S6.13 - Tang Tianyuan on Going Pro, AI Cheating Suspicions & Teaching Across Borders | Go / Baduk / Weiqi

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31:24

This episode is from All Things Go, a podcast about the board game Go, also known as Baduk in Korea and Weiqi in China.

Episode Summary

At sixteen, Tang Tianyuan left school and moved to Beijing to train as a professional Go player. He looks back on the long days inside a Chinese Go dojo, repeated attempts to qualify, and finally earning professional status in 2020. He also shares how he thinks about direction of play and why he has gravitated toward teaching and commentary.

Tang also explains why he suspected AI assistance during games against another online Go creator, and why he decided to speak publicly. In a closing segment, Eric (Jobless Baduk) talks about returning to Go and creating BadukTeacher.com, which connects students with Asian Go teachers through real-time translation.

Resources

BadukTeacher.com — Eric's platform for Go lessons with real-time translation. promo code ALLTHINGSGO2026 which gives 20% off to both new & old students from Oct 25 – Nov 30, 2026 only.
Tang Tianyuan's teaching profile — Tang's background and lessons.
Tang Tianyuan on Bilibili — His Go commentary and live streams.
Tang's introduction on Reddit — Connecting with Go players internationally.
SmartGo One — Episode sponsor.
BadukPop — Episode sponsor.

Full transcript, episode notes, and more:

https://allthingsgogame.com/

Join the All Things Go Discord community:

https://discord.gg/uf3jgEAA4J

Theme music by UNIVERSFIELD & background music by PodcastAC

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Email: AllThingsGoGame@gmail.com

Episode Sponsors

BadukPop - Learn the rules of the ancient Chinese board game Go - also known as Baduk (바둑) or Weiqi (圍棋) - with a fun, interactive tutorial. Sharpen your Go skills with daily random Go problems (Tsumego) at your choice of difficulty level. Play games online or with a variety of AI opponents, each with its own unique playing style and strength.

SmartGo One - Your complete app for the game of Go. Learn to play, practice against the computer, study master games, solve problems, and read Go books. Free to download. Recent updates include direct OGS support, plus a new feature that can turn a photo of a Go board or book diagram into an SGF file. You can also read the Go books Relentless and Shape Up! for free inside the app. Find SmartGo One in the App Store or at SmartGo.com.