Taipei, April 17 (CNA) Sixteen years into his professional career, 9-dan Go player Lin Chun-yen (林君諺) on Wednesday finally captured his first HaiFong Tournament title.
Lin, who turned pro in January 2010, defeated 6-dan young phenom Hsu Ching-en (徐靖恩) in the final match of a best-of-three series held at Taipei’s HaiFong Go Association.
It marked Hsu’s third consecutive runner-up finish at the annual tournament, one of eight major titles in Taiwan and the season opener for the domestic pro Go circuit.
Lin, who completed 12 days of replacement soldier service in early March, said it took him more than two weeks to readjust to a competitive mindset and daily routine.
“It felt really strange at first, but after a few online matches, I realized I was more familiar with playing Go than I had expected,” he said. “So I began focusing on changing my daily routine.”
The victory was the 27-year-old’s first major pro title in Taiwan in nearly three and a half years. His last came in November 2021, when he bested Hsu Hao-hung (許皓鋐) 4-3 in the Go Grandmaster Tournament final series.
Despite breaking his title drought, Lin said the win felt “a little imperfect” since Hsu Hao-hung — the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist — did not participate in this year’s tournament.
Hsu, also a 9-dan player, claimed all eight major domestic titles in Taiwan in 2024. He has said he plans to focus more on international tournaments in 2025 and will not compete in every local event this year.
Reflecting on his struggles over the past two years, Lin described himself as “someone who deals with frustration effectively,” crediting his love for the game with helping him navigate through difficult times.
Go, he said, “allows us players to express our personalities through the stones.”
Lin said finding opportunities to beat top opponents gave him confidence. “I enjoy seeing how far Go can take me.”
Lin’s next target is the Taiwan Meijin title, where he is set to face 8-dan pro Chen Chi-jui (陳祈睿) in a best-of-three semifinal series.
The champion of the Taiwan Meijin will receive NT$1.8 million in prize money, the highest of all domestic tournaments.
“I’m still glad that my form this year is much better than in the past two years, and that I’ve regained some confidence with this title,” he said.
