Ranka: You’ve now won four straight games. Which was the most difficult?
Joanne: The game in the third round (against Pan Kunyu of Chinese Taipei). I was behind in the opening, but then my opponent made a mistake and I got a lucky win.

Joanne Missingham

Ranka: How about the game you just finished against Rita Pocsai of Hungary?
Joanne: She’s pretty strong. I had the better opening, but then I made a mistake in the middle game. It was dangerous for a while, but then she made a mistake too, so it was another lucky win.

Ranka: Can you tell us how you started playing go?
Joanne: I was born in Australia, but when I was four we moved to Taiwan. When I was six my mother took me to a go school and asked me how I liked the first lesson. I said I was interested, so I continued to study.

Ranka: And then in China?
Joanne: After living for seven years in Taiwan we moved to America, but I played a lot on the Internet. Last year I spent two months in China at a go school run by Ruan Yunsheng. Then this last April I returned to China and started studying under Wu Kai in Tianjin. I would go to his home daily to study from 2:00 to 5:00. In July I made pro shodan.

Ranka: And your plans for the future?
Joanne: I want to play a lot of go.

– Ranka