An Younggil’s Pro Go Videos: 20th GS Caltex Cup Final Game 4 – Choi Cheolhan vs Mok Jinseok

Younggil is going to show you a game played between Choi Cheolhan 9p and Mok Jinseok 9p from the 20th GS Caltex Cup Final, Game 4.

You’ll learn the direction of play and the right haengma when you’re in a battle.

You can also learn how to deal with a ko fight, and a tip for ko threats from this game.

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Game record

Choi Cheolhan vs Mok Jinseok – Game 4

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Go Commentary: Song Ronghui vs Choi Jung – 5th Huang Longshi Cup

This is a commentary of game 11 of the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

The game was played between Song Ronghui 5p and Choi Jung 5p on April 8, 2015, in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China.

Song Ronghui 5p (left) and Choi Jung 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Song Ronghui 5p (left) and Choi Jung 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Song Ronghui

Song Ronghui was born in 1992, and became a pro in 2006.

She won a gold medal in the Women’s individual division at the 1st World Mind Sports Games in 2008.

Song Ronghui 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Song Ronghui 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

In 2009, she won 2nd place in the 3rd Women’s Xinrenwang (Rookies’ Cup). She lost to Tang Yi 2p in the final.

In 2014, she won three games at the 4th Huang Longshi Cup, as Team China’s first player, and China won the tournament.

This year, she won fives consecutive games against O Junga 2p, Hoshiai Shiho 1p, O Yujin 2p, Xie Yimin 6p and Kim Chaeyoung 2p. This was her 6th game in the tournament.

Song’s style of play is thick and solid. She’s also good at fighting, but it seems like she prefers peaceful games because she’s good at the endgame.

Choi Jung

Choi Jung was born in 1996, and became a pro in 2010.

Choi is currently the strongest woman (ranked #1) amongst Korean Professional players.

Choi Jung 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Choi Jung 5p at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

She contested the final of the 5th Women’s Kisung, but lost to Rui Naiwei 9p in 2011. However, it didn’t take long for her to win her first title, the 13th Women’s Myeongin, in 2012.

In 2013, she won the Women’s Myeongin again and brought the 3rd Huang Longshi Cup back to Korea. She defeated Yu Zhiying 5p, Li He 5p and Wang Chenxing 5p, to seize victory for Team Korea.

In 2014, she won the 5th Bingsheng Cup, defeating Rui Naiwei in the final, and it was her first international title. She also won the Women’s Myeongin for the third time in a row.

Choi’s style of play is flexible and powerful. She prefers a fighting style game, and her nickname is ‘girl of great strength’.

This was Choi’s first game in this tournament, and it was the most interesting match in the final round.

Let’s have a look at the game…

Commented game record

Song Ronghui vs Choi Jung

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Ida Atsushi becomes youngest Judan in history – 53rd Judan

Ida Atsushi 8p has won his first major title and become the youngest Judan in history, defeating Takao Shinji 9p in the 53rd Judan with a 3-2 score.

The fifth game of the best of five title match was played on April 22, 2015, at the Nihon Kiin, Tokyo, Japan.

Takao Shinji 9p (left) and Ida Atsushi 8p at the 53rd Judan final.

Takao Shinji 9p (left) and Ida Atsushi 8p at the 53rd Judan final.

Record breaker

As we said above, the 53rd Judan is Ida’s first major career title.

Ida also recently won the 62nd NHK Cup, defeating Ichiriki Ryo 7p, in March, 2015. That was his first career title and, only a month later, he’s added the Judan to the list.

In both cases, Ida broke existing records as the youngest ever player to win those titles – with the new records being 20 years and 11 months, and 21 years old respectively.

Not bad for a 21 year old!

Iyama Yuta 9p held the previous record for the Judan, which he set at 21 years and 11 months when he won the 49th Judan (against Cho U 9p) in 2011.

Cho U set the previous NHK record at the 49th NHK Cup  in 2002 – he was 22 years and 2 months old at the time.

Ida Atsushi 8p, just after he became Judan.

Ida Atsushi 8p, just after he became Judan.

Ida Atsushi

Ida Atsushi was born in 1994, and became a pro in 2009.

In 2014, Ida became the challenger for the 69th Honinbo title. He lost 4-1 to Iyama Yuta 9p at the time, but he must have learned a lot and become more powerful through that experience.

