The beginning (1962–1967)

Cho was born into a very rich family of six children. His grandfather was a bank director. During the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, the money the family had owned was burnt and they became impoverished. His father then sought the advice of a fortune teller. Originally called Pung-yeon, Cho's name was changed to Chihun, as the fortune teller told him to change his son's name to Chihun or else his mother would die, also saying that following the change, Chihun's younger brother would die but Chihun would become famous. Both predictions proved accurate.

His grandfather taught him Go when he was young. Seeing great talent in Cho, his father sent him to Japan in 1962. His rise to becoming one of the greatest Go players began when he joined Minoru Kitani

Minoru Kitani

was one of the most celebrated professional Go players and teachers of the game of Go in the twentieth century in Japan.- Biography :He earned the nickname "the Prodigy" after winning a knockout tournament. He defeated eight opponents from the Kiseisha in a row during 1928. He played a celebrated...

's Go school. He was accompanied by his uncle Cho Namchul and his brother Cho Shoen on his way to the Haneda airport

Tokyo International Airport

, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....

 in Japan in August 1962. He was only six years old at the time. At the airport he met Minoru Kitani and his wife, another pupil Kobayashi Chizu, and the master's daughter, Reiko Kitani (who as an adult married Cho's future rival Koichi Kobayashi

Koichi Kobayashi

is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a...

). The day after arriving in Japan Cho beat 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...

 in a five stone handicap game at a party held at the Kitani School to celebrate the total dan rank

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

s of Kitani students reaching a sum of 100. A large crowd watched intensely, as if it were a professional game.

Cho enrolled at the Nihon Ki-in

Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...

 as an insei

Insei

In Japan, an ' is a student at an institution, usually a graduate school. The word may also refer to a student of Go at the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in seeking to become a professional player....

 when he was only seven. He was bullied by many other students for being Korean

Korean people

The Korean people are an ethnic group originating in the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. Koreans are one of the most ethnically and linguistically homogeneous groups in the world.-Names:...

. He started to become annoyed since he was the Kitanis' "baby". He was known to be lax in his studies, which could be clearly seen when his future rival Koichi Kobayashi

Koichi Kobayashi

is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a...

 joined the Kitani school. Kobayashi was not as strong, but he studied much harder than Cho.

Breakthrough to shodan (1968–1972)

Cho broke through to shodan

Go ranks and ratings

Skill in the traditional board game Go is measured by a number of different national, regional and online ranking and rating systems. Traditionally, go rankings have been measured using a system of dan and kyu ranks...

 after beating Michihiko Azuma in May 1968. He became one of the youngest professional ever in modern go history, at 11 years and 10 months. In the same year, he was promoted to 2 dan and was looking very promising. Within a mere two years, he climbed to 4 dan after winning almost every Oteai

Oteai

The was a tournament used in Japan, by the Nihon Ki-in and Kansai Ki-in, to determine the ranking of its go professionals on the dan scale. It was instituted in the 1920s soon after the Ki-in was set up in 1924. Initially it was run in Spring and Autumn sessions in Tokyo, with the pros brought...

 game possible. He reached 5 dan in 1971, at just 15 years of age.

In 1972, the Go Review and Kido

Kido

- People :* Kido Takayoshi , was a prominent Japanese politician of the Meiji Government* Akiyuki Kido , is a Japanese ice dancer* Kōichi Kido , was a minister of the Cabinet of Japan during World War II...

 Yearbook released information on Cho Chihun. His name was well known before he was even allowed to drive. Although he had a great record of thirty wins and only six losses in this year, he lost twice to his rival Koichi Kobayashi

Koichi Kobayashi

is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a...

 in big tournaments—first the 4th Shin-Ei

Shin-Ei

-Outline:The Shin-Ei was a Go competition held where players under the age of 30 and 7 dan would compete in.-Past winners:...

, which was even televised, and in the final of the 16th Prime Minister Cup

Prime Minister Cup

The Prime Minister Cup was a Go competition.-Outline:The Prime Minister Cup ran from 1961 to 1981. It was used by the Nihon Ki-in The first 18 titles were decided in a knockout tournament. The last two years, the format was changed to a best-of-three match between finalists from a large...

. After a rocky start, Cho gained momentum, beating three top players, until he lost to 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...

, who was 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 :...

 at the time, in the 9th Asahi Pro Best Ten

Asahi Pro Best Ten

The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:...

 tournament.

Victories and defeats (1973–1979)

Cho won the 5th Shin-Ei after beating Yasumasa Hane

Yasumasa Hane

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Yasumasa Hane was one of the best players in the Nagoya branch of the Nihon Ki-in during his peak. He is probably better known for being the father of the former Kisei holder, Naoki Hane. He was also known as to being a major contributor in the development...

, who was an 8 dan at the time. Second prize was awarded to him after scoring an 83.75% winning percentage in the 5+ dan Oteai. He then took tenth place in the 11th Asahi Pro Best Ten tournament. He was also promoted to 6 dan in 1973 with a good record of 30 wins and 11 losses.

His most significant accomplishment of 1974 was qualifying for the 22nd Nihon Ki-in Championship

Nihon Ki-In Championship

The Nihon Ki-In Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament ran from 1954 to 1975. It was later merged with the Kansai Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen.-Past winners:...

, especially since this came after being beaten out of the 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....

 preliminaries by Takaho Kojima. He beat Kazuo Sometani, Masao Kato

Masao Kato

- Titles and runners-up :Ranks #4 in total amount of titles in Japan.-Books:*Kato's Attack and Kill ISBN 4-87187-027-2*The Chinese Opening ISBN 4-906574-33-5-External links:...

, Yoshio Ishida

Yoshio Ishida

is a professional Go player.- Biography :By the time he was 8, Ishida started learning Go. He was a student at the legendary Kitani Minoru go school. Famous along with his fellow students Cho Chikun, Kobayashi Koichi, Kato Masao, and Takemiya Masaki. Alike his fellow students, he joined the dojo at...

