 |
| Byun Sang-il / Photo provided by the Korea Baduk Association |
On April 2, at the Baduk TV studio in the Korea Baduk Association headquarters in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Byun defeated Park Jeong-hwan (9-dan) as Black by resignation after 215 moves in the best-of-three final. The victory secured the series 2–1 for Byun.
The match featured intense fighting from the start, but it swung on a single misjudgment by Park in the upper-left (moves 98 and 100). The margin quickly widened to more than 10 points, and the AI win-rate graph showed a 99% chance of a Black victory. Byun then wrapped up the game methodically, leaving no room for a comeback.
The win cut Byun’s head-to-head gap with Park to 13–19, and marked the first time Byun prevailed over Park in a final matchup.
Byun grabbed the early edge by taking Game 1, dropped Game 2 by half a point, then prevailed in the decisive match to claim his first Maxim title on his eighth try. After seven previous appearances that ended in the semifinals, he reached his first final and immediately converted it into a championship.
After the game, Byun said, \"It was a tough fight early on. Once the skirmish in the upper-right went my way, I felt the momentum shift. I didn’t expect to win, so it still feels a bit surreal. I’m happy to reach and win my first Maxim final, and I’ll keep working to put on good performances.\"
On his path to the title, Byun defeated Park Min-kyu (9-dan) in the quarterfinals and Kim Myung-hoon (9-dan) in the semifinals.
After a quieter stretch following his LG Cup win last January, Byun re-emerged to claim his 13th career title by toppling world No. 2 Park Jeong-hwan in this event.
Park, who had been enjoying a strong season — including capturing an international opening title and his first major in five years — reached the final after beating world No. 1 Shin Jin-seo (9-dan) in the semifinals. Byun denied Park a chance to tie the all-time most-titles record, forcing him to wait for another opportunity.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for the 20th at 11:30 a.m. at the Westin Chosun Hotel.
Sponsored by Dongseo Foods and organized by the Korea Baduk Association, the 27th Maxim Coffee Cup Ibsin Championship awarded a winner’s prize of 70,000,000 KRW (approximately $52,500) and a runner-up prize of 30,000,000 KRW (approximately $22,500). The time control used the Fischer increment system: each player had 10 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.
[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
“The closest, most fun news ⓒ Sports Today”
