Do Professional check the AI on multiple day matches?

I am sure they do, but that’s so 1980 :stuck_out_tongue:

Nobody cares about Japanese nowadays, it’s all between Chinese and Koreans. :crazy_face:

3 Likes

https://senseis.xmp.net/?BigTitles#toc5

4 Likes

I think I recently heard about official games played over multiple days. Maybe it was something involving Shibano Toramaru, probably some title tournament.
Wikipedia says Honinbo games are played over 2 days.

In those cases I’m pretty sure they think about the game and analyse it thoroughly. I would bet they use AI too, but it’s just my guess.

4 Likes

I believe I read an article about the protocol they had adopted a few years ago. Staying in hotel with no devices and basically quarantined but couldn’t find it with some Google searching.

I strongly doubt they are allowed to consult AI directly. I would hope they are also monitored for indirect contact like other pros who have researched the game with AI. Cheating scandals suck.

edit: here is an article. I couldn’t find anything more official looking in a brief search.

9 Likes

Cool article - I like how it gives an insight into the tension in the minds of pro players in a title match. Plus, I think that counts as an answer to the original question.

3 Likes

The answer to the question is No. Players need to think on their own.

Long ago it was different, there is a rumour that a brilliant move played by Honinbo Shusai that reversed the game against Go Seigen was actually found by one of his pupils Maeda Nobuaki in an adjournment study session. Shusai at Sensei's Library But those days are long gone.

In response to Shusai’s abuse of the right (as the senior player) to choose when to adjourn (at difficult moments) Kitani Minoru successfully negotiated that in their match “the game of the century” (the basis of Kawabata’s novel The Master of Go) a few years later (1938) a sealed move system would be used. Kitani famously played a funny looking sente move as one of his sealed moves which disturbed Shusai, though it was actually good timing and not just a cheap sente to gain analysis time in the break.

These days 2 day games are the max. Players are precluded from getting external help and are isolated from the outside world (kanzume, literally ‘sealed in a tin can’), but can analyse the game themselves. A go board could be provided in their hotel room as a convenience, but even if not you can’t stop them analysing in their head. But definitely no AI or phone a friend for help.

Here is some information about recent stricter Nihon Ki-in rules in one day games to avoid AI cheating. New Nihon Ki-in rules • Life In 19x19. Also see How do two-day title matches work? • Life In 19x19 .

11 Likes

Excellent games. What an interesting time for go (Shinfuseki and all that) if anyone is interested in reading more about these games, I can recommend a couple of books by Fairburn:


Edit: I’m not sure if the seigen one is the one where Shusai consulted a student, but there is definitely discussion of that game in the kitani book.

2 Likes

The Go Consultants, about the consultation (team) game of Kitani and Go Seigen against Suzuki and Segoe, is also placed in this period.

https://senseis.xmp.net/?TheGoConsultants

3 Likes