License: Elena Popova – free to use under the Unsplash License

When it comes to board games, most people think of the most common kinds of games you play with friends. But there are other board games that tend to work the mind. Chess is one such game, but so is go.

Go is a game that originates in China and it’s over 2,500 years old. Despite its age, it’s still a game that still fascinates people all over the world. Go tournaments are held in China, Japan, and Korea as well as in some European countries and North American states. So you can say that go is a global game.

There are many global games available both offline and online. When it comes to strategic games, card games also qualify and one such game is poker. Just like in go, in poker, you need to beat your opponent, but your opponent can beat you with a better hand. Moreover, there are no stalemates in poker. Most poker players enjoy their favorite game online nowadays.

Another thing poker and go have in common is that they’re both linked to AI. The thing about Artificial Intelligence is that it can learn and master games like chess and go. But it has a tough time mastering poker. However, AI’s track record proves that it can master any game.

There are professional poker players all over the world, but there are also professional go players and you can become one of them if you’re looking to make a living. Here are the steps that will help you become a professional go player:

Practice as Much as You Can

Before you become a pro, you need to be a beginner. In some Asian countries, professional go players start playing in their childhood, but adults have been known to climb the ranks as well. Either way, you should start playing go as much as possible. This way you’ll improve your skills and you’ll be able to take on and defeat your opponents.

Join an Association

Once you have sufficient experience you can start playing in amateur go tournaments. There you’ll need to prove your skill and get the attention of some association. There are several such associations and some of them include the Korean Baduk Association, the Japan Go Association, and even the American Go Association. Once you become a professional amateur, then you can join an association and continue playing go against professionals.

Reach the Top

When you’re a part of an association, you’re always looking to reach the top because the top players of an association get to participate in go competitions with prizes. These prizes can help you make a living as a professional go player, and the more you win, the bigger your salary will be. But you need to be a skilled player to be picked as one of the 4 or 5 go players to represent an association. If you’re not, you can still make money from go.

Additional Ways of Making a Living From Go

Even if you are a professional player with certification from an association you may not make the top. But you can still make money from go in alternative ways. In other words, you can teach beginners the ways of go, you can write articles about the game and represent your association by giving interviews. You can also write books or articles about go and send them to magazines, newspapers or websites. Additionally, you can help with anti-cheating work for go tournaments and more.

Conclusion

Go is one of the best games for your brain cells and you can even use it to make a living. You can become a professional and earn a salary by winning competitions or go for alternative ways to make a living from go.