Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Never-ending Road: Chapter 3 – The Young Lioness Appears
Chapter 3 – The Young Lioness Appears
Fast-paced Go, now this brought back memories. As Hikaru placed stone after stone, Fuku responded with equally quick play. It was just like back in their insei days, always quick to move, and equally just as quick to finish.
Klak. Klak. Klak. Klak.
The stones hit the board again and again, and Hikaru could see that Fuku's skills had improved in the last two years. In fact, there might even be a few pros present, like Mashiba, whom Fuku could beat.
Klak. Klak. Klak.
Klak.
Sadly for Fuku though, he was playing Hikaru. With a grin Hikaru began to lead Fuku into a complicated game, something that he remembered Fuku had struggled with in the past. At first Fuku's moves kept their usual pace, but soon enough there were long pauses between moves as Fuku struggled to keep up.
Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Klak.
Now Fuku sat there looking at the board, sweat dripping down his cheeks and frowned. This was the longest pause he'd had all game. At first he'd been thrown off by how quickly Hikaru had played that last move after his own, as if he'd been waiting for him to do that.
Ton.
Hikaru had begun to tap his fan on the Go board again, and it caused a shiver to run up Fuku's spine. It was like Hikaru had just told Fuku that he was getting impatient. Should he resign now? Was there any chance left?
Ton.
Sighing, Fuku looked at the board again, and surmised his position. Black was cut off, and if he didn't act soon, would be separated in the center. There was still room to work in the corner, but it was close to the end game now, and that was an area he still struggled in.
Shhft.
Fuku glanced up, and saw that instead of tapping his fan, Hikaru had now opened it, holding it up to his face as he gazed down at the board, then looked up to give a sharp glare at Fuku, who quite literally jumped. It wasn't just Hikaru's skills that had improved, but his presence too… it was like Fuku's mind had gone blank. Hikaru was telling him that it was time to resign, that defeat was inevitable. The force of that glare, the tapping of the bowl, but more importantly the disparity appearing on the board.
Bowing his head, Fuku closed his eyes. "I resign."
Closing the fan to reveal a warm smile that totally belied the intensity and presence of moments before. Hikaru was back to how Fuku remembered him, as someone who loved Go and found the very idea of playing fun.
"That was a good game Fuku. Your reading of the game has gotten a lot better. When you played here for instance, it made my shape difficult to maintain."
"Yeah, but then you went here, and it got complicated. Do you think I should have gone here instead?"
Hikaru shook his head, "No, that was a good move, but after you went there, you should have gone here to force me to protect these stones. I think the only real problem you had was that while you play your best at that fast pace, you have to be able to slow it down when you need to as well. Rushing into here wasn't smart, it would have been better to make a hane here and then pull back. Even a light exchange would have been manageable. Your ability to read hasn't quite caught up to the speed at which you play, so you make moves like this one because it seems good at the time, but if you keep looking ahead it becomes a liability."
Fuku nodded. Then smiling in his usual way thanked Hikaru and began to put away the stones. "I was playing this new insei the other day. He likes to play fast too, or at least he does against me."
"Yeah, I played a lot faster than I normally did against you too. I think it's an advantage if you can throw off your opponent's rhythm, but speed Go is a specialty of mine so it was just a bad match up for you. So, how did you do against that new insei."
Fuku sighed. "I lost by two and a half points. He took them from me in the end game."
Hikaru nodded then began to look around. "Is he playing here today?"
Fuku shook his head. "No, he just got into A League so he hasn't gotten up the ranks just yet. He will though."
Hikaru cocked an eyebrow. "Really, is he that strong?"
Fuku nodded. Then glancing off towards another table, Fuku said, "I'm going to go watch Waya's game now." Hikaru nodded and watched Fuku walk off. A new insei that's really strong huh? Sounds fun, I'd like to play him sometime.
Standing up, Hikaru glanced over at the table across the way where Akira was playing. Many viewers surrounded it; Akira was always popular. One day though they'd watch his games with the same desire. Waya's table was also getting crowded, though mostly by the insei, only a few that he recognized. It'd never occurred to him that the ranks of the insei would change, that new players with the same desire as him would continue to arise. Even as he'd chased after Akira and the pros, so now were new players chasing after him.
Turning around, Hikaru looked over at the game going on behind him between Nase and Tajima 2 –Dan. It didn't take Hikaru long to surmise the situation on the board. As it stood Nase was currently ahead by a few points, although the game was still too close to call. It might even go all the way to the end from the look of things. Still, Nase was playing very well, much better than he remembered her playing before. And he didn't mean just by the type of improvement he'd just seen in Fuku either.
Tajima wasn't giving up though. His most recent move had been good, and now threatened black's shape. If black lost those stones it would spell Nase's doom, but if she could hold onto them, especially given the effort that Tajima was making to take them, she should win. Still, that stone was a problem, as it couldn't just be taken, but something had to be done.
Wait. Hikaru's eyes caught onto one spot on the board, and immediately read ahead. What if she…
Reaching for her bowl, Nase stretched out her arm and gently set the stone down right where Hikaru had just been eyeing. The expression now on Tajima's face said it all, and Hikaru grinned. So, she was able to see it too. Or was it just luck?
After a short pause, Tajima moved, then Nase followed suit.
Klak. Klak
Klak. Klak.
It was no use though and Hikaru knew it. Tajima had played a strong game, but his counter to Nase's move had been too timid. It had been quite obvious that Tajima had not seen that move, which meant that for at least that moment, Nase had been above him.
At last Tajima lowered his head and resigned. As the pair thanked one another, Hikaru commented, "That was a really nice game Nase. I'm very impressed."
Nase turned to look up at Hikaru and blushed. "T-thank you Shindo. I'm really surprised that I did so well. How much did you see?"
"Just the very end. This move here, I was especially impressed with it."
Tajima nodded. "Yeah, that was a very good move. I didn't even notice it until after she played it. It really threw me off."
Nase's face beamed. "Yeah, I was just looking at the board, I looked at that spot, and suddenly it occurred to me. Shindo, did you…"
A sudden commotion across the way halted Nase's question. As the trio turned to look, they saw it was coming from around Waya's table. Suddenly a thought hit Hikaru, and he muttered, "No way." He then walked over towards the table, followed closely by Tajima.
Nase remained in her seat for a moment, reserved, then finished, "Did you see the move?" Sighing, Nase got up and walked over to see what the commotion was about.
When she arrived, standing next to Hikaru who was now taller than her, Nase tried to see what was going on from around the people in front. Frustrated, she turned to Hikaru and whispered, "What happened?"
Hikaru leaned close to her and whispered back, "It looks like Komiya just defeated Waya."
"Damn it, I can't believe I lost!" Scowling in frustration, Waya took a bite out of his cheeseburger. All from one mistake. He'd nearly come back in the end, just a half a point shy. It was really vexing, losing to an insei in the first round of the tournament. This must be how all the pros that lost to insei felt.
Looking over now at the others sitting in the booth with him, Waya felt like he was in a flashback. Isumi, Honda, Hikaru and Nase were all there, just like they were during their insei days. Fuku was absent, but that was due to a bathroom break that he would shortly return from. "So, the rest of you won huh?"
They all nodded, and Hikaru added, "Fuku lost though."
Waya's frown only deepened. "Of course, he was playing you Shindo!"
Nase interjected, "But Waya, Fuku really has gotten a lot better since you were an insei."
Hikaru agreed, then added, "And so have you Nase. The way you played, you were certainly above Tajima today." Nase's face flushed and she grinned broadly.
"So Tajima lost huh? Which other pros lost?"
Honda answered, "I think Murakami 2 – Dan lost to Adachi. I don't know if anyone else lost to the insei, I haven't checked the first round results yet."
Taking a sip from his soft drink, Waya asked, "Now that I think about it, does anyone know how Ochi-"
"So Waya," a smug, superior voice interrupted, "I heard you lost to Komiya. And you call yourself a pro Go player?"
Fuming, Waya shouted back at the kid, "Shut up Ochi! I can still beat you!"
Ochi chuckled, then pushed his glasses back up and replied, "Heh, you only beat me once as a pro, and you couldn't beat me in the preliminaries for the Hokuto Cup. I guess this just shows the difference in our current skill."
"You Punk!"
"Waya, calm down." Isumi interjected. "He's just trying to provoke you. It's not worth it."
Waya glared at Isumi, then back at Ochi before leaning back in his seat and exhaling. Easy for you to say Isumi. You won your game. Ochi meanwhile just chuckled again, then his eyes fell on Hikaru, and his expression went taut with seriousness. Without saying another word, Ochi then walked off.
Watching him leave, Nase then said, "I guess that means Ochi won. I wonder who he plays after lunch?"
Hikaru took a sip from his drink then said, "Me."
