An interview with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan, the winner of the Korean GS Galtex cup

An interview with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan, the winner of the Korean GS Galtex cup.

Congratulations! You surprised us a lot by winning the title after losing first 2 games!
Yes, I think, that it was over too. I thought that I already lost the match, so it was easier to play the 3rd game.

What can you tell us about the last game?
Lee Sedol, 9-dan made a big mistake in the opening and I thought, that I can finish the game easily. Later the position suddenly became close.

You will play him again in the final match of the Samsung World Go championship. What do you think about your chances?
In my previous interview I said, that he is the most difficult opponent in the world. I still think so, even after winning the GS Galtex cup.

You beat Gu Li, 9-dan in the semifinal of the Samsung cup. What can you say about that match?
I was behind in the deciding game and thought that my chances are close to zero. Later he was too passive in the endgame and gave me the chance.

Can we say that Gu Li's style and Lee Sedol’s style are similar?
I don't think so. It's possible to imagine the next move, which will be played by Gu Li, but Lee Sedol , 9-dan plays so many unexpected moves!

As a GS Galtex titleholder, which master you would you like to meet in the title match next year?
I know that the challenger will be strong, but if possible, I want to avoid another match with Lee Sedol, 9-dan.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Lee Sedol, 9-dan

Lee Sedol, 9-dan won the Korean Kuksu titlematch by beating Yun Junsang, 6-dan with the 3-0 score. It's a great achievement! We remember that Yun Junsang, 6-dan got this title by winning Lee Changho, 9-dan last year with an outstanding 3-1 score! Both Lee Sedol and Yun Junsang are fighters, so Yun was probably an easy opponent for Lee.

Congratulations! What do you feel after winning the match?
I am happy. Kuksu is the oldest Korean tournament and it was my dream to win it.

Why is it so important for you?
Because I can add "Kuksu" word to my family name. There are only few people in Korea who can do it: Yun-kuksu, Kim –kuksu, Cho-kuksu, Lee-kuksu and only few others.

What can you tell us about the last game of the match?
Both made a lot of mistakes. Finally I was 1.5 or 2.5 points behind, but Yun, 6-dan made a big mistake at the end. It was a hard game for me from the early opening.

Is it hard to play so many tournament games?
Yes, I am getting tired, if I play a lot of games with 2-3 hours thinking time straight. Blitz games are much easier for me. I don't care much if I lose them, but if I lose serious games – they can make me sad and disappointed.

What do you like more? Attack your opponent or take territory and defend your weak groups?
Of course, I like to defend more. It's much easier. If you are behind on territory, it's usually necessary to kill groups – this task is too hard on pro level.

In your previous interview you said that you are weak at fuseki. How do you study it?
I don't know how to make this stage stronger. Usually I win my games in middlegame.

Chinese players said that "Lee Sedol's era is starting in Korea". Can we say so?
Not yet! I will play both Samsung and LG final matches, but even if I get the both titles, it's still early to say so.

Who can take away your lead?
Let me take it first :) There are lots of unknown young players in Korea, Hang Sanghun, 1-dan for example. I must be afraid of them!

Currently you keep 7 titles. What is the most important one for you?
All professional players like the tournaments with bigger prizes more!

You can see the games from the Kuksu tournament here:
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/collection/bytour2.php?tid=8

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Han Sanghoon, 1-dan

An interview with Han Sanghoon, 1-dan, the first 1-dan in Go history, who entered the final match of the World Go Championship (LG cup).

Congratulations! What was the most difficult game in this tournament?
The last one with On Sojin, 4-dan. It was really close finally and I think, that I was slightly behind until the endgame stage.

You became a professional about 1 year ago. Did you think that you can reach the final match of the World Go Championship so quickly?
I remember that it was very hard to become a professional. I was almost 18 and it was my last chance to win the qualification among inseis. Of course, I did not think, that I can show good results quickly. I was surprised, that professional tournaments are not much harder than the insei league :)

What are your weakest and strongest parts in Go?
I am weak at the opening, but I feel myself confident in middlegame fights. Usually I try to defend my groups solidly, before fighting.

Who is the hardest opponent for you?
Yun Junsang, 6-dan. I lost him twice and feel that he is much stronger than me. Also his Go style is very impressive.

What do you think about your final match with Lee Sedol, 9-dan. How big are your chances?
I never played him before, but I saw lot of his game records and I know that Lee Sedol, 9-dan is much stronger than me. Any way, I will try to win the match! Usually I am not afraid of the star opponents at all!

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan

An interview with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan who entered the final match of the Samsung World Go Championship after beating Gu Li, 9-dan (China) with 2-1 score.

Congratulations! What can you tell us about your match with Gu Li?
All 3 games were difficult for me. Gu Li's lead in last two games was obvious, but he finished them passively and gave me chances in yose. He did not make any big mistakes, but made some dubious moves in endgame.

If we check the games, we can see that Gu Li, 9-dan has an outstanding middlegame power. Is it true?
Yes, his Go is powerful. I tried to keep my games simple, but I was not able to control them.

Why did you stay in the same room with Choi Wongyoung, 5-dan in the hotel?
I think, it's better to stay with someone, instead of staying alone. Also it's possible to study Go together and prepare for your games.

You will play the final match with Lee Sedol, 9-dan. What do you think about your chances?
I am currently 0-2 behind in the GS Galtex match against Lee. He is a very hard opponent and I know, that my chances are smaller. Any way, I will try to make my best.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Chen Seuyen, 7-dan (Taiwan)

Chen Seuyen, 7-dan, who became a professional in Korea, is currently one of the strongest Taiwanese players. He is the first board of the Taiwanese team during the Korea-Japan-China-Taiwan match for young professionals. We decided to meet him during this tournament and ask for an interview.

How is your life in Taiwan?
Taiwan is my native country and I feel myself fine. Also I won several big tournaments recently, and they make me happy.

Which pro titles do you currently keep in Taiwan?
Kuksu, Tengen and CMC TV cup.

Who is the strongest master in Taiwan?
Zhou Junxun, 9-dan is still strongest. I won a match against him not long time ago, but only because his shape was not good. Xiao Zhenghao, 5-dan is also showing good results recently.

How do you think, who are the 4 strongest players in the world?
Lee Sedol is first one. Lee Changho, Gu Li and Cho U are numbers 2, 3 and 4.

What is the goal of Taiwanese team in Korea-Japan-China-Taiwan match?
Personally I will feel myself happy, if I win 2 games. Last year our team won 5 games and this time we will try to improve this performance. I understand, that our team is still weak for fighting for first places.

What are your future plans?
I will stay in Taiwan for at least 2 years. After that I may return back to Korea. Everything will depend on the situation in Taiwanese Go.

What are the main Go problems in Taiwan?
I would like to have more chances for playing Chinese, Korean and Japanese players. Right now we don’t have any international tournaments or matches. Also, there is not much strong players in Taiwan and it’s hard for me to find good opponents.

Yesterday you won the game against Korean first board Lee Youngkyu. What can you tell us about that game?
The game was favorable for me from the very beginning, because of his mistake in the opening. Later I made some mistakes too and the situation became dangerous. I was lucky finally.

Do you play Go by internet?
Not so often, but it's my only chance of meeting strong players from other countries.

Do you think that your Go improved a lot after you return back to Taiwan?
I don't think so, but now my life is easier, so I can spend more time for studying Go.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan

An interview with Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan, from "Chungang Ilbo", one of the largest Korean newspapers.

