On April 21st, the top 16 players for the 10th “Ying Shi Cup World Professional Go Championship” have been determined. The top Go players from Taiwan and China, Xu Haohong and Ke Jie, both successfully advanced. The South Korean prodigy, Kim Eun-ji, failed to secure a win against the “Star of Hope” from mainland China, Wang Xinghao, and was defeated disappointing as a dark horse.
In the initial qualification round of the tournament, 56 participants were divided into 14 groups. After two elimination rounds, 14 winners were selected from each group, along with the top two players from the previous championship, forming the top 16.
In Group 1, Taiwan’s top Go player Xu Haohong and the world champion from mainland China, Xie Erhao, competed for a spot in the top 16. Xie Erhao, who recently got married, was in high spirits both personally and professionally, hoping for success in both love and the competition.
Xu Haohong took the initiative to play as black in the match. Despite a tense exchange of moves, Xie Erhao made a questionable move by trying to counterattack instead of sacrificing a stone as suggested by AI. Xu Haohong maintained a strong position, gradually gaining an advantage in the mid-game, while Xie Erhao struggled to defend and fell behind.
Despite breaking Xu Haohong’s influence in the center, Xie Erhao couldn’t catch up and eventually conceded defeat after 280 moves. Xu Haohong claimed a decisive victory showcasing his strategic prowess.
In another key match, the reigning top Go player from mainland China, Ke Jie, faced off against the world champion from South Korea, Byun Sangil. Ke Jie, playing as black, made a questionable move early in the game, allowing Byun Sangil to take control and establish a significant advantage.
Aware of the unfavorable situation, Ke Jie employed his signature move to disrupt his opponent’s plans. In a critical moment, Byun Sangil’s aggressive move backfired, leading to a dramatic turnaround in favor of Ke Jie.
Despite initially falling behind, Ke Jie seized the opportunity created by Byun Sangil’s emotional missteps and skillfully overturned the game. Byun Sangil’s lack of composure cost him the match, and he eventually conceded defeat after 205 moves, allowing Ke Jie to advance.
One of the most dramatic matches of the round was between the South Korean world champion, Park Ting-hun, and the “Hammer Sister” from Japan, Ueno Aisamimi. As the game neared its end, a critical error by Ueno Aisamimi allowed Park Ting-hun to stage a miraculous comeback and secure victory.
Additionally, the South Korean prodigy Kim Eun-ji, who caused an upset by defeating the world champion Gu Zihao in the first round, failed to continue her winning streak and was defeated by the rising star from mainland China, Wang Xinghao, leading to her exit from the competition.
After two days of intense qualification matches on April 20th and 21st, the top 16 players have been determined. Mainland China dominated with nine players, followed by South Korea with four players advancing from the groups, including defending champion Shin Jin-seo, making a total of five representatives. Both Taiwan and Japan have one player each remaining in the competition.
The second round of matches is scheduled to reignite on July 2nd, with the draw for the top 16 matchups. From July 3rd to 9th, three rounds of knockout matches will determine the two finalists. The final stage will be a best-of-five match scheduled for August and October.
The championship, organized by the Chinese Go Association and sponsored by the Ying Changqi Go Education Foundation, offers a grand prize of $400,000 and a runner-up prize of $100,000.
The tournament follows the “Ying Shi Calculated Scoring System” rules, with the black player receiving an 8-point head start, and no overtime limits. The time control varies from 2 hours for the qualification rounds to 3.5 hours for the final matches, with penalties for exceeding the time limits.
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