The SENKO Cup World Women’s Go Championship 2025 concluded with a dramatic finish as Japan’s Ueno Risa defeated South Korea’s Choi Jeong in the final. This annual international tournament, held in Tokyo, showcased the world’s top female Go players competing for the title and a grand prize of ¥10 million. Below we explore the tournament’s historical context, recap the 2025 event, and highlight the champion, runner-up, and key moments from this prestigious women’s Go championship.
Historical Context and Significance
The SENKO Cup World Women’s Go Championship is a relatively new but significant event in the Go world. First established in 2018, it was founded by the Nihon Ki-in (Japan Go Association) with sponsorship from Senko Group Holdings and other partners
One aim of creating this international tournament was to give top female players – especially those in Japan – more high-level international competition experience
With a first prize of 10 million yen (approximately $90,000), it instantly became one of the richest and most prestigious women’s Go tournaments
The 2025 Championship: Key Matches and Results
The 7th SENKO Cup World Women’s Go Championship took place from March 14–16, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. As per tradition, eight players competed: four leading Japanese professionals, the national champions of China, Korea, and Taiwan, and the winner of the previous year’s amateur Senko Cup (representing Southeast Asia)
The tournament is a single-elimination knockout, with each game played under standard Japanese rules. Players had 2 hours main time followed by byo-yomi overtime, making for deep but tense games
Quarterfinals (March 14):
The opening round saw several intense matches and one big upset. Notably, China’s Tang Jiawen 6p defeated Japan’s Ueno Asami 6p, the 2022 champion, eliminating one of the local favorites
Korea’s Choi Jeong 9p, a two-time defending champion, won against Japan’s Fujisawa Rina 7p by resignation Japan’s rising star Ueno Risa 3p prevailed over Vietnam’s Ha Quynh Anh 6d (the amateur representative) and Taiwan’s Lu Yuhua 5p beat Japan’s Wang Jingyi 4p (listed as O Keii)
These results set up a diverse semifinal lineup featuring players from four different countries.
Semifinals (March 15):
In the semifinal matches, South Korea’s Choi Jeong faced China’s Tang Jiawen in a high-profile clash. Choi continued her march toward the final by overcoming Tang’s challenge, winning by resignation
On the other side of the bracket, Japan’s Ueno Risa met Taiwan’s Lu Yuhua. Ueno Risa won this game as Black by resignation, advancing to her first international final. Notably, the four semifinalists represented four different nations – Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan – underscoring the international depth of the field. A playoff for third place saw Tang Jiawen defeat Lu Yuhua, securing the Chinese player the third-place finish
Final (March 16):
The championship final pitted 18-year-old Ueno Risa against the formidable 28-year-old Choi Jeong – a classic Japan vs. Korea showdown. Choi Jeong, with her experience and two consecutive titles, was arguably the favorite and gained an early lead in the game after capitalizing on some mistakes by Ueno Risa
However, the game took a dramatic turn in the endgame. In a complicated late-stage battle, Choi missed a crucial tesuji (tactical finesse) in the endgame, allowing Ueno Risa to execute a brilliant move that turned the tables
With that last-minute reversal, Ueno Risa edged out Choi by the slimmest of margins – winning by 0.5 points (half a point) to clinch the championship
This razor-thin victory earned Ueno Risa the Senko Cup title and the ¥10,000,000 top prize. It also denied Choi Jeong what would have been her third consecutive Senko Cup triumph
