I see. Of course there was a political side of the game. Cho Hoonhyun went to Japan to study but came back and stayed. Chihoon left for Japan and stayed there.

There is no POLITICAL shenanigan...

Cho Hoonhyun came back to Korea to serve compulsory Army Duty and never went back. Cho Chihoon was exempted from Army service when he won Meijin so he didn't have to come back.

Cho Hoonhyun vs Cho Chihoon
1980.12.31. Cho Chihoon Meijin title celebration game 1; Cho Chihoon won bt 3.5.
1981.01.02. Cho Chihoon Meijin title celebration game 2; Cho Chihoon won by 5.5.
1991.02.10. 9th Korea vs Japan TV lightening game;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
1992.08.20. 4th TV baduk Asia 1st round;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
1996.06.27. 1st LG cup 2nd round; Cho Hoonhyun won by 1.5.
1997.06.29. 2nd LG cup round of 16;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
2000.04.10. 13th Fujitsu 2nd round; Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
2000.06.15. 5th LG cup 2nd round;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
2001.06.14. 6th LG cup round of 16;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
2002.05.02. 7th LG cup 2nd round;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.
2003.10.16. 8th Samsung cup round of 8;Cho Hoonhyun won by resign.

Didn't Cho Chikun finally win again in the 8th Samsung? I'm not sure how he went on to win the title otherwise.

I don't think a professional (particularly at the level of Cho Chikun) would stage a result, much less intentionally lose.

I didn't suggest he did that, but that he would not be so upset at losing (compare to the story about When he lost a Japanese title match game on time because he didn't hear the timekeeper announce it was his move: he was distraught and even shed tears) and so might not strive to make sure he places his stone in the last second as much as he would in a competitive game.

Loss is also a destiny. Baduk is difficult, which makes life more interesting.

Cho Chikun, the living legend in Korean and Japanese baduk. He unmasked himself on the 26th. He wasn’t serious and determined like he used to be in the past. He futilely lost by time in the anniversary game with Cho Hunhyun, but he didn’t seem to feel ashamed of himself, as a perfectionist might. He seemed rather calm saying, “I’ve gotten worse at baduk; my personality has gotten better”. When the emcee commented on his humor, Cho Chikun joked, saying, “I should go into the entertainment world.” It was almost heartwarming to watch him reviewing the game, smiling with Cho Hunhyun 9d, Yoo Chang Hyuk, and Lee Sedol.

The cold blooded competitor, who played baduk while sitting in a wheelchair after having a car accident that required 25 weeks to recover, had a warm and friendly Korean spirit within himself.

I met up with him, and we even went to karaoke together. He talked about life and baduk.

Me: I didn’t expect that the result would be decided by time.
Cho Chikun: “It’s OK. That’s also destiny.”

M: How do you feel when you visit Korea?
C: “I feel really glad to meet people I like. I am happy that my Korean fans root for me. I am glad to have an opportunity to speak in front of Korean fans.”

M: What kind of a place is Korea to you?
C: “Since I left Korea at 6, I have been living in Japan. But I still think about Korea. I think that I’ve come to love Korea more because I live in Japan.”

M: You speak Korean better than I expected.
C: “I have so much in my heart that I would like to say in Korean. But I can’t express as much as I’d like, because I can’t speak Korean well. I feel embarrassed.

M: Do you study Korean?
C: “I used to watch Korean dramas and movies. However, they don’t show Korean dramas on TV anymore since the relationship between Korea and Japan got worse. It’s sad.”

M: Does it affect your daily life?
C: “A few years ago, the drama, “Winter Sonata” was a big hit. Back then, Japanese people appreciated it when I said that I was Korean. However, I feel that people hate Koreans nowadays. Someone threw a stone at my place when they saw the Korean nameplate in front of my house.

M: What is baduk to you?
C: “Without baduk, my life could be somewhat happier. But life is boring if you are happy all the time. Life is interesting because it is unhappy and difficult. My life is interesting with baduk, which is difficult and hard. So I play baduk.”

