The Disciple Overcomes The Master
It was said by Lee's first teacher that he would always try to play brilliantly. That was until he became Cho Hunhyun's student. Cho did not think Lee's talent was of a high level, as he could not even re-create a game he played against Cho. Lee fell short of expectations in Cho's assessment. Although he did not have the conventional wisdom of a Go genius, his deep reading and study abilities were at a different level. Lee stopped his attempts at playing brilliant moves and started playing more "common" moves instead. Lee often toys with opponents by playing a normal move that would help him read moves ahead, rather than a brilliant move where he could not read ahead as well. It has been said that Lee's style of play in his early career was to only beat his teacher. He was not as effective against other top players as he was against his teacher. This is one of the reasons why he was underestimated so much by other players, such as Cho Chikun. His playing style would go on to be effective against anyone. Instead of adopting the style of his teacher's natural brilliance and quick thinking, he chose magnificent calculation and deep reading. Many are still unimpressed by Lee's style of Go, as it seems too simple.
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