The year he turned 13, as a sixth grader in elementary school, he won the Hakcho Cup. The Dong-A Ilbo writes that it was the first time an elementary school student had won a national tournament. In 1984, he finished second at the World Amateur Championship and turned pro the same year. In 1986, he beat Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, three games in a row at jeongseon (taking Black in every game with no komi), and reached 100 career wins in December.
The year he turned 22, he took the Daewang title from Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, for his first title. The Dong-A Ilbo writes that it was the first title for a low-ranked player in 16 years. In 1990, he beat Lee Chang-ho, who was on a 41-game winning streak, and earned a Kiseong challenge. In 1991, he lost the Baccus Cup final to Lee Chang-ho 0-3, and in November he beat a Japanese player and a Chinese player in a row on the first day of the SBS World Baduk Championship.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 27, he won the 6th Fujitsu Cup. Sports Chosun writes that he was the first Korean to win it, and Yonhap News Agency calls it the stage where he first conquered a world tournament.
In 1994, he reached 500 career wins. In November 1996, he beat Yoda Norimoto, 9 dan, in the Ing Cup final and won. The same month he lost the Samsung Cup final to the same opponent. In 1998, he lost the LG Cup final to Wang Licheng, 9 dan, 2-3, and in December he won the Baedalwang, his first title in 1 year and 9 months.
In 1999, he won the Fujitsu Cup again after six years. In 2000, he won the Samsung Cup. In 2001, he won the Chunlan Cup final by winning two straight after losing the first game. In 2002, he beat Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, in the last game of the LG Cup final and completed a grand slam of world tournaments.
In 2003, he won the KT Cup and the Paewang. He beat Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, 3-0 in the Paewang final. In 2005, he reached 1,000 career wins. In 2012, he gave commentary on game 2 of the Ing Cup final on Baduk TV.
In 2014, he was named head coach of the national reserve team and in June won his 1,200th game. In 2016, he won the “Legends of Korean Baduk” league and in November took office as secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association. In 2019, back as an active player, he won the Korea-China-Japan world senior Baduk tournament.
In 2021, he won the Sinan International Senior Baduk Tournament. He received the Senior Player Award in 2020, 2022 and 2023. In 2024, he played last for Korea at the first Nongshim Baeksansu Cup and clinched the title for Korea. In 2025, he lost the final of the Senior World Baduk Open to Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, and finished second. In February 2026, he won twice at the 3rd Nongshim Baeksansu Cup but lost the last game, and China won the title.
Yoo Chang-hyuk (born 1966) turned pro in 1984, the year he turned 18, and took the Daewang title from Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, in 1988, the year he turned 22, for his first title. He became known in 1993, the year he turned 27, when he won the Fujitsu Cup, and completed a grand slam of world tournaments on Apr 1, 2002, the year he turned 36, by winning the LG Cup.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Won the Hakcho Cup as a sixth grader in elementary school. The Dong-A Ilbo writes that it was the first time an elementary school student had won a national tournament.
Source 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tab The date was not confirmed.Won the amateur national title to earn a place and finished second at the World Amateur Championship. A Korea Baduk Association series says it was Korea’s best result at the event.
Source 04 · Korea Baduk Association (Naver Sports) · The Man Who Tells Baduk, episode 5 · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tabBecame a professional Go player. The Kyunghyang Shinmun says he crossed the threshold of the pros at 18.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk, new secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association · opens in a new tabBeat Cho Yeong-suk, 1 dan, at the 60th promotion tournament for his first win as a professional.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tab The articles give October only; the day was not confirmed.Won three games in a row against Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, in a series called an “exploration match,” playing at jeongseon, in which the weaker player takes Black in every game with no komi.
Source 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tab The date was not confirmed.Reached 100 wins by beating Lee Chang-ho, 1 dan, in the qualifier for the 12th Kiwang tournament.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tab The articles give December only; the day was not confirmed.Took the Daewang title from Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan. He was 3 dan then, and the Dong-A Ilbo writes that it was the first time since Seo Bong-soo, 2 dan, won the Myeongin in 1972, 16 years earlier, that a low-ranked player had won a title. The Kyunghyang Shinmun says he became known through this.
