Round of 32(Double elimination):9/8-9/10/15
Pairing,
Group a:Choi Cheolhan, Tang Weixing, Mok Jinseok, Yu Zhiying
Group b:Na Hyun, Peng Liao, Yoo Changhyuk, Ke Jie
Group c:Park Younghoon, Shi Yue, Heo Youngho, Gu Li
Group d:Lee Changho, Lin Junyan, Kim Dongho, Xiao Jhenghao
Group e:Choi Jeong, Jiang Tao, Lee Sedol, Ida Atzushi
Group f:Shin Minjoon, Jiang Weijie, Byun Sangil, Ma Yichao
Group g:Kim Jieseok, Zhou Hexi, Seo Bongsoo, Shida Tatsuya
Group h:Benjamin Lockhart, Gan Shiyang, Park Junghwan, Yoda Norimoto


Main Tournament Schedule,
2nd round(round of 16);10/6-10/8/15
3rd round(Semi fianl 3 games match);11/3,4,5
Final;12/8,9,10

I'd like to see a Lee Sedol - Ida Atsushi match up!

_________________
On Go proverbs:
"A fine Gotation is a diamond in the hand of a dan of wit and a pebble in the hand of a kyu" —Joseph Raux misquoted.

Your wish is granted. They will play against each other in 1st round of double elimination.

1st round of Double elimination:

Group a:Choi Cheolhan, Tang Weixing, Mok Jinseok, Yu Zhiying
Yu Zhiying defeated Mok Jinseok by resign.
Tang Weixing defeated Choi Cheolhan by 3.5.

Group b:Na Hyun, Peng Liao, Yoo Changhyuk, Ke Jie
Ke Jie defeated Yoo Changhyuk by resign.
Peng Liao defeated Na Hyun by resign.

Group c:Park Younghoon, Shi Yue, Heo Youngho, Gu Li
Park Younghoon defeated Shi Yue by resign.
Heo Youngho defeated Gu Li by resign.

Group d:Lee Changho, Lin Junyan, Kim Dongho, Xiao Jhenghao
Lee Changho defeated Lin Junyan by resign.
Kim Dongho defeated Xiao Jhenghao by resign.

Group e:Choi Jeong, Jiang Tao, Lee Sedol, Ida Atzushi
Lee Sedol defeated Ida Atzushi by resign.
Jiang Tao defeated Choi Jeong by resign.

Group f:Shin Minjoon, Jiang Weijie, Byun Sangil, Ma Yichao
Byun Sangil defeated Ma Yichao by resign.
Jiang Weijie defeated Shin Minjoon by resign.

Group g:Kim Jieseok, Zhou Hexi, Seo Bongsoo, Shida Tatsuya
Seo Bongsoo defeated Shida Tatsuya by resign.
Kim Jieseok defeated Zhou Hexi by resign.

Group h:Benjamin Lockhart, Gan Shiyang, Park Junghwan, Yoda Norimoto
Gan Shiyang defeated Benjamin Lockhart by resign.
Park Junghwan defeated Yoda Norimoto by 0.5.

http://www.go4go.net/go/tournaments/news/1/20

Comments on group stage:

A:

Tang Weixing defeated Choi Cheolhan - Tang's 5th consecutive win against Choi. Tang beat Choi twice in the same event last year. Surely he knows how to play Choi.
Yu Zhiying defeated Mok Jinseok - a small surprise, not a big one. Yu is currently the strongest Chinese female player. To testify that, she was allowed to compete in the male section of the recent Chinese individual championship, a privilege only enjoyed by Rui Naiwai and few peers at their peak time.

Tang is the favourite to pass the group stage; Yu need another small surprise to pass.

B:

Ke Jie defeated Yoo Changhyuk - Ke Jie at his best
Peng Liyao defeated Na Hyun - Peng Liyao has very consistent scores in China; Na Hyun is having a terrible form in the past two weeks, losing 6 of 7 games.

