Xie Yimin Takes Lead In Honinbo Defense; Gu Li Wins Chinese Agon Cup; Kang Dongyun Vs Lee Sedol In C
Chris Garlock | Published on 11/3/2008
XIE YIMIN TAKES LEAD IN HONINBO DEFENSE: Xie Yimin (left) 3P leads 2-1 in her best-of-five-game defense against challenger Suzuki Ayumi 4P for the Women's Honinbo title. Still a teenager, Xie also holds the Women's Meijin title. She lost her first title, Strongest Woman, to Kato Keiko 6P back in July, though she made it to the finals, losing 2-0. At this point Kato has the best record in the League to determine the challenger for the Meijin. The fourth game in the Women's Honinbo title match is scheduled for November 5th
GU LI WINS CHINESE AGON CUP: Gu Li (right) 9P defeated Chang Hao 9P by 5.5 points to win the 10th Agon Cup in China (Ahan Tongshan Cup). This is the third time Gu has won this event, more than any other player. Liu Xing 7P won it in 2006 and 2007, and Zhou Heyang 9P in 2000 and 2004. Gu will play the winner of the Japanese Agon Cup in a dual international meet. The Japanese event has reached the finals, which will be between Takanashi Seiken 8P and Cho U 9P. Gu won this event in 2004 and 2005. Every time he has won the Chinese event, he has also won the match against the Japanese winner. Cho won the Japanese event the last two years and was defeated by Liu both times.
KANG DONGYUN VS LEE SEDOL IN CHUNWON: Teen Kang Dongyun (left) 8P, who won a gold medal in the recent World Mind Sports, will play a best-of-five-game match with Lee Sedol 9P for the Korean Chunwon (Japanese: Tengen) title. Last year Kang took the King of Kings (aka Electron-Land Cup) title from Lee Changho 9P by a score of 2-1. Now he has a chance to do the same thing to the other of the two top Korean players, Lee Sedol. It would be quite a feat. Lee Sedol holds four international titles currently and two nationals. Only Gu Li 9P of China comes close to that level; he has two international titles and five Chinese nationals. Cho U 9P may soon have that kind of dominance in national Japanese titles, but holds no international ones. Kang played in the finals of the Chunwon last year, as well, losing to Won SeongJin 9P.