Waya's face lit up with excitement. "All right Shindo, kick his ass, send Ochi to the bathroom!"
Smiling awkwardly, Hikaru replied, "I'll do my best." He then turned to Nase and said, "So, who do you play in the second match?"
Nase's expression went serious, and her eyes lowered slightly. "Honda."
Honda glanced up, surprise evident on his face. It seemed apparent that he had not checked beforehand to see whom his second round opponent would be.
Ten minutes later the group had made its way back to the game room, and they splintered off towards their respective game tables. Ochi was already waiting for Hikaru, and as Hikaru sat down Ochi sent a hard glare at his opponent. This was not an opponent that Ochi could take lightly. More importantly, if he ever wanted to prove how good of a player he was, he couldn't lose to Hikaru.
As the games started, Waya stood by Hikaru's table to watch. While he wanted to see Ochi get his ass whooped badly, watching Hikaru play was a sight all its own. Especially since returning from the Hokuto Cup. Waya hadn't been the only one to notice the rise in Hikaru's play either. Both Shirakawa and Saeki had made similar comments.
The game was progressing slowly. Ochi was using his time cautiously, something that Waya could sympathize with when it came to playing Hikaru. Of course Waya hadn't played Hikaru yet as pros in an official game; the match they would have played being a forfeit during Hikaru's stint of no shows. Another move by Ochi, and now Waya was fairly certain that Ochi had changed his strategy at least twice already. Hikaru was simply countering every move Ochi made, as if waiting for something while he continued to amass territory. Several of Hikaru's moves had made no sense to Waya at first, only to come to light five or six moves later when the purpose became clear with an attack here or there. Ochi was barely hanging on at this point, and the sweat dripping down his face told Waya that he knew it too.
The more Waya thought about it, the more Hikaru's moves began to remind him of the games he'd seen Sai play on the internet years before. He was certain that Hikaru wasn't Sai, but the idea that Hikaru might know Sai, might even be his student, was appealing. Then again, it might just be appealing because it would make the impossibility of someone like Hikaru, having only started playing Go three years ago, becoming a pro only two years later and reaching such a level with no mentor, existing seem more plausible. If it wasn't the case, then Ochi's favorite question became all the more intriguing, 'Who is Shindo?'
By now Waya was not the only person watching, Akira had joined in to watch as well. Having won again easily, Akira now seemed focused on observing his rival's game. It was one of the few times he could do so, given the lack of game records kept for the lower rounds of the tournaments. Watching would be a good way to measure Hikaru, even if his opponent was Ochi.
Glancing back to the board, Waya grinned, as it was now clear with that last exchange that Hikaru would win. Capturing that corner had gained him eight points, and with nothing but the end game remaining, it was unlikely that Ochi could catch up. Hearing something, Waya glanced over to Hikaru and saw him tapping his fan against his hand again and again.
A low growl traveled over the board as Ochi's fists tightened in anger and frustration. Finally, sweat dripping off his chin, he said, "I resign."
As Hikaru thanked Ochi for the game Waya caught Akira mutter under his breath, "As expected" before turning to leave. Waya however, did not appear to be the only one to hear Akira, as with a sharp yet defeated glare, Ochi stood up and took off, struggling to hold back the rush of emotions and tears.
Sighing, Hikaru looked up at Waya and said, "Well that was a good game. Ochi's getting better too, everyone seems to be getting better. Maybe I need to start looking out for everyone more." As Hikaru began to clear off the board, Waya just stood there watching his friend. Was he serious? Did Hikaru not realize just how strong he was? Surely he knew, yet there he was saying he'd have to watch out for Ochi and everyone else here. It was hard to believe that this was the kid whom he'd taken under his wing when he first arrived as an insei two years ago. Hikaru was like a little brother to him, but now here he was, having surpassed him and still saying he needed to look out. He was either very naïve or else very wise.
As Hikaru finished cleaning up, they both glanced over towards Honda's table in time to see Honda shakily lower his head. The pair just watched in shock for a moment, then Hikaru said, "Did Honda lose?"
The pair looked at one another for a moment then took off at a quick pace for Honda's table. They got there just as Nase was finished commenting on one of Honda's moves. Scanning the board for a moment before Honda ruined it by gathering the stones together, Hikaru had seen what appeared to be a very exquisite game. He'd have to get Honda to recreate the game afterwards.
When they finished putting the stones away, Nase got up and pulled out her cell phone so that she could call her folks up to give them the results. This was a ritual that both Waya and Hikaru recognized from before. As Nase walked off, Hikaru looked back to Honda and the board and asked, "I didn't see it for long but it looked like a good game. Did you open at tengen?"
Honda shook his head. "No, I opened up on the upper right star point. I started out strong and I thought I had a good position going into the middle game, but then she just started pushing and pushing. It reminded me of how you played me during the pro exam Shindo. I fought back, but then she did this move I didn't even think of and my center started to collapse."
Hikaru nodded, and glanced at Waya who was wearing a rather amazed yet worried expression. Hikaru however, was more intrigued than he was worried. "I saw her do something similar in her game against Tajima earlier. She saw a path to survival that a lot of the lower Dans might have missed. It was impressive. Still, I didn't get to see much of it."
Honda, sweat dripping from his face still, looked up at the two and said, "I'll say this, I played her on the third to last day of the Pro Exam, and beat her then by 4 and a half points. Now though…" He looked back down at the bare Go board, "She's stronger. She's gotten a lot stronger since then."
Fast-paced Go, now this brought back memories. As Hikaru placed stone after stone, Fuku responded with equally quick play. It was just like back in their insei days, always quick to move, and equally just as quick to finish.
Klak. Klak. Klak. Klak.
The stones hit the board again and again, and Hikaru could see that Fuku's skills had improved in the last two years. In fact, there might even be a few pros present, like Mashiba, whom Fuku could beat.
Klak. Klak. Klak.
Klak.
Sadly for Fuku though, he was playing Hikaru. With a grin Hikaru began to lead Fuku into a complicated game, something that he remembered Fuku had struggled with in the past. At first Fuku's moves kept their usual pace, but soon enough there were long pauses between moves as Fuku struggled to keep up.
Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Klak.
Now Fuku sat there looking at the board, sweat dripping down his cheeks and frowned. This was the longest pause he'd had all game. At first he'd been thrown off by how quickly Hikaru had played that last move after his own, as if he'd been waiting for him to do that.
Ton.
Hikaru had begun to tap his fan on the Go board again, and it caused a shiver to run up Fuku's spine. It was like Hikaru had just told Fuku that he was getting impatient. Should he resign now? Was there any chance left?
Ton.
Sighing, Fuku looked at the board again, and surmised his position. Black was cut off, and if he didn't act soon, would be separated in the center. There was still room to work in the corner, but it was close to the end game now, and that was an area he still struggled in.
Shhft.
Fuku glanced up, and saw that instead of tapping his fan, Hikaru had now opened it, holding it up to his face as he gazed down at the board, then looked up to give a sharp glare at Fuku, who quite literally jumped. It wasn't just Hikaru's skills that had improved, but his presence too… it was like Fuku's mind had gone blank. Hikaru was telling him that it was time to resign, that defeat was inevitable. The force of that glare, the tapping of the bowl, but more importantly the disparity appearing on the board.
Bowing his head, Fuku closed his eyes. "I resign."
Closing the fan to reveal a warm smile that totally belied the intensity and presence of moments before. Hikaru was back to how Fuku remembered him, as someone who loved Go and found the very idea of playing fun.
"That was a good game Fuku. Your reading of the game has gotten a lot better. When you played here for instance, it made my shape difficult to maintain."
"Yeah, but then you went here, and it got complicated. Do you think I should have gone here instead?"
Hikaru shook his head, "No, that was a good move, but after you went there, you should have gone here to force me to protect these stones. I think the only real problem you had was that while you play your best at that fast pace, you have to be able to slow it down when you need to as well. Rushing into here wasn't smart, it would have been better to make a hane here and then pull back. Even a light exchange would have been manageable. Your ability to read hasn't quite caught up to the speed at which you play, so you make moves like this one because it seems good at the time, but if you keep looking ahead it becomes a liability."
Fuku nodded. Then smiling in his usual way thanked Hikaru and began to put away the stones. "I was playing this new insei the other day. He likes to play fast too, or at least he does against me."
"Yeah, I played a lot faster than I normally did against you too. I think it's an advantage if you can throw off your opponent's rhythm, but speed Go is a specialty of mine so it was just a bad match up for you. So, how did you do against that new insei."
Fuku sighed. "I lost by two and a half points. He took them from me in the end game."
Hikaru nodded then began to look around. "Is he playing here today?"
Fuku shook his head. "No, he just got into A League so he hasn't gotten up the ranks just yet. He will though."
Hikaru cocked an eyebrow. "Really, is he that strong?"
