JANG Hyun-Gyu 장현규

About Teacher Jang

I'm Jang Hyun-Gyu, a Korean baduk player and full-time teacher. I grew up in Korea's competitive dojang world, have spent the last six years teaching in China, and now work with students from kyu-levels to high-dan players. I teach in Korean and Chinese with real-time translation, so language is never the thing that holds you back.

An interview about how I got into baduk (English and Chinese CC)

My path

I came to baduk almost by chance. It was a Saturday elective class in first grade, and my dad always had Korea's BadukTV on at home. A local teacher noticed something early and invited me to study with him. My hometown was small with few strong opponents, so I moved to Seoul to keep climbing, and by sixth grade baduk filled my whole day: school in the morning, the board until night.

For years I trained as a 연구생 (insei) playing weekend league games against the best young players in the country and chasing a professional card. I reached the final stage of the qualification tournament more than once before deciding, around the age of twenty, to step off the pro track. I never left the game, though, and at my best I was among the top amateurs in Korea.

The person who shaped me most was my dojang master in Seoul, Jang Soo-young. What I remember isn't a clever lesson on the board. It's him quietly pulling me aside when I was discouraged and helping me find my footing again. That's the kind of teacher I try to be.

From Korea to China

An exchange program first brought me to the Ge Yuhong Go Academy（葛玉宏围棋道场）in Beijing. I came for the training and stayed for the tournaments, the friends I made, and my wife. I arrived without a word of Chinese and learned it the slow, real way, through the people around the board. Today I teach just as comfortably in Chinese as in Korean.

How I can help you improve

Elite training taught me the difference between work that actually raises your strength and work that just feels productive. In lessons I start from your own games, find the habits quietly costing you points, and give you focused practice on the parts that move the needle: life and death, the opening, shape, and reading.

I teach lower-dan to high-dan levels (my students are mainly Fox 1d to 9d). Some of my students are children; many are adults fitting baduk around a full-time job. Whether you want to reach a solid amateur dan or simply stop losing in the same way every game, I'll meet you where you are and give you a clear next step.

One thing I tell everyone: protect your love for the game. Life gets busy, but a few problems and the occasional serious game keep you sharp and keep baduk with you for the long run.

A little more about me

My favorite player is Lee Sedol; I grew up watching his fearless style at its peak. The book that shaped me most was Cho Namchul's collection of 1980s Japanese title games. I read it so many times I could recite the records, and I loved that it even noted what the players ate at lunch. On Fox I play as fspirit, short for "Fighting Spirit."

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Competitive Record

2011 — South Korean "National Games" Champion.

2013 — "Lee Chang-ho Cup" National Amateur Go Open Champion.

2015 — National Amateur Go King Championship "Business Travel Cup" Men's Champion.

2016

• Oriental Grand Port Cup National Amateur Go Open Champion.
• "Shan Zhi Tian Cup" National Amateur Go Open Champion.

2017 — Fudiyuan Real Estate Cup National Amateur Go Open, Open Category Champion.

2018 — Hanjiang Cup National Amateur Go Tournament, Master Category 3rd Place.

2021 — Fujian Province National Fitness Games & "South Gate Cup" Fujian Province Amateur Go Championship, Open Category Champion.

2023

• Guofan Cup National Amateur Go Open Runner-up.
• Fujian Province Amateur Go Championship, Open Category Champion.

2024 — Fujian Province Amateur Go Championship, Open Category Champion.

2025

• 2nd Fujian Go King Tournament Runner-up.
• Fujian Province Go Championship, Open Category 4th Place.
• "8th Yang Shihai Cup Hong Kong Interschool Go Competition", Open Category Champion.

Teaching Experience — 10 years of offline teaching and 6 years of online teaching. Taught 1 Amateur 6-Dan student and over 50 Amateur 5-Dan students.

Trial Lesson (Game Review)

Played in National League in Korea (with BadukTV Live)