Jubango
Jubango, a Japanese go term adopted into English meaning ten-game match, is a contest between two players consisting of ten games. Typically the games in these matches were not played with a komi, but according to a system that changes the handicap as a function of who won the previous games. Therefore the implication of jubango can be a little more than simply playing ten games. (See Jubango handicaps.)
In most cases a jubango was played at a leisurely, rather than an intense pace, spread out over some months and different locations.
In the Edo period jubango, or other similar challenges, were used to settle disputes on who was the stronger player: they were involved more often than not in the violent struggle for the Meijin and Godokoro posts, or for a promotion.
These challenges were a very serious affair; the honour of the player and of his House was at stake, and the dishonour of the loser or, worse, the humiliation of being forced to a higher handicap by the uchikomi system surpasses the imagination. This is why in Japan it has been popularly considered so bloodthirsty.
The modern master of jubango was undoubtedly Go Seigen. In part because of his position (inside or outside the Nihon Ki-in), the Yomiuri newspaper organised several matches between Go and the other top players of the mid 1930s to 1950s.
Here are some notable matches past and present:
1645-1653 - Honinbo Sanetsu vs. Yasui Sanchi: a six-game sogo for the title of Meijin. Played on tagai-sen, Black won all games, resulting in a 3-3 draw.
1668-1676 - Honinbo Doetsu vs. Yasui Sanchi: Sanchi had managed to be nominated Meijin Godokoro by means of political manoeuvering. Doetsu objected, asking for a Sogo. It was granted but if Doetsu lost he would have been exiled forever.
It was a sixty-game affair, with the handicap changing after a lead of six wins or four in succession. The match started on jou-sen, the handicap for a two-rank difference, being Doetsu 7 dan and Sanchi formally the Meijin, i.e. 9 dan.
It seems that the first game ended in Jigo thanks to a previous agreement: this set up the custom to have the first game of a sogo end up in a prearranged jigo.
After 16 games the score was 9-3-4 jigo in Doetsu's favour. The handicap was lowered to sen-ai-sen, but Doetsu won 3 games out of the next four, losing only as white. Sanchi had enough of it; he abandoned the match and resigned as both Meijin and Godokoro.
1705-1706 - Honinbo Dochi vs. Yasui Senkaku: Senkaku (6 dan) had refused to let Dochi (4 dan) play on even against him in the Castle Games, even though he knew Dochi was stronger than his rank. A sogo of ten games was arranged, with the compromise handicap of sen-ai-sen.
Dochi won the first game from a desperate position by finding an exquisite and famous yose tesuji, then went on to win the second and the third with white. Senkaku saw he had no hopes: he abandoned the challenge, apologising and accepting to play Dochi on even terms. (the famous tesuji)
1737-1740 - Honinbo Shuhaku vs. Inoue Shunseki Inseki: Shuhakus application for promotion to 7 dan was blocked by Hayashi Incho Monnyu (whose application to Meijin had been opposed by the Honinbo and Yasui Houses some time before). Shuhaku challenged Incho to a sogo but the latter refused on grounds of his illness. Shunseki then stepped in to play in his place.
After two and half years only 8 games had been played: Shuhaku was ahead 4-3-1 jigo, but then he suffered a serious stomach haemorrhage. The match had to be suspended. Shuhaku died shortly afterwards, in early 1741.
1766-1767 - Honinbo Satsugen vs. Inoue Shunseki Inseki: a twenty-games sogo to decide the Meijin. After the traditional prearranged jigo in the first game, Satsugen won the next 5 games and applied for a change in the handicap. A series of mutual objections were made by the players regarding the conditions for changing the handicap, until the match was suspended.
Eventually Satsugen was nominated Meijin but wasn't given the post of Godokoro.
1840 - Shuwa vs. Inoue Gennan Inseki: Gennan's application for Meijin Godokoro was opposed by Honinbo Josaku, who put forward is heir Shuwa for a sogo. Only one match was played though, as Shuwa's 4-points win with black was so convincing that Gennan abandoned the match and his application.
1842 - Shuwa vs. Inoue Gennan Inseki: Again, only one game was played, Shuwa winning this time by six points. Gennan gave up all hopes to become Meijin.
1846-1847 - Honinbo Shuwa vs. Shusaku: a seventeen-game series between teacher and pupil. Shusaku won 13-4 but the series was played at jou-sen throughout, because Shusaku never accepted to play white out of respect for his teacher.
1853 - Shusaku vs. Ota Yuzo: a friendly thirty-game match (sanjubango). It started on even, and it took Shusaku 17 games to force a change in the handicap. The final score was 13-7-3 jigo in Shusaku's favour.
1861 - Shusaku vs. Shuho: a friendly jubango with Shuho at jou-sen. Shuho won 6-3-1 Jigo.
1933-34 - Go Seigen 5p vs. Kitani Minoru 5p: The match was abandoned at 3-3, due to Kitani being promoted from 5p to 6p.
1939-40 - Go Seigen 7p vs. Kitani Minoru 7p: 6-4 (started even, Kitani was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 6 games (5-1)). 7p was the highest rank at the time, only five 7p, the other three 7p were from older generation. The match was regared as the fight for who is the real #1 in the world. Before the match, Kitani and Go were considered two of the best players with Kitani holding the upper hand. After the match, Go was considered the #1 and Kitani's career never was the same.
