What is the biggest, the longest, the mostest in pro go? These pages will tell you the answers as far as I know them. Of course, if you can tell us of any new records we would be delighted to add or update any item.
The record items listed so far will be "turned on" one by one, so please make sure you visit again soon. We focus on competitive pro games, of course, but with the odd digression.
Shortest, Longest, Oldest, First, Most ... and many more.
LONGEST GAMES OF GO
Note: Longest games are classified according to Japanese style counting, that is with fill-in moves and dame plays not necessarily played.
LONGEST EVER
Yamabe Toshiro 5-dan and Hoshino Toshi 3-dan played 411 moves in an Oteai game in Japan on 24 and 25 December 1950. It was originally reported in the March 1951 Kido as being 409 moves and Black winning by 1 point, but the players and the Kido editor later amended this to 411 and a Black win by 2. Because it was the Oteai there was no game recorder and the players had to reconstruct the moves. Click here.
If that record seems flawed, there is a game of 406 moves between Fujisawa Kazunari 7-dan and Kamimura Haruo 9-dan in the preliminaries of the 53rd Honinbo in Japan on 12 December 1996. Click here.
For a very long time the longest, and still the longest historical game, was a 405-move duel between Yasui Sanchi and Ito Matsujiro (= ItoShowa) on 15 May 1839 (Tenpo 10 IV 3). It may still be valid to class this as the longest game, as a half-point ko was conceded and so left unfilled on move 405. Had it been played out, it would have gone to 423 moves. Click here.
LONGEST GAME IN JAPAN
See Longest Ever Game
LONGEST GAME IN KOREA
Kim Su-chang 9-dan and Kim Il-hwan 7-dan played 360 moves in the repechage section of the 13th Taewang on 11 July 1995. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between the score based on this game record and the score posted in the tournament table. Click here.
LONGEST GAME IN CHINA
Nie Weiping 9-dan and Zhang Xuan 8-dan played 345 moves (also with a final half-point ko conceded and not played out) in Round 1 of the the 5th China NEC Cup on 16 May 1999. This is also the longest game involving a woman. Click here.
LONGEST INTERNATIONAL GAME
Nie Weiping 9-dan and Rin Kaiho 9-dan played 368 moves in Game 3 of the the 4th Tengen/Tianyuan Match on 25 June 1991. Click here.
Nie also appeared in a 363-move marathon against Komatsu Hideki 8-dan in the 8th Japan-China Supergo series on 6 December 1993. This game apparently claims the record for the number of ko captures (59).
LONGEST WOMEN'S GAME
Sugiuchi Kazuko 8-dan and Ogawa Tomoko 4-dan played 340 moves in Round 1 of the 11th Women's Kakusei in Japan on 15 May 1989. Click here.
LONGEST TITLE MATCH GAME
Sakata Eio and Fujisawa Hosai played 361 moves in Game 5 of the 6th Judan Final in Japan on 17 January 1968. Click here.
LONGEST RESIGNED GAME
Im Seon-kuen 8-dan and Ch'oe Myeong-hun 6-dan played 336 moves in the 32nd Wangwi League in Korea on 23 February 1998 before Ch'oe resigned.
LONGEST VOID GAME
Komatsu Hideki 8-dan and Rin Kaiho 9-dan played 333 moves in the 49th Honinbo League on 2 September 1993. This was also the first ever chosei (eternal ko) in official pro games. Click here.
