[1] The holder of the title is challenged by whoever wins the round robin league.
Once there is a challenger to compete against the holder, the winner is decided through a best of seven match.
The games are played over two days and each player is given eight hours of thinking time.
[2] If a player qualifies for the Honinbo league, they are automatically promoted to 7 dan.
If that same player goes on to win the title, they are promoted to 9 dan, the highest rank.