Choi Jeong (born 7 October 1996), or Choi Jung, is a South Korean professional Go player.
A student of Yoo Chang-hyuk, Choi Jeong became a professional Go player in 2010. Her first tournament championship was the Female Myungin in 2012, a title which she held for five years up to end of the tournament in 2016. Beginning in December 2013, she was the number one woman in the Korea Baduk Association's official ranking, a position which she maintained for 128 consecutive months until August 2024.
She has won seven women's international titles: four times in the Bingsheng Cup (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019) and three times in the Wu Qingyuan Cup (2019, 2021, 2023). In December 2019, she became the first woman to reach the top 20 in the official ranking of all Korea Baduk Association players. In the 2022 Samsung Cup, she became the first woman to reach the finals of a major world tournament.
Choi Jeong, who dominated women's Go in South Korea from 2014 to 2024, reaffirmed her strong position in the field by winning the 2024 Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship, maintaining her impressive record in this tournament. She was also widely regarded as the best female Go player in the world during her time.
Path to professional
Choi's father, an amateur 1-dan in baduk (Go), started teaching Choi Jeong baduk after hearing from an academy director that his daughter had talent for the game. When she was in third grade of elementary school, they moved to Seoul, and she began attending 'Yoo Chang-hyuk Baduk Academy' in Mapo-gu. Choi Jeong, who formed a teacher-student relationship with 9-dan Yoo Chang-hyuk, even moved to Bundang when Yoo Chang-hyuk's baduk academy relocated there. In May 2010, at the age of 14 while attending the second year of Chungam Middle School, she became a professional at the Korea Baduk Association. She inherited her teacher Yoo Chang-hyuk's style, being strong in reading and combative. She doesn't hunker down in one place but boldly jumps into enemy territory. It's commonly said that her style is to cut when attached and to push when pushed. In 2012, she dropped out of high school where she had enrolled as a baduk specialist. This was because it was difficult to balance baduk competitions and academics. In the same year, she won the 13th Female Myungin title for the first time.
International competitions
(W) Winner; (RU) Runner-up; (SF) Semifinalist; (QF) Quarterfinalist; (R16) Round of 16; (R32) Round of 32; (R64) Round of 64; (RR) Round-robin.
- Note 1: Some competitions last for more than one year. In that case, the beginning year of the competition is recorded as the year of competition.
- Note 2: The <span style="background:#98fb98;">light green background</span> indicates that the player is still competing in the competition.
- Note 3: 'ÃÂ' means the player did not participate (or lost in the qualification round), while '-' means the competition was not held in that year.
- Note 4: The Huanglongshi Cup was a team competition until 2020, after which it switched to a round-robin format. The result is indicated as matches won : matches lost. The result '0:0' means the player qualified for her national team, and the team won before the player had the chance to compete in the cup.
