The Korean baduk world will soon enter the era of 100 rising gods. Ipsin is the nickname of the 9th Dan, the highest unit of professional Go. As of the end of March, there are 98 98 members. Kang Seung-min, Han Woong-gyu, and Park Sang-don, 8th dan, are on the verge of promotion, so there is a high possibility that 100 members will be filled within this year.
The 98 are equivalent to 23.3% of the 420 active professional drivers in Korea. That’s a staggering percentage of nearly 1 in 4 people. There is a big difference from the second place, 3rd place (59 people, 14.0%). It is more than four times higher than the lowest rank of 7th (22 students, 5.2%). It is a perfect inverted pyramid shape. Japan (114 students, 23.6%) is similar to Korea, and the ratio of 9th Dan in China (56 students) is estimated at about 7.5%.
Why are there so many 9th gear? This is because it is a peak with no place to climb, and there is no pulpit or retirement age system. In the 69 years since the introduction of the pro team in 1954, 112 9 dan players have been produced, of which only 14 retired (including small) players. It is a structure that has no choice but to increase by 9 stages every year.
In 1982, Cho Hoon-hyeon rose to No. 1 in 9th place in Korea. Since then, the number has increased to 19 in 2000 after breaking through the double digits for the first time in 1996. 40 in 2006 and 50 in 2010 (52) opened. If the number exceeds 100 this year, it will double in just 13 years.
If you look at the active 9th dan list, you can see at a glance the coexistence of the oldest veterans and the youngest top rankers. The former is a ‘Perfect Geunpa’ who has dedicated his life since the dawn of Korean Baduk. Seniors in their 70s are lined up, starting with Ko Jae-hee (84), 9th Dan, who holds the record for the oldest and longest period (59 years and 4 months) among active 9th Dan.
At the bottom of the list are knights of grandchildren, such as Shin Jin-seo, the only one born in the 2000s, 9th Dan, Shin Min-jun, born in 1999, Lee Dong-hoon, and Park Ha-min, born in 1998. They belong to the ‘skip class’ along with the youngest 9th Dan Park Jung-hwan (17 years and 11 months) and the shortest period of success Park Young-hoon (4 years, 7 months and 1 day). Thanks to the special promotion system (introduced in 2003) that raises 3rd dan in world competitions and 1st to 2nd dan in domestic competitions upon winning, these are knights who have reached 9th dan very quickly.
9-dan is also borrowed as the first factor in other fields. In the sense that they have reached the highest level, they are called ‘9th level in politics’ and ‘9th level in speech’. When the Go unit was first subdivided into nine during the Japanese shogunate era, 9 Dan was a symbol of absolute authority that was allowed only to one top player. 메이저사이트
However, when the 9th dan was poured out, the sense of mystery and awe of the highest dan disappeared at some point. Some argue that “it is time to revamp the entire nine-level unit system, including the 9th level.” There is also an unprecedented proposal to add a new story, such as allowing 10 to 11 stages by linking performance and units more firmly.
If the current trend continues, the day when the 9-speed ratio will reach 50% is not far off. It means that the professional baduk world will change to a world of half people and half gods. The explosion of 9-dan is giving the Go world a task of changing ideas according to the trend of the times and seeking a new career path rather than hope.