Meet Joanne Missingham, Taiwan’s Goddess of Go: Part 2
Meet Joanne Missingham, Taiwan’s Goddess of Go: Part 2
2024-06-16
Last Sunday, we introduced you to Taiwan’s top Go player, Joanne Missingham, and showed you her early days learning the game in Taiwan. Today in Part 2, we follow her to the U.S., where Go was virtually unknown, and no teachers could tutor her. Instead, Joanne learned from advanced players online, meeting at midnight to make different time zones work. Finally, after two attempts at a test, she qualified as a pro player, at the age of 14. She then dropped out of normal schooling, to begin a career as a professional Go player. Always accompanied by her devoted mother, she entered many contests, and her rank rose. Here’s part two of our Sunday special report.
In 2005, Joanne was 11, and new in the U.S. Go barely existed in her new country. At one point, she wondered if her Go career would survive the move.
Joanne Missingham
Taiwan Go player
When I was 11, we moved to the U.S. for my dad’s work, and there was no Go in the U.S. There were no Go teachers, and no fellow Go learners, obviously. I just played online, by myself, and analyzed my own games. Later, I found an online teacher.
Chou Ko-ping
Teacher of Joanne Missingham
At the beginning, I thought “There’s not much Go in America. Maybe she’ll give up.” I didn’t imagine that she would persevere in playing online every day. She even managed the time zone problem, playing whenever it suited experts in Asia, people in Taiwan, Japan, Korea and China. She trained every day I was astonished.
Staying as committed to Go as ever, Joanne maintained her discipline, moving step by step towards her dream. Her teachers in Taiwan were touched.
Chou Ko-ping
Teacher of Joanne Missingham
Nobody made her do it. She made herself do it. It was no easy task, especially for an 11 or 12-year-old. Perhaps because her mom saw how she had such high expectations for herself, her mom took her to the professional exam in China.
Joanne Missingham
Taiwan Go player
My mom gave me a condition. When we moved to the U.S., I was amateur rank 6 dan. Mom said, “If you reach amateur 9 dan, I’ll take you to the professional exams.” In two years online, I reached 9 dan. So my mom took me to the professional exams when I was 13.
Ho Hsin-jen
Chinese Professional Go Association
Online Go is thriving these days, so the online Go platforms provide standards for rising through the ranks, based on the player’s game history. So you can rise all the way to amateur 9 dan. Even though it’s a certificate from a platform, it does prove the player’s capacity, to a certain extent. Someone who can get 9 dan online is almost certainly at a professional standard.
In 2007 at the age of 13, Joanne was on the cusp of adolescence. Accompanied by her mother, she went to China for the Go exam. In the girls’ category, only the top two players would receive professional status. Competition is fierce, merely to take the exam. Only 5% of entrants are allowed to compete.
Joanne Missingham
Taiwan Go player
Qualifying as a pro Go player is very hard. I took the exam in China. I first took it at the age of 13. Only two girls out of about 90 passed. I placed 20th that time. That’s a long way from passing. I asked my mom to give me another chance, so she took me back the next year. I came second that time.
Ho Hsin-jen
Chinese Professional Go Association
Every year, many people want to take the test. The Chinese population is so big. Thousands apply, and only 10% are accepted. In other words, it’s extraordinarily competitive. In general, it’s well known that the pros from China and Korea have a slightly higher standard than those from Japan and Taiwan. I think it’s because they train differently, and their competition systems are different.
There are nine professional Go rankings. One is the lowest, nine is the highest. Players only go up ranks, never down. A player that wants to rise in ranking needs to play in global contests.
Ho Hsin-jen
Chinese Professional Go Association
A new pro player starts at 1 dan, at least. Basically, to go up a rank, you have to accumulate wins in formal Go matches. Currently, Taiwan’s highest ranked player has a 9 dan rank.
