Yuta Iyama is a 12-year-old boy from Kusaka Elementary School in Osaka. In April he will become a professional Go player, only the fourth 12 year old ever to become a pro in Japan. He is the first elementary school student to become a pro for 17 years. The youngest pro ever was 11 years old.

The board game Go was invented over 4,000 years ago in China. Two players take turns placing black or white stones on a board. The board is covered with a grid of 19 horizontal and vertical lines and the player who takes the most territory wins.

The rules for Go can be learned in just a few minutes but mastering the game often takes a lifetime. Yuta is already well on his way to mastering the game, and his Go teacher says, "his natural Go talent and concentration are only seen once in a generation."

Yuta first became interested in Go while watching his father play on the computer at home. He started playing it too, and in no time at all he was beating his father. Yuta also played with his grandfather, a strong amateur player, and he became so good that he even made an appearance on television.

He met Kunio Ishii, a professional player, on the TV program and soon became his student. Yuta showed his competitive skill early on by winning the All-Japan Boys and Girls Championship when he was eight and again when he was nine. After that he decided to become an insei, someone training to become a professional, and began playing in the professional qualifying tournament for the Kansai region.

In the last tournament season he won an outstanding 71 of 79 games, including an incredible 46-game winning streak. This gave him the right to play as a pro, and from April he will begin his new career in earnest: "As a pro I want to win tournaments."

In fact, Yuta's favorite player is the current Oza title holder, Cho Chikun. "I admire his decisive way of playing," says Yuta, "and I look forward to playing against him someday."

Photo: Yuta concentrates hard during a game of Go. (Japan Go Association Osaka Headquarters)