is a professional Go

Go (board game)

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

 player

Go players

This page gives an overview of well-known players of the game of Go throughout the ages. The page has been divided into sections based on the era in which the Go players played and the country in which they played. As this was not necessarily their country of birth, a flag of that country precedes...

.

Biography

Izumi Kobayashi grew up in a family of accomplished Go players. She has joked that she first played Go in her mother's womb. Her father is 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...

, the man who ranks third in number of titles held 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...

. Her maternal grandfather was Kitani Minoru, one of the leading players and probably the greatest Go teacher. Her mother was Reiko Kobayashi née Kitani (1939–1996), 6 dan, who won the All-Japan Women's Championship several times.http://senseis.xmp.net/?KitaniReiko She became a professional go player in 1995, and was promoted to her current rank, 6 dan, in 2004. She is married to 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...

, one of the top players in Japan.

Promotion record

Titles & runners-up

Title	Years Held
Current	9
Women's Honinbo Women's Honinbo The is a Go competition.-Outline:The Women's Honinbo is the female version of the male Honinbo. It is sponsored by the Kyodo News Agency and Sompo Japan Insurance. The winner's purse is 5,800,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2001–2003
Women's Meijin Women's Meijin The Women's Meijin is a Go competition. The Women's Meijin is the female version of the Meijin title. This title is sponsored by Fuji Evening Newspaper and Nippon Life Insurance. The winner's purse is 5,100,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2001, 2003, 2004
Women's Kisei Women's Kisei The Women's Kisei is a Go competition.- Outline :The Women's Kisei is sponsored by NTT DoCoMo, and uses a hayago format, unlike the male Kisei, which uses an eight hour thinking time format. The winner's purse is 3,500,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	1998, 1999
Women's Saikyo Women's Saikyo The Women's Saikyo is a Go competition.-Outline:The Women's Saikyo is sponsored by Tokyo Seimitsu. The winner's purse 4,500,000 .-Past winners:...	2005
Defunct	1
Women's JAL Super Hayago Women's JAL Super Hayago The Women's JAL Super Hayago was a Go competition.-Outline:The Women's JAL Super Hayago was sponsored by Japan Airlines. The winner's purse was 2,500,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2004

Title	Years Lost
Current	6
Women's Honinbo Women's Honinbo The is a Go competition.-Outline:The Women's Honinbo is the female version of the male Honinbo. It is sponsored by the Kyodo News Agency and Sompo Japan Insurance. The winner's purse is 5,800,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	1999, 2004
Women's Meijin Women's Meijin The Women's Meijin is a Go competition. The Women's Meijin is the female version of the Meijin title. This title is sponsored by Fuji Evening Newspaper and Nippon Life Insurance. The winner's purse is 5,100,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2000, 2002, 2005
Women's Kisei Women's Kisei The Women's Kisei is a Go competition.- Outline :The Women's Kisei is sponsored by NTT DoCoMo, and uses a hayago format, unlike the male Kisei, which uses an eight hour thinking time format. The winner's purse is 3,500,000 Yen .-Past winners:...	2000
Defunct	3
Women's Kakusei Women's Kakusei The Women's Kakusei was a Go competition.-Past winners:...	1996, 1999, 2001