He defeated Kobayashi Satoru 9p in the challenger decision match in February, 2015, to challenge Takao Shinji for the Judan.

Ida is one of two top prospects amongst the young pros in Japan at the moment. The other is Ichiriki Ryo 7p, who won the 1st GLOBIS Cup in 2014.

These two players are the future hope for Japanese Go, following Iyama Yuta.

Many Japanese Go fans want to see them become stronger and challenge top Chinese and Korean players.

I also hope that they can lead other young and talented Japanese players to a higher level of play.

Is Ida 9 dan yet?

Some readers might be wondering whether this victory means Ida Atsushi will be promoted to 9 dan.

In the modern Japanese ranking system, players are only promoted straight to 9 dan for winning an international title, or one of the ‘big three’ Japanese domestic titles (the Kisei, Meijin and Honinbo).

Winning the Judan once would be enough to get Ida promoted to 8 dan, except he’s already 8 dan! Assuming that Ida doesn’t win any other titles in the meantime, he’ll be promoted to 9 dan if he successfully defends the Judan next year.

Takao Shinji

Takao Shinji won the 46th Judan, defeating Cho Chikun 9p in 2008, but he lost the title to Cho U in the following year.

Ida Atsushi 8p (left) and Takao Shinji 9p, after game 3 of the final.

Ida Atsushi 8p (left) and Takao Shinji 9p, after game 3 of the final.

Five years later, he returned as the challenger and won the 52nd Judan against Yuki Satoshi 9p in 2014.

However, once again, it didn’t last. This time he lost the Judan to a new, young challenger – Ida Atsushi.

Nevertheless, Takao still holds the Tengen, which is another major Japanese title.

He challenged and defeated Iyama Yuta in the 40th Tengen title match, in December 2014.

That was quite sensational, because Iyama had been practically invincible in Japan for a couple of years before that.

Takao showed his strength in the Tengen final, but he couldn’t repeat the feat this time.

Summary of games 1 to 4

(Note: you can find the game records just below. And if you’d like to discuss the match, please feel free to leave a comment. Everyone is welcome.)

Takao Shinji got off to a good start in the final.

Game 1 was peaceful and territorial, which is Takao’s favorite kind of game, and he won without any trouble. There weren’t any good chances for Ida to fight properly in that game, because Takao’s moves were smooth and solid.

However, Ida tied the match by winning game 2. There were some battles, and Ida managed them quite well to grasp his first win.

After winning game 3 as well, Ida took the lead. Game 3 was very interesting, with lots of nice tesujis by both players. Both Black and White built huge territories, and Ida won the game with excellent play in the endgame.

However, Takao returned fire in game 4. He took an early lead after a big ko at the top and he maintained his lead smoothly and flexibly. Ida couldn’t find any opportunities to fight back.

The score was tied at 2-2.

Game 5 – Brief commentary

Game 5 was the title match decider. Both Takao and Ida played quite cautiously to begin with, but Ida (Black) invaded White’s area at the bottom with 31 and 33, and the first fight began.

The result up to White 50 seemed to be even, but White 56 was a brilliant move, and White (Takao) took the lead up to 62.

Black 71 and 75 formed a nice combination, and Black 79 was a good tesuji to help catch up.

Black started to fight again with 99, and he got some points up to 115. However, White’s responses were also good, and the game was still very close.

White 154 was a skillful move to remove Black’s eye potential, but Black responded well with 155 and 157.

White went all out with 182, but Ida seemed to be expecting that. Black 189 was a nice counter, and the game reached its crescendo.

Black 199 was the correct move, and White’s big dragon couldn’t make two eyes. White 212 was tricky, but Ida responded accurately, and Takao resigned soon afterwards.

53rd Judan: the scene after game 5 finished.

53rd Judan: the scene after game 5 finished.

Game records

Ida Atsushi vs Takao Shinji – Game 1

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Takao Shinji vs Ida Atsushi – Game 2

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Ida Atsushi vs Takao Shinji – Game 3

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Takao Shinji vs Ida Atsushi – Game 4

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Ida Atsushi vs Takao Shinji – Game 5

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An Younggil’s Pro Go Videos: How to maintain a small lead – Lian Xiao vs Kim Jiseok

This game, from the 16th Nongshim Cup, was very exciting. There was heavy fighting in the top left corner, but the game soon became well balanced.