Joanne’s wish to become a pro Go player came true when she was 14. Her mother was her minder and manager. She took her daughter to contests, big and small, and that cut into family time. Joanne’s formal education had to pause. At one time, her father opposed the choice.
Joanne Missingham
Taiwan Go player
My dad was worried about how I’d make an income. A professional Go player’s income isn’t very fixed. It depends on your success - that decides your prize money and income. So I made a promise to my dad. I said, “If I make enough money to support me and mom, you have to stop questioning it.” I was lucky that, in the first year, I managed that. So after that he was fully supportive.
In 2010, aged 16, Joanne joined Taiwan’s Go group training team. The Taiwan Go Association certified Joanne to move up to 2 dan rank. That November, she played at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, winning bronze for women’s Go. She and the legendary Chou Chun-hsun came fourth in mixed doubles.
Chou Chun-hsun
The “Red-faced Go Master”
Most women favor an aggressive strategy. But Joanne doesn’t need to use those tactics to lead the board into her preferred modes, places where she can easily win, or it’s hard for her to be unseated or to lose her advantage. That’s one of her strengths.
Joanne is focused and solemn when playing Go. But in her down time, she’s vivacious and sweet. She likes traveling with girlfriends, enjoying fine dining, desserts and fried snacks.
Hsieh Yi-min
Go player based in Japan
She loves fried chicken. She ate loads of it at the Asian Games. She can eat 20 fried chicken pieces in one meal, and then have an ice cream!
Her image as a Go player is a big contrast to her persona outside Go. She loves adventurous outdoor activities, like skydiving from 1,000 meters above Dubai, accompanied by an instructor. She never turns down a chance to bungee jump, either.
Hsieh Yi-min
Go player based in Japan
I went bungee jumping in Macao. I think it’s the highest in the world. I texted her before, “I’m about to jump.” She said, “Tell me how it feels!” She went to jump at the same place, soon after.
Chou Chun-hsun
The “Red-faced Go Master”
How I see Joanne is “a woman of justice.” She has a very strong sense of justice! When she was quite young, she did something incredible in the Go world. I think I’d never have the guts to do it. Some Chinese Go players came to play in Taiwan, both men and women. I don’t know why, but the Taiwanese organizers paid the men from Taiwan and China to play, and offered them prize money. There was no pay for the women. Joanne was very unhappy about it. “Why are the men paid, and not me?” She took a fan to the game. The fan said, “Protest Sexist Discrimination.” She revealed the writing during the game.
Joanne is not afraid to stand up for what’s right. That year, in 2011, she won silver in the World Women’s Go Championships. That brought her ranking from 2 dan to 5 dan. She was hailed as a “black horse.”
Chou Ko-ping
Teacher of Joanne Missingham
When she came back, our students were so excited. She was already a star by then, basically. Even people who didn’t play Go had heard of her, not to mention kids who did play Go!
The next year, Joanne played many games. Her rank went up to 6 dan, and she was selected as a World Go Ambassador.
Joanne Missingham
Taiwan Go player
First, you need to be passionate about Go, and willing to spend lots of time and energy on it. Secondly, if you want to play well, mindset is very important. You can’t win every game. You’ll win some, you’ll lose some. You need to learn how to face defeat.
