▲Kim Eun-ji (김은지, right) defeated Jung Yu-jin in the quarterfinals and is on course in her bid for a fifth consecutive title at the tournament. - The 6th Nanseolheon Cup's round of 16 and quarterfinals were held on the 6th - Finalists to be decided in the semifinals on the morning of the 7th - Best-of-three final to continue on the afternoon of the 7th and on the 8th The field of title contenders for the sixth Nanseolheon Cup National Women's Baduk Tournament has been narrowed to four. On the 6th, in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals of the 6th Nan Seol Heon Cup National Women's Baduk Tournament, held at Ojuk Hanok Village in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Kim Eun-ji (김은지) 9-dan, ranked No. 1 among women players, along with No. 2 Choi Jeong (최정) 9-dan, No. 3 Sumire (스미레) 6-dan, and No. 20 Lee Seul-ju (이슬주) 3-dan, all won their games and advanced to the semifinals. Kim Eun-ji (김은지), who has won this tournament four years in a row, defeated Kim Shin-young (김신영) 3 dan with Black by resignation in 257 moves in the round of 16, then beat Jung Yu-jin (정유진) 5 dan with Black by resignation in 203 moves in the quarterfinals, continuing her bid for a fifth straight title. Choi Jeong (최정) followed up her round-of-16 win over 1-dan Yue Zhiyu (악지우) by defeating 5-dan Kim Kyung-eun (김경은) in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. Sumire (스미레) also beat 8-dan Kwon Hyo-jin (권효진) and 5-dan Heo Seo-hyeon (허서현) in succession, and will now go for her first title in the tournament. Lee Seul-ju (이슬주) pulled off an upset by defeating Oh Yu-jin (오유진), 9 dan and the fourth-ranked player, to earn a place in the semifinals. Making her second appearance on the Nanseolheon Cup main stage since the 4th edition of the tournament, Lee won her first main-draw game in the event against Kim Min-seo (김민서), 5 dan, in the round of 16, and then turned back Oh Yu-jin as well in the quarterfinals to become the story of the tournament. The semifinals, which will determine the finalists, will begin at 10 a.m. on the 7th with two matchups: Kim Eun-ji (김은지) vs. Lee Seul-ju (이슬주), and Choi Jeong (최정) vs. Sumire (스미레). In head-to-head records, Kim Eun-ji leads Lee Seul-ju 4-1, and Choi Jeong leads Sumire 9-2 (including games played before Sumire's move to Korea). The best-of-three final will begin with Game 1 on the afternoon of the 7th, followed by Games 2 and 3 on the morning and afternoon of the 8th. The Nanseolheon Cup National Women's Baduk Tournament, launched in 2021, saw Cho Seung-a (조승아) 7-dan take the inaugural title, after which Kim Eun-ji (김은지) won four consecutive championships from the second through the fifth editions. All eyes are on whether Kim will complete a fifth straight title or a new champion will emerge. The 6th Nanseolheon Cup National Women's Baduk Tournament is sponsored by Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Gangneung City, the Gangneung City Council and the Gangneung Sports Council, and is jointly hosted and organized by the Korea Baduk Association (Hanguk Kiwon) and the Korea Women's Baduk Federation. The winner's prize is 45 million won, and the runner-up receives 15 million won. The time control uses the cumulative time method (Fischer system), giving each player 20 minutes plus 20 seconds of added time. ▲Choi Jeong (Choi Jeong, right) defeated Kim Kyung-eun to reach the semifinals for the third consecutive year ▲Sumire (left), who advanced to the semifinals by defeating Heo Seohyeon (허서현) ▲Lee Seul-ju (이슬주, right) pulled off an upset over Oh Yu-jin (오유진) to reach her first semifinal in the tournament
