The Honinbo is a Go competition.

Outline

It is the oldest Go

Go (board game)

Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...

 title in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Sponsored by Mainichi Shimbun

Mainichi Shimbun

The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by .-History:The history of the Mainichi Shimbun begins with founding of two papers during the Meiji period. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun was founded first, in 1872. The Mainichi claims that it is the oldest existing Japanese daily newspaper...

, the Honinbo pays out ¥32 million ($415,000 (as of 2 October 2011)). The holder is challenged by whoever wins the round robin league. Players can get into the round robin league by going through many preliminary

Preliminary

Preliminary may refer to:*Preliminary internships*Preliminary English Test*Preliminary examination*Preliminary finals*Preliminary hearing*Preliminary Multistate Bar Review*Preliminary Notice...

 tournaments. Once there is a challenger to compete against the holder, the winner is decided through a best of seven match. The games are played over two days and each player is given eight hours of thinking time. If a player qualifies for the Kisei league, they are automatically promoted to 7 dan

Dan rank

The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...

. If that same player wins the league, a promotion to 8 dan is given. If that same player goes on to winning the title, they are promoted to 9 dan, the highest rank.

Past winners and runners-up

Year	Winner	Score	Runner-up
1941 1st Honinbo The 1st Honinbo was the first ever professional Go tournament. Eight players competed for the title. The tournament utilized a makeshift league system where players would play four knockout rounds. At the end of each round, the winning player would receive six points...	Riichi Sekiyama Riichi Sekiyama Riichi Sekiyama was a Japanese professional go player. Born in Hyogo, Riichi became a student of Tamejiro Suzuki in 1924 and turned professional a year later in 1925. He won the first ever Honinbo title in 1941. However, he was unable to defend his title against Utaro Hashimoto in 1943 and was...	3–3*	Shin Kato Shin Kato Shin Kato was a Japanese professional go player. Born in Tokyo, Kato became a student of Hirose Heijiro in 1907. He turned professional a year later with the Hoensha. He was promoted to 8 dan in 1942. He participated in the 1st Honinbo tournament where he finished runner-up to Riichi...
1943 2nd Honinbo The 2nd Honinbo took place in 1943, two years after the first edition. The previous winner was Riichi Sekiyama, who was to face the winner of a four player league to decide the winner of the tournament. Utaro Hashimoto won the league and the first two games of the final, but Sekiyama had to forfeit...	Utaro Hashimoto Utaro Hashimoto was a professional Go player.- Biography :Hashimoto became a pro in 1922 when he was 15. He would win the Honinbō 3 times before finally reaching 9p in 1954. He founded the Kansai Ki-in in 1950.- Titles and runner-ups:...	2–0	Riichi Sekiyama
1945	Kaoru Iwamoto Kaoru Iwamoto ,also known as Honinbo Kunwa, was a Japanese professional Go player who achieved the rank of 9-dan.- Biography :Iwamoto was born in Masuda of the Shimane prefecture, Japan.During his childhood he spent several years in Busan, Korea ,...	3–3 (2–0)**	Utaro Hashimoto
1947	Kaoru Iwamoto	3–2	Minoru Kitani Minoru Kitani was one of the most celebrated professional Go players and teachers of the game of Go in the twentieth century in Japan.- Biography :He earned the nickname "the Prodigy" after winning a knockout tournament. He defeated eight opponents from the Kiseisha in a row during 1928. He played a celebrated...
1950	Utaro Hashimoto	4–0	Kaoru Iwamoto
1951	Utaro Hashimoto	4–3	Eio Sakata Eio Sakata was a professional 9-dan Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Sakata became a professional Go player in 1935. His first title match was the Hon'inbō in 1951 when he challenged Hashimoto Utaro. At the time, Hon'inbō started the Kansai Ki-in, so Sakata was under pressure to win the title back...
1952	Kaku Takagawa Kaku Takagawa , also known as , was one of the most successful professional Go players of the twentieth century.- Biography :Kaku Takagawa won the Honinbō title nine times in a row, from 1952 to 1960, and was subsequently awarded the permanent title of Honorary Honinbo. He then chose Shukaku as his Honinbō name....	4–1	Utaro Hashimoto
1953	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Minoru Kitani
