Amazon army

[pajaro]

Since the last post, some good things have happened, some bad.

Today, Asami Ueno 4p beat Nishi Takenobu 5p in the semifinal of the Shinjin O. She will fight Sotoyanagi Sebun 3p in a 3 game match for the title.
It is only the 2nd female ever to have reached this final. It is noticeable because, although all "male" tournaments are actually mixed, women don't usually reach the final stages. I think it's just a matter of numbers. Remember, most male players never make it either. So as there are more strong female players, more girls will try to become pros, and so on.

Shibano, Ichiriki, Iyama, Kagen, Yamashita... won this tournament, and some years later (not inmediatly) won other tournaments.

Go, Asami!

[Ferran]

Today, Asami Ueno 4p beat Nishi Takenobu 5p in the semifinal of the Shinjin O.

I don't know if it was her, but a rather new female player almost reached the finals of one of the big ones a couple of years ago. I recall she would have jumped ... five? six? ranks if only she'd won an extra game.

As it is, if she were Kansai Ki'in, she would be eligible for 7p should she win the Shinjin O, but I think it doesn't apply to the NK.

Take care.

[pajaro]

Suzuki Ayumi was once 1 game away from entering the Honinbo league (2011?). At that point, she was 6p, I think, so it was a one grade promotion.

She is now 7p, so for inmediate promotion she needs bigger things.

[Ferran]

Suzuki Ayumi was once 1 game away from entering the Honinbo league (2011?).

Nope, not that one. Ueno Asami, 28th Ryusei, June 2019.

Take care.

[John Fairbairn]

Although I have stepped back from regular contributions, I'm glad that some others are continuing to post. Maybe they'll allow me to encourage them by adding a couple of new Amazonian items to watch out for.

One is new pro Jo Bunen (more precisely Jo Bun'en 徐文燕). At age 16, she has just won the 3rd Y's Academy Cup. She has a Chinese-born mother, Kin En, who settled in Japan as an amateur - was once the ladies' amateur Honinbo) and became a pro there.

The Y's Academy Cup is a strange event, held in the Diamond Go Salon, not too far from the Ki-in. It's a Swiss for 10 players, 5 pro and 5 amateur. But the pros have to give the amateurs 2 stones. Jo scored 5-0, beating fellow 1-dans Takeshita Ryoya, Tanaka Yuki, Suzukawa Natsumi and Mito Shuhei. Definitely one to watch.

A pair I personally would definitely avoid watching, as it involves J-pop cutesies, are Natsukawa Ami and Konatsu Yuana of OS☆U. They recently visited the Nagoya branch of the Nihon Ki-in as rank beginners. They may give female go an even higher profile. Actually the whole Nagoya go scene seems quite lively, as result of a creative response by pros there to the lockdowns. Even I would have to admit that a bit of J-pop glitter as well would not go amiss.

[Ferran]

Even I would have to admit that a bit of J-pop glitter as well would not go amiss.

So, sir, you affirm,
All that glitters is
Not Go.

Take care.

[Ferran]

Ueno Asami has reached the 46th Shinjin-O finals. Her sister Risa didn't get past the prelims. According to John Power, she'll be the second woman, 20+ years later, to reach the finals. If I understand the charts at the NK, women's performance was interesting.

Take care.

[pajaro]

Ueno Asami 4p played the first game of the Shinjin-O and lost it to Sotoyanagi Senbun 3p. I watched a bit of the game. There was some interesting fighting, and although Asami lost, she had her chances. Let's hope she can do better in the next game. For those who don't know, this is a best of 3 match, so she has to win the two remaining games.

And perhaps more interesting... Fujisawa Rina 5p beat Ichiriki Ryo 9p for a seat in the 60 Judan. Getting to the main tournament is a big feat, of course, but doing so beating Ichiriki makes it still bigger. I expected him to win, because of his lastest results, but it seems to me that the gap is not so wide. Also (again, seems to me...) his mental strength needs some work, but that's topic for other threads.

お疲れ様、藤沢先生！

[pajaro]

One is new pro Jo Bunen (more precisely Jo Bun'en 徐文燕). At age 16, she has just won the 3rd Y's Academy Cup. She has a Chinese-born mother, Kin En, who settled in Japan as an amateur - was once the ladies' amateur Honinbo) and became a pro there.

I saw her as a recorder in a couple of games (for the Meijin? Honinbo?). Usually, they say the name of the commentators in the description of the video (this is all YouTube). The recorder, not so often. For what I see, they are usually young and lower dans. Years ago, my teacher (former insei) told me that he was recorder or time keeper in pro games too. A chance to think along with the players and get a new perspective.

Back to Bunen, let's hope she can do well. One of several new female pros to follow.

[Ferran]

Another one for the archives... Shin Ryusei, Asami Ueno vs Cho Riyu.

Take care.

[pajaro]

The Hiroshima Aluminum Cup (or Wakagoi) is a tournament for young players. 30 years and under, 7p and under.

