Professionella
- Saijo Masataka, Japan, 9 dan
- Zhang Wendong, China, 9 dan
- Muraoka Shigeyuki, Japan, 9 dan
- Miyamoto Naoki, Japan, 9 dan
- Oh Kyu-Chul, Korea, 9 dan
- No Young-Ha, Korea, 9 dan
- Aoki Shinichi, Japan, 9 dan
- Catalin Taranu, Romania, 5 dan
- Yoon Young-Sun, Korea, 5 dan
- Li Liang, China, 5 dan
- Hashiguchi Mika, Japan, 4 dan
- Alexandre Dinerchtein, Russia, 3 dan
- Svetlana Shikshina, Russia, 3 dan
- Kim Min-Hee, Korea, 3 dan
- Sun Yuan, China, 3 dan
- Kang Seung-Hee, Korea, 2 dan
- Shigeno Yuki, Japan, 2 dan
- Kurebayashi Meien, Japan, 2 dan
- Chang Cheng-Ping, Taiwan, 1 dan
- Xiao Ai-Lin, Taiwan, 1 dan
Saijo Masataka
Masataka Saijo, 9 dan, föddes i Japan 1941 and blev professionell gospelare 1964. Han uppnådde 8 dan år 1981. Första gången han besökte den europeiska gokongressen var 1984, i Porrentruy, Schweiz och den andra gången var år 1993 i Prag, i dåvarande Tjeckoslovakien. Sedan 1993 har han varit på mer än tio kongresser och han har också bevistat en amerikansk kongress, år 2004, i Rochester, New York. Han är lika högt respekterad och uppskattad som instruktör både av nybörjare och professionella. In the year 1997 Saijo Sensei was appointed as Honorary Go Teacher of the EGF.
Catalin Taranu, professional 5 dan from Romania, is the disciple of Saijo.
Since Saijo is now retired and gets no support from the Nihon-kiin, we need your help to make sure he can come to the EGC. By supporting Saijo as you register you will make it possible to have him around in Leksand.
Zhang Wendong
Zhang won the World Amateur Go Championship in 1988, at the age of 18. As a professional he reached the 9 dan level in 1993, the same year as he won the 17th All-China Individual Championship. In the year 1995 he won the first Wangwei (Five Cows Cup). He has also challenged for the 5th Mingren title, the 6th Qiwang title and the 3rd Qisheng title.
He then went to study at Beijing university and got a university degree there. Now, he is the head of the Weiqi department.
Muraoka Shigeyuki
Föddes 28 augusti 1955. Elev till Shiraishi Yutaka, 9 dan. Han blev 1 dan 1971 och 9 dan år 1993.
About coming to Leksand, he says: "I am looking forward to sharing wonderful time with all of you Go lovers, even though it is only once a year."
Miyamoto Naoki
Born in 1934 and became 1 dan in 1950 (the first new professional after the Kansai Ki-in declared its independence) and 9 dan in 1969. He is the student of Hashimoto Utaro (three time winner of the Honinbo title and one of the players in the famous atomic bomb game in Hiroshima). Miyamoto won the Kansai Ki-in first place title in 1959 and the Kansai Ki-in championships in 1967. He has also played in the Honinbo and Meijin leagues, two times each.
From 1965 to 1979 he put aside his go career to edit the Kansai Kiin magazine Igo-Shincho (New Currents in Go). Two of his books, The Breakthrough to Shodan and What's Your Rating, have been translated into English. A number of his commentaries form the core of the book Invincible: The Games of Shusaku.
He says about the trip to EGC in Leksand: "Half a century ago three Japanese top pros including my master, Utaro Hashimoto, promoted Go in the world. They believed that Go is best for peaceful exchanges. I want to see with my eyes how Go is flourishing in Europe. I look forward to meeting all of you."
Oh Kyu-Chul
Born in 1952. Became 1 dan in 1983 and 9 dan in 2005. He reached semi-finals in both the 36th and the 37th Kuksu tournaments in 1992/93. In 2006 he became the runner-up in the Jeonjaland-Cup. He has already visited the congress three times, in 1996, 2000 and 2004.
No Young-Ha
Born in March 15, 1951 in Seoul. Became 1-dan in 1967 and 9-dan in 1999. Challanged for the Wangwi (1971), Kuksu (1972) and Baduk Wang (1980) titles. Since 1976 he worked for Baduk-TV as a commentator.
Aoki Shinichi
Bron June 9, 1965 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Disciple of Kikuchi Yasuro. Became 1 dan in 1983 and 9 dan in 1999.
Catalin Taranu
Born in March 31, 1973. He became insei in 1995 with Saijo Masataka as teacher. In 1997 he passed the pro exams and became professional at the Nagoya brach of the Nihon-Kiin. In June 2001 he was promoted to 5 dan.
