The Next Wave
The future of North American Go will be on full display July 1–6 at the Seattle Go Center, where ten of the continent's strongest amateurs will compete in the 2026 North American Go Federation (NAGF) Pro Qualification Tournament. After six days of competition, only one player will earn certification as North America's newest professional Go player.
Today's installment features a younger generation of contenders—including two teenagers, a software engineer with an obsession for tsumego, and a New York developer who believes Go only becomes more fascinating the deeper you explore it.
The tournament will be livestreamed on the AGA's Twitch and YouTube channels, with nightly recap shows from 7–8 p.m. EDT.
Evan Tan (13, San Diego, California)
Online: KGS: Zoevan
At just 13 years old, Evan Tan is the youngest competitor in this year's field, but he arrives with an impressive résumé and a mature perspective on the game. The San Diego student has been playing Go for six years and was drawn to its unique combination of simple rules and extraordinary strategic depth.
Evan especially enjoys life-and-death problems and tactical fighting, saying Go has taught him to think ahead, stay calm under pressure, and learn from his mistakes. Away from the goban, he enjoys soccer, mathematics, and coding, and counts pizza and tacos among his favorite foods.
He recently watched the animated blockbuster Ne Zha, admiring not only its action and humor but its message that people should define themselves through courage and effort rather than by others' expectations. Looking beyond competition, Evan says he hopes to help more people discover the game that has meant so much to him.
Ethan Whitman 5D (15, Austin, Texas)
Online: Discord: imsnipingu
High school student Ethan Whitman has spent most of his life thinking strategically. The 15-year-old Austin native first became interested in Go because of its importance in Chinese culture, but what has kept him playing for the past decade is the endless challenge of planning ahead and weighing competing possibilities.
That competitive mindset extends well beyond Go. Ethan also competes in coding and mathematics and enjoys basketball and chess. A fan of Shark Tank, he appreciates strategy wherever he finds it.
For Ethan, every game is a battle requiring careful calculation, disciplined judgment, and knowing exactly when to attack.
Val Lewis 4D (23, Cambridge, Massachusetts)
Online: X & Instagram: @study5v
Software engineer Val Lewis discovered Go through books donated to a local library and has spent the past decade steadily developing her game.
Asked what she enjoys most about Go, her answer is immediate: "Tsumego."
Asked about hobbies outside Go?
"Tsumego!"
That single-minded sense of humor reflects the focus she brings to improvement. When she does step away from life-and-death problems, Val enjoys reading, eating mapo tofu, and, perhaps appropriately, embracing a personal motto borrowed from the film Gattaca: "I never saved anything for the swim back."
Alan Huang 7D (27, New York City)
Software developer Alan Huang learned Go from his father nearly two decades ago and has been captivated ever since. Now 27 and living in New York City, he says what continues to draw him back is the realization that "there becomes more and more to understand the better you get at the game."
When he's not studying Go, Alan enjoys climbing, tennis, chess, and coding—especially the emerging world of "vibe coding." Korean food tops his culinary list, while the mystery film Knives Out is among his recent favorites.
Michael Xu 5D
Michael Xu did not submit a player questionnaire but returns as one of this year's ten Pro Qualification Tournament competitors, hoping to earn North America's newest professional certificate.
Whether they're seasoned veterans or rising stars, every player who arrives in Seattle begins with the same goal. Six demanding days later, only one will leave with professional status.
The first round begins July 1, with live coverage throughout the tournament on the AGA's Twitch and YouTube channels, followed each evening by the E-Journal's nightly ProQual recap show from 7–8 p.m. EDT.
Collage (l-r): Huang, Lewis, Tan, Whitman.