■The 3rd Game and The Semifinal

The Semifinals Begin

This tournament entered the stage of the semifinals while 16 pairs' joy and sorrow alternated from the start.

In the waiting room, the pair of Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda was having a close discussion again. They were looking at some sheets, which were the records of the games played by their next opponent, the pair of Ms. Kobayashi and Mr. Yamashita.

In the Ricoh Cup, the records of each game is input in a personal computer and printed on recycled paper with Ricoh's copying machine "Imagio" so that the records are available to the visiting fans.

This is why Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda were able to study their opponent's games with the records. Their conversation was hardly audible but I was able to hear Mr. Yoda saying, "They will certainly get into a corner….."

Oza Mr. Cho told 5-dan Ms. Inori, "You don't have to be so aggressive. We can win even if you play as usual." Mr. Cho seemed to be concerned about her aggressiveness which might lead to reckless play.

The semifinals were matched between the pair of Ms. Inori and Mr. Cho and the pair of Ms. Chinen and Mr. Imamura and between the pair of Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda and Ms. Kobayashi and Mr. Yamashita.

In the semifinals, 5-dan Ms. Inori played very modestly probably because Mr. Cho's advice worked too well. On the contrary, their opponent pair, Ms. Chinen and Mr. Imaura, played aggressively. Mr. Cho must have felt that he and his partner were too easy on the opponent. He suddenly began to make aggressive moves one after another. "Oza Mr. Cho made this game a confused one although he had been concerned about Ms. Inori's recklessness," said the commentator, laughing. Mr. Cho revealed his fighting spirit almost desperately in an unfavorable position. As I went to the section of this game, I found that Mr. Cho was blushing, tearing his hair in rage. He struck his head with the folding fan in his hand and bit a handkerchief. He looked completely concentrating on the game as if he had been playing in the last game of a title match. Next to him, Ms. Inori also was playing earnestly. Ms. Inori has a lot of fans because of the smile she always wears on her face. But whenever playing at the Go board, she shows professional seriousness. The spectators kept watching this hot game breathlessly.

The pair of Ms. Chinen and Mr. Imamura also fought back to keep their favorable position by controlling the opponent's attacks. However, it was difficult for them to continue holding on because it was hayago (game with a short thinking time) as well as a pair game. Finally, they made a mistake, which caused their stones to be captured when they were attacking the opponent during a battle.

When the game ended, Oza Mr. Cho said, "I almost gave up this game. I didn't expect at all that we could capture those stones." The four players' faces were blushed. An applause naturally arose from the spectators who had watched the exciting game.

In contrast, the game between the pair of Ms. Kobayashi and Mr. Yamashita and the pair of Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda proceeded at a slow pace. Both Ms. Kobayashi and Mr. Yamashita are good at delivering attacks. However, in this game, their attempts for attacks were not successful since the opponent pair skillfully prevented them from making attacks. They were not able to display their strength. The pair of Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda tactically played less severely in the initial stage and allowed the opponent to gain an area in the initial stage. However, Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda occupied a large area on the right side in the middle stage. "It's Mr. Yoda's style of playing Go. I can't believe that Mr. Yoda is playing with his partner," said Mr. Redmond with a surprise. On the whole, the pair of Ms. Kusunoki and Mr. Yoda steadily won the game although there was a scene of hot battles temporarily.

Thus, the two pairs have advanced to the finals. They have declared their determination as follows:

Mr. Cho: "I'll give up the New Year holidays to prepare for the finals."

Mr. Yoda: "I could never be in more tune with my partner. I don't feel at all we would lose."

The finals will be held on Sunday, January 27, 2002 at the Garden Hall in Ebisu, Tokyo.

by Taeko Ishii, Go game reporter