M: Do you still study baduk?
C: “Except on Thursdays when I have games, I study go 8 hours every day from 3 in the afternoon until midnight, taking a break only to have dinner. Back when I was stronger, I didn’t spend even two hours studying baduk. Now I study a lot more than that, but I’m not getting stronger again.

M: Why do you keep studying baduk, then?
C: “I get paid from Nihon Kiin whether I win or lose. I feel ashamed to get paid after playing a horrible game. So I study every day. The fact that I study every day is important to me.

M: Is it still true that you put your life on the line while you play baduk?
C: “It is.”

M: What is attractive about baduk?
C: “In baduk, you have so much you don’t know no matter how hard you study and how much you study. It is like a person since the more you know about it, the more you don’t know about it at the same time.”

M: Are there any Korean baduk players that you have high expectations for?
C: “Kim Jiseok. I always check his kifu as soon as it’s available online. The contents of his games are so good. I feel so proud as a Korean.”

M: Who is the most memorable Korean player?
C: “Lee Changho used to be so good, but these days, he makes mistakes on simple moves. That’s truly sad.”

M: You and Cho Hunhyun have been rivals for a long time.
C: “More than a rival, he’s a senior that I respect. I studied how to win against him before this game. But I lost. What I feel jealous about him is that he has such a good relationship with his wife. I even said that I didn’t want to get married after seeing him act so sweetly around his wife.”

M: What do you like other than baduk?
C: “I play golf. I enjoy drinking and singing with people as well.”

M: How much alcohol can you drink?
C: “I drink until I pass out.” (After the game, Cho Chikun accepted all of the drinks people offered, without ever refusing.) “If I pass out, I drink more after sleeping a bit.”

M: Do you have any favorite Korean singers?
C: “Lee Mija, Lee Sunhee, and Sung Sikyoung. They all have great voices. I met Lee Mija once in Japan while she was on tour. I haven’t met the other two yet. I really want to meet them.”

M: What worries you these days?
C: “My wife is very sick. She has cancer. She is staying home, saying she didn’t want to spend her last days at the hospital. We have loved for almost 40 years. It is so painful and sad.”

M: What are your future plans?
C: “I don’t have any. I'd like to live in Korea, even for a short amount of time, before dying.”

I didn’t find a great move, I just went into thinking.

There are a few hypotheses on the origin of baduk. The most plausible is that baduk started from ancient China. One Chinese classic mentioned that a king developed baduk to help his son. The mysterious history between black and white has lasted over 4300 years. In Korea, it is stated in 'The Heritage of Three Countries' that baduk was played during the era of three countries. It is guessed that baduk was sent to Korea with the spread of the Baekje Dynasty. Baduk was declared a national sport during the Shogunate era. They started to have players who made a living by playing go, and there were prestigious go families such as Honinbo. The rules were reorganized as well.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, Sunjang baduk was popular. Modern baduk was introduced to Korea by Cho Namchul 9d who studied baduk in Japan. He established the Hansung Kiwon which was the former Hankuk Kiwon on November 5th, 1945. The Hankuk Kiwon recognizes its establishment to have started from this date.

(Hence) it is the 70-year anniversary for modern Korean baduk. During this short history, it is Cho Hunhyun 9d who led Korean baduk to the center of world baduk. He commented on his father’s go at age 5, and now he is over 60 years old. Over 58 years, he's won the greatest number of games (1935 wins in total), and the most titles (160 of them). He is considered to be a king in the go world and a true perfectionist. He is having a 70-year anniversary game with Cho Chikun, his forever rival.

Cho Hunhyun is a big deal these days. He hasn’t expressed his personal opinions other than go, but he recently published an essay “Cho Hunhyun, the high-level player’s way of thinking”, which became a best seller. In the book, he emphasized that, “there is no problem that is impossible to solve, and you find an answer when you think.”

Me: How have you being doing?
Cho Hunhyun: I am not at my peak in playing baduk, so I spend most of my time doing other things. I hike Bukhan Mountain in front of my place with my wife, and play golf once in a while. I’ve been playing golf for about 8 years, and I can usually play around bogey (average 1-over par/hole). I never skip hiking because it helps me forget about myself and clear my mind of useless thoughts. My book is more popular than I expected, and I get several interview requests from various places (laugh).