Source 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tabSource 03 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk, new secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association · opens in a new tabSource 04 · Korea Baduk Association (Naver Sports) · The Man Who Tells Baduk, episode 5 · opens in a new tabSource 29 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk · opens in a new tab The date was not confirmed. Wikipedia names the tournament as the 6th Daewang; the articles call it the Daewang title.Beat Lee Chang-ho, who was on a 41-game winning streak, in the Kiseong main league to win the right to challenge for the title.
Source 04 · Korea Baduk Association (Naver Sports) · The Man Who Tells Baduk, episode 5 · opens in a new tab The date was not confirmed. The result of the title match is left out because the article’s wording is unclear.Met Lee Chang-ho in a final for the first time. Their head-to-head record had stood at 6-6, but he lost the final 0-3.
Source 04 · Korea Baduk Association (Naver Sports) · The Man Who Tells Baduk, episode 5 · opens in a new tabSource 30 · Newsis (Korean) · Jo-Seo match after five years · opens in a new tab The date was not confirmed.Beat Komatsu, 7 dan, of Japan and then Cao Dayuan, 9 dan, of China. He was 5 dan at the time.
Source 06 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · First day of the SBS World Baduk Championship · opens in a new tabWon the Fujitsu Cup, which is hosted by a Japanese company. Sports Chosun writes that he was the first Korean to win it, and Yonhap News Agency calls it the stage where he first conquered a world tournament. The AsiaN notes that Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, was the runner-up.
Reached 500 wins against Jang Su-yeong, 9 dan.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tab The article gives November only; the day was not confirmed.Beat Yoda Norimoto, 9 dan, in the final to win.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Nongshim Baeksansu Cup final game, Korea-Japan match · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tab The articles give November only; the day was not confirmed.Lost the final of the Samsung Cup, held the same month as the Ing Cup, to the same opponent, Yoda Norimoto, 9 dan. He names this final, in which his concentration slipped because he was busy with congratulations on the Ing Cup win, as the game he regrets most.
Source 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Nongshim Baeksansu Cup final game, Korea-Japan match · opens in a new tabSource 01 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · [Baduk people] Yoo Chang-hyuk, head coach of the reserve national team · opens in a new tabSource 13 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk wins the Samsung Cup · opens in a new tab The articles give November only; the day was not confirmed.Lost the best-of-five final to Wang Licheng, 9 dan, 2-3. This was the day of the last game.
Source 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Wang Licheng wins the LG Cup · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk, 9 dan, wins the Chunlan Cup · opens in a new tab The Dong-A Ilbo spells Wang’s name differently in Korean.Beat the title holder Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, in the last game of the best-of-five challenge match and won 3-2. It was his first title in 1 year and 9 months.
Source 11 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Baedalwang title ends his title drought · opens in a new tabBeat Ma Xiaochun, 9 dan, of China, playing Black, by half a point in 244 moves in the final. It came six years after his 1993 win, and the prize was 20 million yen.
Source 12 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Back on top at the Fujitsu Cup · opens in a new tabIn game 4 of the best-of-five final, beat Yamada Kimio, 8 dan, of Japan as Black by resignation in 173 moves and won 3-1. The Maeil Business Newspaper counts it as his fourth world title. The prize was 200 million won.
Source 13 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk wins the Samsung Cup · opens in a new tabIn the last game of the best-of-three final, beat Wang Licheng, 9 dan, of Japan as Black by resignation in 223 moves. He won two straight after losing the first, and the prize was $150,000.
Source 14 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk, 9 dan, wins the Chunlan Cup · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Wang Licheng wins the LG Cup · opens in a new tab The Dong-A Ilbo spells Wang’s name differently in Korean.In the last game of the best-of-five final, beat Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, as Black by 4.5 points in 250 moves. Having won each of the five world tournaments (Ing Cup, Samsung Cup, LG Cup, Fujitsu Cup and Chunlan Cup) at least once, he is the second grand slam winner in the world after Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, the Kukmin Ilbo writes.
