Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan (right) is even closer to bringing "home" Korea's oldest and most national title from the brief grasp of Chinese wonderwoman Rui Naiwei 9-dan. By winning Game 2 of the 44th term in Seoul on 6 March 2001, he went 2-0 ahead in the best-of-five final. In the process he exacted even more revenge for Rui's victory over him in the 43rd term.
We were expecting this win to have wrapped up the Cup as the last two terms have been best-of-three but Korean sources now seem to suggest the 44th Term is a best-of-five. There are also conflicting reports as to the schedule. Game 3 is either on March 31st or April 7th.
In Game 1 Cho had to rely on luck and his legendary ability to turn the tables. In Game 2 Rui allowed him to get a comfortable lead in opening development, and was forced to go speculatively onto the attack with 74. But Cho's lead in development was so large he very alertly realised he could sacrifice the attacked group, and effectively made the game safe with 75. In desperation Rui declined the sacrifice, and managed eventually to find a way to muddy the waters with 108.
But she shot herself in the foot with 126 and lost eight stones. The famous Rui Naiwei whirlwind proved, on this occasion, to be only a strong gale that soon blew itself out.
Older News From 20 February 2001: CHO'S REVENGE COMES ON A HOT PLATE
Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan took the first step on the road to revenge against Rui Naiwei 9-dan in the 44th Kuksu Final on 20 February 2001. He won Game 1 of the best-of-three final in 198 moves.
Revenge is said to be a dish best served cold, but in this game Cho must have felt he was sitting on a hot plate. Rui played solidly in a quiet opening and built up a small advantage. Cho chose to invade on move 34, but the ensuing fighting also favoured Rui, especially when Cho made a mistake with White 76.
Rui's invasion at 97 forced Cho to try desperate measures with 90 to 104, and when they were looking insufficient he obliged to try a "bean-scattering" strategy at the top. But he managed to find a grenade in his bean bag when he launched 142, and though Rui struggled on for another 50-odd moves, her big group was always mortuary material.
Cho is famous for his ability to turn the tables. This game is being seen a classic example.
Older News From 2 February 2001: CHO ON COURSE FOR REVENGE
Only Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan will know how he really felt about losing the Kuksu title to Chinese guest Rui Naiwei 9-dan in 2000. He was the perfect gentleman and Rui is supremely popular in Korea, but still....
Now, though, Cho has the chance to bring the title back to Korea. On 2 February 2001 he beat his pupil Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan in the deciding third game of the Challenger's final, and will play Game 1 of the 44th Kuksu title final against Rui on 20 February.
Click here for Game 3 of the challengers' final. This game will be of some interest to those following the recent episodes of the fuseki series by Charles Matthews.
There is some uncertainty over whether Rui will continue to play much in Korea in 2001. Some reports claim she has been signed to play for the Shanghai team (now sponsored by China Eastern Airlines) in the Chinese national team league. The same reports also claim Mok Chin-seok of Korea will play for the Chongqing team. But there are contradictory reports in Korea.
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Older News From 19 January 2001: LEVEL PEGGING AGAIN
Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan pulled back to all-square in the challengers' final of the 44th Kuksu. He beat Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan on 19 January by 3.5 points, so making the last game of the series the decisive one. The winner will challenge Rui Naiwei 9-dan.
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Older News From 11 Janaury 2001: CHO DRAWS FIRST BLOOD
Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan won the first game of the challenge final's best-of-three in the 44th Kuksu on 9 January 2001. His opponent was his pupil Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan.
Game 2 is scheduled for 19 January.
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Older News From 5 January 2001: REVENGE BECKONS FOR CHO
Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan beat Kim Seung-chun 7-dan on 22 December 2000 then Paek Tae-hyeon 7-dan on 5 January 2001 to emerge as winner of the repechage (losers) section in the 44th Kuksu.
He now meets his pupil Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan, who won the winners' section, to decide who will face title holder Rui Naiwei 9-dan. Cho has the special incentive of revenge as he was the one Rui toppled in her historic victory last year, when she became the first woman to win an open title.
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Older News From 7 November 2000: REVENGE STILL ON THE CARDS FOR CHO
Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan won the winners' section of the 44th Kuksu, and so guaranteed one place on the challengers' final, when he defeated young Ch'oe Han-ch'eol on 13 October 2000,
But in the loser's section, down to the last four, Cho Hun-hyeon 9-dan still has a chance to come through on the rails to challenge for the title and so attempt to exact revenge on holder Rui Naiwei 9-dan. Cho was her victim in this event in February 2000 when she made history by becoming the first woman to win a major open title.
Maybe luck is with Cho. His opponent was Yang Kon 5-dan who gifted him the game with a blunder on 3 November. Now Cho has to play the winner of the game between Kim Sujun 7-dan and Ch'oe Han-ch'eol.
Prize money has now been increased from 180 million won to 200 million.
The Kuksu, the longest running tournament in Korea, is sponsored by the Tong-a Il-po (Far East Daily News).
The main tournament is a seeded knockout of eight players (Winners' section) with the losers going across, according to the stage at which they lose, into a parallel repechage knockout (Losers' section), like the Judan in Japan. Until 1998, the winners of the two sections usually played a 3-game match to challenge the holder in a 5-game match (now a 3-game match). However, the earliest terms, with fewer players available, show some variation in format.
Total prize money in 1997 was 200 million won (winner 22m won), increased from 150m won (winner 18m won), but after the Asian financial turbulence in 1998 it fell back to 100 million won (winner 10m won), with the number of games in the final also being reduced.
Komi is 5.5 points. Time limits are 5 hours each in the final, 4 hours in the knockout final, 3 hours elsewhere.
A kuksu (sometimes also written kuksoo or guksu) is the Korean version of the Chinese guoshou and means a person who guides the country through excelling in his field. In practice it was limited to fields such as medicine and go.
