Special correspondent Guca reported that at 11:00 a.m. on February 11, the award ceremony of the 26th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo Chess Championship was held simultaneously at the Joseon Ilbo Newspaper and the China Chess Academy. At the award ceremony, Hong Joon-ho, publisher of Chosun Ilbo, Jung Chung-wook, LG special manager, Choo Yong-tae, director of the cultural affairs department of Chosun Ilbo, and Leung Jae-ho, director of the Korea Chess Academy, attended the ceremony.
This year's LG Cup kicked off in June 2021, and Shen Zhenchen Jiudan directly advanced to the second round as a national seed, winning consecutive victories over Tao Xinran Jiudan, Yili Liao Jiudan and Ke Jie Jiudan from the round of 16 to reach the final for the second time. In the final three moves played on February 7 and 9, he defeated Yang Dingxin Jiudan 2-0 and won the LG Cup for the second time after 2020. Coupled with the Chunlan Cup won in 2021, he is now among the treble champions of the World Series, and the only two-time world series champion currently in place.
So far, the Korean chess players have achieved three consecutive championships in the LG Cup, winning the championship for the first time in 2020 with a 2-0 victory over Park Tinghuan jiudan; in 2021, Shin Min-chan jiudan defeated Ke Jie jiudan 2-1 to become a champion group; in 2022, Shin Jin-chan jiudan was crowned for the second time. The record of three consecutive championships in the LG Cup from 2017 to 2019 was tied. However, the six consecutive titles of the LG Cup for Chinese chess players from 2009 to 2014 are still the highest consecutive titles in this competition.
At the award ceremony, Hong Joon-ho, the organizer of the competition and publisher of Chosun Ilbo, presented the championship trophy to Shin Jin-chan Kudan, and the sponsor LG Group Jung Chung-wook specially presented a 300 million won championship prize to Shin Jin-chan Kudan. Shin Jin-chan Jiu Duan said: "The LG Cup is the first time I have won the world championship, so it has always had a special meaning and gratitude for me, and this championship is an opportunity for me to further grow. This year will also be an important year, with a good starting point, I will show a good appearance in the World Series such as the Ying Cup and the Asian Games, and become a more hard-working chess player. ”
At the same time, the Chinese Chess Academy also held an award ceremony for the runner-up Yang Dingxin Jiudan, and Lin Jianchao, chairman of the China Weiqi Association, Hua Xueming, vice chairman of the China Weiqi Association and leader of the national Weiqi team, Yu Bin, head coach of the national Weiqi team, and Huang Yizhong, coach of the national junior Weiqi team, attended the ceremony. Lin Jianchao, chairman of the Chinese Weiqi Association, presented Yang Dingxin with a prize board of 100 million won.
Hua Xueming, vice chairman of the Chinese Weiqi Association, said that in the past year's duel with South Korean players, Chinese chess players are in the ascendant, in order to reverse the decline, the Chinese Weiqi Association will soon announce a series of training plans, one of which is that in view of the Chinese chess players' lack of proficiency in the LG Cup 40-second reading rule, it was decided to introduce a 40-second reading second system in the Southwest King Tournament held around March.