Ryan Li 4P, who previously won the title in 2022 in Toronto, Canada, captured first place at the 2026 North American Pro Championship on Sunday, concluding three days of elite competition at the San Francisco Go Club. Li defeated veteran professional Myungwan Kim 9P in the final round by a half point to secure the championship title and the $10,000 top prize.
Held from October 16 to October 18, the tournament brought together seven certified North American professionals in a single bracket tournament using the AGA rules. Each match featured 90 minutes of main time followed by five 60-second byo-yomi periods, with color assignments determined by nigiri in every round.
Li entered the tournament as one of two top-seeded players alongside Bill Lin 1P, positioned on opposite sides of the bracket following their finishes in the 2025 championship. Li opened his campaign with a first-round victory over Michael Chen 2P before advancing past Mingjiu Jiang 7P in the semifinals. On the opposite side of the draw, Kim scored an opening-round win over Bill Lin and proceeded to eliminate Alexander Qi 3P in the semifinals to secure his place in the title match.
The championship game was a very close match that proved complicated from the beginning, lasting almost five hours. Li ultimately prevailed over Kim by just a half point, leaving the nine-dan professional with a runner-up finish and a $4,000 prize.
The playoff for third place saw Qi defeat Jiang to claim the $2,500 purse, while Jiang took fourth place. In the consolation bracket determining the remaining placements, Qiyou Wu 1P earned fifth place after overcoming Chen, who finished sixth. Lin completed the standings in seventh place.
The event concluded on Sunday afternoon with an awards ceremony recognizing all seven players.
Final Standings:
- 1st Place: Ryan Li 4P
- 2nd Place: Myungwan Kim 9P
- 3rd Place: Alexander Qi 3P
- 4th Place: Mingjiu Jiang 7P
- 5th Place: Qiyou Wu 1P
- 6th Place: Michael Chen 2P
- 7th Place: Bill Lin 1P