The picture shows the scene of Shin Jin-jin (right) against Ke Jie in the semi-finals of the 24th LG Cup held in October 2019 before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, which is the final face-to-face chess match between the two players (Korean Chess Academy Photo)
The Korean Chess Academy is actively organizing Juban chess games by Shin Jin-chan (22) and Ke Jie (25). A relevant person from the Korean Chess Academy said: "Last week, the "Shen Ke Duel Proposal" was sent to the Chinese Weiqi Association, and it is currently waiting for a reply." That is to say, the "Shen Ke Juban Chess Showdown", which was originally only circulated in the secret, surfaced for the first time.
It is reported that the Korean Chess Academy stressed in the proposal that the first-person duel between the two countries will become a good opportunity for the development of the Go community of the two countries and the globalization of Go. In addition, the Korean Chess Academy also proposed the following four contents: juban chess, face chess matchup, winner-only prize money, prize size of more than 1 million US dollars (about 6.4 million yuan & 1.2 billion won), and proposed flexible adjustment according to the agreement.
The specific clause 100% reflects the opinions of the two parties to the duel. After winning the Nongshim Cup last month, Shen Zhenchen said: "For the Juban chess game with Ke Jie, I welcome it at any time. In order not to let others gossip, I hope to decide the winner through face-to-face chess. Ke Jie responded: "The location of the game can be anywhere, and the prize money is swallowed by the winner alone."
Although Juban has already passed the three levels between the two sides of the game and the Korean Chess Academy, it is still necessary to decide this last level through the Chinese Weiqi Association. In recent years, Chinese players have repeatedly lost major showdowns with South Korean players. Gu Li's defeat of Li Shishi's juban chess in 2014 is also an unforgettable and tragic memory of the Chinese chess community. In this case, the Chinese side must take into account domestic public opinion, so the "odds" of Juban Kejie are very important.
As of now, Ke Jie has led Shen Zhenchen with 11 wins and 7 losses in the overall relative record. But if the scope is narrowed down to the last 2 years, the situation is diametrically opposite. During the period when Shin Jin-chan won three World Series titles, Ke Jie only won one world championship. It is uncertain whether the Chinese side will still believe the confident Ke Jie and allow the two sides to duel.
Shin Jin-chan and Ke Jie
Neither country seems to be too worried about match costs. Because this is the best "blockbuster" in the world of Go, the "box office" will definitely be a big success. There are several big Companies in China that love Go, such as Jiangsu Hengkang Group, which sponsors Coulee-Li Shishi Juban. It is reported that there are also several local government councils in South Korea that have shown strong interest in juban.
The extent to which the winner's prize money will be sized is also the focus of attention. The all-time highest prize money for a single Go event was 5 million yuan (about 880 million won) when Gu Li and Lee Sedol played juban. Lee Sedol's prize for the winner of the Alphago Man-Machine War (2016) was US$1 million (about 6.4 million yuan & 1.2 billion won).
The tight international event schedule is one of the stumbling blocks. This year's Shin Shin will usher in the final of the Ying Cup's Triple Chess. Both Shen Ke players will participate in the Asian Games in September, and will also meet at the end of the year in the Round of 8 of the Chunlan Cup. In addition, the LG Cup, Samsung Cup, Nongshim Cup and other competitions will be carried out one after another, as well as the newly created Rotten Ke Cup, and the Weijia League cannot be absent.
If the Chinese side eventually rejects Shen Ke's proposal, it is likely to use schedule and venue issues as an excuse. But as long as there is a strong will, there is no reason why it cannot be done. Instead of playing for 9 months like Gu Li and Lee Sedol Juban, just find a resort to quarantine for about 10 days and complete all the matches in a concentrated manner. The domestic chess tournaments between China and South Korea have been able to play face-to-face chess for three consecutive years.
After the fiasco in the Nongshim Cup, Ke Jie pointed at Shen Zhenchen and said, "Is this still a human?" Stronger than the Alpha dog. Although it seemed to be a compliment to his opponents, he then said that "AI coincidence is too high" and "often go to the toilet" and other remarks suspecting cheating. Xie Ling also had to tie the bell, and Shen Zhenchen was waiting for The Juban Chess in order to clear the "crime". It is curious how the Chinese side will respond to the South Korean request for a "Koshin Juban Duel".
(Saury compiled from a column by Chosun Ilbo reporter Lee Hong-yeol)