Cho Chikun

Cho Chikun is, without question, one of the most dominant figures in the history of professional Go — a man who turned the Japanese circuit into his personal proving ground for decades. Born in Busan and trained under Nihon Ki-in, he became the first player ever to hold the Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo titles simultaneously, and he kept that triple crown for three consecutive years. Seventy-five career titles at Nihon Ki-in — that's not just a record, it's a statement. There's a certain poetry in watching someone from Korea arrive in Japan as a young prodigy and then simply out-grind an entire nation of masters at their own ancient game. The Medal with Purple Ribbon from the Japanese government says it all: even the establishment had to bow. A genuinely once-in-a-generation competitor.

Name (English)

Cho Chikun

Name (Japanese)

趙治勲

Reading

ちょう・ちくん

Born

June 20, 1956 (age 70)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Monkey

Origin

Busan, South Korea

Occupation

Go professional

Awards & achievements

• Medal with Purple Ribbon

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B6%99%E6%B2%BB%E5%8B%B2

Tags

• Go professional

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.