We heard that you suggested a new system for Korean professional tournaments. Can you please describe it?
Yes, I think, that it’s necessary to change the current situation. There are lots of young players in Korea, who are not able to become professionals, because there are only few vacant places yearly. I think, it’s possible to allow them to take part in pro tournaments together with foreigners. They can make our tournaments much more interesting.

Currently there are 230 professionals in Korea. All of them are getting money from tournament sponsors, even if they lose in the first round. If you increase the number of players, the tournament income of each player will become smaller. Am I right?
Yes, of course. I suggest to give prizes only if you enter 1/64 stage. Most of professionals are getting money from teaching Go, so this decision will not be so painful for them. Older players will lose only $300-800 monthly, comparing to the current situation. I think, it's better to give more money to young players, so they can work harder and harder and compete well with Chinese players.

Will the Korean Baduk Association accept your idea?
It’s hard to say. I know that old players and even some younger players are against of it. I feel, that we cannot change the current situation without accepting this rule. It’s a pity that we are losing so many young and talented players, just become they cannot become professionals.

What can you tell us about your Go school?
Everything is fine. We are teaching kids together with Choi Kyubyeong, 9-dan and Kim Yeonghwan, 8-dan. I think, that I am getting stronger, because I play lot of games with strong students :)

We heard that some young Korean professionals are also studying in your school. Is it true?
Yes. Lee Youngkyu and Choi Wongyong are visiting our school daily. Park Yeunghun, 9-dan is also an often guest.

I have the last question, which is different. You lost your wife 3 years ago ( A.D: She died, because of her health becomes weaker after she gave birth to last child). Will you marry another woman?
(Yoo's faces is getting red) I don’t want to discuss this subject. I have two kids, 4 and 6 years old. They love me a lot.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Kang Changbe, the winner of the Korean Prime Minister cup

You played 8 games with foreigners. What do you think about their strength?
They surprised me a lot. I thought, that they are much weaker.

Did you make any friends?
I cannot speak English, so it was hard for me to communicate with them.

If we exclude your games with China and Japan, what was the most difficult one?
My last game with Frank Janssen, 6-dan (The Netherlands). I was behind in the opening.

According to the rules of the Korean Baduk Association, they give pro 1-dan grade to the winner of the World Go Championship, if he is Korean. Prime Minister cup has very similar members. What do you think about the idea of making the winner professional?
There are only few strong players here: China, Japan and Taiwan. Others are much weaker, so it’s much harder to win the Korean Pro Exam tournament. I will be glad to see the special decision of the Korean Baduk Association, but I think, that they will not accept it.

Can we say that the Korean Qualification tournament for the Prime Minister cup was harder than the main tournament?
Yes, I think so.

How will you spend the prize money? (A.D: $3000)
I will bring them to my parents

The tournament table
Commented games from the tournament will be available : http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/alex

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Wang Xi, 9-dan

Wang Xi, 9-dan, the member of the Chinese team won two games straight during the recent Nongshim Cup

What do you think about your games?
Both games with Hong Minpyo, 6-dan (Korea) and Kono Rin, 9-dan (Japan) were easy for me. I got a big lead in the beginning twice. The last game with Kono Rin, 9-dan was even easier. I was able to keep some time till the end of the game, so I counted the balance accurately and was sure, that I am winning.

What do you think about your chances in the next game?
I will meet someone from the Korean team. All members are very strong. I will try to win at least one game more.

We heard that Lee Changho, 9-dan will appear earlier and he will not stay as the last member as usual. You will probably meet him in your next game.
Yes, I heard about it too.

So, if he really will be the next one, what will you say us about your chances?
I will make my best. I know that my chances are smaller, but I am not afraid of him.

Will you prepare for this game?
I know his Go very well, so it's not even necessary to prepare. I played him 3 times and my score is 1-2.

The next game of the Nongshim cup will be played in Pusan (Korea) on November, 26.



Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

4 interviews with Samsung cup semifinalists

Gu Li, 9-dan, His last game in Samsung cup

What do you think about your game with Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan?
The opening was comfortable for me, but later I spoiled the position and it was unclear, until Yoo, 9-dan made a big mistake. I was lucky!

You will play a best-of-three match against Park Yeonghun, 9-dan in November. What do you think about your chances?
It will be an interesting match. Park, 9-dan has a very solid playing style and he is always a difficult opponent. I will try to make my best!

Park Yeonghun, 9-dan, His last game in Samsung cup

I feel that you won your game against Han Sanghun, 1-dan easily. Is it true?
Actually, it was very complicated. I decided to kill his big group and it was an overplay. I killed it finally, but it was possible to lose this game even after killing it

Your next opponent will be Gu Li, 9-dan. Your current score is 0-1 against him. Can you take revenge this time?
He is a very difficult opponent and the match will be hard for me. I have some time till the semifinals and I will seriously study his games.

If you reach the final, which player would you like to meet?
I did not think about it yet


Lee Sedol, 9-dan, His last game in Samsung cup

You got a huge corner at the ko fight in the beginning. Was the game already over after the opening stage?
The corner was huge, but I was not happy with that result, because of bad adji. I won the game much later, because of good endgame. We can say that it was a very complicated game.

You played 15 games with Chang Hao since 1997, and even few years ago your score was not good. Did you become stronger or find a special key?
That time I was much weaker. I beat him in the final match of the Toyota-Denso cup in 2005 and got the feeling, but he is not stronger than me. Now my score is 10-5 and I feel that the situation changed a lot.

Your next opponent is Huang Yizhong, 6-dan. You never met him before. What do you think about him?
Yes, I never played him before, but I saw his games and know that his Go style is very thick and solid. I must be careful in the opening and will try to prepare for our match.

You played a lot of games in 2007 and your winning percentage is really high (80%). Maybe you know some magic methods?
I was just lucky. I won lot of bad games. If I see them now, I cannot even understand how it was possible to win such positions. There is no magic, just luck.

Your fans think that you become the strongest master in the world. Do you agree with them?
No, not yet. I will win Samsung and LG cup and think about this subject once again :)


Huang Yizhong, 6-dan, His last game in Samsung cup

You surprised us by beating Hu Yaoyu, 8-dan. What can you tell us about this game?
I was behind, but won it luckily, because of his endgame mistake.

You reached the semifinals of the Samsung cup. What are your feelings?
It was hard to imagine such result. I am happy!

Your next opponent is Lee Sedol, 9-dan. What do you think about your future match?
I believe that Lee Sedol, 9-dan is the strongest player in the world and I am happy that I will get a chance to learn something from him.


Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan

Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan, who is 41 years old, is currently keeping 7 games straight winning record

He beat lot of good players, including: Heo Yongho(twice), Kim Jiseok, Cho Hunhyun, Kong Jie, Park Yeonghun and Kim Kiyoung.

We decided to meet him and ask some questions:

What can you tell us about your current life?
I have a Go school and spend all my free time by teaching students. Also, sometimes I work for Baduk TV and take part in Go tournaments

Congratulations on your results in Samsung cup! What can you tell us about this tournament?
I don't have chances to play in World Go Championships often, because of my low positions in Korean Rating, so I have to make my best in every international tournament I play. I won such championships 6 times and I feel that I am still able to do it again.

What do you think about your next opponent – Gu Li, 9-dan?
I won some games against Gu Li in the past, but they have no meaning. Now he is one of the top masters in the world and everyone think that his chances must be higher. Any way, I am not afraid of him and will try to make my best.

1.5 years ago you set the record of 1000 wins in professional tournaments. Were you happy?
I was not counted my wins and it was a big surprise for me. It takes me 20 years to reach it. As well as I know, there are only 4 players in Korea, who won more than 1000 games.

