▲ Ninth dan An Seong-jun lost to ninth dan Yang Dingxin at the Nongshim Cup.
South Korea got off to a disappointing start in the Nongshim Cup World Go Championship, often dubbed the "Go Three Kingdoms."
An Seong-jun, 9p, the first runner for the South Korean national team, suffered a resignation loss in 248 moves to China's Yang Dingxin, 9p, in the second game of the main tournament of the 28th Nongshim Cup held in Beijing, China, on the 10th.
Playing with black stones, An fell behind after making a mistake in an early skirmish on the upper side of the board.
Although he had opportunities to make a comeback during mid-game battles on the lower side, he failed to turn the tide under intense time pressure and ultimately could not overcome a shortage of territory.
China's first runner, Yang, secured his second consecutive win following his victory against Japan's Fukuoka Kotaro, 7p, in the first game the previous day.
In the third game scheduled for the 11th, Yang will aim for three straight wins against Japan's Yu Zhengqi, 9p.
The Nongshim Cup awards a prize of 10 million won for three consecutive wins.
Meanwhile, in the second game of the 4th Nongshim Baeksansu Cup World Senior Go Championship held earlier that morning, South Korea's first runner Kim Young-sam, 9p, claimed a time-out win over China's Cao Dayuan, 9p, in 124 moves.
Playing with white stones, Kim seized control of the board from the early stages with aggressive moves.
Faced with a disadvantaged position, Cao pondered deeply before running out of time, sealing the match.
Having started with a victory, Kim will face Japan's second runner Yuki Satoshi, 9p, in the third game on the 11th.
The championship prize for the Nongshim Cup is 500 million won, while the Baeksansu Cup offers 180 million won.
Second and third-place teams receive no prize money.
(Photo courtesy of Korea Baduk Association, Yonhap News)
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