Lee Chang-ho vs Ma Xiaochun

August 3, 1996. Kudan Kaikan, Tokyo. Two of the world's strongest players met in the final of the 9th Fujitsu Cup, the longest-running international go championship of its era. Lee Chang-ho of Korea, Black, 21 years old and already feared for his imperturbable style, faced Ma Xiaochun of China, White, the reigning champion and his country's first-ever winner of a world title. In a single winner-take-all game with 5.5 komi and three hours of main time each, Lee prevailed by resignation after 165 moves. It was his first Fujitsu Cup victory, worth 20 million yen, and one of four world titles he captured in 1996 alone.

The Fujitsu Cup

Launched in 1988 and sponsored by Fujitsu and the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Fujitsu Cup (officially the World Go Championship) was among the most prestigious events on the international calendar. Unlike many other world finals, it was decided in a single game rather than a multi-game match: one afternoon at the board, no second chance. The 9th edition drew 24 professionals from Japan, China, Korea, and the wider world, with the previous year's top finishers seeded into the second round. Ma Xiaochun entered as the defending champion, having defeated Kobayashi Koichi in the 8th Fujitsu final in 1995 to become China's first world champion.

Stone Buddha and the Demon Blade

The styles could hardly have been more contrasting. Lee Chang-ho, trained by Cho Hunhyun, had earned the nickname "Stone Buddha" (Seokbul) for his calm, thick play and devastating endgame. He built safe, patient positions and waited for the smallest error to convert into a winning margin. Ma Xiaochun, a prodigy promoted to 9-dan at 18, was China's dominant force of the early 1990s: light, agile, and famously unpredictable. Chinese fans called him "Demon Blade" (Yaodao) for the way his sharp, fluid attacks could slash through an opponent's framework. By 1996 he held a record thirteen consecutive Mingren titles and had swept China's domestic scene. Yet Lee was the rising sun of Korean go, and this final was already a rematch of sorts: in March 1996, Lee had beaten Ma 3 games to 1 in the final of the Tongyang Securities Cup.

Road to the Final

Both players navigated a demanding four-month knockout bracket. Ma Xiaochun's path included a narrow half-point win over Kobayashi Satoru in the quarterfinal and a 5.5-point victory over fellow Chinese star Liu Xiaoguang in the semifinal at Osaka's Toyo Hotel on July 6. Lee Chang-ho's route was equally testing: he eliminated Nie Weiping and O Meien, then in the same semifinal round defeated Kobayashi Koichi by 7.5 points. On the same August 3 programme, Kobayashi Koichi beat Liu Xiaoguang in the third-place playoff. The main event, however, belonged to the Korean teenager and the Chinese champion.

The Final Game

Lee took Black without handicap. The opening developed into a modern Chinese-style formation: corner approaches, side extensions, and a contested framework in the centre. Ma fought with his characteristic flair, seeking complications where his reading could shine. Lee responded in character, securing his groups before pressing for advantage, never rushing where patience paid more. As the middle game gave way to the endgame, the balance tipped irreversibly toward Black. Ma, running low on workable options, resigned on move 165. The game record notes that both players had consumed nearly their full time: Lee 2 hours 46 minutes, Ma 2 hours 59 minutes of the three-hour allowance.

Lee's Year of Dominance

Contemporary Korean press hailed the result as confirmation that Lee was the world's strongest active player. His 1996 trophy haul was extraordinary: team gold at the Jinro Cup in February, the Tongyang Securities Cup over Ma in March, the TV Asia Cup in May, and now the Fujitsu Cup in August. Only the Ing Cup, where he fell to Yoo Chang-hyuk in the quarterfinal, interrupted an otherwise perfect international season. For Ma, the loss began a painful pattern: he would reach several more world finals against Lee and other Korean stars in the years ahead, often falling just short despite playing at the highest level.

Why This Game Matters

The 1996 Fujitsu final is remembered as a generational handover on the world stage. Ma Xiaochun had proved that China could win global titles; Lee Chang-ho proved that Korea would dominate them. The patient, scientific Korean style that Lee embodied would define the next decade of professional go, while Ma's brilliant but ultimately insufficient fight illustrated the difficulty of beating the Stone Buddha at his own tempo. It was not a game of single-move fireworks but of pressure, thickness, and the quiet certainty that the score was moving in one direction. That, in the end, was Lee Chang-ho's art.

Primary sources for this account include the Nihon Ki-in Fujitsu Cup archive (9th edition results), tournament records at GoGoD and Sensei's Library, the authentic game record (SGF, RE[B+R], KM[5.5]), and contemporary reporting by the JoongAng Ilbo.