“I was disappointed to finish runner-up last year and the year before, so I’m very happy to finish well this time and win the title.”
A smile broke out on the face of the famously expressionless Byun Sang-il 9th dan. It was because he had finally broken through the wall of the ‘New Public Intelligence’ Shin Shin Seo 9 dan in 2021 and 2022, finishing as the runner-up in the GS Caltex Bae Pro Circuit.
On the 31st, in Game 3 of the fifth and final round of the 28th GS Caltex Bar Professional Tournament held at the Korea Origin Go TV Studio in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Byun Sang-il won a hundred moves in 206 moves against Choi Jung 9-dan, who was aiming to become the first Korean female knight to win the overall title. Three consecutive wins without a single loss from the first round to this day. Byun Sang-il has finally climbed to the top of the GS Caltex Bar Professional Chess Tournament.
With his victory in the final five, which drew attention to the gender duel, Byun Sang-il became the first player to win two titles in July alone. Byun Sang-il won his first major world title since joining Chunlan Bae on March 19. The generous prize money is a bonus. Co-organized by the Korea Economic Daily, MBN, and Korea Originals and sponsored by GS Caltex, the GS Caltex Bar Professional Tournament is the largest overall tournament in Korea, with a prize fund of 70 million won, the most of any domestic tournament.
The final three races were tough. The two knights battled fiercely until the middlegame, with stone on stone at the bottom of the board. Byun Sang-il found a clue when he attacked the right-center black knockout point using the center’s thickness. He then saved the black king and formed a large house of more than 40 pieces in the center, widening the gap. Choi Jung, unable to close the gap, won a stone.
On this day, Byun Sang-il’s biggest obstacle was his stamina. “Today was more stressful than the previous 1-2 games,” Byun said, “If I lost in Game 3, I wanted to take a break because I was physically tired more than I wanted to change the mood. I really didn’t want to go to Game 4,” he confessed. A killer schedule. Byun Sang-il had just won her first major title two weeks earlier at the Chunran Bae, a “major international tournament,” by giving it her all. Then, with only one day’s rest, he went straight into the GS Caltex Bar Professional Finals, where he defeated the top nine players on two consecutive days before traveling to Sinan, South Jeolla Province, to compete in the Guksusanmyeon International Go Tournament. There was no rest after that. Byun Sang-il immediately traveled to Seoul to compete in the GS Caltex Go Tournament.
Despite the physical strain, Byun won the championship. 스포츠토토 The secret is thorough management. “A few years ago, my stomach started to appear and my stamina started to decline, so I adjusted my diet and did calisthenics such as push-ups and squats at home to steadily build my stamina. I also keep my weight around 65 kilograms.” “Recently, I’ve been focusing on eating well while continuing to work out to stay in shape. Whether I order in or eat at home with my mother, I eat well,” he smiles.
Now, Byun’s eyes are set on the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. “Go at the Asian Games is a team event. “If I lose, I can still win the gold medal, and if I win, I might not win,” he says.