Nie Weiping

Nie Weiping (; 17 August 1952 – 14 January 2026) was a Chinese professional Go player.

Life and career Nie was born in Shenyang. His ancestral home is in Shenzhou, Hebei. He was a childhood friend of future Chinese leader Xi Jinping. A close friend of both, Liu Weiping, became a general in the People's Liberation Army. Nie joined the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Team in January 1977 and was transferred to the Go Team of the State Sports Commission Training Bureau in October 1980. He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan Supermatches, beating several top Japanese players including his teacher, Fujisawa Hideyuki. He earned the nickname "Steel Goalkeeper" for his ability to string together wins as the last Chinese player left. In 1988, Nie was awarded the title of "Qi sheng" (, "Go Sage"). Nie authored the book Nie Weiping on Go: The Art of Positional Judgment in 1995.

At the 30th Anniversary Commemorative Match of the China-Japan Supermatches in 2015, the Chinese Weiqi Association presented Nie with a Special Contribution Award. Following his passing, 15 January was designated as “China Go Day” by the World Go Certification Organization (WGCO), after a joint initiative by Hanmou Group and the Hong Kong Chess & Card Association, to commemorate Nie Weiping’s cultural legacy and his role in the development of Go in China.

Promotion record

Titles and runners-up

Ranks #3 in total number of titles in China.