Ke Jie the hot favourite to pass; Peng Liyao and Na Hyun has good chance to reach 2nd stage

C:

Park Younghoon defeated Shi Yue - Park is coming back strongly while Shi Yue is not in his best
Heo Youngho defeated Gu Li - Not the same Gu Li we know.

Park Younghoon favourite to pass; If Shi Yue can beat Gu Li in next round, he still has good chance to pass

D:

Lee Changho defeated Lin Junyan - Lee Changho revenged (he lost to Lin in the LG cup this year)
Kim Dongho defeated Xiao Zhenghao - Xiao defeated some strong players to qualify but he still need to improve his consistency

Two Taiwanese drawn in the same group! But Korean players appear to have better chance

E:

Lee Sedol defeated Ida Atzushi - Lee is too strong
Zhang Tao defeated Choi Jeong - Zhang Tao is improving steadily; Choi Jeong is the strongest Korean female player

Lee Sedol hot favourite to pass; other all have reasonably chance


F:

Byun Sangil defeated Ma Yichao
Jiang Weijie defeated Shin Minjoon

The two Korean young stars need to prove themselves at international stage. But Jiang is a tough opponent. Jiang and one Korean will pass.

G:

Seo Bongsoo defeated Shida Tatsuya - Before the game I thought Shida has the best change to win a final 16 seat for Japan. But he could not even defeat Seo, long passed his best.
Kim Jieseok defeated Zhou Hexi - Kim is too strong. Zhou Hexi is relatively less well known. But he had some good achievement in China, including challenging the Tianyuan title twice in a row in 2011 and 2012.

Kim favourite to pass; others all have reasonable chance.

H:

Gan Siyang defeated Benjamin Lockhart - Gan Siyang's debut at international stage. Having been drawn into this relatively easy group, he has a good chance to reach the final 16. Note that having played many rare openings, he now settles to double 4-6 opening. This could be his secret weapon to progress further.
Park Junghwan defeated Yoda Norimoto - Yoda gave a good fight and only lost by half point.

Park Junghwan favourite to pass; Gan/Yoda has equal chance.

That is a 15-game per month pace, 180 games a year. Small wonder that Na is struggling.

_________________
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21

The Yoda-Park game was very interesting, Yoda showing he is a wily old negotiator with some interesting sacrifices and trades. It felt to me (without accurate counting) that he might win before he lost those 3 stones in the lower right in the endgame, was that a game-losing blunder?

This game?

Lee sedol vs ida atsushi game was crazy (in my newbish eyes)

2nd round of Double elimination:

Group a:Choi Cheolhan, Tang Weixing, Mok Jinseok, Yu Zhiying
Yu Zhiying defeated Mok Jinseok by resign.
Tang Weixing defeated Choi Cheolhan by 3.5.
Tang Weixing defeated Yu Zhiying by 1.5.
* Tang Weixing advances to round of 16.
Choi Cheolhan defeated Mok Jinseok by resign.

Group b:Na Hyun, Peng Liao, Yoo Changhyuk, Ke Jie
Ke Jie defeated Yoo Changhyuk by resign.
Peng Liao defeated Na Hyun by resign.
Ke Jie defeated Peng Liao by resign.
* Ke Jie advances to round of 16.
Na Hyun defeated Yoo Changhyuk by resign.

Group c:Park Younghoon, Shi Yue, Heo Youngho, Gu Li
Park Younghoon defeated Shi Yue by resign.
Heo Youngho defeated Gu Li by resign.
Park Younghoon defeated Heo Youngho by 2.5.
* Park Younghoon advances to round of 16.
Shi Yue defeated Gu Li by resign.

Group d:Lee Changho, Lin Junyan, Kim Dongho, Xiao Jhenghao
Lee Changho defeated Lin Junyan by resign.
Kim Dongho defeated Xiao Jhenghao by resign.
Lee Changho defeated Kim Dongho by resign.
* Lee Changho advances to round of 16.
Lin Junyan defeated Xiao Jhenghao by resign.

