I have a school assignment due next week and I am supposed to have an idea of how much a professional go player makes. I have looked everywhere and cannot find an amount. HOW MUCH DOES A GO PRO MAKE???????????????????????

Hi Safiriona,

Could you elaborate about your school homework ? More details about it ? Are you only looking at Go pros' incomes,
or incomes of other professionals in Chess, XiangQi, tennis, baseball, basketball, golf, etc. ?

Of course, personal finances are usually private information.
It depends greatly on the individual -- the "top" pros who win major title tournaments
will have different incomes than those who don't.
There are pros who make their living only from playing in tournaments.
And there are those who make their living mostly from teaching tuition fees.
It also depends on the country.
In China, the Chinese Go Association -- what's their "cut" ?
In Japan, the Nihon Kiin -- what's their "cut" ?
In Korea, the Korean Go Association -- what's their "cut" ?
If a pro makes $10,000 from a tournament, how much of it do they keep ?
How much goes to the Association ? What are the conditions ?
Does it depend on the tourney ? Does it depend on the sponsor ?
What if a Chinese pro plays in a tourney in Korea ?
What if a Korean pro plays in a tourney in China ?
And then there are taxes. There are many subtle questions.

It's like asking about the incomes of any other profession:
medical physicians, pro pianists, electricians, carpenters, etc. --
There are so many factors involved.

It's quite a bit of work -- enjoy your research.

Hello Safiriona,

I wish you the best of luck with this assignment!
And it is due in a week??
What school, level or grade are you?
Are you familiar with the go pro world, any contacts already? (because it can be very difficult to meaningful research a field with which you have not much - prior or inside - knowledge about already).

Who picked this topic?
Tutor or you? One trick for being a good student is to carefully consider your assignments carefully on beforehand....

In addition to EdLee's questions, many, many more can be raised.
Gross income? After deductibles? Net income? Official/taxable income, or all? Total personal income, or total income from go activities only? Purchasing power? How about converting to full time equivalents? Life time equivalent?
Statistics, population, distribution, sample? Top 10% of pro's, or average of all pro's? Also, you may first want to define 'pro': would that also be the local kyu player who gives workshops and introductions on a reimbursement basis? He earned something out of it, didn't he/she?

Would be interesting to study the business side of go though....

Oh dear, oh dear. As said, wish you best of luck. Please publish your study and findings here.

Best advice I can give you: take some an other assignment or different topic.
And show your tutor EdLee's reply (and perhaps also mine if you wish). Noone should aim for the impossible, should be obliged to try to fulfill the impossible or be held accountable for it.

maybe it would be sufficient to know the prize purse for the various pro tournaments
http://senseis.xmp.net/?ProfessionalTournaments

There was a recent article on the American Go Association web site that listed the top 10 money winners in Japan for 2014. These numbers aren't at all typical, but at least they give a boundary for the top end of how much a pro makes.

Consider also how much a professional Go teacher makes per lesson, and factor that out for the year, plus their other activities (time counting), unless you're talking about only the ones who win title matches.

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