Masao Sugiuchi facts for kids

Masao Sugiuchi (杉内雅男, Sugiuchi Masao) was a famous Japanese Go player. He was born on October 20, 1920, and passed away on November 21, 2017.

A Life in Go

Masao Sugiuchi was born in Miyazaki, Japan in 1920. He started playing Go professionally in 1941. Go is a strategy board game for two players. It is popular in East Asia.

By 1959, he reached the highest rank in Go, called 9 dan. This means he was considered a master player.

His serious playing style and honest personality earned him a special nickname: "the God of Go." In Japanese, this is Go no Kami-sama.

In December 2004, Masao Sugiuchi made history. He became the oldest professional player from the Nihon Ki-in (Japan Go Association) to win 800 games in his career. This was a huge achievement!

He was married to Kazuko Sugiuchi. She was also a professional Go player. In fact, she was one of three sisters who all played Go professionally.

Masao Sugiuchi died in Tokyo when he was 97 years old.

Major Achievements

Masao Sugiuchi was a very strong player. He often reached the finals of big tournaments. Being a "runner-up" means he made it to the final match but did not win the championship title.

Here are some of the major tournaments where he was a runner-up:

Title	Years Lost
Total Times Runner-up	4
Honinbo	1954, 1958
Tengen	1976
NHK Cup	1982

See also

In Spanish: Masao Sugiuchi para niños