Choi Jeong, a 9-dan player, has returned to the top of the women's Go rankings after eight months, edging out Kim Eun-ji, also 9-dan, by two points.
According to the Korea Baduk Association on the 5th, Choi, who played only a single game during the month of June, defeated Kim in the winners' bracket final of the 2026 MOA Women's Top Player Championship. She added seven ranking points for a total of 9,519 points, taking the No. 1 spot in the women's rankings. Kim, meanwhile, recorded six wins and four losses but lost 35 ranking points, dropping to second place with 9,517 points.
The fierce competition between the two for the top of the women's rankings has continued for a second year since August 2024. Over the past 24 months, Kim held the No. 1 spot 14 times and Choi 10 times, in a back-and-forth battle. For the past eight months, Kim had defended the top spot, appearing to signal a generational shift, but Choi demonstrated her staying power by going 4-0 in head-to-head matches against Kim this year, including in the Women's Top Player Championship.
In the overall rankings, Shin Jin-seo, 9-dan, held the No. 1 spot for the 79th consecutive month. Shin recorded five wins and one loss during June, including a sixth straight title at the 6th Sopalcosanol Top Player Championship, adding 16 ranking points for a total of 10,402 points.
Park Jung-hwan, Shin Min-jun, Byun Sang-il, Kang Dong-yun, Kim Myung-hoon, Lee Ji-hyun, Kim Ji-seok and Park Min-kyu, all 9-dan, maintained their rankings of second through ninth from the previous month, while Ahn Sung-joon, 9-dan, rose one spot to 10th.
In addition, seven up-and-coming players — Kim Tae-heon, Yoon Seo-yul, Kim Won-dae, Lee Yoon, Ak Ji-woo, Lee Seo-young and Lee Woo-joo, all 1-dan — entered the rankings for the first time after reaching the minimum number of qualifying games (30).
Meanwhile, three players earned promotions in June through the Challenge League and the Professional Go Players Association League. Heo Young-rak was promoted from 5-dan to 6-dan, Kim Jung-hyun from 2-dan to 3-dan, and Kim Sang-young from 1-dan to 2-dan.
