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Sakai
Hideyuki
Newsgroups: rec.games.go Given the recent correspondence about number of games needed to advance, how about this? Sakai Hideyuki, winner of the 2000 World Amateur, was recently allowed to turn pro at the Kansai Ki-in. He needed special permission because he was 28, having just qualified as a doctor. He's put that career in abeyance until he sees how far he can reach in the go world. As he'd already beaten a 9-dan in an even game the special permission was easily forthcoming, but what is really remarkable about this story is that the Kansai Ki-in decided his grade would be set on the basis of games played publicly on the internet. He has won his first two games with Black against Hasegawa Hiro 5-dan, which qualifies him to be 3-dan. He now plays two more games with Black next week against Nakano Yasuhiro 7-dan. If he wins those he starts as 5-dan. Since he has also just beaten Oya Koichi 9-dan on evens to win the 2nd Phoenix Cup it would be rash to bet against him. What I find truly remarkable about the procedure is that pros are willing to set a very high grade on the strength of a couple of games against a not very prominent pro. ( Nihon Kiin ) So far, Sakai Hideyuki
has played two of the four test games that will decide his initial rank
as a professional at the Kansai Ki-in. He has won both of them, against
Hasegawa Hiro 5-dan, so he will start as at least a 3-dan. Newsgroups: rec.games.go [...] Sakai won his first game against Nakano 7-dan today. Sakai was White and won by resignation after 158 moves. The second game takes place on Monday, Aug. 13. http://club.pep.ne.jp/Kansaikiin/live/ Ciao, Bill Addendum: It appears that a 3-1 score is sufficient for Sakai to make 5-dan, so he has already made it. :-) Bill |