Fuku nodded. Then glancing off towards another table, Fuku said, "I'm going to go watch Waya's game now." Hikaru nodded and watched Fuku walk off. A new insei that's really strong huh? Sounds fun, I'd like to play him sometime.
Standing up, Hikaru glanced over at the table across the way where Akira was playing. Many viewers surrounded it; Akira was always popular. One day though they'd watch his games with the same desire. Waya's table was also getting crowded, though mostly by the insei, only a few that he recognized. It'd never occurred to him that the ranks of the insei would change, that new players with the same desire as him would continue to arise. Even as he'd chased after Akira and the pros, so now were new players chasing after him.
Turning around, Hikaru looked over at the game going on behind him between Nase and Tajima 2 –Dan. It didn't take Hikaru long to surmise the situation on the board. As it stood Nase was currently ahead by a few points, although the game was still too close to call. It might even go all the way to the end from the look of things. Still, Nase was playing very well, much better than he remembered her playing before. And he didn't mean just by the type of improvement he'd just seen in Fuku either.
Tajima wasn't giving up though. His most recent move had been good, and now threatened black's shape. If black lost those stones it would spell Nase's doom, but if she could hold onto them, especially given the effort that Tajima was making to take them, she should win. Still, that stone was a problem, as it couldn't just be taken, but something had to be done.
Wait. Hikaru's eyes caught onto one spot on the board, and immediately read ahead. What if she…
Reaching for her bowl, Nase stretched out her arm and gently set the stone down right where Hikaru had just been eyeing. The expression now on Tajima's face said it all, and Hikaru grinned. So, she was able to see it too. Or was it just luck?
After a short pause, Tajima moved, then Nase followed suit.
Klak. Klak
Klak. Klak.
It was no use though and Hikaru knew it. Tajima had played a strong game, but his counter to Nase's move had been too timid. It had been quite obvious that Tajima had not seen that move, which meant that for at least that moment, Nase had been above him.
At last Tajima lowered his head and resigned. As the pair thanked one another, Hikaru commented, "That was a really nice game Nase. I'm very impressed."
Nase turned to look up at Hikaru and blushed. "T-thank you Shindo. I'm really surprised that I did so well. How much did you see?"
"Just the very end. This move here, I was especially impressed with it."
Tajima nodded. "Yeah, that was a very good move. I didn't even notice it until after she played it. It really threw me off."
Nase's face beamed. "Yeah, I was just looking at the board, I looked at that spot, and suddenly it occurred to me. Shindo, did you…"
A sudden commotion across the way halted Nase's question. As the trio turned to look, they saw it was coming from around Waya's table. Suddenly a thought hit Hikaru, and he muttered, "No way." He then walked over towards the table, followed closely by Tajima.
Nase remained in her seat for a moment, reserved, then finished, "Did you see the move?" Sighing, Nase got up and walked over to see what the commotion was about.
When she arrived, standing next to Hikaru who was now taller than her, Nase tried to see what was going on from around the people in front. Frustrated, she turned to Hikaru and whispered, "What happened?"
Hikaru leaned close to her and whispered back, "It looks like Komiya just defeated Waya."
"Damn it, I can't believe I lost!" Scowling in frustration, Waya took a bite out of his cheeseburger. All from one mistake. He'd nearly come back in the end, just a half a point shy. It was really vexing, losing to an insei in the first round of the tournament. This must be how all the pros that lost to insei felt.
Looking over now at the others sitting in the booth with him, Waya felt like he was in a flashback. Isumi, Honda, Hikaru and Nase were all there, just like they were during their insei days. Fuku was absent, but that was due to a bathroom break that he would shortly return from. "So, the rest of you won huh?"
They all nodded, and Hikaru added, "Fuku lost though."
Waya's frown only deepened. "Of course, he was playing you Shindo!"
Nase interjected, "But Waya, Fuku really has gotten a lot better since you were an insei."
Hikaru agreed, then added, "And so have you Nase. The way you played, you were certainly above Tajima today." Nase's face flushed and she grinned broadly.
"So Tajima lost huh? Which other pros lost?"
Honda answered, "I think Murakami 2 – Dan lost to Adachi. I don't know if anyone else lost to the insei, I haven't checked the first round results yet."
Taking a sip from his soft drink, Waya asked, "Now that I think about it, does anyone know how Ochi-"
"So Waya," a smug, superior voice interrupted, "I heard you lost to Komiya. And you call yourself a pro Go player?"
Fuming, Waya shouted back at the kid, "Shut up Ochi! I can still beat you!"
Ochi chuckled, then pushed his glasses back up and replied, "Heh, you only beat me once as a pro, and you couldn't beat me in the preliminaries for the Hokuto Cup. I guess this just shows the difference in our current skill."
"You Punk!"
"Waya, calm down." Isumi interjected. "He's just trying to provoke you. It's not worth it."
Waya glared at Isumi, then back at Ochi before leaning back in his seat and exhaling. Easy for you to say Isumi. You won your game. Ochi meanwhile just chuckled again, then his eyes fell on Hikaru, and his expression went taut with seriousness. Without saying another word, Ochi then walked off.
Watching him leave, Nase then said, "I guess that means Ochi won. I wonder who he plays after lunch?"
Hikaru took a sip from his drink then said, "Me."
Waya's face lit up with excitement. "All right Shindo, kick his ass, send Ochi to the bathroom!"
Smiling awkwardly, Hikaru replied, "I'll do my best." He then turned to Nase and said, "So, who do you play in the second match?"
Nase's expression went serious, and her eyes lowered slightly. "Honda."
Honda glanced up, surprise evident on his face. It seemed apparent that he had not checked beforehand to see whom his second round opponent would be.
Ten minutes later the group had made its way back to the game room, and they splintered off towards their respective game tables. Ochi was already waiting for Hikaru, and as Hikaru sat down Ochi sent a hard glare at his opponent. This was not an opponent that Ochi could take lightly. More importantly, if he ever wanted to prove how good of a player he was, he couldn't lose to Hikaru.
As the games started, Waya stood by Hikaru's table to watch. While he wanted to see Ochi get his ass whooped badly, watching Hikaru play was a sight all its own. Especially since returning from the Hokuto Cup. Waya hadn't been the only one to notice the rise in Hikaru's play either. Both Shirakawa and Saeki had made similar comments.
The game was progressing slowly. Ochi was using his time cautiously, something that Waya could sympathize with when it came to playing Hikaru. Of course Waya hadn't played Hikaru yet as pros in an official game; the match they would have played being a forfeit during Hikaru's stint of no shows. Another move by Ochi, and now Waya was fairly certain that Ochi had changed his strategy at least twice already. Hikaru was simply countering every move Ochi made, as if waiting for something while he continued to amass territory. Several of Hikaru's moves had made no sense to Waya at first, only to come to light five or six moves later when the purpose became clear with an attack here or there. Ochi was barely hanging on at this point, and the sweat dripping down his face told Waya that he knew it too.
The more Waya thought about it, the more Hikaru's moves began to remind him of the games he'd seen Sai play on the internet years before. He was certain that Hikaru wasn't Sai, but the idea that Hikaru might know Sai, might even be his student, was appealing. Then again, it might just be appealing because it would make the impossibility of someone like Hikaru, having only started playing Go three years ago, becoming a pro only two years later and reaching such a level with no mentor, existing seem more plausible. If it wasn't the case, then Ochi's favorite question became all the more intriguing, 'Who is Shindo?'
By now Waya was not the only person watching, Akira had joined in to watch as well. Having won again easily, Akira now seemed focused on observing his rival's game. It was one of the few times he could do so, given the lack of game records kept for the lower rounds of the tournaments. Watching would be a good way to measure Hikaru, even if his opponent was Ochi.
Glancing back to the board, Waya grinned, as it was now clear with that last exchange that Hikaru would win. Capturing that corner had gained him eight points, and with nothing but the end game remaining, it was unlikely that Ochi could catch up. Hearing something, Waya glanced over to Hikaru and saw him tapping his fan against his hand again and again.
A low growl traveled over the board as Ochi's fists tightened in anger and frustration. Finally, sweat dripping off his chin, he said, "I resign."
As Hikaru thanked Ochi for the game Waya caught Akira mutter under his breath, "As expected" before turning to leave. Waya however, did not appear to be the only one to hear Akira, as with a sharp yet defeated glare, Ochi stood up and took off, struggling to hold back the rush of emotions and tears.
Sighing, Hikaru looked up at Waya and said, "Well that was a good game. Ochi's getting better too, everyone seems to be getting better. Maybe I need to start looking out for everyone more." As Hikaru began to clear off the board, Waya just stood there watching his friend. Was he serious? Did Hikaru not realize just how strong he was? Surely he knew, yet there he was saying he'd have to watch out for Ochi and everyone else here. It was hard to believe that this was the kid whom he'd taken under his wing when he first arrived as an insei two years ago. Hikaru was like a little brother to him, but now here he was, having surpassed him and still saying he needed to look out. He was either very naïve or else very wise.
