Ichiriki Wins Intl Go Tournament: Victory over Strong Chinese Opponent Signals Start of A New Era

Editorial

16:12 JST, September 14, 2024

This is a victory that will bring hope to the Japanese world of Go, the traditional board game, which has been put on the back foot due to the rise of Chinese and South Korean players. Going forward, it is hoped that the Japanese Go world will focus on nurturing young players who can perform well on the international stage, and strive to increase the popularity of Go.

Ryo Ichiriki, the foremost figure in the Japanese Go world and holder of such titles as the Kisei, one of the seven major titles in Japan, won the Ing Cup world professional Go championship for the first time.

The Ing Cup is a major tournament held once every four years, and the world’s top Go players gather to compete. In the best-of-five final, Ichiriki won the opening three games against a strong Chinese opponent, becoming the first Japan-based player in 19 years to win a major international Go championship. His achievement deserves to be applauded.

International competitions began being held in the 1980s in a full-fledged manner. In the past, Japan was a strong country that won many championships, but in recent years, Japan has lost ground to China and South Korea, which have been focusing on educating gifted players. Ichiriki said, “I think it’s significant that I was able to demonstrate that a Japanese player has the ability to win a title.”

Ichiriki started playing professionally at the age of 13, and now, at 27, he holds three of the seven major Japanese titles — Kisei, Tengen and Honinbo. Since his elementary school days, Ichiriki has traveled to China and South Korea to play games and hone his skills. His overseas training to acquire skills must be one of the reasons he could demonstrate his prowess at an international tournament.

The Nihon Ki-in, Japan’s Go association, in fiscal 2013, formed a national team of top players with the aim of regaining titles in international tournaments. The team members, including Ichiriki and Yuta Iyama, who held all the seven major Japanese titles on two separate occasions and is currently holding titles, including the Oza, are competing with each other.

Ichiriki’s feat can be called the fruit of such efforts. Recently, professional players have been using artificial intelligence to passionately study the game, and it has been playing a role in improving their skills.

Female professionals are also aiming to go abroad. Third-dan player Sumire Nakamura, who attracted much attention when she became a professional at the age of 10, transferred to South Korea’s Go association in March this year. By gaining experience in a tough environment with many rivals from a young age, her skills will surely improve.

Nakamura is the first player certified by the Nihon Ki-in as a talented player under a special scheme to nurture professionals with a lot of potential. To discover promising young players to follow in her footsteps, it is hoped that the Nihon Ki-in will make such efforts as increasing the number of Go classes held at kindergartens and elementary schools.

It is said that in Japan, Go was enjoyed by aristocrats during the Heian period (794-late 12th century). In the Edo period (1603-1867), it was placed under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunate and became an established part of the culture.

However, the number of Go players in Japan, once estimated at 10 million, has now decreased to 1.3 million.

The Nihon Ki-in celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding this year. To restore popularity, it is hoped that Japanese players will win more international tournaments and raise the level of attention on the game.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 14, 2024)