Ilya Shikshin faced his toughest opposition in the first and last rounds of the Korea Prime Minister Cup. Emura Kikou faced his toughest opponent in round four. Both ended with five wins, and SOS points put the Japanese player fifth and the Russian sixth in the final standings. Before the standings were announced, Ranka asked the two for their opinions about their crucial games and about the entire tournament.

Ilya Shikshin: The game I just played against the player from Taiwan was exciting, because it was the last round and the winner would get a high finish, but we both made many mistakes, so I can’t say it was a good game. I won, but I don’t feel satisfied about the tournament. I didn’t play as well as I played in Japan a month ago. When I was playing the player from Hong Kong in the first round, my feeling was that he was not stronger than me, maybe even weaker than me, but I lost because I made too many mistakes. Then because of the pairings in the next few rounds, for me it became more like a festival than a sporting competition. Of course it was fun, but I also felt disappointed. I came here intending to play for the championship.

Emura Kikou: Aside from the Chinese player, all my opponents were European, except for the Thai opponent in the last round. The Thai and European players were strong. Their level is high, and after three straight wins on the first day I felt happy with the way I was playing. Going on to lose to the Chinese player in the crucial game the next morning, in the fourth round, was a bitter pill. I was trying to play calmly. My opponent made some mistakes; I had plenty of chances; but I didn’t have the strength to take advantage them, and I made one big mistake myself. There was a move I just didn’t see. At least I was able to put it behind me in the last two rounds. Taking the tournament overall, I guess I played up to my usual standard, but I still feel terrible about the game I lost. I’ll be returning to Korea for the World Amateur Go Championship next July–I’ll try for a better result then.