, and 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...

. His win against Ishida was something strange, as it came a week after Ishida achieved 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 :...

-Honinbo. He didn't make it past the second game in the 18th Prime Minister Cup, which again went to Kobayashi. He then took revenge on Kobayashi by beating him in the 6th Shin-Ei. He was awarded a Special Merit Prize by Kido magazine after his most impressive record thus far of 33 wins and 9 loses.

His career skyrocketed when Kido magazine named him the Number One Young Player. His power and composure shone through his strong endgame. He barely lost out in the final of the 22nd Nihon Ki-In Championship

Nihon Ki-In Championship

The Nihon Ki-In Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament ran from 1954 to 1975. It was later merged with the Kansai Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen.-Past winners:...

 to Eio Sakata

Eio Sakata

was a professional 9-dan Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. At the time, Hon'inbō started the Kansai Ki-in, so Sakata was under pressure to win the title back...

 after making a critical mistake that led to his resignation. This loss fueled him to take the 12th Asahi Pro Best Ten

Asahi Pro Best Ten

The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:...

 undefeated, which made him look incredibly powerful, as all the opponents were 9-dan. The victory made him the youngest title holder ever in Japan. He lost in the second round of the 30th Honinbo preliminary to Toshihiro Shimamura

Toshihiro Shimamura

was a professional Go player.- Biography :Shimamura reached 9 dan in 1960. He was teacher to many players including Hane Yasumasa, Yamashiro Hiroshi, Nakano Hironari, Imamura Yoshiaki, Shimamura Michiro, Shigeno Yuki, and Matsumoto Nayoko....

 9-dan. Even though he had a second chance to take the match against Masao Kato—due to a triple ko—he still lost. He was on a roll in the 1st Tengen

Tengen (Go)

Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....

 league, until he was defeated by Shuzo Ohira

Shuzo Ohira

was a professional Go player.- Biography :Ohira was born in Gifu, Japan. Taken under the wing of the prolific Kitani Minoru in 1941, Ohira quickly rose above in rank. By 1947, he had obtained professional 1 dan, being promoted to 2 dan in the same year. By 1955 he was 6 dan, and by 1963 he reached...

. He didn't get far in the rest of the tournaments that year. His spirits were high after he was promoted to 7 dan in late October, only to be crushed a month later when his teacher, Kitani, died. His record was a formidable 39 wins and 16 losses for the year.

1976 was a year of change, especially for Cho. Having to cope with the loss of his teacher, he regained his power and went on to having a very successful year. He began the year by winning the 1st Asahi Top Eight Players

Asahi Top Eight Players

The Asahi Top Eight Players was a Go competition.-Outline:The final was a best-of-three match. This tournament was short-lived, being played only one year....

 tournament. Then the title system was greatly altered—the Asahi Pro Best Ten and Top Eight Players tournaments were disbanded, being replaced by the 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...

 and Gosei tournaments. This was unfortunate for Cho, since he couldn't defend his first 2 titles. The Tengen

Tengen (Go)

Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....

 was enhanced after the Nihon Ki-in Championship

Nihon Ki-In Championship

The Nihon Ki-In Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament ran from 1954 to 1975. It was later merged with the Kansai Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen.-Past winners:...

 was combined with the Kansai Ki-in Championship

Kansai Ki-in Championship

The Kansai Ki-In Championship is a Go competition.-Outline:The original Kansai Ki-In Championship ran from 1957 to 1975. It was merged with the Nihon Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen. A new Kansai Ki-In Championship tournament replaced the old. The tournament is sponsored by Sanyo...

. Now along with the new year, Cho had to win new titles. He won a place in the 2nd 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 :...

 league this year, before failing to get into the 32nd Honinbo league. The hard start of the year got only worse after losing in the 2nd round of the Tengen, and losing in the preliminaries for the 1st Gosei. Things started looking up after he reached the semi-final of the 20th Prime Minister Cup, only to fall after losing in the 2nd round of the 1st Shinjin-O

Shinjin-O

The Shinjin-O is a professional Go competition.An annual Japanese tournament, it has been held continuously since 1976.- Format :...

. He then went back to his old self, getting four wins in a row to reach the 26th 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...

 final. He went on to win his first Oza title, beating Hideo Otake

Hideo Otake

is a Japanese Go player.- Biography :Otake was born in Kitakyūshū City, Japan. He joined the legendary Kitani Minoru school when he was 9, and quickly rose up the ranks to turn professional in 1956, when he was 14. He progressed swiftly, achieving 9 dan in 1970...

 2–1. He reached the 15th Judan

Judan (Go)

The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...

 challenger final, where he lost to Eio Sakata

Eio Sakata

was a professional 9-dan Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. At the time, Hon'inbō started the Kansai Ki-in, so Sakata was under pressure to win the title back...

. Although having a not so great record in tournaments, he won prizes from Kido for having the highest number of wins (46) and for having the best technique. Along with the 46 wins, he lost 18 times.

1977 was a bad year for Cho. He lost in the preliminaries of the 2nd Meijin league, the 15th Judan, and the 16th Judan. He then lost his only title, the Oza, in November. The only tournament he would win this year was the 8th Shin-Ei, which was followed by another loss to rival Kobayashi in the 2nd Shinjin-O final.

Cho looked much better in 1978. He won the 7-dan section of the 3rd Kisei before being promoted to 8 dan in the summer. He took 3rd place in the Meijin League. Even through some success of the year, he still couldn't make it through the preliminaries of the 33rd Honinbo. He participated in the 16th Judan, the 3rd Tengen, and the 26th Oza preliminaries.

1979 was a year of change for Cho. He finally broke through to the 34th Honinbo finals before doing okay in the 16thJudan and 3rd Tengen leagues. He took the 4th Gosei league and title in August. The year ended on a high, after getting the best Oteai score of the year.

