Preliminary starts;
4/1-4/6

Participants; Korea 195, China 86, Japan 37, Taiwan 24 and Amateurs 8
These players will compete for 16 tickets to join main tournament(16 seeded players).

Seeded players; Yang Dingxin(Winner), Shi Yue(Runner up), Kang Dongyoon, Kim Jieseok, Park Junghwan, Lee Jihyun, Byun Sangil, Shin Jinseo(Korea), Ke Jie, Chen Yaoye, Fan Tingyu(China), Iyama Yuuta, Cho U, Kyokagen / Hsu Chia Yuan(許家元)(Japan), Xu Haohong(許皓鋐)(Taiwan) and one selected by Sponsor.

Top 16 from Korea, China and Japan will be placed first and then the rest will be filled by selection process.

China won the last 3 cups.

After 4 days, the following players survived.

Group A;
Xu Jingen vs Lee Juhyung
Zhao Chenwi vs Lee ChangHo

Group B;
Lee Changseok vs Hyun Yoobin
Na Hyun vs Guo Wenchao

Group C;
Kim Jinhew vs Gu Li
Lyu Liyan vs Park Jinsol

Group D;
Tu Xiaoyu vs Ji Xiang
Lin Lixiang vs Xie Ke

Group E;
Zheng Xu vs Kang Jihoon
Choi Jeong vs Gu Zihao

Group F;
Lee Hoseung vs Tan Xiao
Choi Jaeyoung vs Cho Hanseung

Group G;
Dang Yifei vs Ahn Hyungjoon
Lian Xiao vs Min Sangyeon

Group H;
Li Weiqing vs Baek Hongseok
Jieang Chang(?????) vs Yoon Jinhee

Group I;
Yen Han vs Jiang Weijie
Peng Liao vs Joo Hyungwook

Group J;
Lai Junfu vs Fan Younro
Park Joonseok vs Lee Younggu

Group K;
Mi Yuting vs Hong Seongji
Shen Peiran vs Jung Seojoon

Group L;
Ahn Jeongki vs Ding Shixiong
Liao Yuanhe vs Li Zhe

Group M;
Chen Qirui vs Tong Mengcheng
Shim Jaeik vs Yu Zhiyng

Group N;
Yi Ringtao vs Tao Xinran
Kim Myunghoo vs Yoo Jaeho

Group O;
Jin Shiyoung vs Lian Shihao
Heo Jin vs Lee Chunkyu

Group P;
Kang Seungmin vs Shi Jayang
Li He Vs Mok Jinseok

I suppose this is the same Lyu who won last year's KPMC as a new 1p.

#1 female Choi Jeong has been leading for a while against world top-ten Gu Zihao, I wonder if she can keep it. https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/16874/1/13712392

Update: she won!

Preliminary Final:

Group A;
Xu Jingen vs Zhao Chenyu

Group B;
Lee Changseok vs Na Hyun

Group C;
Gu Li vs Lyu Liyan

Group D;
Tu Xiaoyu vs Chen Xian

Group E;
Zheng Xu vs Choi Jeong

Group F;
Tan Xiao vs Cho Hanseung

Group G;
Dang Yifei vs Lian Xiao

Group H;
Baek Hongseok vs Yoon Chanhee

Group I;
Jiang Weijie vs Peng Liao

Group J;
Fan Younro vs Park Joonseok

Group K;
Mi Yuting vs Jung Seojoon

Group L;
Ahn Jeongki vs Liao Yuanhe

Group M;
Tong Mengcheng vs Shim Jaeik

Group N;
Tao Xinran vs Kim Myunghoon

Group O;
Lian Shihao vs Lee Chunkyu

Group P;
Shi Jayang Vs Mok Jinseok

Thanks for the updates trout. Btw Zhao Chenwi, Lee Changho's victor, is usually written Zhao Chenyu. #35 on goratings, he beat a load of 9p world champions in the prelims of some tournament a year or so ago. https://www.goratings.org/en/players/1363.html

Preliminary Final:
The following players advanced to main tournament and join seeded players.

Group A; Zhao Chenyu
Group B; Na Hyun
Group C; Lyu Liyan
Group D; Tu Xiaoyu
Group E; Choi Jeong
Group F; Tan Xiao
Group G; Dang Yifei
Group H; Baek Hongseok
Group I; Peng Liao
Group J; Fan Younro
Group K; Mi Yuting
Group L; Liao Yuanhe
Group M; Tong Mengcheng
Group N; Tao Xinran
Group O; Lian Shihao
Group P; Shi Jayang

Seeded players; Yang Dingxin(Winner), Shi Yue(Runner up), Kang Dongyoon, Kim Jieseok, Park Junghwan, Lee Jihyun, Byun Sangil, Shin Jinseo(Korea), Ke Jie, Chen Yaoye, Fan Tingyu(China), Iyama Yuuta, Cho U, Kyokagen / Hsu Chia Yuan(許家元)(Japan), Xu Haohong(許皓鋐)(Taiwan) and one selected by Sponsor(Park Younghoon as wild card).

