Asian Games champion Hsu Hao-hung claims first 2025 domestic Go title

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Taiwanese Go player Hsu Hao-hung (許皓鋐), the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist, has claimed his first domestic title of 2025 by fending off challenger Hsu Ching-en (徐靖恩) 4-2 in a best-of-seven Taiwan Tengen final series.

The 9-dan Hsu, playing black on Monday when he clinched the series, defeated Hsu Ching-en in Taipei after the latter resigned on the 257th move. It was the first match in the series in which the winner played as black.

The victory marked Hsu Hao-hung's fourth consecutive Tengen title, tying the record for the longest winning streak in the event's history with former Taiwanese Go ace Wang Yuan-chun (王元均).

Wang dominated the annual tournament from 2015 to 2018 and still holds the record for the most Tengen titles, with six -- two more than Hsu.

The title was Hsu's first of the year after he swept all eight major domestic tournaments in 2024 and shifted his focus to international competition.

He skipped the HaiFong Tournament, which traditionally opens the pro calendar, and suffered a surprise quarterfinal exit at the Taiwan Meijin, the domestic tournament with the highest prize money.

Hsu also come close to faltering in Monday's match, with his winning probability at one point dropping to single digits, according to a Go-playing artificial intelligence program.

"I made some mistakes early in the match, but my opponent gave me a chance later on as he played more conservatively -- probably because he was confident about winning," Hsu said in a post-game interview.

Reflecting on the final series, Hsu said, "I think the first match was the key. I gained more confidence after pulling off a comeback win."

Lin Shih-hsun (林士勛), an 8-dan professional who served as commentator on Monday, said the match showcased Hsu's strength in the endgame.

Lin also noted, however, that the 4-2 series result pointed to the emergence of 18-year-old 6-dan Hsu Ching-en, saying he could become a real threat to Hsu Hao-hung within two years if he continued to improve.

Hsu Hao-hung will travel to China on Tuesday to take part in the qualifier for the Quzhou-Lanke Cup World Go Open.