Photo: CCTV

The Chinese Weiqi Association expressed its affirmation and welcome toward the Korean Baduk Association's decision to change the controversial rules, and said it looks forward to jointly promoting the rationalization and internationalization of the rules with the Korean Baduk Association, China Central Television reported on Wednesday. 

Go is known as Weiqi in China and Baduk in South Korea. 

Previously, the South Korean Baduk Association's rule stated that if a stone was not placed inside the stone container lid this would constitute a violation. The first violation would result in a penalty of two points, and repeated offenses would lead to an immediate loss.

In January, Chinese Go player Ke Jie's loss in the LG Cup finals in South Korea due to "rule violations" sparked huge controversy in China.  Ke did not place captured stones in the designated stone container lid on two occasions during the second game of the 29th LG Cup finals. Many Chinese felt that due to the differences in the playing habits and rules between Chinese and South Korean players, Chinese players are more prone to violations under the latest rules in South Korea. 

According to Chinese Weiqi Association, the South Korea Baduk Association sent an official document to the Chinese Weiqi Association on Wednesday, officially canceling the rule that caused a loss for a Chinese player and removing the controversial penalty regulations for future international competitions hosted by South Korea, CCTV reported. 

The Chinese Weiqi Association's demands regarding the rules have now received a positive response from the Korean side, creating conditions for continued communication between both parties, said a representative from the Chinese Weiqi Association, CCTV reported. 

“The Chinese Weiqi Association will use this incident to effectively strengthen the awareness and adaptability regarding the rules in preparation for competitions. It also looks forward to working together with the Korean Baduk Association to jointly promote the rationalization and internationalization of the rules, ensuring the stable operation of weiqi events, minimizing the uncertainty of match outcomes influenced by refereeing factors, and fully showcasing the spirit of weiqi, where victory and defeat are determined by the players' skills on the board,” CCTV quoted the representative as saying. 

"Chinese rules generally do not require the retention of dead stones. After the game ends, players typically return the dead stones to the stone container," renowned weiqi commentator and former national weiqi champion Meng Tailing told the Global Times. 

"In contrast, South Korean and Japanese players are accustomed to first marking the empty spaces on the board and then counting the dead stones from both players' containers to calculate the final score," he added.

"It's tough for Chinese players to change their playing habits in a short period," Meng said.