As Hikaru finished cleaning up, they both glanced over towards Honda's table in time to see Honda shakily lower his head. The pair just watched in shock for a moment, then Hikaru said, "Did Honda lose?"
The pair looked at one another for a moment then took off at a quick pace for Honda's table. They got there just as Nase was finished commenting on one of Honda's moves. Scanning the board for a moment before Honda ruined it by gathering the stones together, Hikaru had seen what appeared to be a very exquisite game. He'd have to get Honda to recreate the game afterwards.
When they finished putting the stones away, Nase got up and pulled out her cell phone so that she could call her folks up to give them the results. This was a ritual that both Waya and Hikaru recognized from before. As Nase walked off, Hikaru looked back to Honda and the board and asked, "I didn't see it for long but it looked like a good game. Did you open at tengen?"
Honda shook his head. "No, I opened up on the upper right star point. I started out strong and I thought I had a good position going into the middle game, but then she just started pushing and pushing. It reminded me of how you played me during the pro exam Shindo. I fought back, but then she did this move I didn't even think of and my center started to collapse."
Hikaru nodded, and glanced at Waya who was wearing a rather amazed yet worried expression. Hikaru however, was more intrigued than he was worried. "I saw her do something similar in her game against Tajima earlier. She saw a path to survival that a lot of the lower Dans might have missed. It was impressive. Still, I didn't get to see much of it."
Honda, sweat dripping from his face still, looked up at the two and said, "I'll say this, I played her on the third to last day of the Pro Exam, and beat her then by 4 and a half points. Now though…" He looked back down at the bare Go board, "She's stronger. She's gotten a lot stronger since then."
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Never-ending Road: Chapter 2 – The Waya Cup Begins
Chapter 2 – The Waya Cup Begins
"All right players", Hikaru called out, "the first round of the Waya Cup will now begin!"
Five other people in the room joined Hikaru in laughter with Ochi, who seemed too serious and focused to join in, and Waya as the only ones not laughing. "The Waya Cup! Just what do you think this is Shindo?"
"It's a Go tournament of course" Hikaru replied. "Even if it's not sanctioned by the Go Association, it's still a Go tournament amongst us pros. It needs a name, makes it more fun, not to mention now it sounds serious."
"Yes, that's right" Isumi chimed in, "and if we all start to improve our games and people start to hear about this, who knows, the Waya Cup could become famous."
It was Saeki's turn to join in. "Yeah, and then one day great players will battle for the opportunity to win the title of Waya! Who knows, maybe I'll be the first person to hold the Waya title!" This caused the group to burst out into even louder fits of laughter, with even Waya joining in with a soft chuckle. They had the right idea after all. While he'd wanted this to be a serious tournament, Waya also wanted everyone to have fun playing it. Go was supposed to be fun.
Glancing down at the tournament schedule he'd drawn up for this round robin tournament, Waya grinned evilly. "Well future first Waya, I hope you're feeling good today, because your first opponent is Shindo."
Saeki blanched, which caused Waya, Hikaru, and Isumi to laugh. Honda and Kadowaki's expressions only darkened though. They, like everyone else in the room, knew Hikaru's strength, and it was far beyond their own. While Hikaru was definitely fun and helpful in the advancement of their games, it was hard to call someone that much better than them a rival the way Waya and Isumi did.
2) Nakayama - 1 8 3 4 5 6 7
3) Saeki - 7 1 2 8 4 5 6
4) Honda - 6 7 1 2 3 8 5
5) Ochi - 8 6 7 1 2 3 4
6) Kadowaki - 4 5 8 7 1 2 3
7) Shindo - 3 4 5 6 8 1 2
8) Waya - 5 2 6 3 7 4 1
So he played Hikaru, followed by Isumi, Nakayama, Waya, Honda, Ochi, and at the end Kadowaki. Well, it certainly sounded like fun. Now though, he had to focus.
"After black went here, white went here, but that's not a good move. All black has to do is respond here, and then he can expand his central territory, and this stone becomes useless." Kadowaki nodded at Hikaru's comment, then replied, "Yeah, I wanted to cut black off here, but this shape didn't feel right."
All the first games were over, and discussion on several of them had begun. Isumi and Nakayama had volunteered to go pick up lunch for the rest, as their game had been the first to finish, Isumi having forced an early resignation off Nakayama's misread. While Hikaru's game against Saeki had probably been the highest quality, and thus the initial topic of discussion, Honda and Kadowaki's game was the most interesting.
"That first move just really surprised me, and my rhythm got thrown off. After that it was hard to catch back up."
Hikaru smiled. "Yeah, Honda tried opening with tengen against me in the first round preliminary for the Hokuto Cup too. That was a fun game."
Waya chimed in, "Yeah, and then you went to tengen on the second move against Yakiro in the final preliminary match after he went to 5-5 on you. That was crazy."
Hikaru grinned. "Still Honda, you've gotten better with the tengen opening, just don't do it all the time, or it becomes predictable. Also, while your move here was good, it would have been better to attach here."
There was a collective 'ohhh' from the group. Ochi then replied, "That is good, but what if white responds here, then it doesn't work how you want it to."
"Then I'd go here and gain territory in the upper right. White has to then protect here, and uses extra moves while black consolidates the center."
Waya watched Hikaru curiously. It was hard to believe this was the same kid who'd struggled for months in B League as an insei. Not just here, he'd seen Hikaru's ability to read in Morishita's study group on many occasions, most notably when they had discussed the game between Koyo Toya and Sai. The fact that Hikaru had noticed something that even Koyo Toya had missed was… scary.
Just then the door opened and they heard Isumi call out, "We're back." Everyone began to get up from around the Go board to make room for Isumi and Nakayama to set down the lunches. As Waya did so his foot brushed a copy of the latest Weekly Go.
Eyes widening, he turned to Hikaru and said, "Shindo, did you see Weekly Go this week? There's an article in it about you."
Looking very serious all of a sudden, Hikaru answered, "Yeah, I saw it."
"Well I haven't", Saeki replied, "what's it say?"
"It was by the new guy, Kosemura. Talks about Shindo's heroic game, despite losing to Ko Yeong Ha. Also mentions that game he won against Hon Suyon when they were insei. He really praised Shindo."
Isumi took the magazine and flipped to the article. "Whoa, he even has Kurata defending the first chair decision, saying anyone who understands Go should understand after seeing the game record. Wow." Isumi then glanced over at Hikaru and saw that he was looking taut and a little angered. "Shindo, what's the matter? This article is acknowledging you, aren't you always saying you want that?"
Walking over to the window, Hikaru gazed out it and said, "Read the last part."
Isumi scanned down and then stopped. "Despite the obvious talent that Shindo Beginner – Dan has shown, many still wonder how Akira Toya 3 – Dan would have faired, given his superior abilities. While these questions remain unanswered, it is likely we will see more of this rising young player in the months and years to come." Now it all made sense, it was about Akira Toya.
Isumi was about to respond, but Waya beat him to it. "Oh come on Shindo, who cares what the reporters think about Akira Toya. That Toya, he's just a jerk."
Hikaru remained silent. Toya. You are my rival, and I know the difference in our skill is negligible, but no one else seems to know that. I have to show them, everyone, that I can beat you. Somehow. Turning to face the others, Hikaru said, "I'm going to beat him, I have to beat him."
"Well," Isumi replied, "you might have your chance in the next couple of weeks."
Kadowaki looked over at Isumi confused. "What are you talking about Isumi?"
Hikaru answered it for him. "The Young Lions Tournament. I won't be able to play him until the last day though."
"Oh yeah, that thing between pros and insei. Are you in it Isumi?"
Isumi nodded. "Yes, this is my last chance to enter it, and the only time I'll be able to as a pro. I'm really looking forward to it."
Saeki then interjected, "Yeah, I can't enter it this year, so Waya and Shindo have to represent Morishita's group. Which reminds me, Shindo, don't focus on Toya and forget about your match this Wednesday against Ashiwara. Morishita-sensei will be furious if you lose to him."
Hikaru just stared off with a distant, yet determined gaze. Then he said, "Don't worry Saeki, I won't lose."
Sitting before the goban, Hikaru waited for Ashiwara, his opponent in the Kisei Tournament 1st Preliminary finals. The loser would start over next year, the winner moved onto the second preliminary, to the higher Dans. He felt calm, ready for the challenge before him. Of course, it would be nothing like the game he'd played against Ko Yeong Ha, Ashiwara 4 – Dan, for all of Morishita's theatrics at the need to beat him, was not on the same level as Ko Yeong Ha, Akira, or himself.
