Hikaru No Go/Games

Sub-page of HikaruNoGo

SPOILERS WARNING! If you are currently reading the Hikaru no Go series, this page contains some spoilers.


Almost all game positions in Hikaru no Go seem to come from professional games. Game Hunting has become quite a sport. A lot were found in GoGoD using Kombilo as the pattern search engine, or in GoBase that has an excellent on-line search function.

Where to find the game records and latest discoveries.

  • [ext] Jan van der Steen has most of the games that are mentioned here.
  • [ext] Jan van Rongen maintains a copy of the list below on his own site together with the game records.
  • [ext] YAMATO (Japanese) is still filling in a lot of gaps.
  • Other useful information is available from [ext] Hikago if you understand Chinese. Japanese language sites include [ext] this page broken link and [ext] this site broken link

Note

Names of most Hikaru no Go characters (those from modern day Japan) are in the Western naming order (the given name followed by the family name) to coincide with VIZ Media's United States releases (e.g. Shindo Hikaru becomes Hikaru Shindo). Names of most real life Go players use the Japanese naming order (family name followed by the given name), as they are commonly known in the Anglophone Go community. Chinese characters use Asian order, while Korean characters use Western order.

For more information on Japanese names, see Japanese name.

Games Identified

Below is a list of all games identified and a few pointers to important positions not yet found.

volume 1 (chapter 1-7)

Kmr:Game showed in anime is first game between Genan Inseki and Honinbo Shuwa (from challange match). Maybe in manga its different.

  • In chapter 2 Hikaru Shindo goes to Go Class for the first time. Taking a break, he sees a game from a Tengen match on the TV. Black is Toya Meijin. It is Takemiya Masaki vs. Otake Hideo (B), 18th Meijin League, 1993-02-08. In the Anime (2) this scene occurs later and there it is another game: Shusaku vs Sekiyama Sendaiu (Black), 1851-07-01.
  • In chapter 2 Hikaru plays Akira Toya at the Go club for the first time. The game shown is also game 8 in the book Appreciating Famous Games, between Shusaku (Black) and Honinbo Shuwa, played on 1851-11-15, when Shusaku was 6 dan and Shuwa was 8 dan. Shusaku actually won by 4 points (0 komi), not 2.
  • In chapter 3 the tesuji that Hikaru (Sai) spotted immediately actually occurred in a real game: a two-stone handicap game between Shinomiya Yonezo (B) and Honinbo Jowa, 1821-03-05.The board position shown in the manga is very similar to this game but slightly altered. Note that in the actual game white loses the corner but still wins the game by a large margin.

kmr: I checked several times all games between Jowa and Shinomiya Yonezo and must say that this is false.There is no game (or i am heavily mistaken) where such a position (or similar appear).In game given here: [ext] http://rongen17.home.xs4all.nl/Hikaru/hikaru001.html the position do not appear.The position in anime is totally different than from a game. kmr: Maybe this is true to manga (i dont have manga, watched anime only)

  • In chapter 5 Sai explains a teaching game (shidogo). One of the positions shown is from a three-stone game of 1851-11-14 (Honinbo Shuwa vs Murase Yakichi).
  • In chapter 5 the second game between Sai and Akira is played. Not yet identified. There are many flashbacks to this game in later chapters in the manga and in the anime.

volume 2 (chapter 8-16)

Pasky: Then there are the tournament games (chapters 11, 12) - especially Hikaru/Sai's game against Keio's third, the one Akira described as "a beautiful match".

volume 3 (chapter 17-25)

  • In chapter 22, Sai and Hikaru win Yuki Mitani's 10,000 yen (about 100 U.S. dollars) back by crushing Dake-san (Mr. Dake) in a game that finishes like this. Anyone recognize it, or is it just a 9P/low kyu game?
  • In chapter 23, Kaoru Kishimoto challenges Akira to decide who will be Kaio's first captain. When Kishimoto resigns, the visible part of the goban looks like this.

volume 4 (chapter 26-34)

  • In chapter 29 Hikaru and Akira play at the Middle School tournament. The game follows one between Honinbo Shuho (Black) and Shusaku played in August 1860 until Hikaru varies at B 39.

volume 5 (chapter 35-42)

