The World of Go - Bob Terry 5/2006

Cho U Given Finest Player Award

For the third year in a row Cho U, Meijin has been honored with the Kido Finest Player of the Year Award. Ten go journalists representing the newspapers that sponsor the major go tournaments in Japan were members of the 39th Kido Awards Committee that announced the prizes in the March issue of Go Waarudo magazine. (Kido and Igo Club magazines merged in 1999 to become Go Waarudo, but the venerable Kido name lives on with these annual awards.)

Cho Meijin was also given the Most Games Played Award (39 wins, 24 losses = 63 games) and International Award (for winning the 9th LG Cup, beating Yu Bin 9 dan of China 3-1 and the 17th Television Asia Final, where he defeated Cho Hansung 8 dan; the Japanese have not been very successful on the international go scene in recent years and Cho’s wins made him the clear-cut favorite for the award.)

Kobayashi Satoru 9 dan won the Most Wins Award (46 wins, 16 losses), Iyama Yuta 7 dan won the Best winning Percentage Award (40-13 or 0.75470 as well as the New Player Award, Takemiya Masaki 9 dan won the Most Wins in a Row Award (16) and Yashiro Kumiko, Women’s Honinbo won the Finest Woman Player Award. (As an aside it should be mentioned that in the same issue of Go Waarudo the top ten prize money winners were listed and Cho Meijin was first there as well, at ¥123,438,564 or just over $1 million. This figure does not include appearance fees, royalties or endorsement payments, which can easily double the amount a go player earns from winning tournaments.)

The main story, though, was the Finest Player Award, and the committee took some pains over making the decision. Out of ten committee members, nine nominated both Cho Meijin and Takao Shinji, Honinbo (who beat Cho 4-1 took take the Honinbo title last year). Three nominated Hane Naoki, Kisei, principally for defending the Kisei title 4-3 against the challenge of Yuki Satoshi 9 dan of the Kansai Ki-in. “That’s important,” said one committee member. “That should weigh heavily in determining the Kido Award since the title did not slip away to the [rival] Kansai Ki-in.” (Ironically, Hane was christened with his given name in honor of Miyamoto Naoki 9 dan, a stalwart of the Kansai Ki-in.)

In the end, Cho Meijin’s successes, strength and activity in the go world were the determining factors. “He lost the Honinbo title, but won two of the three title matches he played in,” said one committee member. “I also pick Cho,” stated another. “Besides the title matches, he played for the lightning go cups, like the NHK and the NEC Cups, winning everything he was going for. That left no doubt.” One final comment seemed to settle it. “As the holder of the Oza title, he defeated Yamashita Keigo 9 dan with three straight wins, and though his other successes were not as overpowering, on the other hand his masterful strength was remarkable.”

Cho gave a dramatic demonstration of his skill and determination in the Honinbo League. He played the game here as white against Hane Naoki, Kisei as one of the first of the year. Both players were neck and neck in the league, so this game would determine the leader.

Cho had initiated a tumultuous fight (or had it been foisted upon him?) but fell into a difficult position and ended up making some unreasonable moves. However, Hane hallucinated in regards to the life of a white group and missed playing the coup de grace. By that evening the situation was complex and tense.

Cho took measures against the black position on the left side. At one point he could have worked out a small life for his group but left the situation amorphous for the moment. That is the position in the diagram at the right.

Black descended with the marked stone in the upper right, leading observers to conclude, “At this pace white cannot keep up territorially and there doesn’t seem to be a play on the left.” But then white played 1 through 19, establishing a position on the upper side. Black could have added a stone on the left to settle the situation, but white would play first on the right for the win. Black 20 dares white to do his worst. Which Cho did. Through white 27 black was faced with an unwinnable capturing race and chose to resign instead.

Cho is now at 4-0 in the league and has a good chance of earning a rematch with Takao Honinbo in June.

	61st Annual Honinbo League White: Cho U, Meijin Black: Hane Naoki, Kisei Played on January 6, 2006 at the Nihon Ki-in, Ichigaya, Tokyo. 176 moves. White wins by resignation.