Western Professionals
Non-Asian players that have received professional ranks from Asian professional go associations:
Name | Nationality | Pro since | Affiliation | Most recent rank (Year) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Manfred Wimmer | Austria | 1978 | Kansai Ki-in, Japan | 2 dan (1978) | deceased |
James Kerwin | United States | 1978 | Nihon Ki-in, Japan | 1 dan | teaching |
Michael Redmond | United States | 1981 | Nihon Ki-in | 9 dan (2000) | active[1] |
Janice Kim | United States | 1987 | Hankuk Kiwon, South Korea | 3 dan (2003) | teaching |
Catalin Taranu | Romania | 1997 | Nihon Ki-in | 5 dan (2001) | teaching |
Hans Pietsch | Germany | 1997 | Nihon Ki-in | 4 dan (2000, at time of death), 6 dan (2003, posthumously) | deceased |
Alexandre Dinerchtein | Russia | 2002 | Hankuk Kiwon | 3 dan (2008) | teaching |
Svetlana Shikshina | Russia | 2002 | Hankuk Kiwon | 3 dan (2008) | teaching |
Diana Koszegi | Hungary | 2008 | Hankuk Kiwon | 1 dan | active / teaching |
Joanne Missingham | Australia/Taiwan | 2008 | Taiwan Qiyuan, Taiwan (pro qualification through the Zhongguo Qiyuan, China) | 6 dan (2012) | active |
Mariya Zakharchenko | Ukraine | 2012 | Hankuk Kiwon | 1 dan | active |
Francis Meyer | United States | 2014 | Kansai Ki-in | 1 dan | active |
Antti Tormanen | Finland | 2016 | Nihon Ki-in | 1 dan (2016) | announced[2] |
Non-Asian players that have received professional ranks from Non-Asian professional go associations:
Name | Nationality | Pro since | Affiliation | Most recent rank (Year) | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eric Lui | USA | 2016 | AGA | 1 dan 2016 | active |
Mateusz Surma | Poland | 2015 | EGF | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Ilya Shikshin | Russia | 2015 | EGF | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Ryan Li | Canada | 2015 | AGA | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Pavol Lisy | Slovakia | 2014 | EGF | 1 dan 2014 | active |
Ali Jabarin | Israel | 2014 | EGF | 1 dan 2014 | active |
Calvin Sun | USA | 2013 | AGA | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Gansheng Shi | Canada | 2012 | AGA | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Andy Liu | USA | 2012 | AGA | 1 dan 2015 | active |
Some of these are professionals residing outside Asia as well. Quite a few non-Asian amateur players have also been insei for a time.
[1] Active refers to activity in tournaments of the professional organisation(s). Those listed as teaching often still play in open or amateur tournaments in the US or Europe and occasionally as national or continental representatives in international championships.
[2]Newspaper announcement on Tormanen: http://mainichi.jp/articles/20151208/k00/00m/040/037000c
See also: AgaProfessionals