[Stones and Stories] Did the Chinese Player Who Defeated Shin Jinseo Use 'AI Tricks'?

A 'Blocked Signal Game Room' and AI Cheating Allegations
Yang Dingxin's Accusation Shakes the Chinese Go Community

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "A game room where all signals are blocked, no bathroom breaks allowed..."

Yang Dingxin 9-dan's social media post has shaken the Chinese Go community. There are suspicions that Li Xianhao 9-dan stole victory through 'cheating.' Cheating refers to the unfair act of receiving AI assistance in Go. Simply put, it means using AI tricks.

Yang Dingxin's provocation to play matches in places where AI and other external help are blocked. He did not reveal clear evidence of cheating. If true, it would overturn the world Go community. The interesting part is the reason behind the accusation. It is related to Korea's Shin Jinseo 9-dan, the 'absolute number one.'

Shin Jin-seo 9-dan
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 21st, Shin Jinseo suffered a blow from Li Xianhao in the semifinals of the 14th Chunlan Cup. The Chunlan Cup is a major world Go tournament hosted by China. On that day, Li Xianhao demonstrated solid strength as if he was playing like an AI. Articles noted that Shin Jinseo would not have retreated so easily. This sparked the controversy over Chinese players using AI tricks.

Although Yang Dingxin targeted Li Xianhao, the result ultimately reinforced Shin Jinseo's greatness. Shin Jinseo is such a figure in the world Go community. Born in Busan in 2000, Shin Jinseo followed the footsteps of Lee Changho from the 1970s, Lee Sedol from the 1980s, and Park Junghwan from the 1990s, rising to become Korea's flagship player and indeed one of the world's top Go players.

Shin Jinseo's overall winning rate is 652 wins and 192 losses out of 846 games, a 77.25% win rate, ranking first in history. According to the Korea Baduk Association, his cumulative prize money as of November this year is 1,417,560,000 KRW. Shin Jinseo (ranked first) has earned more than the combined prize money of the 2nd to 4th ranked Go players. According to GoRating, which ranks Go players, Shin Jinseo is currently world number one as of December. He has held the world number one position continuously from 2019 to 2022.

As a toddler, Shin Jinseo was a child who preferred Go academies over daycare centers. Thanks to his parents who ran a Go academy, he enjoyed Go as a game. At seven years old, he showed amateur 7-dan strength, demonstrating exceptional talent.

Shin Jinseo belongs to the so-called internet Go generation. He was greatly influenced by Cho Hunhyun 9-dan and Lee Changho 9-dan but did not become their direct disciple. Instead, he indirectly learned the world's top-level Go through game records. He improved his skills by playing numerous games online against top players including China's Ke Jie 9-dan.

Being familiar with internet Go is an advantage in the COVID-19 era. Considering quarantine issues, face-to-face matches are difficult. It has become common for major world tournaments to determine winners through internet Go.

Final matches are held with players in Korea and China facing computer monitors. The difference from face-to-face matches is that the psychological warfare factor is reduced. When playing face-to-face, even a single facial expression, action, the strength of placing a stone, or the opponent's breathing can influence the game.

Internet Go eliminates such concerns, but worries about cheating remain. AlphaGo has proven that AI has superior strength compared to humans. If one receives AI assistance, there is a chance to win even against the world's strongest Go players. Is it really possible to play a match with a 'perfect cheating paper'?

It is bitter that cheating controversies arise in Go, a game that values the 'way of Go (Gido).' The idea of using any means to win is regrettable, and we only hope that such dishonest energy does not infiltrate Go.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.