The middle game was calm and quiet, but there was an big, unexpected ko at the end of the game and it’s exciting to watch.

You’ll learn how to play when you’re ahead by a small margin, and see a nice sacrifice strategy.

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Game record

Lian Xiao vs Kim Jiseok

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An Younggil’s Pro Go Videos: The new world – Mateusz Surma vs Ilya Shikshin

Europe’s own new pros clash in the final of the 1st European Go Grand Slam 2015.

Can Ilya Shikshin exact revenge on Mateusz Surma who defeated him in the 2015 Pro Qualifiers?

Younggil is going to show you a game played between Mateusz Surma 1p and Ilia Shikshin 1p.

You’ll learn how to play when you have a weak group, and how to respond against a probe.

You’ll also learn how to guess your opponent’s plan from his/her moves.

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Game record

Mateusz Surma vs Ilya Shikshin

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Team Korea wins 5th Huang Longshi Cup

Choi Jung 5p defeated Yu Zhiying 5p in game 12 of the 5th Huang Longshi Cup on April 10, 2015.

With this victory, Team Korea takes the title back home.

Yu Zhiying 5 dan (left) and Choi Jung 5 dan, reviewing the game with other players.

Yu Zhiying 5 dan (left) and Choi Jung 5 dan, reviewing the game with other players.

Round 1 – O Junga

Round 1 of the 5th Huang Longshi Cup was played from March 1 to 7, 2015, in Jiangyin, Jiangsu, China.

Wang Chenxing 5 dan (left) and O Junga 2 dan at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Wang Chenxing 5 dan (left) and O Junga 2 dan at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

O Junga 2p, who was Team Korea’s first player, got off to a really good start in this women’s team tournament.

O defeated Okuda Aya 3p, Li He 5p, Kibe Natsuki 1p, Wang Chenxing 5p and Fujisawa Rina 2p, to become the heroine of the 1st round with five consecutive wins.

However, Song Ronghui 5p was Team China’s savior. She defeated O Junga and Hoshiai Shiho 1p to finish up round 1.

Round 2 – Song Ronghui

Round 2 was played on April 5 to 10, 2015, also in Jiangyin.

Song Ronghui 5 dan (left) and Choi Jung 5 dan at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Song Ronghui 5 dan (left) and Choi Jung 5 dan at the 5th Huang Longshi Cup.

Song Ronghui continued her winning streak, defeating O Yujin 2p, Xie Yimin 6p and Kim Chaeyoung 2p, meaning she also won five games in this tournament (including her games from round 1).

Unfortunately, Team Japan didn’t do well in this tournament and they couldn’t win any games.

Fujisawa Rina and Xie Yimin were Japan’s two top prospects in this event, but their games in this tournament were a bit disappointing.

Since Song won five games, the situation was reversed, leaving Team China with three players while Korea had two.

Choi Jung

Choi Jung 5 dan (left) and Cao Youyin 3p, reviewing with other players.

Choi Jung 5 dan (left) and Cao Youyin 3 dan, reviewing with other players.

However, Team Korea still had Choi Jung in reserve. Choi is currently the strongest woman (ranked #1) amongst Korean professional Go players.

Choi defeated Song Ronghui and routed Cao Youyin 3p.

Yu Zhiying, the anchorwoman for Team China, is currently ranked #1 amongst women in China, and she’s very strong against Choi Jung.

The head to head record between Choi and Yu before the game was 6-1 in Yu’s favor, but Choi didn’t seem to be worried about that.

Choi played an excellent game, and Yu resigned after 159 moves. Yu seemed to be under significant pressure as the last player, and she didn’t show her strength in this game.

Team Korea. Kim Chaeyoung 2 dan, Choi Jung 5 dan, Kim Hyemin 7 dan and O Yujin 2 dan (from left)

Team Korea. Kim Chaeyoung 2 dan, Choi Jung 5 dan, Kim Hyemin 7 dan and O Yujin 2 dan (from left)

Kim Hyemin 7p, the anchorwoman for Team Korea, didn’t have to play because Choi finished the tournament.

Congratulations to Team Korea, and I hope Team Japan will do better next year, so that the tournament will become more exciting for everyone.

The Huang Longshi Cup

The Huang Longshi Cup is an international women’s win and continue team tournament between China, Japan and Korea.

The tournament, which started in 2011, should not to be confused with the Huang Longshi Women’s Mingren (Chinese Meijin) tournament.

