| Gu Li | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gu Li |
| Chinese | 古力 |
| Pinyin | Gǔ Lì |
| Born | February 3, 1982 Chongqing, China |
| Residence | China |
| Teacher | Nie Weiping |
| Turned pro | 1994 |
| Rank | 9 dan |
| Affiliation | Zhongguo Qiyuan |
Gu Li (Chinese: 古力; Pinyin: Gǔ Lì; born February 3, 1982) is a Chinese professional Go player.
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Gu Li is currently the #1 ranked Chinese player by the Zhongguo Qiyuan.[1] He became a pro in 1994 when he was only 12. In 2006, he won the 10th LG Cup[2] and became the youngest Chinese player to ever win a major international title; as a result, he was also promoted to 9 dan. In March 2007, he defeated Chang Hao 2-0 to win the Chunlan Cup. In mid 2007, Gu Li experienced a playing slump, even losing many matches against lower dan players. However, he soon came back stronger than ever, winning many major titles both domestic and international, including the 2007 Chang-ki Cup and the 2008 Fujitsu Cup;[3] the greatest factors in this turnaround was his improvement in the endgame, and territory skills, which many people had previously considered his biggest weaknesses. In 2009 Gu defeated Lee Sedol to win the 13th LG Cup.
In July 2010, Gu Li became the "Meijin of Meijins" by defeating Lee Changho and Iyama Yuta in a special tournament which pitted the domestic title holders from China, Korea, and Japan against each other.[4] In October 2010, Gu Li defeated Han Sang-hoon and Lee Sedol in the Round of Sixteen and Quarter-finals respectively to reach the semi-finals of the 15th Samsung Cup, whilst the defending Champion Kong Jie was knocked out by Kim Ji-seok. Gu won the 2010 Samsung Cup defeating Heo Yeong-ho of Korea, and moves on towards the 2012 Ing Cup to become the second player to win all Major International Titles (Although Lee Chang-ho is the first and so far only person to win all titles, including the defunct World Oza and Zhonghuan Cup, as well as the Tong Yang Cup).
His given name Li, literally meaning strength, is also a Go term roughly meaning the ability of reading. Li also encompasses the meaning of the ability to discover strong moves and the ability to fight. Gu has a nickname called Gu Da Li. Da literally means large, big or huge. This refers to Gu's incredible ability at playing really strong moves that require sharp instinct as well as immaculate reading.
Tied for second place in total number of Go titles won in China.
| Title | Years held | Wins | Years lost | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic - Current | - | 27 | - | 10 |
| Mingren | 2004-2009 | 6 | 2010 | 1 |
| Tianyuan | 2003–2008 | 6 | 2009-2010 | 2 |
| Chang-ki Cup | 2007 2011 | 2 | 2006 | 1 |
| NEC Cup (China) | 2004, 2006, 2008-2009 | 4 | 2005 | 1 |
| Ahan Tongshan Cup | 2003, 2005, 2008 | 3 | - | - |
| Liguang Cup | 2002 | 1 | 2008 | 1 |
| CCTV Cup | 2004 | 1 | 2005 | 1 |
| Lanke Cup | 2008 | 1 | 2006 | 1 |
| Xinren Wang | 2001, 2005 | 2 | 2004 | 1 |
| Xinan Wang | 2003 | 1 | 2004, 2009 | 1 |
| National Sports Mass Meeting | 2002 | 1 | - | - |
| Domestic - Defunct | - | 1 | - | 0 |
| Bawang | 2002 | 1 | - | - |
| Continental | - | 8 | - | 3 |
| China-Korea Tengen | 2003-2005 | 3 | 2006-2008 | 3 |
| China-Korea New Pro Wang | 2001, 2005 | 2 | - | - |
| China-Japan Agon Cup | 2004, 2006, 2009 | 3 | - | - |
| International | - | 7 | - | 1 |
| LG Cup | 2006, 2009 | 2 | - | - |
| Chunlan Cup | 2007 | 1 | - | - |
| Fujitsu Cup | 2008 | 1 | - | - |
| World Oza | 2008 | 1 | - | - |
| BC Card Cup | 2009 | 1 | 2011 | 1 |
| Samsung Cup | 2010 | 1 | - | - |
| TOTAL | - | 43 | - | 14 |
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