Your Go school was opened 3 years ago, but still you were not able to produce any professionals. What is the reason?
I try to work with beginners, who has talent and it seems that we will need few years more. It's possible to accept already strong students, who learned Go in other schools, but I don't like this idea. Also I always ask the permission of their former school directors before accepting such students. I feel, that some students I have, are already on pro level, but recently it's not enough. They must be able to show good result on pro arena.

What can you tell us about your family?
I don't want to answer this question now. ( A.D.: Few years ago Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan lost his wife, who was ill after giving birth to his child )

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Kang Dongyun, 7-dan

An interview with Kang Dongyun, 7-dan, the winner of the Korean Osram cup (New stars tournament)

What can you tell us about your last game with Paek Hongseok, 5-dan?
It was a close game. He made some aggressive moves and lost it at the end, probably because he thought, the he is behind. Actually it was still close

You won King of Kings tournament with short thinking time control (10 min) and Osram cup, which is blitz tournament too (5 min per player with byoyomi). Can we say, that you are good at speed Go?
I don't think so. There are lots of mistakes from each side, if we play blitz. This time my opponents made more mistakes then me, so we can say that I was just lucky.

We heard that you play Go by internet a lot. Does it help you in blitz tournaments and can we say that your achievements in tournaments with long-thinking control are not as good, because of it?
Internet Go is very useful, I think. It helps to improve your reading and it's good for studying new patterns. I try to play Go as much as I can with other professionals offline, but I also want to play Go in late hours, so I try to find my opponents on Tygem or Cyberoro.

So, what is the reason of your unsuccessful results in other tournaments, except blitz?
There is only one reason – I am not strong enough for beating good opponents. Also, it's hard for me to keep myself concentrated during several hours. Usually I get good openings, but lose my advantage later.

What are your future goals?
I will try to play my games even more seriously than now and ,as any other professionals, I will try to show good results in international tournaments



Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Gu Li, 9-dan

Gu Li, 9-dan won 9 games straight (against Chang Hao, Wang Yao, Tuo Jiaxi, Li Kang, Wang Haoyang, Cho Hanseung(twice), Cho Hyeyeon and Kang Dongyun). We decided to meet him and ask about this record.

How many games straight did you win? Do you know?
Yes, I know!

What is your own record?
7 years ago I won 16 games straight, but after that I was not able to break this record. Maybe I can do it this time! It’s very hard to win so many games straight, because all opponents on my road are very strong!

Which games were the hardest?
My game against Chang Hao, first of all. Also it was difficult to beat Cho Hanseung and Li Kang. I cannot remember any easy wins at all!

What was the most painful game you lose during this year?
It was my game against Han Sanghoon, 1-dan (Korea), 12 LG second round. My condition was not good and I made lot of bad moves. After that game I saw lot of articles with titles like "Gu Li lost to unknown Korean 1-dan". It was painful to read them

What do you think about Lee Changho, 9-dan. Is he still World #1 player?
Yes, without any doubt. He is losing more games than before, but any way he is the best master in the world

If we make a united Chinese-Korean-Japanese rating list, which place will you occupy?
I think, I must be somewhere in best 10. First one is Lee Changho, second is Lee Sedol. It's hard to say who the next one is. Maybe Cho U, maybe Park Yeonghun or Choi Chelhan.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Kong Jie, 8 dan

Kong, 8-dan becomes the top Chinese, according to September national rating. He was the first one in August, 2004, but after that he was always behind Gu Li, 9-dan. The current situation is:
1. Kong Jie, 8-dan
2. Hu Yaoyu, 8-dan
3. Gu Li, 9-dan
4. Wang Xi, 9-dan
5. Chang Hao, 9-dan

Congratulations! What is your current score in 2007?
Thank you! I played lot of tournaments and cannot remember the total score

Few weeks ago you won 13 games straight against Chinese masters, but after that you lost to Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan (Korea) at the 1st round of the Samsung cup. What do you think about this game?
I made lot of mistakes. It was a very bad game

Did you cry after losing it?
It's normal. You cannot win all of your games – sometimes you have to lose too.

Your achievements on international arena are not so high. What is the reason?
I don't feel any difference between international and Chinese games. I try to make my best in every game. Maybe it’s a matter of time or luck

If we make an ideal Chinese team for playing international matches, which board will you take?
Gu Li, 9-dan must be the first one. Chang Hao – second. I will probably sit at the third board.

Chang Hao, 9-dan got the wild card for the Nongshim cup. What do you think about the decision of Chinese Weiqi Association and the chances of the Chinese team?
It was the right decision. Chang Hao, 9-dan is good at important matches. Chinese team never won this tournament before, but this time the chances are very high, because the team members are strongest ( A.D.: Chang Hao, Gu Li, Wang Xi, Hu Yaoyu, Peng Quan)

Lee Changho, 9-dan, as usual, will be the first board of the Korean team. Who has better chances against him? Gu Li or Chang Hao?
It's hard to say. Everything will depend on their current form.

You played against Lee Changho, 9-dan in 2003 during the Chunlan cup and beat him. What do you think about your current chances?
That time I was much weaker and it was a big sensation. I became stronger and I feel that I have good chances, if we meet each other again.

What do you think about your chances against Hu Yaoyu and Gu Li?
I played lot of games with Hu Yaoyu and feel that we are about the same strength. Gu Li has much better score in our games, so it seems that he is stronger than me.

Kong Jie, 8 dan, 25 years old.
Current record - 47 games, 34 wins, 13 losts, 4 place.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Yoon Youngsun, 5-dan

Yoon Youngsun, 5-dan is getting married in September.

Here you can read an exclusive interview with Yoon Youngsun, 5-dan. The questions were compiled by Alexander Dinerchtein:

Congratulations! How did you meet Rasmus?
We met in Sweden Leksand Baduk Camp. We played Rengo together but we were just friends. I visited Europe several times and met him. Finally we become close to each other.

Does he have any brothers, who are not yet married?
He has one sister. She is 3 years younger than him and single.

Is it true that Antonio Banderas is your favorite actor?
No. I liked Brad Pitt but not anymore...

Rasmus is currently a 2-dan amateur. Of course he will be happy to take some Go lessons from you. What will you ask him in return? Will he wash the dishes or clean the floor?
Many people think that I play or teach him a lot, but it is not true. I play with him very rare. I'm sorry about it.

What can you tell us about your friend Kang Seunghee, 2-dan. Will she make an international family too?
She likes to live here. But she doesn't know yet. She wants to teach many nice people here. I will try to help her as much I can.

Time to ask some Go questions. Is it true that you play Go on KGS (Kiseido Go Server) and your ID is "tartaric"?
No. It is not me. I have one ID. But I played only teaching games.

Your life story is similar with Guo Juan, 5-dan. She got married in Holland and stopped playing in pro tournaments. Will you take part in European tournaments, like Guo Juan?
No, I will not play tournaments here. I'm not allowed to play in Europe.

Everyone is getting weaker without practice. If you stay in Germany, you will not be able to play in pro tournaments often. Will you try to keep yourself in good shape and how?
I know. But when I came here I already gave game up. I want to teach a lot of children who has talent. Sometimes I study pro games. It is really interesting!

What do you think about the current system of Female World Go Championships? Usually they are not inviting any players except Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. Feng Yun, 9-dan can play for USA, you can play for Germany, Guo Juan for Holland, Svetlana Shikshina for Russia. Is it necessary to change the system and give them a chance?
Actually I didn't think about it. If I can play, it would be nice, but I would like to give them a chance.

We know that your playing style is very aggressive (just one example for our readers) Will it become softer after marriage?
Well ... I don’t think so ... I like to fight. It is more fun and interesting.

