Sakata's Thoughts on Go, Maturity & Being a Strong Player

[logan]

This excerpt is from the Go World article, The Magnificent Obsession: Sakata Eio and Go, Part 2. At the time Sakata was 70 years of age and reflecting back on his style and the game in general.

To me the game of go is like a marathon. It is a long, drawn out contest that poses obstacles that must be overcome at every step of the way. From the opening through the middle game into the endgame play proceeds at a slow but inexorable pace. Often the win is undecided until the very end of the game. In the world of sports go most resembles the marathon, that most solitary competition, and although go also contains intellectual and artistic elements, on a basic level it is played out by lone individuals.

For those of us who have devoted our lives to mastering the nuances of go, it has been essential to recognize that one fact: a player is absolutely isolated during a game with no source of strength to draw upon but that which resides within himself. If one does not accept this fact one cannot expect to be successful. In go one must find a move that one believes in and then accept the responsibility for playing it. An overly dependent person or someone easily cowed by authority would find it difficult to display the full scope of his powers. However, if one is resigned to the solitary nature of the game, one develops the character and stamina to handle the pressure and this in turn sharpens one's technical skills.

But technical skills alone are clearly insufficient for success. Top players today are more or less evenly matched. Each has his own strengths and weaknesses, but in terms of their overall level of skill the difference is negligible. However, some enjoy much greater practical success than others; obviously outstanding technique is not enough to guarantee that one will win games.

If I may extend the marathon analogy perhaps a bit beyond the context of Sakata's, I also find that the players I admire more with the passage of time are those whose careers and successes have acquired marathon-like qualities, such as masters Cho Chikun, Rin Kaiho, Hashimoto Utaro, Fujisawa Hideyuki, and Cho Hunhyun. While on the other hand I am reluctant to lavish too high of praise on players such as Lee Sedol and Iyama Yuta until I see where they are in 20-years time (should I be as fortunate to live that long). After all, life is a marathon as well.

[oren]

If I may extend the marathon analogy perhaps a bit beyond the context of Sakata's, I also find that the players I admire more with the passage of time are those whose careers and successes have acquired marathon-like qualities, such as masters Cho Chikun, Rin Kaiho, Hashimoto Utaro, Fujisawa Hideyuki, and Cho Hunhyun. While on the other hand I am reluctant to lavish too high of praise on players such as Lee Sedol and Iyama Yuta until I see where they are in 20-years time (should I be as fortunate to live that long). After all, life is a marathon as well.

I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think there's questioning Lee Sedol's credentials. Even if he retired today, he was extraordinarily successful on the international stage and changed the way go was played.

Of course no matter what Iyama will be remembered as the first to 6 big titles at the same time(Maybe dwarfed if someone gets to 7). He has 17 of the big titles won already. Rin Kaiho got to 21. Cho Chikun is still far ahead, but I can't imagine Iyama not passing everyone but Cho easily. However, all of this is done when Japan is not the major world player which will have some effect on history.

[jeromie]

That's a wonderful excerpt; thanks for sharing.

I share your admiration for those who are able to perform at a high level for a long time, but I also find joy in watching those who are at the top of the go world even if their success does not endure quite as long. To continue the long distance running analogy, there was something joyful about the career of Steve Prefontaine despite its brevity. His life was cut short by tragedy, but I'm not sure his "all-in" attitude was sustainable for a lifetime of running. I'll be curious to see if Lee Sedol's style can be sustained as he grows older; it certainly *looks* exhausting to play that way!

[DrStraw]

How can this thread have go so far without a mention of the longevity of Go Seigen?

[hyperpape]

I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think there's questioning Lee Sedol's credentials. Even if he retired today, he was extraordinarily successful on the international stage and changed the way go was played.

Of course no matter what Iyama will be remembered as the first to 6 big titles at the same time(Maybe dwarfed if someone gets to 7). He has 17 of the big titles won already. Rin Kaiho got to 21. Cho Chikun is still far ahead, but I can't imagine Iyama not passing everyone but Cho easily. However, all of this is done when Japan is not the major world player which will have some effect on history.

With regards to Iyama and Rin, that's not a straightforward comparison: http://senseis.xmp.net/?BigTitles#toc5.

[oren]

With regards to Iyama and Rin, that's not a straightforward comparison: http://senseis.xmp.net/?BigTitles#toc5.

In what way? I didn't use that chart, but it does match my numbers for big titles.

[ez4u]

With regards to Iyama and Rin, that's not a straightforward comparison: http://senseis.xmp.net/?BigTitles#toc5.

In what way? I didn't use that chart, but it does match my numbers for big titles.

Any comparison based on that page or that comes up with similar numbers seems like nonsense. We can not compare across time while ignoring obsolete titles.

[hyperpape]

Yeah, there were only 4 of the current big titles for a chunk of Rin's career. If you count all official titles, he's ahead by 10 or so, I think.

[oren]

Yeah, there were only 4 of the current big titles for a chunk of Rin's career. If you count all official titles, he's ahead by 10 or so, I think.

True. I'll say I'm wrong here.

I shouldn't have used any numbers.

In "career success" I think he'll easily be above anyone but Cho Chikun in "modern" Japanese Go.