On Hong Jin Kyung's 'The real genius who loves studying,' Go player Lee Sedol explained his life as seen through baduk.
On the 30th on Hong Jin Kyung's YouTube channel 'The real genius who loves studying,' a video titled 'What did Lee Sedol do as soon as he beat AlphaGo and went home? (Hong Jin Kyung vs. gomok match, the last kiss)' was released.
On that day Lee Sedol explained the basics of baduk for Hong Jin Kyung and the production team. At the production team's suggestion, Lee Sedol even played a baduk match. He naturally said they could not win, which angered them, but his remark was not an overstatement because he believes baduk is a discipline and a game that takes nearly three years to learn, pouring in half that time.
Having caught the bug for baduk in the match with Lee Sedol, Hong Jin Kyung said, "From now on I will study people," and mentioned Lee Sedol's baduk life. Born the youngest of three sons and two daughters, Lee Sedol started playing baduk early under the guidance of his father and older siblings. Of course his baduk was not solely based on early education; he also had talent. Lee Sedol said bluntly, "I just enjoy winning; I even beat the older boys in the neighborhood. That felt good. Actually there is something called 'gijae.' It's the talent for baduk, and up to a certain level it doesn't matter. If one reaches the professional level, then it must be there."
Regarding comparisons with senior players Cho Hunhyun and Lee Changho, Lee Sedol said, "Cho Hunhyun, the grandmaster, won the Ing Cup, the first World Baduk Championship among China, Japan and Korea, and led the revival of baduk in Korea. And Lee Changho 9-dan changed the paradigm. I have beaten him in matches, but changing the paradigm is something else," adding, "I could not do that," he said humbly.
The name Lee Sedol, prodigious talent shown since childhood, early professional entrance and countless victories, and Lee Sedol who held the No. 1 ranking for four consecutive years—yet he decided to retire at 36. The birth of artificial intelligence was the backdrop to this decision. However, Lee Sedol was the only human to have beaten the AI AlphaGo.
Lee Sedol said, "I am the only person who beat it, but I am also the only person who lost to it. Ke Jie 9-dan played AlphaGo's higher version. Of course he lost. A human cannot win. So I don't think it was considered an official match," adding, "I might be the only person to have both beaten it and lost to it."
He said, I think I chose the right time to retire. I did it in 2019. Artificial intelligence was absolute. There was a question about my necessity. Without professionals like me, baduk technology would stop. I thought people like me would inspire others, but artificial intelligence became so strong that technical development became impossible. Baduk is about learning from each other, and the birth of artificial intelligence ended the world of baduk he knew.
However, as a passage from his bitter book says, "What matters in baduk and life is finding the move you can find at this moment," he is seeking a new path. He recently drew attention as a game changer immersed in the survival game The Devil's Plan 2, and online a user's nickname circulated, suggesting secretly that the gomok games played were actually by Lee Sedol. He is actually planning to create a board game to make entry into baduk easier. For someone like Lee Sedol, what is the best move in life?
Hong Jin Kyung asked, "What is the 'divine move' in your life, sir?" Lee Sedol replied, "All decisions were good moves, but I think marrying was really a good choice," adding, "It's been nearly 10 years since we married. There have been many things, but we didn't fight that much. My wife is very accommodating. I was sensitive as a professional player, and my wife took on a lot of the childcare," expressing love and gratitude for his wife.
[Photo source] 'The real genius who loves studying,' Hong Jin Kyung YouTube channel
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