American Go E-Journal » Hane Naoki

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).

Hane Naoki 9P has staged a dramatic comeback against Yamashita Keigo 9P in the 66th Honinbo, taking the title match to a 7th game. Yamashita appeared to be on track to defend the title, which he took from Hane last year. He won the first three games of the best-of-seven Honinbo final, needing only one more win to clinch it. However, Hane fought on to win the next three games, leaving the series tied at 3-3 on July 14, 2011. Hane would now appear to be the favorite to win the tournament. Typically players who come back from three down in a title match go on to win the title. Hane himself did this against Takao Shinji in the 63rd Honinbo (2008). One notable exception to this trend is the 28th Kisei in 2004, where Yamashita’s attempted comeback was derailed by none other than Hane Naoki. With the history between these two players, the final match promises to be exciting regardless of the outcome. The decisive 7th game starts at 8:00pm July 19, US Eastern Time and will likely be completed the following day.

– David Ormerod; based on his original report: Hane Naoki fights back in 66th Japanese Honinbo at Go Game Guru. Photo: Yamashita Keigo 9P (left), Hane Naoki 9P (right), Ishida Yoshio 9P watches (standing back-center).