Mr. Yamashita became ' Kisei ' and 9-dan Mr. U Cho was promoted to a 'Honinbo' this summer.

The year 2003, which has seen drastic change of generations in Go circles, is nearing its end. The Final Go Championship for the year 2003 was The Pro Pair Go Ricoh Cup 2004 where the top 16 professional men and women professionals participated respectively.

I am writing about the first and the second rounds of the Go championship that opened at 'Ebisu The Garden Hall' in Meguro ward, Tokyo on December 6.

Garden Hall Building appearance

"SAPPORO BEER The Garden Hall"

Garden Hall entrance Before the first floor elevator

The first floor receptionist

On December 6, a day blessed with fine weather, a long queue was made by Go Fans at 'Ebisu The Garden Hall.

Since all top pro Go players attended, the fans could not miss the championship.

Also, this championship allowed fans to have a look at the competitions even closer, and also enabled them to talk with professionals in person. This is one of the reasons that the championship is popular.

The stage

Also, the waiting room before starting the Go game had a unique tense atmosphere.

There is no other opportunitie where one can see these many professional Go players meet. This is not only unique for fans, but is also an unusual spectacle for professional Go players as well.

Primary game table

One professional player looked around and said, "Even at the New Year's Party of Nihon Ki-in, this many professionals don't get together. It is very rare to see something like this."

Normally, a professional Go player is forced to play alone, but on this day they have a partner at their side.

However, if a pair of professional Go players does not have good harmony, the partner could be the worst enemy during a competition.At a waiting room before starting the game, pair of players greet each other, and are busy working out a strategy.

Ms. Aoki: "Mr.Otake, I am glad to have you as a partner"

Mr. Otake: "Well, I do not see 9 X 9 line board, let make a move before getting stuck on it."

Mr. Rissei O: "Please take it easy"

Ms. Umezawa: "Mr.O, please do not make it hard for me. I do not know so much about joseki."

Ms. Yashiro: "I'm counting on you."

Mr. Ryu: "Well, anyway, no one can beat us in body size. So, let's be strong and play."

Mr. Koichi Kobayashi: "Yesterday, I tried to play with Ms. Izawa's game recoads."

Ms. Izawa: "Oh really! Is that so?"

Mr. Nakano: "I am not good at the 30 second rule, our opponent team seems to be strong."

Ms. Koyama: "Do not get discouraged so easily."

At the waiting room, we could hear voices of encouragement, a little bit of embarrassment, and soon after there was a gorgeous opening ceremony.

Final tournament table

Opening ceremony

An opening ceremony participating professional go player's