Korea is pursuing its fifth overall title at the Globis Cup World Go tournament being held in Tokyo, Japan.
Korea's Kim Seung-jin (7-dan, ranked No. 37), Kwon Hyo-jin (7-dan, ranked No. 62), and Kim Seung-gu (4-dan, ranked No. 63) all won their matches in the quarterfinals of the 11th Globis Cup World Go U-22 tournament held at Japan's Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo on Thursday, advancing to the semifinals. With three of the four semifinalists being Korean, the arithmetical probability of a Korean victory stands at 75%.
Kim Seung-jin defeated Taiwan's Hsu Ching-en (7-dan) by resignation. Kwon Hyo-jin beat Japan's Fukuoka Kotaro (7-dan). Kim Seung-gu seized victory from Ueno Risa (4-dan).
Kim Eun-ji (9-dan, ranked No. 23), who had drawn high expectations, was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Kim lost to Japan's Sakai Yuki (7-dan).
The semifinals will be held Friday morning. Kim Seung-jin will face Kim Seung-gu, while Kwon Hyo-jin will compete against Sakai for a spot in the final.
Korea has won the Globis Cup four times. Shin Jin-seo won the fourth tournament, Shin Min-jun the sixth, Moon Min-jong the seventh, and Han Woo-jin the 10th.
This Globis Cup U-22, featuring up-and-coming players aged 22 and under, drew a total of 16 players from six countries: six from host Japan, five from Korea, two from Taiwan, one from Europe, one from North America, and one from Oceania. China, the strongest contender with five overall titles, did not participate, citing Japan's tightened immigration procedures. The Globis Cup World Go tournament offers prize money of 3 million yen for the winner, 500,000 yen for the runner-up, and 200,000 yen for third place.
