Cho Hun-hyun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cho Hunhyun |
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| Full name | Cho Hunhyun |
| Nickname | The God of War |
| Hangul | 조훈현 |
| Hanja | 曺薰鉉 |
| Revised Romanization | Jo Hun-hyeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Cho Hun-hyŏn |
| Born | 10 March 1953 Mokpo, South Jeolla, South Korea |
| Residence | Seoul, South Korea |
| Teacher | Kensaku Segoe, Hideyuki Fujisawa |
| Turned pro | 1962 (Korea) 1966 (Japan) |
| Rank | 9 dan |
| Affiliation | Hanguk Kiwon |
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Cho Hun-hyun
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조훈현
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| Secretary-General of the Future Korea Party | |
| In office 6 February 2020 – 21 March 2020 |
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| President | Han Sun-kyo |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Yeom Dong-yeol |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 30 May 2016 – 29 May 2020 |
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| Constituency | Proportional representation |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Future Korea |
Cho Hunhyun (Korean: 조훈현; born 10 March 1953) is a famous South Korean professional Go player. Go is a strategy board game. Many people think he is one of the greatest Go players ever.
Cho became a professional Go player in Korea in 1962. He has won 150 professional titles, which is more than any other player in the world! He also won 11 international titles. Only two other players have won more. By 1995, he had won 1,000 games in his career.
Contents
Early Life and Go Training
Cho started learning Go when he was only four years old. He passed the test to become a professional player in 1962. The next year, he was invited to Japan to study Go.
In Japan, Cho studied under a famous teacher named Kensaku Segoe. Segoe also taught other legendary Go players. Even though Cho was a 2-dan professional in Korea, he started as a 4-kyu in Japan. This shows how tough the training was!
Becoming a Double Professional
Three years later, Cho passed the professional exam in Japan. This made him the first player to have professional certificates from two different Go groups. During this time, he met Hideyuki Fujisawa, another top Go player. Fujisawa became Cho's mentor, and they stayed friends for many years.
In 1972, Cho returned to Korea for his required military service. After that, he won his first Go title in 1973. He beat Kim In in the 14th Chaegowi tournament.
Rivalry with Seo Bongsoo
Later in 1973, Cho lost his first title to his rival, Seo Bongsoo. Cho and Seo have played against each other in 65 tournament finals. Cho won 53 of those matches! Their last title match was in 2010.
Cho kept winning many titles. He won the Paewang title sixteen times in a row, from 1977 to 1992. In 1980, he held nine titles at the same time! He did this again in 1982 (ten titles) and 1986 (eleven titles).
First Korean 9-Dan Player
In 1982, Cho became the first Korean player to reach the highest rank, 9-dan. This was a huge achievement in the world of Go.
Winning the Ing Cup
Cho was the only Korean player invited to the 1st Ing Cup. This was a big international tournament. He played against top players from Japan and China. Cho won his first two matches. Then, he won his semi-final match.
In the final, Cho played against Nie Weiping. It was a best-of-five match. Cho won the first game, but Nie won the next two. The match went to a fifth and final game. Cho won that last game, becoming the champion of the 1st Ing Cup!
Teaching Lee Chang-ho
In 1984, Cho started teaching a young player named Lee Chang-ho. Two years later, Lee became a professional player. He soon started challenging Cho in tournaments.
By 1989, Lee Chang-ho beat Cho for the first time in a title final. In 1992, Lee took the Paewang title from Cho. Cho had defended this title for sixteen years! Their rivalry continued for many years. Lee Chang-ho eventually won more titles against Cho in their final matches.
Life in Politics
Cho Hunhyun later decided to get involved in politics. In March 2016, he joined a political party called the Saenuri Party. He was elected to the National Assembly, which is like the parliament of South Korea. He served as a member of the National Assembly from 2016 to 2020.
In 2020, Cho was also appointed as the Secretary-General of a new political party, the Future Korea Party.
Promotion Record
| Rank | Year | Notes |
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| 1 dan | 1962 / 1966 | |
| 2 dan | ||
| 3 dan | ||
| 4 dan | ||
| 5 dan | 1972 | |
| 6 dan | ||
| 7 dan | ||
| 8 dan | ||
| 9 dan | 1982 |
Go Titles and Achievements
Cho Hunhyun holds the record for the most Go titles won in Korea. He is also third in the world for international titles. He has won a total of 150 titles in his career!
| Domestic Titles (in Korea) | ||
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| Title | Wins | Runners-up |
| Guksu | 16 | 8 |
| Myungin | 12 | 7 |
| KBS Cup | 11 | 2 |
| Wangwi | 13 | 7 |
| Chaegowi | 15 | 8 |
| Gukgi | 12 | 3 |
| Paewang | 20 | 2 |
| Kiwang | 12 | 3 |
| Total Domestic Titles | 139 | 67 |
| International Titles | ||
| Ing Cup | 1 | |
| Samsung Cup | 2 | |
| Chunlan Cup | 1 | |
| Fujitsu Cup | 3 | 1 |
| Asian TV Cup | 2 | 3 |
| Tong Yang Cup | 2 | |
| Total International Titles | 11 | 6 |
| Career Total | ||
| Overall Total Titles | 150 | 73 |
Books by Cho Hunhyun
Cho Hunhyun has also written books about his life and the game of Go.
- The Power of Master's Thinking (2015)
- Go with the Flow (2018) - This book is his autobiography. It shares stories about Go and life. He talks about what he learned from playing Go for over 56 years. He has won 1,935 matches and 160 championship titles!
