History of Topics 2010

  Cho U took revenge on Yamashita Keigo for his loss of the Tengen title in the best way: taking the Kisei title from him. With this victory, Cho not only became a quadruple title-holder again but also became only the second player, after Cho Chikun, to complete a grand slam of the top seven titles.
  The title match started with Cho rushing to a 3-0 lead, as described in our previous report. The fourth game was played at the Arima Grand Hotel in Arima Hot Spring, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, on 18 & 19 February. It finished at 7:23 p.m. on the second day, with Yamashita (black) winning by 7.5 points. In the opening, Yamashita unveiled a revision of a pattern he had played against Cho two years earlier in an Oza title match, but nonetheless Cho got a satisfactory result in the opening exchange. A very complicated fight started in the middle game when Cho refused to answer submissively the second of two successive peeps that Yamashita made. Yamashita took a small lead in this fight, but the position remained extremely complicated. However, a slack move by Cho let Yamashita take a definite lead, so he was able to save the first kadoban.
  The venue of the fifth game, played on 25 and 26 February, was the Gyokushoen Arai inn in Izu City in Shizuoka Prefecture. Playing black, Yamashita made a slightly dubious invasion early in the game, so once again Cho U took the lead in the opening. However, unusually for him, overconfidence led to some slack play that allowed Yamashita back into the game. Unfortunately for Yamashita and his hopes of retaining his title, a slack move in a complicated fight made his centre position thin, and this handicapped him. White was able to take a small lead.
  The game concluded at 4:19 p.m. on the second day, with Cho winning by 1.5 points after 247 moves. This win earned Cho his first Kisei title. The main impression during this series was of Cho' greater skill at controlling the flow of the game. Typically, he took a small lead in the opening and was able to hang on to it. Yamashita would counterattack late in the game in an attempt to upset his lead, but would be unable to change the course of the game. He also made a number of mistakes in the endgame. Yamashita' reputed skill in two-day games was of no avail in the face of Cho' all-round prowess.
  The first player to achieve a grand slam was Cho Chikun in December 1987 at the age of 31 years six months (his last title of the seven was the Tengen). Cho U pulled it off at the age of 30 years one month. Throughout his career, Cho has reached various landmarks at a younger age than Cho Chikun, so he seems destined to replace him as the top titleholder.

Full results:

Game 1 (14, 15 January). Cho (W) by resignation. Game 2 (27, 28 January). Cho (B) by 6.5 points. Game 3 (3, 4 February) Cho (W) by 8.5 points. Game 4 (18, 19 February). Yamashita (W) by 7.5 points. Game 5 (25, 26 February). Cho (W) by 1.5 points.

  Kong Jie has become the top international player at present by winning his third concurrent international title. In the final of the 14th LG Cup, played at the headquarters of the Korean Paduk Association in Seoul, he defeated Yi Ch'ang-ho of Korea with straight wins to take the 250 million won first prize. In the first game of the final, played on 22 February, he won by 2.5 points playing with white. Two days later, he won the second game by 1.5 points.
  First prize is 250 million won.

  Everything seemed to be going China's way in the final round of the 11th Nong Shim Cup, which was staged at the Korean Cultural Institute in Shanghai. First of all, Liu Xing of China eliminated Japan when he defeated Hane Naoki, whose two wins were the only ones scored by Japan in the 11th cup.
  At this point, China must have felt confident, in view of their good results against Korean players in recent international tournaments, but Yi Ch'ang-ho once again proved his value to his homeland in team tournaments. Actually, he arrived in Shanghai in less than top condition. His flight had suffered a lot of turbulence, and Yi, who dislikes flying to begin with, developed a migraine headache. However, it certainly didn't affect his play.
  One interesting point was that China did not field Gu Li as their final player. Gu has had dismal results in recent international tournaments, and it seems Chinese officials have lost confidence in him. In his Nihon Ki-in blog, Mimura Tomoyasu 9-dan reported rumours that after his Nong Shim loss Gu was summoned by the Chinese coach for a dressing-down. He was admonished to change his lifestyle and to study more. We were under the impression that he already put in extra time on study on top of the compulsory daily sessions at the Chinese Go Association's headquarters. Being a national hero in China does not come without a price.