Movement at the entrance caught Hikaru's eye, but it was not his opponent. He watched as Tadao 2 – Dan made his way to another goban on the other side of the room, sitting down with a rather dismal look on his face. The reason for that look entered moments later in the form of Akira Toya, Tadao's opponent today in the 1st Preliminary for the Judan Tournament 2nd round.
Akira. He had already advanced to the 2nd preliminary for the Kisei Tournament, and if he won today, Hikaru would join him. There they would face the higher Dans, and while Hikaru was now able to cause a great many of the lower Dans to tremble with the thought of playing him, he didn't have the effect that Akira had, which caused even some of the higher Dans to worry. That was why he had to win, to play more games, to face the higher Dans and show them what he could do, to gain strength and progress down this endless path of Go he had chosen.
His attention left Akira as Ashiwara entered the room, looked around, and upon spotting Hikaru began to make his way over. Something about Ashiwara seemed different to Hikaru though. The last few times he'd seen Ashiwara he had shown a rather cheery demeanor, one that seemed to spook out Saeki. Today though he seemed tense, even a little nervous. That was fine though with Hikaru, if he was nervous then Hikaru would just crush him quickly.
Kneeling before the board, the two watched each other silently, while a bead of sweat slid down Ashiwara's cheek. So, today I finally face Akira's rival, Hikaru Shindo. The game record from his game in the Hokuto Cup… I doubt I could have played like that. Not to mention the way Kurata talked about him. I must stay calm, and play a cautious game.
Finally the buzzer went off, and the pair moved to nigiri. Half a minute later the pair traded bowls, and after saying, "Onegaishimasu" Hikaru went first, moving to the 3-4 point. The game began to progress, seemingly peaceful until Ashiwara placed a stone in the upper right. Hikaru's eye's flashed and his hand darted in, placing his stone with deadly precision. Klak.
Ashiwara moved to counter, then Hikaru moved with great speed, not even taking time between his moves. Ashiwara was perplexed. Hikaru was pressing in hard and attacking, but he seemed so focused on taking that one stone. Sure it was important, but not vital. He'd let him push there, and while that happened he'd cut Hikaru's stones off and secure the upper right.
Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Ashiwara gasped. That stone that Hikaru had been pushing for, it hadn't been for what he'd thought. He'd never even considered attacking that way. How could he have misread that. He'd have to endure, make a light exchange, and try to work his way to the center if he wanted to recover.
Klak. But Hikaru kept pushing, not relenting on the misread, and before Ashiwara's eyes white began to die in the center, just as it was already dead in the upper right.
Ton. Hikaru had begun to tap his fan on the stone bowl, apparently not worried in the least. Ashiwara looked up from the board at his opponent, and gasped. The look in Hikaru's eyes, the same he'd seen before in Akira. That look of confidence and superiority. The absolute belief that he was as above Ashiwara as the board seemed to indicate.
Closing his fist and feeling the sweat on his palms, Ashiwara looked again at the board and sighed. Lowering his head, he closed his eyes and said, "I resign."
Hikaru thanked him for the game, and with the same nonchalant expression, but all the intensity and presence of a moment before gone, he said, "So Ashiwara, would you like to discuss the game?"
Ashiwara just stared at Hikaru for a moment, and his eyes widened as he realized just how much that article might have understated this boy. The game record had been the most accurate part by far, and now he understood why it was that Akira had begun to drive himself so hard, stretching the limits of his game. There truly was someone coming up after him.
"All right players", Hikaru called out, "the first round of the Waya Cup will now begin!"
Five other people in the room joined Hikaru in laughter with Ochi, who seemed too serious and focused to join in, and Waya as the only ones not laughing. "The Waya Cup! Just what do you think this is Shindo?"
"It's a Go tournament of course" Hikaru replied. "Even if it's not sanctioned by the Go Association, it's still a Go tournament amongst us pros. It needs a name, makes it more fun, not to mention now it sounds serious."
"Yes, that's right" Isumi chimed in, "and if we all start to improve our games and people start to hear about this, who knows, the Waya Cup could become famous."
It was Saeki's turn to join in. "Yeah, and then one day great players will battle for the opportunity to win the title of Waya! Who knows, maybe I'll be the first person to hold the Waya title!" This caused the group to burst out into even louder fits of laughter, with even Waya joining in with a soft chuckle. They had the right idea after all. While he'd wanted this to be a serious tournament, Waya also wanted everyone to have fun playing it. Go was supposed to be fun.
Glancing down at the tournament schedule he'd drawn up for this round robin tournament, Waya grinned evilly. "Well future first Waya, I hope you're feeling good today, because your first opponent is Shindo."
Saeki blanched, which caused Waya, Hikaru, and Isumi to laugh. Honda and Kadowaki's expressions only darkened though. They, like everyone else in the room, knew Hikaru's strength, and it was far beyond their own. While Hikaru was definitely fun and helpful in the advancement of their games, it was hard to call someone that much better than them a rival the way Waya and Isumi did.
"All
right, let's have a great game then Saeki." Hikaru then walked over to
one of the folding Go boards they had all gathered together for today.
Saeki smiled, then replied, "Yes, I look forward to it." Before joining
Hikaru however, Saeki glanced down at the schedule Waya had created.
1) Isumi - 2 3 4 5 6 7 82) Nakayama - 1 8 3 4 5 6 7
3) Saeki - 7 1 2 8 4 5 6
4) Honda - 6 7 1 2 3 8 5
5) Ochi - 8 6 7 1 2 3 4
6) Kadowaki - 4 5 8 7 1 2 3
7) Shindo - 3 4 5 6 8 1 2
8) Waya - 5 2 6 3 7 4 1
So he played Hikaru, followed by Isumi, Nakayama, Waya, Honda, Ochi, and at the end Kadowaki. Well, it certainly sounded like fun. Now though, he had to focus.
"After black went here, white went here, but that's not a good move. All black has to do is respond here, and then he can expand his central territory, and this stone becomes useless." Kadowaki nodded at Hikaru's comment, then replied, "Yeah, I wanted to cut black off here, but this shape didn't feel right."
All the first games were over, and discussion on several of them had begun. Isumi and Nakayama had volunteered to go pick up lunch for the rest, as their game had been the first to finish, Isumi having forced an early resignation off Nakayama's misread. While Hikaru's game against Saeki had probably been the highest quality, and thus the initial topic of discussion, Honda and Kadowaki's game was the most interesting.
"That first move just really surprised me, and my rhythm got thrown off. After that it was hard to catch back up."
Hikaru smiled. "Yeah, Honda tried opening with tengen against me in the first round preliminary for the Hokuto Cup too. That was a fun game."
Waya chimed in, "Yeah, and then you went to tengen on the second move against Yakiro in the final preliminary match after he went to 5-5 on you. That was crazy."
Hikaru grinned. "Still Honda, you've gotten better with the tengen opening, just don't do it all the time, or it becomes predictable. Also, while your move here was good, it would have been better to attach here."
There was a collective 'ohhh' from the group. Ochi then replied, "That is good, but what if white responds here, then it doesn't work how you want it to."
"Then I'd go here and gain territory in the upper right. White has to then protect here, and uses extra moves while black consolidates the center."
Waya watched Hikaru curiously. It was hard to believe this was the same kid who'd struggled for months in B League as an insei. Not just here, he'd seen Hikaru's ability to read in Morishita's study group on many occasions, most notably when they had discussed the game between Koyo Toya and Sai. The fact that Hikaru had noticed something that even Koyo Toya had missed was… scary.
Just then the door opened and they heard Isumi call out, "We're back." Everyone began to get up from around the Go board to make room for Isumi and Nakayama to set down the lunches. As Waya did so his foot brushed a copy of the latest Weekly Go.
Eyes widening, he turned to Hikaru and said, "Shindo, did you see Weekly Go this week? There's an article in it about you."
Looking very serious all of a sudden, Hikaru answered, "Yeah, I saw it."
"Well I haven't", Saeki replied, "what's it say?"
"It was by the new guy, Kosemura. Talks about Shindo's heroic game, despite losing to Ko Yeong Ha. Also mentions that game he won against Hon Suyon when they were insei. He really praised Shindo."
Isumi took the magazine and flipped to the article. "Whoa, he even has Kurata defending the first chair decision, saying anyone who understands Go should understand after seeing the game record. Wow." Isumi then glanced over at Hikaru and saw that he was looking taut and a little angered. "Shindo, what's the matter? This article is acknowledging you, aren't you always saying you want that?"
Walking over to the window, Hikaru gazed out it and said, "Read the last part."
