Iyama 9p finding it?

[oren]

News that he lost to Kono Rin in the NHK already leaked on blogs in Japan.

Well, there goes spoilers for two games right there.

[macelee]

Surely will Iyama participate the Ing Cup this year? It is held every 4 years.

[Uberdude]

Surely will Iyama participate the Ing Cup this year? It is held every 4 years.

I hope so! The winner's prize is more than the Kisei so the "international tournament prizes are less than Japanese ones and he's just following the money" excuse/reason doesn't hold up here.

[oren]

I hope so! The winner's prize is more than the Kisei so the "international tournament prizes are less than Japanese ones and he's just following the money" excuse/reason doesn't hold up here.

Yes, but not annoying the sponsors of the big domestic ones is still there. I'm guessing a lot will still depend on schedule.

[macelee]

I hope so! The winner's prize is more than the Kisei so the "international tournament prizes are less than Japanese ones and he's just following the money" excuse/reason doesn't hold up here.

Yes, but not annoying the sponsors of the big domestic ones is still there. I'm guessing a lot will still depend on schedule.

The Japanese sponsors really need to learn to be flexible. I notice that one top Taiwanese player has to give up his right to play the GLOBIS Cup because the conflicting schedule with the Ing Cup (he made good progress in Taiwan's qualifying events on both tournaments).

[ez4u]

Surely will Iyama participate the Ing Cup this year? It is held every 4 years.

I hope so! The winner's prize is more than the Kisei so the "international tournament prizes are less than Japanese ones and he's just following the money" excuse/reason doesn't hold up here.

I hope he plays too and I believe that there is considerable pressure on him domestically to show the flag for Japan. However, from a professional point of view, it would be foolish to upset a domestic sponsor or even spend the time on a once every four years event where the structure of the tournament gives him little chance of winning and no better chance of repeating four years hence. That is assuming that he has conflicting claims on his time from domestic events.

[Uberdude]

Iyama vs Yu Zhengqi broadcasting on wbaduk now. Complicated ko going on but I feel he could be behind atm.

[Elom]

Must technically be the biggest games he's played so far... the potential.

[ez4u]

It seems Iyama won by resignation to become challenger. The first game will be in March.

[Uberdude]

I was puzzled by Yu's solid connection at j12, giving Iyama a chance to attack the eyeshape of his group. Was the safer j10 instead really so bad? It does give black slightly better endgame at the top side, or the peep at k12, but the move he played gave Iyama a chance to engineer an attack which exploited the weaknesses of his right side formation.

[jeromie]

It's not as exciting as the upcoming AlphaGo match, and perhaps loses a little bit of shine with Iyama's recent loss in the Nongshim Cup, but he did win the first match of the Judan:

[wineandgolover]

It's not as exciting as the upcoming AlphaGo match, and perhaps loses a little bit of shine with Iyama's recent loss in the Nongshim Cup, but he did win the first match of the Judan:

Hard to count territories that big!

[Elom]

It's unfortunate that such a momentous event has lined up with another. But the second game is well after tomorrows AlhpaGo match at least. I wouldn't be sure of setting the 14th of april as a date; Ida 8p knows he's the last stronghold right now and the pride of all the Japanese pros (and the Kansai Kiin) lies on his shoulders (probably exaggerating, but almost every of the few title match interviews I remember seeing recently mention something relating to the need to stop Iyama Yuuta!).

[Temp]

I actually replayed that first game for the title when it came out and still somewhat remember it. It was a pretty amazing moyo game for Iyama. He was white and still built the better moyo in the beginning. Ida seemed to play a couple slow moves at the beginning allowing Iyama to build a larger moyo and Ida was at a disadvantage from the beginning after that.

[Uberdude]

I saw on Wbaduk today that Iyama had lost a game, to some 4p Chinese name with a Japanese flag I didn't recognise: Hsu Chiayuan. Turns out this is Kyo Kagen, the young pro from Taiwan who I recall ez4u's reporting from mamumamu's site had a rating higher than the average 9p. It was the Champion of Tournaemnt Winners tournament so doesn't derail Iyama's hopes of getting the big 7, but shows he's not invincible in Japan.