Yamashita Keigo (9d) defeated Yuki Satoshi (9d) by a convincing 11.5 points in the second round of the 30th NEC Cup. Keigo will now advance to the semifinals to face O Meien (9d), a 33 year veteran, who defeated Iyama Yuta (9d) in the second round. The remaining second-round match will be played on September 6th between the current NEC Cup title holder Kono Rin (9d) and challenger So Yokoku (8d). The winner of that game will advance to the semifinals to play Cho U (9d).
]]>Source: http://weiqi.sports.tom.com/hubo/200705/chuji0546.htm
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Source: http://weiqi.sports.tom.com/hubo/200908/chuji0681.htm
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In several surprise second round results, two of Japan’s top professionals were handed defeats by less well-know 7 dans. The first was Han Zenki (7d) who defeated the current Daiwa Cup title holder Kono Rin (9d) by resignation. Han Zenki became a pro in 1996 at the age of 19 and was promoted to 2 dan in the same year. The second was Tsuruyama Atsushi (7d) who defeated O Rissei (9d) by resignation. Tsuruyama Atsushi became a pro in 1999 at the age of 18 and was also promoted to 2 dan that same year.
]]>IgoLocal.net is already boasting 1220+ members worldwide and growing. This is a very cool service that I wholeheartedly endorse. Whether you’re a 30 kyu beginner or an 8 dan pro, you’re sure to find a partner close by. The best part is that it’s absolutely free. Register your free account and search for players locally or wherever you may be traveling.
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In a true Cinderella story, Sakai Hideyuki (7d) has become the new Gosei by defeating Cho U (9d) by 2.5 points in the fifth and final round of the 35th Gosei, winning the series 3:2. This is Sakai Hideyuki’s first major title win, which also ended Cho U’s four consecutive years of holding the Gosei title. His only title win prior to this was the Kansai Ki-in Championship in 2003. And at 37 years old, he defies those who would say that only the youth can accomplish such feats. Congratulations to Sakai Hideyuki, who just gave us old timers a big smile.
“Before becoming a professional, Sakai was majoring in medical science at Kyoto University. For a long time, Sakai was the strongest amateur player in Japan, and when he won the World Amateur Go Championship in 2000, the Kansai Ki-in awarded him professional 5 dan (after defeating two 5 dan and two 7 dan). He was also the first player in Japan to be awarded a special 8 dan (amateur) diploma. In 2003, he won the biggest Kansai Ki-in tournament, the Kansai Ki-in Championship. In 2004, he was runner-up for the Shinjin-O title, losing to Mizokami Tomochika two games to one (losing both by half point). He is currently active in various tournament leagues for both the Nihon Ki-in (participation in Meijin league 2005-2008) and Kansai Ki-in” (Source: Wikipedia-Hideyuki Sakai).
]]>Source: http://weiqi.sports.tom.com/hubo/200903/chuji0642.htm
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In the final challenger-decision match for the 29th Female Honinbo, Mukai Chiaki (4d) defeated Umezawa Yukari (5d) by resignation, giving her the nod to challenge Xie Yimin (5d) for the title. Mukai Chiaki is 23 years old, became a professional in 2004, and was promoted to 4 dan just this year. She is a student of Honda Sachiko. Her two sisters, Mukai Kozue (1d) and Mukai Kaori (2d), are professionals in the Nihon Ki-in as well. The first round of the title match will be played on October 6th.
“This [title] is the female-only equivalent of the Japanese Honinbo title. Unlike the Honinbo title, this tournament is conducted using the single knockout format to determine a challenger. The title is then decided by a best of five match (best of three prior to 1995) with the previous year’s title holder. The winner’s prize is ¥5,800,000” (Source: Sensei’s Library) .
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Peter Hansmeier provides us with another translation of an article “representative of what is being said on [tom.com] and other popular Chinese-language sites [regarding] Rui Naiwei’s participation in the Asian Games.” Thanks again, Peter!
When the Zhongguo Qiyuan announced the female delegation to the Asian Games, and Rui Naiwei made the list, they did not expect a controversy with South Korea. However, a South Korean newspaper reported that some Korean professionals grumbled that after ten years of playing with the Hankuk Kiwon, using the opportunities for matches and prize money, and being granted formal professional status, Rui Naiwei now wants to represent China and become the greatest obstacle to a South Korean gold medal. South Korean professionals find this difficult to accept. Now the Hankuk Kiwon is reportedly reevaluating the rights and obligations of foreign-born professional players.
