On January 22, the second game of the LG Cup final between Ke Jie and Byun Sang-il took place. In the first game, Ke Jie won by 2.5 points with black stones, making it a must-win game for Byun Sang-il.
The match started promptly at 9 am. Interestingly, both players continued the strategy from the first game, starting from the two opposite corners on the right top and left bottom.
At move 18, Ke Jie captured one of Byun Sang-il's black stones. No one anticipated that this black stone would trigger an incident in the game.
Following this, both players engaged in a fierce battle on the lower left side, playing out unusual formations. Ke Jie, lacking research on this layout, spent a long time contemplating and made a move where AI did not recommend. This led to Byun Sang-il also being unsure how to proceed due to Ke Jie's unexpected move.
Various commentators felt this was a crucial moment but were unable to make a clear judgment.
While everyone was focused on the game, a sudden unexpected event occurred during the live broadcast.
At move 44, after Ke Jie placed his stone, there was a commotion in the scene. Upon closer inspection, it was the umpire and the Chinese team's head coach, Yu Bin, rushing into the venue. The umpire exchanged words with Ke Jie, after which both players left their seats. The board was covered with a cloth, and the game was sealed.
At this point, there was no official explanation from the scene, leaving chess fans nationwide guessing what had happened.
Some experienced commentators speculated that Ke Jie might have failed to place the captured black stone on the lid according to Korean rules. In Korean rules, the captured stones are counted during the final scoring. However, since Chinese rules do not require counting captured stones, Chinese players do not have this habit. This explanation was accepted by various commentators.
However, the scene soon emptied, and the match was halted.
As of now, the match has not resumed, and both sides are likely negotiating over penalties or warnings, but there is no definitive information.
How this match will unfold remains to be seen in the next update.