Iyama Yuta

    Keywords: People

http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/photo/000385.jpg
Iyama Yuta's Nihon Ki-in photograph

Iyama Yuta (井山 裕太 Iyama Yūta, born May 24, 1989) is the first Japanese pro who was born in the [ext] Heisei era.

Iyama was a child prodigy, the third youngest person to become a professional player in Japan as of 2008. The other two are Cho Chikun and Hashimoto Shoji (now surpassed by Fujisawa Rina). Iyama learned Go at age five after watching his dad play on the computer, and was 3 dan within a year, before becoming a pupil of Ishii Kunio. The two of them played more than 1000 games over the internet. See [ext] John Fairbairn's post for more on his early life and career.

At 16 years of age, he established the current records for youngest professional to hold a Japanese professional open title (Agon Cup), and the youngest to reach 7-dan rank. He was promoted to 8-dan for becoming the challenger for the 33rd Meijin title in 2008 and to 9-dan for winning the title in 2009, at which point he became the youngest Japanese professional to hold one of seven big Japanese titles and the youngest ever Japanese 9-dan. He demolished the record for the fastest promotion to 9 dan at the Nihon Kiin (7 years, 6 months). He is a member of the Nihon Kiin Kansai branch. [1]

John Power said "Iyama plays thickly, waits for the opponent to attack, then tries to take the initiative with his counterattack." [ext] http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/topics2008/topics11.html

As of November 2012, after winning the 60th Oza from Cho U, Iyama held 5 of the major 7 domestic titles simultaneously ( Honinbo, Judan, Tengen, Oza and Gosei ) Having won Meijin previously, what was left is winning the Kisei title before he could be said to have won all 7. He will face Cho U again for that Kisei title starting Jan 2013.

[ext] Nihon Ki-in Profile (Japanese)

Promotion Record

  • 9-dan 2009 for winning the 34th Meijin title.
  • 8-dan 2008 for becoming the challenger for the 33rd Meijin title.
  • 7-dan 8 October 2005 for winning the Agon Cup.
  • 4-dan 2005
  • 1-dan 2002

Tournament Results


[1] Not to take anything away from Iyama's performance but it was harder to reach 9-dan under the old oteai ranking system. Promotions to 9-dan by recommendation did occur, e.g. Go Seigen in 1950 after his successes in 10 game matches and Ishida Yoshio in 1974 after becoming Meijin Honinbo, but such promotions were very rare.[2]

[2] It was actually easier to make 9 dan, but harder to do so quickly (it took at least 8 years). The new promotion system is more stringent, but allows an exceptionally talented player like Iyama to reach 9 dan more quickly, if he can prove himself in the major tournaments. --Hyperpape


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