The 2023 NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament details have been finalized. Scheduled to take place at the San Francisco Go Club from August 6 to 11, “the tournament will feature an exciting competition,” says NAGF Executive Director Hajin Lee. “We’re really excited about certifying a new professional player through this tournament,” Lee added. The newly certified professional will have opportunities to represent North America in various international tournaments, following in the footsteps of recent professionals Kevin Yang and Alexander Qi.
A total of 13 players will play a preliminary round in two round-robin groups, a best-of-three semi-final round, and a best-of-three final round. The final winner of the tournament will receive the title of NAGF Professional 1 Dan, plus a $2,000 USD prize. The runner-up will receive a $1,000 USD prize.
All rounds will use time controls of 75 minutes main time with 60 seconds, 5 times byo-yomi. More details on the tournament rules can be found here.
Further details regarding live broadcast plans by the E-Journal team will be announced at a later date; those interested in volunteering for the EJ coverage team may contact journal@usgo.org.