Isumi scanned down and then stopped. "Despite the obvious talent that Shindo Beginner – Dan has shown, many still wonder how Akira Toya 3 – Dan would have faired, given his superior abilities. While these questions remain unanswered, it is likely we will see more of this rising young player in the months and years to come." Now it all made sense, it was about Akira Toya.
Isumi was about to respond, but Waya beat him to it. "Oh come on Shindo, who cares what the reporters think about Akira Toya. That Toya, he's just a jerk."
Hikaru remained silent. Toya. You are my rival, and I know the difference in our skill is negligible, but no one else seems to know that. I have to show them, everyone, that I can beat you. Somehow. Turning to face the others, Hikaru said, "I'm going to beat him, I have to beat him."
"Well," Isumi replied, "you might have your chance in the next couple of weeks."
Kadowaki looked over at Isumi confused. "What are you talking about Isumi?"
Hikaru answered it for him. "The Young Lions Tournament. I won't be able to play him until the last day though."
"Oh yeah, that thing between pros and insei. Are you in it Isumi?"
Isumi nodded. "Yes, this is my last chance to enter it, and the only time I'll be able to as a pro. I'm really looking forward to it."
Saeki then interjected, "Yeah, I can't enter it this year, so Waya and Shindo have to represent Morishita's group. Which reminds me, Shindo, don't focus on Toya and forget about your match this Wednesday against Ashiwara. Morishita-sensei will be furious if you lose to him."
Hikaru just stared off with a distant, yet determined gaze. Then he said, "Don't worry Saeki, I won't lose."
Sitting before the goban, Hikaru waited for Ashiwara, his opponent in the Kisei Tournament 1st Preliminary finals. The loser would start over next year, the winner moved onto the second preliminary, to the higher Dans. He felt calm, ready for the challenge before him. Of course, it would be nothing like the game he'd played against Ko Yeong Ha, Ashiwara 4 – Dan, for all of Morishita's theatrics at the need to beat him, was not on the same level as Ko Yeong Ha, Akira, or himself.
Movement at the entrance caught Hikaru's eye, but it was not his opponent. He watched as Tadao 2 – Dan made his way to another goban on the other side of the room, sitting down with a rather dismal look on his face. The reason for that look entered moments later in the form of Akira Toya, Tadao's opponent today in the 1st Preliminary for the Judan Tournament 2nd round.
Akira. He had already advanced to the 2nd preliminary for the Kisei Tournament, and if he won today, Hikaru would join him. There they would face the higher Dans, and while Hikaru was now able to cause a great many of the lower Dans to tremble with the thought of playing him, he didn't have the effect that Akira had, which caused even some of the higher Dans to worry. That was why he had to win, to play more games, to face the higher Dans and show them what he could do, to gain strength and progress down this endless path of Go he had chosen.
His attention left Akira as Ashiwara entered the room, looked around, and upon spotting Hikaru began to make his way over. Something about Ashiwara seemed different to Hikaru though. The last few times he'd seen Ashiwara he had shown a rather cheery demeanor, one that seemed to spook out Saeki. Today though he seemed tense, even a little nervous. That was fine though with Hikaru, if he was nervous then Hikaru would just crush him quickly.
Kneeling before the board, the two watched each other silently, while a bead of sweat slid down Ashiwara's cheek. So, today I finally face Akira's rival, Hikaru Shindo. The game record from his game in the Hokuto Cup… I doubt I could have played like that. Not to mention the way Kurata talked about him. I must stay calm, and play a cautious game.
Finally the buzzer went off, and the pair moved to nigiri. Half a minute later the pair traded bowls, and after saying, "Onegaishimasu" Hikaru went first, moving to the 3-4 point. The game began to progress, seemingly peaceful until Ashiwara placed a stone in the upper right. Hikaru's eye's flashed and his hand darted in, placing his stone with deadly precision. Klak.
Ashiwara moved to counter, then Hikaru moved with great speed, not even taking time between his moves. Ashiwara was perplexed. Hikaru was pressing in hard and attacking, but he seemed so focused on taking that one stone. Sure it was important, but not vital. He'd let him push there, and while that happened he'd cut Hikaru's stones off and secure the upper right.
Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Klak.
Klak.
Klak. Ashiwara gasped. That stone that Hikaru had been pushing for, it hadn't been for what he'd thought. He'd never even considered attacking that way. How could he have misread that. He'd have to endure, make a light exchange, and try to work his way to the center if he wanted to recover.
Klak. But Hikaru kept pushing, not relenting on the misread, and before Ashiwara's eyes white began to die in the center, just as it was already dead in the upper right.
Ton. Hikaru had begun to tap his fan on the stone bowl, apparently not worried in the least. Ashiwara looked up from the board at his opponent, and gasped. The look in Hikaru's eyes, the same he'd seen before in Akira. That look of confidence and superiority. The absolute belief that he was as above Ashiwara as the board seemed to indicate.
Closing his fist and feeling the sweat on his palms, Ashiwara looked again at the board and sighed. Lowering his head, he closed his eyes and said, "I resign."
Hikaru thanked him for the game, and with the same nonchalant expression, but all the intensity and presence of a moment before gone, he said, "So Ashiwara, would you like to discuss the game?"
Ashiwara just stared at Hikaru for a moment, and his eyes widened as he realized just how much that article might have understated this boy. The game record had been the most accurate part by far, and now he understood why it was that Akira had begun to drive himself so hard, stretching the limits of his game. There truly was someone coming up after him.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Kaya.gs - Weekly Update - Changelog
Conanbatt and DP have been working hard another week and brought us the 0.6.2 Update last friday. Most notable are the three different Kanji denoting the different types of users on Kaya.
木 - Stands for the developers
石 - Stands for founders
手 - Stands for supporters
Nice little things if you ask me. Another awesome thing is the new game loading screen with tool tips. Looks fresh and polished!
Changelog:
木 - Stands for the developers
石 - Stands for founders
手 - Stands for supporters
Nice little things if you ask me. Another awesome thing is the new game loading screen with tool tips. Looks fresh and polished!
Changelog:
Version: 0.6 Alpha - Name: Chat Desc:Chat gets automatically refreshed on game over so no need to refreshthe page to see opponents malkovich comments - Name: Kanjis Desc: Added more Kanjis to mark different accounts - Name: Autocomplete Desc: Chat now has autocomplete for commands and user names - Name: ContextMenu Desc: You can set up a challenge quicker by using right clickon the user list. - Name: Game Loading Desc: There are server tips when you are waiting for a match to start. - Name: Stylized error pages Desc: Things look prettier when things are not working well. - Name: Tweaki Desc: Over 10 tweaks fixed including recognizing open game tabs andcase insensitivity.
Friday, January 27, 2012
36th Kisei - Title match games
The title match of the 36th Kisei tournament is between the current title holder Cho U (right) and Takao Shinji (left). Before the match the win-loss-record was 27-21 in Cho U's favor. The first game was played at the 12.01.2012 and 13.01.2012.
Takao Shinji took black in this game. Cho U showed his talent to handle weak groups, but Takao Shinji was able to take advantage and win with 2,5 points. Here is the kifu:
The second game was played at the 26.01.2012 and 27.01.2012.
This time Cho U was black and created a big framework. It was Takao Shinji who started a long battle with move 26. This battle spread over a big part of the board until Takao Shinji played a stone in Cho U's corner which looked like a probe, but it was ignored by Cho U. Cho U continued the fight instead and after 171 moves Takao Shinji resigned.
This equalizes the standing to 1-1. The next game is at the 01.02.2012 and 02.02.2012. Who will take the lead then? Will Cho U win the last game?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
The Neverending Road - Chapter 1 - Growing Pains
This is not my own story but I think it deserves more attention then it gets on fanfiction.net. The author of this story is Leitbur and he deserves more credit than he gets! Drop by his fanfiction.net story and leave him a comment!
Chapter 1 – Growing Pains
"White's cut here was a good move. It took advantage of Black's two spaced jump."
Kiyoharu Yashiro, and Akira Toya nodded at Atsushi Kurata's remark. It had been an electrifying game, one that Hikaru had almost pulled out. Going into the game, not many outside of the room's four occupants had believed that Hikaru would have given any type of game close to this. Yashiro chimed in, "Here though, blacks move was brilliant. Ko Yeong Ha didn't see it until it was too late."
Again more nods. Akira now replied, "Yes, white should have swapped the order of these two moves, then he could avoid the issue."
After the closing ceremonies, the four members of Team Japan had agreed to meet back at Akira's house to finish discussing today's games. Yashiro would be staying the night, then leaving to go home to Kyoto in the morning. It had seemed better to do that then to stay in the hotels another night. While they had intended to discuss all three games, the First Board game between Hikaru and Ko Yeong Ha had been all they'd discussed thus far, and it was already getting late.
"This move, it separated White brilliantly. He can't just counter without putting his own stones in atari here."
