Cho Chikun
| Cho Chikun | |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 趙治勲 |
| Kana | チョウチクン |
| Hangul | 조치훈 |
| Hanja | 趙治勳 |
| Revised Romanization | Jo Chi-hun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Cho Ch'i-hun |
| Born |
June 20, 1956 Busan, South Korea |
| Residence | Chiba City, Japan |
| Teacher | Minoru Kitani |
| Pupil |
Kim Shushun, Matsumoto Takehisa, Atsushi Tsuruyama |
| Turned pro | 1968 |
| Rank | 9 dan |
| Affiliation | Nihon Ki-in |
Cho Chikun 25th HoninboHonorary Meijin (Korean: 조치훈; born June 20, 1956 in Busan, South Korea) is a professional Go player and a nephew of Cho Namchul. His total title tally of 73 titles is the most in the history of the Japanese Nihon Ki-in. Cho is the first player to hold the top three titles—Kisei, Meijin, and Honinbo—simultaneously which he did for 3 years in a row. Cho is the first in history to win all of the "Top 7" titles in Japan (Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo, Judan, Tengen, Oza, and Gosei) which he achieved by winning the Oza in 1994. Cho U in 2011 and Iyama Yuta in 2013 would duplicate this feat, both by winning the Kisei.
Cho was born into a very rich family of six children. His grandfather was a bank director. During the Korean War, the money the family had owned was burnt and they became impoverished. His father then sought the advice of a fortune teller. Originally called Pung-yeon, Cho's name was changed to Chihun, as the fortune teller told him to change his son's name to Chihun or else his mother would die, also saying that following the change, Chihun's younger brother would die but Chihun would become famous. Both predictions proved accurate.
His grandfather taught him Go when he was young. Seeing great talent in Cho, his father sent him to Japan in 1962. His rise to becoming one of the greatest Go players began when he joined Minoru Kitani's Go school. He was accompanied by his uncle Cho Namchul and his brother Cho Shoen on his way to the Haneda airport in Japan in August 1962. He was only six years old at the time. At the airport he met Minoru Kitani and his wife, another pupil Kobayashi Chizu, and the master's daughter, Reiko Kitani (who as an adult married Cho's future rival Koichi Kobayashi). The day after arriving in Japan Cho beat Rin Kaiho in a five stone handicap game at a party held at the Kitani School to celebrate the total dan ranks of Kitani students reaching a sum of 100. A large crowd watched intensely, as if it were a professional game.
...
Wikipedia