2019 IMSA World Masters Championship kicks off in China

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The much-awaited 2019 IMSA (International Mind Sports Association) World Masters Championship kicked off in the Chinese city of Hengshui on Monday.

The prefecture-level city in Hebei Province, the host of the Hengshui Lake International Marathon for seven consecutive years, has rich experience in staging many international events. For the first time in its history, the city has been chosen as the host for the international A-Level mind sports event.

Players compete at the IMSA bridge match in Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, May 14, 2019. /CGTN Photo by Chen Liansheng and Chen Kang

Comprised of Bridge, Chess, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi, the multi-sports championship attracts over 200 players from more than 40 countries in the world competing for 17 disciplines with a grand total of 99 medals in a week-long competition.

Nie Weiping (R) and his partner Luo Chuyue compete at the IMSA Go match in Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, May 13, 2019. /CGTN Photo by Chen Liansheng and Chen Kang

Clash of best minds in the world

The Sino-Japan Go competition has been a tradition for 35 years. Chinese nine-dan Go master 66-year-old Nie Weiping paired with two-dan Luo Chuyue Monday afternoon was defeated by Japanese counterpart 68-year-old Masaki Takemiya and entry-level Mori Tomosaki in the first round and the Japanese duo won, reaching the finals.

As the promotion ambassador of 2019 IMSA World Masters Championship, Nie Weiping said that the Go match had made a significant contribution to the friendship between China and Japan, and he hopes that the event could enhance the bond among all players.

China's Ke Jie (L) competes at the IMSA Go match in Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, May 14, 2019. /CGTN Photo by Chen Liansheng and Chen Kang

Go competition between China and South Korea

The competition between younger generations is even intense, with the rising Go star Ke Jie of China met with his rival Korean nine-dan master Park Yeonghun in the first round.

Even though Ke was defeated by Google's AlphaGo in 2017, the 21-year-old Chinese number one has proved his dominance in men's field thereafter.

The Chess match also gathered some glimmering stars in the world, including the 2015 women's world chess champion Mariya Muzychuk from Ukraine and Hungarian chess grandmaster Peter Leko.

Players compete at the IMSA chess match in Hengshui, north China's Hebei Province, May 14, 2019. /CGTN Photo by Chen Liansheng and Chen Kang

"The players who are participating in this tournament are the top 30 players in the world. It can be said that the world's strongest brains are gathering here in Hengshui," said Wu Xiaohua, the mayor of Hengshui and director of the organizing committee.

(CGTN's Ning Hong and Sports Scene contributed to this story.)