Shin Jin-hyun swept the Korean chess scene in 2021 to become the six-time champion. On the international stage, Shin Jin-chan has achieved a total of 4 finals, including the Chunlan Cup champion and the Samsung Cup runner-up. The picture shows the scene of Shin Jin-jin being elected MVP at the award ceremony of the Korea Go Awards at the end of the year (Korean Chess Academy Photo)
Is it 22-year-old Shen Zhenchen, or 24-year-old Yang Dingxin? At the peak, the two young masters will represent China and South Korea in this year's first World Championship of Go. The stage is the 26th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo World Chess Championship Battle Sanban Final, which will be held on February 7, 9 and 10. The winner's prize money of 300 million won will also be held online to connect Seoul and Beijing.
Both South Korea and China are in a tough mood. Beginning with the inaugural Ying Cup between Cho and Nie Weiping in 1989, the two countries have engaged in a fierce competition for world go supremacy for 33 consecutive years (south Korea has the advantage of 27 wins and 23 losses in the 50-China finals between China and South Korea). Since the LG Cup holds a final at the beginning of each year, the LG Cup has always played a role as a touchstone for predicting the territory of the whole year, and this year will continue to produce the first world champion of the year.
In October last year, Shin and Yang Dingxin met in the semi-finals of the Samsung Cup, and after Shen Zhenchen won, the relative record of the two became 5 wins and 5 losses. The two players will compete for the 26th LG Cup again in 4 months (Korea Chess Academy Photo)
Judging from the World Series championship map, South Korea, which occupies the Samsung Cup (Park Tinghuan) and the Chunlan Cup (Shin Jin-chan), is ahead of China, which has only one Dream Lily Cup (Mi Yu Ting). However, if you count the Tianfu Cup, which was recently rumored to be restarted after Chen Yaoye became the inaugural champion in 2018, the total score between the two sides was 2:2, and the competition between the two countries was still very fierce. Then, the LG Cup and Ying Cup finals between Shen Zhenchen and Yang Dingxin, Shen Zhenchen and Xie Ke will determine the general trend of the World Series championship map.
Judging from the momentum and recent active performance, Shen Zhenchen is clearly ahead of Yang Dingxin. Shin Jin-chan has topped South Korea's rank score for 25 consecutive months and has actually leveled the stage in South Korea (six crowns). On the international stage, in addition to the Chunlan Cup, the LG Cup and the Ying Cup are also expected to become the most triple crowns after the final. Any competitor at home and abroad, as long as he stands in front of Shen Zhenchen, will be eclipsed.
The 24th LG Cup final in 2020 was played between Park Young-hwan and Shin Jin-chan, who won the world championship for the first time in that final and is currently preparing to regain the LG Cup in two years (Korea Chess Academy Photo).
Shin is particularly strong against Chinese players: after beating Yang Dingxin in the Weijia League on June 8 last year, he has won 19 official matches with Chinese players for eight consecutive months. Although Shin lost 2-1 to Wang Xinghao in the TWT final, which ended on January 4 this year, it was not an official match. If one counts all international matches against Japanese and Chinese Taipei players during this period, Shin's winning streak against foreign players will increase to 22 consecutive wins.
Yang Dingxin is a talented chess player with two of China's youngest records (9 years and 9 months) entry and youngest (13 years and 6 months) championship titles in China. Yang Dingxin was once considered by Shen Zhenchen to be "the trickiest other Chinese chess player" besides Ke Jie, and he is currently ranked 4th in the Chinese rank score. Yang Dingxin won the 23rd (2019) LG Cup, winning the world championship for the first time. In terms of china's domestic chess battles, Yang Dingxin currently holds the championship title of Southwest Wang Zhan.
In November last year, Yang Dingxin and Mi Yuting played the LG Cup semi-finals (Korean Chess Academy)
The relative record between Shen Zhenchen and Yang Dingxin is 5 wins and 5 losses. Yang Dingxin won three consecutive victories after the first Shen Zhenchen clash at the 2014 Limin Cup, once leading his opponents with a record of 5 wins and 2 losses, but Shen Zhenchen won all three encounters last year, catching up with the balance. The most recent meeting between the two sides was in the semi-finals of last year's Samsung Cup (shin won by Shin Jin-chan).
Yang Dingxin, like Shin Zhenchen, is considered the biggest beneficiary of artificial intelligence (AI). But someone pointed out Yang Dingxin's fatal weakness: compared with the super strong layout and mid-cap strength, the pace of the second half of the set sometimes declined. When he lost 1-2 to Tang Weixing in the 2019 Samsung Cup final, Yang Dingxin's problems were also exposed.
Yang Dingxin (left) beat Shi Yue 2:1 in the 2019 23rd LG Cup final to win the world championship for the first time (Korea Chess Academy Photo)
Although Shen Zhenchen was reluctant to disclose his strategy, the phrase "Yang Dingxin's weakness is in the final stage" revealed the opportunity. I dared to say this before the final because Shin Shin was confident. It is foreseeable that the two sides will maintain balance in the final until the middle of the set, and Shin is likely to wait until the last opportunity to launch a fatal blow. Because if the other party is good at the layout and the mid-game stage, the risk will increase accordingly.
For the Chinese Go community, Shen Zhenchen is like a thorn in the eye. Because they know very well that as long as Shin Shin-chan exists, it will be difficult for China to surpass South Korea. The tone of the Chinese Go media is also not calm, emphasizing that Shin Jin-chan was defeated by several South Korean chess players before the end of the year, saying that "Shin Zhen-chan is not yet the first person in the world" and that "Shin Zhen-chan won three consecutive victories against Yang Dingxin in 2021, not so much by his own strength, but by Yang Dingxin's new mistakes."
After winning the 23rd LG Cup in 2019, Yang Dingxin held aloft the trophy (Korean Chess Academy Photo)
In this case, the president of a large enterprise in Chongqing said to Yang Dingxin, who is about to participate in the final of the LG Cup: "If you win, you will be given a special congratulatory prize of 300,000 yuan." Saying this is the president of the Sponsor Company of the Chinese Weijia League team Chongqing Team, which Yang Dingxin joined for 12 years (joined in 2010). Although the South Korean side is somewhat envious, it remains to be seen whether this is an encouragement or a burden.
For Shen Zhenchen, who was overwhelming, it was not without a burden. Previously, he reached the world series finals 6 times, but only won 2 championships, which can be said to have the burden of "final phobia". If Shen Zhenchen can get through the difficulties this time, he can face it with a more relaxed attitude in the next world championships such as the Ying Cup.
Shin has publicly stated: "In the World Series, winning more world championships than Ke Jie (8 crowns) is my life's goal. ”
At this year's LG, Shin Jin-chan and Yang Ding-xin defeated Tao Xinran, YiLiliao, Ke Jie and Kim Ji-seok, Shin Min-taung and Mi Yu-ting to advance to the final. This is the second time in 13 years that the LG Cup has been the final between the previous winners of the LG Cup after the competition between Lee Sedol and Gu Li in 2009. The number of LG Cup titles in both countries is also 11, so the balance in this field will also be broken. Shen Zhenchen and Yang Dingxin, whose hand will hold up the championship trophy this time?
(Saury compiled from a column by Chosun Ilbo reporter Lee Hong-yeol)