China's new-generation Go champion Ding Hao has high hopes for future career

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(People's Daily Online) 17:55, February 03, 2023

China's new-generation Go player Ding Hao competes in the final of the 27th LG Cup World Baduk Championship. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Go Association)

China's new-generation Go player Ding Hao beat Yang Dingxin, another player from China 2:0 during the final of the 27th LG Cup World Baduk Championship on Feb. 1 in Beijing, becoming a world champion for the first time in his life and the country's first world Go champion born after 2000.

Ding advanced to the final of the championship after successively beating three players from South Korea. The young Go champion said he still needs to improve his capabilities in some areas such as the accuracy of his time control.

Ding started to learn the art of Go when he was a child, and at the age of 7, he was sent to Go training sessions. In the beginning, he played Go for fun, and later began to make fast progress.

After he joined the Ge Yuhong Go Academy in Beijing, Ding started to participate in professional Go tournaments. His family had difficulties supporting his learning of the Go, and Ding thought about quitting several times. Finally, he was able to earn himself a spot in the Go rankings and started to get a stable salary as a professional Go player.

China's new-generation Go player Ding Hao competes in the final of the 27th LG Cup World Baduk Championship. (Photo courtesy of Chinese Go Association)

The young Go player also loves reading and listening to music. Before starting to learn the game, Ding had learnt to play the flute. He is also interested in writing and often shares his opinions on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Ding attributes his success to talent and perseverance, saying he spends between 7 and 8 hours a day practicing the Go and that he is efficient and concentrated during his training. Ding expressed his gratitude to many people who have helped him with learning Go, including several Go masters.

In 2021, Ding won the championship during several national Go tournaments, including the Chinese Go Championship and the Go Masters Championship.

The 27th LG Cup World Baduk Championship was the first international championship held offline amidst the many held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ding said he likes to play the games face-to-face with his rivals because of the ceremonial aspects. He also likes travelling to go to different places to participate in the games.

Ding hopes his versatility and talent will help him win more championships in the future.

(Web editor: Xian Jiangnan, Du Mingming)