LG Cup (Go) — officially the LG Cup World Baduk Championship (Korean: LG배 세계기왕전, Hanja: LG杯 世界棋王戰) — is a major international professional Go (baduk/weiqi) competition.
Overview
The LG Cup is organized by the Chosun Ilbo newspaper and sponsored by the LG Group of South Korea. It was established in 1996 following the abolition of the domestic Korean Kiwang (棋王) title. The tournament features a knockout format with a preliminary round and a main bracket of 32 players. The final is a best-of-three match.
Format and Rules
- Komi: 6.5 points
- Main time: 3 hours per player
- Byoyomi: Five 40-second periods
- Winner's purse: 300,000,000 South Korean won (approximately $212,000 USD)
- Total prize pool: 1.3 billion won
Player Allocation
The 32 players in the main tournament are drawn from:
- 2 from the previous year's finalists (holder and runner-up)
- 6 from South Korea
- 3 from Japan
- 3 from China
- 1 from Chinese Taipei
- 1 wildcard
An additional 16 players qualify through a preliminary tournament, which in recent editions has featured up to 256 competitors.
Winners and Runners-Up
| Edition | Years | Winner | Score | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1996–1997 | Lee Changho (KOR) | 3–0 | Yoo Changhyuk (KOR) |
| 2nd | 1997–1998 | O Rissei (JPN) | 3–2 | Yoo Changhyuk (KOR) |
| 3rd | 1998–1999 | Lee Changho (KOR) | 3–0 | Ma Xiaochun (CHN) |
| 4th | 1999–2000 | Yu Bin (CHN) | 3–1 | Yoo Changhyuk (KOR) |
| 5th | 2000–2001 | Lee Changho (KOR) | 3–2 | Lee Sedol (KOR) |
| 6th | 2001–2002 | Yoo Changhyuk (KOR) | 3–2 | Cho Hunhyun (KOR) |
| 7th | 2002–2003 | Lee Sedol (KOR) | 3–1 | Lee Changho (KOR) |
| 8th | 2003–2004 | Lee Changho (KOR) | 3–1 | Mok Jinseok (KOR) |
| 9th | 2004–2005 | Cho U (JPN) | 3–1 | Yu Bin (CHN) |
| 10th | 2005–2006 | Gu Li (CHN) | 3–2 | Chen Yaoye (CHN) |
| 11th | 2006–2007 | Chou Chun-hsun (TPE) | 2–1 | Hu Yaoyu (CHN) |
| 12th | 2007–2008 | Lee Sedol (KOR) | 2–1 | Han Sang-hoon (KOR) |
| 13th | 2008–2009 | Gu Li (CHN) | 2–0 | Lee Sedol (KOR) |
| 14th | 2009–2010 | Kong Jie (CHN) | 2–0 | Lee Changho (KOR) |
| 15th | 2010–2011 | Piao Wenyao (CHN) | 2–0 | Kong Jie (CHN) |
| 16th | 2011–2012 | Jiang Weijie (CHN) | 2–0 | Lee Changho (KOR) |
| 17th | 2012–2013 | Shi Yue (CHN) | 2–0 | Won Seongjin (KOR) |
| 18th | 2013–2014 | Tuo Jiaxi (CHN) | 2–1 | Zhou Ruiyang (CHN) |
| 19th | 2014–2015 | Park Junghwan (KOR) | 2–1 | Kim Jiseok (KOR) |
| 20th | 2015–2016 | Kang Dong-yun (KOR) | 2–1 | Park Yeonghun (KOR) |
| 21st | 2016–2017 | Dang Yifei (CHN) | 2–0 | Zhou Ruiyang (CHN) |
| 22nd | 2017–2018 | Xie Erhao (CHN) | 2–1 | Iyama Yuta (JPN) |
| 23rd | 2018–2019 | Yang Dingxin (CHN) | 2–1 | Shi Yue (CHN) |
| 24th | 2019–2020 | Shin Jin-seo (KOR) | 2–0 | Park Junghwan (KOR) |
| 25th | 2020–2021 | Shin Min-jun (KOR) | 2–1 | Ke Jie (CHN) |
| 26th | 2021–2022 | Shin Jin-seo (KOR) | 2–0 | Yang Dingxin (CHN) |
| 27th | 2022–2023 | Ding Hao (CHN) | 2–0 | Yang Dingxin (CHN) |
| 28th | 2023–2024 | Shin Jin-seo (KOR) | 2–0 | Byun Sang-il (KOR) |
| 29th | 2024–2025 | Byun Sang-il (KOR) | 2–1 | Ke Jie (CHN) |
| 30th | 2025–2026 | Shin Min-jun (KOR) | 2–1 | Ichiriki Ryo (JPN) |
| 31st | 2026–2027 | Wang Xinghao (CHN) | 2–1 | Shin Min-jun (KOR) |
By Nation
| Nation | Winners | Runners-Up |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 15 | 17 |
| China | 13 | 12 |
| Japan | 2 | 2 |
| Chinese Taipei | 1 | 0 |
29th LG Cup Controversy (2024–2025)
The 29th LG Cup final attracted significant international attention due to a rules dispute. Byun Sang-il won the best-of-three final after his opponent Ke Jie was disqualified in game 2 for rule violations and forfeited in game 3 following a dispute over a similar violation. Both the penalty loss and forfeit were unprecedented in Go world championship finals.
The rule in question, adopted by the Korea Baduk Association in November 2024, required players to place captured stones on the bowl lid to aid in counting the score. In China, players are accustomed to setting captured stones aside anywhere near the board or returning them to the opponent's bowl.
During game 2, Ke Jie violated the rule twice. The first violation resulted in a two-point penalty and a warning. After a second violation, Ke Jie was penalized with an immediate loss. In game 3, Ke Jie again failed to place captured stones on the bowl lid. The Chinese side objected to the timing of the referee's intervention, arguing that the pause occurred during Byun's turn, giving him extra thinking time. After two hours of unresolved discussion, Ke Jie left the venue, resulting in a loss by default. The Chinese Weiqi Association released a statement rejecting the outcome of game 3. The Korea Baduk Association later issued an apology for the incident.
