Byun Sangil
Byun Sangil KBA
Byun Sangil (Hangul: 변상일; Hanja: 卞相壹) is a Korean Professional 9 dan player born in 1997-01-14.
On the ![[ext]](images/extlink.gif)
2025-01-15 rating list, Byun is now #10 in the world and #3 in Korea.
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Promotion history
- 9 dan / 2018.05.24 / Major Title Tournament Winner, Promotion by 2 dan ranks Tournament
- 7 dan / 2018.03.08 / Promotion to 7th Dan
- 6 dan / 2017.04.08 / Promotion to 6th Dan
- 5 dan / 2016.05.27 / 1st Shin-Ao Cup Preliminary
- 4 dan / 2015.07.14 / 17th Nongshim Cup
- 3 dan / 2014.02.04 / 33rd KBS Baduk King Preliminary
- 2 dan / 2012.06.29 / 40th High1 Resort Cup Myungin Tournament Preliminary
- 1 dan / 2012.01.15 / 131st General Entrance Competition
Winners and Runners-up
- 2012: Winner of the 2nd Shinin Wang (over Min Sangyun)
- 2013: Winner of the obscure 1st — only? — Sinin Wangjeon (over Lee Donghoon)
- 2013: Winner of a silver medal in the Asian Games
- 2017: Runner up in the 4th Globis Cup (to Shin Jinseo)
- 2018: Winner of 3rd JTBC Challenge Match?
- 2021: Runner up in the 44th Myeongin (again to Shin Jinseo)
- 2021: Winner of the 7th Kuksu Mountains Cup against Shin Jinseo
- 2023: Winner of the Chunlan Cup (over Li Xuanhao)
- 2023: Winner of the GS Caltex Cup (over Choi Jeong)
- 2025: Winner of 29th LG cup (d. Ke Jie 2–1, a difficult opponent who had won all six of their previous games. See below for foul controversy.)
Win by unusual foul
In the second game of the 29th LG Cup finals, he won his first ever game against Ke Jie after losing all seven of their previous games (including the first game in this final). His first win was by an unusual type of foul. Under the new Korean championship rules, players must place captured stones in a stone box where they are clearly visible.
Under Chinese rules, prisoners are not counted, just board stones and territory, so Ke was not used to it. The first time, he was penalized two points, and the second, he was forfeited. Thus Byun scored his first ever win over Ke, and tied the match 1–1. Byun won the second game that way, and this time, Ke refused to continue after the first two-point penalty (he was also losing by more than 20 points on the board anyway, after an earlier blunder). Thus Byun won the LG Cup for 2025, despite a dispute by the Chinese delegation and angry protests by Chinese go fans at the harsh penalties. Ke Jie boycotted the award ceremony and the Chinese Go Association refuses to accept the result.
Byun said at the awards ceremony:
I feel uncomfortable because the match ended in an uneasy manner, and I fully understand Ke Jie’s position. I will work harder to show a good performance in the future.
In a later interview, Byun explained what he meant about understanding Ke’s position: the irrelevance of captured stones in Chinese scoring. He still found it distracting that Ke didn’t place his stones in the required box, because under Korean scoring they are needed to estimate scoring. But he didn’t realize that automatic game forfeit was the penalty for the second infraction.
The KBA is having second thoughts, apologizing that its new rules brought the event into disrepute, and hopes to restore good relations with the Chinese Go community.
In early Feb 2025, the KBA repealed this rule.
Head to head scores against leading rivals
Based on Byun Sangil, Go ratings, as of 21 Jan 2025.
- Shin Jinseo, World and Korean #1: 9:35
- Wang Xinghao, World #2, China #1: 1–2
- Ke Jie, World #3, China #2: 2–7
- Ding Hao, #4 in world, #3 in China: 4–1
- Park Jung Hwan, World #5, Korea #2: 9–17
- Yang Dingxin, World #6, China #3: 6–3
- Dang Yifei, World #7, China #5: 4–5
- Li Xuanhao, World #8, China #6: 3–3
- Li Weiqing, World #9, China #7: 2–5
- Li Qincheng, World #10, China #4: 5–4
- Ichiriki Ryo, World #12, Japan #1: 6–1
- Iyama Yuta, World #13, Japan #2: 1–2
- Zhao Chenyu, World #21 (recently #11): 7–4
- Gu Zihao, World #24 (recently $5), China #3: 4–3
Style
Byun’s finishing skill is held in high regard. In round of 32 of the 26th Maxim Coffee Cup Ipsin Strongest Tournament, on his 28th birthday, he won a fine game against Kim Jeong-hyeon 9p. Commentator Lee Hee-seong 9p said:
After Kim Jeong-hyeon made a mistake, Byun Sang-il’s judgment of the situation and finishing skills were AI itself. I think it was the best finishing I’ve seen in the two years I’ve been commentating.
Links
Videos
At least four of his games have been reviewed in English, and are listed on Pro Game Reviews on Youtube (three by Kim Yoonyoung and one by Cho Yeonwoo).
- A post-game interview after securing the GS Caltex Cup victory on 31st of July 2023
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