List of world Go champions

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The following list shows champions at major international Go tournaments.[1]

Competitions

Each of the following competitions has been competed between 16 or more players for an over $150,000 prize. Go associations are recognising the two requirements as standards of major tournaments.[2]

Competition Period Editions Current champion
Fujitsu Cup 1988–2011 24 Defunct
Ing Cup 1988–present 10 Ichiriki Ryo
Tongyang Cup[note 1] 1990–1998 7 Defunct
Samsung Fire Cup 1996–present 30 Liao Yuanhe
LG Cup 1996–present 31 Wang Xinghao
Chunlan Cup 1998–present 15 Yang Kaiwen
World Oza 2002–2009 4 Defunct
BC Card Cup 2009–2012 4 Defunct
Bailing Cup 2012–2019 4 Defunct
MLily Cup 2013–present 5 Li Xuanhao
Xinao Cup 2016–2017 1 Defunct
Tianfu Cup 2018 1 Defunct
Quzhou-Lanke Cup 2023–present 3 Dang Yifei
Nanyang Cup 2024–present 1 Shin Jinseo
Beihai Xinyi Cup 2025–present 1 Wang Xinghao
Shinhan Bank Cup 2025–present 1 Park Junghwan
Total 142 —

Champions

No. Competition Closing date Champion Association
1 1st Fujitsu Cup 3 September 1988 Takemiya Masaki Japan Japan
2 2nd Fujitsu Cup 5 August 1989 Takemiya Masaki Japan Japan
3 1st Ing Cup 5 September 1989 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
4 3rd Fujitsu Cup 4 August 1990 Rin Kaiho Japan Japan
5 4th Fujitsu Cup 3 August 1991 Cho Chikun Japan Japan[note 2]
6 3rd Tongyang Cup 27 January 1992 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
7 5th Fujitsu Cup 1 August 1992 Otake Hideo Japan Japan
8 2nd Ing Cup 20 May 1993 Seo Bongsoo South Korea South Korea
9 4th Tongyang Cup 8 June 1993 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
10 6th Fujitsu Cup 7 August 1993 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
11 5th Tongyang Cup 22 June 1994 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
12 7th Fujitsu Cup 6 August 1994 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
13 6th Tongyang Cup 24 May 1995 Ma Xiaochun China China
14 8th Fujitsu Cup 5 August 1995 Ma Xiaochun China China
15 7th Tongyang Cup 20 March 1996 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
16 9th Fujitsu Cup 3 August 1996 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
17 3rd Ing Cup 6 November 1996 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
18 1st Samsung Fire Cup 29 November 1996 Yoda Norimoto Japan Japan
19 8th Tongyang Cup 18 April 1997 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
20 1st LG Cup 19 May 1997 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
21 10th Fujitsu Cup 2 August 1997 Kobayashi Koichi Japan Japan
22 2nd Samsung Fire Cup 28 November 1997 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
23 2nd LG Cup 23 March 1998 Ō Rissei Japan Japan[note 3]
24 9th Tongyang Cup 13 May 1998 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
25 11th Fujitsu Cup 1 August 1998 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
26 3rd Samsung Fire Cup 8 February 1999 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
27 3rd LG Cup 10 May 1999 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
28 1st Chunlan Cup 29 June 1999 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
29 12th Fujitsu Cup 7 August 1999 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
30 4th Samsung Fire Cup 7 December 1999 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
31 4th LG Cup 10 May 2000 Yu Bin China China
32 2nd Chunlan Cup 22 June 2000 Ō Rissei Japan Japan[note 3]
33 13th Fujitsu Cup 12 August 2000 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
34 5th Samsung Fire Cup 14 December 2000 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
35 4th Ing Cup 16 February 2001 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
36 5th LG Cup 19 May 2001 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
37 3rd Chunlan Cup 26 June 2001 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
38 14th Fujitsu Cup 4 August 2001 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
39 6th Samsung Fire Cup 14 December 2001 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
40 6th LG Cup 1 April 2002 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea
41 15th Fujitsu Cup 3 August 2002 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
42 7th Samsung Fire Cup 14 January 2003 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea
43 1st World Oza 29 January 2003 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
44 4th Chunlan Cup 18 March 2003 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
45 7th LG Cup 27 March 2003 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
46 16th Fujitsu Cup 7 July 2003 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
47 8th Samsung Fire Cup 11 December 2003 Cho Chikun Japan Japan[note 2]
48 8th LG Cup 1 April 2004 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
49 17th Fujitsu Cup 5 July 2004 Park Yeonghun South Korea South Korea
50 9th Samsung Fire Cup 9 December 2004 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
51 2nd World Oza 8 January 2005 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
52 5th Ing Cup 5 March 2005 Chang Hao China China
53 5th Chunlan Cup 18 March 2005 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea
54 9th LG Cup 20 April 2005 Cho U Japan Japan[note 4]
55 18th Fujitsu Cup 4 July 2005 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
56 10th Samsung Fire Cup 13 January 2006 Luo Xihe China China
57 10th LG Cup 21 April 2006 Gu Li China China
58 19th Fujitsu Cup 3 July 2006 Park Jungsang South Korea South Korea
