Jimmy Cha

{{Short description|South Korean Go and poker player (born 1951)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{BLP sources|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox poker player | name = Jimmy Cha | image = | image_size = | caption = | nickname =  | birth_name = Ch'a Min-su | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|January 15, 1951}} | birth_place = Seoul, South Korea | wsop bracelet count = ''None'' | wsop money finishes = 7 | wsop main event best finish rank = ''None'' | wsop main event best finish year = | wpt titles = ''None'' | wpt final tables = ''None'' | wpt money finishes = 25 }}

'''Jimmy Cha''' ({{Korean|hangul=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 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 United States 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.

Cha has almost $400,000 in career poker earnings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jimmy Cha's profile on The Hendon Mob |url=https://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=14470 |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=The Hendon Mob Poker Database |language=en}}</ref>

== Runner-Up titles == {| class="wikitable" ! Title || Years Lost |- | align="center" | '''Defunct''' | align="center" | '''2''' |- | {{flagicon|USA}} North American Masters Tournament | 1995, 1998 |}

==References== {{reflist}}

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: [http://senseis.xmp.net/?GoWorld Go World], [http://www.kiseido.com/go_world.htm covers of Go World's publisher Kiseido] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218145159/http://www.kiseido.com/go_world.htm |date=December 18, 2007 }}, [http://www.yk.rim.or.jp/~kiseido/GWINDEX/gwi.html Go World index]

==External links== * [http://pokerdb.thehendonmob.com/player.php?a=r&n=14470 Hendon Mob profile] *[https://www.worldpokertour.com/player/jimmy-cha/ WPT profile] *[https://www.wsop.com/players/profile/?playerid=605 WSOP profile] * [https://www.thecasinodb.com/blog/go-masters-vs-poker-pros Biography, results in Go tournaments and poker tournaments] * [http://www.baduk.or.kr/record/player_view.asp?pkey=10000085 Korea Baduk Association profile] (in Korean)

Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:American Go players Category:American poker players Category:South Korean Go players Category:South Korean poker players Category:South Korean emigrants to the United States Category:Korean Buddhists Category:American Buddhists