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This year, too, the MC was Ms. Miyoko Goto.
As usual, the way to do lottery is that the professionals go up on the stage one by one and pick 1 ball each with a sign written from a male and a female boxes. |
The first pair which was chosen was the youngest male and female pair, Imin Shei Women's Honinbo / Women's Meijin and Yuta Iyama 8dan.
I do not need to tell you but the audience was shouting "Ohh". Iyama 8dan is the youngest to be a challenger in the Meijin title match and at the moment, he is playing the 7th game with U Cho Meijin / Gosei. He is 19 years old and everyone in Japan is taking notice of him. Shei Women's Honinbo / Women's Meijin seems to be getting all the women's title but we have just found out that she is strong from the championship last year when she came 2nd. Really, only at the Ricoh Cup can one see such pairings that are typical of the all star game. |
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Later on, gradually, pairings which were "exciting", using a word from Mr. Hamada, were decided. I will tell you about the participating professionals' speeches and their ambitions before the pairings were decided. |
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Kazuko Konishi 8dan said, "In the Ricoh Cup, the amount of participating time is a lot (laugh) so I would like to make good use of my experiment. I will do my best at the Mind Spots Game at Beijing."
Konishi 8dan's partner, Norimoto Yoda 9dan, was decided.
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| Kaori Chinen 4dan said, "I hope my partner will be a strong sensei (audience laughed). I will draw wishing that." Her wish came true: Chinen 4dan's partner is Satoru Kobayashi 9dan. |
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Kana Mannnami 4dan said, "Thank you for letting me participate in the Ricoh Cup many times. But so far, my partners were Yamashita Kisei/Oza , Takao Jyu dan and Satoru Kobayashi 9dan who are strong sensei but by my mistakes, I lost badly. This time, I will do my best."
Mannami 4dan draw Keigo Yamashita Kisei / Oza again.
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Ayumi Suzuki 4dan said, "Every year, I do well only at the Ricoh Cup (laugh). I suppose I am good in Pair Go (audience laughed). I hope to be dependent on others and to do my best."
The pairing of Suzuki 4dan and Koichi Kobayashi 9dan is the 2nd time in a row. |
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Naoki Hane Honinbo said, "At Ricoh Cup, my result is always not good but this year, I will try my best. Every year, I plan to keep my schedule free for the 2 weeks of the Ricoh Cup but in the end, those 2 weeks have always been free (laugh). This year, I hope to come to Tokyo twice in 2 weeks."
Hane Honinbo's partner is Keiko Kato Women's Saikyo.
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Rin Kono Tengen said, "This is my 3rd time to participate but last year, my partner was Imin Shei and we came 2nd. We lost in the final and I did not expect to get so depressed so this year, I want revenge."
Kono Tengen's partner this year is Mika Yoshida 8dan from Kansai Ki-in. |
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Yokoku So 8dan said, "This is my first time to participate in this championship. Thank you very much. It is the first time for me so I do not have much experience in Pair Go and I am weak in Go so I hope to have a strong partner (audience laughed).
So 8dan's hope came true and his partner, Kumiko Yashiro 5dan, was decided.
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Iso Ko 7dan said, "It was my first time to participate last year but I enjoyed it very much and I remember that I was disappointed when I lost. My partner was Yukari Umezawa so, really, I enjoyed more than usual games many times more (audience laughed). This year, too, I hope to have a young female professional partner (big audience laugh). I hope that I enjoy myself again this year."
Ko 7dan's partner, Emi Koyama 5dan, is decided.
By the way, later on, Yoshio Ishida 9dan and Tomoko Ogawa 6dan were teasing Ko 7dan about what he said, "have a young female professional partner" When Ishida 9dan asked, "You are not happy with Koyama 5dan?", Ko 7dan answered immediately with a big smile, "I am happy!!"
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| Now, the other pairings are as below. Strong pair, interesting pair... I wonder which pairs will proceed to the final. |
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