Ueno Asami

上野愛咲美 Ueno Asami (born 26.10.2001 in Tokyo) is a Nihon Kiin professional 5-dan. Pupil of Fujisawa Kazunari, father of Fujisawa Rina, her main rival for top female player in Japan. Her younger sister, Ueno Risa, also became a pro in 2019.

Asami's given name means “beautiful blossoming love”, from characters which if pronounced in isolation would be 愛 (ai) = love, 咲 (saki) = blossom, and 美 (mi) = beauty. In Mandarin, the characters would have the same meaning but be pronounced, Àixiàoměi. Her fierce attacking style has earned her the nickname "Hammer".

According to the Rating list, 2024-06-24, Ueno Asami has become the #2 female in the world (behind only Choi Jeong), the first time that a Japanese woman has been in the top 3 since the rating lists were published in 1986-01-01. Ueno is also #164 overall in the world, and #1 female and #18 overall in Japan.

Ueno has won 13 titles, the third highest number by a Japanese woman, after Xie Yimin 27 and Fujisawa Rina 24.

Table of contents Titles & Runners-up Other successes Victories over all-time greats Head-to-head scores against current female rivals (at least three games) Promotion history Links Videos Pictures

Titles & Runners-up

Ueno Asami has won 13 titles according to her Nihon Kiin profile.

• Won the 2018 Female Kisei aged 16 years 3 months, setting a record for the youngest winner of the tournament. Defeated Xie Yimin 2–0 in the final. For this win, she was awarded the 2018 Kido Prize: New Star, for winning a title in only her second year as a professional. In 2023, Nakamura Sumire broke her record by winning the Kisei (from Ueno) at 13 years 11 months.
• Retained her Female Kisei title in 2019, defeating Fujisawa Rina 2–0.
• Runner-up in 2019 Ryusei Tournament. This was the first time a female player in Japan became a finalist in mixed (male and female) all-pro participating tournament.
• Won Female Honinbo title in 2019, defeating Fujisawa Rina 3–1.
• Lost Female Kisei in 2020 to Suzuki Ayumi 1–2.
• Female Honinbo 2020 Runner-up (lost to Fujisawa Rina 2–3)
• Won 2020 Saikyo (defeated Xie Yimin 1–0)
• Runner-up in 2021 Shinjin O
• Won 2021 and 2022 Wakagoi youth tournament (third female winner after Xie Yimin and Fujisawa Rina)
• Won 2022 Senko Cup (international) and the Shusai Prize (first female awardee)
• Winner of 2023 Shinjin O. First ever female to win this title.
• Winner of 2023 Aidu Chuo Hospital Cup. Because her sister Risa won the 2024 Female Kisei, they became the first sisters in 37 years to.hold two female titles at the same time.
• Winner of 2023 Female Meijin, winning 2–0 against Fujisawa Rina, who had held the title for five years.
• Runner up in 2024 Female Meijin, defending champion losing 0–2 against Fujisawa Rina.
• Winner of 2024 Aidu Chuo Hospital Cup, beating challenger Mukai Chiaki 2–0.
• Runner up in 2024 10th Huang Longshi Shuang Deng Cup, hehind Zhou Hongyu whom she beat in their individual came, but ahead of Choi Jung, Fujisawa Rina, and other leading female players.
• Runner up in 2024 9th Female Strongest, losing to Fujisawa Rina in the final.

Other successes

In late April 2024, Ueno reached the third round of the Quzhou-Lanke Cup World Go Open. She beat Park Minkyu 9p (ranked #11 in Korea, #80 in the world) then Xie Erhao 9p (#17 China, #24 world). But she lost to last year's winner Gu Zihao (#3 China, #5 world) who beat World #1 Shin Jinseo in the final). This was one of the best results of a Japanese female in a top mixed international competition.

Victories over all-time greats

Based on Ueno Asami, Go Ratings and game list, as of 14 July 2024.

In official games, Ueno Asami has taken games off some of the greatest of a previous generation, e.g.:

• Cho Chikun: 2–0
• Takemiya Masaki: 1–0
• O Meien: 1–2
• Takao Shinji: 1–2
• Yoda Norimoto: 1–0
• Kono Rin: 1–2

Head-to-head scores against current female rivals (at least three games)

• Choi Jeong, 9p, current World #1 female: 3–3, the only female player with a level score against Choi.
• Yu Zhiying, 6p, current China #1 and World #2 female: 1–2
• Zhou Hongyu, 7p, current World #4 female, #2 Chinese female: 2–4
• Lu Minquan, 6p, #6 female in world, #3 female in China: 2–2
• O Yujin, 9p, #7 female in world, #3 female in South Korea: 0–3
• Kim Chaeyeong, 8p, #8 female in world, #4 female in South Korea, once Women's Kuksu, 0–3
• Fujisawa Rina, 7p, #9 female in world, #2 female in Japan: 18–22
• Li He, 5p, #10 female in world, #4 female in China: 2–2
• Nakamura Sumire, 3p, #22 female and #5 female teenager in the world, #4 ranked female in Japan: 8–3
• Ueno Risa, 3p, Asami's younger sister, #22 female and #4 female teenager in world, #4 female in Japan, Female Kisei: 3–1
• Nyu Eiko, 4p, #33= ranked female player and #443= overall, and #6= ranked female player in Japan, 2× Female Strongest: 9–5
• Suzuki Ayumi, 7p, #33= ranked female player and #443= overall, and #6= ranked female player in Japan, twice Female Strongest, once Female Kisei: 14–4
• Xie Yimin, 7p, #30 ranked female in the world, #5 ranked female in Japan (many years #1): 10–3
• Mukai Chiaki, 6p, #46 ranked female and #500 overall in the world, #8 female in Japan, once Female Honinbo: 9–0
• Kobayashi Izumi, 7p, 3× Female Honinbo], 3× Female Meijin, 2× Female Kisei, once Teikei Cup Female Legends: 3–0
• Hoshiai Shiho, 3p, once Female Honinbo challenger: 3–0

Ueno has won the only game she has played with the Korean girl prodigy, Kim Eunji.

Promotion history

• 2016 1d
• 2018 2d
• 2019 3d
• 2021 4d
• 2023 5d

Links

• https://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/ki000470.html – Ueno Asami’s Nihon Kiin Player page
• Wikipedia
• Ueno Asami, Japanese Wikipedia

Videos

• Post-game press conference after winning the Shinjin O in 2023. YouTube link

Pictures

ueno asami hoban cup 2022 (Image credit: Foxwq.com)

ueno asami mlily 2023 (Image credit: Foxwq.com)

ueno asami wu yiming asian games 2023 (Image credit: Foxwq.com)

lu yuhua ueno asami asian games 2023 (Image credit: Foxwq.com)

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

Ueno sisters amused: left: Ueno Asami; right: Ueno Risa, 2023 (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

From bottom left, clockwise: Ueno Asami, Nakamura Sumire, Fujisawa Rina, Nyu Eiko, and Ueno Risa (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

From back to front of the line: Nyu Eiko, Nakamura Sumire, Ueno Risa, Fujisawa Rina, and Ueno Asami (2023) (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)

Front, left to right: Jo Bun'en, Fujisawa Rina, Ueno Asami, and Ueno Risa (2023) (Image credit: Fujisawa Rina Twitter)