Following Iyama Yuta (no world ranking discussions)

[gazzawhite]

When white was setting up that ko, his chances were around 50-50. And before even started, when white was preparing, it was 75-25 for black.

All according to NK's AI. But black's chances were very brief. Like if both players are missing something.

If someone is interested, see here:

https://youtu.be/JAv18b90xgw?t=33364

I also saw that on the live stream. But on other sites (such as this one), the fluctuation was not nearly as severe. I'm curious to know if the commentators provided a sequence which demonstrated how Black could win, because I'm wondering if the Nihon Kiin AI maybe just isn't that strong (the Katago that I run on my personal computer also gave advantage to Black at some points, but when I went through the suggested lines that advantage eventually swung back to White).

[pajaro]

All I am saying is that black had its chances.

An AI evaluation implies that, at a certain position, a player plays against the same player, and some things might happen or not. This player is the AI, and it doesn't take into account the human players. Perhaps Iyama is better than Ichiriki at fighting ko, and he knows this. Or perhaps both humans evaluate the value of a move with the idea in their heads, and the AI evaluation doesn't reflect it. Later, at home, both might say "Ahhh... I see...". One player might regret a lost chance, the other might feel he was lucky. But from time to time, when a player is leading and makes a small mistake, the other seizes the opportunity and the game changes.

In this case, black's window was narrow. But it existed.

[pajaro]

The Honinbo match has started. Right now, Ichiriki and Iyama are playing the second game, after Iyama took the first one.

I bet 2-0 after tomorrow

I have seen something that I did not expect.

In the events previous this this kind of games, Iyama wrote something in the back of the board, and then both players signed. Iyama used his right hand. When he plays, he uses his left hand. But this is the first time I have seen him writing. Probably, he learnt calligraphy with his right hand because it's easier, it is the hand you "are supposed" to use, etc. Is he really left-handed?

This reminded me of Rafa Nadal. He is right-handed, but plays as a left-handed.

[John Fairbairn]

Is he really left-handed?

He is right-handed. The use of his left hand derives from his grandfather, who taught him go, and also encouraged him in the now ingrained habit of playing stones with his left hand. The idea was to stimulate the right side of his brain. Around that time there was a major obsession with the right brain in Japan, and countless books designed to teach to play golf with the right brain or cook with the right brain etc etc appeared.

As to whether it worked, I'm not even sure that experts can tell, especially given the way so-called expert psychologists are flatly contradicting each other in the Depp-Heard case.

But grandad's tuition can certainly be said to have paid off, and is reflected in the fact that Iyama's Honinbo style, chosen only in 2016, is Mon'yu 文裕. He chose it in honour of his grandfather 鐵文. I have not seen a confirmed reading for that. Tetsubun has been quoted but that may just be the usual polite sinified reading used when the writer does not know the more normal Japanese reading, for which the two main candidates are Kanefumi and Tetsufumi.

[CDavis7M]

He chose it in honour of his grandfather 鐵文. I have not seen a confirmed reading for that. Tetsubun has been quoted but that may just be the usual polite sinified reading used when the writer does not know the more normal Japanese reading, for which the two main candidates are Kanefumi and Tetsufumi.

I remember reading about his grandfather before, must have been last year's Honinbo, and they were discussing Iyama's choice of 文 in Monyu being significant because of his grandfather and other reasons. My first expectation was that he wanted the same reading but the article specifically mentioned he just took the character, not the reading. I have no clue about Japanese name readings though. Doing a search, a 2020 article on Mainichi gives てつふみ tetsufumi as the reading for his grandfather's name 鐵文. This is not the same article I read before. Whether Mainichi got it right...


By the way, Happy Birthday to Iyama yesterday on Day 1 of Game 2.


More news for anyone interested: https://mainichi.jp/honinbo/2022

[CDavis7M]

Game 3 of the Honinbo Title finished up yesterday. I saw the fight in the center start but then it got too late for me. It seemed like Iyama was in a difficult situation. Watching this morning, move after move it all started coming together for Iyama in the center. It was really neat to watch. I don't know how it happened.

So that puts Iyama at 3 wins in the 7 game match. Game 4 of the Honinbo match is scheduled for June 11-12 at Kyushu National Museum ("Kyuhaku"). I hope we get to see more than 4 Honinbo games, but Game 1 of the 5-game Gosei title match where Ichiriki will challenge Iyama is scheduled for June 24. So I'll be seeing a lot more of them regardless.

They both progressed to the Tengen quarter finals. Ichiriki is in the main Oza tournament, which is just getting started. The Judan is in Section A of qualifying but they have final qualifying after that, which I don't think is scheduled yet.

Who is not playing Iyama anymore? Shibano. He's not making it to the top anymore.

[pajaro]

It looks like the best Iyama is back.

Shibano is not playing him, but other than Ichiriki, who is? Yo Seiki lost some chances.
In the Meijin, Shibano is leading 4-1. But both him and Ichiriki (4-2) have yet to play Kyo Kagen (3-2). Those two games might decide the challenger.

[CDavis7M]

Shibano is not playing him, but othen than Ichiriki, who is?

