In the Amazon thread, I posted some predictions for next year. I thought it could be fun if more people could use their fancy Crystal Ball (R).
We can tell what we think is going to happen, or just what we wish is going to happen. Some items could fit in both categories. As for me, in prediction list:

- Sumire is promoted to 4-dan based on prize money
- Ueno Asami takes the female Honinbo from Fujisawa
- Sumire gets to top 4 in Shinjin-O
- Fujisawa gets to B league in Kisei
- Shibano becomes Kisei

In the wish list:
- Some player challenges for the first time (7 big titles)
- Yamashita is at least 2nd in S Kisei league
- Sumire plays Cho Chikun
- Sumire beats Cho Chikun

I am predicting Ichiriki keeps his Kisei, not playing Iyama in a match is his power up. He had to become Iyama to beat Iyama and will continue to dress in that pink shirt for every game of the match (you don't change a winning formula).

Shinjin-O will be a showdown between Yu Otake and Yoshihiro Koike.

Shuhei Mito will join the national team and join Kotaro Fukuoka as the only other U20 player in the top 50 according to http://mamumamu0413.web.fc2.com/rating/japan/ranking.html.

Takeo Shinji will also be at least 2nd place in the Kisei S league

Cho U will win Kisei A league.

Yoda Norimoto will come back from his suspension, this time he will be an absolute nightmare for the low dans in the lowest preliminaries (instead of the high dans in the board of directors), or whatever preliminaries he is dropped down to.

Iyama will win at least 80% of the remaining Nongshim cup games.

Shin Jinseo will successfully defend the title that have a match between the previous years champion and the player who wins the challenger tournament.

I'll hedge my bets on the international tournaments that haven't scheduled their final matches and Chinese tournaments that have already skipped a year, many of those will be resumed but maybe many won't. I predict both

One thing I won't hedge my bets on is punk hair. There will be more of it Punk hair will bring immediate tournament success and obviously overrides everything above.

Choi Jeong makes it to the top 15 in Korea for sure. Cho Hyeyeon wins a title.

Well... 2023 is nearly over, no more official games to play. So:
- Sumire won't be promoted to 4-dan.
- Ueno *Risa* lost in the female Honinbo to Fujisawa Rina.
- Sumire lost in the second round in the Shinjin-O (to Ueno Asami, winner).
- Fujisawa barely kept her spot in the C league.
- Shibano lost 2-4 in the Kisei.
- Ichiyama made it impossible to new players to challenge for titles.
- Yamashita, demoted in the S Kisei league
- Sumire didn't play Cho Chikun
- Sumire won't play Cho Chikun any time soon.

So much for my crystal ball...