Achieving the peak of his career (1980–1981)

He might have lost his newly won Gosei title, but he won what he was after: the Meijin title. Coincidentally, he won the title from Hideo Otake, who had taken Cho's Gosei the same year. There are rumors that said that Cho vowed that after moving to Japan, he wouldn't return to South Korea until the Meijin title was his. He made his first trip home on the New Year holiday in 1980 at the age of 24. He was a national hero in Korea now. He even played two games with Korean champion Cho Hunhyun

Cho Hunhyun

Cho Hunhyun is a Korean 9-dan professional Go player. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Cho reached professional level in Korea in 1962. Since then, Cho has amassed 150 professional titles, more than any player in the world. He once held all nine Korea titles simultaneously in 1980...

. One was a quick Go game, while the other spanned an almost 18 hours over two days. Cho Chikun won both games. After losing both games, Cho Hunhyun vowed that he'd never lose to Cho Chikun again.
From 1981 to 2003, Cho Hunhyun never lost to Chikun in all the games they played.

The beginning of the year issue of Kido Magazine had a table of statistics. A summary of his career are shown below.

Year	Tournament	Oteai	Total
1968	4–3	8–4	12–7
1969	18–6	9–3	27–9
1970	14–5	9–0–1	23–5–1
1971	20–5	9–0–1	29–5–1
1972	22–6	8–0	30–6
1973	23–10	7–1	30–11
1974	28–7	5–2	33–9
1975	33–14–1	6–2	39–16–1
1976	41–15	5–3	46–18
1977	28–20	5–3	33–23
1978	29–13	7–1	36–14
1979	34–12	5–1	39–13
1980	38–19	*	38–19

• ^{Did not participate in Oteai due to reaching 9 dan. 9 dan players do not participate in the Oteai.}

Champion of Japanese Go (1981–1985)

Cho won the Honinbo for the first time in 1981. He won the Honinbo league undefeated with a score of 7 wins and 0 losses. His campaign was the first time someone won the Honinbo league undefeated. Things looked like they would be going Cho's way after finishing the year with 36 wins and 10 losses.

Along with his Meijin and Honinbo, he added another title to his collection—the Judan title. The Meijin title was held by Cho for the third year in a row. He also defended his Honinbo title, winning 3 games in a row to beat Kobayashi. He also made it into the final of the Kisei. The year ended on another high. 34 wins and 13 losses was the record this year.

The 7th Kisei

Being up 3–0 in the Kisei final, it looked like Fujisawa Shuko would run away with the title – for a seventh time in a row. Cho left many flabbergasted after coming back to win three games to tie it at three a piece. It looked like Shuko had won the seventh game, but he made one of his famous blunders (poka) and Cho won again. Cho was the first and currently only Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo, and Judan. All the titles were of top order, but he would only hold all of them for forty days. He lost all the titles except the Meijin, but set a record. He was the first player in history to hold the Meijin title for four years in a row. The year could have been better, as he ended with 28 wins and 22 losses.

style="border: solid thin; padding: 2px;" |

Cho beating Fujisawa in Game 5 of the 1983 Kisei.

Cho won the 8th Kisei title, defending it against Rin Kaiho. For the fourth time in 5 years, Cho faced Otake Hideo in the Meijin final. He went down 3 games again, only to win 4 straight games and defend his Meijin for the 5th time. His results would have to be called a success, he failed once more to make the Honinbo League.

The Kisei title was defended by Cho in 1985. It went all the way, through all 7 games. There was a dramatic final where Takemiya Masaki had a huge moyo that was 120 points big. Cho was lucky, as his corners and side territory led him to a 1.5 point win. At the same time he had happiness, there was sadness as Kobayashi took the Meijin title which Cho had held for 5 years.

Car accident (1986)

A cataclysmic event for Chikun happened at the beginning of 1986. At around lunch time on January 6, 1986, Cho was leaving in his car when a motorcyclist came around from his blind spot

Blind spot (automobile)

A blind spot in a vehicle is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver while at the controls, under existing circumstances...

. He had avoided Cho's car, only to have slid and overturned on his motorcycle. Cho was helping the motorcyclist to stand up, and then he went to pick the bike up when a car hit him. His right thigh was broken and he suffered other injuries. He was sent into the emergency room and had an operation

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 the day after. The injuries would take three months to heal. Cho was determined not to let it affect him. Since his head and hand were fine, he went ahead and played the first game of the Kisei tournament. He played a good game, only to lose by 2.5 points. Cho recovered from the loss and took the next two games. Kobayashi then took 3 in a row and Cho was without a title for the first time in 8 years—something tremendous, considering he was only 29 years old. He went on to lose in a playoff for the Meijin, only to end the year with winning the Gosei title. This year ended better than last with a record of 35 wins and 17 losses.

Gains and losses of titles (1987–1990)

Cho lost his Gosei title in 1987 to friend Masao Kato

Masao Kato

- Titles and runners-up :Ranks #4 in total amount of titles in Japan.-Books:*Kato's Attack and Kill ISBN 4-87187-027-2*The Chinese Opening ISBN 4-906574-33-5-External links:...

. He also lost out on challenging for the Oza. Although losing out on two titles, he would win the Tengen from Kobayashi. The Tengen had a bigger prize than the Gosei and Oza, adding on the fact that Kobayashi is Cho's biggest rival is satisfaction for Cho. His record for the year was 40 wins and 23 loses.

1988 was showing small signs of an old Cho, adding inconsistency. He won the Judan from Kato and defended his Tengen. He started winning titles again before losing to Nie Weiping

Nie Weiping

Nie Weiping in Shen, Hebei, China) is a professional Go player.- Biography :Nie began learning Go at the age of nine and won the inaugural World Amateur Go Championship in 1979. Nie was given 9 dan rank in 1982. He became famous in the Go world after leading China to victory in the China-Japan...

 in the Ing Cup

Ing Cup

-Outline:The Ing Cup is sponsored by Ing, Yomiuri Shimbun, the Nihon-Kiin, and Kansai-Kiin, and held every 4 years. The competition has its own rules and an 8 point komi. The time allotment is 3.5 hours for each player, while players are available to buy an extra 35 minutes for an additional 2...

