Cho Chikun
Koichi Kobayashi was born in Asahikawa, Japan. In 1965, he came to Tokyo to be a disciple of the legendary Minoru Kitani. He studied along with Cho Chikun, Masao Kato, Yoshio Ishida, and Masaki Takemiya. He went on to marry the daughter of his teacher, Reiko Kitani (1939–1996), a 6-dan who has won the All-Japan Women's Championship several times. Together they had a daughter, Izumi Kobayashi, who is now one of the leading female Go players in Japan. Kobayashi is one of the few Go players who have won more than 1,200 professional games. Kobayashi's rivalry with Cho Chikun has continued for some time and they frequently play against each other.