By KEIJI SATO/ Staff Writer
February 1, 2023 at 17:22 JST
Reo Fujita, 9, makes a move in a go match held on Jan. 31 at Kansai Ki-in in Osaka. (Keiji Sato)
OSAKA--A child go prodigy broke the record for youngest player to win an official match, beating a player 66 years his senior on Jan. 31.
Reo Fujita, 9, accomplished the feat at the Kansai Ki-in in Osaka.
At 9 years and nine months, Fujita bettered the previous record of 10 years, four months held by Sumire Nakamura, set on July 8, 2019.
The 1-dan Fujita bested Yoshitaka Ushikubo, 75, a 9-dan player, in a preliminary league match for the Meijin title.
Fujita became a pro player in September 2022 under a special program for gifted children, but lost his first three matches.
Fujita’s mentor, Takumi Hoshikawa, 39, a 5-dan player himself, oversaw his charge’s match. Hoshikawa passed on what Fujita said after the match.
While Fujita said he was happy to get his first win, he added it was a difficult match, with the outcome uncertain until the very end, according to Hoshikawa.
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