Zheng Ce, A Chengdu Go Player, Wins Three Professional Qualifications
One is granted with professional qualifications for three mind sports respectively. Chengdu’s well-known Go player Zheng Ce becomes the first crossover person in domestic mind sports. Recently, Zheng Ce has posted a certificate in the Moments, showing that he has passed certification of Mahjong International League (MIL) and become a MIL certified mahjong player. “Officially certified by MIL, I become a professional player in another event!” said Zheng Ce. In possession of three professional qualifications including Go 3 Dan, national champion in Droughts, and international mahjong player, Zheng Ce is the so-called all-rounder in mind sports.
The 33-year-old Zheng Ce is a Go player known to Chengdu Go fans. He started to study Go at the age of 5. In 1999, when he was 16 years old, he was successfully ranked as a professional Go player. He took part in the National Go A League as a member from Sichuan Jiaozi Team in 2003 and 2004. Later, he began being immersed in his study. In 2004, he was admitted to Shanghai International Studies University to study the major of Japanese and awarded with the champion in the “Ing Cup” National College Student Go Competition. After graduation, he assumed Go coach in the Chengdu Chess Institute. At present, he is deputy chief of competition section in the Chengdu Chess Institute. The resume of Zheng Ce is somewhat a model for many teenagers who learn Go though he has not made remarkable achievements in the Go event. It is perfect to master a Go, go to a good college and integrate hobby and work, isn’t it?
And meantime, Zheng Ce took his first step in crossover actions. In 2007, Draughts officially emerged in China. Chengdu Chess Institute founded a national Draughts team in 2008 and Zheng Ce who had been a 3 Dan Go player after playing Go for 2 decades turned to Draughts. He quickly made a figure and ascended to become one of those top Draughts players in China after he selected Draughts thanks to his professional quality and experience in playing Go for years. In May 2009, Zheng Ce beat younger player Zeng Qianrang in the final of 10×10 board in the first national Draughts open tournament, not only winning his first national champion but also winning the first Draughts champion in history. According to Gao Shengjian, chief coach of Chengdu Draughts team, Zheng Ce has become a top Draughts player in China. Of 27 Chinese Draughts players taking part in the first China-Russia-Mongolia International Draughts Challenge in 2010, Zheng Ce was ranked in the first place as the first key player in Chinese team. Two years after he transferred to another event, he soared to become the “king of Draughts” at the age of 27. It reveals his profound potential in crossover.
And this year, he always with the courage to bring forth new ideas ushered in the third crossover. Zheng Ce has the third identity by taking the opportunity to attend the first World Grand Prix of Bloody Mahjong sponsored by MIL, namely the MIL certified mahjong player. The first World Grand Prix of Bloody MahjongTournament awarding its champion with a bonus of as high as RMB 200,000 commenced in Chengdu in August and Zheng Ce ascended to its top five in the preliminary on the fourth day and attained the ticket to the final so as to be certified by MIL and get aprofessional qualification.
“Granted with three qualifications, kind of first person in China,” said Zheng Ce with smile when interviewed by reporters of Chengdu Daily. “As for me, Go is my favorite. I will never leave it behind. Currently, I also take part in urban Go league. I do not give up Draughts either nowadays. And concerning mahjong, I wish I will make my own contribution to enabling the sport to be anevent in the mind sports games as early as possible.”
No hard crossover in mind sports
“The crossover in mind sports may resemble decathlon in the Olympic Games. Each event has common principle so I personally feel that it is not that hard,” understated by Zheng Ce as a current all-rounder in mind sports.
In mind sports, there are a lot of crossover all-rounders in events though Zheng Ce is the only Go player that attains three professional qualification certificates. Of all, Go Kisei Nie Weiping is the most prominent of course. He has been a Xiangqi master in spite of his “ignominious history” in which he was beaten by Xu Yinchuan though he was given away nine chess pieces. Meanwhile, he has been skillful in international chess and bridge. He is good at four events among six events in mind sports. Moreover, Hu Ronghua, for instance, is a master in three events. The crossover competition of three events which Hu Ronghua, Nie Weiping and Xie Jun took part was a sensation.
And many Go players switch to a new event after they are trained in some event for some time. The King of Southwest China Song Xuelin in 9 Dan initially studied Xiangqi and the No.1 in Draughts in China Zhou Weize who switched from Xiangqi to Draughts studied with Zheng Weitong together.