura. On 9 April, she beat Kim Seongjae 2p (W+R).

In the 2024 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance World Baduk Masters, Sumire had her first game playing officially for Korea against a Japanese representative. She chose to play in the general group rather than the female group, and beat Takeshita Ryoya on 27 Aug.

Head-to-head scores against current female rivals

(at least two games)

(Based on [ext] Nakamura Sumire, Go Ratings and game list), as of 2 Feb 2025.

Other games with leading female players

Nakamura has won the only official game she has played against the strong (9-dan) professional Korean female player Kim Hye-min, (#19 female in the world, #7 female player in Korea).

In unofficial games, Nakamura also [ext] brilliantly defeated O Yujin 9p ([ext] W+R) in the Hangzhou National Team Evaluation Match on 9 Sept 2023, and repeated that in the unofficial Chunhyang final in 9 June 2024 (see above). She had previously lost another unofficial game to O just after turning pro in 2019. Nakamura lost to then-8p (now-9p) Kim Chaeyoung (W–R) in a later round of Hangzhou National Team Evaluation Match on 11 Sept 2023, [ext] after a second group was killed.

Wins over 9 dan male players

Nakamura has beaten some strong male players as well, starting from her first years as a very young pro, including the following 9 dans:

Career record

Year total wins losses rate
2021 61 43 18 70%
2022 77 53 24 69%
2023 69 36 33 52%
2024 145 90 55 62%

Scores from [ext] Japan players win-loss, Go for Everyone

In 2024, her scores are from [ext] Korea players win-loss, Go for Everyone, although they include some games in Japanese tournaments before she transferred to Korea in March. She is #1 for [ext] number of wins by Korean players (of either sex ) in 2024, as of 2024-12-29. The next four places for highest win numbers are 9 dans. Her scores evidently include games played in Japan.

According to her [ext] Go4Go profile, Nakamura has an overall professional game record of 303 games, 179 wins, and 124 losses, for a 59.1% win rate (as of 2024/12/14).

Record for shortest time to play 100 pro games in Korea

On 13 Oct 2024, [ext] Sumire set a record for the shortest time for a female player (since debuting as a Korean professional?) to play 100 professional games: 225 days. Her 100th game was W+R in 214 moves over Cho Seunga 7p in R12 of the 10th Korean Women’s League (see above). Her score was 66 wins and 34 losses, for a win rate of 66%. Against male players, she scored 27 wins and 24 losses for a respectable win rate of of 53%. Against female players, she scored a very high win rate of almost 80% with 39 wins and 10 losses.

Sumire smashed previous records. The previous female record was 703 days held by Kim Eunji 9p. The record for either sex was 601 days held by Lee Chang-ho 9p.

Sumire reaching 100 games so quickly as a new (for Korea) professional was the subject of many news headlines. Some reasons have been suggested:

  • She is eligible for many tournaments: youth, female, female vs veterans, and open
  • She is so strong that she is usually not eliminated early in the knockout format
  • As a known “genius girl” and newcomer to the KBF, she received a wildcard for the prestigious 5th Supreme player tournament, and acquitted herself well
  • But most of the time, as a newcomer, she still needs to start many tournaments in preliminary rounds, while the established high-ranking female pros do not

6 months from #16 to #5 female player in Korea

When Nakamura arrived in Korea, [ext] she was ranked #16 among Korean female players and #217 overall. In only 6 months, [ext] she was up to #5, moving Cho Seunga, then 6p and now 7p, down to #6. The top five (at 5 Oct 2024) are: 1) Choi Jeong 9p (24th for both sexes), 2) Kim Eun-ji 9p (35th), 3) Oh Yu-jin 9p (80th), 4) Kim Chae-young 9p (92nd), 5) Nakamura Sumire 3p (131st). Sumire has a 2–1 score in official games over #3 Oh Yu-jin, 3–0 against #4 Kim Chae-young, and 2–2 against #6 Cho Seunga. However, she has lost every game she’s played against the #1 (except one) and #2 players. She has been improving about 10 rating places per month. But this has yet to result in a dan grade promotion.

In the months after she arrived in Korea, she scored several wins over people rated higher than her (lots against people of higher dan ranking but not higher ratings). In more recent months, as her rating increased, she lost to several people lower rated (albeit often with higher dan ranking). (See table in [ext] Go Player Nakamura Sumire 3 Dan Official Match Results + Game Schedule.) The [ext] author of that table was concerned that it reminded him of her slump after her record-breaking Female Kisei win.

Style

A [ext] 2023 article about Nakamura's Female Kisei match with Ueno Asami said:

The defining feature of Nakamura’s Go game is her aggressive and unparalleled accuracy in her attacks, never missing even the slightest opening in her opponent’s way.

