Chinese professional system

There are around 400 professional players in China. A tournament makes it possible to designate around twenty new professionals per year. This tournament takes place in a different city each year. It is in theory open to everyone but players who become professionals are generally under 16 years old: 11, 12 or 13 years old for the most part. A preliminary tournament precedes the actual qualifying tournament in which players must play a dozen games and win at least eight or nine. Professional players do not have a salary. To earn a living, they can participate in competitions. They have access to the elimination phases of all professional competitions. The most lucrative tournament is the China league, sponsored by a mobile phone brand. The teams are themselves financed by a sponsor. Division one teams compete throughout the year and are bolstered by top Korean players as well. A final way to earn a living for professionals is to teach go. There is a lot of demand in China and the courses are very expensive. A professional can quite easily earn a salary of €20,000 per year (which is quite substantial in China) by giving courses. On the other hand, it is quite difficult to continue to compete at a good level when you give lessons.