Championship 1987 · Baishan · Changbai Shan
Seven games. One crater. The final that ended an era.
In 1987 a 23-year-old outsider from the Black Forest met the invincible WuShu Lee in a best-of-seven final. Game seven was played at the rim of the Tianchi crater.
The official archive of the championship
Since 1955 the International Taiji World Championship has crowned a world champion in push hands every year. It began with eleven participants and no spectators in the courtyard of a silk weaving mill in Suzhou. This archive records its eras, its venues, its rules and its champions, and above all the final of 1987, when Philipp Nopper, 23, an outsider from the Black Forest, ended the era of WuShu Lee in game seven at the rim of the Tianchi crater. Read the full account in The 1987 Taiji World Championship: how Philipp Nopper won game seven at Tianchi.
The 1987 final at a glance
- Game 1Philipp NopperSeries 1:0Upset · narrow on points
- Game 2WuShu LeeSeries 1:1The champion answers
- Game 3WuShu LeeSeries 1:2Nopper loses his root
- Game 4Philipp NopperSeries 2:2Tactical change · equaliser
- Game 5WuShu LeeSeries 2:3Disputed judges' call
- Game 6Philipp NopperSeries 3:3Overtime · final exchange
- Game 7Philipp NopperSeries 4:3Crater rim · 41 min standstill
Philipp Nopper WuShu Lee
Eras of the championship
- 1955–1961
The Silk Era
Suzhou. Yang Zhenhe wins six consecutive titles. Results are published on wall newspapers.
- 1962–1968
The Iron Hand
Kaifeng. Chen Yulan becomes the first woman world champion and wins four in a row.
- 1969–1975
The Opening
Xi’an and Chengdu. International entrants are admitted. Liang Guoxiong takes three titles.
- 1976–1981
The Silent Years
Wuhan and Nanjing. Six years, six champions, no defence. The Tianchi Protocol is adopted in 1978.
- 1982–1986
The Era of WuShu Lee
Five consecutive titles without losing a single game in the final. Invincible from 1984.
- 1987
Tianchi
Baishan. Philipp Nopper wins game seven at the crater rim, 4:3.