Source 15 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · Baduk world grand slam · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Korea-Japan commemorative game, Yoo Chang-hyuk · opens in a new tabIn the last game of the best-of-three final, beat Lee Sedol, 6 dan, as White by 3.5 points in 278 moves and won 2-1. Yonhap News Agency calls it the end of his title drought.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · KT Cup win · opens in a new tabWon the best-of-five final 3-0 by beating Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, by half a point in game 3. With the KT Cup, he held two titles.
Source 17 · The Korea Economic Daily (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk wins the Paewang · opens in a new tabJoined the 1,000-win club by beating Song Tae-gon, 7 dan.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tab The article gives July only; the day was not confirmed.Gave commentary on Baduk TV on game 2 of the 7th Ing Cup final, played by Park Jung-hwan, 9 dan, and Fan Tingyu, 3 dan, of China.
Source 18 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Ing Cup final, game 2 · opens in a new tabChosen as the new head coach by unanimous vote of the Korea Baduk Association’s national team subcommittee. The coach was Choi Myeong-hoon, 9 dan, and the term ran through December that year.
Source 19 · Newsis (Korean) · New head coach of the national reserve team · opens in a new tabReached 1,200 wins by beating Choi Gyu-byung, 9 dan, in round 1 of the Korean qualifier for the Kuksu Mountains International Baduk Championship. That placed him fourth in career wins in Korea.
Source 02 · Newsis (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk reaches 1,200 career wins · opens in a new tabWon a league against Cho Hun-hyun, Seo Bong-soo, Cho Chi-hun and Lee Chang-ho, all 9 dan, by beating Cho Chi-hun, 9 dan, on time in game 9. He also beat Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, and Cho Hun-hyun, 9 dan, and the prize was 50 million won.
Source 20 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Winner of the Legends of Korean Baduk · opens in a new tabTook office as secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association. The same day, Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, began work as a director and operating committee member of the association.
Source 03 · Kyunghyang Shinmun (Korean) · Yoo Chang-hyuk, new secretary general of the Korea Baduk Association · opens in a new tabBeat Yu Bin, 9 dan, of China, playing Black, by 10.5 points in 263 moves in the final for his first world senior title. The Hankook Ilbo writes that he returned to active play after leaving the post of secretary general at the end of the previous year.
Source 21 · News1 (Korean) · Korea-China-Japan world senior tournament win · opens in a new tabSource 31 · Hankook Ilbo (Korean) · Ilji-mae Yoo Chang-hyuk returns · opens in a new tabPlayed in the Senior Baduk League for the first time in four years and went 12-1 in the regular season, leading Seoul Datastreams to the regular-season title in the team’s first year.
Source 22 · The Hankyoreh (Korean) · 2020 Baduk Awards · opens in a new tab The date is when the Korea Baduk Association announced the winners. The ceremony was postponed because of COVID-19.Beat Wang Mingwan, 9 dan, of Taiwan by half a point in 266 moves in the final. The game was played online, linking the Japan Go Association in Tokyo with Sinan.
Source 23 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Sinan International Senior tournament win · opens in a new tabThe reasons for the award were his second straight Sinan International Senior title and most wins in the Senior Baduk League.
Source 24 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · 2022 Baduk Awards · opens in a new tabPosted a 77.78% win rate against senior players, won the 10th Daeju Cup for the first time and led the Legend League in wins.
Source 25 · News1 (Korean) · 2023 Baduk Awards · opens in a new tabPlaying last for Korea, beat Yoda Norimoto, 9 dan, of Japan as White by resignation in 210 moves to clinch the title for Korea. The prize was 180 million won.
Source 26 · Newspim (Korean) · Winner of the 1st Nongshim Baeksansu Cup · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Nongshim Baeksansu Cup final game, Korea-Japan match · opens in a new tabLost the final to Lee Chang-ho, 9 dan, as Black by 2.5 points in 304 moves. The runner-up prize was 10 million won.
Source 27 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · Senior World Baduk Open · opens in a new tabAfter two straight wins in the tournament, lost the last game to Yu Bin, 9 dan, of China in 196 moves, and China won the title.
Source 28 · Daily Sports Hankook (Korean) · 3rd Nongshim Baeksansu Cup · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1979–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Games · South Korea
1966 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1966: the year of the event minus 1966, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.10.12 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.