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GO WORLD: Lee Sedol 9P on Genius, Luck and Inner Strength

“I don’t know whether or not I’m a genius. Even if they call me a genius, I am not sure if it is a suitable term. And even if it is a suitable term, you really have to like go in order to keep playing. But I do like go very much. In that sense, anyone who keeps playing go could be called a genius.” “If a player has a natural source of momentum and vigor, I believe that somehow changes into luck. So in a sense there is a vigor in me that just wells up. I think that is the source of my strength. This inner strength is necessary. In international tournaments and those in Korea and China, three hours has become standard, so I think that explosive power is required to exert all your strength in a short time.” - excerpted from the Autumn 2010 issue of Go World, the quarterly magazine covering the international go scene; interview by Miyazaki Yutaro 6P, translated by Rob van Zeijst. The Member's Edition of the E-Journal includes an excerpt of the Fujitsu final game, with commentary by Kobayashi Satoru; click here to sign up for the Member's Edition. For more on Sedol (Yi Se-tol), click here for his entry on Sensei’s Library and here for the Wikipedia entry.