American Go Association

What American Go Association does

The American Go Association (AGA) is a private, volunteer-run 501(c)(4) non-profit founded in 1935 and headquartered in New York, NY (with a listed Nashua, NH contact). It serves as the official national organization for the board game Go in the United States, providing the standardized AGA rating system used for tournament play, organizing the annual US Go Congress, sanctioning tournaments through a network of 100+ local chapters across all 50 states, and running programs for youth development. Core products and services include the tiered membership system (Adult Full at $30/year, Adult Lifetime at $1,000, Youth at $10/year, Tournament Pass at $10/30 days, and Chapter at $35/year), the AGA Ratings tracking system, the North American Online League (NAOL) operated via a partnership with Leago and played on Online-Go.com, the daily/weekly American Go E-Journal reaching 10,000+ subscribers, and the Chapter Rewards points program. The AGA's underlying technology stack is not proprietary; the organization's website, membership management, event registration, and member communications are powered by the third-party ClubExpress platform, with content distributed through Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.

The AGA generates revenue through three streams: recurring membership dues (adult, youth, tournament pass, chapter, lifetime), donations (including in-memory gifts routed to the Iwamoto North American Foundation), and one-time tournament entry fees ranging from $15 to $20 at regional events. It serves three primary customer segments: individual Go players (primary), Go clubs and chapters, and youth and aspiring professionals pursuing qualification through the NAGF Pro Qualification Tournament. The AGA cooperates with affiliated organizations including the American Go Foundation (a separate 501(c)(3) handling tax-deductible donations and youth outreach), the American Go Honor Society (student-led), the North American Go Federation (professional pipeline), the Iwamoto North American Foundation, and Nihon Ki-in (Japan) for the INAF Cup. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed, the organization operates without paid investor capital, and headcount is in the 1–10 range.

Name

American Go Association

Legal name

American Go Association

Website

https://usgo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The American Go Association is a volunteer-run 501(c)(4) non-profit founded in 1935 that serves as the official US national organization for the board game Go, providing membership tiers, official player ratings, tournaments, the North American Online League, and the annual US Go Congress to individual players, local chapters, and youth players across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mind Sports Association

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC)

Keywords

• Mind sports association
• Go player ratings
• Online Go league
• Go tournament events
• Membership organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashua

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual and lifetime membership fees from individual players and chapter organizations. Membership types include Adult Full ($30/year), Youth ($10/year), Tournament Pass ($10 for 30 days), and Chapter membership ($35/year).
2. Donations: Accepts donations for general operations, US Go Congress, NAOL Reviews, E-Journal, and in memory of Dr Thomas Hsiang to support Iwamoto North America Foundation.
3. Tournament Fees: Various tournament entry fees collected through event registration. Entry fees vary by tournament (e.g., $15 for Vermont Summer Go Tournament, $20 for South Carolina State Championship).

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The American Go Association is a 501(c)(4) non-profit that organizes and governs Go activities in the United States. It sells tiered memberships (Adult Full, Youth, Tournament Pass, Chapter, and Lifetime), maintains the official AGA Ratings System, runs the North American Online League with free professional game reviews, publishes the American Go E-Journal, and hosts the annual US Go Congress. Its services are aimed at individual Go players and local chapters who need structured competitive play, official ratings, and community infrastructure.

