World Amateur Go Championship
The International Go Federation World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) has been held every year from 1979 onwards. Each participating national Go association sends one player, typically the amateur champion of the country concerned. The tournament has grown from 44 countries and territories in 1995 to 68 in 2007.
In its early years the WAGC was a knockout tournament, but nowadays it's an 8-round Swiss. (In 1984 and 1985 it was a 7-round Swiss). The time limits in 2006 were 90 minutes per player with 10 minutes/15 moves Canadian byo-yomi.
In 2006, Korea also started holding a world amateur championship. See Korea Prime Minister Cup World Baduk Championship.
The following is a list of winners to date:
Number of Edition | Year |Players| Winner | Country | Link --------+------+-------+--------------------+-----------+--------- 1st | 1979 | 15 | Nie Weiping | China | 2nd | 1980 | 20 | Imamura Fumiaki | Japan | 3rd | 1981 | 24 | Shao Zhenzhong | China | 4th | 1982 | 28 | Cao Dayuan | China |full result 5th | 1983 | 29 | Ma Xiaochun | China | 6th | 1984 | 30 | Wang Qun | China |
full result 7th | 1985 | 31 | Wang Jianhong | China | 8th | 1986 | 34 | Chan Ka Yui | Hong Kong | 9th | 1987 | 34 | Imamura Fumiaki | Japan | 10th | 1988 | 36 | Zhang Wendong | China | 11th | 1989 | 38 | Che Zewu | China | 12th | 1990 | 39 | Chang Hao | China | 13th | 1991 | 39 | Imamura Fumiaki | Japan | 14th | 1992 | 40 | Kikuchi Yasuro | Japan | 15th | 1993 | 40 | Sun Yiguo | China | 16th | 1994 | 43 | Hiraoka Satoshi | Japan | 17th | 1995 | 44 | Hirata Hironori | Japan |
full result 18th | 1996 | 46 | Liu Jun | China |
full result 19th | 1997 | 46 | Liu Jun | China |
full result 20th | 1998 | 50 | Kim Ch'an-u | Korea |
full result 21st | 1999 | 55 | Yu Chae-seong | Korea |
full result 22nd | 2000 | 56 | Sakai Hideyuki | Japan |
full result 23rd | 2001 | 56 | Li Daichun | China |
full result 24th | 2002 | 61 | Fu Li | China |
full result | 2003 | | Not held due to SARS outbreak, see IWABC 25th | 2004 | 64 | Kang Wook Lee | Korea |
full result 26th | 2005 | 65 | Yu Qing Hu | China |
full result 27th | 2006 | 68 | Hiraoka Satoshi | Japan |
full result
27th WAGC IGF report 28th | 2007 | 68 | Shan Ziteng | China |
full result 29th | 2008 | 68 | Sung Bong Ha | Korea |
full result
See also
List of tournament locations and participating countries on Nihon Ki-in site
Incheon World Amateur Baduk Championship.
Amateur to Professional
The level of play at the WAGC is obviously quite high, and many of its amateur winners have gone on to become successful professionals:
- Cao Dayuan (9-dan)
- Chan Ka Yui (9-dan)
- Chang Hao (9-dan)
- Che Zewu (7-dan)
- Kim Ch'an-u (3-dan)
- Ma Xiaochun (9-dan)
- Nie Weiping (9-dan)
- Sakai Hideyuki (7-dan)
- Shao Zhenzhong (9-dan)
- Wang Jianhong (9-dan)
- Wang Qun (8-dan)
- Yu Chae-seong (2-dan)
- Zhang Wendong (9-dan)