▲Players from each country pose for a commemorative photo after the draw ceremony - The draw ceremony will be held at Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Global Campus on the 9th, with the main-stage round of 32 beginning on the 10th - 32 top players from around the world, including 9 from Korea and 19 from China, to compete for the title - Kang Dongyun (강동윤) vs. Park Jeonghwan (박정환) and Mok Jinseok (목진석) vs. Han Seungju (한승주) in all-Korean matchups… Shin Jinseo (신진서) to face Shibano Toramaru (시바노 도라마루) The 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters, which determines the strongest player in world baduk, has kicked off its battle with the main-draw pairing ceremony. The draw ceremony, held at 4:00 p.m. on the 9th in the second-floor main auditorium of the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Global Campus, was attended by tournament officials and national delegations, including Samsung Fire & Marine Executive Director Lee Jun-gu (이준구), JoongAng Ilbo Advertising Business Director Shin Yong-ho (신용호), Korea Baduk Association Chairman Jung Tae-soon (정태순), and Chinese Ambassador to Korea Dai Bing (다이빙). The draw ceremony opened with a call to order and an introduction of guests, followed by greetings from representatives of Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, JoongAng Ilbo and the Korea Baduk Association, as well as Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing (다이빙). Next came an introduction of the players advancing to the main tournament, the bracket draw, player interviews, and a commemorative group photo. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Managing Director Lee Jun-gu (이준구) said, "Over many years, the Samsung Fire Cup has produced great matches through the challenges and passion of players from around the world. We hope it will continue to be a stage where we can cheer on players' new challenges and enjoy the event together with fans." Shin Yong-ho (신용호), head of advertising at JoongAng Ilbo, offered encouragement, saying, "Go is precisely the game where, even in difficult circumstances, you must always find the best path and create a new breakthrough. Beyond winning and losing, I hope you will give us a memorable match that will be remembered for a long time." Korea Baduk Association (KBA) Chairman Jeong Tae-sun (정태순) said, "I believe the Samsung Fire Cup, in which the world's best players take part, is the ideal tournament for spreading awareness of Baduk's excellence." He added, "I hope the 32 world-class players who have advanced to the main draw will show the skills they have honed without any regrets." A total of 32 players will take part in this year's main stage: 9 from Korea, 19 from China, 2 from Japan, 1 from Chinese Taipei and 1 from Singapore. Top players from around the world, made up of seeds from the previous edition, national seeds from each country, wild cards and those who came through the combined qualifiers, will compete for the trophy. From Korea, nine players will take part: Shin Jin-seo (신진서), Shin Min-joon (신민준), Park Jung-hwan (박정환), Byun Sang-il (변상일), Kang Dong-yun (강동윤), Ahn Sung-joon (안성준), Kim Myung-hoon (김명훈), Han Seung-joo (한승주) and Mok Jin-seok (목진석), all 9 dan. At this draw, players picked scrolls numbered 1 through 32 by hand. The Round of 32 matchups were decided at random, with no allocation by country, and the bracket will be redrawn after each round from the Round of 32 through the semifinals. According to the draw, on the first day of the Round of 32, held on the 10th, Shin Min-joon (신민준) 9-dan will face China's Xie Ke (스웨) 9-dan, Byun Sang-il (변상일) 9-dan will play China's Wang Shuo (왕숴) 8-dan, and An Sung-joon (안성준) 9-dan will meet China's Xia Chenkun (샤천쿤) 9-dan. Mok Jin-seok (목진석) 9-dan and Han Seung-joo (한승주) 9-dan, who drew each other in an all-Korean pairing, will also compete for a spot in the Round of 16 on the same day. On the second day of the round of 32 on the 11th, a head-to-head match between two Korean players has been set: Kang Dong-yun (강동윤) 9-dan versus Park Jung-hwan (박정환) 9-dan. Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan will face Japan's Shibano Toramaru (芝野虎丸) 9-dan in a Korea-Japan match, and Kim Myung-hoon (김명훈) 9-dan will play China's Ding Yifei (丁一飞) 9-dan in a Korea-China match. In addition, Liao Yuanhe (廖元赫) 9-dan, last year's champion, will face Xie Ke (谢科) 9-dan, while Ding Hao (丁浩) 9-dan, last year's runner-up, will play Tu Jikang (屠继康) 9-dan, in two all-Chinese matchups. The main stage of the 2026 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Cup World Baduk Masters gets fully underway on the 10th, with the first day of Round of 32 games starting at noon. From the Round of 32 through the semifinals, each round is split over two days and runs through the 17th, and the final, a best-of-three, will be played from the 18th to the 20th to decide the champion. The 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters, sponsored by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. and hosted by JoongAng Ilbo, offers 300 million won to the winner and 100 million won to the runner-up. Each player receives a time limit of two hours, plus five one-minute byo-yomi periods. ▣ 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters Main Tournament, Round of 32: Korean Players' Matchups and Head-to-Head Records (from the first-listed player's perspective) 〈Games on Tuesday, November 10〉 Shin Min-jun (신민준) 9-dan vs. Si Yue (스웨) 9-dan (China) - 2 wins, 2 losses Byun Sang-il (변상일) 9-dan vs. Wang Shuo (왕숴) 8-dan (China) - First Meeting Mok Jin-seok (목진석) 9-dan vs. Han Seung-joo (한승주) 9-dan – First Meeting An Sungjoon 9p vs. Xia Chenkun 9p (China) - First Meeting Park Jung-hwan (박정환) 9 dan vs. Kang Dong-yun (강동윤) 9 dan – 15 wins, 13 losses Kim Myeong-hun (김명훈) 9-dan vs. Dang Yifei (당이페이) 9-dan (China) – 0 wins, 2 losses Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan vs. Shibano Toramaru (芝野虎丸) 9-dan (Japan) – 3 wins, 0 losses
