We've just had this week the pro game with the apparently longest age difference between women - 71 years. By our reckoning it was actually the longest between any players, the previous record of 69 years being this game, which happens to feature a female as well (Xie was just turned 19 here). Sugiuchi is still the oldie - but husband Masao in this case, aged 88, rather than Kazuko. Unfortunately the teenager won in both cases.



Now I again pass you over to my colleague T Mark Hall for next week.

Thank you to those who have been supplying new information on all these posts.

I must confess I find myself cheering for the old farts more and more as I age.

It is a pleasure. I was (and am) not confident on the issue of the largest age gap. I had a vague memory of one of my friends commenting on Masao (now 92) last year but could not remember the details. He is still active in tournaments, with a 7-7 record in 2012 and 7-8 in 2011!

I could find in Go World that last February he (still 91) played Tsuneishi Takashi (still 20 at the time) in the Meijin prelims for another 71-year gap. It needs some work with birthdays to settle the issue.

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Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21

As medical science continues to improve, people will live longer and longer and remain mentally active and alert to very old ages. We'll probably see 100-year age differences at some point!

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Poka King of the south east.

Never mind the birthdays, what we all want to know is who won??

Sadly for us old guys, the younger generation scored again. Tsuneishi beat Sugiuchi, but then lost to Hoshino Masaki 8p and so did not advance to the 'A' preliminary round.

_________________
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21

Need I say that I couldn't resist when time became available?
Sugiuchi Kazuko (6-Mar-1927) vs. Fujisawa Rina (18-Sep-1998) = 71 years 6 months and 2 days
Sugiuchi Masao (20-Oct-1920) vs. Fujita Akihito (8-Nov-1991) = 71 years 0 months and 19 days; they played in the 60th Oza preliminaries
Sugiuchi Masao (20-Oct-1920) vs. Ito Masashi (22-Jul-1991) = 70 years 9 months and 2 days; they played in the 18th Ryusei preliminaries
Sugiuchi Masao (20-Oct-1920) vs. Tsuneishi Takashi (14-May-1991) = 70 years 6 months and 24 days
Sugiuchi Masao (20-Oct-1920) vs. Xei Yimin (16-Nov-1989) = 69 years 0 months and 27 days
There are actually several more games for Masao against vintage 88-89 youngsters but we shall draw the curtain here. Unfortunately it seems that the Sugiuchi's have not beaten anyone 70 or more years their junior... yet!

_________________
Dave Sigaty
"Short-lived are both the praiser and the praised, and rememberer and the remembered..."
- Marcus Aurelius; Meditations, VIII 21