Go strategy Go players and tournaments Computer Go Go Rules and History

Rui Naiwei

Rui Naiwei
Hangul 루이나이웨이
Hanja 芮乃偉
Chinese Trad. 芮乃偉 Simp. 芮乃伟
Pinyin Ruì Nǎiwěi
Born December 28, 1963
Shanghai, China
Turned pro 1985 (full time)
Rank 9 dan
Affiliation Zhongguo Qiyuan (1985-19??)
American Go Association (19??-1999)
Hanguk Kiwon (1999-present)

Rui Naiwei (simplified Chinese: 芮乃伟; traditional Chinese: 芮乃偉; pinyin: Ruì Nǎiwěi; born December 28, 1963) is a Chinese professional Go player, now active in South Korea. She is probably the strongest recorded female Go player, and is the only woman to have won one of the major open go titles.

Biography

She was born in Shanghai, China, and lives in Seoul, South Korea, with her husband, Jiang Zhujiu, also a 9-dan professional. She and Jiang participate actively in Korean tournaments.

After starting to play around 1975 (at the age of 11 - the age some other players go pro) she became a pro for the Zhongguo Qiyuan in 1985, being promoted all the way to 7-dan that year. She reached 9-dan in 1988, becoming the first woman ever to achieve that rank.

Leaving China in 1989, she moved to Japan. While the Nihon Ki-in did not allow her to play in any Japanese tournaments, she was able to make it to the semi-finals of the international Ing Cup in 1992. She spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, then they moved to South Korea (with the help of Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan), where she has dominated the women's events and has won two open events, always previously won by men: the Guksu (the 43rd open Guksu title in South Korea, 1999) and the Maxim Cup (2004).

Rui's style tends to be extremely aggressive, and often characterized by large scale semeai.

Titles & runners-up

Ranks #6-t in total number of titles in Korea.

Title Years Held
Current 17
Guksu 1999
Maxim Cup 2004
Women's Myungin 2000-2002, 2004-2007
Women's Guksu 2000-2002, 2006, 2007
Women's Kisung 2006
National Women's Individual 1986-1989
International 7
Jeongganjang Cup 2003
Hungchang Cup 2000, 2001
Eastern Airlines Cup 2000
Bohae Cup 1994, 1996, 1997
Title Years Lost
Current 4
Guksu 2000
Maxim Cup 2003
Women's Guksu 2003
Women's Myungin 2003
Defunct 4
LG Refined Oil Cup 2000
North American Masters Tournament 1996, 1999, 2000
COMMENTS