They say the world is like a game of Go. In 2014, Joanne was 20 years old. Her Go career was taking off, and her talents were just beginning to shine. But then Joanne found herself reeling from a devastating blow, after her beloved mother suddenly passed away. Join s next week as we pick up at this critical juncture.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
圍棋女神 黑嘉嘉 (二)
2024-06-16
上週，我們為您介紹台灣目前段位最高的女棋士黑嘉嘉，小時在台灣學習圍棋的點滴，十一歲舉家赴美之後，黑嘉嘉越洋勤奮練棋，在美國，沒有圍棋老師能夠指導，黑嘉嘉只好配合時差，凌晨摸黑上網，找尋高手切磋，終於，兩度叩關考試之後，黑嘉嘉十四歲成為職業棋士，隨後，黑嘉嘉脫離常態學業路線，展開職業棋士生涯，在母親的悉心陪伴之下，她出征大小對弈，段位也順利晉升。
2005年，黑嘉嘉11歲，赴美初期，身處毫無圍棋的西方環境，一度懷疑自己的圍棋之路，恐將就此結束。
[[台灣圍棋選手 黑嘉嘉]]
“我11歲因為爸爸工作的關係，到美國之後，美國其實是完全沒有圍棋環境，沒有圍棋老師，當然也不可能有任何的同學。那個時候全部透過網路自己下棋，自己去進行覆盤，後來有在網路上面找老師”
[[黑嘉嘉啟蒙恩師 周可平]]
“原本我也想說，在美國學棋的環境比較少，是不是她進步會中斷，可是真的想不到她竟然每天堅持上網練習，甚至調整時差，跟東方國家配合台灣、日本、韓國、中國的高手作息，每天堅持練習，我真的太吃驚”
嚴格自律，堅守初衷。黑嘉嘉在異地，勇往直前地追逐夢想，台灣的師長們備受感動。
[[黑嘉嘉啟蒙恩師 周可平]]
“也沒人要求她，都是她自己要求自己，這個就非常不容易，才11、12歲的小朋友，就這樣子。可能媽媽也是看到她，竟然能夠對自己的要求這麼高，後來才帶她去中國考職業棋手。”
[[台灣圍棋選手 黑嘉嘉]]
“那時候媽媽給我的一個條件是，我剛到美國的時候，在網路上面是六段，媽媽說如果妳可以打上九段的話，我就帶妳去考職業棋士，兩年之後，在網路上面打到九段，就在我十三歲的時候，媽媽有帶我去考職業棋士。”
[[中華民國職業圍棋理事長 何信仁]]
“因為現在網路圍棋非常盛行，在網路平台上，是由平台提供者，按照棋手的對戰成績，給予升段規定，所以可以一直升到九段。即使如此，雖然是由平台頒發的段位證書，但是它也相當程度證明了，棋手的棋力。所以一般能夠在網路平台下到九段，基本上都已經具備職業棋手的水平”
2007年，黑嘉嘉13歲，正值荳蔻年華，在母親陪同下，前往中國參加圍棋界的高考。女子組必須獲得前兩名者，才能授予職業初段，競爭激烈，錄取率極低，不到5%。
[[台灣圍棋選手 黑嘉嘉]]
“考職業棋士非常地困難，當時我其實是在中國考職業棋士，十三歲是第一次去考，一共有九十幾位女生只取兩名，那次是得到第二十名，離考上還有一段很遙遠的距離。隔年，我請媽媽再給我一次機會，所以她又再帶我去考一次，那次是第二名”
[[中華民國職業圍棋理事長 何信仁]]
“每年想要進入職業棋士取得資格的人數，因為中國人太多了，可能有幾千人，錄取名額低於10%，換句話說，競爭狀況非常非常激烈。一般而言，我們現在還是公認，中國跟韓國的職業棋手水平，是比日本跟台灣要稍微高一點，我想完全是因為訓練方法不同，比賽制度有點不同也有關係”
