Shogi champion Yoshiharu Habu this month became the first shogi player to hold all seven eisei lifetime titles of the game. Go champion Yuta Iyama in October succeeded in grabbing all seven major go titles simultaneously for the second time. Their great accomplishments come at a time when human players have become no match for rapidly progressing artificial intelligence in their respective board games. Their feats carry extra significance in that they have highlighted the fact that shogi and go matches are fascinating for their drama and excitement — two elements that computers cannot generate merely by winning games through algorithms.
In the fifth round for the 30th Ryuo title held in early December in Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Habu beat title-holder Akira Watanabe in 87 moves. The 4-1 victory in their best-of-seven match enabled him to retake the prestigious title for the first time in 15 years. Since he has won the Ryuo title seven times, he gained the eisei lifetime Ryuo honor. This made him a holder of eisei honors for all seven major shogi titles — Ryuo, Meijin, Oi, Oza, Kio, Osho and Kisei.
It must be noted that, given the tough competition in the shogi world, to earn even a single lifetime honor is quite difficult. Each title has a rule for according an eisei honor to a player. Depending on titles, a player must win the title five or more times, either in total or consecutively. To obtain the Ryuo eisei honor, a player must win the Ryuo titles either five times back to back or seven time in total.