Friday August 6, 2021
Wondering what to watch as the Olympics wrap up this weekend? We’ve got you covered: tune in to the AGA’s Twitch channel at 8p ET Sunday night for Michael Redmond 9Ps live commentary on AlphaGo vs AlphaGo game 51. Plenty of acrobatics, tricky moves, long distances and heavy lifting. That’s 8p ET this Sunday, August 8 on the AGA’s Twitch channel.
Saturday July 31, 2021
by Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister
On July 11, the 4th Pro-Amateur Go Congress took place, between ten pros and ten top amateurs. Our source is silent on the handicap, but the score was a tie, with each team winning 4 games and two games ending in jigo, There was quite a sensation when 13 year old M. Kanazawa defeated Hashimoto Utarō 9d.
The Meijin League entered its final phases. On July 8, Rin Kaihō’s perfect 5-0 start was ended by veteran Takagawa Kaku, keeping suspense alive as to the challenger for another round. But on July 22, Rin defeated Ōtake Hideo and secured the right to challenge Fujisawa Shūkō. (Game record: Rin-Takagawa.)
On July 26 (televised on August 1) Kojima Takaho 6d won the 3rd Shin’ei TV event by a half a point over Cho Hunhyun 5d. (Game record: Kojima-Cho.)
Two amateur players visited Japan to study go this month. The more famous, at the time, was Manfred Wimmer, amateur 5d and former European Champion. His plan was to stay for two years. With a plan to stay for two months, James Kerwin arrived to study as well. He is pictured on the left facing Takenaka 4d at the Nihon Ki’in.
Photos courtesy of Go Review.
Friday July 2, 2021
After an 8-month break to work on other projects, Michael Redmond 9p, hosted by the AGA E-Journal’s Chris Garlock, returned to the AGA’s Twitch channel last Sunday to review the 50th game of the AlphaGo vs. AlphaGo selfplay games. Michael and Chris caught up on the latest on COVID in Japan and what Michael’s been up to during the break, and producer Stephen Hu dropped by for a preview of the upcoming U.S. e-Go Congress. Michael then did a very deep dive into the opening and variations for Game 50. Part 1 of the commentary will be released at 6p tonight; Part 2 will be released next week. The 50 game series was published by Deepmind after AlphaGo’s victory over world champion Ke Jie 9p in May 2017. The video was produced by Eva-Dee Beech, Chris Garlock and Stephen Hu.
Friday June 25, 2021
by Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister
This was Ishida Yoshio’s month, by the end the 22-year-old would hold three titles, youthful success in newspaper tournaments unprecedented before that time.
On June 10-11, in Game 5, he scored an upset victory over Rin Kaihō Hon’inbo to take a 3-2 lead in the title match. Then on June 21-22, in Game 6, he navigated a complicated ōnadare joseki — to become very much in vogue — to lead to the famous exchange: Rin – “Half a point?” “Half a point to the good” replied Ishida and he was Hon’inbo. The counting, under the watchful eye of Sakata Eio, is pictured here. (Game records: Hon’inbo Game 5, Game 6.)
Ishida added the Pro Best 10 to his Hon’inbo and Nihon Ki’in Championship, but it was not without difficulties. Carrying a 2-0 lead in the five game match into the month he stumbled, perhaps under the pressure of the concurrent Hon’inbo match. On June 6, Ishida, known as “The Computer” for his calculating skills, had an AlphaGo Game 4 moment when he retook a ko without a threat – the first time this had happened in a tournament final – and lost by forfeit. He then was defeated by Kajiwara Takeo in Game 4, setting up a decisive Game 5. On June 29, with the Hon’inbo title secured, he returned to form and secured the title. Watching the smiling Ishida is a constellation of pros, including white haired taisha expert Yamabe Toshirō, Awaji Shuzō, Takemiya Masaki and Ishida Akira. Standing on the left is a gentleman who I think might be a pro who regularly attends the European Go Congress – his name escapes me, perhaps a reader can help. (Game records: Pro Best Ten Game 3, Game 4, Game 5.)
