This interview, made by Frantisek Caha, is generously shared by Jena International Go School, where Valerii is often a teacher.
Valerii was the representant for Ukraine at the 19th Korea Prime Minister Cup, organised in Taebaek, South Korea; this year in September. After 7 rounds, Valerii ended-up with 6 victories, ranking at the 3rd place of the tournament.

Q: Hello Valerii, congratulations on your incredible achievement of finishing 3rd at the 19th Korean Prime Minister Cup! This is a huge success for both Ukraine and Europe. How does it feel to have reached such a high position, especially considering that only one European player before you has managed to achieve this? Also, what were your expectations before the tournament?

I played in KPMC last year and I was 5th, so before the tournament I was expecting about the same result. However, this year I was a bit lucky with the pairing and finished 3rd, which is a better placement than I expected. In terms of performance, I think I performed pretty much the same as last year, beating similar in strength opponents (Thailand, Wichrich Karuehawanit 6d ), but losing to representatives from leading Go countries (Taiwan, Chen-en Chung 7d ).

Q: You won 6 out of 7 games, with your only loss coming against mentioned Taiwan. Could you walk us through that match and share your thoughts about this game?

The game against Taiwan went as planned, but in the end, it was still not enough. I started the game in a very fighting manner because I felt I had the most chances in such type of game. I made a couple of minor mistakes in the opening, which put me a little bit behind, but later I managed to come back and make the game almost even. However, I underestimated certain threats and did not convert a big fight in the center to my advantage, so my opponent defeated me in a fight later on because I was desperately trying to catch up with him. To my defense, I should say that most of the time the standing of both players was unclear and the fights were tough. Nevertheless, I lost.



Q: The Korean Prime Minister Cup is a prestigious tournament with strong competitors from all over the world. How did you find the competition overall? Were there any other particularly challenging opponents or moments that stood out to you during your games?

My second most challenging match was against Thailand. I finished that game with 8.5 points in my favor, but that game had some substantial swings in the opening and a complicated ko with mistakes left and right for both players. After I managed to get an advantage from the ko, the game transitioned to a one-way endgame. Additionally, I had an interesting game against Canada (Yongfei Ge 7d ). I won it by a landslide of 12.5 points, but the game itself was peculiar because it was a very clear “moyo vs territory game,” where I tried to use various walls and thicknesses for a successful attack in the center. As you can infer from the result, I did not kill anything but still succeeded.

Q: This isn’t your first success on the international stage—you placed 5th last year, which was already a fantastic result. How did your previous experience help you this time around?

I cannot say that my previous experience was particularly helpful. I knew what to expect from my opponents, but the results were very usual.


Q: Aside from the competition, how was your overall experience in Korea, Taebaek? Did you get a chance to enjoy the trip, and what stood out to you the most during your time there?

Unfortunately, due to the rain and packed schedule, I did not get a chance to enjoy Taebaek apart from the last “sightseeing day.” However, I still stayed for one more day in Seoul and had a great time in Myeondong (thanks to Darius Dobranis for advice). During the tournament, I spent long evenings with newly met players from Japan , Thailand , and Hong Kong , so I still got a joyful overall experience and would definitely recommend this tournament to other players.

Q: Looking ahead, what are your plans for the foreseeable future? Are there any upcoming tournaments or goals you’re particularly focused on?

In the future, I want to play the China Cup in Warsaw, Berliner Kranich, and make it to the Pro Qualification this year.


Q: We’re very happy to have you as a teacher at the Jena International Go School (JIGS). How do you balance your time between playing at such a high level, teaching, and your university studies? What do you enjoy most about sharing your knowledge with students?

I do not teach that much at JIGS, so I can balance my Go improvement and my university studies pretty easily. Most of all, I enjoy reviewing my own games with students because this way I get to share my own vision of a game I played and thus make the experience for my students more immersive.

Q: Finally, do you have any messages or advice you’d like to share with the Go community, especially with those who aspire to achieve great results in international competitions like you?

I think progress in Go is done in small incremental steps, so do a little bit of Go every day and you will improve without even noticing it.

Thank you for the interview, Valerii!

Here you can see the games of Valerii vs Taiwan and Valerii vs Thailand.

Pictures by Quentin Rendu.