Lee Chang-ho, a 51-year-old 9-dan player and a living legend of Korean Go, has become the first player in the history of professional Go to reach 2,000 career wins. It took him 40 years and 2 months to achieve this milestone.
On October 26, during the 11th round of the 2026 Sopalkosanol Legendary League held at the Samnye Cultural Arts Village in Jeonbuk, Lee secured a victory against 9-dan player Choi Myung-hoon after 207 moves.
With this win, Lee's professional record now stands at 2,000 wins, 1 draw, and 830 losses, giving him a winning percentage of 70.67%. He is the first player worldwide to officially reach 2,000 career wins.
The journey to this record began 40 years ago. Lee entered the professional ranks at the age of 11 in August 1986. He recorded his first professional victory on August 26 of the same year at the 62nd Promotion Tournament, defeating Cho Young-sook.
Lee quickly accumulated wins, achieving his first 1,000 victories on October 16, 2000, against 6-dan player An Jo-young, approximately 14 years and 2 months after his first win. At that time, he was 25 years old.
However, it took much longer for him to reach his second 1,000 wins. He achieved his 1,500th win against 9-dan player Choi Cheol-han in January 2010, followed by his 1,800th win in February 2021 and his 1,900th win in September 2024. Finally, on this day, exactly 26 years and 10 days after his first 1,000 wins, he celebrated his 2,000th victory.
Lee won his first title at the age of 14 years and 1 month during the 8th KBS Go Championship in 1989. In 1992, he became the youngest world champion at 16 years and 6 months by winning the 3rd Dongyang Securities Cup.
He later led the golden age of Korean Go, notably winning five consecutive matches against Chinese and Japanese players as the last representative of Korea in the 2005 Nongshim Shin Ramyeon Cup, a series of matches known as the 'Battle of Shanghai.'
On December 1 of last year, he surpassed his mentor Cho Hun-hyeon’s previous record of 1,968 wins by defeating 9-dan player Kim Soo-jang, marking his 1,969th victory.
Notably, Kim was also the opponent Lee faced in the finals when he won his first title in 1989, making this record-breaking moment particularly significant.
Upon achieving this historic milestone, Lee expressed, "It is an honor and a joy to set a historic record of 2,000 wins. I am happy and delighted to continue playing Go, a game I have loved since childhood."
The Korea Baduk Association plans to hold a ceremony to commemorate Lee's 2,000th win on November 3.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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