They are discussing about changing JeongGwanJang from team tournament to format similar to BC card cup.

That's interesting. I thought it started off as an individual tournament and was changed to a team tournament later.

Maybe someone has decided the experiment didn't work out?

Based on the coverage in the English speaking Go blogging community, this year's tournament was incredibly popular. Of course, I know that is a vanishingly small number of actual Go fans .

I wonder whether Moon Dowon's seven game winning streak has anything to do with this? It's possible that she could have won the whole tournament if the format was different. Though, she still would have had to face either Rui Naiwei or Park Jieun, so it would have been pretty tough for her.

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David

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There were other winning streaks before (Song Ronghui?)... If anything I would believe it has to do with Taiwan that shouldn't be ignored in a Women's Championship anymore, after Joanne Missingham came in second in an individual championship and the Taiwanese team finished third in front of Japan in the Asian games (although with Xie Yimin as first board). But I can only guess, of course.

Maybe this is misleading. The real point is that Cheongkwanjang appear to be expanding from a women's tournament to a knockout that includes men. And as far as I can tell, the decision has already been made.

This decision was possibly triggered by the upcoming launch (April 2011) of a rival, a new women's world championship team event that will include the emergent Taiwanese team, notably Joanne Missingham (Hei Jiajia). This is the Huang Longshi Jiayuan Cup. As I understand it, this is sponsored by a Taiwanese company, Jiayuan, hoping to sell or maybe re-locate in mainland China, where the event will be held - in Jiangyan City in Jiangsu Province, which proudly promotes itself as the birthplace of go genius Huang Longshi. Somehow I don't think it will have escaped the notice of Jiayuan that Jiangyan was coincidentally also the birthplace of President Hu Jintao.

"한국, 중국, 일본의 여자기사들이 펼치는 반상 삼국지 정관장배가 남　여 통합 선수권전으로 재탄생될 예정이다.

한 국기원 기전담당 관계자는 “아직 논의 중이나 정관장배가 역대 세계대회 최대규모인 20억원(상금규모 10억원)의 통합선수권전으로 바뀔 가능성이 매우 크다”라면서 “논의 중인 사항이 확정된다면 비씨카드배처럼 64강 상금제(시드 14명, 통합예선에서 50명 선발)이며, 32강전은 더블 일리미네이션으로 치러질 것이다.”라고 전했다."

The above is quote from TYGEM article.

In the 2nd paragraph, it says "still in discussion, but there is good possibility that JeongGwanJang will be changed to the biggest combined(man and woman) tournament .....".