Yike Weiqi

What Yike Weiqi does

Yike Weiqi (弈客围棋), operating as Shanghai Yike Information Technology Co., Ltd. (上海弈客信息技术有限公司), is a Shanghai-based mind-sports technology company that builds AI-enabled software, content, and franchise infrastructure for the game of Go (Weiqi) and related board games. The company's platform-plus-modules product stack centers on Yike Children's Go (弈客少儿围棋), launched in May 2018 after three years of in-house R&D, and bundles AI Match Play, AI Analysis, AI Review, AI Problem Generation, and an Eagle Eye/Sky Analysis engine on top of a proprietary 400+ knowledge-point learning curriculum. Adjacent products include the mainstream Yike Weiqi online Go community, Yiketang (弈课堂) standardized K1–K6 curriculum and franchise system co-developed with China Go Youth Sports School (Quzhou), Yike Wuziqi (弈客五子棋) Five-in-a-Row platform, and a tiered Yike Club and tournament system, all delivered through iOS/Android apps and web platforms.

The company monetizes through a mix of subscription/recurring platform licensing, one-time product licenses, and channel distribution, selling to Go education institutions and training centers via 160+ regional agents and a direct enterprise field-sales motion; dedicated consumer acquisition runs through app-store and self-serve PLG. Reported footprint covers 2,000+ institutions and 600,000+ student users across China, Japan, Korea, Europe, Singapore, and Malaysia, with named endorsements from world champion Jiang Weijie 9-dan and senior Go educator Guo Beiya 4-dan. Capitalization remains opaque beyond three early-stage funding events totaling roughly $2.2M between 2014 and 2016, with headcount of 11–50 and no disclosed revenue, indicating a lean, bootstrapped operating profile.

Name

Yike Weiqi

Legal name

上海弈客信息技术有限公司

Website

https://yikeweiqi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yike Weiqi (弈客围棋), a Shanghai-based mind sports technology company, provides an AI-powered Go education and competition platform serving 2,000+ institutions and 600,000+ students across China, Japan, Korea, Europe, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mind Sports Education Software

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Software Publishers (5132), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Math & STEM Learning Technology (incl. Coding/Robotics Platforms) (EDAJAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interactive Learning Games & Gamified Courseware (EDAGALAL), Digital Labs, Simulations & Virtual Practicals (Non-XR) (EDAFACAF), Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

Keywords

• Go education platform
• AI game analysis
• Children's Go training
• Online Go community
• Mind sports technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Platform Licensing to Institutions: Selling platform access and services to Go education institutions. Products and services cover 2000+ institutions globally with 160+ channel agents.
2. Product Sales and Services: Sales of Yike Children's Go platform products and related services to institutions and end consumers.
3. Channel Agent Distribution: Revenue generated through 160+ regional channel agents distributing products across China and internationally.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Yike Weiqi develops and operates AI-powered software platforms for the Go (Weiqi) mind-sport industry, offering an online Go community, a children's Go education platform (Yike Children's Go), a standardized teaching curriculum system (Yi Class), a Five-in-a-Row game platform, and a club/tournament management system. The core product is the Yike Children's Go platform, which provides AI-driven game matching, analysis, review, problem generation, and a knowledge map system serving Go education institutions and individual learners globally.

Product overview

Yike Weiqi (弈客围棋) is a platform-plus-modules architecture offering multiple interconnected products: the core 弈客围棋 platform provides the main online Go community and services; 弈客少儿围棋 serves as the flagship children's education product with AI-powered features; 弈课堂 provides standardized curriculum and teaching tools for franchises; 弈客五子棋 extends the portfolio to Five-in-a-row games; 弈客俱乐部 enables community organization and tournaments; and dedicated mobile apps (iOS/Android) deliver these services to end users. The products share infrastructure including AI analysis capabilities, matchmaking systems, and user accounts across the ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 弈客少儿围棋: 少儿围棋教育平台，于2018年5月推出，运用AI技术为围棋机构提供棋局分析和数据分析报表。
• 弈课堂
• 弈客五子棋

