The 1st Igo Masters Cup

Igo Masters Cup

The Igo Masters Cup is a Go competition in Japan.-Outline:The tournament is open only to players over the age of 50 and who have won at least one Top 7 title . The format is single knockout and each player is allotted two hours thinking time. The winners' purse is 5 million Yen .-Past winners and...

began on 24 February 2011 and is still ongoing. Eleven players participated: Kobayashi Koichi (Honorary

Honorary Go Titles

Professional Go players in Japan are given the title of "Honorary" title holder if they hold a title for a straight five or more years. Below is a list of the honorary title holders and which title they are honored for.- Honorary Kiseis :...

 Kisei

Kisei

The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...

, Meijin

Meijin

Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...

, and Gosei), Kudo Norio (Tengen

Tengen

Tengen may refer to:*Tengen , the center point on a Go board, and the name of a Go competition in Japan*Tengen , a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany*Tengen , a defunct video game publisher and developer...

 1997, Oza

Oza

is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...

 1977), Rin Kaiho

Rin Kaiho

Rin Kaiho is a professional Go player.-Biography:Rin Kaiho was born in Shanghai, China. He was a student of Go Seigen when Go brought him to Japan in 1952. He was a promising player who won his first title at the age of 23, the Meijin. He is also part of the 1200 win group...

 (Honorary Tengen), Kataoka Satoshi (Tengen 1982, 1983), Hane Yasumasa (Oza 1990), Ishida Yoshio (24th Honinbo

Honinbo

Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....

), Takemiya Masaki (Meijin, Honinbo, and Judan), Cho Chikun

Cho Chikun

Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row...

 (25th Honinbo, Honorary Meijin), O Rissei

O Rissei

Ō Rissei is a professional Go player in Japan.- Biography :Rissei was born in Taiwan and moved to Japan when he was 13 years old; he would become professional the following year. His instructor is Kano Yoshinori.- Titles and runners-up :Ranks #10-t in total amount of titles in Japan.-External...

 (Kisei, Judan, and Oza), Kobayashi Satoru (Kisei, Gosei 1995), Otake Hideo (Honorary Gosei).

Kobayashi Koichi, Ishida Yoshio, Takemiya Masaki, Cho Chikun, and Otake Hideo were given first round byes.

Tournament