Pair Go Ricoh Cup 2000
report

The First and Second Rounds

The Pro Pair Go Ricoh Cup 2000 has started. On December 11, 1999, the first and second round games and the games to win the right to advance to the quarterfinals were held at Ebisu The Garden Hall in Meguro Ward, Tokyo.


Ebisu The Garden Hall

This is the sixth year for this all-star pair match. It has become an established event, and is scheduled to begin in December and continue through January every year. On December 11, more than 800 spectators filled the hall and were fascinated as they watched the pair Go games in an entertaining atmosphere.


The games were opened to the public.
The games were displayed on the monitor.

Mr. Ichiro Yoshikuni, the chairman of the Japan Pair Go Association, and Mr. Seigen Go 9-dan, who acted as the chief judge of this championship, made opening addresses. After the participants were introduced to the audience, the games began.


Ms. Miyoko Goto acted as MC.
Opening address by Mr. Yoshikuni, Chairman of the Japan Pair Go Association and Chairman of the Ricoh Cup Championship
Opening address by Mr. Go, Chief Judge of the Ricoh Cup Championship

(from the left) Mr. Hisao Taki, Council Member and Chief Secretariat of the Japan Pair Go Association and Member of the Ricoh Cup Executive Committee; Mr. Akio Imanaka, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nihon Kiin and Vice-Chairman of the Ricoh Cup Executive Committee; Mr. Hiroshi Hamada, Representative Director and Chairman of Ricoh Co., Ltd. and Chairman of the Ricoh Cup Executive Committee; Mr. Seigen Go, Chief judge of the Ricoh Cup Championship; and Mr. Ichiro Yoshikuni, Chairman of the Japan Pair Go Association and Chairman of the Ricoh Cup Championship

In the first and second rounds, 30 seconds were allotted for each move, and a total of 10-minutes were allowed for each player to consider during each game. This system is applied to all NHK Cup Tournaments.

* Introduction of the players *

The games proceeded smoothly since the players generally made quick moves. When Ms. Hiroko Shinkai, one of the best female pro players, reached the hall to watch the games about 40 minutes after the opening, some games were already in their latter stages. "I had intended to watch the games from the beginning," she expressed some regret.

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