Just two days after his granddaughter Rina became the first women to win a mixed title in Japanese go, Fujisawa Hideyuki became the 2020 inductee into the Nihon Ki-in Hall of Fame.

Hideyuki himself was a man of "firsts". He took great pride in being the first man to win each new title. He might have been disappointed therefore that it took him so long to get into the HoF, but he topped the poll this year ahead of very worthy candidates Nakamura Doseki and Takagawa Kaku.

Rina, a day after the vote. retained her Women's Honinbo title, to cap off a great year with four titles. It always fascinates me what it is that pros, having already mastered all the basic techniques, learn to become stronger. Rina said the main thing for her this year was learning to stay positive and to banish negative thoughts.

If you are wondering, Rina can't be the first female Hall of Famer, though. She was beaten to that by Kita Fumiko in 2013.

Rina's comment on staying positive resonated with me. I have often played moves that I thought were good moves but became dismayed after my opponent's answer. However, it turned out that my move was good after all. In other words, stay your course and have faith in your judgment.

So true! For me I'd like to add: A missed response doesn't necessarily have to a good response.

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My "guide" to become stronger in Go