| Maria Zakharchenko | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full name | Maria Zakharchenko |
| Born | February 16, 1995 Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Residence | Kyiv and Korea |
| Turned pro | 2012 |
| Rank | 1-dan pro |
| Affiliation | Hanguk Kiwon |
Mariya Zakharchenko (born February 16, 1995, Kyiv) is a 1-dan professional Go player from Ukraine. She was awarded professional status by Hanguk Kiwon in 2012.
Mariya Zakharchenko began playing go in 2005, at the age of 9. She began to studying game in a Kyiv go club where she was coached by Yuri Plusch (5-dan). During a few years Mariya also participated in numerous Ukrainian, European and international amateur competitions.
By 2008 Zakharchenko had reached the rank of 4-dan and was subsequently invited by Mr Poong Jho Chun (9P) to study at a South Korean insei school for women, becoming a grade five insei by the end of the year. [1]
In 2009, Zakharchenko was promoted to a grade three insei after winning a series of games in promotional tournaments. [2] In 2011, Zakharchenko ranked among the top 12 female players in South Korea [3] In 2012, Zakharchenko reached the level of first-grade insei and was subsequently promoted to 1-dan professional by Hanguk Kiwon. [4]
Mariya Zakharchenko went on to win 3 games out of her first 44 professional matches including:
A Go professional is a professional player of the game of Go. The minimum standard to acquire a professional diploma through one of the major Go organisations is very high. The competition is tremendous, and prize incentives for champion players are very large. For example, the Honinbo Tournament has a grand prize of about $350,000.
The Korea Baduk Association, also known as Hanguk Kiwon (Korean: 한국기원), was founded in November 1945 by Cho Namchul.
Janice Kim is an American professional Go player, author, and business-owner.
The American Go Association (AGA) was founded in 1935, to promote the board game of Go in the United States.
Park Yeong-hun, also known as Park Young-hoon and Pak Yeong-hoon, is a South Korean professional Go player.
The Myeongin is a Go competition in South Korea. The word myeongin in Korean language, literally meaning "Brilliant Man", is same as meijin in Japanese and as mingren in Chinese. The Myeongin is the Hanguk Kiwon equivalent to the Nihon-Kiin's Meijin title. The tournament was defunct from 2004-2006.
The Guksu was a Go competition in South Korea. It was held 59 times beginning in 1956, and was discontinued in 2016.
Alexandre Grigorievich Dinerchtein is a professional Go player from Russia. He is one of only a few non-Asian players to reach professional status, which he achieved in 2002 at the Hanguk Kiwon. He has won the European Championship seven times between 1999 and 2009.
Kim In was a South Korean professional Go player.
The Samsung Fire Cup is an international Go competition.
Jimmy Cha, also known as Ch'a Min-su, is a South Korean professional go and avid poker player. He is also a black belt in martial arts and a talented classical pianist.
Cho Namchul was a professional Go player. He died of natural causes in Seoul at the age of 83.
Paek Hongsuk is a professional Go player.
Diána Kőszegi is the first Hungarian professional Go player. She became the sixth European professional player since she was promoted by the Korean Go Association on January 4, 2008.
Park Jieun is a South Korean professional Go player of 9-dan rank. In 2008, she became the third female go player in history to achieve 9-dan rank, following Rui Naiwei and Feng Yun.
Kang Yootaek is a Korean 9 dan professional Go player. He was ranked #13 in the official rating system of the Korea Baduk Association.
Svetlana Valeryevna Shikshina is a professional Go player from Russia, one of only four western women to date to reach professional status. She achieved this in 2002, affiliated to the Hanguk Kiwon.
Choi Jeong, or Choi Jung, is a South Korean professional Go player.
Ilya Valerievich Shikshin is a 4-dan professional Go player from Russia. He was the fourth player to be awarded professional status by the European Go Federation, in 2015. He has won 27 major European titles including the European Championship, European Team Championship and European Pair Go Championship.
Byun Sang-il is a South Korean professional Go player.