From: George Jost <gjost <at> CA <dot> NEWBRIDGE <dot> COM>
Date: 8 oct 1997
Subject: Life time ...Oi??? Understanding the rankings among players,

Can one get a lifetime award of each of the big 7 titles or does that
honour only apply to being Meijin? (LIfetime Meijin requires winning the
title 5 times in a carreer.) Tanikawa has recently attained this goal. Habu
has won 3 Meijin matches. Habu seems to have attained or almost attained this
standing in most of the titles.

If so I suppose Habu is currently playing for lifetime Oi? He would also have
lifetime standings in the Kensei (5), Oza(6), and Kio (7). He appears to need
one more game to have have lifetime membership in the Ryuo and the Oi. He has
"only" one 2 Osho titles so far.

Tanakawa needs one more win to be "lifetime" Osho, One more to be lifetime Oi,
two more to reach lifetime Kinsei, 2 more to make lifetime Ryuo, 3 more to
make lifetime Kio and 4 more to make lifetime Oza.

I did not look that closely. I wonder how many other players that are still in
circulation have attained every title or attained a given title more than 5
times. I also wonder if being Meijin or Ryuo is more prestigious or having
more titles? I also wonder when players retire? (Age, declining ability or
just by choice.)