Japan has been playing the role of Go hegemony for more than half a century since the mid-20th century, during which Zhao Zhixun, known as the "record-making machine", is undoubtedly the brightest star, and some of his records are currently being impacted.
The most representative and precious record of Zhao Zhixun's career is the "longest record of the longest consecutive hegemony of Ben yinfang". From 1989 to 1998, Zhao Zhixun won the most historical professional chess tournament in Japan, the Honinfang Battle, for 10 consecutive years. The 10 consecutive championships are not only the longest consecutive championship records of the Honinfang Battle, but also the longest consecutive championship records in the history of all Japanese professional chess battles. Even Takakawa Ge Jiudan, known as the "Master of Seven Victories and Defeats", stopped at the Nine Consecutive Hegemons of The Ben infung Battle.
Cho Hyun-hyun's 16 consecutive championships (1977-1993) and Ma Xiaochun's 13 consecutive championships (1989-01) are the longest consecutive championships in professional chess tournaments in South Korea and China. Although the record set by Cho Ji-hoon in Japan lags behind the first two in terms of numbers, considering the background of the times, it is rated as higher than the record between China and South Korea in terms of overall difficulty.
Now, the first person in Japan, Yuta Iyama, has finally begun to threaten Cho's long-held record of consecutive hegemony. He defeated Shibano Tiger Maru 4-1 last year to achieve a 9-game winning streak in Honinbo, and this year he also launched a title defense battle with the professional Tiger Maru again. At present, the third set of seven pieces is played, with Yuta Iyama trailing 1-2, and the fourth game will be played on June 10 and 11. At present, Jingshan still holds four of the seven titles, including Qisheng.
However, in the number of career championships, Zhao Zhixun still stuck to the first place with a large advantage. As of the 7th of this month, Cho Ji-hoon has won the go professional championship 75 times in his career (except for the 2018 Korea Veteran Chess Tournament Continental Cup). He has not let the record go unpunished for 20 consecutive years since 2002. The late Sakata Einan Kudan was second with 64 titles, followed by Yuta Iyama with 63 titles.
Although it is difficult to predict when Yuta Iyama will be able to catch up with Zhao Zhixun's record, it is conceivable that the gap between the two sides is bound to become smaller and smaller. Jingshan won 3 crowns in 2019 and 5 crowns in 2020. Although it is not like the previous 6 to 8 championships per year, it still maintains a relatively stable state. Jingshan will then launch a challenge like a Liliao from June 26 to compete for the Qi Jihad.
Zhao Zhixun has not always stood still. Although he has not won the title of Seven Grand Prix since winning the 45th Ten Dan Battle in 2007. But after 2011, he won four more championships in Japan, where he was over 50 years old and could only be won by seven major professional champions.
Cho and Yuta Iyama set many major records at different times, far apart. Cho Ji-hoon and Iyama first achieved the titles of Chess Saint, Celebrity, and Honin-fang, known as the "Three Crowns of Japan", in 1983 and 2013, respectively. Zhao Zhixun won the title of Tianyuan Battle in 1987, becoming the first chess player to reach the "Grand Slam" record, and Yuta Iyama won the title of "Full Champion" in 2016 in 7 major chess battles.
The age difference between the two is exactly 33 years, which is the age gap of one generation. If this year, Yuta Iyama is still in the situation of "like the sun in the sky", then Zhao Zhixun is a former giant who left a long shadow under the sunset. It is impossible for these two players to distinguish between high and low in the same latitude, and the career results of the two (Iyama 7 wins and 5 losses) can only be used as reference materials.
However, by collating the records of the past years and comparing the achievements of the masters, it is both the exclusive right of chess fans and a joy. Under the strong challenge of Yuta Iyama, how long will Cho Ji-hoon be able to maintain the record of the most personal championships and the most consecutive championships?
This article is translated from a column by Lee Hong-yeol of South Korea's JoongAng Daily