After ending the 30-game winning streak of the absolute powerhouse Shin Shin-seo 9 in the round of 16, Baek Hong-seok 9 beamed when we met afterwards, saying, “I think it was one of those ‘days’ that comes once every two years.” He received many congratulatory greetings.
Shin Shin-seo 9th dan later said, “I don’t think I lost that game because I played badly, so it was okay.” The pain was less because the opponent played well.
Baek Hong-seok went on to win five straight games in the domestic qualifiers for the Mong Baek Hap Bae World Go Open, including victories over Kang Dong-yoon. It had been four years and one month since he had received his ticket to the World Championship.안전놀이터
The quarter-final match of the 28th GS Caltex Cup featuring Baek Hong-seok 9 drew more attention because of the kind of wind he is generating at the tender age of thirty-seven.
After the first eight rounds, the first four rounds of the GS Caltex Bae did not happen. Baek Hong-seok 9-dan defeated Park Jin-sol 9-dan in 181 moves in the quarterfinals of the 28th GS Caltex Bar at the Go TV studio on the afternoon of 26th.
The decisive move was a mistake in the centre game, which was a highlight. This put him in an irreparable deficit. Park Jin-sol is the same age as Kim Ki-yong, who also refereed the match. It had been a long time since 2016.
Park Jin-sol 9-dan had reached the quarter-finals in back-to-back tournaments. “When I first saw the bracket, I thought it was just one game, but somehow I got lucky,” he said in a humble post-game interview.
“I don’t have Shin Shin-seo 9, but the rest of my opponents are stronger than me, so it will be a bit difficult…” he said, “Actually, I think I have less than 1 per cent chance of winning against Shin Shin-seo 9, but I have a little hope, so I will try my best.”
His semi-final opponent is Shin Min-joon – the ultimate winner. Park Jin-sol, ranked 23rd in the May rankings, has a 4-4 record against Shin Min-joon, ranked 4th, and a 2-2 record against Choi Jeong, ranked 21st.
With 302 players competing for the title in the preliminary round, the round of 24 main tournament with five seeds, and the final five stages, the prize fund for the 28th GS Caltex Bae is 70 million won for the winner and 30 million won for the runner-up.