On November 5, 2011, three stalwarts of the Go world, Takemiya Masaki 9p of Japan, Cho Hunhyun 9p of Korea and Nie Weiping 9p of China met to face each other in the Chibi Ancient Battlefield Cup.
From left: Cho Hunhyun, Nie Weiping, (an official) and Takemiya Masaki reviewing a game together.
This tournament is a three way veterans showdown and the format is similar to the Bosai Cup.
Cho Hunhyun wins the first round
Takemiya drew a bye in the first round, which left Cho and Nie to battle it out in what is most certainly a reprise of many past matches.
Cho claimed the first spot in the finals, which meant Nie had to beat Takemiya to stay in the competition.
Nie Weiping defeats Takemiya Masaki
Nie next defeated Takemiya and got a second chance against Cho in the finals. Unfortunately for Takemiya and his fans, he was eliminated.
Ever the performer, Takemiya Masaki takes the the stage!
Takemiya shows off his dancing skills (again)
In the evening, there was a gala performance in honour of the three legendary players.
Not reaching the finals did not seem to dampen Takemiya’s spirits at all and he eagerly joined the performers on stage, relishing any chance to dance!
Cho Hunhyun wins
On November 6, 2011, the finals (best of 3), between Cho and Nie took place.
It was like the 1st Ing Cup final in 1989 all over again! This time though, Cho impressively won two consecutive games and won the Chibi Ancient Battlefield Cup with an unblemished record.
Cho Hunhyun (left) and Nie Weiping battle it out.
About David Ormerod
This tournament was a great idea, but I would have liked to see Cho Chikun instead of Takemiya. It would be awesome to see a three-on-three-on-three tournament of all the senior professionals.
Well lets hope that the sponsors repeat (or maybe even expand?) the event next year
. It did seem to draw a lot of media attention, so maybe they will.
ehehehe takemia is the best!