LUCKIEST MAN WINS LG CUP
Yu Bin 9-dan of China is the new holder of the 4th LG Cup. Resuming after the break after Game 2, when scores were level, Yu demolished home favourite Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 9-dan in Seoul on 8 and 10 May 2000 in Games 3 and 4.
Chinese go supremo Chen Zude 9-dan described Yu as the luckiest player alive, not of course referring to the manner of his victories, but because he now has the chance to show his paces on the world stage before he gets too old. Apart from this LG Cup, he is currently in the semi-finals of the Ing Cup. He is bucking the trend a little in China in that he is already a veteran by their current standards - he turned 33 in April. He reached 9-dan as long ago as 1991. He is from Tiantai County in Zhejiang Province.
The games were also broadcast on the IGS go server, which shortly afterwards announced that the forthcoming Honinbo title match would be broadcast there.
Here are the last two games in downloadable sgf format.
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Older News From 5th March 2000:
LEVEL PEGGING FOR TWO MORE MONTHS
It's even Stevens - or even Yus - in the final of the 4th LG Cup as it goes into a break until May. The Chinese Yu, Yu Bin, took the first game on 29 February 2000. The Korean Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 9-dan pulled back in Game 2 on 2 March.
Games 3 to 5 are scheduled for 8, 10 and 12 May in Seoul.
The first two games can be downloaded below in sgf format. With its peculiar opening , Game 1 could easily be mistaken for a game of renju. In Game 2, White (Yu Bin) got himself into a tangle early on and had no strategic answer to Black 55. His tactic of 68 and 88 was not the best and an early resignation was always likely despite some spirited fighting.
Here are the first two games in downloadable sgf format.
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Older News From 19 February 2000:
LG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HAS UPS AND DOWNS
You've heard of the yoyo - how about the Yu-Yu? That's the treat in store for us in the 4th LG Cup final, after the semi-finals were completed in Seoul and worldwide on 10 February 2000. Worldwide because the games were broadcast live on the IGS go server.
Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 9-dan of Korea beat compatriot Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan, while Yu Bin 9-dan of China surprisingly beat Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan of Korea. For teacher-pupil combination Cho and Yi to lose one game between them is unusual enough, but for both to lose at the same time is peculiar. The upside, however, is that the event remains international in flavour down to the wire.
Yu Bin is a veteran of 32, and a solid if unspectacular performer. Interestingly, the three Koreans - Yu, Yi and Cho - all have books of their collected games in Chinese editions. The Chinese Yu, unless we've missed it, doesn't. Maybe that tells you who is favourite for the final starting on 29 February. The end result will not be known until May, however. It is a best-of-five final.
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Older News From 16 November 1999:
ALL TO PLAY FOR IN LG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The quarter-finals of the 4th LG Cup were played on 15 November at the Hotel Edmond in Tokyo. But the sponsors are Korean and they will be delighted that three of the emerging semi-finalists are Koreans playing within Korea. The odd one out who could still upset their apple cart is Yu Bin 9-dan of China.
Full results:
Yi Ch'ang-ho 1-0 Ma Xiaochun (China), Yu Ch'ang-hyeok 1-0 Chang Hao (China), Yu Bin 1-0 O Rissei (Japan), Cho Hun-hyeon 1-0 Wang Lei (China).
HOW DOES THE LG CUP WORK?
The LG Cup, or more fully the LG Cup World Baduk Championship (and also given as LG Cup Kiwang Tournament), is sponsored by the vast LG Group in Korea which uses, apart from LG, the brand names Lucky and Goldstar.
The Cup is the international successor to the domestic Kiwang tournament. The games are also telecast by satellite on SkyPerfecTV Channel 320 and broadcast on the IGS go server.
Top prize: 200 million won, and the runner-up gets 50 million won. The total prize fund is 1 billion won.
Players are invited to a knockout. In Term 1 the make up was 32 players from Korea (14), Japan (8), China (6), Taiwan (2), USA (1) and Europe (1), but is now 24 from Korea (11), Japan (6), China (4), Taiwan (1), USA (1) and Europe (1).
The final, a best-of-five, is held from November onwards in Seoul but earlier games are also held in other capitals.
Time limits are 3 hours each. Komi was 5.5 points in Terms 1 to 2 but was increased in 1998 to 6.5 points.
The previous Kiwang (King of Go) tournament was sponsored by the Cho-seon Il-po (Korea Daily News).
The main tournament was an 8-man league (all-play-all once) to find a challenger to the holder. The bottom four in the league dropped out.
Komi was 5.5. Time limits were 5 hours each in the final and 4 hours elsewhere.
The final, a best of 5 (terms 7 to 14 a best of 7), took place originally November~December but latterly shifted forward to May-June so that the final took place in the year following the one given for the term in the table below.
The total prize money in 1996 was 130 million won (winner 12 million won).
Click here for a list of LG CUP FINALISTS.