Products and services

• Yike Weiqi Main Platform (弈客围棋) Online Go community platform providing global intellectual sports industry solutions, including online Go community, children's education, offline smart hardware, and competition services for Go players and institutions.
• Yike Children's Go Platform (弈客少儿围棋) Children's Go education platform featuring AI-powered game matching, AI analysis, AI review, AI problem generation, and a structured knowledge map system with 400+ knowledge points; serves Go education institutions and students from beginner to dan level.
• Yi Class (弈课堂) Standardized Go teaching platform co-created with China Go Youth Sports School (Quzhou), offering K1-K6 curriculum (6 volumes) covering beginner to amateur 2-dan level, teaching videos, lesson plans, example problems, and franchise support services for Go education institutions.
• Yike Wuziqi / Gomoku Platform (弈客五子棋) Five-in-a-Row (Gomoku) game platform featuring AI opponent matching, opening library, tournament system with monthly competitions, and real-time streaming of professional and amateur matches.
• Yike Club (弈客俱乐部)

Quantifiable outcome

• 600,000+ students can be matched with opponents in seconds through rapid matchmaking
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• 中国围棋少年体育学校（衢州）coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for 弈课堂 (Yiketang) platform - a joint venture to create a specialized Go teaching curriculum system for children. The partnership combines Yike Weiqi's technology platform with the school's professional Go training expertise to develop standardized teaching materials (K1-K6, 6 volumes) covering beginner to 2-dan level.
• 江维杰 九段supportingOthersGo world champion providing endorsement and support for Yike Weiqi platform. Serves as a brand ambassador for the intellectual sports competition collaboration.
• 郭北雅 四段supportingOthersSenior Go education expert providing professional guidance and endorsement for Yike Weiqi's children's education platform.
• 杨冬 四段supportingOthersWell-known Go player providing endorsement and professional support for Yike Weiqi platform, referred to as 'famous Go old doctor'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Eweiqi (弈城围棋): One of China's earliest and largest online Go platforms offering matchmaking, AI review, and educational features. Overlaps directly with Yike Weiqi's core online community and AI-assisted learning tools.
• OGS (Online Go Server): Open-source international online Go platform with matchmaking, AI review (via KataGo), and community tournaments. Competes with Yike Weiqi's free online Go community and AI analysis features.
• Pandanet / IGS: Long-running international Go server (Pandanet/IGS) providing online play, AI review, and lesson infrastructure. Comparable to Yike Weiqi in delivering multiplayer Go matchmaking and game analysis globally.
• GoQuest: Online Go platform focused on AI-assisted learning, puzzles, and competitive play. Direct overlap with Yike Weiqi's AI problem generation, review, and adaptive learning capabilities.
• KGS (Kiseido Go Server): Established international Go server with strong community and educational use among amateur and professional players. Comparable to Yike Weiqi as a Go-specific online community platform.
• Tencent Wildfox Go (腾讯野狐围棋): Tencent-backed Go (Weiqi) online play and community platform popular in China. Directly competes with Yike Weiqi on online Go gameplay, AI analysis, and institutional/club features in the same Chinese market.

Broad incumbents

• Lichess: Free, open-source chess platform with AI analysis, tournaments, and study tools. Demonstrates the threat and benchmark for free/open-source mind-sports platforms competing with monetized alternatives like Yike Weiqi.
• Chess.com: Largest online chess platform with AI analysis, lessons, clubs, and tournaments across web and mobile. Analogous business model to Yike Weiqi's mind-sports platform, applied to chess rather than Go, illustrating the scale opportunity if Yike expands.
• TAL Education Group (好未来): Large Chinese K–12 EdTech company offering curriculum, AI-driven tutoring, and franchise-style learning solutions. Provides a comparable institutional-sales and EdTech-platform model to Yike Weiqi's franchise/curriculum business, though at much larger scale.

Others

• Sensei's Library: Long-standing collaborative Go knowledge base and study resource used by serious players and educators. Functions as a complementary/thematic resource to Yike Weiqi's structured knowledge map and problem library.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yikego_en
• Facebookfacebook.com/yikeweiqi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yike Weiqi