Yoon Young-Sun
Föddes 22:a november 1977. Hon blev 1 dan 1992 och 2 dan 1997. Hon har vunnit Koksu-titeln för damer inte mindre än fyra gånger (1994-96 och 1998) och damernas Haojue-världsmästerskap år 2002. År 2006 avancerade hon till 5 dan. Hon har författat tre böcker som har översatts till engelska: "Think like a pro - Pae" , "Think like a pro - Haengma" och "100 Tips for Amateur Players I". I september 2007 gifte hon sig med den tyske amatörspelaren Rasmus Buchmann, 2 dan, och bor nu i Hamburg, Tyskland. Partiet i Hikaru no go, 75-76, mellan Shindo och koreanen Hon Suyon var faktisk taget från ett parti mellan Yoon Young-Sun (vit) och Yi Cheong-Weon, spelat den 3:e februari 1995. Hon har varit i Leksand tre gånger tidigare, som gästproffs vid den årliga turneringen Leksand Open.
Li Liang
Born July 4, 1971. Became professional 1 dan in 1987 and 5 dan in 1998.
Hashiguchi Mika
Born September 19, 1963. Disciple of Ushinohama Satsuo, 9 dan, at the Kansai Ki-in. Became 1 dan in 1983 and 4 dan in 1997.
Her comments about the visit to Leksand is: "Last year was my first visit to EGC. I realized how wonderful it is. I am impressed by the level of players and the energy of organization. My heart throbs with expectations of making good memories there."
Alexandre Dinerchtein
Born April 19, 1980 in Kazan city, Russia. Disciple of Chun Poongjho, 8 dan. Became 1 dan in 2003 and 3 dan in 2008. Six times European Go Champion. Since 2006, the main editor of the Goama magazine.
Kim Min-Hee
Born in March 29, 1979. She turned professional in 1991 and was promoted to 2 dan in 1999. In 2006 she visited Leksand open together with Yoon Young-Sun and Kang Seung-Hee.
Svetlana Shikshina
Svetlana Shikshina was born on March 7, 1980, in Kazan, Russia. In 1997, she went Korea to study and became a professional Go player in 2002 under her teacher and mentor Chun Poong Jho 8p. At the 50th European Go Congress 2006 in Italy, she became European Champion. She was promoted to 3 dan earlier this year.
Sun Yuan
Sun Yuan is 27 years. In 1997 he became professional and two years thereafter he was promoted to 3 dan. Runner-up in China Youth Group A in 1995, Team Champion 1996, runner-up 1996. Represented Jiangsu in 1st Chinese Go League and has been many times winner in Chinese College Championships.
Majored in Japanese language and literature starting in 2000 at Shanghai University of Foreign Studies and got a Master's degree in 2007. He is currently working as go head coach at same university.
Shigeno Yuki
Born December 18, 1965 in Niigata Prefecture. Disciple of Shimamura Toshihiro 9 dan. Became 1 dan in 1986 and 2 dan in 1994. Shigeno spent many years in Milano, Italy, and is well known to the European go players. Since 2006, she is Secretary General of the International Go Federation.
Kang Seung-Hee
Born October 21, 1980. Became 1 dan in 1993 and 2 dan in 2003. Since a couple of years Kang Seung-Hee lives in Hamburg, Germany, and has been teaching at many European tournaments, including the EGC in Villach last year. Like Yoon Young-Sun, she is a regular, and popular, visitor at the Leksand Open tournament. She was here 2004, 2006 as well as 2007.
Kurebayashi Meien
Born on June 1st, 1969, in Wuhan, China. She mastered go at 9 years old, became a professional go player at 14 in China and progressed to 2 dan at 16. In 1992 she quit her professional career and went to Japan for study. She graduated from Shizuoka Sangyou University and began to run a go school in 2000. In 2004 she became Japanese citizen.
Chang Cheng-Ping
Chang Cheng-Ping was born on October 5th, 1981, in Taichung county, Taiwan. She is the niece of O Rissei, a famous Taiwanese 9 dan professional, now playing in Japan. In 1999 she became professional player and in 2002 she reached the semifinals of the Haojue Female World Championship. She is a columnist of The Liberty Times (a Taiwanese newspaper) and is the owner of Happy Go Academy. For the last six years she has been dedicated to teaching Go.
Xiao Ai-Lin
Xiao Ai-Lin was born in June 9th 1989. She lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, but is studying education at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei. In 2004 she became a professional go player. She has also been a linkman for a television show which covers the CMC cup, a Taiwanese pro tournament, with a rapid playing tempo.