Kobayashi Izumi

Kobayashi Izumi (小林 泉美, b. 20 June 1977) is a Japanese, professional 7-dan born in Tokyo, Japan. She is a member of the Nihon Ki-in.

Kobayashi Izumi has won 11 titles, 5th place in the number of women's titles. In 2003, she and her husband were called the "Honinbo Couple", because Cho was Honinbo and Kobayashi Female Honinbo.

On the World Women's Rating Lists of 2003-01-01 to 2005-01-01, Kobayashi Izumi was the #1 Japanese woman.

Kobayashi has an overall professional game record of 932 games, 532 wins, and 400 losses, for a 57.1% win rate (as of 2024/08/27).

Table of contents Family Titles Runners-up Head-to-head scores against current female rivals Links Photos Notes See Also

Family

Izumi is the daughter of Kobayashi Koichi and Kobayashi Reiko (née Kitani), and the granddaughter of Kitani Minoru. She is the wife of Cho U and the mother of Cho Kosumi and Cho Koharu. Izumi's main Go teacher was her mother. Izumi joked that she learned Gonin her mother's womb. Her daughters could say the same.

Kobayashi gave birth to her first daughter Cho Kosumi on 24 March 2006, and second daughter Cho Koharu on 10 November 2009. Like her mother before her, at the top of her career as one of the best female Go players in Japan, she suspended her career to support her husband and raise their children.

After her youngest daughter followed in her older sister's footsteps and became a professional on 1 April 2022, Kobayashi returned to professional Go that year.

On 25 February 2024, she won her first title in 16 years, to the delight of her many admirers, when she defeated Koyama Terumi in the final of 3rd Teikei Cup Female Legends.

Titles

• 1998: 1st Women's Kisei
• 1999: 2nd Women's Kisei
• 2001: 13th Women's Meijin
• 2001: 20th Women's Honinbo
• 2002: 21st Women's Honinbo
• 2003: 15th Women's Meijin
• 2003: 22nd Women's Honinbo
• 2004: 16th Women's Meijin
• 2004: JAL Female HayaGo
• 2005: 6th Female Strongest
• 2007: 1st Daiwa Ladies Cup
• 2023–4: 3rd Teikei Cup Female Legends

Runners-up

• 1996: 17th Women's Kakusei
• 1999: 18th Women's Honinbo
• 1999: 20th Women's Kakusei
• 2000: 3rd Women's Kisei
• 2000: 12th Women's Meijin
• 2001: 22nd Women's Kakusei
• 2002: 14th Women's Meijin
• 2004: 22nd Women's Honinbo
• 2005: 17th Women's Meijin

Head-to-head scores against current female rivals

(Based on Kobayashi Izumi, Go Ratings and game list), as of 22 Jun 2024

• Sugiuchi Kazuko, 8p, 4× All-Japan Women's Championship, 4× Women's Meijin, 2× Women's Kakusei: 3–2
• Konishi Kazuko, 8p, once Kansai Ladies' Tournament, once Teikei Cup Female Legends: 3–2
• Kusunoki Teruko, 8p, Sugiuchi Kazuko's youngest sister, 5× Female Honinbo, 3× Women's Kakusei: 3–0
• Yoshida Mika, 8p, 4× Women's Honinbo, 4× Kansai Ladies' Tournament, once Women's Kakusei: 5–3
• Aoki Kikuyo, 8p, 5× Women's Meijin, 4× Women's Kakusei, once Female Kisei: 10–6
• Yashiro Kumiko, 6p, 2× Women's Honinbo, 4–3
• Ueno Asami, 6p, according to rating list, #5 female and #200 overall in the world, and #1 female and #27 overall in Japan: 0–3
• Fujisawa Rina, 7p, #9 female in world, #2 female in Japan: 0–1
• Xie Yimin, 7p, #30 ranked female in the world, #5 ranked female in Japan (many years #1): 2–6
• Ueno Risa, 3p, Asami's younger sister, #21 female and #3 female teenager in world, #3 female in Japan, Female Kisei: 0–1
• Nakamura Sumire, 3p, #22 female and #5 female teenager in the world, #4 ranked female in Japan: 1–1
• Nyu Eiko, 4p, 2× Female Strongest: 1–1
• Ogawa Tomoko, 7p, once Female Honinbo, 2× All-Japan Women's Championship: 2–1
• Kato Keiko, 6p, once Women's Meijin, once Female Strongest: 4–4
• Kato Tomoko, 6p, once Women's Honinbo, Women's Meijin, Women's Kakusei, and Female Strongest: 4–3
• Umezawa Yukari, 6p, 3× Female Kisei: 4–4
• Kobayashi Chizu, 6p, 3× Women's Kakusei and All-Japan Women's Championship: 2–0
• Chinen Kaori, 6p, 5× Female Kisei, 4× Women's Honinbo: 9–13
• Mukai Chiaki, 6p, once Women's Honinbo: 2–3
• Koyama Terumi, 6p, 4× Women's Meijin: 3–3
• Mukai Chiaki, 6p, once Women's Honinbo: 9–2
• Mannami Kana, 4p, 2× Female Kisei: 3–3
• Nakazawa Ayako, 5p, 2× Women's Honinbo, 2× Women's Kakusei: 4–2
• Rui Naiwei, 9p, #18 female in world, many years #1 female in world: 0–2

Links

• Japanese Wikipedia
• Nihon Ki'in profile
• Go Ratings and Games
• Go4Go

Photos

Kobayashi Izumi with her husband Cho U and younger daughter Cho Koharu after Koharu became a pro, 2022 (Image credit: zhuanlan.zhihu.com

Kobayashi Izumi with her husband Cho U and younger daughter Cho Koharu after Koharu became a pro, 2022 (Image credit: zhuanlan.zhihu.com

Kobayashi Izumi with her husband and two daughters, 2010 (Image credit: vip.udn.com

Notes

• On 29 July 2004, Kobayashi Izumi faced her father Koichi at the 43rd Judan tournament, making the game the first ever father-daughter pro tournament game. They both played a fighting game with her father winning as White in the end.

See Also

• Her Nihon Kiin profile: http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/htm/ki000338.htm