Life In 19x19

Kuksu title match begins next week. I think Lee Changho will hold on to it, all though his record hasn't been as impressive this year as in some past years.

Lee currently holds two titles: the KBS and the Kuksu. He has already lost in the main tournament of this year's KBS, so he would no longer hold any titles if he loses to Choe. He has won at least one title every year since 1990.

The sense that Lee is losing some of his strength has a bit of objective evidence now: he dropped to seventh in the Korean ratings by the beginning of December.

I think Choe will win, but it's not as if Lee is a walkover at this point.

Lee Changho wins the first game:




It's a complicated position, but I think we can infer that Black decided he couldn't win the ko and the whole left group is dead. A huge kill! It surprises me somewhat, because surely Black has many local threats.

I didn't analyze it too deeply, but I think the issue is that there is a double ko (which means black can only win one) but black needs to win both to win.

Yes, after looking again I think you're right. At first I didn't think white had enough if he just won the ko on the right, but I think it is enough.

very cool how W reads fight on upper left. I think, on move 104, if not earlier, W knows he wins

Game 2 goes to Choi Cheolhan!

Game three also goes to Choi Cheolhan, using the chinese fuseki, he's up 2-1 now.