Cho Namchul

Cho Namchul (November 30, 1923 - July 2, 2006) was a professional Go player (Baduk in Korean). 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 South 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 1950's and 1960's, he won the vast majority of national tournaments.

He is known as the founder of Korean modern Go.

After his death, he was honored by the president of Korea with a medal and floral tribute.

Titles & runner-ups

Ranks #5 in total amount of titles in Korea.

Title	Years Lost
Current	7
Wangwi	1966, 1969, 1970, 1972
Guksu	1965, 1968, 1970
Defunct	4
Myungin	1971, 1974
Paewang	1970
Chaegowi	1967

Trivia

• Namchul is the uncle of the top Japanese Go title holder Cho Chikun.

External links

• Biography at "Sensei's Library"
• Obituary article with portrait photo