The 3rd Lanke Cup Vienna Open has come to an end, and we would like to begin by thanking everyone who made this event possible.

First and foremost, our sincere gratitude goes to the Confucius Institute at the University of Vienna, Lanke Quzhou, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Austria, the Austrian Go Association, the European Go Federation, and the Croatian Go Association for their support and cooperation. Their contributions allowed us to organize the largest Vienna Open to date and welcome players from across Europe and beyond.

We would also like to thank Confucius Institute Director Padraig Lysaght, Embassy Counsellor Sun Qinhang, EGF Vice President Li Ting, and all other guests who joined the opening ceremony. This year’s event was particularly meaningful as it formed part of the celebrations of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Austria.

A Weekend of Go in the Heart of Vienna

This year’s Vienna Open attracted 85 players from 18 countries, ranging from 20 kyu to professional level, 18 players ranked 5 dan or higher, making it one of the strongest tournaments ever organized in Austria.

The tournament took place at the beautiful Universitätscampus of the University of Vienna, hosted by the Confucius Institute. While the playing conditions were excellent, the organizers had to face a summer challenge: a heatwave that brought temperatures of up to 34°C during the tournament weekend. Keeping players supplied with water and maintaining comfortable playing conditions became a major task, but thanks to the efforts of the volunteers and organizing team, the event ran smoothly without significant organizational or refereeing issues.

The Vienna Open was visible well beyond the playing halls. Posters throughout the campus helped introduce hundreds of students and visitors to Go, ensuring that anyone spending the weekend on the campus lawns could hardly miss the tournament taking place nearby.

A special highlight was the presence of Zhao Baolong 3p from the Quzhou Ge Yuhong Weiqi Academy. Throughout the weekend, he reviewed games, answered questions, and shared his professional insights with players of all levels. We thank Zhao Baolong and are grateful to the Ge Yuhong Academy and Lanke Quzhou for the opportunity to learn from him!

Highlights from the Competition

The fight for the top places remained open until the final rounds, with many close and exciting games on the top boards. Five games were broadcast live, and four rounds were additionally commented live by Andrii Kravets 3p on Twitch, providing professional analysis for online viewers.

We are especially proud of the performances of our young players. U18 competitors Bartik Dach (5d), Stjepan Medak (5d), and Xing Yuze (6d) all finished among the top ten of the tournament, demonstrating the strength of the next generation of European Go.

Best Female Player: Akira Fukushima Maekawa (5d)

U12 Category: 1. Lilly Hu, 2. Papp Szilard Mihaly, 3. Cherry Hu

Final Results

Valerii Krushelnytskyi (7d)
Kim Dohyup (8d)
Ioan Elian Grigoriu (6d)
Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia (1p)
Lukas Podpera (7d)
Viktor Lin (6d)
Bartik Dach (5d)
Stjepan Medak (5d)

Valerii Krushelnytskyi earned 8 European Grand Prix points for his victory, while Benjamin Drean-Guenaizia was the highest-placed professional player and received 4 Grand Prix points. Ioan Elian Grigoriu, our Go7 teacher, secured qualification for the Grand Prix Finals, which will be held next January in Vienna. Congrats!

Thank You

Finally, thank you to all players, volunteers, referees, teachers, sponsors, and supporters who contributed to this wonderful weekend. Events of this scale are only possible through the combined efforts of many people.

Special thanks to:

Zhao Baolong 3p (Ge Yuhong Academy representative and official teacher) for teaching, reviewing, answering questions, the whole weekend long,
Padraig Lysaght and Maria Gasser from the Confucius Institute, for setting up the playing area, staying late until all games finished, and their continuous support,
Damir Medak (EGF vice president and Croatian Go Association president), the main referee and pairing master, for managing the live broadcast and promotion of games and tournaments on OGS
Anastasiya Tsyhanova (Go7 Vice president), assisting referee, for the design of promotion materials, digital promotion management, photos, and help with all other organizational aspects,
Jasna Medak (Croatian youth coach and organizer), assisting referee, for setting up the playing area, providing players with refreshments, ensuring comfortable playing conditions, taking photos, and helping with all other organizational aspects,
Go7 members and other volunteers who helped with carrying equipment and setting up the place (Dominik Leko, Elian Grigoriu, Len Recheis, Raphael Mautner, Moritz Hable, Valentin Bogad, Lothar Spiegel and others)