1st row: Yamashita Keigo, Yoo ChangHyuk, Song TaeKon, Kim ManSoo, Mok JinSook, Won SeongJin, Choi WonYong. 2nd row: Choi CheolHan, Lee ChangHo, Lee SeDol, Park SeungHyun, Zhou Jun Xun, Zhou Heyang (hidden). 3rd row: O Meien, Cho U, Hane Naoki, O Rissei, Franz-Josef Dickhut, Cho HanSung, Kong Jie, Jiang Mingjiu. Missing: Cho HunHyun, Gu Li and Yu Bin.

Zhou Jun Xun and Kong Jie, friendly neighbours, share their table at the ceremony meal with Zhou Heyang (right).

The Jiang brothers, Zhujiu 9p and Mingjiu 7p. "Jujo" is there as a guest only, this time. Behind them, the tournament table is readied for the pairing lottery.

At 24, the Taiwanese Zhou Jun Xun is enjoying himself on the international scene, being still in the running for the Fujitsu Cup. No doubt the more reserved Kong Jie, 22, will soon achieve success too.

Park SeungHyun is hard put to stop worrying about where he'll play Black 77, as everyone has adjourned for lunch, and while his party (Yoo ChangHyuk, his pretty game recorder, Kim ManSoo and Cho HunHyun) show amused impatience.

With both a lucky berth for round 2, Gu Li and Yu Bin can relax watching the others suffer. It's Cho HunHyun vs. O Rissei they're discussing.

Doesn't Kim ManSoo's decided shibori (Black 39 - White 48) give Hane Naoki too much territory ?

Playing White 100, Cho HunHyun must not be too happy running into his Nemesis O Rissei as early in the tournament. The latter goes 6-2 in their clashes after this close game (5-0 the last 5 years).

Yamashita Keigo hopes to redeem a below-par year with a good showing in the LG Cup. A big step towards brighter morale is this victory over the frightening Song TaeKon.

Casual dressed Yoo ChangHyuk 9p (right) just managed to turn half of Zhou Heyang's moyo into one of his own; careful evaluation is in order before playing White 52 - but this move fails at killing the corner aji.

With Black 75, Jiang Mingjiu is about to start real violence against Franz-Josef Dickhut's center stones.

Cho U crosscuts at White 68 to find eyes for his surrounded group. He's in tremendous form on the Japanese stage this year, and 20 year old Choi WonYong isn't the one to stop him today.

2-0 for Japan (Yamashita and O Rissei, back) over the strong Korean Song TaeKon and Cho HunHyun in this diagonal perspective.

The last period of his byoyomi wasn't enough for O Meien to find a solution. He and Park SeungHyun look for alternatives to White 30 in the post-mortem.

Facing each other over the board is another matter than sharing the same dinner table - the question now is, "Who's on the menu ?". The hungrier is Kong Jie, as it turns out. Rui Naiwei is taking pictures.