Obituary: Nie Weiping, China’s ‘Go Saint’ Who Roused National Pride, Dies at 73
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Nie Weiping, the Chinese Go grandmaster whose stunning comeback victories over top Japanese rivals in the 1980s sparked a national craze, died Jan. 14. He was 73.
If the Chinese national soccer team were ever to win the World Cup, the resulting euphoria might rival the fervor Nie ignited four decades ago during the inaugural China-Japan Super Match.
In an era when television was dominated by kung fu dramas, the quiet, strategic board game of Go became an unlikely battleground for national honor. While the game was viewed as a crystallization of Chinese wisdom, Japan had firmly suppressed Chinese players for a century.
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- Nie Weiping, famed Chinese Go grandmaster, died on Jan. 14 at age 73; his comeback wins over Japan in the 1980s sparked national pride.
- Nie famously defeated three top Japanese “super-class” players in the China-Japan Super Match, earning the title “Go Saint”; he won 11 straight matches during this period.
- Though he later lost in global tournaments and never secured a world title, Nie remained a revered figure as Go transitioned into the era of youth dominance and artificial intelligence.
- 1986：
- The inaugural China-Japan Super Match took place, igniting a national Go craze in China after Nie Weiping's comeback victories.
- 1986：
- Jiang Zhujiu defeated five consecutive Japanese players in the early stages of the China-Japan Super Match.
- 1986：
- Koichi Kobayashi, Masao Kato, and Hideyuki Fujisawa vowed to shave their heads if Japan lost; Kobayashi swept six games, but Nie Weiping then defeated all three.
- After the final match in 1986：
- Defeated Japanese players shaved their heads in penance, and widespread national celebrations broke out in China.
- 1986, 1987, and 1988：
- Nie Weiping held the line for China in the China-Japan Super Match, winning 11 straight matches across three years.
- 1989：
- Nie Weiping lost at the inaugural Ing Cup finals, losing the last two matches to Cho Hun-hyun after leading 2-1.
- 2010s：
- A new generation of Chinese Go players reclaimed global dominance.
- 2016：
- Artificial Intelligence began transforming the game of Go.
- Jan. 14, 2026：
- Nie Weiping, the Chinese Go grandmaster, died at age 73.
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