A go apprentice is a student learning to play Go at an institution, typically with the aim of becoming a professional player. In

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, such a student is called an ''insei'' (literally, "institution student"). Institutions for insei include the

Nihon Ki-in The Nihon Ki-in (), also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go associat ...

(Japanese Go Association) and the

Kansai Ki-in The Kansai Ki-in (), i.e., Kansai Go Association, is an organizational body for the game of Go in Japan, which was founded by Hashimoto Utaro in 1950. Though it is not as large as its chief rival, the Nihon Ki-in, it also issues diplomas to stron ...

(Kansai Go Association). The equivalent of Go insei in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

is "Yeon gu saeng" (), read "Ken kyū sei" in Japanese and "Yán jiū shēng" ({{zh, c=硏究生, also meaning "graduate student") in Chinese.

Qualifications and study

In Japan, once a year 3 or 4 apprentices who qualify in a yearly tournament become professional players. East Asian players are required to become a professional before the age of 18 while studying as insei, but foreigners have the chance up to the age of about 30. To become an insei, a person requires a professional to sponsor them, and an application to the Nihon Ki-in. There is no official way to contact a professional for sponsorship. While insei, many people live with their professional sponsor, who tutors and supports them. Some insei just visit their professional sponsor several times a week. The professional sponsor acts as a mentor for the insei.

External links

Nihon Ki-in

Insei in Japan

Korean-style Insei League online

apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...