by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Ichiriki Meijin League
Having won his fifth successive game, Ichiriki Ryo has the sole lead in the 46th Meijin League. His closest rivals are Kyo Kagen and Hane Naoki, who are both on 3-1. Ichiriki won’t be counting his chickens yet: he had a similar lead in the Honinbo but failed to become the challenger. Results since my last report are given below.
(April 1) Kono Rin 9P (W) beat Yo Seiki 8P by half a point.
(April 5) Yamashita Keigo 9P (B) beat Anzai Nobuaki 7P by 2.5.
(April 12) Ichiriki Ryo Tengen (W) beat Motoki Katsuya 8P by resig.
(April 15) Shibano Toramaru (W) beat Hane Naoki by resig.
(May 6) Ichiriki (W) beat Shibano by resig.; Motoki (B) beat Anzai by 0.5.
46th Kisei S League
The new S League got off to a start on April 22. With two wins, Murakawa Daisuke 9P has the provisional lead. Kono Rin 9P, the previous challenger, has made a bad start with two losses. Results so far:
(April 22) Ichiriki Ryo Tengen (W) beat Kono Rin 9P by 1.5; Yo Seiki 8P (W) beat Yamashita Keigo 9P by resig.; Murakawa Daisuke 9P (W) Takao Shinji 9P by resig.
(May 6) Murakawa (B) beat Kono Rin by resig.
Promotions:
To 9-dan: Kyo Kagen (for winning his second top-seven title; as of April 29)
To 8-dan: Oki Keiji (150 wins, as of May 7)
Obituaries
Kim In
Kim In 9P, one of the major figures in modern Korean go, died on April 4 at the age of 77. Kim was born on Nov. 23, 1943. He became a professional in 1958. In 1962, he became a disciple of Kitani Minoru 9P and was promoted to 3-dan, jumping a rank. He returned to Korea the following year. He reached 9-dan in 1983. He dominated the tournament scene after his return home, winning 30 titles, and remained the number one player until the return of Cho Hun-hyun from Japan in 1972. His career record is 860 wins, 703 losses, and five draws. In 1968, he won 40 games in a row, the second-longest winning streak in Korea (Lee Chang-ho topped it by one win in 1991).
Okahashi Hirotada
Died of prostate cancer on April 14. Born in Hyogo Prefecture on Feb. 26, 1934. Became a disciple of Hashimoto Shoji 9P. Qualified at 1-dan at the Kansai Ki-in in 1954 and reached 6-dan in 1974. Retired in 2016 and promoted to 7-dan.
