(ECNS) -- The opening ceremony of the 10th World Collegiate Weiqi Championship was held at Fudan University's Handan Campus in Shanghai on Wednesday, marking the first time the tournament has been hosted by a Chinese mainland university.
A record 150 players from 101 universities across 37 countries and regions, including Asia and Europe, have registered for the event.
Founded in 2014 to promote weiqi among university students worldwide and share Chinese weiqi culture, the championship has previously been hosted by universities in Toronto, Bangkok, Sydney and Singapore.
This year's event runs from July 7 to 13, with official competition days scheduled from July 8 to 11. The average age of participants is 23.2, with the youngest at 17.
Weiqi, known internationally as the game of Go, originated in ancient China and carries deep cultural significance.
French player Lubin Wilhelm, who has been playing for 10 years, described weiqi as fascinating because the rules are simple, yet its strategic possibilities are virtually limitless.
Olesia Malko, an 18-year-old player from Ukraine, said she was introduced to weiqi by her family and has been playing for 12 years. She described it as an art as much as a sport — a game of creativity and balance that appears calm on the surface but is filled with strategic tension. She said she especially enjoys identifying opponents' weaknesses and turning games around under pressure.
Chang Hao, president of the Chinese Weiqi Association, said the championship aims to introduce more young people worldwide to the game. He noted that unlike chess, which focuses on direct confrontation, weiqi emphasizes managing the entire board and coexisting on the board — a harmonious competition that embodies the Eastern philosophy of "harmony in diversity."
(By Tang Yuxian)
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