Professional Go legend Cho Chikun achieves 1,600th win

The 'living legend' of the Japanese Go world, Cho Chikun 9-dan (67), achieved a historic milestone by securing his 1600th career victory on Tuesday, as announced by the Nihon Ki-in, the Japanese Go Association. This remarkable feat comes 56 years after his professional debut in 1967, far surpassing the previous record held by the second-ranking player in Japanese history, Koyashi Koichi 9-dan, with 1,461 wins. In comparison, in Korea, Cho Hun-hyun 9-dan (70) has recorded a total of 1955 wins.

Cho 9-dan reached his 1,600th victory by defeating Kubo Hideo 7-dan in the qualifying round of the 50th Meijin tournament held in Tokyo the day before. "I've come this far, suppressing the thought of wanting to quit as I thought my craft was growing mediocre,” Cho shared his candid thoughts with reporters immediately after the win. He continued, "I don't feel proud of the 1,600 wins. The desire to play Go properly and the urge to give up constantly cross my mind."

When asked about his plans, Cho 9-dan expressed his desire to continue his active career, saying, "As long as I feel the tension before a match, I want to continue. Though it often keeps me awake at night before the game, I think it would be time to step down if that tension disappears.”

Born in Busan in 1956, Cho 9-dan left for Japan at the age of six in 1962, guided by his uncle, Cho Nam-cheol 9-dan. He entered the Kitani Minoru Dojo, a powerhouse in the Japanese Go world that produced numerous talents. At the age of 11, he became the youngest professional player in the history of Nihon Ki-in.

"I still study Go every day. Losing miserably in a match is painful," Cho said in a recent interview with the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun, reflecting on the idea that "Perhaps the absence of painful times would be the real pain."


sanghun@donga.com