Game 11 (9 March). Liu Xing 7-dan (China) (B) Game 12 (10 March). Yi Ch'ang-ho 9-dan (Korea) (B) beat Liu by resignation.
Game 13 (11 March). Yi (B) beat Gu Li 9-dan (China) by resignation.
Game 14 (12 March). Yi (B) beat Chang Hao 9-dan (China) by resignation.

  The 48th Judan was the third title match in a row between Cho U and Yamashita Keigo. So far the challenger had won each match, but this time the title holder seems to have a good chance of hanging on to his title.
  The first game of the title match was played at the Takashimaya inn in Iwamuro Hot Spring, Niigata City, on 4 March. Playing black, Cho U, the defending Judan, forced Yamashita Keigo Tengen to resignaiton after 141 moves. The game ended at 5:34 p.m. Of the four-hour time allowance, Cho had 41 minutes left, while Yamashita was down to his last minute of byo-yomi. The game followed the usual pattern between these two, with Cho taking a small lead in the opening and successfully parrying Yamashita's attempts to catch up. The latter was also handicapped by using up his time early so that he was in byo-yomi during a difficult fight in the middle game.
  The second game was played at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo on 25 March. Playing white, Cho won by 1.5 points. Taking white, Cho developed very rapidly in the opening and again took an early lead, Yamashita fought back and the lead switched hands two or three times. Cho staged the final upset in a ko fight towards the end of the game; in his last minute of byo-yomi, Yamashita slipped up. Cho's quick play certainly seems to give him an advantage with the shorter time limits in today's title matches, though he's not bad at two-day games either.
  Yamashita faces a kadoban (a game that could lose a series) in the third game, scheduled for 8 April. Will he be able to turn the tide that has been running against him in the first quarter of this year?

  The first game of the 22nd Women's Meijin title match, in which Mukai Chiaki was making her first title challenge, was held on 3 March at the Takashima inn in Iwamuro Hot Spring, the same venue where the first Judan game was held a day later (both titles are sponsored by the Sankei Newspaper). Taking white, Xie won by resignation after 196 moves.
  The second game was held at the Nihon Ki-in on 10 March. This game was closer, but Xie (B) secured victory by 2.5 points. This is Xie's eighth title and she has won the Women's Meijin three years in a row. Her win is the first step in her defence of her triple crown.

  Three players from Osaka reached the semifinals of the 57th NHK Cup. Two of them played each other in the first semifinal, telecast on 7 March. Iyama Yuta (W) scored a decisive win over Yamada Kimio 9-dan and forced a resignation. Both these players are members of the Osaka branch (the Kansai Headquarters) of the Nihon Ki-in. Incidentally, in the quarterfinals Iyama scored yet another win over Cho U Judan (the game was played before the latter won the Kisei title).
  The third Osaka player was Yuki Satoshi 9-dan of the Kansai Ki-in, who was the current title holder. He defeated Kono Rin 9-dan in the other semifinal, telecast on 14 March; playing white, he won by 6.5 points.
  In the final, the first ever between two Osaka players, Yuki (W) outplayed Iyama to win by 3.5 points. If the latter had won, he would have been the youngest-ever winner of the NHK Cup, but he can still aim at that record next year (it's held by Cho U, who won the cup when he was 22).
  Yuki is only the third player, after Sakata Eio and Yoda Norimoto, to win the NHK Cup two years in a row. It is his 11th title; most of them have come in quick-play tournaments.

  With only one round to go in the 65th Honinbo League, the lead is shared by Iyama Yuta Meijin and Yamashita Keigo Tengen, who are both on 5-1. Takao Shinji 9-dan dropped out of the tie for first when he lost his sixth-round game to Cho U. His only chance is if both leaders lose in the final round in April, while he has to win his last game, of course. Cho U's prospects of retaining his league place improved a lot with his win over Takao.

