I'm so damn happy about this adaptation of Hikaru no Go. I hadn't much hope at first, but I'm so glad that I watched this, even if the story differs from the original plot in the last part of the show, it's written well and I enjoyed every bit of it.
I must admit that maybe I grew more affectionate to these characters than the originals in the manga; I just fell in love with them, especially Hong He and Chu Ying.
Hong He was really a pleasant surprise, I absolutely loved every moment he was on screen, he made me laugh and cry and I just wanted to have him as best-friend. The actor did an incredible job playing Hong He, my attention just gravitated towards him unconsciously, really. I think he is probably my favorite character of the entire drama.
And what can I say about Chu Ying? The actor absolutely captured the very essence of his character and I loved him as much I was fond of Sai in the manga, he's just adorable. I was so entertained by his and Shi Guang's interactions, it was a joy to watch their friendship grow and develop; also episodes 32-33 made me crying non-stop, I was devastated, even if I knew That was coming.
I want to make a honorable mention to Fang Xu, for some reason, be it here or in the manga, his character never stop to amuse me and the actor did really a great job handling him. His brotherly relationship with Yu Liang never failed to make me smile and his growth was the one I appreciated more.

To be fair, every actor did a splendid job and I think that why the adaptation did turn out so well: everyone understood their character and made him alive. The script was written well and it was coherent, the music fitted just fine to the scene and the flow of the story didn't appear disconnected at all. Also I'm also really impressed by the special effect for Chu Ying, they really did a good job.
In conclusion, I recommend this to anyone, it's really worth your time! It's the first drama about sport that I've seen that is so well made, I just loved it.