56TH LEAGUE UPDATE
56th Honinbo League as of 2 March 2001 with Round 6 partly completed.
Cho U faltered and lost his unblemished score, but the only player who could catch him also slipped up: Cho Sonjin lost to wooden spoonist Yuki Satoshi. Cho U at least has a playoff guaranteed with one round to go.
|
|
CS |
CC |
YK |
OH |
YS |
OK |
HN |
CU |
|
|
| 1 |
Cho Sonjin 9d |
- |
|
1 |
1
|
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
= |
4-2 |
| 2 |
Cho Chikun 9d |
|
- |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
1 |
0 |
= |
2-3 |
| 3 |
Yamada Kimio 8d |
0 |
1 |
- |
|
1 |
0 |
|
0 |
= |
2-3 |
| 4 |
Otake Hideo 9d |
0 |
0 |
|
- |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
= |
3-3 |
| 5 |
Yuki Satoshi 9d |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
- |
|
0 |
0 |
= |
2-4 |
| 5 |
Oya Koichi 8d |
0 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
- |
0 |
0 |
= |
2-3 |
| 5 |
Hane Naoki 8d |
0 |
0 |
|
0 |
1 |
1 |
- |
|
= |
2-3 |
| 5 |
Cho U 6d |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
- |
= |
5-1 |
*****
Older News From 2 February 2001:
CHO U'S GUARANTEE OF PERECTION
Round 5 of the 56th Honinbo League is still under way, but already Cho U 6-dan, the youngest entrant, has guaranteed at least a playoff place with a perfect 5-0 record. Only Cho Sonjin can catch him. In the first game of the round he beat Yuki Satoshi 9-dan at the end of January, also ensuring Yuki's demotion with a 1-4 record.
*****
Older News From 20 January 2001:
56TH LEAGUE UPDATE
After Round 4 of the 56th Honinbo League in January 2001, the three Chos are still in the lead, but Cho Chikun's chances of mounting a challenge for the title he once monopolised appear to be slipping away. This is, not least, because he lost in the latest round to the most junior new entrant, 20-year-old Cho U from Taiwan. On paper Cho U also seems to have the easiest run-in for the remaining games, having also already defeated leading rival Cho Sonjin.
*****
Older News From 30 December 2000:
56TH LEAGUE (December 2000)
56th League, positions as of end December 2000 with Round 3 completed see the three Chos out in front. Round 3 games are held during January, Round 5 during February, and so on.
*****
Older News From 23 December 2000:
PRO-AM GAP SHRINKS BACK
A long-running spin-off of the Honinbo tournament - itself the world's longest running tournament - is an annual match between the pro Honinbo and the amateur Honinbo. The game this year, 2000, was between O Meien 9-dan and Iwai Ryuichi.
Under the new regulations this year amateur Honinbos are automatically awarded amateur 8-dan diplomas, which makes it seem as if the pro-am gap may be getting smaller. In fact, over recent years it has widened at times, with amateurs putting as many three handicap stones down. However, the amateurs have managed to win over the past four years and so the gap has closed again.
The event began in 1963 with amateur Harada Minoru 5-dan taking on Sakata Eio with the help of two stones and no komi, It continued on that basis for the first 18 terms, the amateurs scoring 5-13. In 1981, in term 19, the system was changed to free placement of handicap stones and the handicap was to be adjusted up or down according to the result by a quarter of a stone each year, a quarter of a stone being represented by 2.5 points komi. This is what the Japanese call the uchikomi system.
In the first such match, Murakami Bunsho began with first move and received 5 points komi from White, who was Cho Chikun.
Initially the amateurs were occasionally able to peg the handicap back to the original Black and 5 komi from White (and that has been the baseline since, even though in one year the amateur managed to achieve jigo at that handicap), but the pros' strength inexorably took its toll and it eventually went up to as high as 3 stones in 1997. Cho Chikun did most of the damage for the pros, of course.
The game in 2000 was at 2 stones with White giving 5 points komi. Click here to see it. Iwai's choice of two old-fashioned komokus for his handicap stones was interesting, and O Meien responded by adopting 21st century go strategy. But Iwai kept cool and was able to run the game at his pace, which in the end was the decisive factor. It was Iwai's first appearance on such a big stage, but he has been prominent, along with his elder brother Shin'ichi in the upper levels of university go for some time.
*****
Older News From 9 November 2000:
56th LEAGUE FINALISED
The last two places in the 56th Honinbo League have gone to Hane Naoki 8-dan,victorious over Kato Masao 9-dan in the final qualifying stage, and to Yuki Satoshi 9-dan, who triumphed over Kobayashi Koichi 9-dan.
Hane will be making his debut in this league (though he is already in the Meijin League), while it will be a fourth appearance for Yuki, who is from the Kansai Ki-in.
The members of the new league, in the ranking order used to split demotion ties, are:
1. Cho Sonjin
2. Cho Chikun
3. Yamada Kimio
4. Otake Hideo
5= Oya Koichi
5= Cho U
5= Yuki Satoshi
5= Hane Naoki
Games begin in October.
*****
Older News From 12 August 2000:
YOUNG POWER
Cho U 6-dan has won his way into the 56th Honinbo League at the age of only 20 - the third youngest entrant. In one of the four finals of the third preliminary stage he defeated Obuchi Morito 9-dan, also vying for his first entry into this prestigious league.
Cho is yet another player of Taiwanese origin, though he has already spent half his life in Japan. He is a pupil of Rin Kaiho. He is a little bit like Ryu Shikun in that his relatively lowly grade belies many excellent performances in tournaments.
In another of the finals, Oya Koichi 8-dan has won a league place already, while the other two places will be contested between Kato Masao 9-dan and Hane Naoki 8-dan and between Kobayashi Koichi 9-dan and Yuki Satoshi 9-dan.
HONINBO ARCHIVES
HOW DOES THE HONINBO LEAGUE WORK
Click here to find out how the Honinbo tournament works, and its history.
Click here for the list of HONINBO FINALISTS.
