Takao Shinji 6-dan won the 15th NEC Shun'ei Cup in Tokyo on 4 March 2000 by defeating Hane Naoki 7-dan in the final.
Other results not already reported:
Round 2: Takao 1-0 Kono T., Mizokama 1-0 So, Hane 1-0 Cho.
Semi-finals: Hane 1-0 Akiyama, Takao 1-0 Mizokami.
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Older News From 19 October 1999: ROUND 1 COMMENCES
Round one of the 15th NEC Shun'ei Cup was completed when Kono Takashi 6-dan beat Kobayashi Izumi 4-dan in Sapporo. Notable this year is the inclusion of two women players.
The 13 players selected for this event are the top 13 money winners in either the Nihon Ki-in or the Kansai Ki-in. Apart from Kobayashi, Aoki Kikuyo also made the grade. Regrettably for their many fans, neither passed the first hurdle.
The Kanazawa tournament saw a notable first. Commentators at the public presentation were Yoda Norimoto 9-dan and Hara Sachiko 4-dan - the first husband-and-wife pair to appear in this role.
Earlier results are as follows:
Round 1: Kono T. 1-0 Kobayashi I., So 1-0, Nakamura S., Mizokami 1-0 Cho U, Han 1-0 Aoki K., Kato A. 1-0 Kono R.
Round 2: The above winners join Takao, Hane and Akiyama. Akiyama 1-0 Kato.
HOW DOES THE NEC SHUN'EI TOURNAMENT WORK?
The NEC Shun'ei Tournament Cup, a year-long lightning tournament, is the junior partner to the NEC Cup in the attempt of the sponsors (Nippon Denki; NEC is its global brand) to bring go to the public.
The games are played in a different city every week, and form part of a public presentation. Many of the games are played in the Melparque complexes, which are leisure resorts for customers of the Japanese National Savings Bank.
The games in the regional cities are also broadcast on local television, whilst the final, which is always in Tokyo, is broadcast on Channel 12 Tokyo.
Top prize is 3 million yen. The tournament is limited to the top 13 money winners of 7-dan and under in Japan. Ten play in the first round, and the five winners join the top three to produce an 8-player knockout. The final is in the Spring.
Time limits are 10 seconds a move but each player may spend up to one minute a move on five occasions. Komi has always been 5.5 points.
Shun'ei means a person of talent, but with a connotation of youth - it is sometimes rendered as New Faces. Note: apart from the NEC Cup and the Shun'ei in Japan, NEC also sponsors tournaments in China, and international events between the two countries.
