▲Shin Jin-seo 9-dan (신진서) defeated China's Yang Dingxin (양딩신) 9-dan to advance to the quarterfinals of the Samsung Fire Cup. - Shin Jin-seo (신진서) beats China's Yang Dingxin to advance to the quarterfinals… the only Korean player to win - Park Jeonghwan (박정환) lost to Sue and Mok Jinseok (목진석) lost to Dang Yifei, both falling in the round of 16 - On the 13th, Byun Sang-il (변상일) will take on China's Wang Xinghao (왕싱하오) in a bid to advance to the quarterfinals Shin Jinseo (신진서) 9-dan, ranked No. 1 in Korea, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters. Meanwhile, Park Jungwhan (박정환) and Mok Jinseok (목진석), both 9-dan and also in the field, lost to Chinese players and ended their runs in the round of 16. On the first day of the round of 16 of the 2026 Samsung Fire Cup World Baduk Masters main tournament, held on the 12th at the Samsung Fire Global Campus in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, three Korean players competed and went 1-2. Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating China's Yang Dingxin (양딩신) 9-dan by resignation with Black in 193 moves. Taking the lead early on, Shin put on a flawless performance, never once giving up the advantage to his opponent until the game ended. Park Jungwhan (박정환) 9-dan failed to advance to the quarterfinals, losing by resignation as Black after 146 moves in his match against China's Xie Ke (스웨) 9-dan. Having defeated Korea's No. 2-ranked Shin Minjun (신민준) 9-dan in the round of 32, Xie Ke went on to beat No. 3-ranked Park Jungwhan in the round of 16, eliminating two of Korea's top-ranked players in a row. Mok Jin-seok (목진석) 9-dan also saw his run end in the round of 16, losing by resignation with Black in 194 moves to China's Dang Yifei 9-dan. In a round-of-16 game between Chinese players held the same day, Xia Chenkun 9-dan advanced to the quarterfinals by winning with Black by 1.5 points over Xie Ke 9-dan in 287 moves. With this win, Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan became the first of Korea's four players in the Round of 16 to secure a place in the quarterfinals. With Park Jung-hwan (박정환) and Mok Jin-seok (목진석), both 9-dan, eliminated, the remaining Korean player, Byun Sang-il (변상일) 9-dan, will play on the 13th, the second day of the Round of 16. Byun Sangil (변상일) 9-dan's opponent is China's Wang Xinghao 9-dan. Byun advanced to the round of 16 by defeating China's Wang Shuo 8-dan in the round of 32 of the main tournament held on the 10th. Wang Xinghao reached the round of 16 by defeating Singapore's Xu Xiaopan. The round of 16 of the main tournament will be played over two days, the 12th and 13th, and the quarterfinals will be held from the 14th to the 15th. The 2026 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Cup World Baduk Masters, sponsored by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. and hosted by JoongAng Ilbo, carries 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 1 Results (Nov. 12) Shin Jin-seo (신진서) 9-dan (Korea) wins vs Yang Dingxin (양딩신) 9-dan (China) - Black wins by resignation after 193 moves Park Jeonghwan 9-dan (Korea) lost vs. Sue Wae 9-dan (China) - White wins by resignation in 146 moves Mok Jin-seok 9-dan (Korea) lost to Dang Yifei 9-dan (China) – White won by resignation after 194 moves Xie Chenkun 9-dan (China) wins vs. Xie Ke 9-dan (China) - Black wins by 1.5 points after 287 moves. ▣ 2026 Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Cup World Baduk Masters, Round of 16, Day 2: Korean Players' Pairings and Head-to-Head Records (November 13) Byun Sangil (변상일) 9-dan (Korea) vs Wang Xinghao (王星昊) 9-dan – 1 win, 2 losses
