The Quarterfinals and Semifinals

The game between the pair of Ms. Tomoko Kato 4-dan & Mr. Shikun Ryu 7-dan VS the pair of Ms. Mika Yoshida 5-dan & Mr. Hiroaki Tono 9-dan

It was an excitingly close game with Furikawari of Ko made in the early stage. Various stones were exposed to the risk of being taken or actually taken by the opponent. It made the watchers thrilled.

Ms. T. Kato & Mr. Ryu pair

Mr. Ryu 7-dan: I made a move to take the last chance and it was successful. And I found we were still inferior on the overall board.

Ms. Yoshida 6-dan: I thought we had lost the game because of my serious mistake. As I looked at Mr. Tono, however, he looked completely calm. Calculating again, I found we were still alive. If I had been a solo player, I would have resigned the game absolutely.

Ms. Yoshida & Mr. Tono pair

The game between the pair of Ms. Kaori Chinen Female Honinbo & Mr. Kaiho Rin 9-dan VS the pair of Ms. Izumi Kobayashi Female Kisei & Mr. Koichi Kobayashi 10-dan, Tengen and Gosei

Both pairs have been made with the partners unchanged from last year. It became a seesaw game with small battles continuing from the early stage. Kobayashi father & daughter pair gained the upper hand due to Izumi's aggressive move. However, the Female Kisei title holder continued making reckless moves. As a result, a large number of the pair's stones were on the verge of dying. Although it was possible to protect the stones, Kobayashi pair made more aggressive moves to expand their whole area. Their bold attempts were in vain and resulted in their defeat. After the game, both pairs eagerly reviewed the development of the game through discussion between the partners.

Ms. Chinen & Mr. Rin pair

Kobayashi father & daughter pair

Mr. Kobayashi 10-dan: We recovered from the weak position in the initial stage. So, I felt we might win. Izumi also played well. I am sorry about this result.

The game between the pair of Ms. Ayako Nakazawa 4-dan & Mr. Naoto Hikosaka 9-dan VS Ms. Mayu Hosaka 2-dan & Mr. Kimio Yamada 7-dan

One pair tends to put on a spurt in the final stage, while the other pair is good at holding the lead. The game almost developed as expected. Ms. Hosaka's husband, Mr. Manabu Senzaki, who is a Shogi pro player holding the 7th dan, watched the game at the hall. (He is said to have the amateur 4-dan skill of Go.) "Her team seems to be driven into a corner. Are they all right?" he said showing concern over his wife's game. A wrong move on the central area settled the game by a narrow difference. The loser resigned the game at a proper time, which gave a good impression to the spectators.

Ms. Nakazawa & Mr. Hikosaka pair

Ms. Hosaka & Mr. Yamada pair

Mr. Yamada 7-dan: We hadn't expected at all we could advance to today's games. We have been playing in a relaxed mood. This may be the cause of our win.

The game between the pair of Ms. Yukari Umezawa 3-dan & Mr. Satoshi Kataoka 9-dan VS the pair of Ms. Chizu Kobayashi 5-dan & Mr. Kunihisa Honda 9-dan

In spite of the black's Kogeimajimari, the white took a large area. In spite of the black's struggles afterwards, the pair was defeated. Mr. Honda, who had won the championship for two consecutive years, disappeared.

Ms. Umezawa & Mr. Kataoka pair

Ms. C. Kobayashi & Mr. Honda pair

Ms. Umezawa 3-dan: I made Mr. Kataoka feel dizzy many times. I am sorry. Mr. Kataoka 9-dan: During the game, I was in a cold sweat.

The quarterfinals were competed between the pairs who won two consecutive games and the pairs who won the right to advance to the quarterfinals. And all the four pairs of the latter group won the quarterfinals. This result is somewhat ironic because it seems to imply that losing games while you can may be better in this championship. There was a 30-minute break between the quarterfinals and the semifinals. While taking a rest in the waiting room, Mr. Tono and Mr. Kataoka smoked comfortably. As smoking during the games was prohibited, they must have really enjoyed it, especially because they won the quarterfinals. Could they enjoy smoking after the semifinals?

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