Zhongguo Qiyuan president Liu Siming talked with a reporter about Korean dissatisfaction with the announcement. In his opinion, there should be no problem with Rui Naiwei’s participation. He said that this is not the first time that Rui Naiwei has represented China in international play, such as the first World Mind Sports Games. He also made an analogy to football, noting that a famous Portuguese player, Christiano Ronaldo [nicknamed C罗 in Chinese], plays for a Spanish club but represented Portugal in the European Football Championship and the World Cup. Liu Siming noted that Spain never complained about this arrangement.
46-year old Rui Naiwei 9p is the world’s strongest female Go player. Because of “breaking team rules” [euphemism for political pressure…], she left China in 1989 to play Go in Japan. In 1992 she married Jiang Zhujiu. In 1992 she studied with Go Seigen. Until 1996, though, the Nihon Kiin did not allow her to participate in official matches. In 1999 the couple received an invitation to come to South Korea to play Go as guest players, and then later become official professionals. With Rui Naiwei’s participation, South Korea’s women’s Go quickly became the best in the world.
Rui Naiwei has never applied for Korean citizenship. She is proud of her nationality and has never felt the need to apply for citizenship.
Qualifying for Go competitions is unique from other sports. It is different from football, basketball, and other team sports that play in international competition. In Go, Players represent the professional organization that registered them, rather than than representing their country.
For example, in the first two instances of the Jeongganjang Cup the tournament format produced an individual champion, and Rui Naiwei participated as a result of her status with the Hankuk Kiwon. In the following term, the tournament became a team competition, and Rui Naiwei played on the Chinese team. Likewise, Taiwanese player Cho U [Zhang Xu] is regarded as the number one player in Japan, but he has not applied for Japanese citizenship. He does, though, represent the Nihon Kiin in international competition [see, e.g., the 10th Agon Cup].
In other competitions such as the Nongshim Cup and the Asian Games, players participate based upon their nationality. Foreign players cannot represent a country merely based upon their status with that country’s professional organization.
The reaction comes from diffidence, not pettiness
Ten years ago, for the purpose of improving the level of women’s Go in South Korea, the Hankuk Kiwon invited Rui Naiwei to South Korea. They gave her full professional status, voting rights, retirement pay, and other benefits. Now when Rui Naiwei represents her country in the Asian Games, the Hankuk Kiwon expresses annoyance.
In the first Jeongganjang Cup, Rui Naiwei represented the Hankuk Kiwon and ultimately won the tournament. In the third term, when the tournament adopted the team format, Rui Naiwei joined the Chinese team, to the detriment of South Korea. In fact, she won the crucial final game against Park Jieun, winning the tournament for China. At that time, there were no complaints from South Korea. In fact, there was some gloating that the final two participants were both members of the Hankuk Kiwon.
On the surface, it looks like South Korea is simply eager to get the gold medal in the Asian Games. In reality, the complaints bear a resemblance to the cancellation of lunch breaks in the Samsung Cup in that they reveal South Korea’s lack of confidence. Over the last few years, as Gu Li showed his dominance on the world stage, the Hankuk Kiwon began to feel pressure. In response to the rise of Chinese Go, Korean countermeasures have begun to appear away from the Go board.
Rui Naiwei: “Nationality and gold medals are not important. I only want to play Go. Playing Go is my calling.”
Rui Naiwei: “My position is very difficult. If I had not accepted the invitation to play in South Korea, I would likely not be where I am today. I ask for my fans’ forgiveness, but I am Chinese, and I should represent China in this competition. With my participation, China is not guaranteed a gold medal. With my absence, South Korea is not guaranteed a gold medal. I worry about my Korean Go fans. If I defeat a Korean player, I do ask the Korean fans not to get angry.”
When asked whether she would return to China to play Go, she tactfully stated that returning to China would convenient in terms of language, food, and customs, but that she is a professional with the Hankuk Kiwon, and that it is better for her to play Go in South Korea. She may make the occaisonal trip to China, but her professional home is in South Korea.
]]>• play new moves and explore variations in an existing game
• put markups (Squares, Triangles, Circles, Cross marks, labels ABC…)
• delete a move
• export SGF data
• set annotation (“good for white”, “even position”, etc..)
• save your annotations to a file
Give it a try, play around with it, and let me know what you think. The EDIT mode is designed for editing an existing game, but the source file is not modified: you have to export the modified SGF data in a file on your computer. For further instructions on how to use the EDIT mode, see the help files marked with the question mark ? button in the lower right-hand corner. Note: this software is a third-party application provided by Gludion.com and not developed by JustPlayGo.
]]>Source: http://weiqi.sports.tom.com/hubo/201008/chuji0741.htm
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