—28 wins and 18 losses this year.

Cho ended the year with two titles just like last. He went on to the Honinbo title, then lost the Tengen against the same person that he took the Honinbo from 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...

. Cho was happy to win the Honinbo once more, but Kobayashi still held to Kisei and Meijin titles, which Cho desired to take away from his rival. His record for this year was 29 wins and 18 losses.

In another unspectacular year, Cho lost the Judan to Takemiya but defended the Honinbo. Both matches would be decided in the last game. He held strong against rival Kobayashi but couldn't find an opening to beat Takemiya. Another average record of 26 wins and 20 losses.

1991–2001

Cho defended the Honinbo title once more, which would lead to him defending it again and again until 1999. He did terribly (in Cho terms) due to not making it through to the Meijin. In the same year, more international tournaments come to be. These include the Tong Yang Cup

Tong Yang Cup

The Tong Yang Cup was a Go competition. The Tong Yang Cup was sponsored by Tong Yang Investment Bank of South Korea. The tournament was run from 1990 to 1998, with players from South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Japan, China and European countries.-Past winners:...

 and the Fujitsu Cup

Fujitsu Cup

- Outline :The Fujitsu Cup is an international competition. Fujitsu and Yomiuri Shimbun host the oldest international Go competition. The players are picked as follows:* The top 3 players from the previous year's competition* 7 players from Japan...

. Cho wasn't very successful in these, winning only one in 1991, the Fujitsu Cup. He lucked out in the 1991 Fujitsu Cup because his opponent Qian Yuping

Qian Yuping

Qian Yuping is a Chinese professional Go player.- Biography :Qian was born in Shanghai, China. He started playing Go when he was 6 years old. In 1987, he reached 9 dan, the highest rank. At the time he was one of the youngest 9 dans. A year later, he won his first title, the National Go Individual...

 had health issues to pay attention to and couldn't compete in the final. He lost the Judan once more and lost the play-off of the Kisei. His record looked better when he ended with 30 wins and 17 losses. 1992 was nothing special. The only events to note are his defending of the Honinbo and losing the semi-final of the Ing Cup. Remnants of the old Cho were coming back with his 31–16 record.

The 47th Honinbo

Cho made another miraculous comeback, this time in 1992 against his biggest rival Kobayashi Koichi in the Honinbo. Kobayashi had challenged for the Honinbo in 1990 and 1991, but Cho was too stubborn to give it up. Cho had come back in both finals, being down 3 games to 1, but pulled back 3 wins to defend the Honinbo. In 1991, he was down 2 to 0 in 1990, then won 4 games in a row to defend once more. In 1992, it was even more unbelievable. Cho was losing 3 games to 0, but was so relentless, that he came back and won 4 straight games once more to take the Honinbo away from Kobayashi's grip. This certainly showed that Cho could come back from any deficit and win again.

1993 was the fifth year in a row Cho would hold the Honinbo. He would get far into the Tong Yang Cup, losing to Lee Chang-ho

Lee Chang-ho

Lee Chang-ho is a South Korean professional Go player of 9-dan rank. He is regarded by many as one of the strongest modern Go players. He was a student of Cho Hunhyun 9-dan. He is the only player to have won all eight international competitions at least once.-Biography:He turned professional in...

 in the final. He then became a challenger in the Kisei. A good record once more, 26 wins and 13 losses is how this year ended. He won the Kisei once more, along with defending the Honinbo again. He then won the Oza for the first time in 17 years. Cho was back to his old ways, ending the year with 33 wins and 19 losses. Cho made a big mistake in the Kisei final of 1995 and lost the title. He ran away with his defense of the Honinbo for the 7th year in a row. The Oza was taken away by O Rissei, who swept Cho with a 3–0 win. The end of the year was good for Cho, winning back the Kisei—another average record of 31 wins and 25 losses. 1996 is when he held the Triple Crown once more. It was a tiring year for Cho. He played 62 tournament games, 45 of which he won. It was a truly amazing record, 45 wins and 17 losses. He kept the Triple Crown for another year. The second time, he ended with a 26–13 record. He defended his Triple Crown again with a record of 28 wins and 21 losses for the year. He finally lost his Honinbo title unexpectedly in 1999. He tried to win the Oza, but failed against a powerful O Rissei—an acceptable record with 31 wins and 21 losses. He crumbled in 2000, losing all his titles.

style="border: solid thin; padding: 2px;" |

The deciding game of the 47th Honinbo.

The 25th Meijin

He lost his most prized title, the Meijin, to Norimoto Yoda in 2000. Cho made his infamous comment during this time. The final was held in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, where he was asked by a Dutch reporter why he loved Go so much. Cho replied "I hate Go". He continued saying that it was too tiring and tense for him. This led to his habit of ruffling his hair or constantly moving about. He became even more discouraged when he was no match for Yoda, losing 4 games to 0.

He finished the year with just one title, the NEC Cup. An average record of 29 wins and 29 losses. It was strange that Cho started a year without any big titles, that it even led to him being entitled the 25th 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....

. He came close to becoming the challenger in all of the three big titles this year. He defended the NEC Cup and won the 34th Hayago Championship along with the Oza. Another tiring year for Cho, ending with 47 wins and 20 losses.

34th Hayago championship

Cho competed in 34th edition of the Hayago Championship in 2002. His campaign started against Naoki Hane

Naoki Hane

is a professional Japanese 9 dan Go player currently affiliated with the Nihon Ki-in. He is both the son, and student, of Yasumasa Hane, who is also a professional 9 dan of the Nihon Ki-in.- Titles and runners-up :-Promotion record:-Awards:...