1954	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Masao Suguichi Masao Suguichi is a professional Go player.- Biography :Sugiuchi became a professional in 1941. By 1959, he had reached 9 dan. His nickname is "the God of Go" because of his very serious style. In December 2004, he became the oldest Nihon Ki-in professional to reach 800 career wins. He is married to Sugiuchi...
1955	Kaku Takagawa	4–0	Toshihiro Shimamura Toshihiro Shimamura was a professional Go player.- Biography :Shimamura reached 9 dan in 1960. He was teacher to many players including Hane Yasumasa, Yamashiro Hiroshi, Nakano Hironari, Imamura Yoshiaki, Shimamura Michiro, Shigeno Yuki, and Matsumoto Nayoko....
1956	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Toshihiro Shimamura
1957	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Hosai Fujisawa Hosai Fujisawa was a professional Go player.- Biography :Hosai Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. He was among the best players of the 20th century. He became an insei at the Nihon Ki-in when he was 11 years old. He became one of Honinbō Shūsai's disciples. He was known for a strong sense of will, reading...
1958	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Masao Suguichi
1959	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Minoru Kiatni
1960	Kaku Takagawa	4–2	Hideyuki Fujisawa Hideyuki Fujisawa , also known as Shuko Fujisawa, was a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Hideyuki Fujisawa was born in Yokohama, Japan. He was one of the best players during his era. One of the "Three Crows" along with Yamabe Toshiro and Keizo Suzuki...
1961	Eio Sakata	4–1	Kaku Takagawa
1962	Eio Sakata	4–1	Dogen Handa Dogen Handa also known as Hayami Handa, was a professional Go player.- Biography :Handa grew up as Tamejiro Suzuki's disciple. He would start as a pro in the Nihon Ki-in, but after the Kansai Ki-in's founding, he joined Utaro Hashimoto in the Kansai-Kiin. He became a 9p in 1959.- Titles & runners-up :...
1963	Eio Sakata	4–2	Kaku Takagawa
1964	Eio Sakata	4–0	Kaku Takagawa
1965	Eio Sakata	4–0	Toshiro Yamabe Toshiro Yamabe was a professional Go player.-Biography:Toshiro was a student of Mukai Kazuo from 1941. He became shodan professional at the Nihon Ki-in in 1941, and reached 9 dan in 1969. He was known for his early resignations of games, sometimes claiming that he refused to play on because of his opponents...
1966	Eio Sakata	4–0	Hideyuki Fujisawa
1967	Eio Sakata	4–1	Rin Kaiho Rin Kaiho Rin Kaiho is a professional Go player.-Biography:Rin Kaiho was born in Shanghai, China. He was a student of Go Seigen when Go brought him to Japan in 1952. He was a promising player who won his first title at the age of 23, the Meijin. He is also part of the 1200 win group...
1968	Rin Kaiho	4–3	Eio Sakata
1969	Rin Kaiho	4–2	Masao Kato Masao Kato - Titles and runners-up :Ranks #4 in total amount of titles in Japan.-Books:*Kato's Attack and Kill ISBN 4-87187-027-2*The Chinese Opening ISBN 4-906574-33-5-External links:...
1970	Rin Kaiho	4–0	Eio Sakata
1971	Yoshio Ishida Yoshio Ishida is a professional Go player.- Biography :By the time he was 8, Ishida started learning Go. He was a student at the legendary Kitani Minoru go school. Famous along with his fellow students Cho Chikun, Kobayashi Koichi, Kato Masao, and Takemiya Masaki. Alike his fellow students, he joined the dojo at...	4–2	Rin Kaiho
1972	Yoshio Ishida	4–3	Rin Kaiho
1973	Yoshio Ishida	4–0	Rin Kaiho
1974	Yoshio Ishida	4–3	Masaki Takemiya Masaki Takemiya is a professional Go player.- Biography :Masaki Takemiya was born in Japan. He became one of the many disciples of the Minoru Kitani school. His rise to fame began when he was only 15 years old. By the time he was 15, he was already 5 dan. He earned the nickname "9 dan killer" because he won...
1975	Yoshio Ishida	4–3	Eio Sakata
1976	Masaki Takemiya	4–1	Yoshio Ishida
1977	Masao Kato	4–1	Masaki Takemiya
1978	Masao Kato	4–3	Yoshio Ishida
1979	Masao Kato	4–1	Rin Kaiho
1980	Masaki Takemiya	4–1	Masao Kato
1981	Cho Chikun Cho Chikun Cho Chihun 25th Honinbo Honorary Meijin is a professional Go player. His total title tally of 71 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the only player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row...	4–2	Masaki Takemiya
1982	Cho Chikun	4–2	Koichi Kobayashi Koichi Kobayashi is a Go player.- Biography :Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. He was one of the more famous disciples of the legendary Minoru Kitani; he studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He would go on and marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani , a...
1983	Rin Kaiho	4–3	Cho Chikun
1984	Rin Kaiho	4–1	Shuzo Awaji Shuzo Awaji is a professional Go player.- Biography :Shuzo Awaji became a professional Go player when he was 19 years old. He was promoted to 9 dan after he challenged for the 1984 Honinbo title. Despite challenging for all of the big seven titles in Japan , he has never won any of them.- Titles & runners-up...
