All Things Go

Yasui Sanchi (Meijin) vs. Honinbo Doetsu

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Yasui Sanchi and Honinbo Doetsu played what was supposed to be a 60-game challenge match for Meijin, and this video will be about the 11th game, played as a Castle Game.

Honinbo Doetsu was the 3rd Honinbo, and he was a 7-dan. Doetsu was also the teacher of the famous Honinbo Dosaku, who was already a strong player at this time.

Yasui Sanchi was the 2nd Yasui, and he was the Meijin, which equals a 9-dan. The 2-rank difference meant a 1 stone handicap, so Doetsu had to play with Black.

This was Sanchi's 2nd challenge match because he had already played a 6-game challenge match against the 2nd Honinbo, Honinbo Sanetsu, which lasted from from 1645 to 1653, but that match had ended in a tie, so they didn't have a Meijin. The shogunate wanted a Meijin, so when Honinbo Sanetsu passed away, they appointed Yasui Sanchi as the 3rd Meijin. However, Honinbo Doetsu protested against this, saying that he had not played a single game against Sanchi, and Doetsu had a good record against other members of the Yasui school. It was decided that they would play a 60-game match, starting with a castle game in 1668, and then about 10 games each year. Doetsu was threatened with being banished to a remote island if he lost, since he had challenged a decision made by the government. So, this was a big issue for Doetsu, but he wasn't worried about the Honinbo school because he was ready to hand it over to Dosaku at any time.