[Stones and Stories] Behind the Monumental 1,000 Wins Lies Hundreds of Defeats

Won Seongjin's 24-Year Journey to 1,000 Wins
Made Possible by Over 500 Defeats
Lessons from Failure Leave a Lasting Impact

Professional Go player Won Seongjin 9-dan has achieved another monumental record: 1,000 wins. This milestone, reached on April 20, marks him as the 17th domestic professional player to do so. Even Shin Jinseo 9-dan, currently considered the world's strongest, has not yet reached 1,000 wins. According to the Korea Baduk Association, as of the 9th, Shin Jinseo has recorded 698 wins.

Since turning professional in May 1998, Won Seongjin has built this monumental achievement over 24 years and 11 months. It is the result of steadily accumulating wins, one by one, over a long period that has seen the world change twice over. Behind Won Seongjin's record lies another important number that must not be forgotten: 515 losses during his pursuit of over 1,000 wins. Perhaps it was through experiencing more than 500 bitter defeats that such a great record became possible.

Go is truly a mysterious world of competition. Looking back at Go history, there have always been dominant players with overwhelming skill who ruled their eras. Even domestically, there have been world-class players who defined their times, such as Cho Hunhyun, Lee Changho, and Shin Jinseo. However, no player can avoid the ups and downs of defeat. That is Go, and the fate of those who grasp the black and white stones. Every professional Go player cries hundreds of times.

The performance record of the world's strongest player, Shin Jinseo, this year is remarkable. With 45 wins and 3 losses, his winning percentage reaches 0.938. Including the legendary Lee Changho, no domestic player has ever recorded an annual winning percentage above 0.900. It is intriguing to wonder what Shin Jinseo's final winning percentage for this year will be as he continues to write Go history.

Looking at Shin Jinseo's overall record, he has 698 wins and 195 losses. Even the great Shin Jinseo has experienced nearly 200 defeats. It is simply a matter of low probability; any professional player has a chance to beat Shin Jinseo.

What about Seo Bongsoo 9-dan, known as the epitome of "Gochujang Baduk" (spicy Go)? He is another legend who achieved the milestone of 1,000 wins 29 years ago in 1994. He continues to hold the monumental record of 1,753 total wins. An interesting point is that Seo Bongsoo has suffered 1,039 losses. How must he have felt after more than 1,000 defeats in professional tournaments?

There is no such thing as a trivial defeat in the world. The same applies to Go. For a professional player, one loss is an indelible disgrace and pain. Every move made in a lost game is recorded. It becomes a label that haunts them for life. Why did they lose? Why did they make such a foolish move? These questions are exposed to the world.

Defeat is painful and frustrating, but having the scars of mistakes exposed forever must be even more agonizing. There are times when the public witnesses defeated professional players tearing at their hair, slapping their cheeks, or even swallowing their bitter tears. Who else can truly understand the depth of that pain? Go is a harsh world, but it is more forgiving of failure than any other field. Failure itself does not drag life into ruin.

Failure is another valuable life experience. It leaves a deeper impression when one loses by a regrettable move than when one wins by a lucky move. It is engraved in the body as an asset that strengthens the foundation of one's skill. Seo Bongsoo, Won Seongjin, and the great Shin Jinseo have all cried hundreds of times as professional players. Those tears have accumulated, hardened, and hardened again, leading to their current strength.

The reason Go players are respected may not be because of their skill, but because of their attitude of not yielding to defeat, and the "tempering of patience" that makes it possible.