Japanese chess | "Celebrity Warrior" Ohtake hero

Original address: https://mainichi.jp/articles/20211215/org/00m/040/005000c

Akira Hara: Hideo Otake, a master war man, builds an era with his own aesthetic

From: Daily News

Note: After the retirement of Hero Otake yesterday, the Daily News reissued this article, which was written on March 29, 2012.

Under the Kyutani Gate, the Ohtake Hero is a special being. In total, it has won 4 celebrity titles and 48 championships. The original Go philosophy that implements the "Great Bamboo Aesthetics" is still active in the chess world this year, even at the age of 69.

When he was young, he and Lin Haifeng, who was the same age, were called "bamboo forest" and attracted much attention. Lin Haifeng won the celebrity title from Einan Sakata in 1965, at the age of 23, and in 1968, he won the title of Ben infang, far ahead of Hero Otake.

Hero Otake received his first title in 1967 (the first decision of the Japanese Chess Academy). In 1968, he defended the championship of the event and also won the NHK Cup, and thought it would be a smooth and plump sail, but in front of Lin Haifeng, the strength was still a little worse. After that, he was caught up by the younger generation of the same door, Yoshio Ishida, and after winning the title of Ben in 1971, he opened the continuous hegemony mode.

In 1975, Hero Otake finally completed the big thing. Facing Yoshio Ishida in the Celebrity War, he won his first two-day title with 4 wins and 3 losses. After 4 days, he still received the title of throne from Yoshio Ishida, who was 33 years old at the same time, holding three crowns at the same time as the first title in Japan.

After receiving the title of celebrity, Hero Otake performed even more prominently as if he wanted to get back his previous losses in one fell swoop. Especially in the celebrity war, 24 times into the circular circle, 12 of which entered the chess stage, and finally won 4 (75, 76, 78, 79 years) celebrity titles, known as the "man of the celebrity war". Since then, he has also received 6 consecutive years of Qisheng (80-85 years), and now holds the title of honorary Shengsheng.

In the Battle of Honinbo, he faced Masaki Takemiya in the 43rd episode of the 1988 Game, but lost seven games. Although he entered the circle of loops a total of 13 times, he seemed to have no luck in the stage of the Battle of Ben infang, and Hero Otake also said: "I feel that I have no fate with The Battle of Beninfang".

Attach importance to chess types, do not want to play meaningless chess, or useless chess. He even said, "I don't want to die like this." It is precisely because it transcends victory and defeat and pursues beauty, so it is called "big bamboo aesthetics".

In December 2008, he became the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Japan Chess Academy and began operating Japanese Go. Hideo Otake said, "It is necessary for the Japanese chess academy and the Kansai chess academy to become one. Then it is necessary to add a Go school." Dreams are being amplified infinitely.