1985	Masaki Takemiya	4–1	Rin Kaiho
1986	Masaki Takemiya	4–1	Hiroshi Yamashiro Hiroshi Yamashiro is a professional Go player.- Biography :Yamashiro grew up with Go, as he became a professional in 1972. He would eventually join the Nagoya branch of the Nihon Ki-in. He has challenged for many of Japan's biggest titles, but he hasn't won any of them. He became a 9 dan in 1985, after winning the...
1987	Masaki Takemiya	4–0	Hiroshi Yamashiro
1988	Masaki Takemiya	4–3	Hideo Otake Hideo Otake is a Japanese Go player.- Biography :Otake was born in Kitakyūshū City, Japan. He joined the legendary Kitani Minoru school when he was 9, and quickly rose up the ranks to turn professional in 1956, when he was 14. He progressed swiftly, achieving 9 dan in 1970...
1989	Cho Chikun	4–0	Masaki Takemiya
1990	Cho Chikun	4–3	Koichi Kobayashi
1991	Cho Chikun	4–2	Koichi Kobayashi
1992	Cho Chikun	4–3	Koichi Kobayashi
1993	Cho Chikun	4–1	Hiroshi Yamashiro
1994	Cho Chikun	4–3	Satoshi Kataoka Satoshi Kataoka Satoshi Kataoka is a professional Go player.- Promotion record :- Titles & runners-up :-External Links:**...
1995	Cho Chikun	4–1	Masao Kato
1996	Cho Chikun	4–2	Ryu Shikun Ryu Shikun Ryu Shikun in Seoul, South Korea, is a professional Go player.- Biography :Ryu Shikun is a Go player who grew up in Seoul. He did not move to Japan until he was 15, and just 2 years later he turned professional. He was promoted to 9 dan in 2003.- Titles & runners-up :-External Links:**...
1997	Cho Chikun	4–0	Masao Kato
1998	Cho Chikun	4–2	O Rissei O Rissei Ō Rissei is a professional Go player in Japan.- Biography :Rissei was born in Taiwan and moved to Japan when he was 13 years old; he would become professional the following year. His instructor is Kano Yoshinori.- Titles and runners-up :Ranks #10-t in total amount of titles in Japan.-External...
1999	Cho Sonjin Cho Sonjin Cho Sonjin is a professional Go player.Cho spent 12 years in South Korea before deciding to leave and become a professional in Japan, accomplishing his goal two years later. He was promoted to 9 dan in 1998. In 1999, he defeated Cho Chikun in the Honinbo, ending Chikun's 10 year run with the...	4–2	Cho Chikun
2000	O Meien O Meien O Meien is a professional Go player.- Biography :Meien was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He is known for his quick fuseki and fighting ability. He became a pro in 1977, two years after moving to Japan. He advanced to 9 dan in 1992.- Titles and runners-up :-External Links:**...	4–2	Cho Sonjin
2001	O Meien	4–3	Cho U Cho U Cho U Kisei, Oza is a professional Go player. He currently ranks 6th in the most titles won by a Japanese professional; his NEC Cup win in 2011 put him past his teacher Rin Kaiho and Norimoto Yoda. Cho is the only player in history to have held five of the top seven major titles...
2002	Masao Kato	4–2	O Meien
2003	Cho U	4–2	Masao Kato
2004	Cho U	4–2	Norimoto Yoda Norimoto Yoda is a professional Go player.-Biography:Yoda is a student of Takeo Ando. He has won 34 titles so far in his career, the sixth highest in Japan. He became a professional in 1980, and reached 9 dan in 1993...
2005	Shinji Takao Shinji Takao is a Japanese professional Go player.- Biography :Shinji Takao is one of Japan's best Go players. He turned professional in 1991. He won the Honinbo tournament in 2005 by a half point in the last game...	4–1	Cho U
2006	Shinji Takao	4–2	Kimio Yamada Kimio Yamada is a professional Go player. A territorial player who is adept at invading and living within opponent's spheres of influence, Yamada won his first major title, the Oza, in 1997. He has two older brothers, Shiho Yamada and Wakio Yamada.- Biography :...
2007	Shinji Takao	4–1	Norimoto Yoda
2008	Naoki Hane Naoki Hane is a professional Japanese 9 dan Go player currently affiliated with the Nihon Ki-in. He is both the son, and student, of Yasumasa Hane, who is also a professional 9 dan of the Nihon Ki-in.- Titles and runners-up :-Promotion record:-Awards:...	4–3	Shinji Takao
2009	Naoki Hane	4–2	Shinji Takao
2010	Keigo Yamashita Keigo Yamashita is a professional Go player. Yamashita adopted the name Honinbo Dowa after winning his first Honinbo title in 2010.-Biography:A student of Yasuro Kikuchi, Yamashita turned professional in 1993. He won the 19th Kisei 2 dan division in 1994. Yamashita reached the challenger finals of the Tengen in 1999...	4–1	Naoki Hane
2011 66th Honinbo The 66th Honinbo began league play on 7 October 2010 and completed on July 21, 2011. Title holder Yamashita Keigo retained his title over challenger Hane Naoki by a score of 4-3. Yamashita Keigo won the first three games, Hane Naoki the next three, and Yamashita Keigo the final game. -Preliminary...