Both China and Korea lost some big names in this round: Tuo Jiaxi, Choi Cheolhan, Park Yeonghun are the highest ranked casualty. Overall in this round it's China 27 Korean 18. But yesterday Korea did well: China 8 Korea 12.

China already controlled 22 groups. USA secured one. The remaining 27 will be decided tomorrow.

Having Jujo Jiang in the world group did seem a bit harsh to me. Back in the 80s he was one of China's top players, and beat a lot of top Japanese in the supergo matches. Does he have US citizenship now? I seem to recall he and wife Rui Naiwei (who lost to Yu Bin) leaving China was related to Tiananmen square etc, but I thought she moved back a few years ago and she plays for China now, did he not? If the idea of the world group is to encourage and support the new pros/players from outside Asia (be they EGF/AGA pros like Eric Lui or Ali Jabarin, or Europeans who went pro in Asia like Dinerstein/Catalin), I don't see how Jujo creaming them all (if he does as expected) achieves that.

Also the 2 women in the open are out: Song Ronghui beat Yan Ning 2d but then lost to Huang Xin 4d and Choi Jung lost to Huang Jingyuan 2d.

I would not have thought that Jujo was eligible to represent the US. I thought there was a requirement that you had been active in the past year, and I see his last tournament in the US as 2012: http://agagd.usgo.org/player/3142/.

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Occupy Babel!

Won Sungjin (9d, kr) got knocked out by Huang Yunsong (4d, cn) who is one of the upcoming young Chinese talents. Perhaps not such an upset though as Huang was ranked higher in the April Korean world rankings:
https://www.baduk.or.kr/news/report_vie ... ws_no=1738
2 other 9d international title winners got through though: Jiang Weijie (9d, cn) scraped through with a half point win over Kim Junghyun (5d, kr), and Baek Hongsuk (9d, kr, he won 2 international titles in 2012 before interrupting his Go career for military service) had a comfortable win over Zhu Yuanhao (4d, cn).

Players advanced to main tournament;

China:Wu Chenyu, Wang Tao, Huang Yunsong, Li Kang, Shu Yixiao, Wu Guangya, Chen Yunong, Mi Yuting, Xie Ke, Fan Yin, Zhang Dongyue, Qin Yuexin, Huang Jingyuan, Chen Zijian, Li Ze, Wang Shiy, Tang Weixing, Kim Kiyoung, Fan Tingyu, Xu Jiayang, Zhang Wei, Hu Yuefeng, Tan Xiao, Peng Chiuan, Hu Yaoyu, Chen Xian, Peng Liyao, Li Ming, Tao Xinran, Xia Jiankun, Dang Yifei, Jiang Weijie, Jang Juju, Yu Bin, Fang Tianfeng

Korea:Heo Yeongho, Cho Hanseung, Han Seungjoo, An Kukhyun, Baek Hongsuk, Park Jungsang, Wi Taewoong, Kim Kiyong, Byun Sangil, An Sungjoon, Na Hyun, Kim Jiseok

Japan:Fujita Akihiko,

Woman's 5th round tonight.

Woman's prelim final,
Cao Youyin defeated Kim Chaeyoung by resign.
Zhang Xiang defeated Li He by 1.5.

Players advanced to main tournament;

China:Wu Chenyu, Wang Tao, Huang Yunsong, Li Kang, Shu Yixiao, Wu Guangya, Chen Yunong, Mi Yuting, Xie Ke, Fan Yin, Zhang Dongyue, Qin Yuexin, Huang Jingyuan, Chen Zijian, Li Ze, Wang Shiy, Tang Weixing, Kim Kiyoung, Fan Tingyu, Xu Jiayang, Zhang Wei, Hu Yuefeng, Tan Xiao, Peng Chiuan, Hu Yaoyu, Chen Xian, Peng Liyao, Li Ming, Tao Xinran, Xia Jiankun, Dang Yifei, Jiang Weijie, Jang Juju, Yu Bin, Fang Tianfeng, Cao Youyin, Zhang Xiang

Korea:Heo Yeongho, Cho Hanseung, Han Seungjoo, An Kukhyun, Baek Hongsuk, Park Jungsang, Wi Taewoong, Kim Kiyong, Byun Sangil, An Sungjoon, Na Hyun, Kim Jiseok

Japan:Fujita Akihiko

Seeded players;

Korea - 3+1 (Kang Dongyun, Park Junghwan, Shin Jinseo, wild card: Lee Sedol)
China - 5+1 (Ke Jie, Zhou Ruiyang, Chen Yaoye, Gu Li, Lian Xiao, wild card: Shi Yue)
Japan - 3 (Ida Atsushi, Motoki Katsuya, Yuki Satoshi)
Taiwan - 1 (Wang Yuanjun)

Thanks for the report


I think it has been brought up somewhere, but Zhang Xuan (Chang Hao's wife) is mistakenly written as Zhang Xiang somehow...
(btw, Zhang Xiang is an active Singaporean player)

The semifinal matches are going on right now (best of 3). The last Korean player, Shin Jinseo, lost to Zhou Ruiyang in the quarter.

Semifinal matchups:

Ke Jie vs. Li Zhe
Zhou Ruiyang vs. Peng Liyao