HARARE (Reuters) — Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai died on

Wednesday after a long battle with cancer, casting his Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party into the unknown less than three months
after the army ousted long-time ruler Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai, who died in South Africa, was 65.

“I can confirm that he died this evening. The family communicated this to
me,” MDC Vice-President Elias Mudzuri told Reuters.

Arguably Zimbabwe’s most popular politician, the mining union leader’s

career was ultimately defined by his tussles — both literal and figurative —
with 93-year-old Mugabe, who resigned after a de facto coup in December.

Elections are due within the next six months, and Tsvangirai’s illness and now
death leaves his party in disarray, to the advantage of the ruling ZANU-PF
party, now led by former Mugabe deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The Yomiuri ShimbunRyuo shogi title holder Yoshiharu Habu and Kisei
Go title holder Yuta Iyama have been granted the People’s Honor Award — a
first for both the Go and shogi worlds. The Yomiuri Shimbun asked Habu and
Iyama about their thoughts on each other, how they view the current state of
Go and shogi, and what their goals are for the future.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 10, 2018)

Maintaining spirit of learning in AI age

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Congratulations on this great honor, for both the Go
and shogi communities. You’ve met Iyama quite a few times before, haven’t
you?

Yoshiharu Habu: We’ve met about 10 times. I sense an unwavering strength in

Iyama. I won the seven major shogi titles when I was 25, but my record wasn’t
exactly consistent after that. But Iyama has kept up that level of performance
almost continually since his early 20s. He’s filled with the drive to create
unique strategies, [even after becoming the best]. Frankly, I’m impressed.

Q: You won the title of Ryuo at age 19, in the same year Iyama was born, and
he took all seven titles for the first time in 20 years after you did so. It feels as
if there’s a connection there. You both have calm personalities as well. Does
this help you relate to each other more?

A: You’re right. Iyama is still in his 20s. I wonder what kind of player he’ll
become in the future, and I feel like I want to be there to see it.
Q: Have you given him any advice?

A: Not really. But I have said to him, “If you ever wake up in the morning and
forget where you are while traveling around for consecutive title
championships, that’s when you should be careful.” Hotels all look the same,
whether you’re in Hokkaido or Kyushu, so you become unable to tell them
apart. That’s a warning sign that you need to relax and refresh, at least in my
experience.

Q: With the increased power of AI in the past few years, there are questions
about what it will mean to be a pro shogi or Go player.

A: AI tends to be used in competitions or to make people’s lives easier, but it

can also be a tool for extending human talent and ability. If we can achieve
that in the worlds of Go and shogi, then I think we can show how to bring
these traditional worlds into the age of AI, as long as the players get stronger
in proportion to the software.

Q: What is your ultimate goal, now that you’ve won the People’s Honor
Award?

A: Young players have been coming to the fore recently. Given my age and all,
I really want to see how long I can keep on competing. In the world of chess,
everything is clearly divided into the era before computers and the era after.
Shogi is also reaching such a time. I certainly won’t deny everything that came
before, but this new era is starting with a blank slate. I want to keep up the
spirit of learning in this environment.

Yoshiharu Habu

Habu was born in 1970 in Saitama Prefecture. In 1996, he became the first
player to win all seven major shogi titles, and achieved his seventh eisei
lifetime title in 2017.

The ultimate goal: Be the world’s best

The Yomiuri Shimbun: Seeing Habu’s career, it’s almost as though he’s
walking 20 years ahead of you.

Yuta Iyama: Habu won the seven major titles just as I was starting to play Go.
Even as a child, I thought that was amazing. He’s been my idol and my
inspiration as a player.

Q: And now you’ve won the People’s Honor Award alongside him.
A: I think everyone has to agree with the choice of Habu. But my career as a
player is just starting. I think this means people have high hopes for my future.
I would love it if in 10 or 20 years, I could be like Habu is now.

Q: Have you been influenced by Habu?

A: When a shogi master concedes [loses a game], they are very polite. They
bow very deeply. Seeing Habu on video, I felt like I should try to learn from
him in that regard. It’s easy to see his shogi mind-set. Habu keeps up an
unbelievably busy tournament schedule while also doing as many events and
media activities as he can. I want to be like that.

Q: I feel the worlds of Go and shogi may become a model for how society
should coexist with AI.

A: Humanity is in a situation like nothing we’ve seen before — where [to use a
Go term], we can’t see one move ahead. But as a professional player, I’m
grateful just to have people’s attention. Right now, we’re seeing a worldwide
revolution in Go strategy, thanks to AI. Since every country has an equal
opportunity for research, I think in some ways this is a chance to catch up with
China and South Korea, [which lead Japan in terms of skill].

Q: What is your ultimate goal, now that you’ve won the People’s Honor
Award?

A: I want to be the best in the world. In elementary school, I played against

9th-dan Chen Yaoye [the top Chinese player from the same generation], and
his strength just blew me away. I wanted to become good enough to compete
with someone like him on the big stage. I really feel like I’m much closer to
that level now. But there are still about 20 to 30 players at this level
worldwide. It won’t be easy to get ahead from here. From a global perspective,
I’m not that young anymore, but I think I might have a chance if I actively
participate in international tournaments and learn all that I can.

Yuta Iyama

Iyama was born in 1989 in Osaka Prefecture. In October 2017, he became the
first player in either the Go or shogi worlds to win all seven major titles for a
second time.

(These interviews were conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer Satoshi

Tanaka