Shogi

National Aug 20, 2020

Sota Fujii becomes youngest shogi player with two major titles

The previous record of 21 years and 11 months was set by ninth-dan player Yoshiharu Habu, 49.

National Jul 16, 2020

Shogi prodigy Sota Fujii becomes youngest to win major title

The previous record was established by Nobuyuki Yashiki, 48, in 1990 at the age of 18 years and six months when he also won the Kisei title.

National / Crime & Legal Mar 28, 2019

After 34 years and a 13-year jail term, 85-year-old finally exonerated in Kumamoto murder retrial

In a retrial held decades after his conviction, a court on Thursday acquitted an 85-year-old man of a 1985 murder in Kumamoto Prefecture. The Kumamoto District Court found Koki Miyata not guilty in the murder of his shogi partner Matao Okamura in Matsubase, Kumamoto Prefecture, ...

National Dec 22, 2018

Shogi master Yoshiharu Habu goes titleless for first time in 27 years

Shogi master Yoshiharu Habu lost his Ryuo title to 31-year-old challenger Akihito Hirose, leaving him without a major shogi title for the first time in 27 years.

National Dec 13, 2018

Sota Fujii, 16, becomes youngest shogi player to reach 100 wins

Sixteen-year-old shogi prodigy Sota Fujii secured his 100th official match victory Wednesday, becoming the youngest professional player of the Japanese board game to reach the milestone in addition to doing so at the fastest pace in history. Fujii has taken the shogi world by storm ...

Film / Reviews Aug 29, 2018

'The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan': It's never too late to make your move

by Mark Schilling

Chess pops up in a surprising number of feature films. Just look at all the documentaries and dramas about the outrageously gifted Bobby Fischer. Shogi, or Japanese chess, is a different and smaller story, though "Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow," a 2016 film about ...

National May 19, 2018

Shogi whiz Fujii becomes youngest promoted to seventh dan

The young genius continues his meteoric climb by earning the Japanese chess game’s third-highest rank at the age of 15 years and 9 months.

National Feb 17, 2018

Teen shogi whiz Sota Fujii wins Tokyo tourney, toppling legendary master Yoshiharu Habu

Shattering age records for championships and promotions, teen shogi phenom Sota Fujii blitzes the field at the Asahi Cup tournament, defeating legendary master Yoshiharu Habu along the way.

National Feb 15, 2018

Shogi showdown pits 'god' against 'genius'

by May Masangkay

The match of the century. The battle between a "god" and a "genius." The faceoff between the undisputed champion of shogi and his touted successor. The hype surrounding Saturday's match of the Japanese version of chess pits shogi legend Yoshiharu Habu against the nation's youngest ...

National Feb 14, 2018

Japanese government presents go and shogi champions with national award for sweeping major titles

The government Tuesday bestowed the People's Honor Award on two champions of the traditional Japanese board games of shogi and go, making the two men the first recipients of the prize in their respective fields. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the awards to shogi champion ...

National Jan 5, 2018

Pair become first board game players to receive Japan's People's Honor Award

by Tomohiro Osaki

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday officially decided to bestow the prestigious People's Honor Award on professional shogi and go champions, making the pair the first board game players to bag the award. The two — shogi player Yoshiharu Habu and go master Yuta Iyama ...