Without Go, Filip Filipovic, Noah Lauder and Kseniia Shatarova might never have become friends in China.
The three international students come from different countries and had different reasons for taking up the ancient Chinese board game Go, known in Chinese as weiqi. But through the Shanghai International Student Go Training Program, they found a shared language on the board.
The program, hosted by Fudan University, was launched as a side event of the 10th World Collegiate Weiqi Championship. It aimed to teach international students the fundamentals of Go and a deeper sense of Chinese culture.
More than 200 students applied, and 86 were ultimately selected. Participants came from 35 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America and Oceania.
The course covered everything from the basic rules of Go to practical gameplay training, with bilingual teaching assistants on hand to keep communication smooth in the classroom.
Beyond the game itself, the program included friendly matches, cultural workshops and hanfu (traditional Chinese attire) experiences.
Filipovic, a 29-year-old doctoral student from Serbia at Fudan University, first encountered Go while attending primary school in China.
"At first, I played chess with my schoolmates. Later, our school introduced Go classes, and that completely drew my attention," he said. "The rules are simple, but the possible variations are extremely complex. The real difficulty is much higher than that of many other board games."
Having completed both primary and middle school in China, Filipovic said Go has become an important part of how he understands Chinese culture.
"Every board game carries its own cultural heritage," he said. "Go is deeply connected to Chinese ideas of yin and yang, as well as ancient strategic thinking, including concepts found in Sun Tzu's The Art of War. That is what makes it so fascinating."
His Go idol is Nie Weiping, a renowned Chinese Go master. "I used to watch him play when I was a kid," Filipovic said. "I love his opening play and his understanding of the game. For me, it is a kind of philosophy."
For Lauder, a freshman from Australia at Fudan University, Go became appealing through another part of Chinese culture: tea.
"When I came to China, I found it really interesting how tea and board games are often enjoyed together as part of everyday life," he said. "That was when I started playing Go."
Lauder said he sees Go as a hobby that can last a lifetime. "It is easy to get started, but there is no ceiling," he said. "You can keep growing with the game."
Shatarova, a 20-year-old Russian student at Tongji University, said she was drawn to Go because of its complexity. "Go is one of the toughest games in the world," she said. "I play it to challenge myself."
She often plays with Chinese friends and said each game gives her another way to understand Chinese culture. Given the chance, she hopes to introduce Go to people in her hometown.
Zhang Zhuo, a researcher in Shanghai, said Go can help young people connect across cultures. "Go is a quiet form of communication because many of the ideas embodied in the game resonate with people from different cultural backgrounds," Zhang said. "The game reflects the Eastern idea of balance and moderation, while also sharing similarities with ideas found in Western traditions."
She said training programs and competitions can make traditional Chinese culture more accessible to young people worldwide.
The championship later brought players from around the world to Fudan University, where they competed and made friends over the centuries-old board game.