1941-42 - Go Seigen 7p vs. Karigane Junichi 8p: 4-1 (started even, abandoned to avoid possible embarrassment for Karigane, since one more loss would mean Karigane having to play with sen-ai-sen handicap). To play with Go, Karigane abandoned his own Ki-in Kiseisha duo to demand from Nihon Ki-in of which Go was a member. Karigane was probably number two player in Japan for the period between 1907 and 1926 when he was in the shadow of Shusai. He retired after losing competition for Honinbo to Tamura Hoju (Honinbo Shusai).
1942-44 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 6p: 4-6 (started with Fujisawa playing with josen handicap; handicap not changed). Fujisawa was very young and was given high hope, some even considered him a strong candidate to be next Meijin (It is the permanent Meijin, not Meijn tournament title as now).
1946-48 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Hashimoto Utaro 8p: 6-3-1 (started even, Hashimoto was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 8 games (6-2)). After WWII, Go abandoned playing go completely and lost his Nihon Ki-in membership. This match brought him back to playing go again. Hashimoto won the first game easily. After the game, Hashimoto told people "Even Go Seigen doesn't know how to play go now". In the second game, Hashimoto was far ahead to the end of the game. For some reason, Hashimoto just lost his mind, and lost his game. Starting from game 3, Go was back to himself and Hashimoto could no longer hold his own. After the match, Go Seigen once again was back to the top of the Go world.
1948-49 - Go Seigen 8p vs. Iwamoto Kaoru Honinbo: 7-2-1 (started even, Iwamoto was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap handicap after 6 games (5-1)). Kaoru (8p) was the Honinbo title holder at the start of the match.
1949-50 - Go Seigen 8p vs. a team of 10 6p, 7p players (with 6p playing with josen handicap, 7p playing with sen-ai-sen handicap): 8-1-1 (The loss was against Kubouchi Shuchi, the jigo against Sumino Takeshi). Go Seigen was not a member of Nihon Ki-in at the time, he coundn't participate any match Nihon Ki-in hold. While Fujisawa Kuranosuke was promoted to 9p through competition by the new rule inside Nihon Ki-in; Go Seigen, the #1 in the go world considered by many was still 8p. This match was arranged as a promotion match for Go Seigen.
1950-51 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Hashimoto Utaro Honinbo: 5-3-2 (started with Hashimoto playing with sen-ai-sen handicap, handicap not changed). The match was arranged while Go was waiting from Fujisawa Kuranosuke's yes answer to the jubango match organised by the Yomiuri newspaper between the only two 9p at the time. Hashimoto (8p) was Honinbo title holder at the time
1951-52 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 9p: 7-2-1 (only 2 9p at the time. It started even, Fujisawa was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 9 games (6-2-1)). The attention of this Jubango drawing was matched only by Kitani-Go jubango.
1952-53 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke 9p: 5-1 (only 2 9p at the time. abandoned after Fujisawa was beaten down from sen-ai-sen handicap to josen handicap). After the match, the career of Fujisawa never was the same. Fujisawa became from the hope and only 9p of Nihon Ki-in to quited from Nihon Ki-in and unemployed.
1953-54 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Sakata Eio 8p: 6-2 (abandoned after Sakata was beaten down from sen-ai-sen handicap to josen handicap). Because of Sakata's previous win over Go Seigen in a six game match between them, Sakata was given very high expection to hold his own and not be beaten down to a lower rank while playing with sen-ai-sen handicap. After the match, Sakata's reputation for not being able to win important match was widely accepted until he won his Honinbo and meijin titles.
1954-1955 - Hashimoto Utaro vs. Fujisawa Kuranosuke: Hashimoto won 6-3, beating Fujisawa down to sen-ai-sen. A very detailed account of this historic match can be found here.
1955-56 - Go Seigen 9p vs. Takagawa Kaku Honinbo: 8-2 (started even, Takagawa was beaten down to sen-ai-sen handicap after 8 games (6-2)). Takagawa (8p) was Honinbo title holder at the time. After this match, there were no serious opponents for Go to play Jubango with, all the top players during the last two decades were all beaten down to lower rank by Go Seigen in Jubango. During the Jubango, if the more at stake, the results were more brutal for the loser. Kitani Minoru and Fujisawa Kuranosuke were considered as at least equal as Go Seigen before their Jubango matches with Go, the results of jubango match with Go almost ruined their go career.
2003 - Gueon Hyojin vs. Meng Zhaoyu: A promotional match for a Chinese and a Korean internet go site. Played with 6.5 komi for even games, with handicap changing each time one player gets ahead by two games. So far, Gueon has beaten Meng down to a one-stone handicap (i.e. black giving no komi), and Meng has won the first game at that handicap. Game records are available to go4go.
Contributors include:
Wiki Master Editors note: It would be nice if someone could contribute a bit more background information on Go Seigen's matches, or tell us about some more modern Jubangos played by other players. Last version prior to WME was version 30.