On June 21, Murakami Bunshō won the Amateur Best 10 for the fourth time in the event’s 11 year history.
Photos courtesy of Igo Club.
Friday June 4, 2021
by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Shibano draws even in 76th Honinbo title match
Shibano Toramaru is making his second successive challenge for the Honinbo title. Last year he lost 1-4 and then also lost the Meijin title he had picked up in 2019 by the same margin to Iyama, so he had a lot to seek revenge for. His career record against Iyama before this match was seven wins to ten losses . In the top three titles, the ones with two-day games, he had won only twice in ten games. Shibano’s main task is to make good use of these painful experiences.
Much is written in the go press about the post-Iyama generation, but as long as Iyama holds the triple crown of Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo, he remains head and shoulders above his rivals. This year he has the additional incentive of matching Cho Chikun’s record of ten Honinbo titles in a row.
The first game was held at the Former Inoue Fusaichiro Residence (photo) in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, on May 11 and 12. Inoue (1898-1993) was an influential patron of the arts in Takasaki; he was friends with modernist architects in the West. His house, built in traditional Japanese style but with input from Western architects, was restored after his death and set up as a tourist site.
Shibano drew black in the nigiri. He attacked in the middle game, but Iyama skillfully rescued his weak groups and took the lead. Black resigned after 184 moves.
The second game was played at the Former Inn Kaneyu in Noshiro City, Akita Prefecture on May 24 and 25. The venue is a “ryotei” (Japanese-style restaurant/inn) built in 1937; it was donated to the city in 2009 and reopened as a tourist facility four years later. It is known for the Akita cedar of which it is built and which was the basis for the lumber industry in the area. Iyama, who had black, played a little unreasonably on the first day, giving Shibano the edge. According to Go Weekly, it was the first time in the 12 two-day games these two have played that Shibano took the lead on the first day. Things quickly got worse for the defending champion on the second day. After the sealed move, Black 83, Shibano attacked strongly. Iyama made another unreasonable move, so the game became one-sided. Iyama resigned after White 96. It was still only 11:18; it’s quite unusual for a game to finish before lunch on the second day.
The third game was scheduled for June 1 and 2.
Sumire’s winning streak ends
Sumire has won two more games since my previous report (May 14), but her winning streak has finally come to an end at 13. She also lost her first game in the C League. Her score for the year is now 24-4 (85.7%); she shares top pla
ce in the most-wins list with Ueno Asami, who is on 24-9. Recent results follow.
(May 9) Sumire (W) beat Nyu Eiko 3P by 1.5 points (Main tournament, 40th Women’s Honinbo).
(May 13) Sumire (B) beat Horimoto Mitsunari 5P by 5.5 (Prelim. B, 60th Judan tournament; played at the Kansai Ki-in).
(May 20) Sumire (B) lost to Komatsu Hideki 9P by resig. (Prelim. C, 47th Meijin tournament).
(May 27) Sumire (W) lost to Mizokami Tomochika 9P by resig. (46th Kisei C League).
Both Komatsu and Mizokami are strong 9-dans, so losing to them is no disgrace. Komatsu has played in six leagues and won seven titles; Mizokami has played in seven leagues, including five Meijin leagues, and won three titles. Sumir
e’s next game will also be against a 9-dan: her success means that she is being matched against stronger opposition.
Ichiriki leads Meijin League
On 5-0, Ichiriki Ryo Tengen leads the 46th Meijin League. His closest rival is Kyo Kagen Judan on 4-1. New results:
(May 10) Yamashita Keigo 9P (W) beat Hane Naoki 9P by resig.
(May 13) Kyo Kagen 10P (B) beat Yo Seiki 8P by resig.
Kisei Leagues
So far, only five games have been played in the 46th Kisei S League, so it is too soon to be making predictions. Murakami Daisuke 9P and Ichiriki Ryo Tengen share the lead on 2-0. Yo Seiki 8P is on 1-0. Just one game has been played since my previous report. On May 24, Ichiriki (B) beat Yamashita Keigo 9P by 3.5.
