Iyama Yuta, the promising Japanese Meijin, could not stop Xie He 7p from winning his 2^nd consecutive victory.

Xie He 7p's Consecutive Victories Are Different in Quality

In the game 5 of the 11^th Nongship Cup held in Nongshim Hotel in Busan on Jan. 18^th, China's Xie He 7p defeated Japan's Iyama Yuta 9p by resignation after 160 moves. He won 2 consecutive victories which are impressive because he defeated Korea's ¡®20-year-old top player' Kim Jisuk 6p and Japan's 20-year-old Meijin Iyama Yuta 9p. His consecutive victories are different in ¡®quality.'

The game 5 could be reviewed as a well-matched one. However, it was also a game that was not easy enough for Iyama Yuta to ¡®stop' Xie He 7p. After a poor move (the 47^th move) came out in the first skirmish, Iyama played in a thick way but a little too slow to catch up with Xie He. Realizing the gap, Iyama made a key move but it was too late. As Iyama Yuta made sure that his key move failed and resigned, the game 5 ended.

In turn, the game 6 that will take place on 19^th became a very important game that will give Xie He a chance to win his 3^rd consecutive victory. The Korean player who will participate in the game 6 is likely to be Kim Seungjae. Can Korea's Kim Seungjae ¡®stop' Xie He from winning his 3^rd consecutive victory?

The review was very attentive and passionate. For about 20 minutes, both players reviewed the game seriously, pointing out difficult scenes in the game. Iyama Yuta embraced his defeat even though he could not hide his regretful facial expressions.

Being supervised by the Daily Sports, managed by Korea Baduk Association and sponsored by Nongshim Co., Ltd., Nongship Cup is a ring contest where 5 representative players participate to determine the winner country. Korea has won the last Nongship Cup. The champion prize is 200 million won and for the time control, 1 hour and 60 seconds' over time counting are given to each player.

- Byungjun Choi, Cyberoro.com