LG Chess World Championship kicks off for the first time in four years… Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan all in attendance

South Korea’s world championship, the LG Go, is returning to face-to-face competition for the first time in four years.

The 28th LG Go Chosun Ilbo Kiwangjeon will hold its opening ceremony on the evening of the 28th at Gonjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, followed by the round of 24 on the 29th.

The event is attracting attention because it is the first time the World Go Tournament, which has been held online since the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in 2020, is being held in Korea with foreign players participating.

It is the second time the world championship has been held in person, following the inaugural Lanker Cup in Quzhou, China, earlier this month.

South Korea is sending 12 players to the LG Cup, the first time in four years that the game will take place in the center of the board.

Reigning world No. 1 Shin Shin-seo is the national seed, along with Park Jung-hwan, Byun Sang-il, and Ahn Kook-hyun, while Kim Myung-hoon, Ahn Sung-joon, and Han Seung-joo are the other nine players, Kim Jung-hyun and Seol Hyun-joon eight, and Han Tae-hee and Park Sang-jin seven.

A total of 12 players will compete for the title, including 9th dan Shin Min-jun, who received a wild card.

China’s Ding Hao 9-dan, winner of the 27th LG Cup.
[Image courtesy of Korean Origin. Resale and DB prohibited].

China will be represented by defending먹튀검증 champion Ding Hao 9-an and runner-up Yang Dingxin 9-an, as well as Li Xuanhao-Mi Yueting 9-an (top national seed), Qiu Ze-Guzhao-Li Weiqing 9-an (top qualifier), and Wang Xinghao 8-an.

Japan will be represented by Toramaru Shibano-Shijuan 9th dan (top national seed) and Yu Hsieh 8th dan (top qualifier), while Chinese Taipei will be represented by 8th dan Lai Junfu, who is seeded nationally.

Eight of the 24 players – Shin Shin-seo, Park Jung-hwan, Byun Sang-il, Shin Min-joon, Ding Hao, Yang Dingxin, Koo Jae, and Shibano – advanced directly to the round of 16 based on their respective national rankings.

Shin Shin-seo, 9th dan, winner of the 26th LG Cup.
[Image courtesy of Korea Origin. Resale and DB prohibited].

In the previous 27 editions of the LG Cup, South Korea and China won 12 titles each, while a Japanese knight took the top spot twice and a Taiwanese knight once.

South Korea won three consecutive titles in the 24th and 26th editions, but lost the championship to China last year.

The prize for winning the LG Boat is 300 million won, while the runner-up prize is 100 million won.

The time limit is three hours and five 40-second readings.