World Amateur Go Championship 2025 – Vancouver Edition

For the first time ever, the World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC) was held outside of Asia. Some might argue that WAGC 2021 in Vladivostok, Russia, already broke that rule. But considering Vladivostok is further east than Seoul… yeah, let’s not kid ourselves.

Still, this year’s edition did share something with the 2021 one: it also took place in a well-known city starting with a “V”—but this time on the other side of the globe: Vancouver, Canada!


Before We Begin: The Eligibility Plot Twist

My participation wasn’t guaranteed until the very last moment, given my recent pro status. Turns out that since I officially become a pro this summer at EGC Warsaw, I was still eligible to play as an amateur. Bureaucracy can be surprisingly convenient sometimes.


The Line-Up

This edition gathered 52 players from around the world, with some serious contenders in the mix: Ma Tianfang 8d (China, 2021 winner), Minoru Ozeki 7d (Japan, multiple KPMC runner-up and 3rd place in last year’s WAGC), as well as familiar faces from Europe like Lukáš Podpěra 7d (Czechia), Lukas Kraemer 6d (Germany), Elian Grigoriu 6d (Romania), and myself, representing France.

Europe also sent what might go down as the most optimistic player in WAGC history: an 18k from Ireland. We’ll call that one "participation over perfection." Rounding out the international crew were strong players like Alan Huang 7d (USA), Brady Zhang 7d (Canada), and Wichrich Karuehawanit 7d (Thailand). Sadly, Go legend Fernando Aguilar 7d of Argentina—better known as the “9p killer”—couldn’t make it.


Day 1 – Arrival

After 16 hours of travel, including a layover in Frankfurt (where I bumped into the Swiss and German reps), I landed in Vancouver. Fun fact: it was my first time in North America. I’ll skip the usual rants about tipping culture and vehicular monstrosities—let’s get to the Go.

The tournament was held in southern Vancouver, in a district called Richmond. My first impression? “Did we take the wrong flight and land in Asia?” The restaurants, signage, even the street population were overwhelmingly Asian. And no, this wasn’t Chinatown—the actual one is downtown. Vancouver’s diversity came as a pleasant surprise.

I’d dealt with jet lag before, but I was hopeful it’d be easier going west. Spoiler: it wasn’t. My internal clock decided 3 a.m. was morning for most of the trip. Delightful.


Day 2 – Friendship Games & Opening Ceremony

We kicked off with a so-called “Friendship Day,” where WAGC players were meant to pair up (and Pairgo up) with locals. Except… there was no real plan. We were told it would be a formal event, but after over an hour of waiting, most of us just grabbed seats and started playing. At least the "friendship" part held up.

I was surprised by the poor quality of the Go boards and stones, but figured it was just temporary—Friendship Day, after all. More on that later…

The real curveball came when I spotted Michael Redmond 9p, Antti Törmänen 1p, Ohashi Hirofumi 7p, Eunkyo Do 1p, and Hajin Lee in attendance. No announcements, no fanfare—they just appeared. Redmond, it turned out, was the official referee for the event.

Then came the opening ceremony. It was an organizational disaster and overall disgrace. No player introductions, no profiles, and an MC who sounded like he was reading his lines for the first time. The stage was far too small for the dance/K-pop/fighting "performance" combo, and a city official wandered onstage to gift a certificate "to whoever is in charge of Go globally," scanning the room and hoping someone would stand up.

Laughter filled the room—not because it was funny, but because it was the only rational reaction.

Thankfully, the banquet afterwards was a complete success. The hotel (Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport) was comfortable, the food was good, and the staff were kind. Some players even lucked out with massive rooms, complete with kitchens. No complaints there.





Day 3 – Warm-Up Wins & a Taste of Vancouver

The tournament began! WAGC pairings are famously odd. To avoid a “kyu massacre,” the first round matched players by approximate strength. But Round 2 reverted to the classic “split & slide” which is why I faced a 5d from Singapore in Round 1, then a 2d from the UK in Round 2.

