The Amazing Masterpiece of Honinbo Dosaku

Dosaku shows his fighting prowess



Honinbo Dosaku (1645-1702)was an outstandingly stong player who dominated the Go scene in the 17th century. He is remembered as a theoretician who changed opening theory, but was also extremely strong in tactical fighting. While pro ranks are up to 9-dan, Dosaku has been called a 13-dan because his true strength was never fully tested by his rivals, and seemed to easily give handicaps to the best players of his time.


As we shall see in this game, he shows some unique ideas in the opening which were not always easy for following players to emulate but in some cases resemble modern moves that are suggested by superhuman Go programs. For instance, the joseki that Dosaku plays in the upper right has gained popularity in recent years with computer programs giving White a good score.

Dosaku's opponent in this game was one of the leading players of that time, making it all the more amazing to see Dosaku completely dominate him in this game. There are various points in the opening and middlegame at which Dosaku plays an unexpected move, succeeding with superior reading and positional judgement.


Yasui Santetsu Ⅱ (1639-1715)was 13 when his father Yasui Santetsu 1 died, and was considered too young to lead the Yasui school. Santetsu had some radical opening ideas that emphasized the center and sides. In a famous game he played the Tengen (center point) as his first move (see link).
   • The hyper-modern opening played 350 y...  

When Dosaku was declared Meijin in 1678, Santetsu became 7-dan, making him one of the top players of his time. Santetsu had an interest in astronomy, and revised the Japanese calendar to become the first official astronomer recognized by the Edo government in 1685, and retired as a Go player, changing his name to Shibukawa Shunkai.


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