The 27th LG Cup final will start on January 30, and the two Chinese masters Yang Dingxin Kudan and Ding Hao Kudan will determine the champion and runner-up through three chess, with the prize money of 300 million won (equivalent to about 1.63 million yuan) for the champion and 100 million won for the runner-up.
This final has attracted the attention of Chinese chess fans, as it is the first professional Go world championship in 2023. If Yang Dingxin wins the cup, he will break away from the championship group and become a rare double champion in the chess world. If Ding Hao wins the championship, he will become the first post-zero world champion of Chinese Go.
With only 12 days to go before the tournament, how are they preparing and determined to win the LG Cup? Recently, South Korean media reporters specially interviewed two players, let's take a look at the relevant reports.
Ding Hao nine paragraphs
When asked what his current state is, Yang Dingxin, who has been banned from participating in the individual competition for half a year because he questioned Li Xuanhao's dog walking on WeChat, replied: There is no competition and no training, so it is not clear. But it doesn't feel like a problem when playing against the network and training with AI.
Ding Hao's reply was: not satisfactory. It may be because there are few games, the sense of victory and defeat has become dull, and there have been a lot of serious mistakes recently.
Regarding the opponent's weaknesses, Yang Dingxin said: Ding Hao is strong in all aspects, his understanding of AI is also very deep, his unique Go concept is also very solid, and he is also strong in the second half of the game with his thick chess style. It's just that in a complicated situation, once you enter the second count, there may be some mistakes.
Ding Hao said this: Yang Dingxin's understanding and judgment of Go is very good, and he does not see any weakness. I didn't seem to like complicated situations before, but recently I feel rough and ferocious.
The reporter asked whether the two good players could disclose part of the battle plan, and Yang Dingxin said frankly: looking for more effective training methods that can adjust the body and mind.
Ding Hao did not shy away, he said: adjust the state by increasing the number of matches, and study AI. Avoid entering the second count phase quickly.
Yang Dingxin Jiudan
Finally, when asked by the reporter what the determination of the two sides was for this decisive battle, Yang Dingxin said categorically: Go is a sport that only remembers the world champion, so you must win. In the past two years, I have played a lot of chess on the international stage and accumulated rich experience, so I am not too worried. Hopefully, we can reduce mistakes and show our strength in key moments.
Ding Hao seems to be lacking in confidence, he said: "Because it is the first time to advance to the World Series final, I feel pressure, but I don't like to decide with a "must win" mentality. Will be free from the shackles of the self and face it as a spectator.
To be honest, the strength of the two should be between Bozhong. In terms of the historical record of the World Series, Yang Dingxin, born in 1998, undoubtedly has the advantage. This is the fourth time that Yang Dingxin has appeared on the stage of the World Series final, in the 2019 23rd LG Cup final Yang Dingxin defeated his compatriots Shiyue and won the championship, the 24th Samsung Cup final in the same year Yang Dingxin lost to Tang Weixing and ranked second, and Yang Dingxin lost to Shen Zhenzhen in the 2022 26th LG Cup final failed to reach the top.
Before this LG Cup final, Ding Hao, born in 2000, had only won the round of 16 of the World Series. In addition, he finished second in the 2019 Asian TV Rapid Chess Tournament, his best result in an international tournament.
The process of advancing to the final of this LG Cup was that Yang Dingxin defeated Park Jinzhen and Shibano Toramaru to reach the semifinals, and in the semifinals, he defeated Shen Zhenzhen, who is now the world's No. 1 and known as Shengong Intelligence, and reached the final, ending Shen Zhenzhen's record of 24 consecutive wins against Chinese players in the international arena.
Ding Hao defeated Kim Ji-seok and Kim Myung-hun in turn to win the final four places, defeating South Korea's Kang Dong-run, who had previously blocked China's Go ranking No. 1 in the semifinals, and climbed to the high ground of the professional Go world finals for the first time.
The historical battle between the two players is that they played a total of 12 games, and the result was a tie with a 6-6 record. From 2014 to November 2020, Yang Dingxin was far ahead with 5-1, but after that, Ding Hao also returned with a 5-1 record.
According to South Korean media reports, the two sides of this LG Cup final will be played face-to-face, which is the first time in three years that LG Cup has adopted the face chess method.
Ding Hao and Yang Dingxin
Although the LG Cup final was during Yang Dingxin's ban, the Chinese Go Association made it clear that Yang Dingxin had the right to participate. In addition, Yang Dingxin was also allowed to participate in the Wai A League after the LG Cup final, because it was a team competition. Whether these variables will have an impact on Yang Ding's new state adjustment has attracted much attention.
Another suspense in this LG Cup final is whether Ding Hao can return to his best form. In 2021, Ding Haohao won the crown of three domestic competitions, and he was in the limelight for a while. However, since 2022, he has tended to be sluggish, and it was not until the quarterfinals and semifinals of the LG Cup in November that he stopped falling and recovered, and then defeated Wei Yuting to win the second big chess tournament.
In the final of the 27th LG Cup, was Yang Dingxin, who said before the game that he must win, winning, or Ding Hao, who felt pressured, successfully reached the top? We'll see soon.