12-year-old Japanese girl to become youngest female professional Go player next year - The Japan News
Eleven-year-old Saki Yanagihara will become a professional Go player on April 1 next year, according to an announcement by The Nihon Ki-in, a Japanese association promoting the game of Go. Just 12 years 5 months old when she turns pro, the Tokyo-based Yanagihara will be the youngest active female professional at that time. Koharu Cho is currently the youngest professional Go player, and will be 13 years 4 months old on April 1 next year. The association’s special recommendation system for female Go players will be applied to Yanagihara’s promotion as a first-dan player. Under this system, the teacher of a competent student honing their Go skills at the association can recommend her as a professional hopeful, separately from the recruitment exam run by the association. Yanagihara was recommended after achieving certain promising results, such as being runner-up at the 37th world youth Go championship in the under 12 category. Her promotion was approved at a regular board meeting of the association on Tuesday. She is scheduled to participate in professional league matches in January as a probationary player even before becoming a first-dan player. “I was really surprised but happy,” Yanagihara said. “I’ll work hard so I can be a rival to second-dan holder Sumire Nakamura [the youngest woman ever to turn pro, then 10 years old]. I want to become an internationally successful Go player.”
Japan blooms just at the right time as the Nadeshiko looks to make new history at Women's World Cup
Juju Noda Is 12 Years Old and Already Driving a Formula 3 Car
15-Year-Old Japanese Professional Go Player Nakamura Debuts in S. Korea; Loses Match But Promises to Move Forward - The Japan News
13-year-old girl becomes youngest person to win Go title in Japan
Teen Go prodigy Sumire Nakamura becomes youngest in Japan to capture title - The Mainichi
10-year-old Japanese golfer closing in on 12th sponsor
Minami-Katsu-Youngest-Champion-Japan-LPGA
12-yr-old girl to become 3rd youngest ever female pro Go player - The Mainichi
World's youngest professional skateboarder is a 10-year-old, set to compete in Olympics 2020 in Tokyo
Nakamura wins title to become youngest go champion at 13 The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
VCHA: Global 'Girls of the Year' Pioneering a New Era of K-Pop