The article goes on to report how this accuracy might have been trained. Mimura Tomoyasu 9p helped Nakamura Sumire train in tsume-go:

It’s called “tsume-go” and Sumire-san wrote the answer in pencil. Mimura Tomoyasu, who has been teaching Nakamura for many years, believes that the secret lies in “tsumego”. This intensive training involves thinking up procedures to gain an advantage in a certain situation. Nakamura has been doing this for two hours every morning since she was three years old. The ability to read ahead. This is what Sumire is best at. This is extremely important to win at Go. You could even say it’s the most important thing. She also trains the ability to intuitively know what’s going to happen in an instant. She does this for two hours every morning, 365 days a year. There aren’t many people like her. It’s an incredible amount of practice.

Several sources say that Nakamura is very strong at the early stages of the game, but sometimes shows weakness towards the end. Against some strong opponents, she has gained a clear advantage but allowed her opponent to overtake later.

Links

Videos

A pre-game [ext] YouTube link and post-game [ext] YouTube link interviews (both Nakamura and O Yujin before and after 2023 Korean Women Baduk Team's evaluational matches against invited players from Japan and China in September 2023).

Reviews of games with Choi Jung

Year Reviewer Video
2019 Lee Hajin (Haylee) and her husband Dan Maas [ext] video
2023 Eunkyo Do [ext] video
2023 Telegraph Go [ext] video

Other videos

Pictures

Namamura Sumire (Image credit: cyberoro.com)
Nakamura Sumire (Image credit: cyberoro.com)

Nakamura Sumire early pro2 (Image credit: 39)
Nakamura Sumire early pro2 (Image credit: Foxwq.com

Nakamura Sumire with Nihon Ki'in amateur 4 dan certificate, 2015  (Image credit: igot, Twitter/X)
Nakamura Sumire with Nihon Ki’in amateur 4 dan certificate, 2015 (Image credit: igot, Twitter/X)

Nakamura Sumire early pro (Image credit: 41)
Nakamura Sumire early pro (Image credit: Foxwq.com)

Nakamura Sumire with her parents, 2019: Cyber ​​Oro)
From left, mother Nakamura Miyuki, Nakamura Sumire, and father Nakamura Shinya, 2019.

Nakamura Sumire with her hero  Park Jung Hwan, 2019 (Image credit: Hong In-ki, hankookilbo.com)
Nakamura Sumire with her hero Park Jung Hwan, 2019 (Image credit: Hong In-ki, hankookilbo.com)

Nakamura Sumire in several early years with Fujisawa Rina (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)
Nakamura Sumire in several early years with Fujisawa Rina.

Nakamura Sumire, O Yujin, June 2024 (Image credit: Asahi Shimbun Go Reporting Team, Twitter)
Nakamura Sumire (right) & O Yujin, finalists, Chunhyang Selection Tourney, Jun 2024 (Image credit: Asahi Shimbun, Twitter)

Nakamura Sumire & O Yujin analysing June 2024 (Image credit: Asahi Shimbun Go Reporting Team, Twitter)
Nakamura Sumire (left) & O Yujin, analyzing, Chunhyang Selection Tourney, Jun 2024 (Image credit: Asahi Shimbun, Twitter)

nakamura sumire 2021 (Image credit: 48)
Nakamura Sumire, 2021 (Image credit: Foxwq.com

Nakamura Sumire vs O Yujin, June 2024 (Image credit: https://m.yna.co.kr/)
Nakamura Sumire (left) vs O Yujin, final, Chunhyang Selection Tourney, Jun 2024 (Image credit: [ext] https://m.yna.co.kr/)

Good friends Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)
Good friends and fierce rivals Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

Good friends Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)
Good friends and fierce rivals Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

Good friends Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire, 16 Dec 2023 (Image credit: ayarosmith Twitter)
Ueno Risa and Nakamura Sumire chatting happily, 2023 (Image credit: ayarosmith Twitter)

Ueno Asami selfie with other leading female Japanese go professionals (Image credit: nikkansports.com)
Ueno Asami selfie with (L→R) Mukai Chiaki, Ueno Risa, Nakamura Sumire, and Fujisawa Rina, Tachioi Cup, 2023 (Image credit: nikkansports.com

Five leading female Japanese go professionals, 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)
Five leading female Japanese go pros, 2023. From bottom left, clockwise: Ueno Asami, Nakamura Sumire, Fujisawa Rina, Nyu Eiko, and Ueno Risa (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

Five leading female Japanese go pros lining up, 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)
Five leading female Japanese go professionals, 2023; back to front: Nyu Eiko, Nakamura Sumire, Ueno Risa, Fujisawa Rina, and Ueno Asami (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)


Nakamura Sumire last edited by 107.145.25.72 on February 2, 2025 - 20:58
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