Shogi Kana Satomi Women's Five Crowns (30) started on the 18th with the aim of becoming the first female professional shogi player, and the fifth game started on the 18th.

At the end of May this year, the Satomi Women's Five Crowns met the conditions for taking a "transfer exam" to become a professional, such as "10 wins or more" and "60% 50% win rate" in the most recent official match. I applied for the exam to the Shogi Federation.



The ``transfer exam'' is passed if you win 3 times in the 5th game with a 4th-dan shogi player who is the examiner, and the first round was held at 10:00 am on the 18th at the Kansai Shogi Kaikan in Osaka.



The opponent is Tokuda Kenshi 4th Dan (24), who has the highest win rate with 12 wins and 1 loss in official matches this year, and Satomi Women's Five Crowns, who is the second runner, is a good "middle rook" tactic that puts the rook in the center. I fought.



In the match, the back-and-forth offense and defense continued until the middle stage, but the Satomi Women's Five Crowns faced a tough situation as they were gradually disadvantaged by Tokuda 4th-dan's generous attack.



At 5:25 p.m., he conceded with 127 moves, and was unable to win the first match.



Looking back on the game, Satomi Women's Five Crowns said, "I've rested my body and prepared for today. I'm very happy to be the center of attention, and it's not easy to point on a big stage, so I want to do my best next time." talked.



The second station of the "transfer exam" will be played against Leo Okabe (23) at the Shogi Kaikan in Tokyo on the 22nd of next month.

What is a professional shogi player “transfer exam”?

In order to become a professional shogi player, as a general rule, it is necessary to join the Japan Shogi Association's "Encouragement Association" and achieve a high rank in the game to be promoted to "4th dan".



However, the road to becoming a professional is difficult, and only two people can be promoted to 4th dan every six months.



Kana Satomi has also been a member of the Encouragement Society since 2011 and became the first woman to reach 3rd Dan, but she was unable to advance to 4th Dan and withdrew from the membership due to age restrictions. .



This time, the "transfer exam" for professional shogi players that Satomi Women's Five Crowns receive is a system established in 2006.



Female players and amateurs who have played an official game against a professional player and who meet the conditions such as "10 wins or more" and "60% 50% win rate" in the most recent match are eligible to take the exam.



Kenji Imaizumi, 49, and Shogo Orita, 32, are the only two women who passed the system and became professional shogi players.



If the Satomi Women's Five Crowns win three games against the 4th-dan shogi players who act as examiners once a month, they will bring a new twist to the world of professional shogi players, which has until now been dominated by men.

Satomi Women's Five Crowns Talked by a Pioneer of Women's Shogi Players

Shimizu Ichiyo Women's 7th Dan (53), who served as the managing director of the Japan Shogi Association and has competed for the women's title with the Satomi Women's Five Crowns, said of this challenge, "In a world where the result is everything, I was very happy because I have seen the process of reversing and tenaciously connecting to a victory that impresses those who are in the middle of the day, "he said.



On top of that, she said, "She has her own motto, 'Walk on her favorite path and go forward,' and I fully support her decision and take it with excitement," she said. Did.



In addition, Satomi Women's Five Crowns, which is nicknamed "Izumo no Inazuma" due to her aggressive shogi style and sharp reading in the final stage.


Regarding his strength, he says, "When I think about how many moves I can read, I feel that the unexpected moves come. He reads his hand one step ahead and picks it up.



In addition, "It cuts from where you don't notice it. It shows tremendous power in the final stage. It shines and is fast, just like 'lightning.' It's amazing how single-minded, 'I want to be strong' and 'I want to aim high' never change."



On the other hand, this is the first time that a female shogi player has challenged the "transfer exam", and no female professional shogi player has been born yet.


Regarding the reason for this, Shimizu Joryu 7th Dan said that there were few women who played shogi before, and it was thought that the history was short and there were few opportunities to interact. It would be a waste if there were no women in the shogi system in which anyone can become a professional shogi player without discrimination."



Furthermore, "The number of female shogi players has increased, and the skill level has also increased. Expectations are rising now because it feels like seeing something rare," she said, expecting that it will lead to excitement in the shogi world as a whole.



Shimizu Women's 7th Dan said, "I think it's a lot of pressure, but Satomi-san is having a good time that only she can enjoy, the fun and difficulty of taking on the challenge." I think that the figure will surely give people who know shogi the joy of spending an amazing time together, and people who don't know shogi will be impressed."