by John Power
NOTE: This series of reports covers the second half of 2025. The order is based on the date of the final deciding game in the tournament.
Shibano wins Meijin League
To go fans, it looked as if Iyama Yuta Oza had victory in the 50th Meijin League sewn up: after six games, his score was 6-0, and there was no player with only one loss. He just had to win one of his two remaining games to secure the right to challenge for the title. However, the unthinkable happened and he lost both of them, one to Yo Seiki 8-dan and the other to Hirose Yuichi 7-dan. That meant that he ended up on 6-2, tied for the lead with Shibano Toramaru Judan, Kyo Kagen 9-dan, and league newcomer Fukuda Kotaro 7-dan. However, the rule is that only the two higher-ranked players in a multiple tie qualify for a play-off. They were Shibano, number one in the league, and Iyama, number three. Shibano probably considered himself lucky, as he had made a bad start, being 2-2 after four rounds, but he won the rest of his games.
The final round was played on July 21; the play-off was held on July 24. Taking white, Shibano beat Iyama by resig.
Kyo and Fukuda finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Yo Seiki 8-dan (5-3) was 5th; the other players, Hirose (5-3), Murakawa Daisuke 9-dan (2-6), and Yamashita Keigo 9-dan (1-7) and Seki Kotaro 9-dan (1-7), all lost their seats. (The rule was changed as of the 49th league: the bottom four drop out, not just the bottom three.)
Just for reference, Murakawa regained his seat in the 51st league; the newcomers are Ida Atsushi 9-dan, Motoki Katsuya 9-dan, and Kuwabara Itsuki 7-dan (see the article on promotions later in my report).
Hikosaka wins 4th Teikei Group Legends Tournament
The final of this tournament for veteran players was held in the Ryusei Studio in the Nihon Ki-in on August 2. Hikosaka Naoto 9-dan (aged 63) (W) defeated Cho Chikun 9-dan (aged 69) by resig. to win his first title since he won the Judan title in 1998. First prize is worth 5,000,000 yen ($32,467 yen at $1 = 154 yen, as of Feb. 2).
This tournament is for players 60 and over who have won a top-seven title, players who finish high up in the prizemoney list, and the top four place-getters in the 4th Teikei Women’s Legends Tournament. This was decided on April 12, but I neglected to report the result. It was won by Kobayashi Izumi 7-dan (for the second year in a row). Kobayashi reached the semifinals, where she lost to Cho.
Sho wins King of the New Stars
The final of the 50th King of the New Stars featured a clash between two players who hail from Taiwan: Cho Zuiketsu (Zhang Ruijie in pinyin, aged 26) and Sho Gyokuyo (Xiao Yuyang, aged 18; photo). Both players were making their debuts in a title match. The first game was played at the Nihon Ki-in on September 1. Sho made a bad mistake in the opening and was close to collapse, but Cho got nervous and started playing erratically. In the end, he suffered an upset.
The second game was played on September 17, also at the Nihon Ki-in. Sho played well and scored a solid win, so he won his first title. This day was his 19th birthday: he secured the best birthday present with his own hands. His good form continued and he scored 41 wins to ten losses in 2025.
Ichiriki wins Agon Kiriyama Cup
The final of the 32nd Agon Kiriyama Cup was played at the Nihon Ki-in in Tokyo on October 1. It featured the same pairing as last year: Ichiriki Ryo vs. Shibano Toramaru. Once again, the former prevailed: taking white, he secured a resignation after 166 moves. Ichiriki has now won this title three times in a row and four times overall.
Wang wins Kuksu Mountains
The 11th Kuksu Mountains, a Korean-sponsored international tournament, was held in Shinan-gun in Korea from September 30 to October 2. Sixteen players took part in the tournament, which is a four-round knock-out: eight from the host country, three each from Japan and China, and two from Chinese Taipei. In the final, Wang Xinghao, ranked number one in China, took white and defeated An Sungjoon of Korea, who was ranked fourth in Korea as of October.
The time allowance is 30 minutes plus byo-yomi of 40 seconds three times. First prize is 100,000,000 won ($68,540 at $1 = 1459 won, as of Feb. 2). Results are given below.
Round 1 (Sept. 30, morning). Wang Xinghao 9-dan (China) beat Park Junghwan 9-dan (Korea); Park Sangjin 9-dan (Korea) beat Lai Junfu 9-dan (Ch. Taipei); Kim Myonghoon 9-dan (Korea) beat Liao Yuanhe 9-dan (China); Li Weiqing 9-dan (China) beat Shin Minjun 9-dan (Korea); Kyo Kagen 9-dan (Xu Jiayuan) (Japan) (W) beat Park Hyeonsoo 7-dan (Korea) by 3.5 points; An Sungjoon 9-dan (Korea) (W) beat Fukuoka Kotaro 7-dan (Japan) by resig.; Yo Seiki (Yu Chengqi) 8-dan (Japan) (B) beat Kang Tongyoon 9-dan (Korea) by resig.; Byun Sangil 9-dan (Korea) beat Wang Yuanjun 9-dan (Ch. Taipei).
Round 2 (Sept. 30, afternoon). Wang beat Park; Kim beat Li; An (B) beat Kyo by resig.; Byun (W) beat Yo by resig.
Semifinals (Oct. 1). Wang beat Kim; An beat Byun.
Final (Oct. 2). Wang (B) beat An by 1.5 points.
Next instalment: A new international event, the Yangming Cup, highlights China’s growing strength.
Coming up:
Ichiriki’s remarkable run continues as he adds to his collection of major titles.
Team competitions, upsets, and international rivalries shape the year’s final stretch.
Rising stars, promotions, and farewells bring the year to a close.
A look back at a year of shifting balance—and ahead to what 2026 may bring.