Team China won the 1st, 2nd and 4th editions of the tournament, and Team Korea won 3rd and the 5th (this year).

The tournament is named after Huang Longshi – a famous Chinese Go genius from the Qing dynasty.

Brief game commentary

Song Ronghui vs O Yujin – Game 8

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The opening up to Black 53 was even.

Black 99 and 101 were strong moves, and Black (Song) took the lead up to 117.

White 124 was sharp, and O caught up through to 132.

However, White 136 was a mistake, and Black solidified her lead up to 143.

White created a big ko in the top right, and captured the left side group in compensation. However, it wasn’t good enough to reverse the game, and Song maintained her lead until the end.

Xie Yimin vs Song Ronghui – Game 9

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The variation in the bottom right was the same as in game 8, but Song played White in this game.

Black 39 was questionable, and White (Song) took an early lead with 42 and 52.

Cutting at White 76 was severe, and the fighting up to 94 was better for White.

Black 105 and 107 were a good combination, but White 134 was another severe move to threaten Black’s lower side group.

Black 143 and 153 comprised a nice counter by Xie, and the game became very tense.

However, White 162 to 170 was an excellent sequence to make a ko.

Eventually, White won the ko by one ko threat, and the game was decided in White’s favor.

Kim Chaeyoung vs Song Ronghui – Game 10

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The opening up to White 50 was well balanced.

Black’s reduction with 69 was a bit too deep, and White (Song) took the lead with a gentle attack up to 96.

White 108, 114 and 132 were big, and Song maintained her lead.

Kim tried to catch up in the endgame, but Song’s endgame was excellent, and she didn’t give Black any chances to do so.

Song Ronghui vs Choi Jung – Game 11

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Black 41 and 51 were questionable, and White (Choi) took the lead up to 70.

Black 81 and 85 were nice tesuji, but White was still in the lead.

Black tried to resist with 103 and 105, but White 110, 112 and 120 were good, and Black was in trouble.

Even though Black captured White’s bottom left group with 123, White’s territory was bigger after 124.

Black tried to start a capturing race with White’s left side group, but she was one liberty short.

Choi Jung vs Cao Youyin – Game 12

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Black 39 and 41 were questionable, and White (Cao) was happy to live up to 54.

Black 63 was a nice move, but White 72 was a good reduction, and White was still in the lead.

White 78 was a mistake, and the game was reversed with Black 79.

White 106 and 108 were overplays, and the game was decided up to Black 123.

Choi Jung vs Yu Zhiying – Game 13

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The opening was well balanced up to White 46, and the first fight began with Black 47.

White 56 was questionable, and Black (Choi) got a satisfactory result with 57, 63 and 69.

White 80 through to 84 was a good combination, but White 100, 104 and 106 were questionable, and Black built a big territory at the top with 107.

White started a ko with 118 and 120, but it was premature, and Black 143 and 145 were strong counters, and the game was practically over up to Black 155.

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Go Commentary: Iyama Yuta vs Yamashita Keigo – 39th Kisei Final

This is game 7 of the 39th Kisei title match.

The game was played between Iyama Yuta 9p and Yamashita Keigo 9p on March 19 and 20, 2015, in Niigata, Japan.

Iyama Yuta 9 dan (left) and Yamashita Keigo 9 dan at the 39th Kisei final.

Iyama Yuta 9 dan (left) and Yamashita Keigo 9 dan at the 39th Kisei final.

39th Kisei title match

Iyama got off to a good start in this match. He won the first three games, so the score was 3-0. Everyone probably thought that the Kisei wouldn’t be much fun this year.

However, the situation changed dramatically when Yamashita started to catch up. Yamashita won game 4, and that was the turning point in terms of regaining his confidence against Iyama.

He won games 5 and 6 as well, and eventually the match was tied at 3-3.

In general, we’d expect Yamashita to have the advantage in a title deciding game like this, because he was already on a winning streak.

Iyama Yuta

Iyama-Yuta 9 dan at the end of the first day.

Iyama Yuta with the sealed move, at the end of the first day.

Iyama Yuta is indisputably the strongest Go player in Japan at the moment, and he held four major titles, including the Kisei, when this match was played.

He used to hold six of the seven major titles, but he lost the Tengen to Takao Shinji 9p and he also lost the Oza to Murakawa Daisuke 8p in 2014.

