'Korean Go Ranking No. 3' Shin Min-jun defeats 'Ranking No. 2' Park Jung-hwan for third consecutive victory... Regains GS Caltex Cup after two years

*This content was translated by AI.

Shin Min-jun (27), ranked No. 3 in Korean Go, has claimed the title of the 31st GS Caltex Cup Professional Go Tournament.

On the 4th, Shin Min-jun 9-dan secured a win by forfeit with black stones after 199 moves against Park Jung-hwan 9-dan, ranked No. 2, in the third game of the best-of-five final match of the 31st GS Caltex Cup Professional Go Tournament held at the Baduk TV Studio of the Korea Baduk Association in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. With a total score of 3-0, Shin Min-jun secured the championship.

Shin Min-jun seized the initiative by punishing Park Jung-hwan's misstep in the lower-left corner during the early and middle stages of the game, then continued to maintain an advantage by attacking White's large group. Although Park Jung-hwan struggled to break out of the Misaeng area in the center, Shin Min-jun pressed the attack, secured solid territory, widened the gap in points, and firmly established his lead.

After the game, Shin Min-jun said, "I thought it would be a tough final match, and all three games were difficult, but I am happy to have won them all." He added, "Except for finishing as runner-up in the 31st LG Cup in the first half of the year, I played satisfyingly throughout, so I think I can give myself at least 80 points." He further shared his thoughts on winning: "There are many international tournaments scheduled for the second half of the year, and through winning the GS Caltex Cup, I will build momentum to achieve good results."

In the first game of the final match held on the 20th of last month, Shin Min-jun seized the initiative by winning with black stones after 280 moves. The following day, on the 21st, he won again in the second game with white stones after just 134 moves, leaving only one victory needed for the championship. Adding another win in the third game, which resumed two weeks later, Shin Min-jun prevented any counterattack from Park Jung-hwan and completed the best-of-five final match with a shutout, lifting his career 11th championship trophy.

In their head-to-head record, Shin Min-jun narrowed the gap against Park Jung-hwan to 12 wins and 16 losses. Shin Min-jun previously faced Park Jung-hwan in the first final match of the 2019 KBS Go King Tournament, winning 2-0, and continued his strong performance with a decisive victory at this year's final stage.

Shin Min-jun also maintained good momentum this year. After winning the 30th LG Cup Chosun Ilbo King Tournament in January, he reached the finals of the 31st LG Cup in June and finished as runner-up. Based on the first-half results, Shin Min-jun recorded 32 wins and 8 losses with a win rate of 80%, tying for first place in the win rate category. By capturing the GS Caltex Cup, he reaffirmed his clear upward trajectory.

Park Jung-hwan, who had not won the GS Caltex Cup since the 16th tournament in 2011, attempted to claim his second title after 15 years but could not overcome Shin Min-jun and settled for runner-up.

The prize money for the 31st GS Caltex Cup Professional Go Tournament, co-hosted by Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Media Group and the Korea Baduk Association and sponsored by GS Caltex, is 70 million won for the winner and 30 million won for the runner-up. The time control was a Fischer-style cumulative system, with each player given 30 minutes plus an additional 30 seconds per move.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.