original title：趙治勲 私の履歴書（22）本因坊10連覇
Original article: The Nikkei
Author: Cho Chikun, Honorary Meijin
When I achieved my fifth or sixth consecutive Honinbo title, I jokingly remarked during the award ceremony: "I’d like to achieve eight consecutive titles, between Sakata Eio’s seven and Takagawa Kaku’s nine."
Sakata Eio was my first opponent in a title match—the Nihon Ki-in Championship. Takagawa Kaku, Sakata's predecessor, was renowned for his "simple style." While it may have been overly ambitious to compare myself to these two greats, I did indeed hope to get closer to their achievements.
In the end, I achieved ten consecutive titles, surpassing Takagawa Kaku and hitting a nice round number. The seven-game series in 1998 against Ō Rissei (Wang Licheng) was one in which I focused intensely to break the record.
Entering the sixth game with a 3-2 lead, it was a wonderful coincidence that the referee was none other than Sakata Eio. To secure victory, I chose to employ the strategy of “mirror Go.”
In “mirror Go,” the player with the white stones mirrors each of the black stones’ moves symmetrically. This strategy makes it difficult for either player to gain a clear advantage. While it is an effective tactic, it’s considered a bit unsporting in professional play and is rarely used.
At this crucial moment, I didn’t mind my reputation and decided to use this tactic. The game reached a stage of mutual territorial expansion, and around the 20th move, I broke away from the mirrored pattern and secured a decisive victory, thus achieving the feat of ten consecutive Honinbo titles.
Having won five consecutive titles, I had already qualified for the Honorary Honinbo title. Coincidentally, the year after I achieved ten consecutive titles marked the 60th anniversary of the Honinbo title under the merit system, giving me the right to inherit the permanent honorary title. Takagawa Kaku was the 22nd Honinbo, Sakata Eio was the 23rd, Ishida Yoshio was the 24th, and I became the 25th Honinbo.
Normally, players who hold an honorary title must wait until they are 60 years old to use it. However, because I had achieved ten consecutive titles, I was able to use the title "25th Honinbo Chikun" at the age of 42. Of course, as long as I held other titles, such as Kisei, I would be referred to as "Cho Chikun Kisei," but if I were to lose all my titles, I would compete under the name "25th Honinbo Chikun" in domestic tournaments.
After I lost all my titles, the name "25th Honinbo" gradually became the norm. After turning 60, I became eligible to use the title Honorary Meijin as well.
I’ve often thought about which title to use in general circumstances. The Nihon Ki-in recommended I use "Honorary Meijin Cho Chikun," and I quietly accepted that decision. However, if I had the choice, I would probably prefer "25th Honinbo." This title is part of the long legacy dating back to the 1st Honinbo Sansa, and I find it symbolic. Plus, I have a fondness for the number 25.
The challenger in the following year was Cho Sonjin, who, like me, is from Korea. He defeated me with a score of 4-2. Cho Sonjin's style is not aggressive, which happens to be the type of play I find difficult to counter. Perhaps I had become somewhat complacent after achieving the ten consecutive titles. This exposed my own weakness.
At the same time, I lost my Dai-Sankan (Triple Crown). I had managed to hold onto the Triple Crown for 2 years and 8 months this time. Compared to the first time, when I only held it for 4 months, this was an improvement.
While Habu Yoshiharu holds a record of 19 consecutive titles in the Shogi world, making me cautious about overestimating myself, I once believed that the Go world’s record of ten consecutive titles would be difficult to break. However, Yuta Iyama recently surpassed this, achieving 11 consecutive Honinbo titles. Facing Iyama, I have nothing to say; part of me feels a sense of loss, while another part feels a sense of release.
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