This game is from the 2013 Samsung Cup, round of 16.
The game was played between Lee Sedol 9p and Chen Yaoye 9p on October 8, 2013, in Daejeon, Korea.
Chen Yaoye 9 dan (left) and Lee Sedol 9 dan at the 2013 Samsung Cup, round of 16.
Chen YaoyeLee Sedol and Chen Yaoye already played each other in the group stage of this Samsung Cup, and Chen won the game.
Chen Yaoye 9 dan at the 2013 Samsung Cup, round of 16.
However, Lee defeated Komatsu Hideki 9p to pass through the group stage, and they faced in the round of 16 again.
They also played at the 9th Chunlan Cup final in June 2013, and Chen defeated Lee and winning the title with a 2-1 score.
That was Chen Yaoye’s first career international title, and it seemed as if Chen’s period had begun.
After Chen won the 9th Chunlan Cup, many Go fans regarded him as the strongest player in the world.
That’s because both Chen and Lee were ranked #1 in China and Korea, so their final was regarded as a grand final.
The title deciding game of the Chunlan Cup was a masterpiece of these two players.
Lee Sedol
Lee Sedol was in deep slump in the 1st half of 2013. He lost to Park Junghwan 9p in the 14th Maxim Cup final, and he was also defeated by Kim Jiseok 9p in the 18th GS Caltex Cup final.
Lee Sedol 9 dan at the 2013 Samsung Cup, round of 16.
However, he was getting better from the slump in the 2nd half of 2013, and he was in good form again when he was playing this game.
Many of his fans still considered him as the best player, and he needed to show his power and strength in the international matches like this Samsung Cup.
Their head to head records before this game was tie with 5-5. However, Chen was winning their last three games in a row, and I assume that this would have been a tough game for Lee.
Chen was very strong against top Korean players by that time, with his solid and defensive style of play. He hardly made mistakes when he was in good shape, and he was getting stronger against Lee as well.
Anyway, let’s have a look at their dynamic game.