Group e:Choi Jeong, Jiang Tao, Lee Sedol, Ida Atzushi
Lee Sedol defeated Ida Atzushi by resign.
Jiang Tao defeated Choi Jeong by resign.
Lee Sedol defeated Jiang Tao by resign.
* Lee Sedol advances to round of 16.
Ida Atzushi defeated Choi Jeong by resign.

Group f:Shin Minjoon, Jiang Weijie, Byun Sangil, Ma Yichao
Byun Sangil defeated Ma Yichao by resign.
Jiang Weijie defeated Shin Minjoon by resign.
Shin Minjoon defeated Ma Yichao by resign.
Jiang Weijie defeated Byun Sangil by resign.
* Jiang Weijie advances to round of 16.

Group g:Kim Jieseok, Zhou Hexi, Seo Bongsoo, Shida Tatsuya
Seo Bongsoo defeated Shida Tatsuya by resign.
Kim Jieseok defeated Zhou Hexi by resign.
Kim Jieseok defeated Seo Bongsoo by resign.
* Kim Jieseok advances to round of 16.
Zhou Hexi defeated Shida Tatsuya resign.

Group h:Benjamin Lockhart, Gan Shiyang, Park Junghwan, Yoda Norimoto
Gan Shiyang defeated Benjamin Lockhart by resign.
Park Junghwan defeated Yoda Norimoto by 0.5.
Yoda Norimoto defeated Benjamin Lockhart by resign.
Park Junghwan defeated Gan Shiyang by resign.
* Park Junghwan advances to round of 16.

red - 2nd round.

Calvin, yes, with 143/144 being my suggested losing/winning move. The loss isn't quite as big as it may seem as white needs to fill in his own territory to capture, but still looks like a blunder to me (or a sharp counter by Park).

None of my prediction has fallen apart so far.

Prediction for round 3:

A: Choi Cheolhan clearly has better chance; Yu Zhiying needs a miracle

B: Peng Liyao is slightly stronger (according to Remi's rating) than Na Hyun and has better form

C: Shi Yue favourite

D: Hard to say - we are not very familiar with Taiwanese Lin Junyan. In fact he is doing really well in his domestic events.

E: Interestingly, Ida Atsushi and Zhang Tao are next to each other in Remi's rating. A difficult call. Ida gets more fans in this forum.

F: As expected the two Korean young stars have to fight for one seat. Byun Sangil is slightly stronger

G: Zhou Hexi is my favourite

H: Yoda Norimoto may be Japan's best hope. His vast experience might help.

Lee Changho is still popular in China. So many autograph seekers........

3rd round of Double elimination:

Group a:
Tang Weixing defeated Yu Zhiying by 1.5.
Choi Cheolhan defeated Mok Jinseok by resign.
Yu Zhiying defeated Choi Cheolhan by 0.5.
* Tang Weixing and Yu Zhiying advances to round of 16.

Group b:
Ke Jie defeated Peng Liao by resign.
Na Hyun defeated Yoo Changhyuk by resign.
Na Hyun defeated Peng Liao by resign.
* Ke Jie and Na Hyun advances to round of 16.

Group c:
Park Younghoon defeated Heo Youngho by 2.5.
Shi Yue defeated Gu Li by resign.
[b]Shi Yue[/b] defeated Heo Youngho by resign.
* Park Younghoon and Shi Yue advances to round of 16.

Group d:
Lee Changho defeated Kim Dongho by resign.
Lin Junyan defeated Xiao Jhenghao by resign.
Kim Dongho defeated Lin Junyan by 2.5.
* Lee Changho and Kim Dongho advances to round of 16.

Group e:
Lee Sedol defeated Jiang Tao by resign.
Ida Atzushi defeated Choi Jeong by resign.
Jiang Tao defeated Ida Atzushi by resign.
* Lee Sedol and Jiang Tao advances to round of 16.

Group f:
Shin Minjoon defeated Ma Yichao by resign.
Jiang Weijie defeated Byun Sangil by resign.
Byun Sangil defeated Shin Minjoon by resign.
* Jiang Weijie and Byun Sangil advances to round of 16.

