John Fairbairn wrote:
But the more important point is that each country's system reflects other country-specific cultural or social factors. In the case of Japan, the apparent bias against young players has been compensated for by longevity of one's career. In contrast, just recall how many young shooting stars there have been in Korea and Chinese (who also have seeding arrangements anyway) who have disappeared from the firmament already. You can even argue the oldies are discriminated against in China and Korea. In China you are put out to pasture as a coach. In Korea you get a few scraps from veteran tournaments. In Japan you can keep paying your mortgage.
Of course it may be that the Japanese system has worked against their success at international level, and my reading of the Kisei reforms is that they are more to do with that than with helping ALL young players.
A professional competitive league should have the aim of promoting the best talent. If the old players want to compete at the most prestigious open tournaments, they should do so on their own merit and not with the aid of an infrastructure that strongly favors the status quo.
As a fan, I want to watch the best. I want to see Nadal vs Federer, Spieth vs McIlroy, Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Mayweather vs Pacquiao, etc. These are the matches that are pinnacle of each respective sport because it is a showcase of the best talent there is. A match between the 80th and 100th ranked tennis players in the world that used to be good years ago during their prime is of much less interest.
When I browse recent games on g04g0, I'm looking for Ke Jie, Park Junghwan, Shi Yue and Lee Sedol matches. I'm looking for international tournaments or the Chinese City League. And the recent Awaji Shuzo-Yamada Kimio Kisei League match? Sorry, but I had no interest, Awaji Shuzo's mortgage notwithstanding.
There are various ways that Go Associations can provide for older go players. For example, a pension that provides a small monthly lifetime stipend would be a nice safety net. However, creating a system that favors established (usually older) players at the expense of newcomers that may be more skilled does a huge disservice to the fan base and to the very quality of the professional league itself. That is why Seniors tournaments exist for almost every professional competition - to allow for exposure and participation of the veterans while ensuring that the primary leagues are filled with the most talented players.
The recent changes are a step in the right direction for Japanese Go. I understand change is difficult when there is so much history but everyone has to adapt to the times. Chinese and Korean go are basically starting with a clean slate but Japan has a long legacy that is undoubtedly rich but also is weighing them down to outdated customs. At the risk of offending John Fairbairn, I believe the next change that Japanese Go must implement is to shorten the time limits. 8 hours thinking time make watching live go virtually impossible for me.
