An interview with Gu Li, 9-dan, who entered the final of the LG cup-2008

What do you think about your game with Lee Changho, 9-dan?
It was a hard game for me, which was very close till the lunch break. I know, that Lee Changho, 9-dan is very good at yose, so I was afraid that I will lose my game. Our score was 4-4, but I lost two very close games 0.5 and 1.5 points. It's a very common thing for Lee Changho, 9-dan to win all close positions by several points. I was surprised that I won my game in yose, after his mistakes.

You won 2 very important games against Lee Changho — LG cup semifinal and the final game of the Fujitsu cup few months ago. Can we say, that you found a key?
I believe, that Lee Changho, 9-dan is still the best master in the world. I can get good positions in fuseki against him, but it is still hard for me to keep them. I still have lot of things to learn from Lee Changho.

Your recent results in International events are very impressive. Do you think, that your Go improved a lot?
I feel, that Chinese victory in Nongshim cup was very important. Chang Hao, 9-dan won his games against Park Yeunhyun and Lee Changho. Our team got the cup even without my help as a board number one player. We got the feeling that our masters are not weaker than Koreans. It was a very important feeling!

Korean professionals think that you start playing better after winning the Fujitsu cup (by beating both Lee Sedol and Lee Changho). Do you feel so?
Yes, probably. I trust them :)

You will meet Lee Sedol in the final of the LG cup. What do you think about your chances?
Lee Sedol, 9-dan showed much better results than me on International arena. We are about the same age, but I am far behind on number of won events. I am happy, that I will meet him and I am sure, that I can learn a lot from our match.

Two aggressive players (You and Lee Sedol) won their games against two players of defending styles ( Lee Changho and Park Yuenhun). Can we say, that your styles are better?
I agree, that we have similar styles with Lee Sedol, but it's hard to say, that we show better results than players of other styles. Yes, we both won our games yesterday, but who knows, who will win next time? Both Lee Changho and Park Yeunhyun are very strong players and it's always hard to beat them.

Translated from korean by Alexander Dinerchtein