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Will China tie Korea in Baduk titles next month?

Published: 12 Oct. 2025, 19:25

Shin Jin-seo, right, plays against ninth-dan Tuo Jiaxi of China in the quarterfinals of the 3rd Quzhou Lanke Cup World Go Open in Zhejiang, China on Oct. 9. [YONHAP]

The 30th 2025 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Cup World Baduk Masters will begin on Nov. 8, launching a ten-day 32-player knockout stage.

The competition is an international Go tournament, hosted annually by the JoongAng Ilbo and sponsored by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. The champion will be crowned on Nov. 17, or Nov. 18 if a third final match is needed.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Cup, and organizers have introduced several changes. To mark the 30th anniversary and the JoongAng Ilbo’s 60th anniversary, this year’s main tournament takes place at Phoenix Island in Jeju instead of the previous venue, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance’s global campus in Goyang, Gyeonggi.

The first game of the final, scheduled for Nov. 16, will take place in the Glass House. During the event, fans can enjoy broadcast commentary and autograph sessions with pro players.

The 32 players in the main draw breakdown by country as follows: 10 from Korea, 18 from China, two from Japan, one from Taiwan and one from Vietnam.

Korean competitors will once more face China’s numerical advantage, as China dominated last year’s results. The Samsung Cup grants seeds to semifinalists of the previous tournament, and all four went to Chinese players.

China also outperformed Korea in the qualifying rounds. In August, 381 players competed in integrated preliminaries. From those, China secured 11 spots in the main draw, whereas Korea advanced only Kim Ji‑seok and Park Sang‑jin through the general section. Mok Jin‑seok progressed through the seniors’ bracket reserved for players over 45.

Among the 32 finalists, 13 hold titles from major international tournaments. These include Shin Jin‑seo, Park Jung‑hwan, Kang Dong‑yun, Byun Sang‑il, Kim Ji‑seok, Shin Min‑jun, Ding Hao, Wang Xinghao, Dang Yifei, Xue Wei, Yang Dingxin, Yang Kaiyuan and Tan Xiao.

Historically, Korean players have won the Samsung Cup 14 times, and Chinese players have 13 titles. A single victory this year by China would tie the record. Recently, China has taken the title twice in a row.

The bracket for the round of 32 gets determined by a draw immediately after the Nov. 8 opening.

The winner’s prize is 300 million won ($208,000), and the total prize money amounts to 780 million won ($540,800).

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON MIN-HO [[email protected]]