Sydney University student Jihan Wang produced an outstanding performance to come second in the World Students GO OZA Championship held in Tokyo last month.
The championship is held to decide the world’s number one student player and to promote exchange among Go-playing students around the world. Mr Wang, representing Australia, was one of 16 students from various countries and regions to compete. He won three games, losing only to eventual champion Tang Zhenghe from China.
Go is believed to be the oldest board game in the world still being played in its original form (a wooden grid with black and white stones). It originated in China and spread to Japan, which became the game’s leading power until the last decades of the 20th century, when Chinese and South Korean players began defeating Japanese champions.
The game seems simple but is so complex that it wasn’t until 2016 and the invention of neural networks that computers were able to defeat human masters.
While Go is gaining popularity in Western countries, with professional organisations established in Europe and the rest of the world, The Economist in January claimed Go was going nowhere because it was becoming irrelevant, its audience was ageing, commercial interest was ebbing, young people were drifting towards simpler hobbies such as chess and computer games, and rivalries in East Asia had reduced the scope for jointly promoting Go abroad.
That is not the experience of Go players and advocates in Australia.
Gareth White from the Sydney Go Club has been involved in national Go competitions since 2014 when he first heard professional player An Young-gil, an ambassador for Go from the Korean Go Federation, resided in Australia.
He said Australia had not held a national Go congress – a local version of the American and European Go congresses, with visiting players from Japan, Korea and China competing, overseas professionals commentating, and prize money of $5000 – since the pandemic.
But he said Go participation in Australia had remained stable in the past decade.
He said, even though many people played online, the Sydney Go Club, which hosted the national championship in 2025, saw 10 to 15 players every Tuesday.
They were typically university students or older people, with a range of backgrounds, even international students from Europe, with a range of abilities from complete beginners to very strong players.
Some students from China had been through the Chinese professional Go trainee system.
Australian Go players are making their mark in overseas competitions such as the World Amateur Go Championship, the Korean Prime Minister’s Cup and a women’s tournament called the Senko Cup, a professional tournament with an amateur component.
Amy Song, the current state champion, won the Senko Cup three years ago.
The cultural exchange isn’t one-way.
In addition to An Young-gil living in Australia as the honorary national coach of the Australian Go Association and professional in residence of the Sydney Go Club, Kim Jiseok, winner of the Samsung World Championship, one of the most prestigious Go tournaments in the world, visited Sydney last year to teach and provide a simultaneous exhibition.
Choi Cheol-han, winner of the Ing Cup (the “World Cup of Go”), will attend the Han Memorial Tournament in Sydney at the end of March. Two of his children will be playing.
Mr White said, while Go was still a very niche pursuit in Australia, many involved in spreading the love of the game were passionate about it and enjoyed seeing people learning, improving, and continuing to play and have fun.
