Shogi "Throne Battle" Challenger Decision Battle Kazuki Kimura Kudan Acquires Challenge Right

In the challenger deciding match of one of the eight major titles of shogi, "Oza", Kazuki Kimura Kudan defeated Yasumitsu Sato Kudan and won the right to challenge the title of "Oza".

In the tournament to decide the challenger of the "Championship", two veterans, 51-year-old Yasumitsu Sato 9th Dan and 48-year-old Kazuki Kimura 9th Dan, advanced to the final, and the challenger deciding match was held in Tokyo on the 19th. It was.

In the game, Kimura Kudan, who was behind, gradually brought in the advantage with his own "Shogi" that blocked the opponent's attack, and at around 8:30 pm, he pushed Sato Kudan to the end with 132 moves and gained the right to challenge.

Kimura Kudan lost the title to Souta Fujii in the first defense battle last year, the title, but he won the title again from September and played with Takuya Nagase (28). I will face the game.

Kimura Kudan said, "Because the Nagase throne is fulfilling, I want to be in good physical condition and do my best."

The defeated Kudan Sato said, "I wanted to do my best, but it was a disappointing result. I think I can be strong even from this age, so I want to eliminate mistakes."

While young people are prominently active in the shogi world, this game won the first title with 51-year-old Kudan Sato, who is the chairman of the Japan Shogi Association with a total of 13 titles won, and 46 years old, the oldest in history. However, it was a hot topic among fans in the confrontation between veterans named Kimura Kudan who showed tears.

Kazuki Kimura Kudan "I think it's the last chance for the title match"

Kazuki Kimura Kudan, who decided to challenge the title of "Throne", said at a press conference after the game, "I was fortunate to win the title match even though there were times when the results were not good. "I will."

And for the fifth match with Takuya Nagase, "I feel that it will be a tough fight because I am a very strong person. There are few games with Nagase, and there is a part called" mysterious opponent ", but shogi I have the impression that he is enthusiastic about pointing, so I would like to come with the idea that I will not lose even with enthusiasm and that it is my last chance. "

Pay attention to whether veterans can make wind holes

Titleholders such as Akira Watanabe, Masayuki Toyoshima, and Souta Fujii will participate in the tournament to decide the challenger of this season's "Oza Battle", while Yasumitsu Sato 9th Dan and Kazuki Kimura Two 9-dan veterans advanced the pieces to the challenger deciding match.

Of these, 51-year-old Sato Kudan is one of the generations who competed with Yoshiharu Habu Kudan and others, and in 1993 he defeated Hanyu Kudan and won the first title "Ryuo".

After that, he continued to play an active role as a top shogi player, winning the title "13th term" in total, and since 2017, four years ago, he has also served as the chairman of the Japan Shogi Association, and continues to play in parallel with the duties of the chairman. , In the ranking battle to decide the rank of the shogi player, he is still active, such as being enrolled in the highest rank "A class".

On the other hand, Kimura Kudan is also a veteran who has been active for nearly 25 years, and although he was late bloomer among the top players at the age of 23, he won the "Rookie Award" and "1st place in the annual win rate" and is tenacious. It is known as "Sendagaya's master" because of the "Uke" style.

In the title battle, since the first appearance of the Ryuo battle in 2005, although we often challenged, the difficult battle that missed the acquisition in one step continued, but in the end, the title battle that became the seventh title challenge Won the first title of the long-cherished desire by winning the reversal play.

At the age of 46, he was the oldest to win the title for the first time, and immediately after the event, he was crying when asked about his feelings for his family.

When Kimura Kudan lost the title in the first term after losing to Souta Fujii in the defense battle the following year, he said, "I will start again from the beginning." I will challenge the title battle again.

The current shogi world is in the "four-strong era" in which four people, Watanabe Triple Crown, Toyoshima Double Crown, Fujii Double Crown, and Nagase Takuya Throne, compete for each other's titles. Whether you can make a hole in the composition or the whereabouts of the fifth game with the Nagase throne will be noticed.