Jimmy Cha
Jimmy Cha (Korean: 차민수, Hanja: 車敏洙, born January 15, 1951), also known as Ch'a Min-su, is a South Korean professional go and avid poker player. He is also a black belt in martial arts and a talented classical pianist.
| Jimmy Cha | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Seoul, South Korea |
| Born | Ch'a Min-su January 15, 1951 (age 72) Seoul, South Korea |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 7 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | None |
| World Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | None |
| Money finish(es) | 25 |
Jimmy was born in Seoul, and grew up playing go and poker. He turned professional in 1974 and was the best player at Dongguk University when he attended. Along with these accolades, he was also the South Korean National Amateur Champion two times in a row.
The Hanguk Kiwon awarded him four dan for spreading go around the world in 1984, after he moved to the U.S. in 1975. As of 2021, he is 6 dan.
Cha has a nickname, "eternal Mr. Quarter-Finalist", because in many professional tournaments he would usually lose in the quarterfinals. In 1989, he beat Yamashiro Hiroshi and Ohira Shuzo to advance to the quarterfinals of the Fujitsu Cup, only to lose. The next year, he made it to the quarterfinals of the Fujitsu Cup again after beating Cho Chikun. In March 2008, he defeated Imamura Toshiya 9P in the Chunlan Cup.
Today, he splits his time between go, poker, and managing businesses.
Runner-Up titles
| Title | Years Lost |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 2 |
 North American Masters Tournament |
1995, 1998 |
References
Articles on Jimmy Cha in the 'Go World (1)'
(nn: mm-oo, pp means: issue nn, pages mm-oo and pp)
China-Korea match in California 1985 (report) 41: 6-11, 33
- "Go in Korea" 37: 20-22*
- "Jimmy Cha: Giant Killer" (Wood) 55: 11-17*
- Kukgi Title Match 1984 (report) 38: 36-39*
- U.S. professionals, wins first match (1988) between 52: 4
Cha, Jimmy vs. Cho Chikun
- Fujitsu Cup 1990 (Round 2) 60: 13-16*
Cha, Jimmy vs. Cho Hun-hyeon
- Fujitsu Cup 1989 (quarterfinal) 56: 10-13*
Cha, Jimmy vs. Nie Weiping
- Fujitsu Cup 1990 (quarterfinal) 61: 12-15*
Cha, Jimmy vs. Ohira Shuzo
- Fujitsu Cup 1989 (Round 2) 55: 15-17*
Cha, Jimmy vs. Redmond, Michael
- 1984 38: 34-35
Cha, Jimmy vs. Yamashiro Hiroshi
- Fujitsu Cup 1989 (Round 1) 55: 12-15*
(1) sources: magazine itself: Go World, covers of Go World's publisher Kiseido Archived December 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Go World index