[Stones and Stories] The Go Drama of Japan's Genius Girl

The momentum rushing like a storm. Unpredictable moves. A person with an intriguing life story. The protagonist is Nakamura Sumire 3-dan, a genius Go girl from Japan. Affiliated with the Korea Baduk Association, she has shaken the Go world in just eight months since her first match in March.

On the 13th of last month, she played her 100th official game since transferring to Korea, which was in just 225 days. A genius Go girl who plays a match every other day. She set a new record for the shortest period to reach 100 games. She beat Lee Chang-ho 9-dan’s record of 601 days for the shortest period to 100 games across both men and women by 376 days. Her performance record is even more astonishing.

On June 10th, Sumire 3-dan (left in the photo) won the championship by defeating Oh Yujin 9-dan in the finals of the '7th International Baduk Chunhyang Selection Tournament Pro Chunhyang Division'. Photo by Korea Baduk Association

Sumire recorded 66 wins and 34 losses. This surpasses the records of major female players representing Korea. Against female players, her record is 39 wins and 10 losses, an overwhelming winning rate of 79.6%.

Born in 2009, Sumire is only 15 years old, and her Go drama is just beginning. It has been less than a year since she entered the Korean stage. It is intriguing to wonder how far Sumire will grow. "I want to be active in Korea, where there are many strong players." The confident ambition conveyed by the young girl player when she moved from Japan to Korea was no empty talk. She is proving her existence through her skill.

Korea has many outstanding players with excellent skills, including Choi Jeong 9-dan, who is regarded as the strongest female Go player in the world, and Kim Eun-ji 9-dan. If Sumire can make a smooth landing as a strong player in Korean women's Go, it means she can also compete well on the world Go stage.

Sumire still has a long way to go to achieve her dreams. Korean players who had been watching Sumire’s progress with interest are now studying her style and moves. If weaknesses are exposed in that process, it may be difficult for Sumire to maintain her current record. The momentum of her storm-like rush could eventually be broken, and she could fall into a slump.

That is also part of the drama of life called Go. Isn’t it the way of life that times of overwhelming glory cannot continue forever? Maturing through times of regret and frustration is the same for Go and for our lives.

Sumire enjoys kimchi jjigae and likes singer IU’s songs. At the International Baduk Chunhyang Selection Tournament, a scene of her playing in hanbok was revealed and became a hot topic. The reason why more and more Go fans support Sumire is not only because of her appearance or fluent Korean skills. Perhaps it is the curiosity about Sumire’s Go life story, which pours out interesting stories like a manga protagonist.