Photo/Illutration Sumire Nakamura, a 2-dan go player, speaks at a news conference on March 31. (Koji Ode)

Thirteen-year-old go prodigy Sumire Nakamura broke another record by becoming the youngest professional player to qualify to challenge a title holder in the traditional board game in Japan. 

Sumire, a 2-dan player, won the women’s Meijin-sen league tournament on March 31 after Hsieh Yimin, 32, a 7-dan player who was trailing behind her with four wins and one loss, lost a match the same day.

Sumire had taken the sole lead with five wins and one loss in the round-robin tournament where seven players compete for the right to challenge the women’s Meijin title holder, Rina Fujisawa.

Sumire will square off against Fujisawa in the best-of-three women’s Meijin championship that starts on April 14, when she will be 13 years and 1 month old.

“I’m really happy because I didn’t expect to be able to compete in a title series so soon,” Sumire said at a news conference. “The championship will likely be a very tough one for me, so I hope I can put up a good fight even just for a little bit.”

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Rina Fujisawa, the current holder of the women’s Meijin title, speaks to reporters on March 31. (Koji Ode)

The previous record was set by Fujisawa, 23, in 2014 when she competed for the best-of-five women’s Honinbo championship less than a month after she turned 16.

Sumire, a junior high school student, turned pro in April 2019 less than a month after she turned 10, the youngest on record in Japan.

Fujisawa said she is looking forward to the challenge against the young prodigy.

“I’m not finding it particularly difficult or pleasing to face off against Sumire-san, who is drawing far greater attention than me," she said. "But I’m looking forward to the championship. It’s a strange feeling.”

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