Lee Chang-ho becomes first Korean Go player to reach 2,000 career wins

Lee Chang-ho, a 9-dan Go master widely regarded as a legend of Korean baduk, has become the first player in the history of the game to record 2,000 career wins.

Lee, 51, achieved the milestone Monday at the 11th round of the 2026 Ssopalkosanol Legend League, held at Samnye Culture and Arts Village in Wanju, North Jeolla Province. Playing as the first-board representative for the Hydrogen City Wanju team, he defeated Choi Myung-hun, a fellow 9-dan born in 1975, in 207 moves by resignation with the black stones.

The victory brought Lee's career total to 2,000 wins, making him the first Korean professional Go player to reach that mark in official competition.

His overall record now stands at 2,000 wins, one draw and 830 losses in 2,831 games, a winning rate of 70.7 percent.

The milestone comes less than a year after Lee surpassed his mentor, 9-dan Cho Hun-hyun, whose previous record of 1,968 wins had stood as the all-time high in Korean professional Go. Lee broke that record in December last year and has now pushed his total to 2,000 for the first time.

Lee turned professional in August 1986 and recorded his first win on Aug. 26 of that year, defeating Jo Young-suk at the 62nd Dan Promotion Tournament. Roughly 40 years after that first victory, he has set a new landmark in the history of Korean Go.

Known from an early age as a "Go prodigy," Lee won his first title at the KBS Baduk King Tournament in 1989 at age 14 and in 1992 became the youngest world champion in history at 16 by winning the Dongyang Securities Cup. His calm, unshakeable style of play earned him the nickname "Stone Buddha," and he went on to dominate international competition, winning 17 major world titles.