Product overview

The American Go Association operates a membership-based platform for Go players in the United States, built on ClubExpress. The core offerings include the membership system with tiered subscriptions (Adult, Youth, Tournament Pass, Chapter), the AGA Ratings System for tracking player progress, the North American Online League (NAOL) for online competition with professional reviews, and the American Go E-Journal for news. Additional services include the Chapter Rewards program, US Go Congress annual events, a Chapter Finder with interactive map, Events Calendar, and community blogs. The AGA also sanctions and promotes tournaments across the country through its network of local chapters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AGA Membership System Tiered membership program for individual Go players and chapter organizations. Includes Adult Full ($30/year or $1,000 lifetime), Youth ($10/year), Tournament Pass ($10 for 30 days), Chapter ($35/year), and complimentary memberships for foreign national Go organization members. Membership provides access to rated tournaments, the North American Online League, and the American Go E-Journal.
• North American Online League (NAOL) Free online league for AGA members featuring six two-month seasons per year with round-robin competition in groups of six similarly ranked players. Includes free game reviews from professional and high-Dan players, and maintains a NAOL rating for progress tracking. Games are played on Online-Go.com under AGA Rules.
• AGA Ratings System Official player rating system tracking progress and game results for AGA members. Allows players to view rating history and all game outcomes. Used for tournament pairing and handicap calculations.
• American Go E-Journal Daily and weekly Go news publication sent to over 10,000 enthusiasts worldwide, covering tournament results, game analysis, professional matches, and AGA updates. Managed by the AGA Communications Vice President and editorial team.
• US Go Congress Annual week-long national Go convention featuring tournaments (US Open, North American Masters), professional instruction, lectures, special events, and community activities. Held in cities across the U.S., with 519+ registered attendees for 2026 in Boston.
• Chapter Rewards Program Points-based rewards system for AGA chapters. Chapters earn points when members participate in activities like rated tournaments or state championships, and redeem points for reimbursement of chapter promotion activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 Go enthusiasts receive E-Journal updates
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North American Go Federation (NAGF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAGF organizes the Pro Qualification Tournament where North America's strongest amateur players compete for professional certification. The AGA works with NAGF on the INAF Cup and professional development programs.
• Nihon Ki-incoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese Go association partnering with NAGF on the INAF Cup, providing young Japanese professionals (under age 25) to compete against North American professionals.
• LeagocoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party platform that runs the North American Online League (NAOL) under the auspices of NAGF. Handles season registration, game scheduling, and league management for the online competition.
• American Go Foundation (AGF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate 501(c)(3) organization that works closely with the AGA to support youth and educational Go activities. AGF promotes Go in U.S. schools, libraries, and community centers, and operates the Kids Go Server. The AGA directs donors wanting tax-deductible donations to the AGF.
• American Go Honor Society (AGHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-led organization dedicated to spreading Go to youth across North America. Works with the AGA to develop young Go players with roles including tournament directors, media marketing managers, treasurer, and secretary.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• World Chess Federation (FIDE): Global governing body for chess and the international analog to AGA at the global level. Comparable in structure (NGB-style ratings, international tournaments, professional pathways) but operates at much larger scale.
• International Go Federation: Global governing body for Go coordinating national federations, international events, and rules. Comparable as the umbrella NGB for the same sport AGA governs nationally.
• Nihon Ki-in: Japan's national Go association and one of the two main professional Go bodies in Japan. AGA's strategic partner on the INAF Cup and a comparable NGB, but vastly larger with professional player infrastructure.

Regional players

• British Go Association: UK national Go association with memberships, ratings, and congress-style events. Functionally identical to AGA but serving the UK market; useful international benchmark.
• European Go Federation: European umbrella organization for national Go federations, running championships and the EGF rating system. Comparable regional NGB in a different geography; AGA interacts via international Go coordination.

Direct peers

• American Contract Bridge League: US national organization for contract bridge, operating similar membership, masterpoint ratings, sanctioned tournaments, and regional clubs. Closest analog as a non-team mind-sport NGB with volunteer governance and tournament-fee revenue.
• US Chess Federation: The US national governing body for chess, a comparable mind-sport NGB running memberships, ratings, tournaments, and youth programs. Directly analogous structure to AGA with rating-system network effects and chapter/club network.
• North American Scrabble Players Association: US/Canadian governing body for competitive Scrabble, running memberships, ratings, and sanctioned tournaments. Similar structure to AGA with a mind-sport rating system and volunteer-driven chapter events.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theaga
• YouTubeyoutube.com/usgoweb
• Facebookfacebook.com/AmericanGoAssociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/americangoassociation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/american-go-assn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 American Go Association