Superstar Showdown – Gu Li vs. Lee sedol 10-Game Match

c6a26c53b01385343639[1]On November 24th, the opening of the ‘Mlily Match of the Century’ was held in Beijing. This 10-game match between go superstars Gu Li of China and Lee Sedol of Korea is organised by the Chinese Go Association and the Mlily Group. Mlily is a home deco company whose CEO, Ni Zhanggen is a big fan of go, they are also the organizers of the MlilyCup. It’s the first time that two top players from different countries play a 10-game match and also it’s the 10-game match with the highest prize in history. This is going to be a big game with a lot of attention in 2014. The head of the Chinese Go Association, Liu Siming, and the head of the board of the Mlily group, Ni Zhanggen, attended the opening along with other celebrities.

70 years ago, Go Seigen and Kitani Minoru created the 10-game match of their generation. Since then, there has been no game with such excitement and tension.

Gu Li and Lee Sedol, were both born in 1983, and they are both top level go stars. Both of them have taken world cup titles multiple times (Gu Li has 7 and Lee Sedol has 14). They both have had a tremendous influence on the go world, and their contribution to 21st century go is well recognized. The record between the players is amazingly even, with Lee Sedol having won 18 games and Gu Li 17 games out of the 36 games they played together so far in their professional careers. The two players managed to make one tie game after a famous quadruple ko this year. Needless to say, this will be one of the most anticipated go events in the history of the game.

Here is the schedule for the match:

1st: 26 Jan, Beijing
2nd: 23 Feb, Shanghai
3rd: 30 Mar, Chengdu, Sichuan province
4th: 27 Apr, Korea
5th: 25 May, Shangrila, Yunnan province
6th: 27 Jul, Liuan ,Anhui province
7th: 31 Aug, Lasa, Tibet
8th: 28 Sep, Chongqing
9th: 26 Oct, Hongkong
10th: 30 Nov, Wuhu ,Anhui province