59 3rd World Oza 9 January 2007 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
60 11th Samsung Fire Cup 24 January 2007 Chang Hao China China
61 11th LG Cup 22 March 2007 Chou Chunhsun Taiwan Taiwan
62 6th Chunlan Cup 25 March 2007 Gu Li China China
63 20th Fujitsu Cup 9 July 2007 Park Yeonghun South Korea South Korea
64 12th Samsung Fire Cup 24 January 2008 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
65 12th LG Cup 28 February 2008 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
66 21st Fujitsu Cup 7 July 2008 Gu Li China China
67 4th World Oza 8 January 2009 Gu Li China China
68 13th Samsung Fire Cup 21 January 2009 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
69 13th LG Cup 25 February 2009 Gu Li China China
70 6th Ing Cup 23 April 2009 Choi Cheolhan South Korea South Korea
71 1st BC Card Cup 4 May 2009 Gu Li China China
72 7th Chunlan Cup 24 June 2009 Chang Hao China China
73 22nd Fujitsu Cup 6 July 2009 Kang Dongyun South Korea South Korea
74 14th Samsung Fire Cup 17 December 2009 Kong Jie China China
75 14th LG Cup 24 February 2010 Kong Jie China China
76 2nd BC Card Cup 27 April 2010 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
77 23rd Fujitsu Cup 5 July 2010 Kong Jie China China
78 15th Samsung Fire Cup 10 December 2010 Gu Li China China
79 15th LG Cup 23 February 2011 Piao Wenyao China China
80 3rd BC Card Cup 28 April 2011 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
81 8th Chunlan Cup 30 June 2011 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
82 24th Fujitsu Cup 14 August 2011 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
83 16th Samsung Fire Cup 7 December 2011 Won Seongjin South Korea South Korea
84 16th LG Cup 15 February 2012 Jiang Weijie China China
85 4th BC Card Cup 16 May 2012 Paek Hongsuk South Korea South Korea
86 17th Samsung Fire Cup 13 December 2012 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea
87 1st Bailing Cup 19 January 2013 Zhou Ruiyang China China
88 17th LG Cup 20 February 2013 Shi Yue China China
89 7th Ing Cup 6 March 2013 Fan Tingyu China China
90 9th Chunlan Cup 20 June 2013 Chen Yaoye China China
91 1st MLily Cup 6 December 2013 Mi Yuting China China
92 18th Samsung Fire Cup 11 December 2013 Tang Weixing China China
93 18th LG Cup 13 February 2014 Tuo Jiaxi China China
94 19th Samsung Fire Cup 10 December 2014 Kim Jiseok South Korea South Korea
95 2nd Bailing Cup 14 January 2015 Ke Jie China China
96 19th LG Cup 12 February 2015 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
97 10th Chunlan Cup 3 June 2015 Gu Li China China
98 20th Samsung Fire Cup 9 December 2015 Ke Jie China China
99 2nd MLily Cup 5 January 2016 Ke Jie China China
100 20th LG Cup 4 February 2016 Kang Dongyun South Korea South Korea
101 8th Ing Cup 26 October 2016 Tang Weixing China China
102 21st Samsung Fire Cup 8 December 2016 Ke Jie China China
103 3rd Bailing Cup 16 December 2016 Chen Yaoye China China
104 21st LG Cup 8 February 2017 Dang Yifei China China
105 11th Chunlan Cup 26 June 2017 Tan Xiao China China
106 22nd Samsung Fire Cup 7 December 2017 Gu Zihao China China
107 Xinao Cup 26 December 2017 Ke Jie China China
108 3rd MLily Cup 2 January 2018 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
109 22nd LG Cup 8 February 2018 Xie Erhao China China
110 23rd Samsung Fire Cup 5 December 2018 Ke Jie China China
111 Tianfu Cup 26 December 2018 Chen Yaoye China China
112 4th Bailing Cup 17 January 2019 Ke Jie China China
113 23rd LG Cup 14 February 2019 Yang Dingxin China China
114 12th Chunlan Cup 27 June 2019 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
115 24th Samsung Fire Cup 6 September 2019 Tang Weixing China China
116 24th LG Cup 12 February 2020 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
117 25th Samsung Fire Cup 3 November 2020 Ke Jie China China
118 25th LG Cup 4 February 2021 Shin Minjun South Korea South Korea
119 4th MLily Cup 5 May 2021 Mi Yuting China China
120 13th Chunlan Cup 15 September 2021 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
121 26th Samsung Fire Cup 3 November 2021 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
122 26th LG Cup 9 February 2022 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
123 27th Samsung Fire Cup 8 November 2022 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
124 27th LG Cup 1 February 2023 Ding Hao China China
125 1st Quzhou-Lanke Cup 17 June 2023 Gu Zihao China China
126 14th Chunlan Cup 19 July 2023 Byun Sangil South Korea South Korea
127 9th Ing Cup 23 August 2023 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
128 28th Samsung Fire Cup 28 November 2023 Ding Hao China China
129 28th LG Cup 31 January 2024 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
130 5th MLily Cup 4 May 2024 Li Xuanhao China China
131 2nd Quzhou-Lanke Cup 21 August 2024 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
132 10th Ing Cup 8 September 2024 Ichiriki Ryo Japan Japan
133 29th Samsung Fire Cup 22 November 2024 Ding Hao China China
134 29th LG Cup 23 January 2025 Byun Sangil South Korea South Korea
135 Nanyang Cup 28 February 2025 Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea
136 Beihai Xinyi Cup 18 April 2025 Wang Xinghao China China
137 15th Chunlan Cup 23 June 2025 Yang Kaiwen China China
138 3rd Quzhou-Lanke Cup 15 October 2025 Dang Yifei China China
139 30th Samsung Fire Cup 17 November 2025 Liao Yuanhe China China
140 30th LG Cup 15 January 2026 Shin Minjun South Korea South Korea
141 Shinhan Bank Cup 27 February 2026 Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea
142 31th LG Cup 16 June 2026 Wang Xinghao China China