  • In chapter 35 Sai plays Akira on the Internet. The game shown is Kimu Hyonjon 1 dan (Black) versus Kobayashi Satoru played in 1998 as part of a 1-dan versus 9-dan series.
  • In chapter 40 Hikaru plays a game against Kishimoto (Kaio's first captain). That is when Hikaru decides to become a pro. An Oteai game from 1996-06-27, between Oka Nobumitsu (6 dan, B) and Umeki Suguru (7 dan).
  • In chapter 42 Hikaru plays Tetsuo, Kimihiro Tsutsui, and Yuki simultaneously. The game with Tetsuo is Yuki Satoshi (Black) versus Cho Hun-hyeon played 1997-04-12 in the 10th Fujitsu Cup.

volume 6 (chapter 44-51)

volume 7 (chapter 52-60)

  • In chapter 53 Hikaru attends the study group of Shigeo Morishita (9-dan). After a hint by Sai, Hikaru points to the right move. This position is from the 11th Fujitsu Cup Final, 1998-08-01 between Yi Ch'ang-ho and Chang Hao (B), after 28 moves.
  • In chapter 56 Hikaru plays Yoshitaka Waya in an insei study game. The position is derived from a game between Shusaku (Black) versus Kadono Chuzaemon played in July 1843. It is the earliest appearance of the Shusaku Fuseki among Shusaku's games. The upper left corner is not the same as in the original game, but the rest is.
  • In chapter 59 Isumi beats Mashiba in the Wakajishi Sen. The game shown is Awaji Shuzo (B) versus Kataoka Satoshi in the 25th Prime Minister's Cup Final played 1981-09-21.
  • In Anime 28 (this should be near chapter 59) the game shown, played by Hikaru on the Young Lions Tournament is unknown, but if you can find the diagrams on HikaruNoWakajishiSen, if someone recognizes this game...

volume 8 (chapter 61-69)

  • In chapter 61 Akira Toya becomes 2-dan. Quite fittingly the game shown is Nagasaka Inosuke, 2-dan winning with black against Hon'inbo Jowa, 1808.
  • In chapter 62 Hikaru lets Sai play against Tatsuhiko Kadowaki. In the anime we can see an old fashioned joseki develop, the manga has one scene with the game a few moves later. It's an 1850-06-04 game of Honinbo Shusaku vs. Nakagawa Junsetsu. Shusaku has black and really crushes his opponent (15 points).
  • In chapter 63 Ogata challanges Kuwabara Hon'inbo in game 7 of the Honinbo Sen. The game shown is the first game of the 12th (Yomiuri) Meijin Sen between Rin Kaiho (black) and Ishida Yoshio played in August 1973.

volume 9 (chapter 70-78)

  • Chapter 70. Hikaru, Waya and Shinichiro Isumi play handicap games as a team in go salons. In the first three games, Hikaru's game with Kawai is the one played on 1998-05-24. It is a three-stone game between Yoshio Ishida pro and Shuichi Yoshida ama. It was published in "Igo" (August 1998). The second three games later in this chapter are the following: The far board is 1881-06-19, Murase Shuho giving three stones to Hayashi Sano. The middle board is 1911-07-29, Honinbo Shusai winning against Takeda Itsuko. Finally the front board is Honinbo Dosaku winning against Sendai Jiseibo, 1682-07-18
  • In chapters 75 and 76: the Hikaru Shindo-Suyong Hong Game. This exciting game is between Yun Yeong-seon(W) and Yi Cheong-weon(B), both Korean female 1 dan professionals, played 1995-02-03.
  • Chapter 77. A board shown during the lunch break, unknown who are playing. The position is from a game of Honinbo Shuei versus Ishii Senji, 1897-11-21.
  • Same chapter. Hikaru's first game in the pro examinations, against Iijima. There is only one picture, but with a clear view of the position in the game.It is from Kawamoto Noboru versus Miwa Yoshiro, both 8 dan, Oteai, 1989-06-29. The same game can be seen in the Anime.
  • Another game in the Anime is the fourth game in the pro examinations. Hikaru plays a girl, Yuriko Kitahara. The position shown is the end of Hane Yasumasa-Takemiya Masaki, 1989-09-07 in the 15th Tengen. Not in the Manga.
  • In chapter 78 is Hikaru's eighth game in the pro examinations. His opponent is Eiji Komiya. The position is from Shusaku versus Ota Yuzo, 1848-01-02,26.

