Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan of Korea won the 13th Fujitsu Cup World Championship on 12 August 2000 when he forced an early resignation from Chang Hao 9-dan of China - a result that will only fuel the current Chinese paranoia about how to catch up with the Koreans.

It was Cho's third victory in this event, and he made it look easy. However much loyalty they must have felt, the two teenage Chinese stars, Hu Yaoyu and Qiu Jun, who were observing the game, had to concede that Chang was always behind on thickness.

The game took place in the rather aptly, but coincidentally, named Kudan Kaikan (9-dan hall) in Tokyo, where the third-place playoff was also held. This was won by Korea's Mok Chin-seok 4-dan against Kobyashi Satoru 9-dan of Japan - by just half a point - so at least all three major go countries were represented on the last day.

Here is the Cho-Chang final game in downloadable sgf format.

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Returning to the home base of the sponsors of the 13th Fujitsu Cup, the semi-finalists from Korea, China and Japan met in the Toyo Hotel, Osaka, on 1 July 2000. When the smoke cleared a veteran and a new star emerged to contest the High Noon final in August.

Gary Cooper will be Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan of Korea, who was too quick on the draw for young compatriot Mok Chin-seok 4-dan, gunning him down in just 188 moves. Billy the Kid will be played by Chang Hao 9-dan, still enjoying his Dragon year. He slew the homesteader, Japan's Kobayashi Satoru 9-dan.

Here is the Chang-Kobyashi semi-final game in downloadable sgf format and click here for the Cho-Mok game (an Avalanche Joseki!).

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All three major go countries have an interest left in the semi-finals of the 13th Fujitsu Cup. Japan's Kobayashi Satoru 9-dan overcame China's Liu Xiaoguang 9-dan in the quarter-finals in Korea's "museum without walls", Kyeongju, on 2 June 2000. But Chinese interest was maintained by Chang Hao 9-dan, who beat Korea's Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 9-dan.

A small city in the South-East of the country, but one of UNESCO's 12 most important historical sites of Asia, Kyeongju has become a very popular venue for go matches. Fittingly, perhaps, the last two places in the semis went to Koreans. Mok Chin-seok 4-dan (yes, still 4-dan, though he keeps trailblazing in international events) beat Cho U 6-dan, representing Japan. And, ominously for the rest, Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan stormed past China's Zhou Heyang 8-dan in just 127 moves.

Despite some indifferent form this year, Cho enjoys the world events and has just won the TV Go Asia lightning go world title. He also has perhaps the easier draw in rthe semi-finals, against compatriot Mok. That, and the Chang-Kobayashi game, will take place at the Toyo Hotel in Osaka on 1 July. The final is scheduled for the Kudan Kaikan in Tokyo on 12 August.

Here are the quarter-final games in downloadable sgf format:

• Game 1
• Game 2
• Game 3
• Game 4

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The shock result of Round 2 of the Fukitsu Cup on 10 April, at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo, was the defeat of favourite Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan by China's Zhou Heyang 8-dan. Not so long ago Zhou could have expected the Order of Lenin and a villa at the seaside for that, but now he can make some serious hard cash instead.

Many fans, even in Japan, were disappointed to see Rui Naiwei 9-dan lose to Kobayashi Satoru 9-dan, although she took 308 moves over it and lost by only 1.5 points. Kobayashi now the only native Japanese left. Japan's other representative left is 20-year-old Cho U 6-dan from Taipei (the Chinese reading of his name is Zhang Xu), who is showing well in his first major tournament. His victim in Round 2 was no less than Ma Xiaochun 9-dan.

The battle of the Cho giants was won by Korea's Hun-hyeon over Chikun (ex-Korea, now Japan).

Other Results from Round 2
Chang Hao 9d  1-0  Ch'oe Myeong-hun 7d
Mok Chin-seok 4d  1-0  Cho Sonjin 9d
Liu Xiaoguang 9d   1-0  Takemiya Masaki 9d
Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 9d  1-0  Yu Bin 9d

The draw for the quarter-finals on 2 June in Kyeongju, Korea, is:

Kobayashi - Liu
Cho U - Mok
Chang - Yu
Zhou - Cho Hun-hyeon

Here are some games from the early rounds in downloadable sgf format:

• Round 1
• Round 2

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• The 12th Fujitsu Cup