From AGA E-letter

SAKAI'S STREAK IN RYUSEI SNAPPED:

 After winning a remarkable seven in a row in the Ryusei tournament in Japan, Sakai Hideyuki 7P (r) finally fell on Sunday, May 20th, to current Meijin-Honinbo Takao Shinji 9P, losing by 2.5 points. Sakai is the former World Amateur Champion who became a pro in the Kansai Kiin. After the initial preliminaries, the Ryusei continues as eight groups of twelve players each, with each group playing a winner-continues series in which the players are ordered by rank. The player in each group who is still standing when everyone in the group has played then plays in a final knockout tournament with the other winners, joined by the player in each group who had the longest winning streak. This means that Sakai is in the final tournament, even though he will not win his group. He was the third player on the list in his group and managed to defeat the next seven players above him, including four 9 dans. Sakai is also playing in the current Meijin League and his 4-1 score is the best at the moment. Three of his victories there were also against 9 dans, including the current Kisei, Yamashita Keigo 9P, and the current Gosai, Cho U 9P. He was also in the last Gosei tournament, but lost in January in the second round to Yoda Norimoto 9P, and he is seeded into the second rounds of the current Agon Cup and the current NHK Cup. Sakai got a late start as a pro, at the age of 28, but is doing well in his early thirties. He was the first player to receive an amateur eight dan diploma in Japan.

Dernière mise à jour le 29/11/12

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