2023 Samsung Flower Farming World Go Masters Domestic Qualifiers
Kang Dong-yoon, Lee Chang-ho, and 7 others earned tickets to the main draw in the first round
(Hankook Game Go = Han Chang-kyu reporter) Seven out of 203 players earned tickets to the main draw in the first round. These are the players who passed the domestic selection round of the 2023 Samsung Flower Farming World Go Masters, which began in Korea on May 25.
In the group finals on Sept. 29, Kang Dong-yoon (8th), Kim Jung-hyun (16th), Lee Dong-gi (7th), Han Woong-kyu (69th), Kim Seung-jin (3rd), Kim Seung-jin (75th), Kim Nuri (4th), and Lee Chang-ho (94th; August rankings in parentheses) won in the general group, and Lee Chang-ho (94th) in the senior group. The general classification and women’s classification will be rescheduled and determined at a later date.
Of the seven players who made it to the main draw, Jeong Seong-ki 7th dan, Kim Seung-jin 3rd dan, and Kim Nuri 4th dan made their first appearance in the main draw, while Kim Jung-hyun 9th dan made his first appearance in 12 years and Han Woong-kyu 9th dan made his first appearance in 11 years.
Overall, the lower-ranked players performed well. In addition to the seven players seeded in the top 50, 43 players qualified, but only three made it through to the postponed game.
The nine players who made it through the domestic selection rounds will join seven from China (six general and one women’s), two from Japan (one general and one senior), and one from Taiwan (one general) in the main competition, which begins on November 15 following the opening ceremony.
Thirteen seeds will advance directly to the main event, which will be held at the Samsung Fire Global Campus in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do. There are four finalists in the electric competition (Shin Shin-seo, Choi Jung, Byun Sang-il, and Kim Myung-hoon), eight national seeds (Korea 4, China 2, Japan 2), and one wild card.
South Korea’s national seeds are Kang Woo-hyuk 7 (winner of the Andong City Baekambaek), Shin Min-joon 9 (winner of the Myeonginjeon), Park Jung-hwan 9 (2nd in the August rankings), and Ahn Sung-joon 9 (6th in the August rankings). 안전놀이터
China’s national seeds are LG Cup winner Ding Hao 9-dan and Nanga Cup winner Guo Zhihao 9-dan. The Chinese qualifiers are ongoing, while the Taiwanese qualifier Xu Haohong 9-dan has qualified. The seeding and schedule for Japan is unknown.
☞ 2023 Samsung Flower Farming Korea Selection Results