In the final match of the 15th Chunlan Cup, Park Ting-hwan forced Yang Kaiwen into a decisive game, continuing his pursuit of his first career title.

On the 22nd, during the second game of the finals of the 15th Chunlan Cup World Professional Go Championship held in Shenzhen, South Korean player Park Ting-hwan, playing black, came from behind to defeat Chinese player Yang Kaiwen in 285 moves. The score is now tied at 1-1, and the decisive game will take place on June 23.

The second game of the 15th Chunlan Cup finals has concluded in Shenzhen. Ultimately, South Korean player Park Ting-hwan (right) turned the tables on Yang Kaiwen (left) while playing black.

After leading the game for a significant portion, Yang Kaiwen made several mistakes as the endgame approached. Park Ting-hwan seized the opportunity to counterattack and dramatically turned the tide. Following a loss in the first game of the finals, Park Ting-hwan, who won the second game, will continue to pursue his second Chunlan Cup title—he was the champion of the 12th Chunlan Cup in 2019. Six years ago, in the finals, Park Ting-hwan defeated fellow South Korean player Park Yong-hun with a score of 2-0, claiming his first Chunlan Cup victory.

Since entering the professional ranks in 2006, Park Ting-hwan has won 36 championships and has secured five world titles. However, since winning the Samsung Cup in November 2021, he has not reached the finals of any world tournaments. If he wins the 15th Chunlan Cup, his total number of world championship titles will rise to six. Meanwhile, Yang Kaiwen is competing in a world tournament final for the first time, with the goal of unlocking his first professional title.

The final match will take place on the morning of the 23rd. The championship prize for the 15th Chunlan Cup World Professional Go Championship, organized by the Chinese Go Association and sponsored by Chunlan Enterprises, is $150,000 (approximately 204 million Korean won), while the runner-up will receive $50,000 (around 68 million Korean won). In the previous 14 editions of the Chunlan Cup, South Korean players have won the championship eight times, Chinese players five times, and Japanese players once.