The National Gobang Tournament and the 5th National Intellectual Games Test Tournament finals concluded on March 21 in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone – located in Hefei city, capital of East China's Anhui province.

The National Gobang Tournament takes place in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone. [Photo/WeChat ID: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Organized by the Chess and Cards Sports Management Center at the General Administration of Sport of China, the tournament attracted over 200 professional players and gobang enthusiasts from all over the country.

The preliminary rounds for each group kicked off on March 18, with the open group playing seven rounds of the Swiss system, using a 60-minute package system and finishing all the qualifying matches first on March 19.

As a result, Fu Congrui from Shandong team and Jian Yongxuan from Shanghai won the open group male and female championships, respectively.

The men's and women's divisions were divided into preliminary and final legs. The preliminaries used the Swiss system, with 60 minutes per side and 30 seconds per move. The top eight entered the finals, which used a single-elimination system, with an extra game of super-fast chess in case of a draw.

After four days of fierce competition, Ni Zhongxing from Chengdu and Shen Lanxin from Shanghai won the championships in the men's and women's groups.