Jointly organized by the Hong Kong Greater Bay Area Weiqi Promotion Association and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the 4th "Four Seas Cup" Hong Kong International University Student Weiqi Competition successfully concluded on July 17, 2026. As a signature event celebrating HKUST’s 35th anniversary, this year's tournament featured the largest scale and most distinguished lineup of guests in its history, perfectly embodying HKUST’s "Can-Do" spirit and its vision of fostering global exchange.
The opening ceremony, a key highlight of the competitiion, was grandly held on July 15, 2026 at the HKUST Shaw Auditorium. The ceremony was honored to have distinguished officiating guests, including Dr. Christine CHOI, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, and Dr. TAI Tak-fung, Founder and Chairman of the Four Seas Group. Through their remarks, the officiating guests shared the unique value of Weiqi as a vehicle for Eastern culture and expressed their hopes for the tournament to build bridges for cultural exchange among youth worldwide
(Please click here for more details about the ceremony.)
This year, the number of participating teams rose significantly from 19 to 29, bringing together nearly 90 top university Weiqi players from 25 countries and regions worldwide to compete. The competition became more internationalized this year, welcoming players from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago, as well as participants from Europe and Latin America for the first time. The HKUST Team and China Hong Kong Team also continued to participate, competing and matching skills with top university WeiQi players from around the world.
After two days of intense competition across seven rounds, YANG Fu-de of the Chinese Taipei Team achieved a perfect record, winning all seven matches to secure the individual championship. JIN Minseung of the Korea Team earned the first runner-up spot, while KITASHIBA Masashi of the Japan Team claimed third place. In the team category, the Tsinghua University Quantum Jade Investment Team successfully defended their title to claim the championship once again. The Chinese Taipei Team finished second, and the Japan Team placed third. Notably, the China Hong Kong, secured the sixth place of the team category which underscores the growing strength and potential of local students in playing Weiqi.
After the competition, Mr. YANG Kaiwen, World Weiqi Champion, and Miss ZHAN Ying, the online Weiqi broadcaster, joined the players and team leaders for a meet‑and‑greet and joint-play activity, fulfilling the event’s theme: “Weiqi Unites the World”.
