Following Iyama Yuta (no world ranking discussions)

[lichigo]

Thank you, is there any live stream?

[pookpooi]

Iyama Yuta won by resignation, thus successfully defend Tengen crown. Next match against Ichiriki Ryo is January 18-19, the first game out of seven games of Kisei crown. This will be the first time Ichiriki Ryo compete in a two days match as Kisei title match has 7 hours 50 minutes main time per side and 10 periods of 1 minute byoyomi.

[Uberdude]

Iyama's play suggests to me move 82 (e2) was a crucial mistake. It's locally sente to kill the group but before living Iyama cut and start fighting on the outside and didn't come back to live until move 119. Was it better for Ichiriki to spend a move on the outside (simplest would be m6 connection, is it too slow, try something else like o6 or m10?) because I doubt Iyama would then play a reverse sente move in the e2 area giving Ichiriki another move on the outside (plenty to choose from: right side, top left, centre etc) so then Ichiriki could get his sente there anyway later without all that cut mess on the outside. (and in fact e2 sente was not even a good idea in the game with the change in eyespace of the white bottom left group after the top left fighting!).

[John Fairbairn]

The latest Go World has some interesting stats in celebration of Iyama's second heptadiadem - such as having a much stronger likelihood of winning the early games in title match series (overall he scores 70% but in Games 1 and 2 he scores 77%, and in 5-game matches he scores 88% in Game 1. But in Game 4 overall (which by conventional wisdom among pros is the important game in a 7-game title match, he scores just 60%.

But the most important stat, I think, which has been surprisingly overlooked, is that Iyama is well set to break Cho's record of total titles (74). Iyama is on 46 with age on his side (he's 28). He's in 6th place overall but with two more wins he'll move up to 4th, and there's no-one else in the field likely to catch him. He's automatically in the next title match for each of the major events, of course.

[bugcat]

More immediate is that if Iyama wins this current Tengen then he breaks Rin Kaiho's 1993 record of 5 wins. That'll be his first "most wins in X big title" record.

[dsatkas]

The latest Go World has some interesting stats in celebration of Iyama's second heptadiadem - such as having a much stronger likelihood of winning the early games in title match series (overall he scores 70% but in Games 1 and 2 he scores 77%, and in 5-game matches he scores 88% in Game 1. But in Game 4 overall (which by conventional wisdom among pros is the important game in a 7-game title match, he scores just 60%.

But the most important stat, I think, which has been surprisingly overlooked, is that Iyama is well set to break Cho's record of total titles (74). Iyama is on 46 with age on his side (he's 28). He's in 6th place overall but with two more wins he'll move up to 4th, and there's no-one else in the field likely to catch him. He's automatically in the next title match for each of the major events, of course.

What is your source of number of titles?

[pookpooi]

I check that Iyama Yuta won't have to play anymore this year so I make a 2017 summarize for him

41st Japanese Kisei title defended 4:2 against Kono Rin
64th Japanese NHK Cup winner (fourth round: Kono Rin, semi-final: Ida Atsushi, and final: Ichiriki Ryo)
55th Japanese Judan title defended 3:1 against Yu Zhengqi
72nd Japanese Honinbo title defended 4:0 against Motoki Katsuya
42nd Japanese Gosei title defended 3:0 against Yamashita Keigo
42nd Japanese Meijin title acquired 4:1 from Takao Shinji (defeat other challengers in order: Ko Iso, Hane Naoki, Kono Rin, Cho U, Yamashita Keigo, Murakawa Daisuke, and Yu Zhengqi)
65th Japanese Oza title defended 3:0 against Ichiriki Ryo
43rd Japanese Tengen title defended 3:0 against Ichiriki Ryo

Lose against Park Junghwan in game 10 of 18th Nongshim Cup (his only game there)
Lose against Lee Sedol in exhibition match
Lose against Yamashita Keigo in the seeded semi-final of 4th Championship of Tournament Winners
Last place in 2017 World Go Championship, lose against Park Junghwan, Mi Yuting, and DeepZenGo in order
Lose against Yu Zhengqi in group B of 26th Japanese Ryusei (before the main tournament)
Lose against Lee Sedol in the first round of 29th Asian TV Cup
Lose against Shin Jinseo in the first round of 22nd Samsung Cup (win against Mateusz Surma and 1:1 against Fan Yunruo in preliminary rounds)

1:1 against Ke Jie at Chinese New Year Special
Win against Cho U in the first round of 24th Japanese Agon Cup but withdraw later
Win against O Rissei in the seeded second round of 65th Japanese NHK Cup
Finalist of 22nd LG Cup (defeat other participants in order: Lee Yeongkyu, Zhou Ruiyang, Yang Dingxin, and Ke Jie)

[bugcat]

Iyama has won the 43rd Tengen, achieving six wins and breaking Rin Kaiho's record which has stood since 1993. I wonder how long Iyama's record will stand for? (excepting him breaking it himself).

