Why Ichiriki Ryo is a new sensation – 1st GLOBIS Cup

Japan’s Ichiriki Ryo 7p won the 1st GLOBIS Cup World Go U-20, defeating Kyo Kagen 2p (aka Xu Jiayuan by his Chinese name) on May 11, 2014.

Ichiriki Ryo Kyo Kagen 1st GLOBIS Cup 300x198 picture

Ichiriki Ryo 7 dan plays Kyo Kagen 2 dan at the 1st GLOBIS Cup.

The finals of this new, under 20, international tournament were played at the Graduate School of Management, at GLOBIS University, Tokyo, Japan.

The runner up, Kyo Kagen, was born in Taiwan, but turned pro with, and plays for, the Nihon Kiin (Japanese Go Association).

China’s Lian Xiao 4p defeated his countryman Xia Chenkun 2p in the playoff for third place.

A new hope for Japanese Go

In a hopeful sign for Japan’s Go fans, Ichiriki Ryo and Kyo Kagen defeated Lian Xiao and Xia Chenkun respectively – achieving an overall 2-0 score for Japan vs China in this tournament.

Ichriki Ryo Lian Xiao 1st GLOBIS Cup picture

Ichriki Ryo 7 dan defeated Lian Xiao 4 dan

It’s worth noting that, even though this event is only open to players younger than 20, Lian Xiao and Xia Chenkun are hardly pushovers. Both players have performed well other recent tournaments.

Because of this, the results from this new tournament have been a topic of some sensation in Asia.

The last time two players from the Nihon Kiin were in the final of an international tournament together was the 10th Fujitsu Cup – between Kobayashi Koichi 9p and O Rissei 9p. That was about 17 years ago.

A new international tournament in Japan

It was very unfortunate when Japanese sponsored tournaments disappeared from the international Go scene after the 24th and final Fujitsu Cup in 2011, so it’s excellent to see this brand new tournament appear with a Japanese sponsor.

Asked about the new tournament, Hori Yoshito, the Chairman of GLOBIS Corporation, said, “I wish to see young, talented Japanese players competing on the international stage again in 20 or 30 years, so we sponsored this tournament.”

The talented Ichiriki Ryo

Ichiriki Ryo was born in 1997 and turned pro in 2010. A few days ago, on May 16, he also won the 5th Okage Cup (under 30 tournament), against Seto Taiki 7p.

Ichiriki’s other achievements include winning the 4th Okage Cup, against Anzai Nobuaki 9p, in 2013, and fighting his way into the 39th Kisei League (2014).

Lian Xiao Ichriki Ryo Kyo Kagen 1st GLOBIS Cup picture

From left: Lian Xiao, Ichiriki Ryo and Kyo Kagen receive their prizes at the 1st GLOBIS Cup.

The GLOBIS Cup

The GLOBIS Cup World Go U-20 is an international lightning tournament for 16 players aged 20 years and younger.

The players initially go through a group stage, similar to the Samsung Cup, or the FIFA World Cup. It uses a double elimination format, with 2 players progressing through each group.

The remaining 8 players compete in a simple knockout tournament (single elimination) to decide the winner.

The winner takes home 3 million Yen (about $30,000 USD at the time of writing) and the runner up receives 500,000 Yen.

The tournament is sponsored by GLOBIS University.