Well, I brought up Shibano because I was thinking of the upcoming matches and remembering when I compared the new 2022 Yearbook and the 2021 Yearbook.

Looking again, in the 2022 Yearbook, Shibano challenged Iyama for the Honinbo title and Iyama took Shibano's Oza title. And in the 2021 Yearbook Shibano challenged Iyama for Meijin and Honinbo. Shibano was also playing in the Judan title matches.

So, right, Shibano is doing well in the Meijin but so is Ichiriki. And Shibano is in the Oza main tournament. But it just seems like Shibano might not get much coverage in the 2023 Yearbook.

[pajaro]

I just saw that Shibano will play Iyama in the first round of the Kiriyama Cup.

We'll see if he is in good form.

[CDavis7M]

I just saw that Shibano will play Iyama in the first round of the Kiriyama Cup.

Interesting, I don't see the match on the tournament page but it is on Iyama's profile. Maybe he gets priority scheduling while they work out the rest of the main tournament. Or maybe the profile is a sneak peek in general.

Would be nice to get a live stream.

[pajaro]

I think there was no stream.

The game was played and the result, Iyama won. B+R

It's a pity to have this game in the first round, but you know...

[CDavis7M]

I think there was no stream.

The game was played and the result, Iyama won. B+R

It's a pity to have this game in the first round, but you know...

Thanks for the update. I didn't see any video steam but I just checked the U-gen server and the game is there with Iyama as Honinbo Monyu, which is also how he is listed on the tournament page, but it requires a subscription... it's online though. I'll have to check it out more later but it's exciting.

(;B[pd];W[dp];B[pq];W[dd];B[cc];W[dc];B[cd];W[cf];B[ce];W[de];B[bf];W[qo];B[op];W[nc];B[pf];W[oe];B[pe];W[pb];B[ql];W[fq];B[cg];W[df];B[cb];W[qc];B[om];W[me];B[ng];W[qh];B[qj];W[oh];B[ne];W[nf];B[og];W[pk];B[qk];W[re];B[rf];W[rg];B[sf];W[ni];B[mi];W[mj];B[li];W[mg];B[nh];W[oi];B[mh];W[lg];B[lk];W[nl];B[mk];W[nk];B[lm];W[ll];B[ml];W[nm];B[on];W[no];B[oo];W[lo];B[kl];W[nn];B[mp];W[ln];B[kq];W[gc];B[jo];W[jn];B[in];W[jm];B[gq];W[ko];B[fr];W[eq];B[jp];W[im];B[ik];W[hn];B[gp];W[fn];B[pc];W[ob];B[rc];W[qb];B[ih];W[kh];B[km];W[kn];B[qd];W[ji];B[hd];W[hc];B[gh];W[eh];B[ii];W[jk];B[lj];W[jj];B[fj];W[fi];B[gi];W[gj];B[fk];W[hk];B[ij];W[hl];B[jl];W[ci];B[dg];W[eg];B[il];W[cn];B[gm];W[hm];B[bh];W[ej];B[er];W[dr];B[bj];W[if];B[hf];W[id];B[cl];W[qq];B[qr];W[pr];B[qp];W[oq];B[rq];W[np];B[mq];W[ck];B[bk];W[dl];B[cm];W[dm];B[cq];W[es];B[gr];W[dq];B[bn];W[bm];B[bl];W[bo];B[am];W[nq];B[co];W[cp];B[dn];W[bp];B[fa];W[fb];B[ga];W[eb];B[ea];W[da];B[db];W[ha];B[ca];W[gb];B[ie];W[je];B[he];W[ho];B[jf];W[ke];B[en];W[fm];B[cj];W[mr];B[lr];W[nr];B[fs];W[ri];B[ds];W[cr];B[rj];W[ek];B[kf];W[lf];B[rb];W[pl];B[pm];W[qm];B[rm];W[qn];B[rl];W[fe];B[nd])

Iyama-Shibano.png (145.98 KiB) Viewed 39207 times

I did the trial run of the u-gen subscription a while back and I can't remember if all of the games had commentary or not. Presumably that is what you're paying for. I'm not sure how they decide but often the title matches will be free/open on U-gen and you can review the commentary. I have a software issue where the variation diagrams do not work for me though.

[hailthorn011]

https://www.youtube.com/c/nihonkiin_ch/videos

Dunno if y'all are familiar with this channel but this is how I stream games.

That game 4 was something else.

[CDavis7M]

https://www.youtube.com/c/nihonkiin_ch/videos

Dunno if y'all are familiar with this channel but this is how I stream games.

That game 4 was something else.

Yeah that's the usual channel to watch. I sometimes get recommendations of other streamers covering the match but I just wait for the Kiin commentator

By the way, kvasir gave thoughts on Ichiriki's blunder in Game 4 over here: https://lifein19x19.com/viewtopic.php?f ... 6&start=20

[pajaro]

I just found this tweet with some photos on young Iyama, playing Yamashita Keigo 5-dan. Also, with his grandfather.

https://twitter.com/igoumeda/status/1583329835539001346

Ah, and today he won the first game in the Oza, against Yo Seiki. But this is not so interesting...