Yumi Hotta

Sai's Internet Go games have people around the world guessing who he is. Akira, Hikaru's rival, suspects it's Hikaru himself. He even skips the first day of his pro exam for a re-match with "Sai."

The main round of the pro test has begun. Everyone's feeling the pressure, no one more so than Hikaru's friend Isumi, who has failed the test twice before. Fighting off his feelings of self-doubt, Isumi faces his next opponent, who turns out to be Hikaru. But a careless mistake lands the pair in an awkward position!

Hikaru's career as a professional Go player begins. In his first game he must face veteran player Toya Meijin, none other than Akira's father. But to Sai, this round is "personal."

Hikaru faces the preliminary rounds of the pro test in which he must eliminate all opponents, including one who seems to know how to exploit Hikaru's weaknesses.

The Young Lions Go players are preparing for the Hokuto Cup, and both Hikaru and Akira are in contention for the Japanese team.

While practicing at Go salons, Hikaru mistakenly insults Suyong Hong, a twelve-year-old who is studying for the pro test in his native Korea. To settle their differences, they must play a grudge match.

Hikaru learns his rival, Akira, has landed a place on Japan's team for the Hokuto Cup and battles for one of the two remaining spots, while the Go world is shocked by Akira's father's retirement.

As the Hokuto Cup games begin, Hikaru struggles to concentrate on the games, which could cost him his first match and could ruin his chances to defeat Go prodigy Akira Toya.

"Hikaru's classmate Ochi has won enough games to guarantee his place among the top three players who will pass the pro test. Hikaru, on the other hand, still needs to win more games, and he'll soon face his friend Waya and Ochi himself, who has been preparing for their match with Akira's help! When the dust clears, who will be left standing?"--P. [4] of cover.

"Hiraku Shindo is like any sixth-grader in Japan: a pretty normal school boy with a two-tone head of hair and a penchant for antics. One day, he finds an old bloodstained Go board in his grandfather's attic-- and that's when things get really interesting. Trapped inside the Go board is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master who taught the strategically complex board game to the Emperor of Japan many centuries ago." -- Cover.