Go Star Shin Jin-seo Holds Korea's No. 1 Ranking for 82 Straight Months as Race for Second Place Tightens

SEOUL, South Korea — Shin Jin-seo has held the top spot in South Korea's professional Go rankings for an 82nd consecutive month, extending one of the longest reigns in the history of the ancient board game, while the battle for second place has narrowed to just seven points.

The October rankings, released Monday by the Korea Baduk Association, showed Shin on top with 10,426 points after he won both of his matches in September.

Shin, widely regarded as the world's strongest Go player, has been ranked No. 1 in South Korea every month since January 2020.

Unbeaten in September

Shin's two September victories came in the 49th SG Cup Hankook Ilbo Myeongin tournament, one of South Korea's oldest and most prestigious Go competitions. The wins added eight points to his total.

His most significant victory came in the winners' final, where he defeated Park Junghwan, the country's second-ranked player. The win put Shin in a strong position to defend his Myeongin title and claim the championship for a second consecutive year.

Go, known as baduk in Korea, weiqi in China and igo in Japan, is a two-player strategy game that originated in China thousands of years ago. Players take turns placing black and white stones on a 19-by-19 grid, aiming to surround more territory than their opponent. Despite its simple rules, the game is considered one of the most complex ever devised.

Tight battle for No. 2

Behind Shin, the contest for second place has become increasingly close.

Park, a former world champion who held the No. 1 ranking for years before Shin's rise, went 1-1 in September and added three points, bringing his total to 9,958.

Shin Minjun, ranked third, won his only match of the month to gain seven points, reaching 9,951. The gap between Park and Shin Minjun has narrowed to just seven points, setting up a tight race for second place in the coming months.

Shin Minjun, a former LG Cup world champion, has been one of the country's most consistent performers in recent years.

Top 10 shuffle

Further down the rankings, Byun Sangil and Kang Dongyun held steady at fourth and fifth.

Kim Myounghoon climbed one place to sixth.

Lee Jihyun was among the biggest movers in the top 10. He won both of his matches in September, adding 20 points and rising two spots to seventh.

Kim Jiseok remained in eighth place, while Ahn Sungjoon dropped three places to ninth. Han Seungjoo rounded out the top 10.

Kim Eun-ji leads women's rankings

In the women's rankings, Kim Eun-ji held the No. 1 spot for a second consecutive month.

Kim, one of the brightest young talents in Korean Go, has been steadily climbing the ranks and has emerged as a challenger to the veteran stars of women's baduk.

Choi Jeong, Nakamura Sumire, Oh Yoo-jin and Kim Chae-young held their positions from second through fifth.

Choi, who dominated women's Go for much of the past decade and spent years atop the women's rankings, remains one of the most decorated female players in the game's history.

Nakamura, who was born in Japan and moved to South Korea to compete, has become one of the most closely watched players in the women's game since joining the Korean circuit.

Heo Seo-hyun and Kim Min-seo swapped places, finishing sixth and seventh. Kim Ju-a, Kim Da-young and Cho Seung-a occupied eighth through 10th, unchanged from last month.

Biggest climber

The month's biggest gain among players in the top 100 belonged to Eom Donggeon, who won all six of his matches in September. The perfect record added 55 points to his total and lifted him 15 places to 77th.

How rankings work

The Korea Baduk Association's rankings are calculated using a points system based on the results of official matches. Players gain or lose points depending on the outcome of each game and the strength of their opponents, so a victory over a higher-ranked player is worth more.

The rankings are updated monthly and are closely followed by fans and professionals as a measure of current form.

Shin's dominance

Shin's streak at the top reflects a remarkable run of success that has made him the face of Korean Go.

Since rising to No. 1 in January 2020, Shin has won numerous domestic and international titles and has been a key figure in South Korea's success in team competitions.

He won gold in both the men's individual and team events at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, when Go returned to the Asian Games program. He has also delivered memorable performances in the Nongshim Cup, an annual team competition among players from South Korea, China and Japan, including a string of wins in 2024 that carried South Korea to the title.

Shin is known for his precise, calculating style, which many observers say has been shaped by extensive study with artificial intelligence programs. His nickname among Korean fans is "Shintelligence," a play on his name and his AI-like accuracy.

The rise of AI has transformed professional Go since 2016, when Google DeepMind's AlphaGo defeated South Korean great Lee Sedol in a historic match in Seoul. Since then, top players have increasingly relied on AI tools to study openings and analyze games.

Looking ahead

Shin will next aim to complete his defense of the Myeongin title, while Park and Shin Minjun continue their duel for the No. 2 ranking.

Competition in the coming months is expected to include domestic tournaments as well as major international events, where Korean players will face rivals from China and Japan.

For now, Shin's grip on the top spot shows little sign of loosening as he edges closer to seven full years as South Korea's No. 1 player.