'I'm done!' Go star Ke Jie resigns from LG Cup final amid penalty dispute
Edited by Zhu Qing. Subtitles by Zhu Qing.
Chinese Go star Ke Jie criticizes the two-point penalty, arguing that the referee's intervention during Byun's turn provided his opponent with unfair additional thinking time during the 29th LG Cup World Go Championship final on January 23.
"I'm done!" Chinese Go star Ke Jie resigned from Thursday's 29th LG Cup World Go Championship final, citing a controversial rule. The Chinese Go Association later stated not to accept the match result.
The dispute began in Game 2 on Wednesday, when Ke Jie was penalized for not placing a captured "dead stone" on the bowl lid, as per the new rules of the Korean Go Association.
The rule states that failing to place captured stones on the lid results in a two-point penalty.
Ke and his coach protested, arguing that this infraction had never been penalized before, but the referee upheld the rule, which has been in effect since the 2023 Samsung Cup.
Ke Jie was ruled to lose after being penalized for the same reason twice, marking the first loss due to rule violations in a Go World Championship final.
In Thursday's Game 3, Ke was again penalized for a similar infraction at move 155.
Frustrated by the timing of the referee's intervention – during Byun's turn – Ke argued that it unfairly gave Byun extra thinking time.
"They should notify me after my turn, not his," Ke said angrily. "I tolerated it once, but this is too much. I'm done!"
He requested a rematch, but the Korean side insisted on upholding the penalty.
After a two-hour suspension, Ke briefly returned, then packed his belongings and withdrew, handing Byun the 2:1 victory.
The decision has sparked outrage among Chinese netizens, accusing South Korean referees of unfair enforcement. Criticism also extended to China's national team head coach Yu Bin, who remarked after Wednesday's loss that players needed to "correct bad habits."
A staff member from the Chinese Go Association added to the controversy by posting, "Rules are rules, and they weren't made today," during the live broadcast. The association has vowed to improve internal management.
Tao Xin, a Chinese professional Go player, told the Global Times that differences in playing habits and rules make Chinese players more prone to violations under South Korea's latest rules.
While Go rules in China, Japan, and South Korea are largely compatible, the key difference lies in handling captured (dead) stones and calculating scores.
"Chinese Go rules don't strictly require keeping dead stones, and players usually return them to the container after the game," said former national champion Meng Tailing.
"In contrast, South Korean and Japanese players are accustomed to first marking the empty spaces on the board, and then adding the dead stones from both players' containers to calculate the final score," he added.
