1-minute News | LG Cup Final: Controversy in G3 between Ke Jie and Byun Sang-il
In the third game of the LG Cup Finals, Chinese Go player Ke Jie faced off against South Korea's Byun Sang-il when the referee intervened and paused the match. Video footage from the scene showed that Ke was furious not due to a foul, but because the referee called for a timeout when it was Byun's turn to play, effectively granting the Korean player unlimited thinking time.
After a two-hour interruption, Ke returned to the playing room, packed his belongings, and left without further comment. Subsequently, the Korean referee announced that Ke would be penalized two points for failing to place his stones in the designated box. After negotiations, Ke requested a rematch but refused to accept the penalty, ultimately choosing to forfeit the game, leading to Byun's victory.
This was not the first controversy of the finals; earlier in the second game, Ke, who was leading 1-0, was penalized for failing to place his stones correctly in the box on two occasions. According to Korean Go rules, this resulted in a loss, leveling the match at 1-1.
Notably, this incident marks the first time a foul has led to a loss in a world championship Go final.
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