We had the pleasure to meet with the juniors from the Korean Open and Women’s team. Meet 15 year old CM Taehyung Kan, 14 year old Yubin, 14 year old WCM Seyeon Lee and their coach Sanghoon Lee.

To represent Korea at the Olympiad, the players had to first qualify for a tournament and then finish in the top three (or top two in a second tournament). Not only did these juniors qualify this year; Yubin and Seyeon also played in Baku in 2016. In fact, Yubin is already a veteran with also having represented Korea at the Olympiad in Tromso! These teenagers are serious competitors and an inspiration to talk to!

So despite having played at Olympiads before, what are your goals?

Taehyung – I would like to obtain my FM title.

Yubin – Of course a WCM title would be my first goal, but I would like to continue playing against higher rated players.

Since you are competing at international level for several years now, what ages did you start chess and who taught you?

Yubin – I was 5 years old and was taught at a local chess academy.

Taehyung – I stated playing when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I was taught by my GO teacher and then played with my dad.

Seyeon – I started later, when I was 9 years old at my school chess club.

Seyeon played an amazing game in Round 2 against Brazil. Click on the chess board below for the analysis:

How much chess do you study every day?

Taehyung – I am at high school and have lots of homework, so I don’t study chess every day, but catch up with 3-4 hours in the weekend.

Seyeon – approximately 1 hour per day.

Yubin – around 2 hours per day

So what about chess books? Which ones do you love?

Taehyung – I don’t use books much, but I did enjoy 1001 deadly checkmates by John Nunn.

Yubin – I recently acquired 303 tricky checkmates.

Coach Lee – the problem here is that there are not many chess books translated into Korean, making it hard for our juniors to follow when it is written in English. So the books that are available in Korean, are often the puzzle books, hence this is something they study more.

What kind of chess player are you?

Yubin – I have been playing very attacking but am changing more to a more passive style to suit my personality better. With white I tend to play Bishop c4, while with Black I play the Caro-Kann.

Seyeon – I play more protective or defensive. With white I play open and with Black I tend to play Ruy Lopez.

Taehyung – I have always played very tactical but have been transitioning to a more positional style. I have recently been following Silman’s course on chess.com and play the Najdorf with black.

Who is your favourite player of all times?

Taehyung – Mikhail Tahl. He was the player that inspired me to play tactically.

Seyeon – Fabiano Caruana. He has great manners and plays very nicely. I think he has got what it takes to become the next World Champion!

Yubin – Wesley So. His games can be very exciting and active and are a pleasure to watch!

What is the junior chess league like in South Korea?

Coach Lee – It certainly is growing. South Korea only started participating in the Olympiad in 2006 with an Open team for that year and in 2008. In 2010, we also participated with a women’s team for the first time. There are not many long-rated tournaments in South Korea, mainly rapid and blitz tournaments.

 

What are some of the life lessons you have learned through chess?

Yubin – You should always challenge yourself; be active about your decisions (not passive)

Taehyung – Don’t rush anything as you may miss something important

Seyeon – Chess is a great hobby that gives you good logic.]

Lastly, what advice would you give to Australian junior players?

Taehyung – Learn from your mistakes, review your games so you don’t make the same mistake twice

Yubin – Enjoy chess!

Seyeon – Play lots of chess and enjoy it!

Coach Lee – Don’t fear losing, learn from your mistakes.

 

Country facts!

South Korea occupies the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula, which extends some 1,100 km from the Asian mainland. Its total area is 100,032 square kilometres. About three thousand islands, mostly small and uninhabited, lie off the western and southern coasts of South Korea. The capital is Seoul. South Korea’s population is estimated to be around 50.8 million.