Nie Weiping
Nie in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 August 1952 Shenyang, China |
| Died | 14 January 2026 (aged 73) Beijing, China |
| Sport | |
| Turned pro | 1982 |
| Teacher | Guò Tìshēng, Hideyuki Fujisawa |
| Pupil | Zhou Heyang Chang Hao Wang Lei Gu Li Piao Wenyao |
| Rank | 9 dan |
| Affiliation | Chinese Weiqi Association |
| Nie Weiping | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 聶衛平 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 聂卫平 | ||||||
| |||||||
Nie Weiping (simplified Chinese: 聂卫平; traditional Chinese: 聶衛平; pinyin: Niè Wèipíng; 17 August 1952 – 14 January 2026) was a Chinese professional Go player.
Life and career
Nie was born in Shenyang.[1] His ancestral home is in Shenzhou, Hebei.[2] He was a childhood friend of future Chinese leader Xi Jinping.[3] His brother, Liu Weiping, became a general in the People's Liberation Army.[3]
In 1973, the Chinese Chess Academy was rebuilt, and 21-year-old Nie was selected for the Go training team. Two years later, he won the national championship for the first time.[4] Nie joined the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Team in January 1977 and was transferred to the Go Team of the State Sports Commission Training Bureau in October 1980.[2] Nie began learning Go at the age of nine and won the inaugural World Amateur Go Championship in 1979. Nie was given 9 dan rank in 1982.[5][6] He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan Supermatches, beating several top Japanese players including his teacher, Fujisawa Hideyuki.[5][7] He earned the nickname "Steel Goalkeeper" for his ability to string together wins as the last Chinese player left.[8] In 1988, Nie was awarded the title of "Qi sheng" (Chinese: 棋圣, "Go Sage").[4] Nie won the Tianyuan twice, in 1991 and 1992.[9] Nie authored the book Nie Weiping on Go: The Art of Positional Judgment in 1995.
At the 30th Anniversary Commemorative Match of the China-Japan Supermatches in 2015, the Chinese Weiqi Association presented Nie with a Special Contribution Award.[4]
Nie died in Beijing on the evening of 14 January 2026, at the age of 73.[10] Following his passing, 15 January was designated as “China Go Day” by the World Go Certification Organization (WGCO), after a joint initiative by Hanmou Group and the Hong Kong Chess & Card Association, to commemorate Nie Weiping’s cultural legacy and his role in the development of Go in China.[11]
Promotion record
| Rank | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 dan | 1982 | |
| 2 dan | 1982 | |
| 3 dan | 1982 | |
| 4 dan | 1982 | |
| 5 dan | 1982 | |
| 6 dan | 1982 | |
| 7 dan | 1982 | |
| 8 dan | 1982 | |
| 9 dan | 1982 | Special promotion to 9 dan for past performance. |
Titles and runners-up
- As of 11 November 2020
Ranks #3 in total number of titles in China.
| Domestic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title | Wins | Runners-up |
| Guoshou | 1 (1981) | 1 (1982) |
| National Go Individual | 6 (1975, 1977–1979, 1981, 1983) | 1 (1984) |
| Qiwang | 1 (1990) | 1 (1991) |
| New Sports Cup | 8 (1979–1983, 1988–1990) | 2 (1984, 1991) |
| Mingren | 1 (1991) | |
| Tianyuan | 2 (1991, 1992) | 3 (1987, 1993, 1995) |
| Shiqiang | 6 (1987–1989, 1991, 1993–1994) | 1 (1990) |
| Baosheng Cup | 4 (1991–1992, 1994–1995) | |
| Longshan Cup | 1 (1995) | |
| CCTV Cup | 3 (1987, 1993, 1997) | 3 (1989, 1992, 1995) |
| Haitian Seniors Cup | 1 (1998) | |
| Weifu Fangkai Cup | 1 (2003) | |
| Taiping Shuzhen Cup | 4 (2016, 2018–20) | 1 (2017) |
| Total | 37 | 14 |
| Continental | ||
| Title | Wins | Runners-up |
| China-Japan Tengen | 1 (1992) | |
| Mingyue Shan Cup | 1 (2015) | |
| China-Japan-Korea Veterans Tournament | 1 (2018) | |
| Nie Weiping Cup | 1 (2019) | |
| Total | 1 | 3 |
| International | ||
| Title | Wins | Runners-up |
| Ing Cup | 1 (1988) | |
| Fujitsu Cup | 1 (1990) | |
| Tong Yang Cup | 1 (1995) | |
| Total | 0 | 3 |
| Career Total | ||
| Total | 38 | 20 |
References
- ^ "Chinese Go Legend Nie Weiping Dies at 73". City News Service (in Chinese (China)). Shanghai Daily. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b "聂卫平同志生平". Chinese Weiqi Association. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b Sheridan, Michael (2024). The Red Emperor: Xi Jinping and His New China. London, U.K.: Headline Press. pp. 41–42. ISBN 9781035413485.
Xi made his first real friends with two other boys, Nie Weiping and Liu Weiping, who were both the sons of senior military men. [...] Nie Weiping, who had started to play Go, the ancient board game, at the age of nine, went on to become China's most famous player. Liu Weiping embraced military discipline and followed his father into the People's Liberation Army to become a general.
- ^ a b c ""棋圣"聂卫平离去：他的人生棋局不止擂台". People's Daily (in Chinese (China)). 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Nie Weiping - 'Go Master'". cctv.cntv.cn. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Nie Weiping". gobase.org. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "China-Japan Supermatch". gobase.org. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ Lee Hongreal. "Episode 1: Pro's Nicknames". gobase.org. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Nie Weiping 9p". gogameworld.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ 郭凯. "Nie Weiping passes away at 73". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ "WGCO Approves January 15 as China Go Day". World Go Certification Organization. 15 January 2026.
External links
- Nie Weiping at IMDb