The Match
The Match
In contrast to the taciturn adult Lee Chang-ho, his childhood is portrayed as that of a bright, fiercely competitive child. Cho Hun-hyun’s fall and renewed attempt are connected within a relatively short runtime. The core narrative is Cho Hun-hyun taking young Lee Chang-ho on as his student, living with him and helping him grow.
OVERALL TRUTH BASIS · Fact-centered
Directly dramatizes the real teacher-disciple relationship between professional Go player Cho Hun-hyun and his live-in disciple Lee Chang-ho, as well as their title matches in the 1980s and 1990s. The historical framework of the central figures, matches, and results is real; the director has identified the characterization of young Lee Chang-ho, how the teacher-disciple bond was formed, some training scenes, and the compression of time as adaptations.
Cho Hun-hyun wins the 1st Ing Cup
The event in which Cho Hun-hyun won the 1st Ing Cup in 1989.
The 1990 Cho Hun-hyun–Lee Chang-ho teacher-disciple match for the Highest Title
The 5th game of the 29th Highest Title challenge. In the deciding game, with the score tied 2–2, 14-year-old Lee Chang-ho defeated his teacher Cho Hun-hyun and claimed the title in a notable teacher-disciple match in the history of Korean Go.
FACT / FICTION
Verification 17
Fact / Fiction verification
17 recordsThe Match is a 114-minute drama film directed by Kim Hyung-joo, released in South Korea on March 26, 2025.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- The KOFIC film database lists its release date as 2025-03-26, runtime as 114 minutes, country as South Korea, and director as Kim Hyung-joo.
View 1 sources
- The Match (2025)KOFIC / KoBiz · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
The film's central figures, Cho Hun-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, are both real professional Go players.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- Lee Byung-hun plays Cho Hun-hyun, and Yoo Ah-in plays Lee Chang-ho.
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association's player profiles and KOFIC coverage directly confirm that both players are real and identify the roles they play.
View 3 sources
- 'The Match': dramatic real-life Go rivalry hits big screenKOFIC / Yonhap · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
Cho Hun-hyun was born in 1953 and became a professional player at age 9 in 1962.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association records Cho Hun-hyun's birth date as 1953-03-10 and his professional admission date as 1962-10-14.
View 1 sources
- 조훈현 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
Cho Hun-hyun won the 1st Ing Cup in 1989.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- Early in the film, Cho Hun-hyun is presented as a top player who became a national hero after winning an international tournament.
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association's career record lists his 1989 Ing Cup victory, and KOFIC also describes him as Korea's first international titleholder.
View 2 sources
- 조훈현 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 'The Match': dramatic real-life Go rivalry hits big screenKOFIC / Yonhap · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
Lee Chang-ho is a real disciple who developed under Cho Hun-hyun.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- A central part of the story is Cho Hun-hyun taking young Lee Chang-ho on as a disciple, living with him, and helping him develop.
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association identifies Lee Chang-ho as being from Cho Hun-hyun's school, and a press release says he honed his skills as Cho Hun-hyun's live-in disciple for 6 years and 6 months.
View 2 sources
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현-이창호 사제대결 관련 보도자료한국기원 · Production material · Grade AOpen source →
Lee Chang-ho became a professional player in 1986 at age 11.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association records his professional admission date as 1986-08-01, when he was 11 years and 1 month old.
View 1 sources
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
Lee Chang-ho won his first title in the 8th KBS Badukwang Championship in 1989.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association's player profile records his 1989 KBS Badukwang Championship victory as his first title.
View 1 sources
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
In the deciding game of the 29th Highest Title match on February 2, 1990, Lee Chang-ho defeated Cho Hun-hyun and claimed the title.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- It is portrayed as the turning point in the central teacher-disciple rivalry, when the disciple surpasses his teacher.
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association's game record shows that the deciding game took place on 1990-02-02 after the score was tied 2–2, and a Korea Baduk Association press release describes the victory as Lee Chang-ho's first win against his teacher and as the match in which he won the Highest Title.
View 2 sources
- 제29기 최고위전 도전 5국 (이창호 vs 조훈현)한국기원 도약기 기보 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현-이창호 사제대결 관련 보도자료한국기원 · Production material · Grade AOpen source →
Lee Chang-ho recorded 41 consecutive wins in 1990 and rose to the top ranks in Korea.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- Both the Korea Baduk Association's player profile and its press release explicitly note his 41 consecutive wins in 1990.
