South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol won the first round of the final match of his 24-year career on Wednesday, taking on a virtual opponent powered by artificial intelligence(AI).

The first of three games between Lee and the latest version of the AI Go player Handol, developed by South Korea's NHN Entertainment, was held in southern Seoul. The 36-year-old began with a two-stone handicap to make the game more competitive.

The second match will take place at the same venue on Thursday, followed by the final showdown in the South Jeolla county of Shinan, where Lee is originally from, on Saturday. 

Lee has been a professional Go player since the age of 12, racking up dozens of victories in South Korea and abroad.

He is the only human to score a win against Google's AI Go player AlphaGo in a high profile five-game match in 2016.

Lee announced his retirement from competitive Go last month.