"Yes, but White responded well here. The moves here forced a pitched central battle that cost Shindo territory."
The only one not talking, not even paying all that much attention, was the one who had played the game earlier that day in the Hokuto Cup. Lost in his own thoughts, Hikaru Shindo was reviewing not the game, but his own mental strength. He hadn't been strong enough earlier today, despite all his boasting. He had been selfish, forcing his way into the First Chair, just to take on Ko Yeong Ha, to vindicate Japan for what he had said about Shusaku. No, it wasn't for Japan; it had been for Sai. No one else knew, no one else understood the Sai that was in his Go; that drove him to seek the Divine Move. Yet today, he hadn't been strong enough.
Glancing next to him, Hikaru studied the intense face of his eternal rival. Akira was studying the board with powers of concentration that Hikaru knew matched his own. Would he have lost today? Could Akira have done any better than Hikaru had? The two had played so many games lately, and Hikaru knew Akira's strength. Still, they had played only once so far in an official game, and in such battles were where true strength, of both mind and spirit, were decided.
Akira meanwhile continued to study the Go board with eyes too transfixed to blink. This game… it was on a level beyond what he knew Hikaru to possess previously. He had gotten stronger. This was to be expected, in fact Akira would have felt betrayed if Hikaru didn't improve and grow in his Go abilities. What this game was showing however was that Hikaru had once again, moved closer to Akira.
It was true that the two were already neck and neck, and in fact Akira knew too well that the major difference in their abilities laid not in skill, but in experience. Hikaru would eventually be playing the high level Dans like Akira was now, and the edge in experience would dwindle further still.
Glancing over at his rival, Akira noticed the look in Hikaru's eyes. The pain and disappointment in them, he had experienced this before himself. Akira knew all too well that when Hikaru recovered mentally from this, that he would be even more formidable. His second game against Hikaru three years before, the one where he had been dominated completely, had caused a similar reaction for Akira. He could of course exploit this, attack Hikaru's wavering mental fortitude and delay his return to form a little longer, but he wouldn't. Not only because any victory would be empty, like a default win, and no true Go player ever wanted a default win, but also because Hikaru was his friend. No, not just his friend, he was his best friend. Their relationship over the years was complex for certain, and he doubted if he could describe it to anyone else, but it was what it was nevertheless.
Over the last two and a half years, Hikaru had been chasing Akira, and Akira knew that it would not last, despite his own steps forward. Soon they would be side by side, chasing one another, too close for one to be definitively seen as stronger. Where they would go from there he didn't know, but he couldn't wait to find out. The idea of the Go they would create filled him with joyous anticipation.
An hour later Hikaru and Kurata left, leaving only Yashiro and Akira to continue analyzing the game. When Akira suggested they analyze Yashiro's game next, Yashiro merely frowned, then replied that he'd rather play a game at the moment then review his earlier loss. This was something Akira didn't mind at all. After all, Yashiro was quite a strong player, although not yet near his own or Hikaru's level. Still, Yashiro's aggressive openings made for very fun games.
He was no closer though to solving the mystery that was Hikaru Shindo then he was the day he'd theorized, however crazy as it had sounded, that there was another Hikaru inside Hikaru. It had been the only thing that had made sense, in its own crazy way. The fact that Hikaru hadn't just blown it off, but suggested ever so slightly that he was on the right track, only complicated the matter. Hikaru was however, exactly what Akira had stated that day; nothing but the Go he played.
The matter with the Hikaru- Sai connection though could wait until later. At the moment, he needed to focus on the game at hand.
"This certainly was an impressive game Hikaru. This move in the center, I wouldn't have even thought of that."
Once again Hikaru found himself staring down at a recreation of his game against Ko Yeong Ha. It had been two days since the tournament had ended, but it was obvious that everyone Morishita 9-Dan's had wanted to discuss the game with him. The game records had been published after all, and would soon be appearing in Weekly Go as well, making it only the second time his games had been recorded, the first of course being the Shinshodan match against Toya Meijin, the game Sai had played. So he had complied, and was now explaining his thinking on different moves with a less than enthusiastic tone. A fact that was not lost on the rest of the group, Morishita 9-Dan among them.
Rubbing his chin as he studied the boy, Morishita tried to look beyond to what was troubling him so much. It wasn't very difficult. This game seems to be something of a sore spot for him. It's hard to understand, it was a brilliant game, far better than any I've previously seen him play. Perhaps there's something more to it? He glanced down at the fan that Hikaru carried around with him all the time these days, or at least whenever Morishita saw him. He was gripping it so tightly, as if holding onto it for dear life. Yes, there's something more to this.
Promptly, Morishita sat back and said, "All right, enough of this, let's play a few games." Looking towards Hikaru, he continued, "Shindo, will you play with me?"
Looking over to Morishita, Hikaru gave a weak smile and nodded. "Yes Sensei, of course."
As they began to play, Morishita watched Shindo carefully, noting the boys trademark extreme concentration. There seemed nothing wrong with his moves from a technical standpoint, but what was lacking was obvious; the passion he usually put into each move.
"Is this the first game you've played since that game on Sunday?"
"No, I played Hon Suyon yesterday at his uncle's Go salon."
Morishita cocked an eyebrow. "Really? What made you do that?"
Shindo nonchalantly replied, "I promised him I would before the Hokuto Cup matches. He wanted to beat me and tell me his name was Hon Suyon."
Placing a stone down, Morishita asked, "How did it go?"
Responding with a stone of his own, Hikaru answered, "I won again. He seemed rather disappointed."
Klack. Another stone hit the board. "Disappointed in his loss, or disappointed in the way you played?"
Hikaru looked up from the board at Morishita with a somewhat surprised look across his face. "Sensei?"
"I have watched your game improve and evolve over these last two years, but what has remained the same was the passion you played with. That passion is what has made you what you currently are. I do not see that passion in the Go before me. I do not know why that loss to Ko Yeong Ha has been so difficult for you, but that loss will only make you stronger unless you don't allow it to. It's your turn."
Hikaru just sat there a moment, then quickly played a stone on the board. Why am I like this? It's because I couldn't defend Sai, prove to Ko Yeong Ha that Shusaku… that Sai, still could teach things… right? Playing another move, then another, Hikaru shook his head, then slammed his next stone down with his anger. No, it wasn't just about Sai. If it had been Sai, he would have moved on from that loss the second the first stone of the next game began. He had always said that even losing had purpose. I'm mad at myself, not for failing Sai, but for failing myself. That game, it was the first time I'd lost a game I couldn't lose no matter what costs. Tightening his grip on his fan, Hikaru's hand darted up to the upper corner of the board to cut off Morishita's attack.
It was difficult, realizing that even when heart and soul were completely placed into a game, when nothing mattered but victory no matter how it was achieved, holding complete confidence in that strength, that defeat could still come. As he placed another stone, a smile crossed Hikaru's lips. This must have been what Akira felt after Sai defeated him that second time. The doubt that my skills are enough, that I'll ever attain that height. If Akira saw me now, would he laugh?
As Hikaru played his next move and the move after that, a presence began to appear on the board, and an all too familiar fire began to burn in his eyes, in his heart. Well, let's just see him laugh at this! The same for Ko Yeong Ha too. Next year, the next team tournament, I'll qualify for it, and show Ko Yeong Ha and Akira my kind of Go, and next time I won't just be first chair, but I'll beat Ko Yeong Ha too!
As his next move went down, Morishita grinned inwardly. It appeared that the boy was getting over the loss, and would be back to playing his style of Go again shortly. Good, because he had his own style too, and he planned to be around to show Hikaru just what he could do the next time they met in battle.
As Hikaru placed his next move however, Morishita gasped slightly, and paused. Staring down at the stone, he blinked, then snapping out of it played the attachment. He then waited for Hikaru's next move, which came right after. No, he must have imagined it. For a moment, he could have sworn though that when Hikaru had played that stone, his fingers had been glowing.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
50th Judan challenger
At the 23.01.2012 the game to decide the challenger of Iyuma Yuta in the 50th Judan title match was played between Cho U and Ko Iso.
After 157 move Cho U was able to force Ko Iso to resign. Here is the kifu of a great game with some complicated battles:
This leads to a really interesting title match because last year it was Cho U who lost the Judan title to the challenger Iyuma Yuta with 2:3.
After 157 move Cho U was able to force Ko Iso to resign. Here is the kifu of a great game with some complicated battles:This leads to a really interesting title match because last year it was Cho U who lost the Judan title to the challenger Iyuma Yuta with 2:3.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tromp bet - The result: Welcome our new Lord Zen!
A week ago the Tromp bet games have been played and the results from last year have been reversed and Zen beat Tromp solidly. Tromp won the first game by resignation but lost the two games after that and thus lost the bet! Welcome our new Lord Zen the bot!