We read your Go books about shapes and ko-fights. They
are useful, but there are lots of other books on these topics. Will you write us something special? Maybe without Go diagrams at all?
I'm just a beginner in writing books. I'm happy that people like it. There are a lot of nice books in Europe. At least I tried to show Korean style. I already finished my third book. It is called "100 tips for Amateur players". I think the people don’t need difficult or complicated things. Basic is the most important. I felt it from teaching here. I hope you like my new book!


You may also read an opinion of another Korean professional – Cho Hyeyeon, 7-dan : blog Cho Hyeyeon By the way, her Go blog is quite interesting. As well as I know, it's the only English blog of an Asian pro.

Alexander Dinerchtein

Few interviews with Samsung cup participants and spectators opinions

First 2 rounds of the Samsung cup were played this week. We saw several big sensations. You can check the tournament table and game records here: 12 Samsung Cup tournament table

1. Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan
What do you think about your game with Heo Yeongho, 6-dan?
The position was complicated. It was necessary for him to fight actively, but he missed the chance to start the battle.
What do you think about the pairing and new tournament system?
Kong Jie, 7-dan decided to play with me ( A.D.: They used new system. This time it was possible to decide the opponents for the first round). I was quite angry. Did he think that I am old and weak? I cannot say good words about the new system. It's attractive, of course, for spectators, but it’s not a friendship match. It's a World Go Championship!
Did you prepare well for this tournament?
Recently I am not studying Go at all, I am meeting my friends and drinking soju (A.D: Korean vodka), if I have a free time. I just skipped few meetings, because of this tournament :)
Your next opponent will be Gu LI, 9-dan. What do you think about your chances?
He show much better results than mine recently, but I don’t think that I am weaker!
What is your main goal in Samsung cup?
I already won it about 10 years ago and I will try to repeat my success. It’s not a big difference for me: to lose the first game, or the final one. I must win all of my games!

2. Lee Sedol, 9-dan
Your next opponent is Chang Hao, 9-dan. What do you think about this game?
It will be difficult. I have a good score against Chang Hao, but if the check the game records, we can see that I won some bad positions. I will prepare well and show my best
Your wife and daughter were waiting at the tournament room during the second round. Did they help you or not?
Yes, of course, but I can say that my condition was not so good that day.

3. Han Sanghoon, 1-dan
What can you tell us about your game with Lee Changho, 9-dan?
I was much behind after the opening, but later I made the position closer. Finally Lee Changho, 9-dan made a blunder at the endgame stage. He presented me few points and let me win the game
You enter the quarterfinals of both Samsung and LG cups. Are they different?
I thought that I can show good results in both tournaments. I will try to win at least one of them!
What is the strongest point of your Go?
My opening skill is not yet good, but I feel myself confident in the middlegame. Usually I try to avoid any mistakes in my games and I can do it better, if the time control is long

Opinions of Chinese professionals:
Yu Bin, 9-dan: It was a very hard task to win 4 games from 4 and I am happy that they did it!

Peng Quan, 7-dan: All Chinese masters played well. Chang Hao, 9-dan used a new plan in his game and got a dubious result, but later he take the revenge. Hu Yaoyu, 8-dan played a good opening and keeps his advantage well. Gu Li, 9-dan used his unique style and got an advantage against Kang Dongyun. Later the position was risky for him, but he was lucky. We did not think, that Huang Yizhong, 6-dan will be able to beat Cho Hunhyun, but he surprised as a lot.

Hu Yaoyu’s father: Recently young Chinese players improved a lot and I was not surprised that Huang Yizhong, 6-dan showed an excellent results by beating Choi Chelhan and Cho Hunhyun. My son lost his last game against Huang at the Chinese City League and told me that he is a very dangerous opponent. Of course, it's a pity that they will play each other, but it's important that at least one Chinese will reach the semifinals for sure. I think that Gu Li, 9-dan must be very careful in his next game against Yoo Changhyuk. Yoo is a very experienced opponent and he is good at important matches.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Chang Hao, 9-dan

The Chinese City League is not yet finished (Editors note: The final round was played on August,25. Chang Hao lost his game to Liu Xing, 7-dan, but his team still won the tournament), but you already showed an outstanding result by winning 9 games straight. What do you think about your achievement?


I take part in Chinese League every year and it was not the first successful league I played. During the 2nd League I also won 9 games from 10, by losing only to Xie He, 7-dan.

Your score in the previous Chinese League was not good. Did you prepare well this time?


I cannot feel any difference. This time I was just luckier. After losing the first game to Lee Sedol, 9-dan, the member of the Guizhou team, the position of our team was difficult and it was necessary to play every game seriously.

What do you think about the recent shape of Lee Changho, 9-dan?

He is still the strongest one in the world. His recent score is not so good, if we
compare it with his past results, but we can see that his score is still outstanding, if we compare it with the score of any other master in the world

What is the main weak point of his Go?

His endgame is getting weaker. He was the strongest endgame skill holder of the past and won lot of his games by 0.5 points. Nowadays he is often losing his games in endgame

Can we say that Lee Sedol, 9-dan is not much weaker than Lee Changho, 9-dan?

Do you really think so? Lee Changho, 9-dan won more than 20 World Go Championships and I bet that nobody will be able to break his record in next 10 years. Lee Sedol, 9-dan is a difficult opponent for Lee Changho, because of his aggressive playing style, but we cannot say that Lee Sedol, 9-dan is stronger, if you look at his results with other players.

You won the Samsung World Go Championship in the beginning of the year, but later you was not able to win any important tournaments. What was the reason?

I spend all my power in Samsung cup. You may know that it's hard to play many tournaments straight. It’s necessary to find a goal and reach it. I don’t feel that I am getting weaker. Please wait for my next goal!

Will you try to win the Samsung cup again? ( Editors note: The first round will be played tomorrow)

Yes, I will make my best. This time there are not many Chinese players in the main tournament, so the task will be harder (Editors note: 9 Chinese will take part in Samsung cup this year and last time they had 11 players in the main tournament)

Alexander Dinerchtein

An interview with Kang Dongyun, 7-dan, the winner of the Korean King of Kings tournament

Kang, 7-dan was my former classmate. We studied Go together with Park Yeonghun, 9-dan, Park Shiun, 8-dan, Ko Keuntae, 6-dan, Hong Minpyo, 5-dan and others in Yangchun Baduk Academy from 1997 to 1998. That time most of us were amateurs. Together with Kang Dongyun we stayed in the second group of our school league and played lot of games with each other. I think that my score was slightly better. I won 60% of my games against Kang or so. That time I was already a strong 6-dan player (around 2600 EGF) and he was … just an 8-years old child. He was one of the youngest and one of the most talented kids in our school. I remember his playing style well. His Go was always thick and solid. Other kids in our club (Ko Keuntae or Lee Tahye for example) were fighting a lot, while Kang Dongyun always played close games, deciding them in endgame. Other kids were so nervous and aggressive. They were laughing loudly, fighting with each other, discussing computer games while playing. Kang Dongyun was the only one who was 100% concentrated on his games. He was always serious and silent.

His Go style did not change much since that time. He is still playing Go slowly and solidly.

Recently he won his first big title by beating Lee Changho, 9-dan in the final match of the 4th Korean King of Kings tournament ( list games ) Kang’s recent score is very nice. He played 59 games and won 44 of them. Today you can read a short interview with him.

Congratulations! What can you tell us about the final match with Lee Changho, 9-dan?

I was lucky. The last game was hopeless and I was already thinking about resigning

Was you far behind?