Professional career
- 2010: 4th Jiji Auction Cup Main Tournament (ì Â4기 ì§Âì§ÂìÂ¥ìÂ
Âë°° 본ì )
- 2011: olleh Cup Main Tournament (ollehë°° 본ì ), 5th Jiji Auction Cup 8 consecutive wins (ì Â5기 ì§Âì§ÂìÂ¥ìÂ
Âë°° 8ì°ì¹), 5th Women's Kisung Tournament Runner-up (ì Â5기 ì¬ë¥Â기ì±젠ì¤Âì°ì¹)
- 2012: 13th Women's Myungin Tournament Champion (ì Â13기 ì¬ë¥ÂëªÂ
ì¸젠ì°ì¹), 6th Jiji Auction Cup Women's Team Victory (ì Â6기 ì§Âì§ÂìÂ¥ìÂ
Âë°° ì¬ë¥Âàì°ì¹)
- 2013: 14th Women's Myungin Tournament Champion (ì Â14기 ì¬ë¥ÂëªÂ
ì¸젠ì°ì¹), 3rd Hwangryongsa Twin Lamp Cup (ì Â3àé룡ì¬ ìÂÂë±배), 4th Incheon Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (ì Â4àì¸철ì¤ë´&무ë ìÂÂìÂÂìÂÂê²ÂìÂÂ), 4th Qingyun Mountain Bingsheng Cup (ì Â4àê¶Âë¥Âì° ë³Âì±배)
- 2014: 2013 Rockstar League Women's Player Award (2013 ë½ì¤ÃÂÂ리그 ì“ÂÂ기ì“ÂÂ), 1st Globiz Cup World New Star Championship (ì Â1àê¸Âë¡Âë¹Âì¦Âë°° ì¸ê³Âì ìÂÂì ìÂÂê¶Â), 15th Women's Myungin Tournament Champion (ì Â15기 ì¬ë¥ÂëªÂ
ì¸젠ì°ì¹)
- 2016: 21st LG Cup World Baduk Championship (ì Â21àLGë°° ì¸ê³Â기ìÂÂì Â)
- 2017: 22nd LG Cup World Baduk Championship (ì Â22àLGë°° ì¸ê³Â기ìÂÂì Â)
- 2018: 23rd Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance World Baduk Masters (ì Â23àì¼ì±ÃÂÂì¬배 ìÂÂëÂÂë°ÂëÂÂë§Âì¤Ã°ì¦Â)
- 2019: 24th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Baduk King Tournament (ì Â24àLGë°° ì¡°ì ì¼보 기ìÂÂì Â)
- 2019: 3rd Hankuk Kiwha Women's Kisung Tournament (ì Â3기 ÃÂÂêµÂì Âì§Âë°° ì“ 기ì±ì Â)
- 2020: 4th Hankuk Kiwha Women's Kisung Tournament (ì Â4기 ÃÂÂêµÂì Âì§Âë°° ì“ 기ì±ì Â)
- 2021: 1st IBK Industrial Bank Women's Baduk Masters (ì Â1기 IBK 기ìÂÂ
ìÂÂàì“ÂÂë°Âë ë§Âì¤Ã°ì¤)
- 2021: 4th Wu Qingyan Cup World Women's Baduk Championship (ì Â4àì¤ì²ÂìÂÂë°° ì¸고ì“ ë°ÂëÂÂì ìÂÂê¶Â)
- 2021: 1st Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship (ì Â1기 ëÂ¥ð짠ì“ÂÂìµÂ고기ì¬결ì Âì Â)
- 2022: 1st Hoban Cup Women's Baduk Top Player Championship (ì Â1기 øë°Âë°° ì“ÂÂë°Âë ìµÂ고기ì¬ ê²°ì Âì Â)
- 2022: 27th Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance World Baduk Masters (27àì¼ì±ÃÂÂì¬배 ìÂÂë ë°ÂëÂÂë§Âì¤Ã°ì¤)
- 2022: 6th Hyesung Women's Kisung Tournament (ì Â6기 ÃÂÂì± ì“ÂÂ기ì±ì Â)
- 2022: 2nd Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship (ì Â2기 ëÂ¥ð짠ì“ÂÂìµÂ고기ì¬결ì Âì Â)
- 2023: 5th Senko Cup World Women's Baduk Strongest Player Tournament (ì Â5àì¼ì½Â컵 ìÂÂëÂÂë°ÂëÂÂì¬ë¥ÂìµÂê°Âì Â)
- 2023: 3rd IBK Industrial Bank Women's Baduk Masters (ì Â3기 IBK 기ìÂÂ
ìÂÂàì“ÂÂë°Âë ë§Âì¤Ã°ì¤)
- 2023: 3rd Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship (ì Â3기 ëÂ¥ð짠ì“ÂÂìµÂ고기ì¬결ì Âì Â)
- 2024: 4th Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship (ì Â4기 ëÂ¥ð짠ì“ÂÂìµÂ고기ì¬결ì Âì Â)
- 2025: 5th Dr. G Women's Top Player Championship (ì Â5기 ëÂ¥ð짠ì“ÂÂìµÂ고기ì¬결ì Âì Â)
References
External links