original title：趙治勲 私の履歴書（18）無冠転落
Original article: The Nikkei
Author: Cho Chikun, Honorary Meijin
A little over a week after my traffic accident and serious injuries, my attending physician concluded, "You're not yet ready to play Go." However, I was determined not to forfeit the title match without a fight.
The match location was in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture. Since I could barely move with the help of a wheelchair, the event organizer, Yomiuri Shimbun, arranged a small aircraft for transportation, and I was accompanied by my physician and my wife. I was transported by ambulance from the hospital to Haneda Airport and then from Toyama Airport to the match venue. The arrangements were very thorough.
During the match, I sat in a wheelchair. With my entire body wrapped in bandages, it was clear that my opponent, Koichi Kobayashi, was also aware of the situation. He had agreed beforehand to the arrangement of playing while seated in a chair. The game room was crowded with cameras, reflecting the high level of public interest in this match.
I lost the first game. Although the result was disappointing, simply completing a two-day match, despite not knowing how well I could play, gave me confidence. In the second game held in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, I won. I felt that I had played a good game and was praised for playing "a game that didn’t seem like it was from someone severely injured."
However, before the third game in Hiraizumi Town, Iwate Prefecture, Koichi Kobayashi made a request: "Playing in a chair makes me uncomfortable. Could I play alone sitting on the tatami mats?" This request surprised me.
Indeed, our generation was mostly accustomed to sitting formally on tatami mats, and sitting in a chair could feel uncomfortable. However, given that the match had garnered public sympathy due to my accident, if Koichi Kobayashi insisted on this, he might have faced criticism for being "selfish while playing against an injured opponent."
If our positions were reversed, I would never have made such a request. Koichi Kobayashi is a straightforward person, and I admired his fighting spirit. This was the first time I felt a sense of respect for him. Although we had known each other for a long time from our days at the Kitani Dojo, it was only at this moment that I truly opened up to him.
While flying to the fourth game in Abashiri City, Hokkaido, on a plane arranged by Yomiuri Shimbun, I discovered during casual conversation that my wife, Kyoko, and Koichi Kobayashi had attended the same elementary school in Asahikawa, with him being her senior. This revelation suddenly made me feel much closer to Koichi Kobayashi.
In the end, in the third game, Koichi Kobayashi sat formally on the tatami mats like a “lord of the manor,” though I managed to win that game. However, as my injuries gradually healed and the matches returned to a normal pace, Koichi Kobayashi's condition also improved. Ultimately, after the fourth game, I lost three consecutive games and surrendered the Kisei title with a 2-4 record.
Within just five months, I lost both the Meijin and Kisei titles, leaving me without any titles. Meanwhile, Koichi Kobayashi also secured the Tengen and Judan titles, holding four major titles at once, marking a complete shift in the center stage of the Go world.
At that time, some people believed that "Cho Chikun lost his titles because of the traffic accident," but this was a completely mistaken view. During that period, Koichi Kobayashi was on the rise, while I had stagnated. The accident only accelerated my decline, but it also forced me to start recovering quickly, which, in hindsight, was actually beneficial.
The aftereffects of the traffic accident still linger, making it very difficult for me to sit formally. When invited to serve as a referee for title matches, my inability to sit formally for long periods might have inconvenienced the players.
Although the accident was unfortunate, it allowed me to understand Koichi Kobayashi better, which brought me great happiness.
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