Chunlan Cup

Table of contents Chunlan Cup Tournament Format Past Winners History

Chunlan Cup

The Chunlan Cup (Simplified Chinese: 春兰杯; literally "Spring Orchid Cup") is a relatively new world go championship that began in 1998. The Chunlan cup is the only international tournament in which games are played according to Chinese rules, and is also the only international tournament sponsored by a Chinese company (the Chunlan Group).

Tournament Format

In the cup, twenty-four players are invited to compete in a knockout tournament, with eight players being seeded into the second round. The final is then a best of three match, with a winner's prize of $150,000. Time limits are 3 hours main time with 5 periods of 1 minute byoyomi.

Past Winners

History

The 3rd Chunlan Cup was the scene of the infamous incident where Kobayashi Satoru injured Ryu Shikun during a drinking session in Taizhou, China. The Nihon Ki-in moved swiftly and suspended Kobayashi Satoru from all professional go activities for one year. That suspension was later commuted to eight months, and he was allowed to return to active play in September 2001.

There was an initial effort on Sensei's Library to give detailed commentary on the games of the Sixth Chunlan Cup. This project has now been abandoned.