Older News From 27 December 2000:
Hard though it is to believe, the already astonishing win-loss percentage posted by World Number 1 Yi Ch'ang-ho has improved. In figures for the year up to 10 December he has scored 50 wins to 8 losses, a ratio of 86.2%. It must never be forgotten, too, that he is playing almost always at the crunch end of events, internationals included, against the very best opposition. Meanwhile the almost equally remarkable Yi Se-tol 3-dan is slipping back. He has now posted a 70-17 score (80.5%). Pak Yeong-hun 2-dan has stormed into third place wiith a 43-12 score (78.2%), and he is followed by Yun Seong-hyeon 7-dan (39-11; 78.0%) and An Yeong-kil 3-dan (41-12; 77.4%). An is on something of a charge, too, having scored 8-1 in the last month.
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Older News From 2 December 2000:
The latest figures (up to 10 November) show how remarkable Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan really is. He has overtaken Yi Se-tol 3-dan in the winning percentages and now has a 47-8 (85.5%) record against the teenager's still fabulous 66-14 (82.5%). Of course, Ch'ang-ho's games are generally against tougher opposition and for bigger stakes. Some way behind them is Yun Seong-hyeon 7-dan, who is getting no coverage in the title reports but has still amassed a 37-11 score (77.1%). Then come Ch'oe Ch'eol-han 3-dan (47-14) and An Yeong-kil 3-dan (33-11). New go proverb: Never play a Korean 3-dan!
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Older News From 17 November 2000:
The Korean Baduk Association has reported (October 2000) that Myunji University will offer the world's first master's degree course in go (baduk) in 2001. The University has already offered occasional lectures since 1997, focusing on social aspects of go and internationalisation of the game, but is now intending to offer go as subject in its own right, but with the same focus on internationalisation and social aspects. Graduates will, it is envisaged, be a sort of mind games professor able to work with organisations such as the KBA to help develop programs that, for example, promote go as an educational tool, enable women to take a more active part, forge international links through the internet (the university already has links with the KBA through the Cyberkiwon project). The contact at Myunji University is Prof. Yoo Byungjin. Maybe we need a new word in English: go-ology?
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Older News From 17 November 2000:
According to latest Gallup poll figures from Korea (November 2000) indicate that one in three people (32%) in the surveyed group know how to play go. Since the survey was limited to those aged 18 and over, and so would exclude even several top pros, the true can-play population must be considerably higher. The survey was part of an examinations lifestyles. See www.gallup.co.kr.
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Older News From 12 November 2000: RECORD
Cho Hye-yeon has become the first Korean-born woman to reach 3-dan by the standard promotion route. She pipped Pak Chi-eun by just two days when she beat Pak Chi-hun 3-dan in the Korean Go Association's twice-yearly promotion tournament on 7 November 2000. Pak Chi-eun reached the target on 9 November, but can at least claim to have been the quickest woman to earn 3-dan - she became 1-dan in November 1997, whereas Cho started in April 1997. Technically they have both been headed by Cho Yeong-suk who was promoted to 3-dan inn 1997, but that was by special decision.
Rui Naiwei 9-dan, of course, still leads the women's rankings, and Huang Yan is also 3-dan, but both are from China. For the record, Pak Seung-ch'eol and Ok Teuk-chin (both male) were also promoted to 2-dan.
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Older News From 7 November 2000:
Yi Ch'ang-ho is reported to have made 2,072,000,000 won so far this year from prizes and game fees, and is obviously guaranteed more. Last year Rui Naiwei is said to have made 2,153,000,000 won on the same basis.
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Older News From 28 October 2000:
The main Korean go magazine, Baduk, has just celebrated its 400th issue with the appearance of the November 2000 issue. It began in August 1967, under a different title, when there just half a million go players in Korea, and it ran to just 5,000 copies. On the way it swallowed up a rival magazine published by the Hanguk Kiweon's rival, the Taehan Kiweon (in 1977). Its strength (the latest issue runs to 288 pages) is in marked contrast to the fate of Kido in Japan, which had to cease publication on financial grounds. Baduk was not the first go magazine in Korea. That honour goes to Kiweon in July 1964, but that and other magazines founded soon after, found the going too tough. It must be added, too, that go publishers in Korea have felt a severe pinch even in recent times because of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and some have closed down or periodical titles have disappeared.
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Older News From 10 October 2000:
The progress of steamtrain Yi Se-tol 3-dan continues almost unabated. Even though he inevitably runs into tougher opponents as he advances through tournaments, he had still scored 59-8 (88%) for the year so far at the end of September. Not surprisingly he comfortably heads the lists for best percentage and most wins. In the best percentage list Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan is in second place on 38-8, followed by Pak Yeong-ch'an 2-dan. Then come Ch'oe Ch'eol-han 3-dan (35-9), Rui Naiwei 9-dan (34-9), Kang Chi-seong 4-dan (22-7), Yun Seong-hyeon 7-dan (28-9), Yang Keon 5-dan (31-1-10), Yu Chae-seong 3-dan (24-8) and Mok Chin-seok 4-dan (40-14).
