The first round of the Kioh Tournament, one of the eight major shogi titles, began on the morning of the 4th in Uozu City, Toyama Prefecture.
At the eve ceremony held on the night of the 3rd, Sota Fujii Hachikan, who will be defending his title, expressed his determination, ``I want to do my best to make this a game that will bring joy to the people affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake.''
The fifth match of the "Kiou Tournament," one of the eight major titles in shogi, will be held by Sota Fujii (21), who holds the title, and Takumi Ito, 7-dan (21), who is the same age. The first game began at Shinkawa Bunka Hall.
On the 3rd, before the match, an eve festival was held at a hotel in Uozu City, and Fujii Hakkan mentioned that this "Kioh Tournament" would be traveling to Toyama, Ishikawa, and Niigata prefectures, which were affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake. ``I am grateful for your efforts in preparing for the game under such difficult circumstances. I will do my best to make the game enjoyable for those affected by the disaster,'' he said with enthusiasm.
On the other hand, challenger Ito 7-dan also said, ``I would like to express my deepest sympathies to those affected by the disaster.I will make this a title match that will cheer everyone up.''
The second game of the Goban match will be held on the 24th of this month in Kanazawa City, and the third game will be held on March 3rd in Niigata City.