Group g:
Kim Jieseok defeated Seo Bongsoo by resign.
Zhou Hexi defeated Shida Tatsuya resign.
Zhou Hexi defeated Seo Bongsoo by 5.5.
* Kim Jieseok and Zhou Hexi advances to round of 16.

Group h:
Yoda Norimoto defeated Benjamin Lockhart by resign.
Park Junghwan defeated Gan Shiyang by resign.
Gan Shiyang defeated Yoda Norimoto by resign.
* Park Junghwan and Gan Shiyang advances to round of 16.

red - 2nd round.
blue - 3rd round.

Looks like today's headline belongs to Yu Zhiying

Yes. If the result on WBaduk is correct (B+0.5), she is really something. Barely lost 1.5 to a World's top 20, and won 0.5 again another in 2 consecutive days.

Maybe a little too soon, but she reminds people what Rui Naiwei did long before

PS: So sad that none of the Japaneses pass. When could they really rearrange their domestic tournaments to send their best players on the international battlefield?

I think this excuse, probably once valid, is wearing very thin now, and the Japanese themselves seem to have stopped trotting it out some time ago. Likewise the faster tournaments argument is losing force as Japanese time limits shrink.

The decisive factor now seems to be lack of what might be called personal trainers. Chinese players can (have to?) call on help in preparing for international competitions by using once-great players as coaches who analyse the likely opponents. The study group system of the Koreans is much more networked and focused than the spotty Japanese groups, and the Koreans help themselves a great deal by taking part in the China Weiqi League and so gathering intelligence. There are also very many Koreans and quite a few Chinese who can speak or read Japanese, and several Koreans who have learned Chinese. Next to no Japanese players can cope with Korean or Chinese. Japanese players also seem to be a long way behind with using databases.

The only area where the Japanese seem to be making more progress than their counterparts is in promoting women's go, and that seems largely down not to pros but to some pop singer from one of those awful bands with names like AK800 (I can't pretend to follow that scene closely, but the current top go manga also has a female star). It would be lovely to see a Hikaress rise from the ashes of the Japanese go world and stamp all over the Korean and Chinese men!

Pairing for round of 16;

* Lee Sedol vs Yu Zhiying
* Ke Jie vs Na Hyun
* Park Younghoon vs Jiang Tao
* Lee Changho vs Tang Weixing
* Jiang Weijie vs Kim Dongho
* Byun Sangil vs Gan Shiyang
* Kim Jieseok vs Shi Yue
* Park Junghwan vs Zhou Hexi


2nd round(round of 16);10/6-10/8/15
3rd round(Semi fianl 3 games match);11/3,4,5
Final;12/8,9,10

Thank John for pointing out that (and for all your information).

Yes, I wouldn't expect these "best Japanese players" to win an international title or two (still I believe that Iyama can beat top Chinese or Korean players on a good day), but perhaps to show better overall performance, and thus, to motivate them to prepare better for these events (rather than pick few "random" players that are not busy with domestic matches on this day to participate to the event as their seeded players).

It seems to me that Korean or Chinese domestic tournaments (and leagues) are more like sport events, while the Japanese ones are kind of "festivals" to enjoy the game. With that changed, probably then can have more times to form study groups with good coaches (Cho Kikun or Yamashiro Hiroshi would be great coaches), and why not, to participate in Chinese or Korean leagues to gain some experience (If my memory is correct, Cho Chikun once lead a young Japanese team to the Chinese league C).

The information of women's go is nice. I can't understand Japanese, so probably don't have much insight on that either, but I once remember to see Xie Yimin and two other guys (not sure if they are also pro) made a MV with some scenes of her playing Go). I won't expect neither her nor Fujisawa Rina to be the "Hikaress", but let's see .

Ida Atsushi has the Judan and NHK titles. I think his selection makes sense. Yoda Norimoto does seem a bit more out of place. The ratings site I was looking at has him at 14th in Japan now. I would be curious what the logic was in the selection (and it may simply be everyone in front had matches that they didn't move). Yo Seiki, Kyo Kagen, or Ichiriki should be able to participate.

Shida won his way through the preliminaries.