In the A League, four rounds have been completed. Shibano Toramaru Oza and Suzuki Shinji 7P share the lead on 3-1. In the B1 League, three players are on 3-1: Motoki Katsuya 8P, Shida Tatsuya 8P, and Mimura Tomoyasu 9P. In the B2 League, So Yokoku 9P has the sole lead on 4-0.
Promotions
To 9-dan: Nakao Jungo (200 wins; as of May 21). Nakao was born in Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, on April 9, 1970 and is a member of the Central Japan branch of the Nihon Ki-in. He qualified as 1-dan in 1990. He is the 84th 9-dan at the
Nihon Ki-in.
To 9-dan: Okada Shinichiro (200 wins; as of May 28). Okada was born on Sept. 22, 1966 in Saitama Prefecture. He is a disciple of the late Kato Masao. He became 1-dan in 1985. He is married to Yumiko, the daughter of the late Abe Yoshi
teru 9P.
Saturday May 22, 2021
by Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister
The 11th Messe Go Tournament was held in Hannover, Germany, on May 1 and 2. Fifty players competed. In the final game, Korean visitor Lee Min-sup won, defeating European Champion Jürgen Mattern.
In those pre-Kisei days, the Hon’inbo tournament had greater prominence, with three games played in the title match in May. Title holder Rin Kaihō took a one game lead into the month. On May 6-7, Ishida Yoshio lived up to his “Computer” nickname with a brilliant win in yose by 1.5 points. However, he did not get that far in game three on May 18-19, as Rin forced a resignation with a dominance the Japanese go world had come to expect. As the month ended, on May 31, Rin stumbled with a blunder on move 92, leaving the match all square at 2-2. In this match photo, Ishida confidently plays a move, watched by the champion, and Maeda Nobuaki, the “god of Tsume-go”, in the center of the picture. (Game records: Hon’inbo Title Match Game One, Hon’inbo Title Match Game Two, Hon’inbo Title Match Game Three.)
The busy Ishida was simultaneously defending his Pro Best Ten title against Kajiwara Takeo 9d. The young champion prevailed in the first two games on May 14 and 24. (Game records: Pro Best Ten Final Game One; Pro Best Ten Final Game Two.)
Described as a new event, the Amsterdam Go Tournament was held on May 15-16. Attended by 80 players, including 10 from Germany (including our friend Horst Sudhoff), 8 from France, 5 from England, 2 from Yugoslavia, and 1 player from Japan, it was a truly international affair. This time, Jürgen Mattern won the final against Mr. Katō of Japan.
On May 28, legend-in-the-making Cho Hun-hyeon secured promotion to 5 dan at the Nihon Ki’in at the age of 18.
Photos courtesy of Go Review.
Saturday May 15, 2021
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.
Friday May 14, 2021
by John Power, Japan correspondent for the E-Journal
Fujisawa enters Agon Kiriyama main tournament
Fujisawa Rina’s excellent form is also continuing. On May 6, she beat O Meien 9P in the final game of the preliminary round of the 28th Agon Kiriyama Cup. Taking black, Fujisawa won by resig. She is the first woman to reach the main tournament, that is, the best 16.
Mi Yuting wins MLily Cup
The final, a best-of-five, of the 4th MLily Cup, was held in late April and early May. This is a Chinese-sponsored international tournament held at irregular intervals, the first being in 2013, then 2016, then 2017. So far, it has been won by Mi Yuting (China), Ke Jie (China), and Park Junghwan (Korea). First prize is 1,800,000 yuan (about $279,800). This year both finalists were Chinese. Results follow.
Game 1 (April 29). Mi (W) by resig.
Game 2 (April 30). Xie Ke 8P (W) by resig.
Game 3 (May 2). Mi (W) by 2.5.
Game 4 (May 4). Xie (W) by resig.
Game 5 (May 5). Mi (W) by resig.