Yes, I was. It was necessary to think more in the beginning of the game, but I played it too fast and got a bad position early. Later I destroyed his big territory, but only because of his mistake.

Can we say that Yun Chunsang, 6-dan is your main competitor on professional ring?

I don't think so. I prefer to say that they are Hong Seongji and Lee Youngkyu

You got the title at the age of 18. It very early, right?

Yes, it's early, but I don't think that I played well in my match against Lee Changho. I won it only because of luck. I am not sure that I am strong enough for keeping the title

Do you have any future plans? Would you like to win some international tournaments?

I don't feel a big difference. The main problem that only top players of Korean rating allowed to take part in such events. So, first of all I will try to improve my local ranking.

What do you think about the recent shape of Lee Changho, 9-dan?

It seems that his form is far from ideal. We can find some mistakes almost in every game he plays, which was impossible in the past.

What can you tell us about your strong points?

I think that I am good at winning unfavorable positions

We have a standard question for you. If you play against God, how many handicap stones will you need for winning?


I am not the right person for asking such a difficult question. You will better ask the World Champion or someone stronger than me.

Alexander Dinerchtein

What a beautiful sane world

An article by Simon Gemel, the main organizer of the EGC-2007

In order to organise a good congress, we had to be aware of possible problems in advance. I thought that there might be some problems with the police because of some partying from the participants very late at night, disturbing the neighbours. Therefore I warned the mayor of Villach that such problems may arise, and in order to avoid unnecessary conflict, such cases should be reported to us to be taken care of before it would be passed onto the police. Fortunately the mayor agreed to this suggestion, and this was a big relieve for me. Until today (Thursday 26th July 2007), we have not been told that such incidents occurred. The owner of "Moby Dick" (a pub located near the venue, where many Go players gathered together in the evening) was thankful for the business, hence she would have not found it too bad having to pay for the noise late at night. It would have been worse to have lost the potential income by being told by the police to close at regular times.

However we were not able to predict every single problem. I would like you to take a look what happened behind the curtains.

Just a few days before the congress started, we were taken by the shock of 20 Koreans cancelling their trip including their confirmed accommodation which we had already guaranteed full payment. Since we wanted to be as helpful as possible, we accepted their wish to pay the fee on spot. Due to their absence we are responsible for the whole cancellation penalties.

We put in a lot of effort preparing for the congress however things turn out to be different when it actually happens. If our preparation could be considered as Fuseki, then it seems as though if we were already in Byo-yomi when the middle game started. The organisation team was put into massive stress before the opening of the congress. Team members were hardly able to find time to sleep – Outcome: one team member spends a night in the hospital. When I think about the speech I held at the opening ceremony, it seems as if it had happened 5 years ago. I was just about able find some time to take a shower (instead of sleeping) on the night before the ceremony. There is still no time to catch up with the sleep I need. Some unregistered go-players paid a surprise visit at 3 'o clock in the morning expecting to be told where they could find their accommodation. We created name tags with original fonts for each participant (who had filled in the appropriate column on the online registration site) from different countries in order to bring in an international flair. This was not an easy task for the IT team. Unfortunately 5% of the English (German) letters were not decoded properly, thus they had to be removed from the tags. This had been such a big problem for one participant. He requested to reprint his name tag with proper Slovakian spelling and got upset by the fact that the registration team could not take care of this problem immediately. (When this happened the team was overloaded with work, and at the same time had to solve the communication problem regarding breakfast for 20 – 30 people) "The game of Go brought great people together and you could feel safe at EGC"… no… there is a pick-pocket among us. It is very likely (99%) that 3 wallets were stolen at the congress centre. We have already warned the next EGC organisers. People should be very careful before deciding to write an invitation (necessary procedure) for somebody wishing to apply for a Visa. This is something I have not told my team until now… Our website has been accessed over 100 times by a Russian immigration platform located in USA…

But let's go back to the things which had actually happened and stop talking about things which "could have" happened. We have already faced enough trouble… A group of French participants puking out of the window late at night, some Koreans ruining the wooden floor while taking a shower (different system to that of which they are use to)… And even one of our Dutch organisers went mad late at night after quarrelling with another team member, shouting and damaging some private belongings of the accommodation and leaving Villach without returning his room key. The worst bit for me was to get out of bed and to go out onto the streets to calm them down at 03:30 in the morning after working 14 hours each day without sufficient sleep. The reason why they quarrelled does not concern me. Some people seem to think that a Go congress is an open market. For example: the organisers found out through an internet forum that a British programmer is selling his newest program at the venue without informing any one of us. This became a problem as he occupied the space we needed to use for our shop. He simply declared that he was there in the beginning hence did not want to move. One Ukrainian participant decided to sell Go books. Unfortunately some of his offers were already in the stock of our official shop, though packed in a box. He demanded us to prove him that we really have the same books.

It gets even more exciting. Nakayama Sensei from Nihon-Kiin arrives. Surprisingly he presents a Japanese letter stating who is financing his stay in Austria. This matter could have been clarified in advance, through a letter written in English. Announcement: "Doctor! Please come to the reception urgently!" A japanese child hit her head, fell unconscious. After 20 seconds of silence, she started screaming. Doctors' advise: "Go to hospital for observation". The ambulance arrives 5 minutes later. One of our team members accompanies the family to the hospital.

Before the event started, a German player known as a Japanese interpreter as well as a Children Go Operator offered his interpretation service at EGC. I declined his offer since we were low on budget and we had enough staff who could speak Japanese. He made a second attempt with another team member who ironically knew the story through the same Email correspondence. Meanwhile I got to know through one professional Go player that we should not work together with him because of two reasons. First his Japanese is not the best and second, he lacks of respect and manners. Apparently he tried to convince the professionals that he would do them a great favour by interpreting their lectures. He acts friendly, though at the same time tells them that their English is not good enough for the audience, which is not true. I stuck to my decision and did not accept this suspicious and expensive offer. Therefore he took revenge on the people who were in charge of the work he wanted to do. While Nakayama Sensei was giving a lecture, he told some Japanese audience that the interpretation of our Japanese speaking staff is totally wrong. Besides that he told some EGC participants that the whole event is an absolute mess. He even suggested people not to take part in our arranged tours such as the Salzburg trip, telling them that it is far too expensive (ˆ 99,- Villach-Salzburg-Villach, with guide and entrance fees included… As a comparison, the return train ticket costs approx. ˆ60,-) He seems to try to convince everybody that no Go congresses could be arranged properly without his help.

Our Japanese speaking staff (interpreter) is born in England, raised bilingual, and has been managing her own company (incoming tour operator mainly for the Japanese market) over 5 years. Her Go skill is at a high kyu level (near Shodan) therefore she is capable for serious interpretation with specific Go language.

By the way, the "Interpreter/Child Go Operator" from Germany was interfering with the above mentioned incident – "the child being carried to the hospital".
1. As the incident happened, he was stroking the head of the child who was brought to the hospital for hitting her HEAD.
2. We asked him to stop this action, however he replied with "Shut up" in Japanese.
3. Then he tried to snatch the screaming child away from her own mother
4. He pointed his finger to our Japanese speaking staff, telling her "you go along as a translator", though everything had already been organised before he even mentioned this.

Further, he complained about a team member who was holding a beginners workshop, claiming that she does not qualify to teach the rules of Go.

Some participants are not satisfied with the prizes we have prepared (ˆ 15,000 in total for the main tournament). Two Korean winners of the weekend tournament complained about the fact that they only got vouchers as a prize. They asked for cash in hand instead.