Iyama showed his strength at the 16th Nongshim Cup, in early 2015, against top Chinese and Korean players.

He defeated Park Junghwan 9p, who is currently #1 in Korea, and also defeated Mi Yiting 9p, who was the winner of the 1st MLily Cup.

Iyama proved that Japanese players can still be competitive in those games.

Yamashita Keigo

Yamashita Keigo 9p, just before the game.

Yamashita Keigo, just before the game.

On the other hand, Yamashita Keigo was playing to win his 6th Kisei title.

He used to be the #1 in Japan in the early and mid-2000s, and he’s still competitive today.

His last title was the 22nd Ryusei in 2013, and his last major title was the 37th Meijin in 2012.

This was a great opportunity for him to grasp one more major title. In addition, the Kisei is the biggest title in Japan, and the Kisei is generally regarded to be the top player in Japan, in terms of the traditional Japanese ranking system.

Yamashita showed his power and skill in games 4 to 6, and many of his fans were longing for him to win in a reverse sweep.

Echoes of history for Yamashita

There was a very similar situation in 2011. In the 66th Honinbo final, Yamashita won the first three games against Hane Naoki 9p, who was the challenger, but Hane won the next three games to make it a tie at 3-3.

However, Yamashita won the title deciding game, and he defended the Honinbo with that victory.

Let’s have a look at the game and see what was happened this time.

At the end of game 7 from the 39th Kisei final.

The conclusion of game 7 of the 39th Kisei title match.

Commented game record

Iyama Yuta vs Yamashita Keigo

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Mok Jinseok wins 1st title in 15 years – 20th GS Caltex Cup

Mok Jinseok 9p won the 20th Caltex Cup on April 2, 2015, defeating Choi Cheolhan 9p with a 3-1 score.

The final was played from March 30 to April 2 in Seoul, Korea.

Mok Jinseok 9 dan (left) and Choi Cheolhan 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

Mok Jinseok 9 dan (left) and Choi Cheolhan 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

This was Mok Jinseok’s 2nd career title. He also won the 19th KBS Cup in the year 2000, defeating Lee Changho 9p.

Choi Cheolhan won game 1, but Mok won the next three games to take the best of five match.

Mok Jinseok’s 2nd title

Mok Jinseok 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

Mok Jinseok 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

Mok’s nickname is boy wonder, because he defeated Nie Weiping in the 2nd China Korea Lotte Cup in 1995 when he was just 15 years old.

His fans still like to call him by that name even though he’s in his mid 30s now.

In the late 90s, he was a rising star and many Korean baduk fans thought that he would take the torch from Lee Changho.

As many people expected, he won the 19th KBS Cup when he was 20, but he never took another title afterwards, until now.

Mok won 2nd place at the 13th Asian TV Cup in 2001, and he was in the final of 8th LG Cup, but he was defeated by Lee Changho in 2004.

In 2007, he broke two Korean records for the most games played and the most won. He had 93 wins and 29 loses, and it seemed like that would be his career high for sure.

However, most of his games were played in the preliminary matches and main draws of tournaments, so he didn’t earn any titles even though his record was extraordinary.

The eternal runner up

In 2008, Mok played in the final of three domestic tournaments, since he’d done very well in 2007.

However, he was defeated by Park Younghun 9p in the 9th Maxim Cup final, and he also lost to Lee Changho in the 3rd Siptan (Korean Judan) and the 5th Electric Land Cup, so he didn’t win any titles.

In 2009, he was in the 52nd Kuksu final, but was defeated by Lee Sedol 9p. He also reached the final of the 4th Olleh KT Cup, but was defeated by Kim Jiseok 9p in 2013.

In 2015, he became the new coach of the Korean national team, and he started to study Go very hard again with other top pros.

And eventually, he took his second title 15 years later. A feat which is rarely seen in the Go world.

Choi Cheolhan’s defeat

Choi Cheolhan 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

Choi Cheolhan 9 dan at the 20th GS Caltex Cup.

On the other hand, Choi Cheolhan has now taken 2nd place in the GS Caltex Cup two years running.

He was defeated 3-0 by Kim Jiseok last year and he lost to Mok this year. Choi’s games in this final weren’t in keeping with his typical style of play.

His play was neither as strong nor powerful as it normally is. His game in the semifinals against Kim Jiseok was excellent, but somehow he didn’t show his strength in the final.

