Lai Junfu | Player Profile | PlayGo.gg

Beat Shin Jinseo in a final

Biography

Lai Junfu (born 2002) turned professional in Taiwan in 2016 and is one of the youngest members of the island's top group, with a fighting style that suits fast time controls.

He represented Taiwan at the 2023 Asian Games and has picked up main-draw wins in the LG Cup and MLily Cup, including over Kang Dongyun and Tang Weixing.

His most remarkable result came in August 2024, when he beat world number one Shin Jinseo by half a point in the final of the 10th Guksu Mountains International.

vs. Shin Jinseo, 10th Guksu Mountains International, Final

August 5, 2024

Lai took Black against Shin Jinseo, the world's number one by a wide margin, and won the final by half a point. Wins over Shin in a final are rare for anyone, let alone a 22-year-old ranked outside the top 50.

Shin Jinseo led this final for a long time, and Lai was down to 15% when he played L14 in the centre on move 231. Shin's O10 on move 232 was the mistake, and Lai's winrate jumped to 64%. O11, one point higher, was the move, one that a fifth of 9-dan players would find. Lai won by half a point.