Nie Weiping, the honorary chairman of the Chinese Go Association and the "goss master" 9th Dan, passed away in Beijing last night. This morning, Nie Weiping's daughter Nie Yunfei issued an obituary: Mr. Nie Weiping, the leading figure in the Chinese Go world and the "Sage of Go", passed away at 22:55 pm on January 14, 2026 due to ineffective treatment of illness. He was 73 years old.
"Obviously I have recovered so well, why is God so ruthless, why is life so unpredictable, my son wants to take care of me but he doesn't?" Nie Yunfei said in the obituary that her father's life was a legendary life and a life of love. He has a straightforward personality and an open mind. No matter he is in good times or bad, he always maintains an optimistic and open-minded attitude towards life.
In November 2013, my father underwent cancer surgery. After the operation, he still persisted in his love and was active in the Go competition, demonstrating his sincerity towards Go with his strong will. He has said frankly many times: "As long as it is beneficial to Go, I will spare no effort to do it."
In March 2025, my father was in a coma for 12 days due to a sudden cerebral infarction. After waking up, he always recovered actively with tenacity. Sadly, on January 14, 2026, my father suddenly fell ill in the hospital. After all-out efforts to rescue him, he failed and passed away. "My father's passing is a huge loss to the Chinese Go community, and an irreparable pain in the hearts of our family. His voice and appearance will last forever, and we will miss him forever." Nie Yunfei wrote in the obituary.
Nie Weiping was born on August 17, 1952 in Shenyang, Liaoning, and was originally from Shenzhou, Hebei. In 1973, he was selected into the Chinese Go training team and started a legendary career that profoundly influenced the development history of Chinese Go. In that era when Chinese Go was in urgent need of rise, Nie Weiping set a stunning record of 11 consecutive victories in the Sino-Japanese Go Tournament, and led the Chinese team to win the championship three times. Using black and white chess pieces as a matchmaker, he ignited the national pride and patriotic enthusiasm of hundreds of millions of people. The reputation of "Nie Xuanfeng" spread throughout the country and became an indelible spiritual symbol of an era. In 1988, Nie Weiping was officially awarded the title of "Chess Saint" by the National Sports Commission. This honor was not only the ultimate recognition of his extraordinary chess skills, but also a high praise for his noble character. In the following decades, Nie Weiping has been deeply involved in the field of Go, and has served as vice chairman and honorary chairman of the Chinese Go Association. In 1999, he was named one of the "Top Ten Outstanding Figures in the New China Go World".