Stomping Grounds
The Samsung Cup, one of the biggest international go tournaments of the year, is just around the corner. I love tournaments like this, particularly because we get to see players from non-major regions go up against top-tier competitors. Even though these players often face tough challenges and usually lose in the first round, I’m always on the lookout for exciting upsets.
Today’s article isn’t about the Samsung Cup itself though but rather about the world qualifying tournament leading up to it. In the main event, we see players from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and China where they have seeds or their own qualifying tournaments. This makes sense, as these regions are home to some of the best players in the world. However, there’s also a unique spot known as the “world qualifier,” which allows high-level amateur players from other regions to compete for a chance to play in the Samsung Cup.
This year, the finals of the world qualifier featured Remi Campagnie from France and Sornarra Pongsakam from Thailand. I was especially excited this year because Remi Campagnie was doing so well after studying in China and he had made it all the way to the final round. You can watch my video review of their exciting game in the link below.
Commented SGF (I recommend opening with cgoban or something else other than OGS comments won't load on OGS I don't know why.)
In the end, Sornarra Pongsakam came out victorious. Even though I am sad that Remi Campagnie didn't make it to the finals I am still excited to see how well Sornarra Pongsakam fairs as this will be the first time we’ll see a player from Thailand in the Samsung Cup qualifiers. Last year, we got to see Andrii Kravets compete, and I’m eager to see what Sornarra can achieve this year.
You can find a link to the list of players who qualified here. Do you think Sornarra has a chance against any of these players? If not, is there a particular match-up you’d like to see? Let me know in the comments section, and I hope you enjoy the video review!
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