32nd Samsung cup main tournament

[kimidori]

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?

[John Fairbairn]

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!

[trout]

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

[kimidori]

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!

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 .

[oren]

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?

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.

[Elom]

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?

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!

Well, at least, any female in japan hoping to lead female go internationally would have to stomp all over the "second rank" Japanese pros. Though we should probably look at the insei league first and foremost for any signs. Which takes one back to the fact that you need a teaching program and teachers that pass on knowledge and experience (top korean pros sometimes visit training schools in korea).

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

Hmm, Gu Li 9p seems to be not quite up to his full strength recently, but it's worth reminding he's peforming at a top-ten level, a testament to his ability at least.

[macelee]

Hmm, Gu Li 9p seems to be not quite up to his full strength recently, but it's worth reminding he's peforming at a top-ten level, a testament to his ability at least.

Gu Li is to start his degree study in history at Tsinghua University. So he is certainly distracted.

[oren]

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).

The most recent Weekly Go has a review. Yoda feels the losing move was 141, where he could connect out in sente and take a big endgame... against at 145 had an easier connection and finally the throw in at 167 was the last chance to not lose the point.

[emeraldemon]

Samsung Cup Round of 16 hype! In parenthesis are rankings and elo according to http://www.goratings.org . Games are in order from most to least exciting

Shi Yue (#4, 3507) vs Kim Jiseok (#12, 3472)
These players are very close, WHR gives Shi Yue a 55% chance to win. They have played each other 8 times, with 4 wins each. Kim Jiseok is the defending champion of the Samsung Cup. This game is actually a rematch of last year's Samsung Cup semifinal, where Kim knocked Shi Yue out before winning the final 2-0 against Tang Weixing. Shi Yue has fallen a bit from his peak strength in 2013, when he won the LG Cup; he is still very strong and this should be an exciting game to watch/replay.

Ke Jie (#2, 3576) vs Na Hyun (#38, 3364)
WHR predicts 77% for Ke Jie.
Ke Jie is on an incredible hot streak, the best player in China and battling Park Jungwhan for best in the world at age 18. Last year he won the Bailing Cup and became 9p. Recently he advanced to the Semifinals in the MLily Cup. In the last two months he won the Baiyunshan Cup and went 11-1 overall. Na Hyun is a Korean 6p who has done well in the Korean League and won the Korean Prices Information Cup last year, and the Chunwon in February. They are actually tied 2-2 head to head, but the odds strongly favor Ke Jie.

Park Jungwhan (#1, 3581) vs Zhou Hexi (#45, 3357)
78% Park Jungwhan.
By WHR Park Jungwhan 9p has been the best player in the world for the last three years, and he shows no sign of slowing down; he won the LG Cup in February. Zhou Hexi is a Chinese 5p with a good record in the Chinese A League, but he hasn't won any titles, and his chance at the Samsung Cup is likely to be stopped here by his first game against Park.

Park Yeonghun (#9, 3476) vs Zhang Tao (#99, 3293)
74% Park Yeonghun.
Park Yeonghun 9p is on a 9 game win streak, and advanced to the MLily Cup semifinals last month. He hasn't won an international title since the Fujitsu Cup in 2007, but he has returned to form lately and has a strong edge over Zhang Tao 4p, a relatively unknown Chinese pro. They have never played each other.

Lee Sedol (#3, 3529) vs Yu Zhiying (#147, 3232)
85% Lee Sedol.
By WHR Yu Zhiying 5p is currently the second strongest female pro, behind Choi Jeong. She took down #14 Choi Cheolhan last round, but WHR gives her only a 15% chance against the legendary Lee Sedol. Lee has already won the Samsung Cup a record four times, if he wins this year it will be his 5th. It would be cool if he got a special title the way Japan gives Honorary Kisei and Honorary Meijin for winning five of those titles. Not that Lee Sedol really needs more accolades.

Tang Weixing (#19, 3434) vs Lee Changho (#78, 3315)
66% Tang Weixing.
Lee Changho is also a legend of course, but it's been almost a decade since he was #1 in the world, and his strength has declined sharply in the last few years. He won three Samsung Cups back to back in 1997-1999, but unlike Lee Sedol he is a long shot to win this year. Tang Weixing 9p won the Samsung Cup in 2013, and made it to the Samsung Cup final last year. He is favored to win here, but not by a huge margin; this is the second closest match of the round, after Shi Yue vs Kim Jiseok.

Jiang Weijie (#15, 3444 ) vs Kim Dongho (#173, 3205)
80% Jiang.
Jiang Weijie won the LG cup in 2012, he has slumped slightly this year but is still strong. Kim Dongho 4p got somewhat lucky in the group draw, getting relatively easy opponents other than Lee Changho, who got out first in the group. This is the second most lopsided matchup in the round of 16.

Byun Sangil (#49, 3351) vs Gan Siyang (#182, 3198)
71% Byun Sangil.
Gan Siyang is a Chinese 4p famous for opening on both 6-4 points almost every game, black or white. It worked against Yoda Norimoto, but it will be harder against Byun Sangil 4p. Byun became pro in 2012, he probably won't win the tournament, but he gets a relatively easy opponent in Gan Siyang, the lowest-rated player still in the competition.

[wineandgolover]

Samsung Cup Round of 16 hype!

Lee has already won the Samsung Cup a record four times, if he wins this year it will be his 5th. It would be cool if he got a special title the way Japan gives Honorary Kisei and Honorary Meijin for winning five of those titles.

"Honorary Samsung" doesn't quite have that same ring to it, does it? (Pun intended)

Great summary. Honestly, the AGA and EGF should consider doing the same before their tourneys. A bit of background, ratings, and head-to-head records. Succinct and interesting.

[lichigo]

Samsung will give a 100% discount lol

[Solomon]

Predictions:

Kim Jiseok > Shi Yue
Ke Jie > Na Hyun
Park Jungwhan > Zhou Hexi
Park Younghun > Zhang Tao
Yu Zhiying > Lee Sedol
Tang Weixing > Lee Changho
Jiang Weijie > Kim Dongho
Byun Sangil > Gan Siyang

Seahawks > Lions

[lichigo]

im agree ,but come on lee sedol is not gonna lose against yu .

[yoyoma]

Samsung Cup Round of 16 hype!

Lee has already won the Samsung Cup a record four times, if he wins this year it will be his 5th. It would be cool if he got a special title the way Japan gives Honorary Kisei and Honorary Meijin for winning five of those titles.

"Honorary Samsung" doesn't quite have that same ring to it, does it? (Pun intended)

Great summary. Honestly, the AGA and EGF should consider doing the same before their tourneys. A bit of background, ratings, and head-to-head records. Succinct and interesting.

They can call him "World Baduk Master" (That is the title of the tournament -- Samsung Cup World Baduk Masters)

[Elom]

over Zhang Tao, a relatively unknown Chinese pro...

And he's ranked higher than Ida 9p.