Ms Lim Mei Shyan presenting her opening speech.

The distinguished guests at the launching ceremony (from left to right):Mr Chan Kai Quin, Lecturer, Department of BioScience and Sport Science, Dr Ler Hui Yin, Programme Leader, Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science, Mr Chow Chee Wen, Vice President, Malaysia Weiqi Association, Mr Chen Zhong, Mr Tiong Kee Soon, En. Muhamad Akif bin Muhamad Mohsin, Ms Lim Mei Shyan, Dr Tan Hui Yin, Associate Dean, Department of BioScience and Sport Science and Mr Ling Sen Kian, Lecturer, Department of BioScience and Sport Science.

An overview of the competition at the Sports Complex where participants are battling it out during the first stage of the competition.

Participants paying full attention before making their next move.

An entertaining cultural dance performance.

TAR UC students performing a fascinating robot dance.

Held over two days from 11-12 June 2016, the 6th Malaysia Weiqi Open Championship 2016 was successfully held at the Sports Complex of TAR UC's Kuala Lumpur Main Campus. The competition which was a joint effort between TAR UC, Malaysia Weiqi Association and Kongzi Institute attracted 180 participants from Malaysia as well as countries such as Japan, China, Singapore and Poland. The opening ceremony of the competition which was held in the morning of 12 June 2016 saw the presence of Ms Lim Mei Shyan, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Computing (‘FASC'), Mr Tiong Kee Soon, President of Malaysia Weiqi Association (‘MWA'), Mr Chen Zhong, Director of Kongzi Institute and En Muhamad Akif bin Muhamad Mohsin, President of Sport and Exercise Science Society and Organising Chairman of the 6th Malaysia Weiqi Open Championship.

In her opening speech, Ms Lim Mei Shyan highlighted how Weiqi is gaining popularity in the world due to its many benefits. "Weiqi was a popular game in China, Korea and Japan initially and started to get popular in many parts of the world especially when in March this year, Google's AlphaGo computer programme defeated one of the world's best human Weiqi players. This incredible match has created an excitement around the world to get to know more about Weiqi as it is found that playing Weiqi frequently is able to improve one's intellectual, concentration, memory and critical thinking skills. Such skills are important for moulding individual personality and enhancing one's intelligence," she said.

Like previous years, there were a total of 5 categories in the competition namely Dan level, High Kyu level, Intermediate level, Low Kyu level and University level. The winners for each category are as below:

Dan level
Champion: Chang Fu Kang (Malaysia)
1st Runner up: Wynes Leong Chee Weng (Malaysia)
2nd Runner up: Chong Wei Quan (Malaysia)

High Kyu level
Champion: Liaw Kang Yi (Malaysia)
1st Runner up: Lee Shou Wei (Malaysia)
2nd Runner up: Wu Suen Kit (Malaysia)

Intermediate Kyu level
Champion: Lee Shou Xuan (Malaysia)
1st Runner up: Look Keyun (Malaysia)
2nd Runner up: Lee Xuan Ming (Malaysia)

Low Kyu level
Champion: Foong Rui Bin (Malaysia)
1st Runner up: Ngai Yin Heng (Malaysia)
2nd Runner up: Lau Jun Liang (Malaysia)

University level
Champion: Chew Kar Chin (Malaysia)
1st Runner up: Chong Yaw Wen (Malaysia, who is a TAR UC student at KL Main Campus)
2nd Runner up: Isaac See Wei Jie (Malaysia, who is a TAR UC student at Penang Branch Campus)

Mr Chen Kim Min whose 6-year old son was one of the participants in the competition expressed his appreciation to the organisers for organising the competition. "This is the first time my son is participating in this competition and I can see how excited he is in meeting other children who have the same interest for Weiqi as he is. My son loves to play Weiqi as it challenges his thinking abilities and teaches him to be more patient. I always encourage his interest in the game by playing with him at home where besides increasing our intellectual strength, it is also a great bonding time for us," he explained.