In the 29th LG Cup,
Byun Sang-il won the best-of-three final after his opponent
Ke Jie was disqualified in game 2 for rule violations and forfeited in game 3 after a dispute over another similar rule violation. Both the losses by penalty and forfeit were unprecedented in Go world championship finals. The rule, adopted by the Korea Baduk Association in November 2024, required players to place captured stones on the bowl lid, to keep track of them as an aid to counting the score. Reflecting differences in
scoring systems, there is no such rule in China, where players may be accustomed to setting captured stones aside anywhere near the board or putting the stones back into their opponent's bowl. In the third game the next day, Ke Jie once again failed to place two captured stones on the bowl lid after capturing them. Ke Jie and the Chinese side objected to timing of the referee's intervention, because the referee paused the game several moves later, during Byun's turn, without requiring him to decide his next move before the pause. Ke Jie considered it unfair to resume the game after the pause had given Byun extra thinking time. Rather than resuming the game with a two-point penalty, Ke Jie asked for a rematch. No agreement was reached after two hours, and Ke Jie left the venue, resulting in a loss by default. The Chinese Weiqi Association released a statement saying that they did not accept the outcome of the third game. Byun Sang-il said he felt uncomfortable with the result and understood Ke Jie's position. The Korea Baduk Association issued an apology for the incident. == Footnotes ==