'Humans Finally Conquer AI': Shin Jin-seo Finds the Answer, 'Safety + Variable Suppression' Leads to 2-1 Victory Over KataGo

*This content was translated by AI.

Shin Jin-seo (26), 9-dan, defeated the representative AI KataGo and upheld humanity's pride. Although there were some differences in format, he secured a final victory with a style that eliminated variables in this match held 10 years after Lee Se-dol suffered a 1-4 defeat against AlphaGo in 2016.

On the 21st, Shin Jin-seo defeated KataGo by 11 and a half points with black stones after 221 moves in the third game of the 'Ssaen Math · The Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung) Kishinjeon' held at The Korea Economic DailyTV studio in Jung-gu, Seoul.

After losing the first game on the 17th while struggling from the early stages, Shin Jin-seo won the second game on the 19th after a fierce battle, resetting the score to 1-1, and then secured the final third game to win the match with an overall record of 2-1.

If he was shocked by the advanced strength of AI ten years ago, he now had no choice but to acknowledge its superiority, so the match was played in a two-point handicap format. Among them, KataGo is known to be the strongest and is believed to be at least two to three points stronger than AlphaGo. Shin Jin-seo's 9-dan securing two victories against KataGo in a two-point handicap game is evaluated as a symbolic achievement that once again proved the competitiveness of human Go even in the AI era.

In the past, AI learned from humans, but now it was the opposite. Shin Jin-seo also grasped the style of AI and judged that it would be advantageous to block situations or variables that could become as complex as possible. Starting from a 1-1 record, Shin Jin-seo took part in the third game, steadily leading the board from the beginning and completing the victory with perfect play without a single mistake.

After the match, Shin Jin-seo said, "Today's game was relatively smooth as I proceeded with confidence that I did not suffer any losses without a major battle," and added, "While the third game was played better, the victory in the second game, which had much higher difficulty, was more gratifying."

Regarding playing against AI with handicaps, he said, "Through this tournament, we confirmed that it is possible to win even in a two-point handicap game, but if you make even a slight mistake, the match remains difficult, so I cannot be certain that I have an advantage," and added, "If we give KataGo a compensation of about 11 and a half points in a two-point handicap game, it would be very difficult, but not an impossible challenge."

Regarding KataGo, he said, "Artificial intelligence has played a major role in the development of human Go, and I myself have made significant progress through KataGo," attributing significance to it as "an existence that greatly helped me reach the top of the world."

Finally, Shin Jin-seo said, "I am grateful to Joheunchaekshinsago for organizing this excellent tournament and to The Korea Economic Daily newspaper," and conveyed his thanks to fans, saying, "Thanks to the fans who supported me until the end even after my defeat in the first game, I was able to win the second and third games. I sincerely thank you."

At the awards ceremony held after the match, Hong Beom-jun, CEO of Joheunchaekshinsago, attended and presented Shin Jin-seo with a prize money of 150 million won and a victory bonus of 100 million won. Additionally, a Genesis G90 was awarded as a special prize. The 'Ssaen Math · The Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung) Kishinjeon' was hosted by The Korea Economic Daily (Hankyung) Media Group, organized by the Korea Baduk Association, and planned and sponsored by Joheunchaekshinsago.

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*This content was translated by AI.