The first game of the 38th Kisei title match will be hosted in Alcalá de Henares by the Nam Ban Madrid Go Club on January 11-12, in accordance with the tradition that this title’s first game is played outside Japan.
Iyama Yuta 9P (left), current holder of six of the seven major Japanese titles including this most prestigious of them all (see the Power Report (Part 1): Iyama’s New Records, EJ 10/3), will be challenged by Yamashita Keigo 9P. Yamashita, who won this year’s Kisei A-league, beat B-league winner Murakawa Daisuke 7P on November 14 in a decider for the Kisei challenger.. The game in Spain will be played over two days, with eight hours main time each, and is the first of a best-of-seven series to decide the title.
In addition, there will be a 4-round amateur open side tournament, scheduled so that participants can easily keep up with developments in the Kisei. The top prize, amongst many others, is €1200 and scholarships (not including travel to Madrid) are available for under-20s.
The events will take place in the conference rooms of the Parador de Alcalá de Henares (right), a renovated C17th building which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Click here for full details and application form. US citizens can visit Spain for up to three months without a visa; click here for further info.
Report by Tony Collman. Photos: Iyama Yuta from his Nihon Ki-in player card; Parador courtesy of their website.
