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written by Artem Kachanovskyi
In October of last year, I participated in the 3rd “China Town” Weiqi Cup in Warsaw. It was a great experience: a fantastic venue in the center of the city, smooth organization and high prize money attracted many top European players. You can read more about it in the September & October 2023 edition of our magazine.
The 4th “China Town” Weiqi Cup will be held in Warsaw this October, and I’m hoping it becomes one of the biggest annual events on the European go scene!
Mr. Hongyun Chai, the sponsor of the tournament, kindly agreed to respond to a few questions.
Artem: How did you first hear about the game of weiqi?
Mr. Chai: I first learned about weiqi when I was a student in China in 1985. At that time, in the first China-Japan Weiqi Tournament, legendary Chinese player Nie Weiping sensationally defeated several Japanese 9-dan professional players in a row and won the tournament for China. That was when I got interested in weiqi and started playing.
Artem: Please tell us briefly about your business.
Mr. Chai: I have done a lot of things in Poland, not the kind of business that makes a lot of money, but socially meaningful. I have the first media for Chinese people in Poland – the Polish Chinese Information Network, and the Polish Chinese Information WeChat “polandinfo”. In my media, I have already introduced your European Go Journal.
I also own three Chinese restaurants called “China Town” in Warsaw, manage the “Chinese School in Warsaw,” teaching Chinese language, provide business consulting services and sell products on the Allegro e-commerce platform.
Nowadays my partners and I are developing import and export trade between China and Poland. In addition to occasionally importing goods from China to Poland, we are also exporting Polish duck and goose feathers to China. If possible, we can cooperate too, because I heard that the duck and goose feathers in Ukraine are also good!
Artem: What do you think makes the game of weiqi so fascinating?
Mr. Chai: Let me explain the meaning of the Chinese characters “weiqi” – 围棋. “Wei” means to surround, and “qi” means chess piece. It's clear at a glance. I think weiqi is a very good brain game with endless variations and a need for intelligence and strength. It can help you develop your problem-solving skills and a sense of the overall situation, as well as teach you not to give up easily. Persistence is victory.
Artem: What was the inspiration for the Weiqi Cup in Poland?
Mr. Chai: When I hosted the seven China Export Commodities Exhibitions in Warsaw, I felt like I wanted to introduce more Chinese cultural elements, so I supported the first Polish Chinese Language Competition and the Weiqi Cups in Poland.
Artem: Why are you supporting weiqi in Poland? What are your plans for the future?
Mr. Chai: I was moved by Tomasz Andrzejewski's [*] love and dedication to weiqi and admired his design and organizational skills, so I sponsored several Weiqi Cups in succession. In addition to the 4th Weiqi Cup in October this year, we are also discussing the 2025 European Go Congress in Warsaw, hoping to give the participants the best experience: a conference hall for thousands of people in a four-star hotel, preferential hotel prices, exciting and fair competitions, and bright cultural activities.
Artem: If you could share a message with the other potential sponsors, what would you tell them? Why is it important to support the game of weiqi in Europe?
Mr. Chai: I have been promoting it among my compatriots, hoping that more people will come together to sponsor the game in Poland and continue to improve its status in Europe. I can feel the difficulties faced by the European players: they earn too little due to low prize money and lack of support from businesses and society. At the same time, I see that weiqi is becoming more and more popular in Europe, so I hope I can do something for them. Hosting the Weiqi Cups in Poland is one of my ways to support the European players. I hope to provide more support within my ability in the future.
Artem: Thank you, Mr. Chai! I wish all your initiatives both in business and in supporting weiqi to succeed and bloom.
[*] Tomasz Andrzejewski is the president of the Polish Go Association and the main organizer of the 2025 European Go Congress. We published an interview with him in the January & February edition this year.
