Black groups turn into white territory and visa versa. The players collected some 35 prisoners each during this fascinating battle.

Up to move 70 this game is nothing special and just as endgame seems to have started suddenly the board catches fire and all major territories change color.

This is my favorite pro game. It is the final playoff game from the 1952 Honinbo league. In that year 5 of the 7 players in the league ended up tied for first place with 4 wins and two losses each. A knockout playoff followed with Sakata and Takagawa the two survivors. Sakata was the favorite to win and repeat as the challenger to Hashimoto Utaro, Honinbo. However, Sakata played a questionable two-space extension for white 42. Black chose an aggressive response for 43 that aimed at exploiting white's weakness rather than protecting his own territory. To the amateur eye - chaos ensues. I especially like the position after white 54 in comparison to the final position of the game. Of black's 27 stones played to that point only 4 survive to the end of the game - the three on the left side of the board plus one of the 24 stones on the right side. Black won by resignation and went on to capture the Honinbo title, holding it for nine consecutive terms. Sakata had to wait 10 years for the opportunity to make up for his failure in this game.

(David Sigaty)

Replay this game while trying not to become too dizzy by all the exchanges which occur. Some fascinating fighting of professional quality.

White's relaxed, black's aggressive. White gives in, black creates new opportunities, profit moves around. A great fighting game and a good illustration of possible exchanges in the game of Go.

Huge trading on high level. Male versus female power. Close to an all-time highscore of captured stones. Lots of superlatives could qualify this game but why not just replay it?