kyu

Kyu is an amateur Go rank used to describe a player’s playing strength. Kyu ranks are generally arranged in descending order: a larger number indicates a weaker rank, while a smaller number indicates a stronger one. Common examples run from 30 kyu toward 1 kyu, with 1 kyu immediately below 1 dan. The exact range differs between ranking systems.

Kyu ranks give players a shared way to estimate strength and are often used to determine approximate handicap differences between opponents. They belong to the rank scale below dan ranks; shodan, or 1 dan, is the first dan rank and generally follows 1 kyu. Because rank scales and practical strength vary among countries, servers, clubs, and organizations, kyu ranks are not always directly comparable.