Japanese female pros' progress accelerating?

[John Fairbairn]

Ueno Asami has just defeated a former title holder, Takao Shinji, in the main part of the Ryusei.

In the NHK Cup, THREE women are now in Round 2 (the last 32) - without checking, I believe this is the first time it has happened. Ueno is one, and Xie Yimin is another. Fujisawa is the third and her case she also defeated a former major (and current minor) titleholder, Cho Chikun.

Just to make sure the obvious is stated, these are tournaments against men.

[ez4u]

Ueno defeated Murakawa Daisuke as well to reach the semi-finals in the Ryusei.

[Ferran]

Ueno defeated Murakawa Daisuke as well to reach the semi-finals in the Ryusei.

I can’t believe that I'm here and feel like I am in a dream," Ueno said. "The semifinal will be aired live, so I will do my best to try not to let the game finish early.

Correct me if I'm wrong: winning the Ryusei grants promotion to 7th dan, but there's no partial system for this tournament, not like, say, the Honinbo, where getting into the leagues already grants promotions. So she'll end the Championship as either 2nd, maybe 3rd dan, or 7th.

That's enough to make one nervous.

Take care.

[Ferran]

My apologies for writing two consecutive messages, but I thought it would be better, considering it's been three days since and it's some new data.



The whole tournament is at GoToEveryone!

Take care.

[ez4u]

Ueno just defeated Kyo Kagen in a live broadcast to advance to the finals!

I assume that it was her success that prompted the live format. AFAIK, the Ryuseisen has never been broadcast live before.

[Uberdude]

Here's the game (thanks to ShAlexander on reddit). Had a quick AI-assisted whiz through, and it seems she was doing well for much of the game from the intial top left fight, but when her middle died fell behind, but then Kyo let her catch up somewhat with r8 making the right side territory instead of living in the corner, and then something funny with that ko trade (time pressure?) and W ended up ahead.

[Shenoute]

I hope she pulls it off!

I have been playing through her last few games over the week. I wanted to get an idea of how she played and was planning on using that to try and get back into the recent pro scene. It seems it's still about this constant skirmishes I understand nothing about, too bad.

[Uberdude]

The other Ryusei semi-final is tomorrow: Ichiriki Ryo 8p Vs Suzuki Shinji 7p. Ichiriki is surely favourite as he's trading places with Iyama at the top of Japanese ratings and is good at fast games. Suzuki beat Iyama by half a point in the previous round though, and is becoming a bit of a bogeyman for Iyama: he also beat him by half a point at the start of the year in the Meijin league and that contributed to Iyama failing to challenge Cho U to regain his title.

[ez4u]

Ichiriki won the Ryusei final in a game with wild swings. Ueno seemed to have killed a big group. However, Ichiriki managed to create a live shape that depended on a ko. Along the way he sacrificed some stones in a double ko that gave him infinite threats so Ueno could not close out her win.

[Uberdude]

And the 2nd eye was locally a ko for a false eye, but actually a real eye thanks the connecting around itself as a double-headed dragon. Shame that Ueno didn't manage it (181 was a big mistake, I thought it was a misclick but unfortunately not) but she could hardly lose to a more stylish life: double ko life for a double headed dragon!
https://home.yikeweiqi.com/#/live/room/23113/1/21438534

[John Fairbairn]

Some more developments on the distaff side.

1. Ueno Asami has been promoted to 3-dan. For 40 wins, not her Ryusei exploits.

2. Fujisawa Rina is just one win away from making it to the main Tengen tournament for the second year in a row. She reached Round 2 there last term.

3. Tsuji Hana (19) has won her way into the main event of the 23rd Women's Kisei just a year after becoming pro by the special recommendation system.

4. Most important, Isono Namihei, father of Sazae-san, has been presented with a 5-dan diploma by Takemiya Masaki. (Sazae herself was previously given a 3-dan diploma by Kobayashi Chizu.) This is to mark the 50th anniversary of the Sazae anime. I believe it is the longest running anime in the world, and of course the Sazae manga goes back yonks before that - I think I may have the complete set. Go playing features in the manga, beautifully drawn. The original Sazae creator was female, too, of course: Hasegawa Machiko. Brilliant stuff.

[John Fairbairn]

A little more progress (as of October 2019):

Yet another young girl has been promoted to 1-dan by special recommendation in the Nihon Ki-in. She is 15-year-old Osuka Seira. She is a pupil of Korean Hong Malk-eun Saem who runs a school in Japan, but through him she was also able to study in Korea.

Seira is the niece of pro Osawa Narumi (they look alike, too!), and thus also of Narumi's sister Maya. Narumi and Maya were once known as the "ama queens" because they set a record by being the first sisters to win the Women's Amateur Honinbo (May in 2002, Narumi in 1997).

Also, as reported elsewhere here, Nakamura Sumire beat Yamada Shiho in the Judan C Preliminary. What was not mentioned is that Yamada was not quite the roll-over that previous opponents of Sumire have been. He is 7-dan and has scored 3-7 this year. She won by just half a point in 341-move game, but what seemed to be the key point was that she willingly let a group be cut off because she had prepared a 13-move variation involving a complex ko and boundary-play situation.

Scary. And with her next match being against another 7-dan, Takabayashi Masahiro 7-dan in the Honinbo C Preliminary, on 24th October, will he be the next pumpkin to be carved. He's currently on 7-7, but Halloween is the time the witches have their fun .

[Uberdude]

Also, as reported elsewhere here, Nakamura Sumire beat Yamada Shiho in the Judan C Preliminary. What was not mentioned is that Yamada was not quite the roll-over that previous opponents of Sumire have been. He is 7-dan and has scored 3-7 this year. She won by just half a point in 341-move game, but what seemed to be the key point was that she willingly let a group be cut off because she had prepared a 13-move variation involving a complex ko and boundary-play situation.

She won by 26 and a half points! Nice confidence of hers to let her group become ko, go for the trade where she killed them top, and then let it live again when she won the ko and killed his big group there in exchange as well as living herself.

[John Fairbairn]

She won by 26 and a half points!

Yes. Shouldn't try to read Japanese characters without my glasses on! I found it an extraordinarily mature game by Violet.

I also forgot to mention Fujisawa Rina's good win last week against Ch'oe Cheong in the O-Kage International New Stars Match. In the match as a whole she scored 2-1 and Ueno Asami 1-2 on the women's boards. (Both Ichiriki Ryo and Shibano Toramaru scored 2-1, so things are actually looking up a little for Japan. Adachi Toshimasa was the weak link here on 0-3; I assume he got his place for being runner-up in the O-Kage domestic event earlier this year.)