[8th Wu Qingyuan Cup Finals] Kim Eunji and Choi Jeong to fight it out to decide the world’s top female player
Kim Eunji 9p (left) won against Zhou Hongyu 7p (right) in the semi-finals
Choi Jeong 9p (left) won against Ueno Asami 6p (right) in the semi-finals
In a twist of fate, Choi Jeong 9p and Kim Eunji 9p, the top two female players from Korea, ended up fighting for the champion in the finals best-of-three of the 8th Wu Qingyuan cup. Even considering all international women’s tournaments, this is the first all-Korean final in seven years, the last being the 9th Bingshen Cup (Choi Jeong vs. Oh Yujin) in November 2018.
Both of them were seeded in the round of 16. Kim Eunji won against China’s top players Gao Xing 5p, Yu Zhiying 8p and Zhou Hongyu 7p to get into the finals. On the other hand, Choi Jeong won against Zhao Yifei 6p, Fujisawa Rina 7p and the defending champion Ueno Asami 6p to get into the finals.
This is Kim Eunji’s first time in a world tournament finals. Choi Jeong has won the Wu Qingyuan Cup 3 times before, namely in the 2nd, 4th and 6th edition of the tournament. If we believe in the pattern of even numbers, there’s a high chance that Choi Jeong will win this 8th edition of the tournament as well.
In their head-to-head record, Choi Jeong holds the lead with 19 wins and 7 losses. They have faced each other in domestic finals six times, resulting in five championships for Choi Jeong and one for Kim Eunji.
The finals will be played as a best-of-three series starting on 7th December. The time control is 2 hours, followed by five 1-minute byoyomi periods.
The prize money for the 8th Wu Qingyuan Cup is distributed as follows: 500,000 Yuan for the winner, 200,000 Yuan for the runner-up, 70,000 Yuan for the Top 4, 40,000 Yuan for the Top 8, 30,000 Yuan for the Round of 16, and 20,000 Yuan for the Round of 24.
You can view their interviews after their semi-finals games here.
Finals Game 1/3 Streams
Game 1 will start at 2025-12-07T04:00:00Z
Choi Jeong 9p VS Kim Eunji 9p
Poll: What do you think will be the final result?
- Choi Jeong 2-1 Kim Eunji
- Choi Jeong 2-0 Kim Eunji
- Kim Eunji 2-0 Choi Jeong
- Kim Eunji 2-1 Choi Jeong
Why does Zhou (alone) wear that thick coat?
Either she was sick or she was more susceptible to the cold. They were playing outdoors in winter weather.
I wouldn’t like to be playing go outside this time of year! 
Really nice result though they did a good job! 
-Clink
I played in winter before. My hand was so cold I couldn’t feel the stones
Maybe Ueno Asami will win - I really love her ^^
She’s already eliminated 
yes.. so sad
Oh no!
Choi Jeong vs. Kim Eun-ji | Game 1, 3rd Round, Final, 8th Oh Cheong-won Cup World Women’s Baduk Open LIVE NOW! = https://www.youtube.com/live/VyFUDWrbUE0
gasp
Not a good day for Choi Jeong today…
Finals Game 2/3 Streams
Game 2 will start at 2025-12-08T04:00:00Z
Kim Eunji 9p (1) VS Choi Jeong 9p (0)
Poll: Kim Eunji took the first game. Do you think Choi Jeong can fight back?
- Yes, Choi Jeong will still win by 2-1
- Yes, but Kim Eunji will still win by 2-1
- No, Kim Eunji will win by 2-0
If she was sick, and reached the semifinals — wow. I wish I had that kind of stamina and determination.
Yes, but I have no idea what will happen next.
Nobody has, so just make your best guess 
Finals Game 3/3 Streams
Game 3 will start at 2025-12-09T04:00:00Z
Kim Eunji 9p (1) VS Choi Jeong 9p (1)
Poll: The score is now tied. Who will win the final game?
- Of course it’s the queen Choi Jeong
- Of course Kim Eunji will dethrone the queen
[8th Wu Qingyuan Cup] Kim Eunji beats the Queen Choi Jeong by 2-1 and clinches her first Women’s World Title
In the finals of the 8th Wu Qingyuan Cup, Kim Eunji 9p won against Choi Jeong by 2-1 and clinched her first Women’s World Title. This was also her first time in the finals of a world tournament.
Kim Eunji won the first game, but Choi Jeong managed to win back the second. With the score tied, Choi Jeong made several judgment mistakes in the final game and couldn’t play her usual style. Eventually, Kim Eunji kept the lead until the end, and Choi Jeong had no choice but to resign. Choi Jeong’s pattern of winning the even-numbered editions of the tournament was also broken. (She won the 2nd, 4th and 6th editions of the Wu Qingyuan Cup.)
Both Choi Jeong 9P and Kim Eun-ji 9P, who have an 11-year age difference, first achieved the number one women’s rank in domestic rankings at the age of 17. Choi Jeong surpassed Park Jieun 9P in 2013, and Kim Eunji first overtook Choi Jeong 9P in 2024.
Choi Jeong’s first time as the number one women’s player led to the construction of a ’10-year kingdom.’ Kim Eunji, who currently holds the number one women’s rank after alternating with Choi Jeong since the second half of last year, is attempting to build a new kingdom.
The prize money for the 8th Wu Qingyuan Cup is distributed as follows: 500,000 Yuan for the winner, 200,000 Yuan for the runner-up, 70,000 Yuan for the Top 4, 40,000 Yuan for the Top 8, 30,000 Yuan for the Round of 16, and 20,000 Yuan for the Round of 24.
Congratulations to Kim Eunji!
And congrats to all those who guessed correctly, especially @chaikirbu who guessed it right from the start!