11th GLOBIS Cup World Go Championship U-22: South Korea's Kim Seung-gu 4-dan Wins; Youth International Tournament That Produced Ryo Ichiriki, Winner of Ing Cup, and Aimi Ueno, Former Champion of Wu Qingyuan Cup, Resumes After 3 Years

The main tournament semifinals and finals of the "11th GLOBIS Cup World Go Championship U-22," an international Go tournament sponsored by the Nihon Ki-in (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Chairman: Harumitsu Takao) and supported by GLOBIS Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yoshito Hori), were held on June 28 at the Nihon Ki-in Tokyo Main Building.

The tournament was held from June 26 to June 28, 2026, at the Nihon Ki-in Tokyo Main Building, with 16 players under the age of 22 from various countries and regions participating.

Commemorative photo after the awards ceremony (from left: Yoshito Hori, GLOBIS Representative; Kwon 7-dan; Kim Seung-gu 4-dan; Kim Seung-jin 7-dan; Harumitsu Takao, Nihon Ki-in Chairman)

The championship was won by Kim Seung-gu 4-dan, with Kwon Hyo-jin 7-dan taking second place, and Kim Seung-jin 7-dan securing third place, resulting in a clean sweep for South Korean players from 1st to 3rd.

Sakai Yūki 7-dan, the only Japanese player to reach the semifinals, lost to Kwon Hyo-jin (South Korea) and in the third-place match, lost to Kim Seung-jin (South Korea), finishing in 4th place overall.

The GLOBIS Cup is the only international Go tournament held in Japan that includes both male and female participants, and it was established in 2014 as an international competition for young players. Many players who are now active at the top level internationally, such as Ryo Ichiriki, the first champion who later won the Ing Cup World Championship, and Aimi Ueno, who won the Wu Qingyuan Cup World Women's Go Championship, have emerged from this tournament.

Due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was temporarily suspended. However, with the recovery of international exchange environments, it has resumed as the "11th GLOBIS Cup World Go Championship U-22" for the first time in three years since the 10th edition. This time, the eligibility age was expanded to under 22, and young players from around the world competed aiming for further growth and breakthroughs.

GLOBIS will continue to contribute to the creation of a platform for cross-border exchange and growth, and to the international development of Go culture through the intellectual sport of Go.

Event Overview

・Tournament Name

11th GLOBIS Cup World Go Championship U-22 (English: 11th GLOBIS Cup World Go Championship 2026) *Abbreviation: "GLOBIS Cup"

・Organizer

Nihon Ki-in

・Sponsor

GLOBIS Inc.

・Dates

June 26 (Fri) - June 28 (Sun), 2026

・Venue

6th Floor, Nihon Ki-in Tokyo Main Building

・Participants

16 players under 22 years old from various countries and regions worldwide

(Japan: 6, South Korea: 5, Chinese Taipei: 2, Europe: 1, North America: 1, Asia/Oceania: 1)

・Game Rules

16 players compete in a group league of 4 players per group (double-elimination format), with the top 2 winners from each group advancing. The final tournament (8 players) will be conducted in a knockout format. Japanese rules, all komi 6.5 points for black, no main time, 30 seconds per move, with 10 periods of 1-minute thinking time (NHK Cup format).

◆GLOBIS (https://globis.co.jp)

Since its establishment in 1992, GLOBIS has been engaged in various businesses with the vision of "Creating an ecosystem of people, capital, and knowledge related to management, and driving societal creation and transformation." In terms of "people," in addition to GLOBIS University Graduate School of Management, we promote the development of leaders through GLOBIS Corporate Education, which offers corporate human resource development services such as school-based and group training, and GLOBIS Digital Platform, which provides e-learning and the subscription-based video learning service "GLOBIS Manabi-hōdai." In terms of "capital," we operate the venture capital firm "GLOBIS Capital Partners" for investing in and nurturing venture companies. In terms of "knowledge," we disseminate knowledge through our publishing business and our owned media "GLOBIS Manabi-hōdai x Chikenroku." Furthermore, to promote creation and transformation in society, we engage in activities such as conference management by the General Incorporated Association G1 and disaster recovery support and social impact investment by the General Incorporated Foundation KIBOW.

GLOBIS:

GLOBIS University Graduate School of Management

- Japanese (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Online) / English (Tokyo, Online)

GLOBIS Inc.

- GLOBIS Executive School

- GLOBIS Management School

- Corporate Training

- Publishing / E-publishing

- "GLOBIS Manabi-hōdai x Chikenroku" / "GLOBIS Insights"

- "GLOBIS Manabi-hōdai" / "GLOBIS Unlimited"

GLOBIS Capital Partners Co., Ltd.

Gu Bi Si (Shanghai) Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

GLOBIS Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.

GLOBIS Asia Campus Pte. Ltd.

GLOBIS Thailand Co., Ltd.

GLOBIS USA, Inc.

GLOBIS Europe BV

GLOBIS Manila Inc.

PT. GLOBIS Indonesia Hub

GLOBIS Taiwan Co., Ltd.

GLOBIS Middle East (Commercial Representative Office)

Other Activities:

- General Incorporated Association G1

- General Incorporated Foundation KIBOW

- Ibaraki Robots Sports Entertainment Inc.

- LuckyFM Ibaraki Broadcasting Co., Ltd.

[Contact for Inquiries Regarding Coverage]

GLOBIS Public Relations Office Contact: Ryo Tsuchihashi

E-MAIL: pr-info@globis.com