Cho Nam-chul


Cho Namchul was a professional Go player. He died of natural causes in Seoul at the age of 83.

Biography

Cho was born in a farming village in Buan, North Jeolla Province. In 1934, Japanese professional Kitani Minoru visited Korea and played with ten-year-old Cho, who deeply impressed the great master. He went to Japan in 1937 to study go as Kitani's first insei, or live-in student. In 1943, he returned to Korea and played a key role in the founding of the Hanguk Kiwon. It wasn't until 1983, that he would be awarded 9 dan, but for most of the 1950s and 1960s, he won the vast majority of national tournaments.
He is known as the founder of Korean modern Go. Namchul is also the uncle of the top Japanese Go title holder Cho Chikun.
After his death, he was honored by the president of Korea with a medal and floral tribute.

Titles and runners-up

Ranks #7 in total number of titles in Korea.

TitleYears Held
Current9
Guksu1956–1964
Defunct13
Myungin1968, 1970
Chaegowi1959–1962, 1964, 1965, 1966
Paewang1959–1962


TitleYears Lost
Current7
Wangwi1966, 1969, 1970, 1972
Guksu1965, 1968, 1970
Defunct4
Myungin1971, 1974
Paewang1970
Chaegowi1967