- Masaki Takemiya
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Masaki Takemiya Full name Masaki Takemiya Kanji 武宮正樹 Born January 1, 1951
Tokyo, JapanResidence Tokyo, Japan Teacher Minoru Kitani Turned pro 1965 Rank 9 dan Affiliation Nihon Ki-in Masaki Takemiya (武宮 正樹 Takemiya Masaki, born January 1, 1951) is a professional Go player.
Contents
Biography
Masaki Takemiya was born in Japan. He became one of the many disciples of the Minoru Kitani school. His rise to fame began when he was only 15 years old. By the time he was 15, he was already 5 dan. He earned the nickname "9 dan killer" because he won several games against top rated players. His famous "cosmic style" of Go would become popular among fans. It focused on large moyo in the center of the board. He's known as keeping a consistent record of winning titles. The longest period in which he did not hold a title has only been 4 years. His form lately has been terrific. He closed off 2005 with an impressive win of 16 straight games, which was stopped by Omori Yasushi in the qualifiers for the 3rd World Oza. Outside of Go, Takemiya also won the biggest Japanese backgammon tournament, the 12th Saint of the Board title, by beating the former holder, Abe Akiko.
Three of Takemiya's books have been published in English -- Enclosure Joseki (Kiseido Press), now out of print but available in digital form; The Imagination of a Go Master (NEMESIS Enterprises); and This Is Go the Natural Way! (Hinoki Press).
His style
Takemiya is known for his "Double 4" fuseki when he uses white, where he usually starts the game like so:
"Double 4" fuseki (White). Takemiya is a favorite among amateur go players because of his very thick playing style as black. His sanrensei (three star) openings involve plenty of fights.
Takemiya's famous moyo (right side) The sequence of moves from 1-8 in the lower right corner involves a common joseki that creates a moyo in conjunction with the q10 stone. Takemiya often plays a variation of this joseki but has made a few innovations of his own such as the kosumi in response to the same corner approach in the upper right corner. The resulting sequence could result in moves 1-6.
Takemiya on go and dancing
Takemiya's other great love is dancing. He says that go is more like a dance than a war[1] and that learning to dance has made him a better go player. This has also influenced his style in his later years.
Titles & runners-up
Ranks #8 in total amount of titles in Japan.
Title Years Held Current 13 
Meijin1995 Honinbo1976, 1980, 1985–1988 Judan1990–1992 NEC Cup1981, 1985 NHK Cup1989 Defunct 5 Kakusei1991 Hayago Championship1978, 1989 Prime Minister Cup1971, 1973 Continental 4 
Asian TV Cup1989–1992 International 2 
Fujitsu Cup1988, 1989 Title Years Lost Current 15 Kisei1985, 1987, 1989 Meijin1996 Honinbo1974, 1977, 1981, 1989 Judan1986, 1993, 2002 Oza1988 Gosei1977 NHK Cup1975, 1977, 1984, 1986 Defunct 3 Hayago Championship1988 Nihon-Kiin Championship1971 Asahi Pro Best Ten1974 Notes
- ^ Takemiya Masaki dancing (at Go Game Guru)
External links
Categories:- 1951 births
- Japanese Go players
- Living people
- People from Tokyo
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