Sumire enters C League
In a play-off for a place in the C League of the 46th Kisei tournament, held on May 6, Nakamura Sumire 2P (B) beat Torii Yuta 3P by 5.5 points. This earned her a place in the C League; every time Sumire achieves something, she sets a new youth record. At 12 years two months four days, she is the youngest player to enter a league. The record was lowered by five days just three days earlier when Fukuoka Kotaro 2P got into the league aged 15 years four months 11 days; Sumire lowered that by more than three years. Breaking her new record will be a major challenge. She also extended her winning streak to 11 games and improved her record for the year to 22-2. Ueno Asami lost the game she played last week, so Sumire has the sole lead in the most-wins list. More details about the C League are given in my report of May 2. According to the Yomiuri newspaper, all 480 professional players in Japan compete in the Kisei tournament. Sumire is in the top 62 of that number, so this may be her biggest success so far. Sumire: “I didn’t think I could get into the league, so I am very happy. I look forward to being able to play with strong players.” To become the Kisei challenger, she will need nine wins in a row: five in the league and four in the irregular knock-out that follows it.
Next: Ichiriki Meijin League; 46th Kisei S League; Promotions & Obituaries
Friday May 14, 2021
by Keith L. Arnold, hka, and Patrick Bannister
On 14 May 1971, Goishi Day, the Kyōto Branch of Nihon Ki’in raised a burial mound for go stones and held the first Goishi Kuyō. Goishi Kuyō is a memorial service for broken Go stones, and also for the stones that were captured or died on the board that year. The attendees joined in a tournament in honor of the occasion. Rin Kaihō Hon’inbo, former Women’s Hon’inbo Inoue Minako, and that year’s Amateur Ladies’ Championship third place winner Sakaguchi Kaori attended the event, and Rin Hon’inbo gave commentaries for some of the day’s tournament games.
The event had elements of a funeral – a burial mound where attendees offered flowers, and a Buddhist priest chanted sutras on behalf of the stones – but the tone wasn’t completely solemn. After all, stones that “die” on the go board are collected at the end of the game, soon to be played again. Broken stones – even from a cherished old set, rich with memories of games with your teacher and your friends – can’t be compared to a person. Hasegawa Kō, reporting on the event for Go Club magazine, characterized the Goishi Kuyō as “unusual” and “eccentric.” Goishi Day is a rhyming pun: May 14 = 5 14 = GO I SHI.
A large celebration of the 50th anniversary was planned for 9 May 2021, but like so many events, was cancelled.
Nevertheless, let us take this opportunity, this moment, to acknowledge and mourn the stones not broken this year, the stones not captured, the stones not played. It has been a year without the sound of stones snapping on boards, subtle slides into place or intimidating slams onto what we hope are the vital points. A year where the message of our moves was not reflected on the faces of our opponents – invariably friends – old, new and soon to be.
And take this moment to remember those we will never get another, or even a first, chance to play.
So, grasp those bowls from the shelf, let the stones breathe, feel the warmth of your fingers, and roam over the board. Whether cautiously reaching out, masked and vaccinated, to friends, or within family bubbles, or simply reviewing a pro game on a board and not with bytes – let the stones play.
AlphaGo vs. AlphaGo with Michael Redmond 9p: Game 50 (Part 2)
Friday July 9, 2021
“Wow, it’s been a while! Welcome back,” Nyarlah commented on the latest Michael Redmond AlphaGo game commentary; Part 1 was published last week. “It’s been too long AGA!” agreed Clay Tin. Some commenters noted the unusually long pre-game chat as Redmond and host Chris Garlock caught up on news from the previous 8 months; note that the game commentary starts at 22:56.
Part 2 of the AlphaGo-AlphaGo Game 50 commentary will be published at 6p ET tonight. The game series was published by Deepmind after AlphaGo’s victory over world champion Ke Jie 9p in May 2017. The video was produced by Eva-Dee Beech, Chris Garlock and Stephen Hu.
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