The first Lanke Cup China-Central Asia Weiqi Invitational Tournament kicked off on Aug 4 in Wushi county, Aksu prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Go, also known as weiqi in Chinese, is a traditional Chinese board game for two players.

At the opening ceremony, the Chinese Go Association signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Go associations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The accords aim to promote China's amateur Go ranking certification system and enhance youth exchanges.

The Xinjiang Go Association designated Wushi county as a Go study base, while representatives from Quzhou College in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province awarded the Silk Road Go Academy plaque to the Kyrgyzstan Go Association.

Quzhou is known as a "Holy Land of Go" in China. Quzhou's Legend of Lanke Mountain — one of the oldest Chinese myths about Go — spotlights the city's rich Go culture.

Last year, Quzhou and Wushi joined hands to host the quarterfinals and semifinals of the second Quzhou Lanke Cup World Weiqi Open Tournament.

This year, the Lanke Cup China-Central Asia Weiqi Invitational Tournament aims to establish Go as a vibrant link for cultural exchanges among China and Central Asian countries.

Running until Aug 6, the tournament features fierce competition among 10 teams from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Mongolia.

Additional activities include training camps for the Chinese national Go team and a youth summer camp for the study of Go.