. Taking black, Cho passed Hane by 5.5 points, Yoda being his next opponent. Cho beat Yoda by resignation while holding white. In the semi-finals, his opponent was O Meien, who he beat by resignation also. The final match was against Cho's biggest rival Koichi Kobayashi. He won the match by 6.5 points, and it became his 62nd title.

35th Hayago championship

Cho competed in what would be the final edition of the Hayago Championship. Being the last year's winner, Cho was given an automatic berth into the second round. His first match was against his opponent for the final the year before, Koichi Kobayashi. Cho beat him by resignation, before moving on and beating Yasuhiro Nakano by resignation also. In both games he held white. In the final, he faced Yoshio Ishida. Taking black, Cho won by resignation after just 187 moves. This became Cho's 65th and record breaking title. The record of 64 career titles was previously held by Eio Sakata, and was finally broken after 27 years.

9th Agon Cup

In the middle of 2002, Cho started in the 9th Agon Cup. He had never won the tournament before, but had a good record in hayago

Hayago

is a Go term. It means "Quick go" or "Fast go". Most hayago games range 10 minutes plus 30 seconds for every move to 5 minutes plus 10 seconds....

 tournaments (16 hayago titles to date). At the time, Cho was holding the Oza title. His first match was against Shuzo Awaji

Shuzo Awaji

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Shuzo Awaji became a professional Go player when he was 19 years old. He was promoted to 9 dan after he challenged for the 1984 Honinbo title. Despite challenging for all of the big seven titles in Japan , he has never won any of them.- Titles & runners-up...

, who he beat by resignation, holding white. His second match would be against fellow Minoru Kitani student Yoshio Ishida. Taking black, Cho won by 4.5 points. The third match saw Cho taking black again, beating O Rissei by resignation. His final match was against Cho U

Cho U

Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles...

. This time taking white, Cho won by resignation. The 9th Agon Cup was his 66th title, and first time winning the title.

The 50th Oza Match

In this match, Cho was ahead and was determined not to let anything stop him from beating O Meien

O Meien

O Meien is a professional Go player.- Biography :Meien was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is known for his quick fuseki and fighting ability. He became a pro in 1977, two years after moving to Japan. He advanced to 9 dan in 1992.- Titles and runners-up :-External Links:**...

. It was move 145, and both players were in overtime. To Cho's surprise, the referee of the match, Kentaro Yamamato started counting down the seconds for Cho's move. Cho had not noticed that it was his move from all the intense concentration of making the right move. He was saddened, greatly. He kept asking himself "Why?". He would keep repeating to Yamamoto, "Was it my turn?". After the incident, Cho left the room, crying. The referees finally decided that Cho in fact had lost, while on the board he was ahead. 39–26 was the record for 2002.

8th Samsung Cup

2003 was the year of the Samsung Cup

Samsung Cup

The Samsung Cup is a Go competition.-Outline:The Samsung Cup is an international competition. The Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance of Korea and Hanguk Kiwon host the competition. The format starts with a preliminary tournament in which even amateur players are allowed to play...

. It was his first big title in three years. Cho was known for not doing well in international tournaments, so when he progressed to the quarter-finals of the 8th Samsung Cup, many were surprised. The only time before the Samsung Cup in which he won an international cup was back in 1991 when he won the Fujitsu Cup because his opponent, Qian Yuping, fell ill. The quarter-final was a historical game for Cho, as it was the first time he beat Cho Hunhyun

Cho Hunhyun

Cho Hunhyun is a Korean 9-dan professional Go player. Considered one of the greatest players of all-time, Cho reached professional level in Korea in 1962. Since then, Cho has amassed 150 professional titles, more than any player in the world. He once held all nine Korea titles simultaneously in 1980...

 since 1981. The final four were left now. Other than Cho, the other players who were Hu Yaoyu

Hu Yaoyu

Hu Yaoyu is a Chinese professional Go player.- Biography :Hu became a pro at the age most Chinese players do which is 11. He quickly achieved 5 dan in 5 years, and became 8 dan in 2005. He has beaten some of the best players in the world, and he did it in order...

, Xie He

Xie He (Go)

- Career record :*2006: 58 wins, 25 losses.*2007: 37 wins, 17 losses.*2008: 47 wins, 24 losses.*2009: 29 wins, 23 losses.*2010: 51 wins, 21 losses.- Titles and runners-up :-References:...

, and Park Young-Hoon. All were under the age of 21, while Cho was 47 at the time. In the semi-final, in which pairings were selected by lot, he played Hu Yaoyu. He was lucky, winning by only half a point. Park had beaten Xie He, so Cho and Park met in the final. Park won the first game by 4 and a half points, but Cho came back and took the next two games. The last game was clearly worse for Cho until Park slipped up on move 180 and Cho was able to cut off a lot of stones. This led to Park resigning. Cho won his first international title in 12 years, and only his second of all time.

style="border: solid thin; padding: 2px;" |

The deciding game of the 8th Samsung Cup.

JAL Super Hayago championship

In 2003, Cho competed in the JAL Super Hayago Championship. He wasn't very successful, losing in his first match to Naoki Hane by resignation.

In 2004, Cho competed in the JAL Super Hayago Championship again. It was the second edition of the tournament. This time Cho started off on a high note, beating Shigeaki Yokota

Shigeaki Yokota

is a professional Go player.-Biography:Shigeaki became a professional in 1983. He was promoted to 9 dan by the Kansai Ki-in in 1995. He is a pupil of Akagi Kazuo. He currently resides in Okayama, Japan.-Titles & runners-up:...

 by resignation, before beating Yokota's fellow Kansai Ki-in

Kansai Ki-in

The Kansai Ki-in , i.e., Kansai Go Association, is an organizational body for the game of Go in Japan, which was founded by Hashimoto Utaro in 1950...

 player and current title holder Satoshi Yuki

Satoshi Yuki

is a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Yuki won the NHK Cup in 2010 for the second time in a row, becoming the third player after Eio Sakata and Norimoto Yoda to do such. He was selected as a representative of the Japanese team at the 16th Asian Games. In 2010, Yuki reached the final of...

