Eighteen players from five EGF member countries took part in the Weiqi Competition of the 4th Traditional Sports International Festival. The event was held in Qidong, Jiangsu Province, China, from 22 to 26 October 2026.

Six teams of three players took part:

• Croatia: Mirta Grigoriu (team leader), Tadej Petar Tukara, Marta Miksa
• Kazakhstan: Tangirbergen Baichalov (team leader), Zhanat Abayev, Maira Altynbassova
• Romania: Ioan Elian Grigoriu (team leader), Antonia Stanciu, Alessia Sarafolean
• Serbia: Vuk Dusanic (team leader), Anja Djukic, Milos Stojanovic
• Türkiye 1: Tuğkan Eren (team leader), Hülya Eren, Kaan Malçok
• Türkiye 2: Irmak Güntav (team leader), Berke Üner, Mustafa Güçlü Yılmaz

The festival is hosted by the All-China Sports Federation. This year it brought together more than 800 participants from over 60 countries and regions in six traditional sports. Its motto is “Civilizations Embrace, Sports Unite, Friendship Endures”. The opening ceremony took place on 23 October at the Qidong Poly Grand Theatre.

The Weiqi competition had a men’s group of 60 players and a women’s group of 37 players. Players from Chinese provincial associations and from overseas played in the same draw, and the overseas players had their own ranking. There were 36 overseas men and 24 overseas women, from Brazil, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand, the USA and Europe. There were 8 rounds with Swiss pairing, Chinese rules, 7.5 points komi and 30 minutes plus 3 x 20 seconds byoyomi.

Four Europeans were among the prize winners of the overseas rankings. In the men’s group, Ioan Elian Grigoriu (Romania) won 5 of his 8 games and finished 6th. In the women’s group, Mirta Grigoriu (Croatia), Antonia Stanciu (Romania) and Marta Miksa (Croatia) all won 4 games and finished 7th, 9th and 10th. Kaan Malçok (Türkiye) also won 4 games and was 13th, just one place outside the men’s prizes. The overseas groups were won by Wichrich Karuehawanit from Thailand and Zhou Yu Tang from Chinese Taipei.

European results (place in the overseas ranking, wins out of 8):

Men

6. Ioan Elian Grigoriu (Romania) 5
13. Kaan Malçok (Türkiye) 4
21. Tuğkan Eren (Türkiye) 3
23. Tadej Petar Tukara (Croatia) 3
25. Berke Üner (Türkiye) 3
27. Zhanat Abayev (Kazakhstan) 3
29. Vuk Dusanic (Serbia) 2
32. Milos Stojanovic (Serbia) 2
34. Tangirbergen Baichalov (Kazakhstan) 2
35. Mustafa Güçlü Yılmaz (Türkiye) 1

Women

7. Mirta Grigoriu (Croatia) 4
9. Antonia Stanciu (Romania) 4
10. Marta Miksa (Croatia) 4
14. Anja Djukic (Serbia) 3
17. Alessia Sarafolean (Romania) 3
18. Hülya Eren (Türkiye) 3
21. Irmak Güntav (Türkiye) 1
24. Maira Altynbassova (Kazakhstan) 0

The organisers covered accommodation, meals and local transport for all players. Besides the games, the programme included the opening ceremony with music and dance, a cultural visit and a closing ceremony with dinner on 25 October.

We warmly thank the Chinese Weiqi Association, and especially Mr. Wang Yuanzhuo of the International Exchange Department, for the kind invitation and for taking such good care of our players. We also thank the national federations and the team leaders. Congratulations to all European players!

Full results

Photos: organising committee. More photos: https://m.alltuu.com/topic/view/1011470473