volume 10 (chapter 79-85)

  • In chapters 81 - 83 Hikaru and Isumi play in the Insei Tournament. The first 41 moves come from a game between Miyazaki Shimako (Black) and Aoki Kikuyo played in round 4 of the 2nd Women's Meijin Sen in February 1990. Later positions in the Hikaru-Isumi game still follow this game, but the centre of the board (where Isumi makes his mistake) is altered and simplified.
  • In chapter 83 round 13 of the pro examinations, the game between Isumi and Waya is Honinbo Shuwa versus Murase Yakichi, 1856-11-03. The game between Hikaru and Fuku is a castle game of 1793-12-17 (Kansei 5-11-17) between Yasui Senchi (B) and Kono Mototora.

volume 11 (chapter 88-96)

  • In Anime 42 Waya (as Zelda) plays on Internet against Tamotu, just shortly before he sees a fake Sai playing. This game is Yasui Chitoku - Okunuki Chisaku, 1803-05-27. In the manga this scene is in chapter 88.
  • In chapter 89 Hikaru and Sai are playing a game when Hikaru finds a good play by thinking, "What would Sai play?" The game shown is Shusaku (B) versus Shuwa played 1847-09-11.
  • In chapters 90 and 91 Hikaru and Waya play in the 26th round of the pro exams. This is the subject of problem number 7 on Hikaru No Go Problems. The game is the second game of the 5th (Asahi) Meijin title match between Cho Chikun (Black) and Otake Hideo played in 1980. Brief game discussion here. Go World 22 has a special commentary on this game, revealing the last opportunities for White to win the game. Full game [ext] here.
  • In chapters 94 and 95 Hikaru plays Ochi in the 27th and final round of the pro exams. The game shown is one between Ebisawa Kenzo (Black) and Shusaku played in October 1859.
  • Chapter 94. Waya's game in this round. Likely to be Honinbo Shuei (B) vs Yasui Sanei, 1897-07-10, the first game of a ten game match. The position is not complete enough in the Manga to assess definitively.
  • In Anime 45 there is a quick look at Isumi's game during the lunch break in the same round as the game above. The situation on the board is from Sonoda Yasutaka versus Tei Meiko, Oteai, 1993-08-19. Not in the Manga.

volume 12 (chapter 97-104)

  • In chapter 100 and 101 Sai plays Toya Meijin during Hikaru's "1 dan - 9 dan" game. This is how the board looks at an advanced stage. The game is Cho Chikun (Black) versus Otake Hideo in the preliminaries of the 44th Oza Sen. The game was played 1996-06-14.

volume 13 (chapter 105-113)

  • In chapter 109 Toya Meijin wins the 4th game in the Judan match against Ogata. The real game is by Rin Kaiho (white, W+6.5) and Liu Xiaoguang, 3rd Tengen/Tianyuan match, game 3, 1996-06-26.
  • In chapter 110 Toya Meijin plays an Internet game against "LL", the Chinese winner of the World Amateur Go Championship going on in chapters 32-34. The game shown is game 5 of the 1987 Kisei match between Takemiya Masaki (black) and Kobayashi Koichi played Feb 25, 1987.
  • In chapters 112 through 116 Sai plays Toya Meijin on the Internet. The game shown is Rin Kaiho (Black) vs Yoda Norimoto from the 22nd (Asahi) Meijin League played in May 1997. About Hikaru's comment. Full game [ext] at go4go.

volume 14 (chapter 114-121)

  • In Chapter 120 Hikaru plays one colour Go against Atsushi Kurata -- so now you know why it is more difficult to find the right game. It is a game between Kobayashi Satoru (W) versus Su Kaiseki, 1984-10-22, Oteai. The situation where Hikaru resigns is not the end of the real game, that one goes on a bit longer.

volume 15 (chapter 122-130)

