Xie Yimin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Xie Yimin
Chinese	Trad. 謝依旻 Simp. 谢依旻
Pinyin	Xiè Yīmín
Born	(1989-11-16) 16 November 1989 (age 35) Miaoli, Taiwan
Residence	Tokyo, Japan
Teacher	Kou Mousei
Turned pro	2004
Rank	7 dan
Affiliation	Nihon Ki-in; Tokyo branch

Xie Yimin (born on November 16, 1989) is a professional Go player from Taiwan. She plays Go in Japan. Go is a strategy board game. Xie Yimin is one of the best female Go players. She has won many important titles. These include Honorary Female Honinbo and Honorary Female Meijin. As of 2016, she held Japan's top three female Go titles. These were Female Meijin, Female Kisei, and Female Honinbo.

Xie Yimin's Journey in Go

Starting Young

Xie Yimin began playing Go when she was five years old. She went to a Go school with her older brother. At age seven, she played in a children's tournament in South Korea. She was part of the Taipei team. She won all three of her matches. When she was eight, she won the Kaiho National Children's Go Cup. After this, she met Kou Mousei, who became her teacher. In 2002, Xie became an insei at the Nihon Ki-in. An insei is like a student who trains to become a professional Go player.

Becoming a Professional

Xie Yimin became a professional Go player in 2004. She was 14 years and 4 months old. This made her the youngest female professional player at that time. She was also special because she became a professional through the main league. Most female players at that time joined through a special league just for women.

First Big Wins

In 2006, Xie Yimin won the Wakagoi Cup. This was a tournament for players aged 30 or younger. It was a big deal because she was the first female player to win a mixed-gender tournament at the Nihon Ki-in. Also in 2006, she won the Female Saikyo title. She was 17 years and 1 month old. This made her the youngest female to hold a Go title. Because of these wins, she received the Kido Female Award.

More Titles and Awards

In 2007, Xie Yimin played in the NHK Cup TV Go Tournament. She won her first match. Later that year, she won the Female Honinbo tournament. She became the youngest Female Honinbo at 17 years and 11 months. She also challenged for the Female Meijin title. She won the Kido Female Award for the second year in a row.

In 2008, Xie Yimin won the Female Meijin title. This meant she held both the Female Honinbo and Female Meijin titles. Only one other player had done this before her. She won the Kido Female Award for the third time. She also received the Kido Shinjin Award, which is for new talented players.

Holding Multiple Titles

Xie Yimin continued her success in 2009. She successfully defended her Female Meijin and Honinbo titles. She also won the Kido Female Award for the fourth year.

In 2010, she won the Female Kisei title. This was a huge achievement. She became the first player to hold all three major female titles at the same time. These were Female Honinbo, Female Meijin, and Female Kisei. She defended her Honinbo and Meijin titles. She won the Kido Yushu Kishi Award and her fifth Kido Female Award.

Continued Success and New Challenges

In 2011, Xie Yimin defended her Female Kisei title. She became the longest holder of this title. She also defended her Female Meijin title in a tough series of matches. One match was even paused because of the 2011 Miyagi earthquake. She won several awards that year, including her sixth Kido Female Award. She also made history in the NHK Cup. She was the first female player to reach the quarter-finals.

In 2012, Xie Yimin lost her Female Kisei title. But she quickly won back the Female Meijin title for the fifth year in a row. This earned her the special title of Honorary Female Meijin. This means she will always be known as an Honorary Female Meijin. She also joined a music group called MONOTONE with other Go players.

In 2013, Xie Yimin won back her Female Kisei title. This meant she once again held all three major female titles. However, she lost her Female Honinbo title later that year.

Defending Her Titles

In 2014, Xie Yimin successfully defended her Female Kisei title. She also defended her Female Meijin title for the seventh year in a row.

In 2015, she won the Female Honinbo title again. This was her first time winning it in three years.

In 2016, Xie Yimin became a guest professor at Heian Jogakuin University. She also defended her Female Meijin title for the ninth year in a row.

In March 2017, Xie Yimin lost her Female Meijin title. She was the runner-up in the 4th Aizu Central Hospital Cup in June 2017.

Go Ranks and Achievements

Xie Yimin has moved up in the Go ranks over the years.

• 1 dan: 2004
• 2 dan: 2005 (Promoted based on prize money)
• 3 dan: 2006 (Promoted based on prize money)
• 4 dan: 2008 (Promoted based on prize money)
• 5 dan: 2010 (Promoted based on prize money)
• 6 dan: 2012 (Promoted based on prize money)
• 7 dan: 2021 (Won 120 games while 6 dan)

Major Titles Won

Xie Yimin has won many important Go titles.

Hobbies and Interests

Outside of Go, Xie Yimin enjoys hip-hop dance. She has even performed at different events.