Chinese Go master Nie passes away at 73

BEIJING, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Go master Nie Weiping died at the age of 73 in Beijing on Wednesday night, the Chinese Weiqi (Go) Association announced on Thursday.

Born on August 17, 1952, Nie rose to fame in the Go world after leading China to victories at the China-Japan Go Challenge Series in the 1980s, beating several top Japanese players.

In 1988, he was honored as "Go Master" by then-State Physical Culture and Sports Commission of China, the predecessor organization of China's State General Administration of Sport. He was also the honorary president of the Chinese Weiqi Association.