. Cho had also beaten Yuki by resignation. In his third match, taking black, he beat old friend Masao Kato by 2 and a half points. The final was against Tomoyasu Mimura

Tomoyasu Mimura

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Mimura became a professional in 1986. He was promoted to 9 dan in 2000. He is married to Makihata Taeko.- Promotion record :- Titles and runners-up :-External Links:**...

. This time taking white, Cho beat Mimura by resignation. This was Cho's 67th title, and first time winning the tournament.

43rd Judan

Cho found himself in the Judan once more, this time 14 years after his last bid as challenger in 1991 against Masaki Takemiya (Cho lost 3–2). Cho found himself in a league with old friends and rivals, including Masao Kato, Rin Kaiho, and Yoda Norimoto. The league also included young guns Cho U, Shinji Takao

Shinji Takao

is a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Shinji Takao is one of Japan's best Go players. He turned professional in 1991. He won the Honinbo tournament in 2005 by a half point in the last game...

, and Keigo Yamashita

Keigo Yamashita

is a professional Go player. Yamashita adopted the name Honinbo Dowa after winning his first Honinbo title in 2010.-Biography:A student of Yasuro Kikuchi, Yamashita turned professional in 1993. He won the 19th Kisei 2 dan division in 1994. Yamashita reached the challenger finals of the Tengen in 1999...

. Keeping this in mind, it was not going to be an easy campaign for Cho. His first match was against Yujiro Hashimoto. Cho, holding black, won the match by resignation. In his next match, he found himself against another young powerhouse, Kimio Yamada

Kimio Yamada

is a professional Go player. A territorial player who is adept at invading and living within opponent's spheres of influence, Yamada won his first major title, the Oza, in 1997. He has two older brothers, Shiho Yamada and Wakio Yamada.- Biography :...

. This time, holding white, Cho squeezed by with a win of just half a point. Cho continued his run, his next opponent being Naoto Hikosaka

Naoto Hikosaka

is a professional Go player.- Titles & runners-up :-External Links:**...

. Again holding white, Cho went on to win by 2 and a half points. His last match of the main tournament was against Tomoyasu Mimura, of which he held white once more, and cruised past by resignation. His opponent for the challenger final was Shinji Takao, who had beaten at then some of the top players in Japan, Masao Kato and Norimoto Yoda, on his way into the loser's section of the tournament. Cho took white in the game, and won by 1 and a half points. This made Cho the challenger for the 43rd Judan against title holder 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...

. O had held the title for 4 straight years before being challenged by Cho. The final would prove to be an exciting one, as the first match ended with a half point win for Cho. The next match was a win for O, by 5 and a half points. The third match was a very large win for O, winning by 19 and a half points, which is unusual to see in pro games. This didn't stop Cho, as he would get revenge by forcing O into resignation in the fourth game. The fifth and last game would go Cho's way, with a 5 and a half point win over O. This was Cho's 68th title, and fourth time winning the Judan.

44th Judan

Cho won the first game of the 44th Judan against the then newly crowned Kisei, Keigo Yamashita. The game was won by resignation. The second game went well for Cho, as he would apply his shinogi skills into Yamashita's moyo. There was a large fight in the bottom left corner early in the game. Cho won the game by resignation. In the third game, Yamashita started to fight back and knocked down Cho by 8 and a half points. Yamashita still faced kadoban (1 game from elimination). In the fourth game of the Judan, Cho kept control of Yamashita. He won by 2 and a half points. Cho defended the Judan title for the first time since 1989. It is also his 69th career title.

Cho finished the year with 25 wins and 17 losses, tied for 24th highest in Japan.

2007

Cho starts off the year by winning his first three games. The first coming against Toshiya Imamura in a Tengen preliminary match, the second against Hiroshi Yamashiro

Hiroshi Yamashiro

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Yamashiro grew up with Go, as he became a professional in 1972. He would eventually join the Nagoya branch of the Nihon Ki-in. He has challenged for many of Japan's biggest titles, but he hasn't won any of them. He became a 9 dan in 1985, after winning the...

 in a Gosei preliminary, and the third against Kunio Ishii

Kunio Ishii

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Ishii became an insei in 1954, then a professional in 1956 under the guidance of his teacher Hokosawa Senjin. By 1978, he was at the highest rank of order, 9 dan. Although he competed in countless tournaments during his time, he was never able to win any...

 in a Kisei preliminary. The games were played on January 11, 18 and 25 respectively, and all won by resignation. Cho lost in a Fujitsu Cup

Fujitsu Cup

- Outline :The Fujitsu Cup is an international competition. Fujitsu and Yomiuri Shimbun host the oldest international Go competition. The players are picked as follows:* The top 3 players from the previous year's competition* 7 players from Japan...

 preliminary to Satoshi Yuki

Satoshi Yuki

is a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Yuki won the NHK Cup in 2010 for the second time in a row, becoming the third player after Eio Sakata and Norimoto Yoda to do such. He was selected as a representative of the Japanese team at the 16th Asian Games. In 2010, Yuki reached the final of...

 on February 8. He reached the final of the 54th NHK Cup by beating Norimoto Yoda

Norimoto Yoda

is a professional Go player.-Biography:Yoda is a student of Takeo Ando. He has won 34 titles so far in his career, the sixth highest in Japan. He became a professional in 1980, and reached 9 dan in 1993...

 in the semi final (http://www.gogameworld.com/gophp/pg_allgames.php?currpg=3&postn=40&termvalue=NHK%20Cup&selectvalue=title&matchvalue=exact). He played Satoshi Yuki on March 18, winning the match and title by 3.5 points. It is the third time Cho won the NHK Cup, and 70th of his career. He is the first modern Nihon Ki-in

Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...

 player to reach 70 career titles.

As of September 1, Cho's record for the year is 24–12.

