‘World’s Strongest’메이저놀이터 Shin Jin-seo, 9th Dan, was eliminated from the GS Caltex Cup after being hit by Baek Hong-seok, 9th Dan. With this, Shin Jin-seo’s winning streak ended at 29 wins.
Shin Jin-seo lost to Baek Hong-seok in 187 moves in the round of 16 match of the 28th GS Caltex Cup held at Korea Kiwon in Seongdong-gu, Seoul on the 12th. It is a cataclysmic event that the 47th-ranked article in Korea caught the world’s strongest article, which has been ranked first for 41 consecutive months. Shin Jin-seo’s defeat on this day forced the GS Caltex Cup, which had won five consecutive years until last year, to close early.
Before the defeat, Shin Jin-seo was on a 29-game winning streak, 4th in the Korean Baduk history. The record for the most consecutive victories is 40, set by Kim In, 9th Dan in 1968, followed by Lee Se-dol, 9th Dan (32 consecutive victories in 2000) and Cho Hoon-hyeon, 9th Dan (30 consecutive victories in 1977).
Shin Jin-seo won 4 consecutive victories at the 1st Ranker Cup held in China recently, advanced to the semifinals, and achieved 700 personal wins. Although Shin Jin-seo was on a winning streak, he could hardly make a move in the match that day. In the early battle on the lower side, his situation was at a disadvantage due to loose numbers, and to make up for it, he forced himself into the upper center of the black field. However, when Dae-ma was caught by Baek Hong-seok’s appropriate response, he threw a stone.
However, Shin Jin-seo recorded a record of 47 wins and 4 losses (92.16% win rate) this year, despite the loss that day, and continued the highest win rate ever. The previous three losses were Won Seong-jin 9-dan in the KB League on February 3, Hwang Yun-song 9-dan in the Chinese League on February 17, and Kang Dong-yoon 9-dan in the KB League on February 24.
Baek Hong-seok is a 23-year-old professional player who made his professional debut in 2001. Baek Hong-seok, who had been in his heyday for about 10 years, has recently focused on TV commentary rather than the great powers, but on this day, he showed his potential to break down the world’s strongest Shin Jin-seo. Baek Hong-seok recorded 2 wins and 5 losses against Shin Jin-seo.
After finishing the game, Baek Hong-seok said, “Shin Jin-seo (after finishing China’s Ranker Boat) was in a very tired state, so I thought of harassing him as much as possible, but I got an unbelievable result.” It has dramatically improved,” he said.
In the quarterfinals, Baek Hong-seok faces 23rd ranked Park Jin-sol, 9th Dan. This is the first match since the KB League match in September 2016. In terms of opponents, Baek Hong-seok is behind with 1 win and 2 losses.