The ninth board rescued Korea from the brink.
Shin Shin-seo defeated China’s Xu Shehao, 25, in the ninth and final game of the second round of the 25th Nongshim Shin Ramyeonbae World Go Championship at Hotel Nongshim in Busan on Thursday.
South Korea, whose eighth-ranked Seol Hyun-joon and ninth-ranked Byun Sang-il, Won Sung-jin, and Park Jung-hwan had failed to win a single game in the tournament, was saved from finishing last.
Shin Shin-seo, who had earlier won 10 straight games in the 22nd and 24th moves to secure the Korean title for the third consecutive year, extended his winning streak to 11 games in a row on the Nongshim board.
With black on the board, Shin took control of the game from the outset, pushing Sheng Hao hard.
Immediately after the endgame, Shin went on the offensive with a bold cut of the white king from the left side to the top side.
With his hemp on the verge of being captured, Xie Shenghao managed to escape by cutting off his left tail.
Xin Xin then continued his offense by cutting the hemp on the upper and lower sides again.
Xu Shenghao tried to make a switch when he was caught again, but he was deep in defeat and eventually threw a stone.
With his first victory for South Korea in this tournament, Shin Dong-seo now leads the all-time series against Sheolhao 8-2.
Xie Shenghao attempted to break the Nongshim Boat record for the longest winning streak, but was ultimately unable to overcome Xin Xin’s barrier.
After seven consecutive wins, she had to settle for tying the record with Fan Tingyu 9 dan in the 18th and 20th games and Yang Dingxin 9 dan in the 21st game.
South Korea, which would have finished last had Shin Shin-seo also lost, will be hoping for an upset victory in the final three rounds in Shanghai, China, next February.
Shin Shin-seo will face Japan’s last runner-up, Yuta Iyama 9-dan, in the first game of the third round.
China, which has four players waiting in the wings in the form of Kou Ze, Ding Hao, Guo Zhihao and Zhao Tianyu 9th dan, remains the favorite to win the title.
The prize money for winning the Nongshim Bae is 500 million won.
A player who wins three consecutive games will receive a streak prize of 10 million won. For each additional win after the three consecutive wins, an additional 10 million won will be paid.
The time limit is one hour and one second for each player. 슬롯게이밍