The GLOBIS Cup World Go U-20 which was created to decide who is a number one player of youth in the world was held from 9th to 11th May 2014 at the GLOBIS University. (*The sponsor of the tournament is GLOBIS University which president is one of the directors of the Nihon Ki-in.)
Top 16 young players were selected to play the cup from Japan, China, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Europe, North America and Oceania.
All players were divided into four group, according to the results of their drawings. The double elimination method was adapted each group in the first game to the third game. (If a player wins two games, he or she qualifies to the quarterfinal at the knockout stage.)
The quarterfinalists were
Ichiriki Ryo 7p and
Kyo Kagen 2p from Japan, Lian Xiao 7p, Xia Chenkun 3p and Li Qincheng 1p from China, Na Hyeon 4p from Korea, and Lin Junyan 6p from Chinese Taipei.
The finalists were Ichiriki 7p (age 16) and Kyo 2p (age 16). Ichiriki defeated Na Hyeon at the quarterfinal match and Lian Xiao at the semifinal while Kyo beat Li Qincheng at the quarterfinal, then Xia Chenkun at the semifinal.
In the final, Ichiriki (black) defeated Kyo by resignation after 155 moves and won the 1st GLOBIS Cup. The third-place match was also held concurrently with the final and Lian Xiao got the third place.
Two of the representatives of Japan played in a final game of an international competition for the first time since the 10th Fujitsu Cup in 1997 (Kobayashi Koichi 9p vs O Risei 9p).
The 5th Okage Cup Igo tournament was held on 15th and 16th May 2014 in Ise-shi of Mie prefecture. The finalists were
Seto Taiki 7p who made the final in 2012 and Ichiriki Ryo 7p who won the tournament last year.
In the final of the 5th Okage cup, Ichiriki (W) defeats Seto by resignation after 160 moves and he wins the cup for two years in a row.
The first game and second game of the 69th Honinbo title match (best of seven series) were played. This year
Ida Atsushi 8p made challenges to
Iyama Yuta for the Honinbo title match and he becomes the youngest challenger in the history of Honinbo title match.
In the first game, Iyama (B) defeated Ida by resignation after 197 moves and in the second game, Iyama (W) also won by resignation after 182 moves and made good start to defend the title.
The full schedule of the series is given as follows:
| Game1 : 14 & 15 May |
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Suzuka-shi in Mie prefecture (Iyama won by resignation) |
| Game2 : 25 & 26 May |
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Noshiro-shi in Akita prefecture (Iyama won by resignation) |
| Game3 : 4 & 5 June |
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Abashiri-shi in Hokkaido |
| Game4 : 18 & 19 Jul |
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Saikai-shi in Nagasaki prefecture |
| Game5 : 30 Jun & 1 Jul |
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Suita-shi in Osaka |
| Game6 : 9 & 10 Jul |
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Toba-shi in Mie prefecture |
| Game7 : 16 & 17 Jul |
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Kawazu-cho in Shizuoka prefecture |
The Nihon Ki-in Summer Go Camp will be held from 26th August to 4th September 2014.
(*Please check the daily schedule of the Summer Go School 2014 from the website:
http://www.summer-go-school.info/#/planning )
The first game of the 39th Meijin title match will be held from 4th September 2014.
(*The current Meijin title holder is Iyama Yuta and the challenger will be decided as a winner of the Meijin league tournament by August 2014. The first prize of the 39th Meijin title match is 37,000,000 Japanese Yen (closed to USD 370,000) which is the second largest prize among Japanese tournaments.)
The participants of the Summer Go Camp will be allowed to visit the venue of the first game of the Meijin title match on 4th September from the morning and will see the game until a move is sealed. The participants will also get teaching game by pro(s) and live commentaries on the first game of Meijin title match at the venue.
You cannot miss such a great opportunity!
For your online registration of the Summer Go Camp 2014, please visit the following website:
http://www.summer-go-school.info/#/apply
If you have any question on the Summer Go Camp 2014, please feel free to email us to
overseasdept@nihonkiin.or.jp
Ishida Akira 9-dan pro (teacher: Fukuda Masayoshi 8p) retired as of 31 March 2014.
Ishida (born in 1949) became a pro shodan in 1966 and reached 9-dan in 1982.
He played at Meijin league for six consecutive years from 1982 and Honinbo league in 1998. He won the Shinjin O title (King of the New Stars title) in 1978 and 1979.
In his career, he played 1,377 official games, with a record of 865-wins and 512-loses.
