Tokomo Kato 6-dan, My most memorable game
Tokomo Kato
6-dan
profile
- Game One, 11th Women's Honinbo title match 10 November 1993
- White: Nakazawa Ayako, Women's Honinbo
Black: Tomoko Kato 1-dan
Time: 4 hours each Komi: 5.5 points
332 moves. Black wins by 3.5 points. 
Click here to enlarge
profile
- Tomoko Kato 6-dan
- Born in Saitama on January 19, 1969.
Disciple of Sugiuchi Toshiko 8-dan.
Became professional 1-dan in 1991,promoted to 2-dan in 1992,
3-dan in 1992, 4-dan in 1994, 5-dan in 2001, 6-dan in 2013,
Won the King of the Women's Honinbo Title in 1992,
the Women's Meijin Title in 1995, the Women's Saikyo in 2000,
and the Women's Kakusei in 2001.
My most memorable game, Game Records
Commentary on the reference diagram
I still remember this position well. Black had been spinning her wheels in the fight that started in the bottom right. Black had to live with 1. When White counterattacked with 2 to 10, I remember how dismayed I was. 'It will be tough for Black to win this game,' I said to myself.
However, I played all out after this, without giving up, and in the end pulled off an upset. These days I no longer seem to have this kind of tenacity . . . It's important never to give up, to always play your best.
I don't want to look back at the past too much, but I really feel nostalgic for my 20s . . .
The games that I can never forget are the ones from my title-match debut, when I won my first title. I have chosen the first game from this title match, the 11th Women's Honinbo. This is already over 20 years ago. Come to think of it, I haven't made any progress since.
At the time, this was my grand debut, yet I also felt some pleasure amongst the painful pressure of facing the Go board with a certain amount of tension. When I replay the game now, I feel that I was playing absolutely all out. Putting aside the contents . . .
In the reference diagram, I would like to review a position that even now is indelibly impressed on my brain.
