Janice Kim: A Life of Possibilities

Janice Kim 3P plays multiple stones in the ever-changing Go world. She remains an active Go author, commentator, and teacher. Her Learn to Play Go series continues to give beginners a comprehensive introduction to the game. Beyond the Go board, Janice Kim also showcased her world-class “Poker Zombie” face (as dubbed by World Poker Tour commentator Vince Van Patten) at professional poker championships.

Opening Moves

Janice Kim’s roots stretch across the world. Born in Illinois in 1969 to Korean immigrants, she grew up in New Mexico. Her early childhood included exploring arroyos, jogging in early mornings, renting movies, and playing Ms. Pac-Man in the storeroom of a local grocery store.

In her teenage years, she traveled to Korea to become a yeonguseng or “professional Go apprentice,” under teacher Jeong Soo-hyon 9P, for six years. As the only girl yeonguseng, lacking both Go and Korean skills, young Janice Kim spent much of her time alone. In many of her later blog posts, she reflected on her younger self as a mix of eagerness and self-doubt, determined to find an identity of her own.

All-in on Go

Janice Kim went on to cross a path that expanded possibilities for herself and future Go enthusiasts. In 1987, she became the first Western professional Go player certified by the Korean Baduk Association. To this day, Janice Kim remains one of the only five Western women professionals to ever achieve this status, alongside Joanne Missingam 7P, Svetlana Shikshina 3P, Diana Koszegi 1P, and Mariya Zakharchenko 3P.

But, like the hundreds of possible variations in a single Go position—more than the number of subatomic particles in the known universe—Janice Kim saw a life of limitless possibilities.

In 1985, Janice Kim represented the U.S. to place second in the First World Youth Championship. 

In 1993, Janice Kim graduated magna cum laude from New York University, receiving her Bachelor in Arts for philosophy and mathematics. 

Janice Kim remained active in the Go world. In 1998, she played against Jimmy Cha 4P in the first American professional match, organized by then local organizer Chris Kirshner, now the AGA Board Director for the Western Region. She also competed in the North American Masters Tournament several times and taught popular Go workshops across the country. 

Her lectures emphasized building strong fundamentals, such as overcoming what she called the “stone-capturing disease.” She encouraged Go players at all levels to avoid overfixating on individual moves and instead reflect on their overall thought process. In this way, players can avoid making limiting assumptions based on their opponent’s choices and instead seek moves that support the broader flow of their game. 

In 2001, at the 1st Guiyang Cup Female Pros Championship, she defeated Hungary’s first professional Go player, Diana Koszegi. In the game, Janice Kim played a balanced opening, alternating between securing corner territory and expanding outwards to build thickness. This style of play was common among Korean players in that decade. As the game progressed, the thickness became the foundation for her midgame fighting to keep the pressure on white. In the endgame, she leveraged her solid outside to secure the win, reminding players the value of staying faithful to fundamentals.

In 2003, the Korean Baduk Association promoted Janice Kim to 3-Dan Professional. 

Most Western Go players first learned about Go through Hikaru no Go, the beloved manga written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (1998–2003). Accompanying the manga’s installments was the Getting Go series written by none other than Janice Kim. The success of Hikaru no Go sparked a surge of Go’s popularity in the West.

Early in her professional Go career, Janice Kim focused on promoting the game. In 1997, Janice Kim founded the online game shop Samarkand, Inc., along with its publishing arm Good Move Press. Her Learn to Play Go series, published under Good Move Press, helped expand much needed English-language Go content. 

Dealing a New Hand

In the early 2000s, Janice Kim embraced a growing passion for poker, discovering the same thrill she found in Go. In 2009, she placed fourth in the Bellagio 5 Diamond Classic, a World Poker Tour Event.

Both Go and poker demand accurate, fast, and precise decision-making—a skill Janice Kim has mastered across the board. In a 2012 World Mind Games interview, Michael Redmond 9P asked her whether Go changes how one thinks. Janice Kim replied:

“[Go] can train your mind to widen your perspective… There’s a string of thoughts, and we don’t have any control over it. But thinking is a skill like writing. You can learn to do it, so your thinking becomes clearer and quicker.”

Her words remain a powerful reminder of how Go not only sharpens game skills but also translates into competent and confident decision-making in life.

Promoting Go

Today, Janice Kim continues to bring the richness of her lived adventures to Go enthusiasts worldwide.

She is currently studying psychology at the University of New Mexico. Her research aims to explore how games can serve as rehabilitation protocols for traumatic brain injuries and Alzheimer’s disease. 

In 2024, Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyon authored Vital Endgame: the Shape of Things to Come (available here) to help experienced players refine their endgame techniques. That same year, she offered live commentary for Round 1 and Round 3 of the 2024 Evanston Invitational, a six-player round robin, entertaining viewers with her sharp wit, honesty, and storytelling. 

Janice Kim also shares her philosophical and often humorous reflections in her blog Janice Kim Files (available here) on the American Go Association website.