American Go E-Journal » China

Qiu Jun 9P and Lian Xiao 7P won their Chang Qi Cup semifinal third-round decider matches Monday to advance to the tournament’s final rounds later this year. The games followed the pattern of the first two matches, with Lian Xiao (right) defeating Li Qincheng 1P in just 161 moves, while Qiu Jun (left) prevailed over Tuo Jiaxi 9P in yet another marathon match — this one 331 moves — in which he used a ko threat to cleverly bring a group of dead stones back to life, forcing a resignation for the first time in the series.

Game records: Rd3 QiuJun v. TuoJiaxi, Rd3 LianXiao v. LiQinCheng (also available on KGS, look under ChangQi1 and ChangQi2); special thanks to the Chinese recording team, who generously broadcast the games on KGS as well as on their Chinese servers.

Special bonus: click here to see the video of E-Journal’s Steve Colburn demonstrating the custom-built Ing table with built-in go board and stones, shot by Andrew Jackson.
– report, photos/collage by Chris Garlock

In a nice bit of timing, the semi-finals of China’s Chang Qi Cup were held on US soil on Saturday, the day after Chinese President Xi Jinping capped his first U.S. visit with a meeting with President Obama and a black-tie state dinner at the White House. Four of the world’s strongest go players competed for the coveted title; Qiu Jun 9P, Lian Xiao 7P, Li Qincheng 1P and Tuo Jiaxi 9P. Lian Xiao 7P, playing black, won his game against Li Qincheng in 161 moves, shortly after the lunch break. One of the rising stars of the go world, Lian is ranked #11 in China (as of March 2015), has already won several domestic titles and continues to climb the rankings. This would be the biggest title of his career so far. Just after 4pm, Tuo Jiaxi 9P, playing white, edged out Qiu Jun 9P by a single point — the game is scored with Ing counting — in a 241-move nail-biter that had the more than 200 KGS viewers on the edge of their collective seats wondering who would triumph. Tuo Jiaxi is one of the top players in China. He won the 2014 LG Cup, has reached several quarter- and semifinals, and was ranked #1 in the country for a while back in 2013. He won this tournament in 2010, and should be one of the favorites this year to win the Chang Qi Cup. Tuo is #6 in the world, while Qiu is #23, according to Remi Coulom’s GoRatings.org. “It was a very close game for a long time,” Tuo told the EJ after the game, “but as a professional I’m used to playing long games so it was no problem.” He and Qiu know each other’s games so well that Tuo said he planned no special preparation, “just rest and relaxation.”

The semifinals are a best-of-three series, so the players will meet again on Sunday, September 27; the games will be broadcast live on KGS (starting at 9:30a EST) with commentary on the AGA’s YouTube channel. Depending on the results, there may be final round(s) on Monday.

The semifinals were held in Cambridge, MA at Harvard’s Student Organization Center at Hilles, sponsored by the American Collegiate Go Association (ACGA), the Shanghai Ing-Changki Weiqi Education Foundation and the American Go Association (AGA), which also hosted the inaugural American Chang Qi Tournament, drawing over 200 go fans to both play and watch on a gorgeous sunny fall day.
The Changqi Cup is one of China’s most generously sponsored tournaments, with a winner’s prize of about $70,000 USD. It’s jointly hosted by the Chinese Go Association and the Shanghai Branch of the Ing Foundation. The tournament first started in 2004 in memory of Ing Chang-ki.
– report/photos/collage by Chris Garlock; translation assistance by Cheng Hao; tech support by Steve Colburn

The first American Chang Qi tournament will be held this fall in conjunction with the semi-finals of the 2015 Chang Qi Cup, which will be held in the US in September, the first time a professional go tournament semi-final will be held in North America. A major Chinese go tournament, the Chang Qi Cup semis will feature four of the world’s top go professionals, live review and commentary from the legendary Chang Hao 9P and a major American amateur tournament, all held at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, September 26-28.

“This tournament is a great opportunity to see top pros battling it out in person,” says local organizer Cole Pruitt. “We expect to draw many of the strongest players in North America to compete” in the inaugural American Chang Qi tournament which  will offer a total prize pool of at least $15,000 distributed across several divisions. “Every part of the event is free for the public and online registration is coming soon!”

Supported by the Shanghai Ing Foundation, the event is organized by the American Collegiate Go Association. the tournament will be AGA-rated and will be jointly hosted with the American Go Association. The American Chang Qi tournament will include a special ‘university showdown’ where students can win prize money for having the best turnout from their school, the best record during the tournament, and more. “On Saturday night, we’re planning a special ‘Students and Professionals’ night out, where students at the event can hang out with and get to know professional players visiting from China,” adds Pruitt.

“As we gear up for the event, we want to bring on university students to help us organize it and make it an incredible event. We encourage all interested students to apply to be an organizer. In exchange for helping us run the event, we’ll cover your travel, room, and board in Boston during the event and you’ll get behind-the-scenes access, wine-and-dine the visiting pros from China, and more.”

photo: Chang Hao 9p competes at the 10th Chang Qi Cup back in 2013 (credit: Go Game Guru)