Sakata Eio's defense of the Nihon Ki'in Championship was hanging by a thread, despite picking up a win in game three, he still trailed his young challenger, Katō Masao 8d with one win to two in the five game match. But on February 1-2 he evened the series with a 1.5 point win. And on February 12-13 he completed his come from behind defense with a solid 6.5 point win. (Game records: Game Four, Game Five.)
From the 15th to the 17th, the 4th Prague Handicap Tournament was held. The joint winners were J. Holecek 4k and J. Juzek 14k.
Game Records from SmartGoOne, Photo from Game Records of Flames, a collection of Sakata's title games