職業棋士的等級從低到高，分為九個段位，初段最低，九段最高，段位只升不降，爾後想要晉升段位，得與各國高手在世界比賽。
[[中華民國職業圍棋理事長 何信仁]]
“進入職業棋手，一進來至少就是初段，基本上必須以在正式圍棋比賽成績，累積到一定的勝局以後，就可以再升段，目前國內職業棋手最高段位是九段”
黑嘉嘉14歲如願以償，開啟職業棋士生涯後，母親成為貼身保母與經紀人，陪同女兒出征大小比賽，家庭成員也因此聚少離多，尤其黑嘉嘉的正規教育被迫中斷，父親曾為此一度反對。
[[台灣圍棋選手 黑嘉嘉]]
“我爸爸中間有點擔心收入的問題，因為職業棋士的收入，其實不是很固定。會看妳的表現，來取決於妳的獎金、收入有多少，所以當時跟爸爸有個約定，我跟他說，如果我的收入，是可以養活我跟媽媽的話，他就不要再過問。因為很幸運第一年，就有做到這件事情，所以他後面就是非常支持”
2010年，黑嘉嘉16歲，加入台灣圍棋集訓隊。台灣棋院授予黑嘉嘉，棋力晉升職業二段。同年11月，出征廣州亞運，摘下女團銅牌，她與棋王周俊勳的圍棋混雙組合，拿下第四名。
[[紅面棋王 周俊勳]]
“多數女生還是會偏好攻殺戰鬥，但是嘉嘉就可以不用透過那些方式，把棋局導入她擅長的地方，很容易地贏下來，或是比較不容易在優勢的時候翻車，被對方逆轉，這是其中一個優勢”
比賽時，黑嘉嘉滿臉嚴肅，專注的眼神，其實，私底下她是個活潑愛笑的大女孩，喜歡與閨密旅遊觀光，大啖美食，尤其甜食與炸物。
[[旅日棋士 謝依旻]]
“她很喜歡吃炸雞，在亞運的時候，她吃了很多雞塊，大概一餐吃二十個雞塊，吃完雞塊還要吃冰淇淋”
圍棋世界以外的黑嘉嘉，反差很大。喜愛嘗試冒險的戶外活動，像是她曾經前往杜拜挑戰千米高空跳傘，在教練陪伴下，勇敢翱翔。其他像是刺激的高空彈跳，黑嘉嘉來者不拒。
[[旅日棋士 謝依旻]]
“我去澳門的高空彈跳，那個應該是世界上最高的，在跳之前我有先跟嘉嘉報告，我現在要跳了，她說，跳完之後再告訴我感想，過大概一段時間後，她也去跳了”
[[紅面棋王 周俊勳]]
“我心目中的嘉嘉，是一個很正義的女生，她正義感非常強。她在比較年輕的時候，在圍棋界做過一件很了不起的事，這件事是我一輩子可能都不敢做。有一次中國的棋士來台灣交流，有男子棋士跟女子棋士，台灣的主辦單位不知道為什麼，台灣男棋士跟中國男棋士交流，是有對局費，有獎金的，女生就沒有對局費，嘉嘉覺得很不滿意，為什麼男生有，我沒有，為什麼其他女生沒有，她那天去比賽，她帶著扇子去比賽，扇子打開寫著抗議性別歧視，她比賽就故意把字露出來”
仗義執言，敢說敢當。同年，2011年，黑嘉嘉參加世界女子圍棋錦標賽，奪得亞軍，段位直接從二段跳升五段，堪稱圍棋界的黑馬。
[[黑嘉嘉啟蒙恩師 周可平]]
“那個時候她回來，同學們都好興奮，因為那時候她已經可以說是一位明星選手，即使不會下棋的人，都有聽過黑嘉嘉，更何況是喜歡下棋的學弟學妹們”
隔年，黑嘉嘉更是無役不與，段位提升到職業六段，被選為世界圍棋形象大使。
[[台灣圍棋選手 黑嘉嘉]]
“首先，一定是對圍棋非常有熱情，願意付出很多的時間跟精力。再來我覺得要下得好，心態也很重要，下棋一定是有輸有贏，不可能永遠是贏的那一方，所以要做好如何面對輸棋的心態”
世事如棋，人生如局。2014年，黑嘉嘉20歲，正當職業棋士生涯漸入佳境，準備大放異彩之際，一手悉心栽培她茁壯的母親，罹癌驟逝，黑嘉嘉的人生棋局關鍵處，突遭意外重擊，下周帶您來看黑嘉嘉如何破繭而出，重新出發。
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