Tae-seon Ahn

Ahn is confident, sociable and blunt. He can make comments that sound provocative without necessarily intending them as insults, particularly when discussing other players' form.

That trait is responsible for Kurata's one-sided grudge against him. After defeating Kurata, Ahn innocently asks whether the Japanese player has been in poor form, a remark Kurata interprets as a significant slight.

Ahn also has considerable faith in Korean Go. Before the Hokuto Cup he regards Korea as the favorite and initially sees Akira as the only Japanese representative demanding particular attention.

Ahn is an accomplished professional with experience in major international competition. His victory over Kurata in the Samsung Cup establishes that he can defeat one of Japan's strongest younger professionals.

His knowledge of the international field also informs his evaluation of the Hokuto Cup teams. He understands the relative strength of young Korean, Chinese and Japanese professionals rather than judging solely from domestic rankings.

Ahn's reputation is substantial enough that comparisons between him and Kurata circulate within the Go community, although Kurata strongly prefers to reverse which player is being compared with whom.

Ahn is first relevant through Kurata's international career. He defeats Kurata in the Samsung Cup and inadvertently creates a rivalry by asking whether Kurata has been in a slump.

He later appears around Korea's Hokuto Cup delegation. His confidence in Yeong-ha Ko and the rest of the Korean team reflects Korea's position as the strongest of the three participating nations entering the tournament.

The contrast between Ahn and Kurata also adds another layer to the Japan-Korea rivalry: Ahn remains comparatively amiable while Kurata treats their previous encounter as unfinished business.

Atsushi Kurata considers Ahn a professional rival after losing to him in the Samsung Cup. Ahn appears largely unaware of how strongly Atsushi Kurata resents his comments after their game.

Yeong-ha Ko is Korea's first-board player at the Hokuto Cup and one of the young professionals in whom Ahn has great confidence.

Akira Touya is the Japanese player Ahn initially regards as particularly noteworthy when assessing the Hokuto Cup opposition.