Yamashita Keigo 9P has won the 66th Honinbo in Japan, after a hard-fought seven game match with Hane Naoki 9P. Yamashita won the first three games in the final, but Hane fought back to win the next three. This took the Honinbo to a 7th game decider. Hane (playing black) seemed to have the advantage after the first 100 moves and it looked as though he would win the title. However, Yamashita met Hane’s move 115 with strong resistance and the game quickly became complicated. As the dust settled it was clear that white was ahead, and Yamashita won the game by 4.5 points. This is Yamashita’s first successful defense of the Honinbo, which he won from Hane Naoki in 2010.
E-Journal readers may also be interested in An Younggil’s commentary of the Honinbo game.
– David Ormerod; based on his original report: Yamashita Keigo defends his title in 66th Honinbo at Go Game Guru. Photo: Hane Naoki (left) and Yamashita Keigo count the final score. Match referee Rin Kaiho 9P sits in the background (center).
