Tianyuan Go Tournament Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Renowned Chinese Go masters, including Ma Xiaochun, Chang Hao, and the new defending champion Wang Xinghao, gathered in Shanghai to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tianyuan Go Tournament.

First held in 1987, the tournament was jointly initiated by Xinmin Evening News and the Chinese Go Association. Since then, Go has stepped out of professional arenas and entered countless households.

Over the past four decades, the tournament has been held annually without interruption, producing 12 "Tianyuan" title holders.

"Has it really been 40 years?" recalled Ma Xiaochun, the champion of the inaugural Tianyuan Tournament. "The prize money back then was very high – 1,000 yuan – while other similar competitions offered only 80 yuan. Winning the title gave me immense encouragement."

Shanghai-born player Chang Hao also claimed his first major national title at the Tianyuan Tournament.

"I still remember that when the first tournament took place, I had just joined the national junior team," he said. "Over the past 40 years, this competition has witnessed the growth of generations of players and the development of Chinese Go."

As part of the celebrations, former champions visited Yu Garden and held a one-hour face-to-face coaching session with 30 local young Go players.

In addition, Shanghai United Media Group and the Shanghai Sports Bureau jointly launched the "Tianyuan Go Future Development Plan". In the years ahead, the Tianyuan Tournament will move toward internationalization, digital media dissemination, and integration of culture and tourism, while further optimizing the youth Go popularization system.