Both games were straightforward wins—probably the least stressful matches I had all week.

The real shock came with the game equipment. I had naively assumed the scruffy boards and mixed-glass-plastic stones from Friendship Day were a temporary hiccup. Turns out, only the top 5 boards had decent Shin-Kaya sets. The rest of us were left with what looked like leftover supplies from a school Go club.

In the evening, a bunch of us (Serbia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Switzerland, and me) explored downtown. Vancouver’s nature is breathtaking—harbors, pine forests, mountain views. A perfect contrast to the all-concrete Go intensity.





Day 4 – The Real Challenge Begins

Round 3: I faced Milos Bojanic 4d (Serbia). I was the favorite, but let my guard down and nearly lost a dragon. Managed to save it with a second eye—close call.

Round 4: my first real test (and my first game on a proper Go board!) —Minoru Ozeki 7d (Japan). I kept things even until about move 75, then got outplayed by relentless attacking. He took a 15-point lead I couldn’t catch up to.

Afterward, I wandered into the review room, only to realize it was doubling as the live-streaming studio. With all the background noise from game reviews, I wasn’t shocked when friends told me the stream quality was terrible: low resolution, no player names, and zero communication. Another missed opportunity.

Later that night, I played a friendly game with referee Ohashi Hirofumi 7p. It turned into a tense ko fight, but I narrowly won by 1.5 points. He left looking a little… discouraged. More on that soon.







Day 5 – My Best Day

Thanks to the early pairings release the night before, I knew I’d be playing Lukáš Podpěra 7d (Czechia) as Black. He’s steady and predictable—in a good way—so I prepped a few AI-inspired responses to his usual fuseki, which I know well from our match in the Pro Qualifiers.

He played exactly what I expected, and my prep gave me an early 10-point lead I never gave up. Solid game, satisfying win.

Next up was Wichrich Karuehawanit 7d (Thailand), a strong Fox 9d player. The game was tight early on, but I pulled ahead after outreading him in a corner sequence and kept control until the end. Another strong showing.

Later that night, Ohashi Hirofumi came back for a rematch—and got his revenge. Balance restored.






_{I didn't record the whole game because I was lazy}



Day 6 – Jet Lag Strikes Back

My next opponent: Yucheng Lai 7d (Taiwan). I’d barely slept and was running on tournament-induced coffee—something I never drink. Not surprisingly, the game started poorly and he took an early 10-point lead.

Somehow, I rallied my inner KGS spirit and nearly caught up, even getting a chance to kill a big group. But with the clock ticking, I slipped, and the comeback slipped away with it.

Final round: Xiaofan Xu 5d (Singapore). I played fast and loose, ended up with a bad position, and never recovered. Props to him for a solid game—he earned it.

I finished 8th. Not spectacular, but respectable. A win in the last round would’ve bumped me to 6th, so it wasn’t a huge gap. With tough opponents throughout, I was satisfied.

The closing ceremony was simple but effective. No disasters, just some nice gift bags and a handsome trophy. The winner was Ma Tianfang 8d (China)!

Final standings right here
Many game records from the top boards can be found in the Matches section





Day 7 – Tourism, Sort Of

I’d hoped for a relaxing final day, but the tour guide had other plans. Barely intelligible English, relentless bad jokes, and questionable choices: thirty minutes at a beautiful waterfall park… and a full hour at a random parking lot. You get the idea.

Lunch was at a Chinese restaurant with hygiene standards best described as “optional.” Dinner, however, redeemed the day—another Chinese restaurant, this one clean and delicious. The wine didn’t hurt either.

Naturally, the evening turned into a beer-and-Go party. Classic.



Day 8 – Departure

Thankfully, I’d waited until the very last night to get a hangover. Off to the airport and straight to… Eastern France.

Rumor has it I didn’t sleep for 30 hours just to catch a glimpse of Antoine Fenech’s eyes in Strasbourg. Now that would be legendary...