At the 2024 Samsung Cup semifinals, Ding Hao did the unthinkable. After a five-game losing streak, the Chinese Go prodigy not only won against South Korea’s near-unbeatable Go champion Shin Jin-seo, he eventually went on to win the tournament. With this, he became China’s first professional Go player born in or after 2000 to claim three world titles — and only the fifth in the country to do so.

Yet for Ding, who is a top Go player at the highest 9-dan rank, being the face of Gen Z Go players has not been easy. There is the constant pressure to stay on top, as well as the looming specter of artificial intelligence following Go master Lee Sedol’s loss to AI software AlphaGo in 2016.

As the ancient game clashes with new technology, Ding is navigating his place at the top and the future of the sport. After all, what does someone who has been a professional Go player since 13 and already beaten the best in the world do next?

The Paper, a Shanghai-based media outlet, sat down with him to learn more.