Sugiuchi Masao

    Keywords: People

http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match_news/images/2016/0310-2.jpg

Sugiuchi Masao (杉内 雅男, 1920–2017) was a Nihon Ki-in professional Go player who reached 9-dan in 1959.

Sugiuchi was called Go no Kami-sama (literally the 'God of Go') for his ultra-serious attitude. He was married to Sugiuchi Kazuko (née Honda), who is also a professional go player (8-dan), for 63 years from 1954 until his death in 2017.

He won the the Tokyo Shinbun Cup in 1962 and the Hayago Meijin in 1959. He unsuccessfully challenged Takagawa Kaku for the Honinbo title in 1954 and 1958, and Kobayashi Koichi for the Tengen in 1976.

He and his wife attended the seventh U.S. Go Congress in Rochester, NY, in 1991.

In early 2015 he was still active and playing in the Gosei premilinaries. His opponent in the game was Tsuneishi Takashi 2p, more than 70 years his junior. According to this link ([ext] http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=180219#p180219) his record for 2014, at age 94 was 5 wins and 6 losses.

On March 10, 2016 he played 15-year old Ohnishi Ryuhei? 1p, 80 years his junior, in the Oza preliminaries as reported on the Nihon Kiin's website ([ext] http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/match_news/match_info/801595.html).

He passed away from pneumonia in hospital on 21 November 2017, with a lifetime record of 883-677-12-2, having become the oldest active Go professional in history.

Photos

Sugiuchi Masao and Kazuko in their younger days (Image credit: Reddit)


Sugiuchi Masao last edited by Jono64a on February 12, 2024 - 00:37
RecentChanges · StartingPoints · About
Edit page ·Search · Related · Page info · Latest diff
[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]
RecentChanges
StartingPoints
About
RandomPage
Search position
Page history
Latest page diff
Partner sites:
Go Teaching Ladder
Goproblems.com
Login / Prefs
Tools
Sensei's Library