  • In chapter 122 we see Hikaru's first pro game (playing Black) against Miyashima. It's Wu Songsheng-Yu Ch'ang-hyeok (Black, B+R), 1993-07-15, 11th Taewang Tournament. Yes, Wu is Chinese, but he played in South Korea in those days.
  • In chapter 124 Hikaru/Sai plays a game against Ogata (who is drunk). There is only one snapshot of the game (in the end). This is not yet a known game. There's a demo game shown later in this chapter, that is Takemiya Masaki-Cho Chikun, 17th NEC Cup round 2, 1997-12-13.
  • Very soon thereafter in chapter 124 Sai disappears. The board position is from the 17th NEC Cup Final, Kobayashi Satoru vs Cho Chikun, 1998-02-14.
  • In chapter 127 Kawai, the taxi driver, plays against the strongest player of Hiroshima. It is again Ebisawa Kenzo (Black) and Shusaku played in October 1859, the same game as in chapter 94. Hikaru's game in this chapter is not yet identified.
  • In chapter 129 Hikaru reads Shusaku's kifu at the Kiin. The game is the Ear Reddening Game and of course the move he comments on is move 127, the Ear Reddening Move. It's more visible in the anime, episode 63.

volume 16 (chapter 131-139)

  • In chapter 135 Isumi plays his second game against Ree Pin in China. The game shown is game 2 of the 6th Mingren title match - Ma Xiaochun (Black) versus Cao Dayuan played 1993-08-12.

volume 17 (chapter 140-148)

  • In chapter 143 Ogata Judan wins game five of the Gosei Tournament and with it the title as well. The game shown is Takemiya Masaki (Black) versus Rin Kaiho from the quarterfinals of the second Kisei Tournament, played 1977-11-10.
  • In chapter 145-146 Hikaru plays against Akira Toya. The real game is Honda Kunihisa (B) vs Nakano Hironari, 47th NHK Cup, Round 1, 1999-05-02.

volume 18 (six side stories)

  • No games (yet)

volume 19 (chapter 149-156)

Future chapters

  • In chapter 160 Hikaru is playing Morishita Sensei in the second stage of the Honinbo Tournament while Akira is playing Ogata Sensei in the Honinbo League. Meanwhile Koyo Toya is playing the young Korean star Ko Yonha in a casual game in Korea (quite a busy chapter :-) Hikaru's game is actually Cho Chikun (Black) versus Yi Ch'ang-ho from the 4th Tong Yang Securities Cup played 1993-04-22. Koyo Toya's game is Zhang Wendong (Black) versus Cho Chikun from the 7th Fujitsu Cup played 1994-06-03. Akira's game is from 1992-05-14: Sakakibara Shoji vs Sonoda Yuichi in the Tengen league.
  • In chapter 163 Hikaru plays Shibata 3-dan from the Chubu (Nagoya) branch in the qualifying tournament for the Hokuto Tournament. The game shown is Yamashita Keigo (Black) versus Nakano Yasuhiro played 1998-07-08 in the Shinjin-O tournament.
  • In chapters 164-166 Hikaru and the new shodan star from the Kansai Kiin, Yashiro, play in the second round of the Hokuto Tournament. The game is Takao Shinji (Black) versus Yamashita Keigo broadcast 2000-03-19 in the final of the Shin'ei Tournament. The opening moves are shown at Strange Pro Opening 3.
  • In chapters 178-179 there are the first three games of the Hokuto Cup. The Game of Hikaru is O Rissei (B) vs Yu Ch'ang-hyeok (W) from the 3rd Chunlan Cup (China) Round 2 on 2001-06-24. Toya's game is Hikosaka Naoto vs Ryu Shikun in the 55th Honinbo League, 1999-12-09. Yashiro's game is Yamashita Keigo vs Kobayashi Koichi, 2000-07-24, the 3rd game in the 25th Gosei match.
  • In chapter 184 Hikaru begins his second game in the Hokuto Cup. It is the final of the 15th Fujitsu Cup, Yi Se-tol (W) vs Yu Ch'ang-hyeok (B), 2002-08-03. Hikaru holds the black stones. In the same chapter Akira's game is from the first round of the first Toyota & Denso Cup, Yamashita Keigo vs Pak Yeong-hun, 2002-03-19. Yashiro's game in this chapter is from 1980-07-17, from the 5th Meijin League, between Kato Masao and Hashimoto Utaro. These games continue until chapter 189.
  • That last chapter seems to be the end of Hikaru no Go. Maybe a special in the summer, but this is it.

Hikaru No Go/Games last edited by 192.159.178.211 on March 9, 2020 - 10:07
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