Wow, Lyu Liyan beat Gu Li. Makes his beating up of Ilya Shikshin even more expected. Gu Li, like Lee Sedol, has declined in strength these last few years (I think he's doing a degree?) but he's still world top 100. I really like Gu's preparation 78-99 at the lower side for the upper attack 100 etc in his prior game, feels like out of a textbook:
http://www.go4go.net/go/games/sgfview/83608

thanks for the updates - I just registered in this forum although I've followed for a while.

Yes the new 1P Lyu Liyan is quite impressive in this prelims tournament besides Choi Jeong, he's beaten Xie Erhao (Goratings #10), Park Jinsol(Goratings #59), and Gu Li in round 3-5 of the prelims.

Another impressive 1P is Xu Jingen from Chinese Taipei, who eliminated Weon Seongjin (Goratings #49) in the 3rd round; and Jeong Seojun 3P (https://www.goratings.org/en/players/1908.html), who almost beat Mi Yuting in the final round.

Btw, I can assist to find some group winner's names from Goratings if that would be helpful

Group I: Peng Liyao (https://www.goratings.org/en/players/993.html)
Group J: Fan Yunruo (https://www.goratings.org/en/players/1207.html)
Group O: Li Xuanhao (https://www.goratings.org/en/players/1175.html)
Group P: Xu Jiayang (https://www.goratings.org/en/players/1399.html)

The prelims were great, but we already look forward to the main tournament in May, not sure who will be the lucky one selected by the sponsor? (I hope to see Lee Changho or Lee Sedol)

@macelee go4go record of Choi's latest win is incomplete. https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/16901/1/13758514 has 31 more moves and more logical time to resign.

Thanks. Updated my records.

Sponsor selected Park Younghoon as wild card.

5/27 round of 32
5/29 round of 16

Round of 32 is going to start in less than 8 hours in Seoul:

Dang Yifei vs Park Younghoon
Fan Yunruo vs Kim Jiseok
Lyu Liyan vs Xu Jiayang
Ke Jie vs Na Hyun
Zhao Chenyu vs Cho U
Liao Yuanhe vs Shin Jinseo
Peng Liyao vs Baek Hongseok
Mi Yuting vs Fan Tingyu
Tan Xiao vs Kang Dongyoon
Yang Dingxin vs Byun Sangil
Chen Yaoye vs Lee Jihyun
Tong Mengcheng vs Park Junghwan
Tu Xiaoyu vs Xu Haohong
Li Xuanhao vs Iyama Yuta
Shi Yue vs Choi Jeong
Tao Xinran vs Kyo Kagen

Source with some photos https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/gonews/detail/25263?type=1

Results are updated above: https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/gonews/detail/25278?type=1
Both of the finalists last year have been eliminated in the Round of 32.

Sorry. It was duplicate.

Mi Yuting got a tough draw but advanced. Hope to see him shine after getting very few chances to even make any international tournaments the last couple of years.

Shi Yue lost to Choi again!

Korean players are doing pretty well, and Iyama Yuta also advanced. Shaping up to be an exciting round of 16.

Kim Jiseok won a ridiculous game, he died loads on the opening, then sacrificed some more bits (for now) for a huge moyo, Fan Yunruo lived in part of that, then he activated the sacrificed stones, Fan started a ko but didn't take it which was weird (I guess his safety move elsewhere eliminated many threats?) and then played another defensive move I suppose some bad aji of the dead stones, and Kim launched an attack on a huge dragon which he somehow managed to kill!
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/18450/1/15851929

Park Junghwan also got pretty lucky I think, he pulled some magic off inside Tong Mengcheng's territory as the dame were filling.
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/18445/1/15843114

Iyama just dominated with an interesting early ko fight, his opp did that ko threat generation strategy of make another fight somewhere else but the generated ko threats ended up being bigger than the ko so Iyama could won the ko anyway.
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/18457/1/15855154

And yes, impressive from Choi Jeong again. Not many can have a 2-0 record vs Shi Yue.
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/18439/1/15836366

Shin Jinseo died but then killed the surrounding group first because big eye has lots of libs.
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/18442/1/15837812

Pairing for round of 16;

Park Junghwan vs Dang Yifei
Shin Jinseo vs Mi Yuting
Kim Jieseok vs Tu Xiaoyu
Byun Sangil vs Tao Xinran
Choi Jeong vs Peng Liao
Ke Jie vs Iyama Yuuta
Chen Yaoye vs Zhao Chenyu
Tan Xiao vs Xu Jiayang

Anybody can tell me the date of next LG round ?
For those who have missed it there is a comment of some games live by Kim YoonYoung here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqV8N6thS1E

5/29.