Pro-Am Honinbo Match

    Keywords: Tournament

Each year since 1963 in Japan there has been a match between the amateur and pro Honinbo title holders.

The first match in 1963 was played by Harada Minoru (a 5d amateur at the time) and Sakata Eio 9p. The handicap was 2 stones, no komi. This handicap was kept for 18 terms[1] and the amateurs went 5 in 13. After then, the handicap has been adjusted regularly and has varied from a minimum of the amateur just taking black with -5 komi to an enormous 3 stones and -2.5 komi that Harada (again, 34 years later!?) received 1997 against Cho Chikun (and lost).

However, Iwai Ryuichi may have started a trend to lower that handicap, winning against O Meien in 2000 with a mere 2 stones and -5 komi.

Amateurs would of course love to be able to get the handicap back down to just playing black with komi.

Winners of the amateur Honinbo title (not this match) are now automatically awarded 8-dan diplomas.

[1] Bob McGuigan: According to the Japanese go yearbook the handicap varied quite a bit from the start. In 1965 Black received 5 points komi (Kikuchi beat Sakata), and it moved around thereafter reaching a low of 3.5 reverse komi and occasionally going up to 2 stones or a little more. Highlights for the amateurs include Nakazono defeating Takemiya by resignation with 5 points reverse komi in 1987 and Harada getting a jigo with Cho Chikun with 5 points reverse komi in 1989. After 1991 the handicaps trended upward hovering around two or three stones with varying amounts of komi or reverse komi as well. I don't know how the handicaps were determined. As far as I know there is no formula.

Dave: The komi system is explained on Amateur Honinbo vs Pro Honinbo 2002.

Results since '89

1989 Cho Chikun vs. Harada, 原田実... Black + 5 komi - Jigo
1990 Cho Chikun vs. Nakazono 中園清三,............Black +5 komi - Pro Win
1991 Cho Chikun vs. Tanaka, 田中正人, 2 Stones - 2.5 komi - Pro win
1992 Cho Chikun vs. Nakazono 中園清三,............ Two Stones, no komi - Pro win
1993 Cho Chikun vs. Hirata, 平田博則, 2 Stones + 2.5 komi - Pro Win
1994 Cho Chikun vs. Takano, 高野英樹, 2 Stones + 5 komi - Pro Win
1995 Cho Chikun vs. Nakazono 中園清三,............ 3 Stones - 2.5 komi - Ama Win
1996 Cho Chikun vs. Muraoka, 村岡利彦, 2 Stones + 5 komi - Pro Win
1997 Cho Chikun vs. Harada, 原田実, 3 Stones - 2.5 komi - Pro Win
1998 Cho Chikun vs. Tanaka, 田中正人, 3 Stones - Ama Win
1999 Cho Chikun vs. 三浦浩,............ 3 Stones - 2.5 komi - Ama Win
2000 Cho Shojin?? vs. Iwai 岩井竜一, 2 Stones + 5 komi - Ama Win
2001 Cho Shojin?? vs. Komori, 小森祥嗣, 2 Stones + 2.5 komi - Pro Win
2002 Kato Masao? vs. 鮫島一郎,,............2 Stones + 2.5 komi - Ama Win
2003 Cho U vs. Harada, 2 Stones + 3 komi - jigo


This is a copy of the living page "Pro-Am Honinbo Match" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2005 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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