Keith L. Arnold, hka, with Patrick Bannister | Published on 10/8/2023
Go Review reports that Chō Chikun was promoted to 6th dan, at the tender age of 17.
On October 10, in celebration of "Sports and Recreation Day," the NHK televised a go match between a team of players from England and a team of Japanese high school girls. The British Go Journal reports the English team consisted of captain Stuart Dowsey, Alan Stout from the London Go Club and Peter Westlake "the Minister at the British Embassy in Tōkyō." The game was a relay game, with each player making ten moves and then switching out. The young ladies were triumphant.
Naturally we continue the big story, the Hon'inbo vs. Meijin clash for the Meijin title. At the end of last month, Rin Kaihō had narrowly avoided being swept with a jigo win. On October 2/3 Ishida Yoshio, who later stated that losing from a winning position in the fourth game upset him, and he played badly and the match tightened to 3-2, still in his favor. The sixth game on October 11-12 proved an epic see-saw affair that ended in the third jigo of the match, the second in Rin's favor. With the match tied at 3-3 it all came down to Game Seven on October 19-20. Once again, Rin denied Ishida the title and remained Meijin. Rin was quoted "After the I lost the third game, I gave up any hope of winning the series, so I was able to relax for the last four games." Sakata Eio, Jūdan, was critical of Ishida: "A serious player, would not have gone golfing the day before the fifth game and caught a cold." (Game records: Game Five, Game Six, Game Seven.)
On October 22, Takemiya Masaki 7d won the 17th Prime Minister's Cup for the second time, defeating Katō Masao. Katō had not been promoted to 8th dan, a mixed blessing, since this was his last chance to win the title for pros 7th dan and under. (Game Record: Prime Minister's Cup Final.)
Game records courtesy of SmartGoOne, photos courtesy of Go Review.