The opening of the 28th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Kiwangjeon at Konjiam
On the evening of the 28th, the Konjiam Resort Convention Hall in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. 24 ‘go ghosts’ representing each country entered one by one. This is the day when the Chosunilbo Giwangjeon, a traditional LG boat with 28 years of experience, takes its first steps. Tension and anticipation intersect on the faces of the giants who control the world of baduk.
The opening ceremony of the 28th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Kiwangjeon held on the 28th at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do.메이저놀이터
It was an annual event, but it was a scenery that could not be seen every year. It is because of the corona crisis that swept the global village for more than three years. For four years after the final of the 24th tournament in 2019 Shin Jin-seo vs. Park Jung-hwan, LG Bae had to rely only on the online method. Those who had been stranded on the Internet in their home countries returned to face-to-face after four years. The mask that covered his face was also gone.
Park Jung-hwan (from left), Byeon Sang-il, Shin Min-joon, and Shin Jin-seo are chatting at the opening ceremony of the LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Kiwangjeon on the 28th.
A total of 24 players participated in the opening ceremony, including 12 from Korea, 8 from China, 3 from Japan, and 1 from Taiwan. Among them, 4 from Korea, Shin Jin-seo, Park Jeong-hwan, Byeon Sang-il, and Shin Min-jun, 3 from China, including Dinghao, Yangdingshin, and Keze, and 8 from Japan, including Shibano, are exempted from the first round and will go directly to the second round (31st), where the round of 16 will compete. The opponent will be determined by drawing again with the 8 winners of the first round. It is based on the decision to increase the fun of watching while avoiding confrontations between fellow countrymen as much as possible.
The first round of the round of 24, which will take place on the 29th, was decided by lottery. Kim Myeong-hun (26), ranked 5th in Korea, will compete with Wang Xinghao (19), the youngest participant in this tournament, and Ahn Seong-jun (32), 7th place, will compete with Xu Ziyuan (26), Japan, to pass the first gate. The opponent of Park Sang-jin (22), the youngest of the Korean drivers, was chosen as Gu Zhao (25) of China.
While 8 out of 24 LG Cup contestants who were exempted from the first round wait for their turn to be interviewed, Park Jung-hwan, 9th Dan, is answering questions from the moderator.
Public interviews were conducted focusing on the articles that went directly to the round of 16. Park Jeong-hwan (30) answered, “Ke Jie, a teammate in the Chinese league,” when asked by the moderator who he would like to have the first game with. Shin Jin-seo said, “Looking at the list of Chinese players, there are so many strong players that it is difficult to distinguish between the round of 16 and the final. First of all, I will pay as much attention as possible to the first round (round of 16).” Defending champ Ding Hao (23) said, “It’s nice to meet face-to-face for the first time in four years. Thank you to the organizers.”
The brackets for the 1st round are as follows.
◇Range of 16 Matches (number in the middle is relative record)
Kim Myeong-hun (Korea) 0-0 Wang Xing-hao (China)
Ahn Seong-jun (Korea) 0-0 Xu Jia-yuan (Japan)
Han Seung-ju (Korea) 1-0 Lai Jun-fu (Taiwan)
Kim Jeong-hyun (Korea) 0-1 Lee Wei-qing (China)
Seol Hyun-jun (Korea) 1-0 Position Politics (Japan)
Han Tae-hee (Korea) 1-0 Miwiting (China)
Park Sang-jin (Korea) 0-0 Gu Zi-hao (China)
Ahn Guk-hyeon (Korea) 0-2 Li Xuan Hao (Medium)
1st round bracket determined by lottery.
On the 29th, the 8 players who win the match will join the 8 players who went directly to the 2nd round, and compete for the 8th round in the 2nd round.
Last year, the final of the 27th tournament was a clash between Chinese knights, and Ding Hao, born in 2000, defeated Yang Dingxin 9th dan 2-0, rising to the top of the world for the first time. South Korea, which had won three consecutive championships before that, lost Shin Jin-seo and Kang Dong-yoon to Yang Dingxin and Dinghao, respectively, in the semifinals. As for the total number of championships by country, Korea and China are in close competition with 12 each, with Japan winning twice and Taiwan once.
24 contestants of the 28th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Kiwangjeon stood in one place. Who will be the owner of the prize money of 300 million won this year? Photo courtesy of Korea Kiwon
The 28th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Giwangjeon hosted by Chosun Ilbo and sponsored by LG Co., Ltd. The prize money is 300 million won for the winner and 100 million won for the runner-up. If you use up the 3 hour limit per person, you will be given 5 countdowns of 40 seconds. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be held in December, and the third final will be held in late January 2024.