Game 1:
(Won't upload to gokifu somehow. Will fix it later somehow...)
Game 2:
Game 3:
Game 1:
(Won't upload to gokifu somehow. Will fix it later somehow...)
Game 2:
Game 3:
Sunday, January 22, 2012
13th Female Myeongin - Challenger final
Who will be the female Myeongin contender this time and thus be allowed to challenge Rui Naiwei for the title of the Female Myeongin this year ?
The challenger final is a Best-of-3 between Choi Jung (1.Dan) and Kim Miri (2.Dan).
Choi Jung was able to win a row of 8 games during the 5th Auction cup. Besides she already met Rui Naiwei in tournament: She lost by 0,5 points in the final of the 5th Female Gisung. Will she be able to get her revenge ?
Kim Miri has already had some successes as well. One of the greatest was her qualification for the 14th Samsung Cup. And guess who was one of her opponents in the progress: Correct, in the last rounds of the preliminary she was able to defeat Rui Naiwei.
It seems like both challengers would be able to beat Rui Naiwei, who is holding the title since its 6th edition. But who will face her in the end?
The first game already took place at the 19.01.2012. Here is the corresponding kifu:
It just might be me but I'm impressed how Choi Jung was able to dominate in this game. She took the first victory and is in a good position now.
The next game will be on the 26.01.2012.
If a tie breaker is needed, it will be played on the 27.01.2012.
The challenger final is a Best-of-3 between Choi Jung (1.Dan) and Kim Miri (2.Dan).
Choi Jung was able to win a row of 8 games during the 5th Auction cup. Besides she already met Rui Naiwei in tournament: She lost by 0,5 points in the final of the 5th Female Gisung. Will she be able to get her revenge ?
Kim Miri has already had some successes as well. One of the greatest was her qualification for the 14th Samsung Cup. And guess who was one of her opponents in the progress: Correct, in the last rounds of the preliminary she was able to defeat Rui Naiwei.It seems like both challengers would be able to beat Rui Naiwei, who is holding the title since its 6th edition. But who will face her in the end?
The first game already took place at the 19.01.2012. Here is the corresponding kifu:
It just might be me but I'm impressed how Choi Jung was able to dominate in this game. She took the first victory and is in a good position now.
The next game will be on the 26.01.2012.
If a tie breaker is needed, it will be played on the 27.01.2012.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
« Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den »
- Chinese
- 《施氏食獅史》
- 石室詩士施氏，嗜獅，誓食十獅。
- 氏時時適市視獅。
- 十時，適十獅適市。
- 是時，適施氏適市。
- 氏視是十獅，恃矢勢，使是十獅逝世。
- 氏拾是十獅屍，適石室。
- 石室濕，氏使侍拭石室。
- 石室拭，氏始試食是十獅。
- 食時，始識是十獅屍，實十石獅屍。
- 試釋是事。
- Pinyin:
- « Shī Shì shí shī shǐ »
- Shíshì shīshì Shī Shì, shì shī, shì shí shí shī.
- Shì shíshí shì shì shì shī.
- Shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.
- Shì shí, shì Shī Shì shì shì.
- Shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì, shǐ shì shí shī shìshì.
- Shì shí shì shí shī shī, shì shíshì.
- Shíshì shī, Shì shǐ shì shì shíshì.
- Shíshì shì, Shì shǐ shì shí shì shí shī.
- Shí shí, shǐ shí shì shí shī, shí shí shí shī shī.
- Shì shì shì shì.
- English:
- « Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den »
- In a stone den was a poet called Shi, who was a lion addict, and had resolved to eat ten lions.
- He often went to the market to look for lions.
- At ten o'clock, ten lions had just arrived at the market.
- At that time, Shi had just arrived at the market.
- He saw those ten lions, and using his trusty arrows, caused the ten lions to die.
- He brought the corpses of the ten lions to the stone den.
- The stone den was damp. He asked his servants to wipe it.
- After the stone den was wiped, he tried to eat those ten lions.
- When he ate, he realized that these ten lions were in fact ten stone lion corpses.
- Try to explain this matter.
Kaya and 0.4 and 0.5
Kaya is making tremdous progress theses weeks just have a look at the current changelogs:
Version: 0.5 Alpha - Name: Fischer Time Desc: Added full support for Fischer time. - Name: Coord markers Desc: Messages in the chat are parsed so hovering text like "B7" draws
a marker in the board. Try to click the board while holding the CTRL key. - Name: Custom Passwords Desc: Now you can reset your password from login and set your own
password in your profile. - Name: User List Desc: Can sort the list by rank, nick and karma. - Name: Alert on names Desc: Name calling now produces sound, and it has a minor improvement. - Name: Finished games Desc: Now you're able to browse the game as both observer and player,
and share variations. - Name: Keyboard Shortcuts Desc: Try browsing the game with your arrow keys, even holding CTRL or
SHIFT. Then back to game with ESC. - Name: Chat on Replay Desc: Chat stays when you refresh, now you can share variations and go
comments and they will remain there for others to see and discuss. - Name: Gommander shortcuts Desc: There are shortcuts for all commands. - Name: Tweaki Desc: Over 12 issues closed from the Tweaki. - Version: 0.4 Alpha - Name: Tweaki Desc: Added new command in gommander to gather up feedback quicker. - Name: Glicko Desc: Updated to the latest version and changed rating from elo based
to aga like. - Name: Bots Desc: Improved the replay bot and implemented support for GnuGO bot. - Name: Antivirus clash fix Desc: We have made some port reassigning that might solve the issue of
some Antivirus blocking the site. - Name: Gommander Desc: Now you can share links in-comments, as oppposed to using a full
command. Also new Malkovich command. - Name: Mute Desc: Now you can mute the sound in games. - Name: Automatic grammar suggestions for the chat. Desc: I just realized the browser does it automatically. Nice feature :) - Name: Ranks are reset Desc: Ranks are all 30k by default and you can change it in your profile.
Careful! only once :)
Gabriels message from before the update:
Ssup people! We are in mid summer here in Buenos Aires and both dp and I are slowly
roasting in the heat. We are staying in the outskirts o fBuenos Aires, so for a change, i get to see some green grass and trees, and some nature, away from the concrete city of Bueno Aires. Being here without city-like distractions has made this Kaya.gs first
summer camp, one we hope, of many. We are 27hs away from the 0.5 release and with that release comes the change of Founder to Supporter. Founder accounts have not yet been designed but are very well documented in the server, and we have been thinking of what could we add to distinguish them. I liked the idea of a brick icon next to the nickname, as founders is asimilar concept to a builder. We are very flexible on this idea so its the best moment to suggest, as a Founder, how would you like to be showing in the server. Palapiku said that a 72pt flashing banner was expected, but i'm afraid
that would be a bit too invasive. The best places to add something are user lists and profiles. With your suggestions bare in mind though, that people that aren't founders shouldnt feel secluded or left out. Also 0.5 will have the first easter egg. We added something special that
we hope those that find it will cutely enjoy :) We are extremely happy with our work, and we have a really good pacing. Each week brings a whole new set of features and functionality, along with a great number of tweaks and fixes. I must say that the Tweaki is a great invention at the same time it is our doom :). Stay tuned guys! and give an opinion for how you would like your founder accounts to show in the server, its your recognition, your brand!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Man vs Machine - The tromp bet
I bet many KGS players know of this bet from last year. Now it has been renewed and we will see how much the computer can do now. Below the gogameguro article and Darren's message on the bet.
Many of you followed the Go Bet event in London at the end of 2010, where John Tromp triumphed and I was forced to hand over the $1000. Now it is time to see if the bots have improved in the past 12 months, as John will play another match with a computer program. When: During January 2012 (exactly when will be announced soon) Where: On KGS Format: Best-of-5 (first to three wins) Rules: Chinese, 7.5pt komi Time: 90 minutes each, with byo-yomi of 25 stones per 10 minutes Hardware: (to be announced) Yamato, the author of Zen, was reluctant to take part a year ago, unsure of the outcome. Well, this year he has agreed to take part. A sign the machines have improved... or just over-confidence? Darren P.S. The match is online this time, and there is no wager, so my only involvement is the publicity :-) -- Darren Cook, Software Researcher/Developer
http://computer-go.org/pipermail/computer-go/2012-January/004527.html
http://gogameguru.com/man-machine-showdown-board-game-go/
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Kaya.gs development News
The last days I have been enjoying being able to test Kaya.gs in it's Alpha testing. So far the experience has been very enjoyable. Features are implemented at a steady pace, currently updates happen every friday and in the last we received sound for placing stones. Bugs that are occuring usually are fixed quickly and staff is being very responsive to suggestions and bug reports.
This a picture from a pro game replay grabbed from gokifu and as you can see Kaya.gs looks promising. More news about it's development will follow!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)