We are happy to announce that Jong Wook Park does not have tuberculosis. Therefore we do not have to halt the congress due to emergency. He has already left hospital, and we all wish him a fast recovery.

Please do not worry about the trouble and disasters which happened behind the curtains. Dear friends, I really wish you a good time. 70% of my vision I had for "European Go Congress 2007" has been fulfilled. This project means a lot to me, and I would be very happy to know that you are enjoying it to the fullest.

Compare some results

There are 3 famous tournaments for amateurs. World Amateur Go Championship (WAGC), European Go Championship (EGC) and US Open. Which tournament is the hardest one? I thought a lot about this question and decided to compare the results of the players, who took part in few of these tournaments:

Cristian Pop (Romania) was 4th in WAGC-2007, but got 8th place in EGC-2007
Ondrej Silt (Czechia) was 9th in WAGC-2007, but got 11th place in EGC-2007
Andrey Kulkov (Russia) was 10th in WAGC-2007, but got only 28th place in EGC-2007
Francesco Marigo (Iltaly) was 21st in WAGC-2007, but got 29th place in EGC-2007

Ge Yongfei from Canada who is now leading the US open, after defeating Jiang Mingjiu, 7-dan pro, got only 10th place in WAGC-2006

Another example: Cornel Burzo (Romania) got the 7th place in US Open-2005, but he was only 12th in EGC-2007.

Now the subject is pretty clear.

Today we will talk about the results of EGC-2007 in Villach. You may check them here: http://goverband.at/egc2007/results/main_wall.htm

Ilya Shikshin, 6-dan from Russia is a new European Champion! We both scored 7 points from 10, our SOS was exactly the same, but he was 2 points ahead on SODOS. I beat him at the 8th round, but he was lucky with the pairing. Ilya improved a lot since the EGC-2006 in Italy (he was only 16th that time).

It seems that it's necessary to change the rules of the European Championship. This time Ilya lost to the 2nd prizewinner and did not played with the 3rd one (Cristian Pop, 7-dan).

Last year in Italy Svetlana Shikshina became a champion without playing with #2 and 3 (Dinerchtein and Kulkov). She won the tournament, because of her good results against Koreans. Cristian Pop, 7-dan was far from the winners list in EGC-2005 without losing a single game to European players. He lost all of his 4 games to Koreans! If you like to win the European championship next year, you must study Korean Go!

There are several proposals for next European Championships. They were shortly discussed during the EGF members meeting in Austria. I thought about these ideas and think that the proposal from Sweden is the most suitable one. "In order to make the competition for the title more distinct, let the first eight rounds of the EGC proceed as usual. Then let the leading four European nationals after eight rounds
play knock out for the title. The new rule can be implemented for the first time in the EGC 2008".

Everything sounds fair and it will be still interesting for strong Asian players to visit future EGCs. If we make a separate tournament for top Europeans, the open championship will be too dull for Asians, according that they are 3-4 stones stronger than regular European 4-dan players.

Alexander Dinerchtein

51st European Go Congress, 10 round

EGC, Villach

Park Jong Wook came back!

1 Laatikainen Vesa FI 5D - HONG SEOK UI KR 7D - W+R
2 Dinershteyn Alexander RU 8D - PARK JONG WOOK KR 7D - W+11.5
3 Burzo Cornel RO 6D - Cho Seok-bin KR 7D - W+5.5
4 Hong Seul-Ki KR 7D - Pop Cristian Gabriel RO 7D
5 Li Ting CN 6D - Shikshin Ilya RU 6D
6 Balogh Pal HU 6D - Danek Vladimir CZ 5D
7 Kai Naoyuki JP 6D - Schnider Gert AT 5D
8 Mero Csaba HU 6D - Grzeschniok Anton DE 3D
9 Corlan Lucian RO 5D - Silt Ondrej CZ 6D
10 Papazoglou Benjamin FR 5D - Yoshida Takao JP 6D

Whole results of 10th round

Top final tournament table
Pl. Name Str Cl. MMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pt SOS SOSOS

1 HONG, SEOK UI 7d KR 33 12+ 5+ 102+ 22+ -2 27+ 3+ 23+ 7+ 10+ 9 300 267
2 PARK, JONG WOOK 7d KR 33 14+ 25+ 26+ 13+ 1+ 6+ 4+ -- -- 5+ 8 292 244
3 Cho, Seok-bin 7d KR 32 43+ 16+ 10+ 4+ -6 5+ -1 9+ 18+ 12+ 8 304 240
4 Shikshin, Ilya 6d RU 31 34+ 11+ 21+ -3 33+ 9+ -2 -5 14+ 7+ 7 303 207
5 Dinershteyn, Alexander 7d RU 31 36+ -1 48+ 8+ 21+ -3 42+ 4+ 17+ -2 7 303 205
6 Hong, Seul-Ki 7d KR 31 -15 55+ 24+ 43+ 3+ -2 -7 73+ 13+ 8+ 7 298 205
7 Li, Ting 6d CN 30 28+ -22 42+ 14+ -19 30+ 6+ 8+ -1 -4 6 300 177
8 Pop, Cristian Gabriel 7d RO 30 -21 41+ 16+ -5 43+ 13+ 12+ -7 9+ -6 6 298 177
9 Balogh, Pal 6d HU 30 23+ 15+ -22 75+ 28+ -4 11+ -3 -8 21+ 6 297 175
10 Laatikainen, Vesa 5d FI 30 17+ 44+ -3 -20 -13 86+ 27+ 32+ 23+ -1 6 297 172
11 Silt, Ondrej 6d CZ 30 30+ -4 15+ -19 16+ 50+ -9 -17 59+ 31+ 6 295 174
12 Burzo, Cornel 6d RO 30 -1 98+ -23 69+ 15+ 22+ -8 42+ 21+ -3 6 295 171
13 Yan, Haitao 5d CN 30 52+ 61+ 44+ -2 10+ -8 43+ 31+ -6 26+ 7 294 200
14 Kai, Naoyuki 6d JP 30 -2 78+ 25+ -7 -27 54+ 29+ 28+ -4 24+ 6 294 171
15 Mero, Csaba 6d HU 30 6+ -9 -11 17+ -12 79+ 67+ -18 53+ 35+ 6 293 173
16 schuetze, bernd 4d DE 30 24+ -3 -8 68+ -11 51+ 33+ -21 37+ 30+ 6 293 172
17 Soldan, Leszek 5d PL 30 -10 -19 94+ -15 56+ 47+ 25+ 11+ -5 27+ 6 292 171
18 Papazoglou, Benjamin 5d FR 30 -26 111+ -19 110+ -32 53+ 22+ 15+ -3 23+ 6 290 170
19 JUNG, DA WON 7d KR 30 71+ 17+ 18+ 11+ 7+ -- -- -- -- -- 5 263 148
20 Park, Seok-Bin 7d ? 30 53+ 34+ 46+ 10+ 22+ -- -- -- -- -- 5 259 144
21 Danek, Vladimir 5d CZ 29 8+ 46+ -4 26+ -5 32+ -23 16+ -12 -9 5 297 146
22 Siivola, Matti 5d FI 29 61+ 7+ 9+ -1 -20 -12 -18 -51 72+ 57+ 5 295 144
23 yoshida, takao 6d JP 29 -9 84+ 12+ -28 45+ 29+ 21+ -1 -10 -18 5 295 143
24 Schnider, Gert 5d AT 29 -16 45+ -6 -29 64+ 35+ -31 25+ 51+ -14 5 291 142
25-26 Radmacher, Bernd 4d DE 29 29+ -2 -14 -45 80+ 26+ -17 -24 67+ 51+ 5 291 141
25-26 Tormanen, Antti 4d FI 29 18+ 38+ -2 -21 -41 -25 156+ 47+ 42+ -13 5 291 141
27 Giedrojc, Krzysztof 4d PL 29 57+ -29 82+ 102+ 14+ -1 -10 55+ 43+ -17 6 290 168
28 Kulkov, Andrey 6d RU 29 -7 51+ 29+ 23+ -9 -42 30+ -14 -31 48+ 5 290 143
29 Marigo, Francesco 4d IT 29 -25 27+ -28 24+ 49+ -23 -14 -59 90+ 52+ 5 286 141
30 Pocsai, Rita 4d HU 29 -11 -48 122+ 70+ 44+ -7 -28 45+ 54+ -16 5 285 138

Whole table of main tournamnet

The champion of Europe became Ilya Shikshin, 6d, Russia! The most young champion in history of europe championship! Big success of young master.