The prelims just finished (https://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match/wakagoi/016.html). Although the tournament is mixed, the prelims are not, so it's another chance to see how young female players do against each other. Same would go for the Viking Army, if they had a thread... Important too, games are fast. 30 sec/move + 10*1 min byo-yomi. NHK style, I think. And all games for each group are played the same day. That's 3 games, maximum, if you win your group.

Winners were Ueno Asami 4p, Ueno Risa 1p, Kato Chie 2p and Tsukada Chiharu 1p. For those wondering, Nakamura Sumire 2p lost in the first round, and Fujisawa Rina 5p didn't play. She won last year, and I don't know if that means that she will be in the main tournament, or she won't play at all.

What I find interesting is that some players who don't usually have many chances could compete, make some noise and have a chance to play better players in the main tournament. Asami is above all of the other players, but if you check Risa's, Chie's and Chiharu's stats for this year, you see that they are better than last years'. That's good, and to improve even more, you need to play even more.

[Ferran]

Next games:

Ueno Asami 4p vs. Sotoyanagi Sebun 3p (the video's description says 3p, the Nihoon Kiin's page says shodan...), for the 46th Shinjin-O.

Fujisawa Rina... 6th dan [I don't think the NK's page is up to date] vs. Ueno Asami... Again, the video says 3p, but both SL and the NK say 4p (this very year). Maybe it's still not official?. 40th Women's Honinbo. Xie Yimin to comment.

Take care.

[John Fairbairn]

Rina is 5-dan, Asami 4-dan and Sebun is 3-dan.

But what I find interesting is that there seems to a trend (glacier-like, admittedly) in Japanese publications to omit the dan ranks. This is not new. The use of dans in publications has mainly been a Nihon Ki-in thing. Publications before theirs, i.e. before 1924, routinely omitted dans (and often even omitted surnames).

They may be getting the message at long last that dans don't really mean anything as regards game records. Indeed, under the Japanese system you normally get promoted as you get weaker. For example, you get to X+1-dan from X-dan usually by just winning a largish number of games over a period of many years. Just this week Suzuki Isao got to 8-dan on wins after about 23 years. As you get older you decline and end up getting pitted against new 1-dans and so on, so of course you do pick up a few wins here and there - but you are certainly not getting any stronger.

Dans only have meaning in things like pension rights and how near the top of the table you sit at parties - things that don't interest readers of game records. The only thing about dans that interests amateurs is whether they themselves can call themselves 1-dan. But that's just delusional psychology.

For these and other reasons I have been inclined to start omitting dan grades in the GoGoD database. Haven't quite got there yet, but...

And don't get me started on the ABOMINATION of using p instead of dan. The relevant letter in Japanese, Korean and Chinese is D. By all means distinguish pros from amas, but use D and A, not P and D.

[Ferran]

But what I find interesting is that there seems to a trend (glacier-like, admittedly) in Japanese publications to omit the dan ranks.

I think I read somewhere that it came from the new promotional system. I'm not sure, but...

a. Change in Japan tends to be... not hasty. To the point I suspect our Western cause-effect sense gets jammed.
b. In a certain way, any dan rank is simply a title. Some arts have a first tier of dans granted on proficiency, and another (say, from 6d on) granted on, basically, social status (teachers, branch heads... it depends). As long as you're aware of it... In fact, I know a koryu that has only 5 dans (for proficiency) and then reverts to the makimono / menkyo system.

The only thing about dans that interests amateurs is whether they themselves can call themselves 1-dan. But that's just delusional psychology.

It's a smelly, juicy carrot. If it helps, go for it. If it makes you break your ankle while you try to steal it from a farmer's field, stop that and find another one.

And don't get me started on the ABOMINATION of using p instead of dan. The relevant letter in Japanese, Korean and Chinese is D. By all means distinguish pros from amas, but use D and A, not P and D.

Okay, you made me laugh with that one, and I sort of see your point. But it's shorter.

Maybe we should use the old system? Don't shogi players use it, still? 1-3d for amateurs, 4-6 for good players, 7-9 for living treasures.

Take care.

[pajaro]

And don't get me started on the ABOMINATION of using p instead of dan. The relevant letter in Japanese, Korean and Chinese is D. By all means distinguish pros from amas, but use D and A, not P and D.

I have been using p myself because it's what I see here and there. Monkey see, monkey do Not that I really care, because aside from a few exceptions, all players that we talk about are professional players. Adding rank to the name is in the tradition of adding san, sensei, or any other sign of status. Japanese tradition only? Or common in more Asian countries? I don't know.

Back to the topic, as commented too in another post, today Xie Yimin beat Cho Chikun in the last prelim of the Meijin league. 2 more wins and she will be the first female player in one of the big leagues. Her opponent will be Tsuneishi Takashi. He was beaten by Ueno Asami for a seat in the Judan, so sorry, but he will lose again in a last prelim game.