▲ Byun Sangil 9-dan and China's Wang Xinghao 9-dan reviewing their game after the match - Byun Sangil (변상일) beats China's Wang Xinghao by resignation with Black in 221 moves... joins Shin Jinseo in the quarterfinals - Korea, led by Shin Jin-seo (신진서) and Byun Sang-il (변상일), aims to reclaim the Samsung Fire Cup title for the first time in four years, since 2022 - On the 14th, Shin Jin-seo (신진서) takes on China's Ding Yifei in a bid to reach the semifinals Byun Sang-il (변상일) 9-dan, ranked No. 4 in Korea, defeated China's Wang Xinghao (왕싱하오) 9-dan to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Samsung Fire World Baduk Masters. Following Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan, who had reached the quarterfinals the day before, Byun's win means Korea will now take on the challenge of reclaiming the title after four years with two players still in the field. On the second day of the Round of 16 in the main stage of the 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters, held on the 13th at the Samsung Fire Global Campus in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, games were played for the remaining four spots in the quarterfinals. Byun Sang-il (변상일) advanced to the quarterfinals with a win by resignation as Black in 221 moves in his Korea–China match against China's Wang Xinghao. Fierce fighting broke out from the early middle game, and the game remained a melee from start to finish, but Byun's concentration shone through to secure the victory. In other games, Japan's Fukuoka Kotaro 8-dan defeated Chinese Taipei's Hsu Hao-hung 9-dan by half a point with Black in 358 moves to secure a place in the quarterfinals. China's Li Qincheng 9-dan beat last edition's runner-up Ding Hao 9-dan by resignation with White in 248 moves, and Gu Zihao 9-dan also joined the quarterfinals with a win by resignation with White over Fan Yin 9-dan in 200 moves. With this, the Round of 16 schedule has come to a close, and a total of eight players, two from Korea, five from China and one from Japan, have secured places in the quarterfinals. Of the four Korean players who reached the Round of 16 in the main draw, two, 9-dan Shin Jin-seo (신진서) and 9-dan Byun Sang-il (변상일), advanced to the quarterfinals. 9-dan Park Jung-hwan (박정환) and 9-dan Mok Jin-seok (목진석) were eliminated the previous day after losing to China's 9-dan Xie Ke (스웨) and 9-dan Ding Yifei (당이페이), respectively. Korea, led by Shin Jin-seo (신진서) and Byun Sang-il (변상일), is aiming to take back the Samsung Fire Cup trophy for the first time in four years, since 2022. The last Korean player to win the Samsung Fire Cup was 9-dan Shin Jin-seo, who took the title in 2022 by beating 9-dan Choi Jeong (최정) 2-0 in the final. After that, China's Ding Hao (丁浩) 9-dan won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, and last year Liao Yuanhe (廖元赫) 9-dan defeated Ding Hao 9-dan to take the title, giving China three consecutive championships. This year, both Chinese players who reached last year's final were eliminated early, which has further raised expectations that Korea will reclaim the top spot. ▲Commemorative photo after the quarterfinal draw In the quarterfinal draw held after the round of 16, Shin Jin-seo (신진서) will face China's Ding Yifei, and Byun Sang-il (변상일) will face Japan's Fukuoka Kotaro. On the first day of the quarterfinals, held on the 114th, Shin Jinseo (신진서) will face Dang Yifei for a spot in the semifinals. Shin leads their head-to-head record 10 wins to 7. On the second day of the quarterfinals, held on the 15th, Byun Sang-il and Japan's Fukuoka Kotaro will play a Korea-Japan match. It will be the first meeting between Byun Sang-il and Fukuoka Kotaro. The quarterfinals will be split over two days, from the 14th to the 15th. The semifinals will follow from the 16th to the 17th, and the best-of-three final will be played from the 18th to the 20th. The 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters, sponsored by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. and hosted by JoongAng Ilbo, offers a winner's prize of 300 million won and a runner-up prize of 100 million won. Each player has a time limit of 2 hours, plus five 1-minute byo-yomi periods. ▣ 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters Main Tournament Round of 16, Day 2 Results (November 13) Byun Sangil (변상일) 9-dan (Korea) beat Wang Xinghao (왕싱하오) 9-dan (China) - Black wins by resignation after 221 moves Fukuoka Kotaro 8-dan (Japan) wins vs. Hsu Hao-hung 9-dan (Chinese Taipei) - Black wins by 0.5 point after 358 moves Li Qincheng (리친청) 9-dan (China) wins vs. Ding Hao (딩하오) 9-dan (China) – White wins by resignation after 248 moves Gu Zihao (구쯔하오) 9-dan (China) won vs. Fan Yin (판인) 9-dan (China) - White wins by resignation in 200 moves ▣ 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters Main Tournament Quarterfinal Pairings Quarterfinals, Day 1 (November 14) Shin Jinseo (신진서) 9-dan (Korea) vs. Dang Yifei (당이페이) 9-dan (China) Sue Well 9-dan (China) vs. Gu Zihao 9-dan (China) Quarterfinals Day 2 (November 15) Byun Sang-il 9p (Korea) vs Fukuoka Kotaro 8p (Japan) Xia Chenkun (夏晨琨) 9-dan (China) vs. Li Qincheng (李钦诚) 9-dan (China)
