Unstoppable Kim!

 Kim Youngsam is now, after beating Catalin Taranu today by 1,5 points, the only top player in the EGC that hasn't lost a single game yet.

The game was quite stimulating because Black (Kim) got all four corners in the opening, while White was going for a huge moyo. Black was careful not to get under attack (he reduced the White moyo quite nicely), so the game reached the end without any major signs of aggression by either player, which was not something that could have been easily predicted (as they are both known to have powerful playing styles).

Those eager to see a 'powerful' game were not let down by Ilya Shikshin, who faced Alexander Dinerchtein on board 2. In short, Ilya got a big compensation after losing a ko by using his ko threats to put in jeopardy his opponent's group (that was inside his area of influence). In the end, Ilya managed to kill that group (Alexander tried to make it live/escape, but without success - it is not true that 'big dragons never die'!) so he won the game by resignation before even reaching yose.

It may be significant to add that, when Kim Youngsam's game finished, right after counting, Catalin was shaking his head (he was obviously disappointed). Europe is falling behind. Will it be possible to stop Kim? Or will he become the undisputed champion? Indeed, this round may have been decisive for the final outcome of the tournament.