The 38th Tongli Cup China Go Tianyuan Tournament has determined the top eight players who will advance to the next round after some intense battles in Beijing on January 31.
In a highly anticipated match, Ding Hao, the current top-ranked player in Chinese Go, managed to defeat Gu Zihao, who was ranked second. The game was a tight affair for the first 70 moves, with both players locked in a stalemate. However, Gu Zihao’s move at 75 seemed to be overly aggressive, leading to his downfall as he lost in the middle game.
Other matches in the round saw Lian Xiao triumph over Wang Xinghao, Xue Guanhua overcoming Yang Dingxin, Fan Yin losing to Yang Kaiwen, Shi Yue falling to Fan Yin, Xu Jiayang defeating Wang Shiyi, Li Weiqing beating Xie Hao, and Xie Ke losing to Liu Yuhang. This round saw the elimination of world champions such as Yang Dingxin, Fan Tingyu, Shi Yue, Gu Zihao, and Xie Hao, leaving Ding Hao as the only remaining world champion in the quarterfinals.
The upcoming round will see Ding Hao facing off against Xu Jiayang in what is expected to be another thrilling match. The China Go Tianyuan Tournament has certainly lived up to its reputation as an intense and action-packed event. (Ge Huizhong)