Kansai Ki-in Oteai ends - new promotion rules

In October 2004 it was announced that that would be the last year of the Kansai Ki-in Oteai. That brought to an end a remarkable record by Seto Taiki, who in his five years in the Oteai scored 12-0, 12-0, 11-1, 8-2, 8-0, a total of 51-3 (94.4%).

In January 2005 the Kansai Ki-in announced that it was introducing a new system of promotions effective from that date. It was virtually the same as the Nihon Ki-in system but with the following differences:

• Promotion to 7-dan is also possible by winning the NHK Cup, JAL Supergo, Shinjin-O, or Kansai Ki-in First Place Championship, or by reaching the last four of a world championship.
• In the number-of-career-wins category, the Kansai Ki-in First Place Championship and Samsung Cup are included as official events in place of the Ryusei and Agon-Kiriyama Cup.
• Promotions under the prize-money system are limited to 4-dan to 5-dan and below, and to just one player in each category.
• Promotions take effect on 1 April the following year for the career-wins and prize-money categories.

More details of the history of the Oteai are on the GoGoD CD.