On July 13, Park Junghwan defeated Chen Yaoye by 1.5 points to win the China-Korea Tianyuan-Chunwon match. The revised record between the two players is now 2-4 in favor of Chen Yaoye. The following interview is after Park Junghwan won his second and decisive game.
Q: Congratulations on your win. Please briefly comment about the game.
Park Junghwan: This was a very difficult win; I am very pleased about it. Because my record against Chen Yaoye has not been good, I very much wanted to succeed.
Q: Before the match you said that you had played through many of Chen Yaoye's games. Was this effective?
Park Junghwan: Yes, I played through about eighty games. Though I did not review them completely, my research was of some assistance.
Q: After you lost the first match, did you feel any pressure?
Park Junghwan: I did not cease to strive my hardest. I could not allow myself to get distracted. Also, I absolutely wanted to avoid a consecutive loss.
Q: You cared deeply about losing two in a row?
Park Junghwan: Yes. The fear of losing becomes a habit. Now with two straight wins I have regained my confidence.
Q: What is your reaction to winning the China-Korea Tianyuan-Chunwon match?
Park Junghwan: From the beginning of the match I was fatigued from catching a cold. Now that the match is over it is as though a burden has been lifted; now I will have a good rest. (laugh)
Q: The previous winners of the China-Korea Tianyuan-Chunwon match have been regarded as the world's strongest Go players. How do you feel about this?
Park Junghwan: There is still a gap between those players and myself, but I still have some time to reach a high level.
Q: How would you assess your opponent, Chen Yaoye?
Park Junghwan: He made almost no mistakes; his style is very thick.
Q: What is your biggest goal for the year?
Park Junghwan: Winning a gold medal at the Asian Games so I can avoid military service.
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As an aside, Park Junghwan and Chen Yaoye were "interviewed" at the opening banquet--but with special conditions. Reporters asked the two players questions, and the players had three seconds to provide a satisfactory answer. Failure to comply resulted in a penalty drink for that player's national delegation.
The most interesting question was: "Which three players would you rather avoid in international tournaments?" Park's answer was: "Lee Sedol, Kong Jie, and Gu Li." Chen Yaoye's answer was "Only Kong Jie."
Lol at Chen aka Kong Jie's fanboy.
