Update, 1 October 2026: the organisers would like more European players, so entries are open again until Thursday 8 October, and players of 5 kyu and stronger can now enter. The players who have entered so far are listed at the bottom of this page.

The Chinese Weiqi Association has invited European players to the 11th Silk Road International City Weiqi Tournament, which will be played in Nanjing, China, from 2 to 6 November 2026. The European Go Federation is collecting the European entries and will send them to the organisers together, so please enter through us and do not write to China directly.

Anyone holding the nationality of an EGF member country can enter, as long as they are 5 kyu or stronger in the EGD. The organisers can take up to 30 players from Europe, in 10 teams.

Teams:

A team is three players and a team leader. A team leader may play or not play, and their local costs are covered in the same way as the players’. Players who enter alone will be put into teams by the organisers.

Tournament system:

The tournament is eight rounds of Swiss with computer pairing. Each player has 50 minutes followed by two periods of 10 seconds byoyomi, and the competition rules of the Chinese Weiqi Association apply. Players from the same team do not meet in the first three rounds. A player who does not arrive within 15 minutes of the start of a round loses that round.

Entry fee, accommodation and financial support:

The entry fee is 2000 RMB for a team, or 667 RMB for a single player. It is paid in cash in RMB at the start of the tournament. The organisers cover meals and a bed in a twin room for the days of the tournament.

Players stay at the Xipu Shihong Hotel Nanjing, No. 5 Hongguang East Road, Lishui District, Nanjing. Everyone is in a twin room by default. A single room costs 1200 RMB extra. An accompanying person pays 2200 RMB, which covers their room and meals.

Travel is not covered, with one exception: the ten highest ranked European players who are 4 dan or above in the EGD each receive 500 USD towards their tickets. Women players of 3 dan or above who are among the ten highest ranked European players receive it too. The subsidy is paid in RMB during the tournament.

Prize money:

There is prize money for the first ten places, together with trophies and certificates. The winner receives 60,000 RMB, and after that 30,000, 15,000, 8,000, 5,000, 3,000, 2,000, 2,000, 1,500 and 1,500 RMB, all before tax. The best six teams receive trophies and certificates.

Schedule:

These times come from the organisers and may still change a little.

2 November: registration during the day. Please arrive at the hotel before 20:00. Team leaders’ meeting at 20:30.

3 November: opening ceremony at 9:00, round 1 at 9:30, round 2 at 14:00, round 3 at 16:30.

4 November: round 4 at 8:00, round 5 at 10:30, half day excursion from 14:00.

5 November: round 6 at 8:00, round 7 at 10:30, round 8 at 14:00, closing ceremony at 17:00.

6 November: departure. Please leave the hotel before 14:00.

Travel and visas:

The nearest airport is Nanjing Lukou, about 20 km from the hotel. All players are picked up when they arrive, as in past years. Once you have booked, please send your flight or train details to [email protected].

Holders of most European passports can enter China without a visa for up to 30 days. If you need a visa, write to [email protected] and we will ask the organisers for an invitation letter.

How to enter:

Write to [email protected] by Thursday 8 October 2026 with the full name as it is in the passport, date of birth, gender, EGD rank and EGD number, an email address and a phone number, and a scan of the passport with a passport photo. If you want to play in a team, give the names of your teammates.

Registered players:

These are the players who have entered so far, in order of EGD rank. Everyone on the list meets the conditions and there are enough places for all of them. Each federation can see here who has entered from their country.

1. Stanisław Frejlak, Poland, 2p
2. Ioan-Elian Grigoriu, Romania, 6d
3. Bende Barcza, Hungary, 5d
4. Petru Oancea, Romania, 5d
5. Chafiq Bantla, Germany, 4d
6. Lucrețiu Calotă, Romania, 4d
7. Mirta Grigoriu (Medak), Croatia, 3d
8. Lilly Hu, Austria, 1k
9. Razvan Andrei, Romania, 1k
10. Cherry Hu, Austria, 2k
11. Bilge Göze, Turkey, 3k
12. Yiğitcan Çördük, Turkey, 3k

Last updated on 1 October 2026.