Top-level professional tournament and community tournament held in parallel in Changning

On October 23, the first game of the final of the 20th Changqi Cup China Professional Go Championship officially kicked off at the Changning Ledong Hongqiao venue.

The 2026 “Sports Lottery Cup” Community Go Tournament was also held at the same venue.

The community tournament, held in parallel with a top-level Go competition, attracted 50 Go enthusiasts from various communities in Changning District.

They played against each other in pairs, fully enjoying the joy of the game. Participants included people of all ages, as well as several female and foreign players.

Mizessyn Francois, a French Go player who has lived in Shanghai for many years, introduced himself: "I've been playing Go for 60 years, 2-3 times a week. Go is very interesting to me." He added it's a sport that requires a lot of thinking. He sincerely hopes that the community can hold more tournaments like this in the future, allowing everyone to experience the joy of Go.

Fu Junheng, the youngest amateur 6-dan player in Changning, also participated in this community competition. He has a high rank, but the older players also displayed impressive skill, resulting in a mixed bag of wins and losses for both sides. He shared his experience learning Go, describing the process as bittersweet, filled with setbacks, but he still enjoys playing and finds it very fun.

Chang Hao, Chairman of the Chinese Weiqi Association, attended the opening ceremony and expressed his high expectations for the promotion of Weiqi in Changning and among the general public: "We hope that through our Weiqi tournaments, Weiqi can better enter communities and schools. Weiqi is not only a competitive sport, but also an excellent traditional Chinese culture. We also hope that Weiqi can be better integrated with the cultural development of Changning District in the future and carry out more cooperation."

The community competition is open to adult Go enthusiasts in the community, allowing residents to enjoy the fun of a high-quality tournament right at their doorstep.

The Changning District Go Association will use this competition as an opportunity to continue promoting Go in communities and schools.

After three rounds of intense competition, the winners of special awards, including the All-Win Award and the Two-Win Award, were commended.

The Changning District Sports Bureau has attached great importance to the popularization and development of Go, actively responding to the growing and diverse sports and cultural needs of residents.