The NEC Cup is a Go competition, supported by NEC Corporation.

Biography

The NEC Cup is a Go competition used by the Japanese Nihon-Kiin. Unlike the big three titles in Japan, the NEC Cup is a single knockout

Knockout

A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

 tournament where players have less time to think. The field of challengers is 16. The challengers are invited depending on who is the holders of Kisei

Kisei

The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...

, Meijin

Meijin

Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...

, Honinbo

Honinbo

Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....

, Judan

Judan (Go)

The Judan —which can be translated as "10 dan"—is a Go competition in Japan. It is one of the seven major professional titles.-Biography:...

, Tengen

Tengen (Go)

Tengen is the name of a Go competition in Japan.The name Tengen refers to the center point on a Go board.The event is held annually, and has run continuously since its inauguration in 1975....

, Oza

Oza

is a title in Go. The association that holds this title is the Japanese Nihon Ki-in.-Outline:Recently, the format for the tournament was changed to a best of five. The challenger is decided in a tournament of 16 players, other than the title player. The winner's purse is ¥14 million .-Past winners...

, Gosei, NHK Cup, JAL Super Hayago Championship

JAL Super Hayago Championship

The JAL Super Hayago Championship is a Nihon-Kiin Go competition. This tournament was created after the Hayago Championship and Kakusei titles were merged. The winner's purse is 5,000,000 Yen .-Past winners:...

, NEC Shun-Ei

NEC Shun-Ei

The NEC Shun-Ei was a Nihon-Kiin Go competition.-Outline:The NEC Shun-Ei was made for young stars and was sponsored by the NEC Corporation. The winner's purse was 3,000,000 Yen -Winners:...

 and the top finishers from the last NEC Cup. The winner is awarded with 15,000,000 Yen ($130,000).

Past winners

Player	Years Held
Takemiya Masaki	1982, 1986
Sakata Eio	1983
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...	1984, 1985, 2000, 2001
Otake Hideo	1987, 1989, 1996
Ishida Yoshio	1988
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...	1990
Kato Masao	1991, 1992, 1997
Yoda Norimoto	1993, 1998, 2002
Komatsu Hideki	1994
Kobayashi Koichi	1995, 1999, 2004
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:**...	2003
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...	2005, 2007
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...	2006
Kono Rin	2008, 2010
Hane Naoki	2009