Shin Shin-seo (23), the 9th dan who rescued Korean Go from the Nongshim ship, said he will prepare for the third round with the mindset that it is the first world tournament.
Shin Shin-seo lost to China’s Sheng Hao 9th dan in 133 moves in the ninth round of the 25th Nongshim Shin Ramyeonbae World Go Championship at Hotel Nongshim in Busan on Thursday.
With four South Korean players in the tournament without a single win, if Shin Shin-seo, the last man standing, loses, South Korea will not even qualify for the final three rounds in Shanghai, China, next February and will finish last.
“Korean Go was in crisis, but I tried to play my game (casually),” said Shin Shin-seo after his easy victory over Xie Sheng-hao, “and it feels good to win with a good game.”
After a strong start to the game, Shin Shin-seo was able to capture his opponent’s hemp and win the game in 133 moves.
“She is a player whose advantages and disadvantages are relatively clear, but compared to last year, her disadvantages have almost disappeared, and her advantages have become stronger and more demanding,” he said, adding, “I think I had a physical advantage over her because I had enough rest after coming to Busan.”
Shin Shin-seo, the undisputed No. 1 player in South Korea, had previously won 10 consecutive games in the 22nd to 24th editions of the tournament, giving South Korea its third consecutive title.
He was also responsible for Korea’s first victory in the tournament, extending his personal winning streak to 11 games.
However, Shin will need to win five more games to complete the Korean upset.
First, he will face Japan’s Yuta Iyama 9th dan in the 10th country, the first game of the final three rounds, on February 19 next year in Shanghai, China.
If he defeats Iyama, he will be followed by China’s Qiu Ze, Ding Hao, Guo Zhihao, and Zhao Tianyu.
These are superlative knights that are not easy to face one by one, even for Xin Xinxue.
“Usually, it takes five games to win a world championship, but I have five games left in the Nongshim Shin Ramen Boat,” Xin Xin said, “and I will do my best to play each game as if it were the first game of the world championship,” he added, strengthening his resolve for the third game.
It will be interesting to see if Shin Shin-seo can produce an upset drama in Shanghai in February next year, surpassing Lee Chang-ho’s ‘Shanghai Grand Deception’ at the 6th Nongshim Bae. 메이저사이트