45th Judan

Cho won the first game of his second consecutive Judan

45th Judan

The 45th Judan was held from May 11, 2006 to April 25, 2007. The current sponsor is Sankei Newspapers. The holder is Cho Chikun, and the challenger is Keigo Yamashita for the second time in-a-row. Hideki Komatsu, Norimoto Yoda, Kimio Yamada, Hideo Otake, Koichi Kobayashi, Kim Shushun, Naoki Hane,...

 defense against Keigo Yamashita

Keigo Yamashita

is a professional Go player. Yamashita adopted the name Honinbo Dowa after winning his first Honinbo title in 2010.-Biography:A student of Yasuro Kikuchi, Yamashita turned professional in 1993. He won the 19th Kisei 2 dan division in 1994. Yamashita reached the challenger finals of the Tengen in 1999...

 by resignation. Cho won the second game by 2.5 points, while Yamashita won the third game by resignation. Cho lost again to Yamashita in the fourth game, before finally clinching the final game by 3.5 points while holding black, and thus keeping the title.

Cho's dojo

Cho has his own dojo

Dojo

A is a Japanese term which literally means "place of the way". Initially, dōjōs were adjunct to temples. The term can refer to a formal training place for any of the Japanese do arts but typically it is considered the formal gathering place for students of any Japanese martial arts style to...

 where he teaches Go. It also serves as a Go club for many aspiring amateurs. Many students lived in with Cho, and they were given priorities.

Cho’s dojo is known for having a strict schedule.

Time	Activity
9:00 – 12:00	Morning Study
12:00 – 15:00	Lunch
15:00 – 18:00	Study
18:30 – 19:00	Dinner
19:00 – 21:00	Study

The dojo has a league also. Each of the students competes. The stronger a player is, the fewer games they have to play. Two different time limit rules are used in the league games. There is a longer time limit where each player has a minute to move, and hayago

Hayago

is a Go term. It means "Quick go" or "Fast go". Most hayago games range 10 minutes plus 30 seconds for every move to 5 minutes plus 10 seconds....

 where the players are given just 10 seconds to make a move. There is no time limit, so any given player can play 1 or 10 games in one day. The league also has a rating system. The ratings are based on the players' winning percentages. There is a handicap, but one that was very different than the orthodox system of allowing the opponent to place the number of stones to the difference in rank. The stronger player gets 10 seconds less in their time for every number difference in rank. There is also a reverse komi

Komidashi

in the game of Go are points added to the score of the player with the white stones as compensation for playing second. Black's first move advantage is generally considered to equal somewhere between 5 and 7 points by the end of the game. Standard komi is 6.5 points under the Japanese and Korean...

 rule. 0 komi, —3 komi, —5 komi, and —8 komi.

Cho has also had some good students. His best students include Kim Shushun

Kim Shushun

Kim Shushun , also known as Kin Hidetoshi, Kim Shujun, or Kim Sujun, is a professional Go player.- Biography :...

, who is a 7p in Japan and winner of the 30th Shinjin-O

Shinjin-O

The Shinjin-O is a professional Go competition.An annual Japanese tournament, it has been held continuously since 1976.- Format :...

 title. Takehisa Matsumoto

Takehisa Matsumoto

is a professional go player.-Biography:Takehisa is a student of top title holder Cho Chikun. In 1997 he became a professional at the Nihon Ki-in institute in Japan. He quickly moved up the ranks, being promoted to 3 dan just the next year. In 2003 he reached a total amount of 200 wins as a...

, who won in the final of the Shinjin-O against Ko Iso

Ko Iso

Ko Iso is a professional Go player.-Biography:Ko became a professional in 2002. He was promoted to 7 dan after making it through the preliminary rounds of the Meijin tournament.-Promotion record:-Runners-up:...

 in 2006 is a pupil of Cho. This was the second time, and second consecutive time, that a student of Cho's got into the final of a major young player tournament and won. Atsushi Tsuruyama

Atsushi Tsuruyama

is a professional Go player.-Biography:Atsushi turned professional in 1999 and was promoted to 2 dan in the same year. In 2004, Atsushi was awarded a prize for having the highest winning percentage among Japanese professionals. His record was 27 wins and 9 losses, totaling to a 75% win ratio. In...

 is a 6 dan in Japan and another one of Cho's students. Tetsuya Mitani was also a student of Cho, but later transferred to Takeo Ando

Takeo Ando

, also known as Takeo Suzuki, is a professional Go player.-Biography:Takeo served as the chief director of the Japanese go organization, the Nihon Ki-in, for many years up until his retirement in 2000. He is known for being the teacher of many strong players including Norimoto Yoda. Cho Sonjin,...

. Even one of the best amateur players in the world, Dragoş Băjenaru was a student. Băjenaru placed 3rd in the latest edition of the European Ing Cup, the European version of the Ing Cup

Ing Cup

-Outline:The Ing Cup is sponsored by Ing, Yomiuri Shimbun, the Nihon-Kiin, and Kansai-Kiin, and held every 4 years. The competition has its own rules and an 8 point komi. The time allotment is 3.5 hours for each player, while players are available to buy an extra 35 minutes for an additional 2...

.

Promotion record

Titles & runners-up

Ranks No. 1 in total amount of titles in Japan.

