(I translated this article written by Lee Sedol himself, which originally appeared on March 21 on DongA.com news http://news.donga.com/3/all/20160321/77106009/1 I tried to avoid liberal translation, so the translated sentences may be a bit rough. I will translate subsequent articles when I have time.)



[Lee Sedol’s review on the week with AlphaGo] With Extreme Psychological Pressure I Could Not Play My Way

<3> The Third Match Collapsed in the Beginning

(Figure 1 and Figure 2 in order)



After I lost the first and second matches with AlphaGo, I was under great pressure for I would be the one who lost to AI. It is natural that one gets nervous before a big match, but I’ve thought that I get less nervous than others. Especially, a day before a big match, I do autosuggestion, ‘I must win’. I have focused on ‘mind control’, because I think that believing in myself and not being afraid of other’s reaction is the most important factor in a top pro’s match. For ten years, it has been fairly effective. That is how the baduk community regard me as the most stronghearted. However, the pressure before the third match was even unbearable.

I did not enter the room with my daughter not like the first and second matches. I was afraid of unconsciously showing her a pressured face.

The problem was definitely pressure. I walked the wrong path in the beginning because of that. A battle began in the top left, and AlphaGo’s moves were breathtakingly accurate. Especially, I could not imagine white 1 (32nd move), which is a diagonal jump (hazama) from white ○ in Figure 1. It was a good move.

Since the beginning was a huge failure, it is meaningless to go over the rest. I should have played ‘가’ to attack the white group instead of black 1 (99th move) in Figure 2, but the situation was already difficult. The match was already over when AlphaGo played the white 6 practically saving the white group. I invaded the bottom side and made kos against the flow, but I only did it not to regret. I did not mean to reverse the flow. I realized clearly in the third match. Fighting with AlphaGo in the beginning must be avoided. AlphaGo’s reading was careful and accurate when a battle is not connected to other areas.

The third match was not my usual way of playing. Due to the psychological pressure, I collapsed and could not demonstrate my strength. That is why I said, ‘It’s a defeat of Lee Sedol, but not a defeat of humans.’

Still, I realized what I needed since I figured out AlphaGo’s habits playing the three matches. In addition, I felt rather relaxed as the third match ended up as my defeat. Plus, in the fourth match, I play white, which is advantageous to me. Many people expected that I would lose 0-5, but I started to feel confidence that I could win this time.