Congratulations for Shibano Toramaru winning 44th Meijin title. 
In the last two games I noticed Shibano cleaned the goban before the game.
Is that normal? Is the challenger supposed to do that? Os is just Shibano’s choice?
The cloth is already there, so I suppose it’s some sort of habit.
I’m not trying to be negative in any way. The way he wipes from right to left on each bowl as he places it on the board (in the first video), and the way that he adjusts the bowls (in the second video) so that they are aligned with his vision, seems OCD to me. Cleaning can be an obsession or compulsion.
Likewise, it could easily be that this is part of his ritual before a game, to help set the scene and mood for what is to come. Ritual is very coveted by some 
I just noticed that meiji (a totally unrelated food company most famous for its chocolate) is sponsoring the meijin. Quite funny 
Also in this case it looks like it’s the challenger that prepares the field for the fight.
no, No, NO! you have to take the bowls off before you wipe down the board. You’re just smearing the gunk underneath them back and forth as you move them 
I love Cho U’s security blanket too. 
That is adorable! 
I just sped through the girls match to the very end, to see what the final board layout looked like. I cannot believe that they played for 10+ hours to only end up filling the board this much. I don’t even understand why someone would resign at this point in the game 
; much less who won. I need my OGS score estimator turned on 
Now you got me interested. I went through the channel to see when we catch a glimpse of cleaning stage.
Aidu cup 1: https://youtu.be/MKZiS1EEfxo?t=15s
Aidu cup 2: https://youtu.be/i36rIryK4Pk
Judan 1: https://youtu.be/VDWwgXcSQLo
Judan 2: https://youtu.be/B1kxd2UKZn8
Gosei: https://youtu.be/hWLdQRWd0rI
Looks like generally it’s challenger’s job and they have to come early to do it, holder usually comes second.
Tho here it’s not even final but there’s a cloth there and Cho Chikun “cleans” goban: https://youtu.be/-2DcSdhYWAg
Here too: https://youtu.be/3PvNGP_6764
Actually this is the final board after filling dame:
and here is the score:
Black 19, white 16+komi?
Did white win? AI says black… and I don’t understand what they say…
Whoops 
, can’t believe I missed that. Thank you very much for showing me @Lysnew 
. I’m guessing that there was a bit of review afterwards and that is what I caught the tail end of. Thank you
And a watch! Cho Chikun was wearing a watch too 
Those blankets look pretty… unimpressive. Like the kind of thing they would hand out at a homeless shelter or in boot camp. I wonder if it is artificially cold because of filming (tons of equipment) or…
I already have a wristwatch. I must find some of those… fidget springs (?) too!
Well I confess I already bought a fan just to mimick Go players.
It’s signed by Guo Juan
https://senseis.xmp.net/?GuoJuan
That is genuinely cool 
Also in this case it looks like it’s the challenger that prepares the field for the fight.
In this case, it can be both a matter of respectful etiquette (“the challenger is setting the field”) and a roar of taunting towards the title holder (“I am going to wipe the board with you, just like that” 
) … well, ok, the second option is unlikely, but still one can imagine this gesture like being like a “Braveheart prep talk before the battle thing” (and the blankets are like tribal kilts) …
I’m digging that interpreation JethOrensin 
Correct. White + 3.5
I have no idea what the AI was smoking at the end…
Digital crack. It’s all the rage 
I was watching the game live, all of a sudden while dame was being filled it went from 98% white to 98% black… no apparent reason why
