In December 2024, Masashi Kitashiba, a fourth-year student at the Nagoya University School of Medicine, claimed victory at his debut appearance in the World Collegiate Go Championship. In recognition of this remarkable achievement, he received the Nagoya University President's Award for the 2024 academic year. We spoke with Kitashiba about his journey to becoming the world's top student player, his participation in the Nagoya University Go Club, and his future goal of becoming a doctor while staying active in amateur Go.
Giving Up on the Dream of Becoming a Professional Player
Kitashiba began playing Go around the start of elementary school under the influence of his older brother. He was captivated by how each match presented unique board configurations and worked to hone his skills through local classes and online matches using his home computer. In third grade, he placed second in the division for younger grades at the national elementary school tournament. In sixth grade, he would go on to win the overall tournament.
Realizing that he was improving faster than his classmates at Go lessons, Kitashiba decided to try to become a professional player and attempted the qualifying exam in his second year of junior high school. "I did not stand a chance," he recalls. The experience taught him just how difficult it would be to achieve that dream. As a starting point, he decided to set a new goal: winning the national junior high school tournament.
He cleared this hurdle in the summer of his third year. Just after entering high school, he made another attempt at the professional qualifying exam. Despite feeling he had a decent chance, Kitashiba failed this time as well. Seeing how others were passing the exam as junior high students, he decided that he ultimately needed to give up on the dream of becoming a professional Go player. "Even if I did make it, continuing to win among so many talented players would have been difficult," he reflected.
Various trophies that Kitashiba earned in Go competitions during his childhood.
A Fateful Rivalry and the Road to the World Collegiate Championship
Although he gave up on a professional career, Kitashiba continued to gain recognition for his Go skills. During a gap year after high school, he was crowned the top amateur player in Japan, steadily building his strength.
After entering Nagoya University's School of Medicine, Kitashiba struggled to secure a championship win. He often advanced to the semifinals and finals, but, in his own words, he "just could not close it out in the final moments." Discouraged, he even considered stepping away from competitive Go until an unexpected opportunity arrived: a chance to compete in the world tournament. A rival player who had been selected as Japan's representative withdrew, and Kitashiba was chosen in his place.
That rival was Tsubasa Kawaguchi from the University of Tokyo (at the time), the same opponent who had defeated Kitashiba in the finals of his first national tournament in third grade. The two had faced off numerous times over the years, including a rematch in the finals of a high school national tournament where Kitashiba emerged victorious.
Stepping in for his long-time rival, Kitashiba admitted, "I had not won any event since entering university, so honestly, I was not confident." Perhaps because the tournament was held in the more-familiar city of Tokyo, he was able to stay relaxed even though it was his first international competition. He managed to stick to his usual style, being patient and slowly pressuring his opponents. Even when the odds were against him, he said, "My opponent is human and bound to make a mistake. I fought until the end without giving up, determined not to miss that moment."
Despite the high level of play, Kitashiba secured the championship title, defeating top players from the Chinese Go community, including those from the mainland, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. "None of the matches were easy, but I was able to play true to myself. I am happy I was able to deliver a good result," he reflected.
Kitashiba (left) faced Kawaguchi (right) three times in national tournament finals as a university student.
Kitashiba (right) holding the championship trophy at the World Collegiate Go Championship.
Training with Top-Level Peers at the Nagoya University Go Club
Kitashiba hones his skills through regular matches with members of the Nagoya University Go Club, located in the student hall on the Higashiyama Campus. The club boasts numerous nationally ranked players and took third place at the All Japan University Go Championship in February 2025. The club has represented the Central Japan region at the tournament for four consecutive years, showing unmatched strength in the area.
Chōtarō Ogasawara, a first-year master's student in the Graduate School of Engineering and a frequent opponent of Kitashiba since elementary school, is considered one of the club's top players. "I am glad we are on the same team. He is incredibly reliable in team competitions," said Ogasawara.
Since not many of the neighboring universities have Go clubs, some students join from other schools. Takumi Matsushita from Meijo University shared, "Nagoya University's level is really high. I felt I could improve here."
After matches, players reflect on key turning points and give each other feedback.
Aiming to Become Japan's Top Student Player and Then the World's Once Again
In 2024, Kitashiba came close to winning the individual division in all four university-level tournaments, finishing second place in three and third place in one. His goal for this year is to finally claim the title of "best student player in Japan." Determined to improve his skill through more in-person matches, he shared, "I want to continue to practice with the Go club and get even stronger."
He was also selected to compete again in the World Collegiate Go Championship that was held in Singapore in late July, this time as the defending champion. "With medical school clinical training getting busier, I am not sure how many more tournaments I will be able to enter. I want to give it my all, so I do not have any regrets," he said in the months before the event.
The Nagoya University Go Club has around 40 members. Activities are held in the Japanese-style room on the second floor of the student hall every Monday, Thursday (spring semester only), and Friday from 16:00.
"Go has allowed me to connect with people around the world," said Kitashiba.
An Interest in Medicine Sparked by Sporting Injuries
While deeply immersed in Go, Kitashiba also enjoys sports. He played soccer in elementary school, volleyball in junior high and high school, and is currently taking on skiing at university. In high school, after giving up on the dream of becoming a professional Go player, he dedicated his time to volleyball and even competed at the prefectural level. However, frequent injuries led to a turning point. "The orthopedic doctor took great care of me, and I became drawn to the idea of supporting athletes as a physician," he explained, describing what led him to pursue medicine. He also credited Go for helping him with university entrance exams, saying, "I owe getting into medical school to the concentration and analytical thinking I developed through Go."
Kitashiba sees a connection between Go and medicine: "A doctor's job is to choose the best treatment from among many options. In that sense, it overlaps with playing Go, where you must always think of the best possible move." He added that Go activates the frontal lobe and helps prevent dementia. "If there is a way to connect Go with medicine to benefit society, I want to discover it."
Kitashiba (center) competing as an attacker in his high school volleyball team.
Kitashiba (center) cross-country skiing as a member of the medical school's ski club.
Related Links
- Nagoya University Go Club website (in Japanese)
This article was originally written in Japanese by Tatsuhiko Maruyama for the "Public Relations Meidai" web magazine and published on June 17, 2025. Photos were either taken by the author or provided by Masashi Kitashiba. The Nagoya University International Communications Office has translated and edited it for clarity while preserving the original content's intent. Certain information might be outdated. For the original Japanese version, please see here.