10-yr-old Go prodigy beats higher-ranked opponent in Honinbo tourney's preliminary round

OSAKA -- Ten-year-old Go prodigy Sumire Nakamura defeated a 38-year-old opponent in a preliminary round match of the 76th Honinbo tournament in this city's Kita Ward in western Japan on Oct. 3.

First-dan ranked Sumire, who in April became the youngest ever professional of the traditional board game in Japan, beat fifth-dan ranked Kentaro Yamamoto, 38, in their match at the Kansai Office of the Nihon Ki-in (Japan Go Association). It was the first time for Sumire to play in a preliminary round of one of the three major professional Go tournaments in Japan.

Yamamoto is the mentor of first-dan ranked Ran Omori, 17, who defeated Sumire in the 10-year-old's pro debut match. Sumire's record in official pro matches stands at five wins and three losses.

The Honinbo tournament is sponsored by The Mainichi Newspapers Co.

(Japanese original by Hiroaki Niidoi, Osaka Cultural News Department)