The head to head record between Mok and Choi before this final was 19-7 in Choi’s favor, and even their last 10 games together were 9-1 for Choi.

Because of that, most Korean fans expected that Choi would win the title fairly easily, but Mok showed his wonderful power in this match.

Mok maintained his concentration in this lightning tournament (10 minutes, with 3 x 40 seconds byo-yomi) and he defeated his natural enemy.

Mok at the post game interview

Mok Jinseok 9 dan busted into tears after winning the final game.

Mok Jinseok 9 dan busted into tears after winning the final game.

When the last game was over, Mok burst into tears as his emotions got the better of him.

It took him some time to calm down and give a post game interview.

In the interview, he said that he tried to empty his mind and only focus on the games, and not to worry about winning or losing.

He couldn’t describe how happy he was, and he thanked his family and everyone who rooted for him.

I was so moved when I was watching the interview, and I feel proud of him and so happy for him too.

Game records

Mok Jinseok vs Choi Cheolhan – Game 1

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Choi Cheolhan vs Mok Jinseok – Game 2

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Mok Jinseok vs Choi Cheolhan – Game 3

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Choi Cheolhan vs Mok Jinseok – Game 4

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An Younggil’s Pro Go Videos – Rules Rule: Chen Yaoye vs Iyama Yuta

Can the outcome of a game depend on whether area scoring rule or territory scoring rule was used?

Younggil is going to show you a game played between Chen Yaoye 9p and Iyama Yuta 9p, from the 4th China, Japan and Korea Meijin Challenge final.

The game was interesting with a large moyo from the opening for both sides.

The balance demonstrated by both players was wonderful, and the game became very close after the middle game fighting.

You can see a marvelous ko fight at the end, and the trade was very subtle and sophisticated under the time pressure.

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Go Commentary: Yu Zhiying vs Li Qincheng – 21st Xinren Wang

This was the game 3 from the 21st Xinren Wang (Rookies’ tournament) final.

The game was played between Yu Zhiying 5p and Li Qincheng 1p on March 4, 2014, in Shanghai, China.

Li Qincheng 1dan (left) and Yu Zhiying 5 dan at the Xinren Wang final.

Li Qincheng 1dan (left) and Yu Zhiying 5 dan at the Xinren Wang final.

Yu Zhiying won game 1 of the final, but Li Qincheng made it tie with 1-1 in game 2, and this is the title deciding game.

Yu Zhiying

Yu Zhiying was born in 1997, and became a pro in 2010.

Yu Zhiying 5 dan at the Xinren Wang final.

Yu Zhiying 5 dan at the Xinren Wang final.

Yu defeated Xie Yimin 5p at the last game of the 2nd Huang Longshi Cup, Women’s team competition, and brought the Huang Longshi Cup home for China in 2012.

In 2013, Yu won six consecutive games against Korean and Japanese women players at the 3rd Huang Longshi Cup, and she’s been regarded as one of the strongest women players in the world.

Yu was in the final of the 4th Bingsheng Cup as well, but she was defeated by Wang Chenxing 5p in the final.

Li Qincheng

On the other hand. Li Qincheng was born in 1998, and became a pro in 2009.

Li Qincheng 1dan at the Xinren Wang final.

Li Qincheng 1dan at the Xinren Wang final.

In 2012, Li was progressed to the round of 16 in the 17th Samsung Cup, and he was on the quarter finals of the 18th LG Cup in 2013.

He’s one of the rising stars in China, and many Chinese fans expect him to become one of the top players in the world in the near future.

Shi Yue 9p, who was ranked #1 in China at the time, mentioned of Li Qincheng as one of top three prospect youngsters along with Ke Jie 4p and Yang Dingxin 3p. By the way, Ke Jie won the 2nd Bailing Cup in January 2015.

Xinren Wang

Xinren Wang is important and meaningful tournament for young pros. Only young and new players are allowed to participate, so they have more chances to win compared to other major tournaments.

Chinese top players have won this rookies’ tournament including Chang Hao 9p, Gu Li 9p, Kong Jie 9p, Zhou Ruiyang 9p, Shi Yue 9p, and Fan Tingyu 9p, and they’ve all become world champions.

Let’s have a look at the final game of Xinren Wang.

Commented game record

Yu Zhiying vs Li Qincheng

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