51st European Go Congress, 9 round

photos by Martin Chrz

1 HONG SEOK UI KR 7D - Li Ting CN 6D - B+3.5
2 Papazoglou Benjamin FR 5D - Cho Seok-bin KR 7D - W+R
3 Dinerstein Alexander RU 8D - Soldan Leszek PL 5D - B+13.5
4 Yan Haitao CN 5D - Hong Seul-Ki KR 7D
5 Pop Cristian Gabriel RO 7D - Balogh Pal HU 6D
6 Danek Vladimir CZ 5D - Burzo Cornel RO 6D
7 Kai Naoyuki JP 6D - Shiskhin Ilya RU 6D
8 yoshida takao JP 6D - Laatikainen Vesa FI 5D
9 Corlan Lucian RO 5D - Kulkov Andrej RU 6D
10 Mero Csaba HU 6D - Fujita Izumi JP 5D
11 Silt Ondrej CZ 6D - Barthel Floris NL 3D

Whole results of 9th round

Top tournament table after 9th round
Pl. Name Str Cl. MMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Pt SOS SOSOS
1 HONG, SEOK UI 7d KR 32 10+ 4+ 88+ 31+ -2 24+ 3+ 16+ 7+ 8 267 235
2 PARK, JONG WOOK 7d KR 32 19+ 34+ 23+ 14+ 1+ 8+ 5+ -- -- 7 255 207
3 Cho, Seok-bin 7d KR 31 35+ 17+ 9+ 5+ -8 4+ -1 15+ 21+ 7 268 206
4 Dinershteyn, Alexander 7d RU 31 48+ -1 40+ 6+ 13+ -3 32+ 5+ 22+ 7 265 202
5 Shikshin, Ilya 6d RU 30 42+ 18+ 13+ -3 30+ 15+ -2 -4 19+ 6 266? 172?
6-7 Pop, Cristian Gabriel 7d RO 30 -13 29+ 17+ -4 35+ 14+ 10+ -7 15+ 6 264 174
6-7 Li, Ting 6d CN 30 33+ -31 32+ 19+ -11 26+ 8+ 6+ -1 6 264 174
8 Hong, Seul-Ki 7d KR 30 -20 69+ 25+ 35+ 3+ -2 -7 60+ 14+ 6 262? 171?
9 Laatikainen, Vesa 5d FI 30 22+ 38+ -3 -12 -14 75+ 24+ 39+ 16+ 6 260 170
10 Burzo, Cornel 6d RO 30 -1 118+ -16 55+ 20+ 31+ -6 32+ 13+ 6 259 168
11 JUNG, DA WON 7d KR 30 57+ 22+ 21+ 18+ 7+ -- -- -- -- 5 237 145
12 Park, Seok-Bin 7d ? 30 46+ 42+ 41+ 9+ 31+ -- -- -- -- 5 234 142
13 Danek, Vladimir 5d CZ 29 6+ 41+ -5 23+ -4 39+ -16 17+ -10 5 264 144
14 Yan, Haitao 5d CN 29 43+ 80+ 38+ -2 9+ -6 35+ 27+ -8 6 262 170
15 Balogh, Pal 6d HU 29 16+ 20+ -31 58+ 33+ -5 18+ -3 -6 5 262 143
16 yoshida, takao 6d JP 29 -15 59+ 10+ -33 36+ 37+ 13+ -1 -9 5 261? 142?
17 schuetze, bernd 4d DE 29 25+ -3 -6 54+ -18 44+ 30+ -13 49+ 5 260? 141?
18 Silt, Ondrej 6d CZ 29 26+ -5 20+ -11 17+ 70+ -15 -22 53+ 5 260 142
19 Kai, Naoyuki 6d JP 29 -2 105+ 34+ -7 -24 45+ 37+ 33+ -5 5 259 138
20 Mero, Csaba 6d HU 29 8+ -15 -18 22+ -10 106+ 61+ -21 46+ 5 257? 140?
21 Papazoglou, Benjamin 5d FR 29 -23 95+ -11 94+ -39 46+ 31+ 20+ -3 5 257 139
22 Soldan, Leszek 5d PL 29 -9 -11 117+ -20 71+ 67+ 34+ 18+ -4 5 257 137
23 Tormanen, Antti 4d FI 29 21+ 50+ -2 -13 -29 -34 102+ 67+ 32+ 5 256? 138?
24 Giedrojc, Krzysztof 4d PL 29 47+ -37 83+ 88+ 19+ -1 -9 69+ 35+ 6 256 166
25 Schnider, Gert 5d AT 29 -17 36+ -8 -37 76+ 28+ -27 34+ 44+ 5 256 140
26 Pocsai, Rita 4d HU 29 -18 -40 108+ 56+ 38+ -7 -33 36+ 45+ 5 253 138
27 Corlan, Lucian 5d RO 29 -38 -88 71+ 100+ -32 68+ 25+ -14 33+ 5 249? 137?
28 Grzeschniok, Anton 3d DE 29 70+ -67 138+ 108+ 105+ -25 106+ 30+ 39+ 7 243? 187?
29 Fincke, Jonas 4d DE 29 205+ -6 78+ 40+ 23+ -- -- -- -- 4 230 108
30 Kazuo, Yoshihara 5d JP 28? -- 77+ 42+ 41+ -5 40+ -17 -28 71+ 5 249 138

3D Go of Laurin's (Werner Bäumler)

51st European Go Congress, 8 round

Cabíkova cepicka (Czech Team) in Team Tournament

Info from http://www.usgo.org
Jong Wook Park 7d’s iron grip on the lead for the 2007 European Go Congress Championship was broken Thursday when he fell ill and missed Round 8, giving Seok Ui Hong 7d a chance to erase Park’s 1-point lead. Park was a perfect 7-0 while Hong, 6-1, had only lost to Park and defeated 5-game winner Yoshida Takao 6d in Round 8, improving his score to 7, just half a point behind Park’s 7.5, giving him a clear shot at winning the tournament with two more victories. Park, who is expected to remain hospitalized for the remainder of the 10-round tournament, will get half a point for each missed round.