M: What motivated you to publish the essay?
C: I was quite sick for two months two years ago. I had a picture taken of my lungs at the hospital, and they looked completely white. The doctor told me that if it was cancer, I'd pretty much received my death sentence, and if it were only a simple virus, it would be fine with medication. I was told that it would take two weeks to get the results, and I had so many thoughts waiting for the results. I looked back on my life, and I realized that I did nothing. I wanted to leave something, so I started writing a book. I'd already written many baduk books, but it was my first time to write a book about my own life. Fortunately, it wasn’t cancer, but it gave me an opportunity to think about myself.

Until he quit smoking in 1995, he was a very heavy smoker who used to smoke 4-5 packs of cigarette a day. So when he saw the CT scan of his lungs, he thought that it was expected.)

M: You are having a 70 year anniversary game against Cho Chikun, your forever rival.
C: It was supposed to be on the 12th, but Cho Chikun couldn’t make it on that date, so it was postponed to the 26th. In baduk, the only rival is yourself. Baduk is what you need to win against yourself. I’d love to enjoy playing every single moves, looking back the old memories. I think that Cho Chikun feels the same way.

(The baduk fans are very excited about this game that happens between the two Korean legendary players. They have played 11 times so far, and Cho Hunhyun won 8 times. The most recent game was in 2003 during Samsung Cup quarter finals, and Cho Chikun won by resignation.)


M: What do you think of Cho Chikun 9d?
C: We interacted frequently while I was studying in Japan. I had to come back to Korea in the middle because of the military duty. I felt bad that Cho Chikun could stay in Japan because he was exempted from the military. Now I think about it, it was meant to be. I was supposed to play in Korea, and Cho Chikun in Japan.

(Cho Chikun went to Japan when he was 6. He won the Meijin title in 1980. He kept his words “I wouldn’t come back without winning the Meijin.” In the nineties, he recorded the big three title for four times, which means that he won the 3 major titles (Kisei, Meijin, Honinbou) at the same time.

M: What is your most memorable move and game?
C: Probably winning the In ChangKi cup in 1989. The most memorable move was the 129th move at the 5th game during the finals. The move turned the game around when I was in byoyomi. Many people still ask me how I could think of such a move during such an urgent situation. Then I say that I still can’t answer that question. I went to thinking. It wasn't me that found the answer. The thinking found the answer.

(This game is still commonly mentioned. Cho Hunhyun was the only Korean player, and proceeded to the final. His opponent was Nei Weiping, who was the best Chinese player. Cho won the first game, Nei won the next two, and Cho won the fourth one. Cho Hunhyun won the last game by resignation at 145 moves, becoming the first title holder. He got 400,000 winning money, and had a car parade in the downtown Seoul.


M: We can’t skip talking about Lee Changho 9d. You lost so many times to your in-home student. How did it feel?
C: I stayed at Segoe Kensaku sensei’s place, learning from him for 9 years. Lee Changho came to my place at age 9 and learned baduk for 7 years. My teacher always emphasized on personality more than baduk. I taught Lee Changho in the same way.

Starting 1990 to 1995, I lost all of my titles to Lee Changho. Losing always feels painful. It more is the case when you lose to your student.

However, I felt so weird on the day that I lost my last title. On my way home, I felt so peaceful. I felt so free after losing everything. It was so hard when I tried to keep everything, but it felt so liberating when you lose everything. I was determined. ‘OK. Now I hit the rock bottom, and I have only way to go up.’ With this positive attitude, I could get over the hard time.

I started from the beginning, and I could finally win again the Kuksoo title in 1998 against Lee Changho.


M: How many moves do you see ahead when you play baduk?
C: This is the question that people ask me the most. If I must answer, I would put it somewhere between one to a few hundreds. In numbers, maybe 700. However, there are only a few possible moves during actual games. Sometimes it is difficult to see even one move not to mention a few hundreds.

M: What is baduk and what is your goal?
C: Whether I play baduk well or not, it is the path in my life. I will probably walk down this path until I die. I have received so much from my fans, and I’d like to return some. I haven't yet decided exactly how, but I will do it little by little.