Taiwan Today

Chen Shih-iuan defeated defending champion Chou Chun-hsun July 16 to become the leading Go player in Taiwan. The 24-year-old Chen beat the 29-year-old Chou by one and a half points in the sixth game of the best of seven series in the 2nd Taiwan Weiqi (Go) Ace Tournament. Chen won four games to two. The tournament, the highest professional-level competition in Taiwan, is sponsored by the Haifong Weiqi Academy. The winner received a prize of NT$1 million (US$30,390), with second place taking NT$350,000. The two-month-long tournament saw repeated spills and chills. Chou, the original favorite, unexpectedly lost the first game, and then lost two more in a row. Just as it seemed that he was sure to lose the title, he came from behind to take the fourth and fifth games. In the end, he still could not hold onto the title. After winning the title, Chen said modestly he “got lucky.” After winning the opening three games, he felt tired from playing too much and lost the fourth game. After losing the fifth game, he decided to take a week off and have nothing to do with Go. This strategy worked, as he came back to win the sixth game and take the title. Chen is now a player of the eighth dan rank in the Taiwan Chi Yuan Culture Foundation. Because of his refined but somewhat childlike appearance, he is known as the “Harry Potter of Taiwan’s Go world.” At age 12 he went to South Korea to study at the Kwon Kam Hyo Baduk Academy, only returning four years ago to do his alternative military service. Chen said that he went to South Korea because he wanted to become an international Go player, but he feels that Taiwan now offers opportunities to move onto the world Go stage. His Korean teacher, Kwon Kam Hyo, who arrived in Taiwan July 16, was gratified to hear that his student had won the tournament. Chen now has ten championships to his name, including the Taiwan Weiqi Ace, Oza and Zhonghuan Cup titles, and eight second-place finishes. Since withdrawing from the TCYCF last year, Chou is not eligible for many tournaments, and now holds only the Mingren title. Regarding his defeat by an up and coming player, Chou said candidly since he is not so young, Go in Taiwan needs more outstanding players, so a change of dynasties is a good thing. Chou said that since his withdrawal from the TCYCF, the fact that he has not taken part in enough competitions is his fatal weakness. In the three months leading up to the Taiwan Weiqi Ace Tournament he had only played one game, so he was very rusty in head-to-head battles with an opponent. His surprise loss in the first match was a huge blow to him, causing him to abandon himself to despair in the second and third matches and lose his momentum. (THN)