The scene of the press conference. Photo by Xu Jun
Quzhou, 22 Feb (Zhongxin.com) -- On 22 February, this reporter learned from the special class for the construction of the "World Go Holy Land" in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, that the first "Quzhou Rotten Ke Cup" World Go Open Tournament will be held locally, which will fill the "gap" in China that there is no annual world top Go tournament. The winner of this competition is 1.8 million yuan (RMB, the same below).
On the 22nd, the Chinese Weiqi Association and the People's Government of Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province, held a press conference in Quzhou to introduce the relevant situation. It is understood that the tournament is jointly organized by the Chinese Weiqi Association and the Quzhou Municipal People's Government, and has been listed as the first professional tournament list by the Chinese Weiqi Association, comparable to South Korea's "LG Cup" and "Samsung Cup".
Starting in May this year, the top players from China and abroad will go through the fierce competition of the qualifiers, the tournament and the finals, and the champions will be determined in July. Professional Chinese players can register on the designated platform of the China Weiqi Association in April 2022.
Quzhou International Go Cultural Exchange Center. Photo by Xu Jun
The total prize money of this event is 4.08 million yuan, and in addition to the champion, the runner-up prize money is 600,000 yuan. At the same time, the loser of the first round gets 30,000 yuan; the loser of the second round gets 50,000 yuan; the loser of the third round gets 100,000 yuan; and the loser of the semi-final gets 200,000 yuan.
According to the official website of quzhou municipal government, Quzhou is the birthplace of Go culture, as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was a story of "the woodcutter king hostage met the gods and immortals in Rotten Keshan to play Go", which is the earliest written record of the origin of Chinese Go, and the local Rotten Keshan is also known as "Go Fairy Land".
In 2020, the Quzhou Municipal Party Committee and the Quzhou Municipal Government clarified the ten aspects of the work tasks on building a "world Go holy land". The local government proposed that by 2025, Quzhou City should be built into a place for planning and organizing Go activities, a bearer of international exchanges in Go culture, a place for top Go tournaments, and a "pilgrimage site" for Go enthusiasts. (End)