Shin Jin-seo Wins Ing Cup at Go Olympics... Korea Reclaims Title After 14 Years

9-Dan Shaker Wins by Resignation in 226 Moves
Cumulative Prize Money Exceeds 1 Billion Won for 4 Consecutive Years

Shin Jinseo (23), the undisputed number one in Korean Go, has reached the top at the Ing Cup World Go Championship.

On the 23rd (local time), Shin Jinseo faced Chinese player Xie Ke (23), 9-dan, in the second game of the best-of-three final of the 9th Ing Cup held at the Sunke Star Venue in Changning District, Shanghai, China, and won by resignation after 226 moves with white.

Having also won the first game held two days earlier, Shin Jinseo lifted the championship trophy with an overall score of 2-0. This marks the first time in 14 years since Choi Cheolhan 9-dan won the 6th Ing Cup in 2009 that a Korean player has reclaimed the top spot in the Ing Cup. Additionally, this victory brings his total number of wins in the tournament to six.

Shin Jin-seo 9-dan, winner of the 'Baduk Olympics' Ing Cup. [Image source=Korea Baduk Association]

Previously, in the 1st to 4th editions of the tournament, Cho Hunhyun, Seo Bongsoo, Yoo Changhyuk, and Lee Changho achieved four consecutive wins. Choi Cheolhan won the 6th edition, and Shin Jinseo took first place in the 9th edition, maintaining Korea's record for the most championships.

In this match, Shin Jinseo played with white. Early on, as Xie Ke focused on securing territory, Shin Jinseo formed influence on the left and upper sides and launched an attack.

By attacking the black dragon group and securing territory on the upper side while destroying the black formation on the right side, Shin Jinseo gained an early advantage. However, he later adopted an overly cautious strategy, allowing Xie Ke to mount a comeback.

Nevertheless, Shin Jinseo attacked the black dragon group again, widening the gap once more, and thereafter calmly continued the game without faltering despite Xie Ke's provocations, ultimately securing resignation. When Xie Ke resigned, the AI win-rate graph predicted Shin Jinseo's chance of victory at 99%.

After winning, Shin Jinseo said, "At first, I thought I wasn't very nervous, but I guess I couldn't sleep well," and added, "The pressure was great, but since I have accumulated experience, I told myself not to repeat failures."

Regarding the game, he said, "I thought I was doing very well in the middle game, but I became lax and the advantage narrowed," and "When Xie Ke pulled back in the center and pursued the large group on my side, I thought I had won at that point."

With this victory, Shin Jinseo receives the highest prize money in Go tournaments worldwide, $400,000. Runner-up Xie Ke receives $100,000. Shin Jinseo's total prize money this year amounts to 1.24 billion won, marking four consecutive years of surpassing 1 billion won.

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