Korea « American Go E-Journal

The Art of Propaganda: North Korea’s Mansudae Art Studio

Tuesday November 4, 2014

This oil painting depicting a go game between a young Korean girl and an older western man is featured in an October 31 ArtNet News report about North Korea’s Mansudae Art Studio. Perhaps the world’s biggest art factory, “It employs around 4,000 laborers of which under a quarter are artists who mostly graduated from the Pyongyang University of Fine Arts. The studio churns out propaganda for the Kim family leadership, producing everything from trinkets to murals and gigantic Soviet-style monuments.” This piece, entitled “Confrontation” is by Kim Hyon Myong.

Thanks to David Fruchtenicht for passing this along.

Categories: Go Art,Go Spotting,Korea

China and Korea Even After Samsung Cup Quarter Finals

Wednesday October 22, 2014

The 2014 Samsung Cup semifinals took place in Daejeon, Korea on October 14. Because the “elite eight” consisted of four Chinese players and four Korean players, the sponsor arranged the draw so there would be four “China vs Korea” matches. Though Korea might have had the advantage with its top four players in the semifinals, the Chinese players had high rankings as well, with Shi Yue and Zhou Ruiyang as number one and number two.

The results: two Chinese players and two Korean players will proceed, with Park Junghwan 9p against defending champion Tang Weixing 9p and Shi Yue 9p facing Kim Jiseok 9p. Daejeon will host the semifinals from November 5 through November 7. For more information about the the quarter finals including game records, photos, and Shi Yue’s defeat of recent jabango champion Lee Sedol 9p, please visit Go Game Guru.
—Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru

2014 Samsung Cup Semifinalists: Tang Weixing, Park Junghwan, Shi Yue, Kim Jiseok

Categories: China,Events/Tournaments,Go News,Korea,World

Lee Sedol Wins Historic Jubango Against Gu Li

Sunday September 28, 2014

The most anticipated go event in decades concluded on September 28, when Lee Sedol 9p (right) defeated Gu Li 9p in their historic jubango, winning the eighth game by 2.5 points. The 350-move game was the longest in the series, and took place in Gu Li’s hometown, Chongqing, China. With this victory, Lee Sedol took the lion’s share of the 5,000,000 RMB prize money (more than $800,000 USD), and cemented his place in go history. The final score for the series was 6-2 in Lee’s favor, although this statistic belies how tightly fought several of the games were.

As with the previous seven games, Go Game Guru will release a detailed commentary soon; in the meantime, you can find all the commentaries and videos from the match on GGG’s jubango page and click here to see An Younggil 8p’s preliminary comments on Game 8. Once completed, all eight commentaries will form the basis of a book about the match.
– based on reporting by Go Game Guru

Categories: Korea,World

Park Junghwan Breaks Chen Yaoye’s China Korea Tengen Streak

Sunday September 28, 2014

Korea’s Jeju Island hosted the 18th China Korea Tengen from September 23 to September 26. Defending champion China’s Chen Yaoye 9p (left) has won the tournament for the past three years. With four total wins, Chen matches the accolades of Gu Li 9p and Lee Changho 9p. However, Park Junghwan 9p seemed determined to seek revenge for fellow Korean player Park Younghun 9p who was unable to stop Chen in last year’s tournament. As the only person to defeat Chen at the Tengen in the past, the pressure on Park Junghwan was high but he prevailed. Park won games one and two by resignation and restored the game record for overall wins to 9-9.

The China Korea Tengen is an annual tournament where the winners of Korea’s Chunwon and China’s Tianyuan play a best of three match. For more information about this year’s Tengen including photos and game records, please visit Go Game Guru.
—Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photo courtesy of Go Game Guru

Categories: Events/Tournaments,Go News,Korea,World

8th — And Possibly Final — Game in Lee Sedol vs Gu Li Jubango Tonight

Saturday September 27, 2014

Live coverage of the eighth round in the MLily Gu vs Lee Jubango starts Saturday night at 9pm PST (midnight Sunday morning EST). It takes place in Gu’s hometown, Chongqing, and with the score currently at 5-2 in Lee’s favor this game is a kadoban for Gu and might be the last of the match. Commentators on Baduk TV will replay and analyze the game from the beginning and Go Game Guru’s An Younggil 8p will translate and discuss the game with Baduk TV Live viewers. Access to the game costs $2.70 with a Baduk TV Day Pass. If you plan to watch the game from the very start, remember to subtract three hours from the times given above. Baduk TV starts the coverage three hours later because the games go for so long.
– Go Game Guru

Categories: Korea,World,Youth

Go Takes Over Seoul Streets

Sunday September 21, 2014

Hundreds of people gathered to play Go in Korea’s Gwanghwamun Square, on September 21. The event was part of Seoul’s Street Without Cars Festival and Learn Go Week. Go fans got autographs from players like Lee Changho, Lee Sedol and Kim Hyojeong, president of the Korean Baduk Professionals’ Union. One hundred professional go players played simultaneous games with attendees, including international visitors from the 51 countries participating in the 9th Korean Prime Minister’s Cup. Over 1,000 people attended, including many families with children. However, because not everyone played games, the goal of 1,004 simultaneous games was not achieved, and the Guinness World Record — 1,000 players at Take-machi-dohri and Chuo-cho Shopping Streets, Oita, Japan on June 6, 1999 — remained unbroken this year.
– Younggil An, Go Game Guru; right: 100 professional Go players play simultaneous games in Seoul, Korea; left: Seo Neungwuk plays international visitors, including AGA president Andy Okun (3rd from right) and Andrew Jackson (far right).