1. Hong Seok Ui KR 7D - Yoshida Takao JP 6D - B+R
2. Balogh Pal HU 6D - Cho Seok-bin KR 7D - W+5.5
3. Dinerstein Alexander RU 8D - Shikshin Ilya RU 6D - B+9.5
4. Pop Cristian Gabriel RO 7D - Li Ting CN 6D
5. Kaper Erik NL 4D - Hong Seul-Ki KR 7D
6. Kaitschick Stefan DE 4D - Burzo Cornel RO 6D
7. Kulkov Andrej RU 6D - Kai Naoyuki JP 6D
8. Papazoglou Benjamin FR 5D - Mero Csaba HU 6D
9. Soldan Leszek PL 5D - Silt Ondrej CZ 6D
10. Yan Haitao CN 5D - Corlan Lucian RO 5D

Whole results of 8th round

Top table tournament after 8th round
Pl. Name Str Cl. MMS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pt SOS SOSOS
1 HONG, SEOK UI 7d KR 31 14+ 4+ 90+ 39+ -2 27+ 3+ 10+ 7 230 199
2 PARK, JONG WOOK 7d KR 31 15+ 40+ 26+ 13+ 1+ 8+ 7+ -- 7 226 202
3 Cho, Seok-bin 7d KR 30 25+ 24+ 12+ 7+ -8 4+ -1 11+ 6 233 173
4 Dinershteyn, Alexander 7d RU 30 52+ -1 46+ 6+ 9+ -3 20+ 7+ 6 230 169
5 Li, Ting 6d CN 30 21+ -39 20+ 15+ -18 30+ 8+ 6+ 6 227 171
6 Pop, Cristian Gabriel 7d RO 29 -9 38+ 24+ -4 25+ 13+ 14+ -5 5 231 142
7 Shikshin, Ilya 6d RU 29 48+ 22+ 9+ -3 50+ 11+ -2 -4 5 231 140
8 Hong, Seul-Ki 7d KR 29 -23 51+ 29+ 25+ 3+ -2 -5 70+ 5 229 140
9 Danek, Vladimir 5d CZ 29 6+ 44+ -7 26+ -4 28+ -10 24+ 5 228 140
10 yoshida, takao 6d JP 29 -11 60+ 14+ -21 43+ 41+ 9+ -1 5 227 139
11 Balogh, Pal 6d HU 29 10+ 23+ -39 71+ 21+ -7 22+ -3 5 226 140
12 Laatikainen, Vesa 5d FI 29 17+ 42+ -3 -19 -13 82+ 27+ 28+ 5 226 138
13 Yan, Haitao 5d CN 29 49+ 80+ 42+ -2 12+ -6 25+ 31+ 6 225 165
14-15 Burzo, Cornel 6d RO 29 -1 97+ -10 64+ 23+ 39+ -6 20+ 5 225 136
14-15 Kai, Naoyuki 6d JP 29 -2 74+ 40+ -5 -27 35+ 41+ 21+ 5 225 136
16 Papazoglou, Benjamin 5d FR 29 -26 104+ -18 103+ -28 33+ 39+ 23+ 5 220 135
17 Soldan, Leszek 5d PL 29 -12 -18 121+ -23 56+ 45+ 40+ 22+ 5 220 134
18 JUNG, DA WON 7d KR 29 67+ 17+ 16+ 22+ 5+ -- -- -- 5 212 143
19 Park, Seok-Bin 7d ? 29 33+ 48+ 44+ 12+ 39+ -- -- -- 5 207 138
20 Kaitschick, Stefan 4d DE 28 45+ 28+ -5 32+ 31+ 21+ -4 -14 5 228 139
21 Kulkov, Andrey 6d RU 28 -5 32+ 41+ 10+ -11 -20 30+ -15 4 228 112
22 Silt, Ondrej 6d CZ 28 30+ -7 23+ -18 24+ 55+ -11 -17 4 227 111
23 Mero, Csaba 6d HU 28 8+ -11 -22 17+ -14 75+ 72+ -16 4 226 111
24 schuetze, bernd 4d DE 28 29+ -3 -6 63+ -22 32+ 50+ -9 4 226 110
25 Verhagen, Rudi 5d NL 28 -3 47+ 91+ -8 -6 42+ -13 46+ 4 224 107
26 Tormanen, Antti 4d FI 28 16+ 54+ -2 -9 -38 -40 158+ 45+ 4 223 108
27 Giedrojc, Krzysztof 4d PL 28 57+ -41 93+ 90+ 15+ -1 -12 51+ 5 222 135
28 Sannes, Pal 4d NO 28 -44 -20 53+ 74+ 16+ -9 43+ -12 4 222 109
29 Schnider, Gert 5d AT 28 -24 43+ -8 -41 81+ 34+ -31 40+ 4 220 108
30 Pocsai, Rita 4d HU 28 -22 -46 87+ 66+ 42+ -5 -21 43+ 4 220 107

Kobayashi Chizu, 5 professional dan

photos by Martin Chrz

51st European Go Congress, unknown koreans.

The tournament is not yet finished, but we can already say, what the winner will be Korean. This time Korean delegation is extremely strong. Few Koreans played the first week only, so we have only 4 Koreans (Park Jongwook, Hong Seokui, Cho Seokbin and Hong Seulki) in the main part of the tournament table. At least they cannot occupy first five places :)

Hong Seulki, 7-dan, who was the winner of the EGC in S.Petersburg made his road slightly harder by losing the game in the 7th round to Chinese girl Li Ting. He was leading a lot, but decided to kill her big group. Finally they made a big ko fight in the center and Li Ting, 6-dan won it, because she had more ko threats. She was very lucky! For taking the prize place Hong Seulki must beat some top Europeans, such as Cristian Pop, Ilya Shikshin, Pal Balogh and maybe others. Only lucky Europeans will avoid such a dangerous and angry opponent.

The pairing of the next round is not yet decided, but it may look like
Park Jongwook vs Yoshida Takao
Hong Seokui vs Li Ting
Cho Seokbin vs Lucian Corlan
Shikshin Ilya vs Cristian Pop
Alexander Dinerchtein vs Pal Balogh

The games on boards 4 and 5 are most important for deciding the European Champion, but it’s hard to say, will the organizers broadcast these games on IGS or not.

Few words about Korean players, who has 7-0 and 6-1 score:

Park Jongwook.
Former 1-st class insei of Hankuk Kiwon
Main achievement: Korean Chegoichon-2005 , 3rd place.
Few years ago in EGC in Prague he showed extremely good results by beating all of top European players. Unfortunately he did not get the first place that time, even with 9-1 score, because he did not started from the Supergroup. During the last few years he entered lot of quarterfinals of Korean amateur tournaments, but was often losing to top Korean amateurs. He lost several important games to Woo Dongha (Korean representative at WAGC-2007).


Hong Seokui.
Learned Go at the age of 7. He visited the ordinary Go school for beginners for few years. He lived in Chonchu city and was not able to enter the largest Seoul's Go clubs or attend Hankuk Kiwon inseis league. Later he learned Go from books and from real games. Nowadays he is often playing Go on Tygem server. He plays Go very fast and his favorite players are Cho Hunhyun, 9-dan and Yoo Changhyuk, 9-dan. Hong won several important Korean amateur tournaments, including Lee Changho cup-2002, Samsung cup-2005, Yahoo Game cup-2005 (after beating Hwang Inseong, 7-dan, who is very famous in Europe, in the final round). After winning the Samsung cup he got the right to represent Korean amateurs at the qualification stage of the Samsung World Go Championship. He met Mizokami Tomochika, 8-dan in the first round and lost that game.


In the main round of the European Go Championship Park won his game against Hong Seokui by 3.5 points. Few days later they met each other during the deciding game of the Week-end tournament. Hong took the revenge by 2.5 points.

This time we will present you the only game, lost by Park Jongwook during the EGC in Prague in 2005. We got this commentary from the collection of commented games on Go4Go. It was very exciting! Maybe his future opponents will study this game record and find the way of beating him. I will do it too!

More than 10 commented games from the Main tournament were uploaded to
http://www.go4go.net/v2/modules/alex/

Alexander Dinerstein