Lee Chang-ho Wins His 2,000th Pro Game, a First in Baduk History, 40 Years After Turning Pro

Win No. 2,000 came in 207 moves, playing Black

In Round 11 of the Legend League, held at the Samnye Cultural Arts Village in Wanju, North Jeolla, Lee took Black against Choi and won by resignation after 207 moves.

His career record now stands at 2,000 wins, 1 draw and 830 losses in 2,831 games, a 70.67% win rate.

It took 26 years to get from 1,000 to 2,000

His first win came on Aug. 26, 1986, against Jo Yeong-suk, then a 1-dan. The 1,000th followed on Oct. 16, 2000, the 1,500th in January 2010, the 1,800th in February 2021 and the 1,900th in September 2024.

Last December he passed his teacher Cho Hun-hyun's all-time record with win No. 1,969, and he has added 31 more since.

Cho Hun-hyun is next, 32 wins back

Behind Lee, Cho Hun-hyun has 1,968 wins, Seo Bong-su 1,828, Yoo Chang-hyuk 1,489, Lee Sedol 1,324 and Choi Cheol-han 1,309. Shin Jin-seo has not yet reached 1,000. Japan's most prolific winner, Cho Chikun, hit 1,600 in December 2023.

"First in the world" comes with a footnote: Sports Kyunghyang notes it is a first within what Korean and Japanese official records can confirm, and that China has no organised official win tally to compare. On titles, Lee's 17 major world titles are a record, and his 142 titles overall are second to Cho Hun-hyun's 162.

He only learned a few days ago that it was close

"I am very happy. To set such a big record after playing for so long is an honour for me personally," Lee said. He added that he only found out a few days earlier that 2,000 wins were within reach.