Kaku Takagawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kaku Takagawa |
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| Full name | Kaku Takagawa |
| Kanji | 高川格 |
| Born | September 21, 1915 Wakayama prefecture, Japan |
| Died | November 26, 1986 (aged 71) |
| Teacher | Itarō Mitsuhara |
| Rank | 9 dan |
Kaku Takagawa (高川 格, Takagawa Kaku, September 21, 1915—November 26, 1986), also known as Shūkaku Takagawa (高川 秀格, Takagawa Shūkaku), was a very successful professional Go player from Japan. Go is a strategy board game. Takagawa was one of the best Go players of his time.
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About Kaku Takagawa
Kaku Takagawa achieved great success in the world of Go. He won the important Honinbō title nine times in a row. This was from 1952 to 1960. Because of this amazing achievement, he was given the special, permanent title of Honorary Honinbo. He then chose "Shukaku" as his Honinbō name. Only a few Go players have ever earned this honorary title.
Takagawa had a friendly competition with another famous player, Sakata Eio. Sakata often won against Takagawa in the finals of big tournaments. This happened between 1959 and 1966.
Takagawa also helped many people in Western countries learn about Go. He wrote several books that were translated from Japanese. From 1961 to 1977, he wrote articles for the Nihon Ki-in. This was a main source of Go information in English back then. These articles were later put together into a book called Improve Your Intuition. It is still a helpful guide for Go players today.
Takagawa's Go Style
Sakata Eio, Takagawa's rival, often talked about Takagawa's unique playing style. Sakata even mentioned him in his book Killer Of Go. He said that Takagawa would make his games last longer. This would cause his opponents to lose their focus.
Takagawa was known for being very calm and collected during games. He never seemed to get nervous before a match. This calm approach helped him win many Honinbō titles. People also described his playing style as very steady and elegant.
Becoming a Go Master
Kaku Takagawa started playing Go at a young age. He slowly moved up the ranks in the professional Go world. Here is how he progressed:
| Rank | Year |
|---|---|
| 1 dan | 1928 |
| 2 dan | 1931 |
| 3 dan | 1935 |
| 4 dan | 1936 |
| 5 dan | 1939 |
| 6 dan | 1941 |
| 7 dan | 1945 |
| 8 dan | 1954 |
| 9 dan | 1960 |
Major Go Achievements
Kaku Takagawa won many important Go tournaments throughout his career. He also reached the finals in several others. Here are some of his main achievements:
| Domestic Tournaments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Title | Wins | Runners-up |
| Meijin | 1 (1968) | 1 (1969) |
| Honinbō | 9 (1952–1960) | 3 (1961, 1963, 1964) |
| Oza | 1 (1954) | 1 (1961) |
| Judan | 1 (1965) | 1 (1966) |
| NHK Cup | 1 (1966) | 2 (1954, 1959) |
| Nihon-Kiin Championship | 3 (1954, 1962, 1963) | 3 (1955, 1959, 1960) |
| Asahi Pro Best Ten | 4 (1964–1967) | |
| Total | 16 | 15 |
Books by Kaku Takagawa
Kaku Takagawa wrote several books to help others learn and improve their Go skills. These books are still valued by players today.
- How to Play Go, Nihon Ki-in 1956 review
- Vital Points of Go, Nihon Ki-in 1958 review
- The Power of the Star-Point (ISBN: 4871870324)
- Improve Your Intuition (ISBN: 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 1, (ISBN: 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 2, (ISBN: 0-9706193-2-4) Volume 3.
See also
In Spanish: Kaku Takagawa para niños