Statistics

Performance by player

RankPlayerAssociationTitles
1 Lee Changho South Korea South Korea 17
2 Lee Sedol South Korea South Korea 14
3 Cho Hunhyun South Korea South Korea 9
4 Gu Li China China 8
Ke Jie China China 8
Shin Jinseo South Korea South Korea 8
7 Yoo Changhyuk South Korea South Korea 6
Park Junghwan South Korea South Korea 6
9 Chang Hao China China 3
Kong Jie China China 3
Tang Weixing China China 3
Chen Yaoye China China 3
Ding Hao China China 3

Performance by association

Rank Association Titles
1  South Korea (Korea Baduk Association) 74
2  China (Chinese Weiqi Association) 55
3  Japan (Nihon Ki-in) 12
4  Taiwan (Taiwan Chi Yuan Culture Foundation) 1
Total 142

See also

Notes

  1. The 1st (1988–89) and 2nd (1989–90) Tongyang Cups are not recognised as major competitions.
  2. Born in South Korea, Cho Chikun was attached to Nihon Ki-in.
  3. Born in Taiwan, Ō Rissei was attached to Nihon Ki-in.
  4. Born in Taiwan, Cho U was attached to Nihon Ki-in.

References

  1. "围棋世冠数据：共产生133冠 中国棋手夺51冠" (in Chinese). Sina Sports. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
  2. 제2의 '돌갈이 얘기' 사태는 없어야 한다 [흑백 세상] (in Korean). Kukinews. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.