Masao Kato
Masao Kato
- Masao Kato [[honorary-go-titles|Honorary Oza]] (加藤 正夫, *Katō Masao*, March 15, 1947 – December 30, 2004), also known as Kato Kensei** (加藤剱正 *Katō Kensei*), was a Japanese professional go player. A late bloomer, Kato won 46 titles, including the Oza eight times in a row. He also became the second player to reach 1,200 career wins, behind [[rin-kaiho]].
Kato is the author of The Chinese Opening: The Sure-Win Strategy (published in English by Kiseido Publishing Company) and Kato's Attack and Kill (published by Ishi Press).
Biography ### Early life and "Killer Kato" (1959–2003) Kato joined Kitani Minoru's go dojo in 1959, quickly becoming friends with Ishida Yoshio. The two became sparring partners and kept a close relationship up until Kato's death. In 1964, Kato passed the pro exam at age seventeen. Along with Takemiya Masaki and Ishida, the trio became known as the three-crows of the Kitani dojo. Kato began qualifying for tournaments early on in his professional career. He made the Honinbo league in 1968 as a 4 dan, a feat unheard of at the time. Kato was unable to progress past the group stages and was relegated. However, he challenged title holder rin-kaiho the following year, losing four games to two.
He was known as the "Killer" for his attacking style. During a Honinbo league match in 1970, Kato forced 22nd Honinbo Takagawa Kaku to resign after 93 moves. For the early part of his career, Kato was known as the eternal runner-up. He finished runner-up eight times before winning his first titles, the Gosei and Judan, in 1976.