is a female professional 4 dan Go player. She is currently an affiliate of the Nihon Ki-in

Nihon Ki-in

The Nihon Ki-in , also known as the Japan Go Association, is the main organizational body for Go in Japan, overseeing Japan's professional system and issuing diplomas for amateur dan rankings. It is based in Tokyo. The other major Go association in Japan is Kansai Ki-in.Nihon Ki-in was established...

, the largest Go association of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, and was a student of Yasumasa Hane

Yasumasa Hane

is a professional Go player.- Biography :Yasumasa Hane was one of the best players in the Nagoya branch of the Nihon Ki-in during his peak. He is probably better known for being the father of the former Kisei holder, Naoki Hane. He was also known as to being a major contributor in the development...

.

On 4 September 2008, Aoba was defeated by Crazy Stone

Crazy Stone (software)

Crazy Stone is a Go playing engine, developed by Rémi Coulom. It is one of the first computer Go programs to utilize a modern variant of the Monte Carlo Tree Search.-History:...

, a Monte Carlo Tree Search

Monte Carlo method

Monte Carlo methods are a class of computational algorithms that rely on repeated random sampling to compute their results. Monte Carlo methods are often used in computer simulations of physical and mathematical systems...

 Go playing engine, in a 8-stone handicap game in Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan. The exhibition match marks the earliest official defeat of a professional by a computer with a conventional handicap.