[pookpooi]

What is your source of number of titles?

John Power wrote a very good scoop on closing Iyama Yuta year end. In this article, he said Iyama Yuta has 48 titles.
I recommend everyone to read here http://www.usgo.org/news/2017/11/the-power-report-2/ but most people might already read it

Iyama Yuta received 1.5 million US dollar just from winning 7 crown + NHK cup alone. Combining with other source of income (book royalties, ads, etc.) I won't be surprised if he gets more than $2 million. He's not just big fish in a small pond, he's rich fish in a golden pond.

Excluding training games with bot, he wins 43 out of 58 games (74%)

[dsatkas]

the reason i'm asking is because there are different numbers on wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuta_Iyama

[ez4u]

the reason i'm asking is because there are different numbers on wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuta_Iyama

48 Titles is the way the Nihon Kiin counts them. See the "タイトル数 48" just to right of his picture on http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/ki000385.html. What is and is not included on each list is left as an exercise for the reader.

[John Fairbairn]

the reason i'm asking is because there are different numbers on wikipedia

The figure I quoted was from Go World. That was a little out of date of course because that appeared before the latest couple of title matches. But in general the Nihon Ki-in tends to give figures only for what it counts as official and fully open and not-age-or-sex-restricted events. For example, that excludes e.g. Iyama's Super Meijin title because that was an invitational limited to three players, and it excludes playoffs between e.g. the Tengen in each country.

But even that's inconsistent because some events have changed over time. E.g. the NHK Cup is now open but it used to be an invitational event. It's also inconsistent, in my view, in that the Oteai is excluded, even though that used to be the only tournament in town (and also in that the Saikoi, an Oteai spin-off, is included). The Pro Best Ten was essentially invitational but open in that voters could vote for any player. Then how do we classify the Nihon Championship - a major event but open only to NK players? They count it. And they do include the age-restricted Shinjin-O. They count the NK Central Branch Saikoi (limited to Nagoya-based players - and they also include the NK Nagoya-based Okan) but do not count the much tougher Kansai Ki-in First Place. The NK is inconsistent in other ways, too - surprise, surprise.

As a guide, taking Sakata as an example because he is dead but spans the main countable era: he has 64 titles by the Nihon Ki-in count. These are: Honinbo x 7, Oza x 7, Judan x 5, NHK x 11, NEC x 1, Old Meijin x 2, Saikoi x 3, Saikyoi x 2, Pro Best Ten x 3, NK First Place x 4, NK Championship x 12, Igo Championship x 1, Hayago Championship x 1, Hayago Meijin x 1, Highest Dans x 1, Japan Series x 1, JAL Cup x 2.

Some of those were invitational (e.g. early NHK), restricted to high dans or to NK players, etc. And specially for Kirby, Hayago in those days meant 4 hours each (Hayago Meijin) or 3 hours each (some early NHK). Sakata's list above excludes the East Japan Hayago (limited to NK) and his several wins in the Oteai. I, more inclusively, count him as 71 and Cho Chikun at 81, but I'm inconsistent, too .

[pookpooi]

Iyama Yuta (alongside with the strongest Shogi player ever, Yoshiharu Habu) is now being considered by Japan Prime Minister if he can get national honorary award or not.

"I am just astonished and humbled by the undeserved honor," he said.

http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/201 ... dm/059000c

[Uberdude]

Iyama is playing Lian Xiao of China today, but what event? Maybe Meijin vs Mingren match? Nongshim cup against Dang Yifei is in February.

[macelee]

Iyama is playing Lian Xiao of China today, but what event? Maybe Meijin vs Mingren match? Nongshim cup against Dang Yifei is in February.

Yes this is the so-called world Meijin competition, last held 3 year ago. This is the fifth edition.

Code: Select all

Edition Year Winner        Runner-up
1st     2010 Gu Li         Lee Changho
2nd     2011 Park Yeonghun Jiang Weijie
3rd     2012 Jiang Weijie  Park Yeonghun
4th     2015 Chen Yaoye    Iyama Yuta