Categories: Korea

Korea’s Wei TaeWoong Sweeps Korean World Amateur Championship, Besting U.S. in Final

Saturday September 20, 2014

Korea’s Wei TaeWoong (right) swept the 9th Korean World Amateur Championships (KPMC), winning all six games on September 19-20 in Seoul. US representative Ben Lockhart scored an impressive 5-1 record, losing only to Wei in the final round (photo). China came in second, followed by Taiwan, Japan, the US, Mexico and Russia. The key game was Wei’s fifth-round match against Hu YuChing from China; Hu led slightly from the beginning, but Wei hung in and succeeded in turning the game around. “I am very happy to win the KPMC,” said Wei, “and I will prepare with my best for next year’s pro qualification tournaments.”
– wbaduk.com

Categories: Korea,U.S./North America,World

“Learn Go Week” rolling in 21 countries with 60+ events; still time to join in!

Tuesday September 16, 2014

Learn Go Week started last weekend, with go players all around the world — 60 events in 21 countries — running teaching events in their local communities. The first-ever event runs through this coming weekend, so if you want to get involved, you can still run a beginners’ night at your local go club this week; click here to let Go Game Guru know about it. This weekend, on September 21, 1004 go players in Korea will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous games of Go in one place, the headline event at Seoul’s Street Without Cars festival. Last Saturday, the San Diego Go Club sponsored a go demonstration and teaching event at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park in San Diego. “Dozens of people touring the garden stopped by the koi pond site to play a game or learn the basics of go,” reports club president Ted Terpstra. And in Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the Triangle Go Club of hosted Yuan Zhou to come from Maryland for a public outreach event (right) on September 13 in the community room of the Earth Fare grocery store. Zhou gave a lecture on the history and cultural aspects of go in China, and also played a simultaneous exhibition match against eight local players. “Triangle Go Club members and Zhou also chatted with onlookers about the game, played friendly demonstration games outdoors, and distributed Way To Go’ booklets,” reports local organizer Paul Celmer. Click here for Go Game Guru’s report on Learn Go Week activities thus far, including lots of cool photos of events in places like Canberra, Australia (left).

Categories: Korea,U.S./North America,World

Discount Available for New BIBA Students

Thursday September 4, 2014

Those interested in studying go in Korea can now get a discount of $100 off per person when they come to study at Blackie’s International Baduk Academy (BIBA). Shawn Ray, a student at BIBA who recently moved to Korea to do a series of lessons on BadukTV, has arranged with the BIBA instructors for this special deal. “BIBA is a school dedicated to giving international go – or baduk, as it’s known here in Korea — players a place to play and study in a dojo-like setting,” Ray tells the EJ. “Right next door to BIBA is a class of Younguseng (insei, or students) who are around 7-9-dan amateur level and BIBA students get to play league games with them. After playing League games, we get our games reviewed by Mr. Kim 9P, or Blackie as we call him, and get an in-depth analysis of our games.” In order to get this discount individuals must come as a group, so those interested should contact Ray at clossius.ShawnRay@gmail.com before coming “to see if we can coordinate students to come around the same time to be eligible for a group discount. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Korea!”

Categories: Korea

Rui Naiwei Joins Lee Sedol, Park Junghwan & 13 Others for Samsung Knockout Round

Sunday August 31, 2014

Players from China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the U.S. gathered in Qingdao, China on August 26-28 for the group stage of the 19th Samsung Cup. However, the stand-out competitor was Chinese player Rui Naiwei 9p (left), the only female player make it through to the next, or knockout, stage. Rui is one of only two women to ever make it to the knockout phase of the Samsung; she’s not only done so seven times, but made it to the quarter finals in the 5th and 6th Samsung Cups. This year, she is already off to a good start with two wins against Taiwan’s Xiao Zhenghao 8p (left). Rui will join Park Junghwan 9p, Lee Sedol 9p, and the 13 other knockout finalists in Daejeon, Korea on October 14-16 to compete for this year’s quarter finals. For more information on this year’s Samsung Cup including photos, game records, and pairings for the next round, visit Go Game Guru.
–Annalia Linnan, based on a longer article by Go Game Guru; photos courtesy Go Game Guru

Categories: Events/Tournaments,Go News,Japan,Korea,U.S./North America,World

American Go E-Journal » Korea