Life In 19x19

1. Yu Byoung-yong Dojang (baduk academy) : Chung-am dojang
Teacher : Han Jongjin 8p
Favourite Pro : Han Jongjin 8p
Playing Style : fighting
Born : 1988 Seoul


2. Lee Hoseung Dojang : Yangcheon Daeil dojang
Teacher : Ok Deukjin 7p
Favourite Pro : Lee Changho 9p
Playing Style : attacking
Born : 1987 Incheon


3. Park Daeyoung Dojang : Lee Sedol dojang
Teacher : Lee Sedol 9p
Favourite Pro : Lee Sedol 9p
Playing Style : thick territorial
Born : 1994 Seoul


To be continued...

4. Baek Chanhee Dojang : Chung-am dojang
Teacher : Han Jongjin 8p
Favourite Pro : Han Jongjin 8p
Playing Style : fighting
Born : 1995 Gyeonggi


5. Shin Yunho Dojang : Yangcheon Daeil dojang
Teacher : Ok Deukjin 7p
Favourite Pro : Ok Deukjin 7p
Playing Style : fighting
Born : 1991 Seoul


To be continued...

6. Han Seungju Dojang : Chung-am dojang
Teacher : Han Jongjin 8p
Favourite Pro : Cho Hunhyeon 9p
Playing Style : fighting
Born : 1996 Gyeonggi


7. Kim Jinhui Dojang : Jang Suyoung dojang
Teacher : Park Byounggyu 8p
Favourite Pro : Lee Sedol 9p
Playing Style : fighting
Born : 1996 Chungcheong

From 2011, 12 new Korean pros are qualified every year,
7 from the general qualifier, where any Korean citizen can join;
2 from the female pro qualifier;
2 from the gifted qualifier, with age limit of 15;
and 1 from the district qualifier, for people living elsewhere from the capital area.

The seven pros above are from the general qualifier of this year. Others will be held on summer.

I'm personally much interested in Park Daeyoung, that he is Lee Sedol's pupil.

Perhaps it is just because I live in China but I was quite shocked to see how (relatively) old these new pros are.

cdybeijing wrote:Perhaps it is just because I live in China but I was quite shocked to see how (relatively) old these new pros are.

That's why KBA is qualifying 12 pros a year from 2011, while it was 4~5 pros a year, before.

lovelove wrote:

cdybeijing wrote:Perhaps it is just because I live in China but I was quite shocked to see how (relatively) old these new pros are.

That's why KBA is qualifying 12 pros a year from 2011, to push the "old" inseis to pros.

So there is a backlog of older inseis who couldn't make pro before due to a limited number of openings each year. Qualifying 12 a year is meant to be a correction, but will it oversaturate the Korean pro scene? I guess not, as those who can't make a reasonable living as players will naturally settle into other things, such as teaching or university.

cdybeijing wrote:

lovelove wrote:

cdybeijing wrote:Perhaps it is just because I live in China but I was quite shocked to see how (relatively) old these new pros are.

That's why KBA is qualifying 12 pros a year from 2011, to push the "old" inseis to pros.

So there is a backlog of older inseis who couldn't make pro before due to a limited number of openings each year. Qualifying 12 a year is meant to be a correction, but will it oversaturate the Korean pro scene? I guess not, as those who can't make a reasonable living as players will naturally settle into other things, such as teaching or university.

But being a pro is still giving them a good chance. I think this is reasonable.

[edit] Whoops, I think I misunderstood the word "oversaturate". So yes, I agree with you.

How is the dynamic working in the KBA since it made the revisions? Have the older pros and those with less successful records been dropping out?

lovelove wrote: I'm personally much interested in Park Daeyoung, that he is Lee Sedol's pupil.

Definitely! Especially since his style is different from his teacher (and most other new pros in this thread).

ez4u wrote:How is the dynamic working in the KBA since it made the revisions? Have the older pros and those with less successful records been dropping out?

Nothing happened. Older pros and those with less successful records already have dropped out, when they were.

One thing that I've noticed with young Korean pros is how informally they dress. I remember a teenage Lee Chang-Ho being photographed at a world championship wearing street clothes. When does the expectation of suits kick in?

pwaldron wrote:One thing that I've noticed with young Korean pros is how informally they dress. I remember a teenage Lee Chang-Ho being photographed at a world championship wearing street clothes. When does the expectation of suits kick in?

Lee Changho was a teen twenty years ago. No pros care about dressing now, unless it's a big world tournament game, but still unnecessary in that case, too.

Yu Byoung-yong and Lee Hoseung may be old, but they are also very strong. Both were beating pros in games that matter (domestic/international major tournaments open to amateurs) last year.

Yu beat Lee Hobeum ("Little Lee Sedol", Nongshim Cup representative) 3p, Kim Jeonghyun 3p, and Park Younghoon 9p (Samsung Cup winner) in the Olleh Cup tournament last year. In the 14th LG Cup he defeated Son Keunki 3p, and Fu Chung [sic] 4p. Lee Hoseung was beating pros in the Samsung Cup preliminaries more than 7 years ago. He has kept on beating pros in games that matter.

This just goes to show that the new pro selection tournament is brutally competitive.

One interesting tidbit from the interviews: Park Daeyoung claims that he takes black with no komi against Lee Sedol in teaching games and has never beaten him on that handicap.

Notice the style of the majority of 2013 New Korean Pros are mostly fighting and attacking. Will this be the wave of the future of baduk with mainly fast furious attacks dominating patient fuseki?