Recent games:

(26 February)	Yamada Kimio 9-dan (B) defeated Mimura Tomoyasu 9-dan by resignation.
(8 March)	Cho U Kisei (W) beat Takao Shinji 9-dan by resignation.
(11 March)	Iyama Yuta Meijin (B) beat Yuki Satoshi 9-dan by 5.5 points.
(18 March)	Yamashita Keigo Tengen (W) beat Takemiya Masaki 9-dan by 4.5 points.
(25 March)	Yamada Kimio 9-dan (B) beat Mimura Tomoyasu 9-dan by resignation.

The 65th Honinbo League Title holder: Hane Naoki

in the chart

* B = playing black, W = playing white * 1 = win, 0 = loss * Date: mm/dd

  Takao Shinji has now played half his games and he remains the only undefeated player in the league. At present, Sakai Hideyuki is his closest rival.

Recent games:

(11 February)	Sakai Hideyuki 7-dan (W) beat Ogata Masaki 9-dan by resignation.
(4 March)	Takao Shinji 9-dan (B) beat Ogata Masaki 9-dan by resignation. Sakai Hideyuki 7-dan (B) beat Yuki Satoshi 9-dan by resignation.
(11 March)	O Meien 9-dan (B) beat Yamada Kimio 9-dan by 5.5 points.
(18 March)	Cho U Kisei (B) beat Mizokami Tomochika 8-dan by 6.5 points.

  The four vacant seats in the 35th Kisei leagues have all been decided. They went to Kato Atsushi 8-dan, O Meien 9-dan, Ryu Shikun 9-dan, and Yamashiro Hiroshi 9-dan.. O's win was his 900th as a professional (see below).

  The final of the 29th NEC Cup was held on 6 March. Taking black, Kono Rin 9-dan defeated Hane Naoki Honinbo by resignation. The NEC prize money is an impressive 17 million yen, which makes it the richest title after the big three. Kono also won the NEC Cup two years ago. Hane was bidding for his second successive title.
  In the semifinals, Hane Naoki Honinbo (B) beat Ko Iso 7-dan by 7.5 points, and Kono Rin 9-dan (W) beat Yamashita Keigo Kisei by the same margin.

  O Meien 9-dan became the 18th player at the Nihon Ki-in to score 900 official wins. The landmark victory came in the final preliminary round of the 35th Kisei tournament. Taking white, O beat Ko Iso 7-dan by resignation. His record at this point was 900 wins, 504 losses, 2 jigos, and 2 no-results.
  At 48 years three months, O Meien is the 9th-youngest to reach this landmark. It took him 32 years ten months, which is the 8th-fastest. His winning percentage, 64.1, is the 12th-highest.

  The 47th Shusai Prize, for the most outstanding player of 2009, was awarded to Iyama Yuta Meijin for his achievement in becoming the youngest player to win a top-three title.

To 2-dan: Tajiri Yuto (30 wins).

(4 March) Redmond 9-dan (W) beat Cho Riyu 7-dan by resignation (35th Tengen tournament).
(18 March) O Meien 9-dan (W) beat Redmond 9-dan by resignation (Preliminary A, 66th Honinbo tournament).
(25 March) Suzuki Shinji 2-dan (B) beat Redmond 9-dan by half a point (Preliminary B, 36th Meijin tournament).

  Nakayama Noriyuki 6-dan, one of the best-known and most popular professionals in the West, died of a cerebral infarction at 6:30 p.m. on 16 February. He was 77 years old.
  Nakayama was born on 3 September 1932 in Nagano Prefecture. He became a disciple of Suzuki Goro 9-dan and became professional 1-dan in 1962, at an unusually late age. He reached 6-dan in 1992. On 23 February, the Nihon Ki-in promoted him posthumously to 7-dan.
  Nakayama was a very prolific author and a decade before his death the list of his books was already well over 200. He wrote all kinds of books in many guises; sole author, co-author with top professionals such as Kajiwara Takeo, Cho Chikun, and Kobayashi Koichi, and ghost writer, again for many top professionals. In the West he was well known for his essays on go, a number of which were published in The Treasure Chest Enigma in 1984 (more recently reprinted by Slate and Shell). This book included a number of his celebrated whole-board ladder problems, of which he was the most prominent modern composer. He made many instruction tours of the West and was a regular visitor to the European and U.S. go congresses, where his entertaining lecturing style gained him many disciples.