Kato Tomoko 4-dan won the second Women's Saikyo tournament for the Tokyo Seimitsu Cup on 5 December 2000 when she defeated Aoki Kikuyo 8-dan by 1.5 points.
It was rather against the odds, but it is far from Kato's first title. She won the 11th Women's Honinbo in 1992 and the 7th Meijin in 1995, and has featured in several other title matches. She was born in 1969 and has been a pro since 1991, having studied both with Mrs Sugiuchi Kazuko 8-dan and Sekine Naohisa 6-dan. She is from Omiya City in Saitama Prefecture.
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Older News From 20 November 2000: FILLIES' FINALISTS FINALLY FINALISED
Finalists for the second Women's Saikyo tournament for the Tokyo Seimitsu Cup will be Kato Tomoko 4-dan and Aoki Kikuyo, who, it will be recalled became the fastest woman to reach 8-dan in Japan earlier this year (14 years - she is now 32). It will also be an opportunity for Aoki to capture her third concurrent title - she is already Women's Meijin and Women's Kakusei.
Aoki made he way to the final by way of beating Hane Shigeko 1-dan in Round 3 - which we mention only as an excused to say that Shigeko and husband Hane Naoki 8-dan became the proud parents of little Ranka on 20 September. Maybe the name is a hint that one of them intends to win the Chunlan title, lan/ran meaning orchid, but it is also a pun on the famous whimsical name for go (the rotten axe handle).
It might be worth mentioning, too, at this high point in women's go, that a women's go festival has just been held in Tokyo on 28 October 2000 to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Kita Fumiko, in her day the strongest woman player in the world and one who regularly competed on level terms with the men. The festival, compered by Kita's pupil Sugiuchi Kazuko 8-dan, attracted over 500 fans (and also Go Seigen - Kita treated him almost as a son when he first arrived in Japan).
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Older News From 3 November 2000: HOLDER CRASHES OUT IN 1st ROUND
The second Women's Saikyo tournament for the Tokyo Seimitsu Cup has reached the semi-finals stage. We are assured of a new holder as last year's victor, Shinkai Hiroko 5-dan, crashed out in the first round.
The four left in the year 2000 race are: Kato Tomoko 4-dan, who scraped a lucky win against Yashiro Kumiko 3-dan, last year's losing finalist, but who was also the nemesis of Shinkai; Aoki Kikuyo, the current Women's Meijin; Nakazawa Ayako 4-dan, who will play Aoki in her semi; and Sugiuchi Kazuko 8-dan, who has now reached an age where it is, we hope, no longer impolite to mention it - an amazing 73.
Sponsors are Tokyo Seimitsu Co. Ltd., a leading producer of semiconductor-manufacturing systems. The main tournament is a knockout limited to 32 players comprised of the
women's title holders and the top prize-money winners.
Winner's prize in the single-game final is 4.5 million yen.
Time limits are 3 hours each except in the final where each player has 1 hour plus 60 seconds a move thereafter. Komi is 5.5 points.
The title means Women's Pro Strongest Players Tournament.