View 2 sources
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현-이창호 사제대결 관련 보도자료한국기원 · Production material · Grade AOpen source →
Cho Hun-hyun and Lee Chang-ho had a long-standing relationship as teacher and disciple, as well as rivals, not just a rivalry spanning one or two matches.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- The film's central drama is the transformation of the teacher-disciple relationship into a rivalry.
- Verified record
- The Korea Baduk Association describes the two as a prominent teacher-disciple pair and rivals, and records Lee Chang-ho as leading their official head-to-head record 192 wins to 119 losses as of 2021.
View 1 sources
- 조훈현-이창호 사제대결 관련 보도자료한국기원 · Production material · Grade AOpen source →
The scene in which young Lee Chang-ho plays several young players simultaneously is an adaptation added by the director, not a literal reenactment of an actual event.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- A simultaneous game scene appears to show young Lee Chang-ho's genius.
- Verified record
- Director Kim Hyung-joo stated directly that he adapted and added a scene in which Lee plays several young players simultaneously to show young Lee Chang-ho's genius.
View 1 sources
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
The process in which young Lee Chang-ho solves a difficult problem set by Cho Hun-hyun and the two form a teacher-disciple bond is a cinematic adaptation.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- The scene of solving the difficult problem is presented as the event that begins their teacher-disciple relationship.
- Verified record
- Director Kim Hyung-joo said that he adapted and added the process in which Lee solves a difficult problem set by Cho Hun-hyun and the two form a teacher-disciple bond.
View 1 sources
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
The bright and spirited personality of young Lee Chang-ho in the film is not a faithful reconstruction of his actual childhood personality.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- His childhood is depicted as bright and competitive, in contrast to the taciturn Lee Chang-ho as an adult.
- Verified record
- The director explained that, although accounts describe the real Lee Chang-ho as taciturn from childhood, he drew on the personality described in Lee's autobiography before he began playing Go and portrayed him as a bright, spirited child to create contrast.
View 1 sources
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
The film's key Go match scenes are recreations based on actual game records, not arbitrary sequences of moves.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- The moves in the key matches are shown in specific detail.
- Verified record
- Director Kim Hyung-joo said that the important matches followed actual game records and that professional Go players also served as consultants.
View 1 sources
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
The film compresses into a narrative the long process of Cho Hun-hyun challenging for the top position again after losing to his disciple.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- Cho Hun-hyun's fall and renewed challenge are connected within a relatively short runtime.
- Verified record
- The director acknowledged the narrative compression, recounting that Cho Hun-hyun himself joked that the film portrayed the difficult road back to the top too briefly.
View 1 sources
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
The film finished shooting in mid-2021, but after its originally scheduled 2023 Netflix release was postponed, it was released in theaters in 2025.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- KOFIC and Yonhap reported that filming was completed in mid-2021, that a Netflix release was originally planned for 2023 but was postponed, and that a theatrical release on 2025-03-26 was later confirmed.
View 2 sources
- 'The Match': dramatic real-life Go rivalry hits big screenKOFIC / Yonhap · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
- The Match (2025)KOFIC / KoBiz · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
Netflix currently offers The Match in South Korea as a "film based on a true story."
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
- —
- Verified record
- The film is currently accessible on Netflix's South Korean title page, where it is labeled under genre/features as a film based on a true story.
View 1 sources
- 승부Netflix · Other · Grade AOpen source →
CHARACTER ↔ PERSON
Characters and real people
이창호
Historical personBased on a real personLee Chang-ho →
조훈현
Historical personBased on a real personCho Hun-hyun →
Sources used
- The Match (2025)KOFIC / KoBiz · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 'The Match': dramatic real-life Go rivalry hits big screenKOFIC / Yonhap · Major news · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 이창호 기사정보한국기원 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- 조훈현-이창호 사제대결 관련 보도자료한국기원 · Production material · Grade AOpen source →
- 제29기 최고위전 도전 5국 (이창호 vs 조훈현)한국기원 도약기 기보 · Specialist database · Grade AOpen source →
- [인터뷰] 정석대로, 성심과 신의를 다하여, <승부> 김형주 감독씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade AOpen source →
- 승부Netflix · Other · Grade AOpen source →