Titles	Years Held
Current	53
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...	1983–1985, 1994, 1996–1999
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 :...	1980–1984, 1996–1999
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....	1981, 1982, 1989–1998
Judan Judan (Go) The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...	1982, 1988, 1989, 2005–2007
Tengen Tengen (Go) Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....	1987, 1988
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...	1994, 2001
Gosei	1979, 1986
NEC Cup NEC Cup The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.-Biography:The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16...	1983, 1984, 1999, 2000, 2001
Agon Cup Agon Cup The Agon Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The Agon Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Kiin. It was started in 1994 by Agon Shu. The name was originally the "Acom Cup" but it changed its sponsor in 1999 and became the Agon Cup...	2002
NHK Cup	1983, 1992, 1996, 2007
Ryusei Ryusei -Biography:The Ryusei is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. It was started in 1991 and is a fast go tournament. The tournament consists of four sections. The winner from each section, along with the player who won the most games in each section play in a single knockout tournament....	1991, 1993
Defunct	17
Kakusei Kakusei (Go) The Kakusei was a Go competition in Japan.-Past winners:...	1982, 1985
Shin-Ei Shin-Ei -Outline:The Shin-Ei was a Go competition held where players under the age of 30 and 7 dan would compete in.-Past winners:...	1973, 1974, 1977
Hayago Championship Hayago Championship The Hayago Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The Hayago Championship was a hayago tournament, where each player had to make moves within 10 seconds. The tournament was sponsored by TV Tokyo.-Past winners:...	1985, 1990–1992, 1996, 2001, 2002
JAL Super Hayago Championship JAL Super Hayago Championship The JAL Super Hayago Championship is a Nihon-Kiin Go competition. This tournament was created after the Hayago Championship and Kakusei titles were merged. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2004
Asahi Pro Best Ten Asahi Pro Best Ten The Asahi Pro Best Ten was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament consisted of 20 players. The format was a knockout. The 20 players were reduced to 10, with the place for number 1 coming down to a best-of-three match.-Past winners:... *	1975
Asahi Top Eight Players Asahi Top Eight Players The Asahi Top Eight Players was a Go competition.-Outline:The final was a best-of-three match. This tournament was short-lived, being played only one year.... *	1976
Shusai Cup*	1982
Rivals Cup (Kobayashi Koichi)*	1977
Continental	3
China-Japan Tengen China-Japan Tengen The China-Japan Tengen is a professional gocompetition.-Outline:The China–Japan Tengen is a tournament where the current Tengen/Tianyuan title holders from China and Japan play each other in 3 matches.-Past winners:...	1988, 1989
China-Japan Agon Cup China-Japan Agon Cup The China-Japan Agon Cup is a Go competition.-Outline:The China-Japan Agon Cup is a tournament where the current Agon Cup/Ahan Tongshan Cup title holders from China and Japan play each other.-Past winners:...	2003
International	2
Samsung Cup Samsung Cup The Samsung Cup is a Go competition.-Outline:The Samsung Cup is an international competition. The Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance of Korea and Hanguk Kiwon host the competition. The format starts with a preliminary tournament in which even amateur players are allowed to play...	2003
Fujitsu Cup Fujitsu Cup - Outline :The Fujitsu Cup is an international competition. Fujitsu and Yomiuri Shimbun host the oldest international Go competition. The players are picked as follows:* The top 3 players from the previous year's competition* 7 players from Japan...	1991
Total	75

Title	Years Lost
Current	37
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...	1986, 1995, 2000, 2008
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 :...	1985, 2000, 2002
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....	1983, 1999
Judan Judan (Go) The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...	1983, 1990, 1991, 2008
Tengen Tengen (Go) Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....	1989
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, 1987, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002
Gosei	1980, 1982, 1987
NEC Cup NEC Cup The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.-Biography:The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16...	1987, 1993, 1994, 1997
Agon Cup Agon Cup The Agon Cup is a Go competition.-Biography:The Agon Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon Kiin. It was started in 1994 by Agon Shu. The name was originally the "Acom Cup" but it changed its sponsor in 1999 and became the Agon Cup...	1994, 1998, 2000
NHK Cup	1980, 2001, 2004, 2008
Shinjin-O Shinjin-O The Shinjin-O is a professional Go competition.An annual Japanese tournament, it has been held continuously since 1976.- Format :...	1977
Ryusei Ryusei -Biography:The Ryusei is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. It was started in 1991 and is a fast go tournament. The tournament consists of four sections. The winner from each section, along with the player who won the most games in each section play in a single knockout tournament....	1992, 1998
Defunct	5
Kakusei Kakusei (Go) The Kakusei was a Go competition in Japan.-Past winners:...	1994, 1995
Hayago Championship Hayago Championship The Hayago Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The Hayago Championship was a hayago tournament, where each player had to make moves within 10 seconds. The tournament was sponsored by TV Tokyo.-Past winners:...	1986
Shin-Ei Shin-Ei -Outline:The Shin-Ei was a Go competition held where players under the age of 30 and 7 dan would compete in.-Past winners:...	1972
Nihon Ki-in Championship Nihon Ki-In Championship The Nihon Ki-In Championship was a Go competition.-Outline:The tournament ran from 1954 to 1975. It was later merged with the Kansai Ki-In Championship to form the Tengen.-Past winners:... *	1975
Prime Minister Cup Prime Minister Cup The Prime Minister Cup was a Go competition.-Outline:The Prime Minister Cup ran from 1961 to 1981. It was used by the Nihon Ki-in The first 18 titles were decided in a knockout tournament. The last two years, the format was changed to a best-of-three match between finalists from a large... *	1972
International	1
Tong Yang Cup Tong Yang Cup The Tong Yang Cup was a Go competition. The Tong Yang Cup was sponsored by Tong Yang Investment Bank of South Korea. The tournament was run from 1990 to 1998, with players from South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, Japan, China and European countries.-Past winners:...	1993
Total	43

* ^{Note: The Asahi Pro Best Ten, Asahi Best Eight Players, Shusai Cup, Rivals Cup, Nihon Ki-in Championship, and the Prime Minister Cup are not tallied in the title total.}

Awards

• Reached career win 1000 in 1999, win 1200 in 2005, and win 1300 in 2008.
• Nine time winner of KIDO magazine's "Most Outstanding Player".
• Nine time winner of the Hidetoshi Prize.
• Four time winner of the Shusai award.
• Journalist Club Prize winner in 1986.
• Honorable citizen of Chiba City award winner in 1996.

External links

• Nihon Ki-in profile
• Sensei's Library profile
• GoBase profile
• Recent games