Lee Chang Ho

Lee Chang-ho (Korean: Changho Lee, July 29, 1975 -) is a Go player born in Jeonju City, Jeollabuk-do, South Korea. The second generation master of Korean Go. He entered Dan in 1986 at the age of 11, second only to Cho Hun-hyun who entered the 9th Dan at the age of 9. In 1992, he won the Toyo Securities Cup under the age of 16 years and 6 months, and is still the youngest person to win the world Go championship. In 1996, the Korean Chess Academy granted him direct promotion to ninth dan. He has won all Korean domestic championships and the World Chess Grand Slam. His active period in the international chess world was from 1992 to 2012, and the period from 1996 to 2006 was recognized as the "Lee Chang-ho era" in the chess world. He has won 17 world championships and 21 international championships in his career, still ranking first in history. Lee Chang-ho is not only the king of the individual competition, but also the hero of the team competition. With his unshakable willpower, he achieved 14 consecutive victories in the Three Kingdoms Arena, 9 arena terminators, and a total score of 29 wins and 7 losses. He was hailed as the "Patron Saint" by Korean chess fans, and the "Iron Gate" by Chinese and Japanese chess fans in despair. Lee Chang-ho, Cho Hoon-hyun, Seo Bong-soo, and Yoo Chang-hyuk are known as the "Four Kings of Korea". Together with Lee Sedol, Park Young-hun and Choi Cheol-han, they are known as the "New Four Heavenly Kings". Because their age, name pronunciation, and domestic record are similar to those of China's Chang Hao 9th Dan, the two are known as the "peerless twins." However, in terms of international performance or battle record, Chang Hao is far inferior. Lee Chang-ho's Go journey began with his grandfather's enlightenment, and was later accepted as a disciple by Cho Hun-hyun 9th Dan, becoming the second generation leader of Ken Segotsu's sect. Li Jiuduan has a strong chess style, similar to Lin Haifeng. However, his ability to judge the situation is stronger, especially in the final game. The official is very strong. He has made half-eye comebacks many times and won the reputation of "the best official in the world". He has been regarded as a tough opponent by his master Cao Xunxuan 9th Dan, China's Ma Xiaochun 9th Dan, Chang Hao 9th Dan, Japan's Zhao Jixun 9th Dan, etc. Li Changhao was regarded by Wu Qingyuan as a genius chess player who had worked hard for many years. He was unique in the calculation of officials and had a significant impact on the development of Go in the world. As the former number one player in the world, although he has faded away from the front line, he still occasionally produces outstanding works. In the 2018 China-Korea League Championship Match, he helped the Cheongkwanjang team win the championship with two consecutive victories, once again staged the "Return of the King". Lee Chang-ho can often be seen in various invitational tournaments with numerous titles, reflecting his huge influence among chess fans.