J:COM Cup Children's Shogi Tournament

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I learned shogi when I was four years old, while visiting my grandfather's house. After learning the rules, I first became interested in solving shogi problems, and by the age of five, I had begun creating my own. I didn't start playing shogi seriously until I was in the first grade of elementary school. I even participated in the J:COM Cup, but lost to an older junior high school student. I also participated in many other tournaments, and I have fond memories of coming second as "Team Natto Maki" in a team competition with Mr. Katayama, who was promoted alongside me.

During my time Shoreikai, when I was in my second year of junior high school, I got sick with a stomach ailment and was taken away in an ambulance during a game. It was tough at the time, but my fellow Shoreikai members and friends at school were considerate and encouraging. I attended a junior and senior high school that offered both junior and senior high school education, but due to illness I transferred to a correspondence school in my second year of high school. There were times when it was difficult to go outside, and switching to a correspondence school naturally made me realize that shogi was the only path left for me, so I began to devote myself to shogi.

Since becoming a professional shogi player, I have been receiving more job offers, especially requests to create shogi puzzles, and I am happy to be able to work on shogi puzzles, which was my hobby.
My teacher, Iizuka, an 8th dan, usually says that he "doesn't get too involved with his students," and is careful not to have too much influence, but when I was promoted to 4th dan, he took me out to dinner with Katayama-sensei, who was also promoted to 4th dan, and bought me leather shoes, showing me great support. My family has also been quietly watching over me as I've become a professional, and I realize that this is just the beginning.

In the future, I would like to become a player who can entertain the audience by mastering the classic art of shogi, such as playing the rook opening while mastering the Yagura opening, which is said to be the pure literature of shogi, like Professor Sato Yasumitsu. I would also like to work hard and get along well with the other players who were promoted at the same time as me.

I hope that the children participating in the tournament will enjoy playing shogi itself, and that they will also value the opportunities for post-game discussions and interaction.

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My father taught me the rules and how to move the pieces, and that's what got me started playing shogi.
When I was in elementary school, I also participated in the J:COM Cup, but I couldn't go to the national tournament. I have some regretful memories, but it was a good experience to be able to play against strong players of my generation.

When I joined Shoreikai, I wasn't particularly conscious of going pro, just getting in was my goal. Once I reached 3rd dan, going pro became a realistic goal, and from then on I started to think about it seriously.
After I moved up to the 3rd Dan League, the atmosphere of the games was completely different from when I was at 2nd or 1st Dan, and my opponents had studied me in depth, so I had a hard time winning. I tried various strategies on my own, but I often felt that my opponents and their preparations were intricate. There was a time when I couldn't enjoy shogi purely, but by returning to my original favorite style of playing with the rook pawn opening, I was able to find enjoyment in it again.

My older brother also plays shogi, and we have played against each other in the same league. We entered Shoreikai a year apart, but I still had the feeling that I didn't want to lose, and I think he was a good motivator for me. My brother is currently working hard in the 3rd Dan league.

Since becoming a professional, I have had many new experiences, such as games and events. My master, Mr. Inoue, gave me advice that "you have to win first" in order to make your opponent think you are strong. Inoue's senior students are promoted almost every year, and I am grateful for their help in the study group.

Outside of shogi, I like to relax by jogging and traveling. Recently, I went to Hamamatsu and ate gyoza, eel, and hamburgers.

In the future, I would like to aim to become a shogi player who excels at the rook pawn opening, like Mr. (Tatsuya) Sugai or Mr. (Toshiaki) Kubo, and work hard so that I can one day challenge for a title. I would like children who enjoy shogi to enjoy the game in their own way.

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I received a game set for my sixth birthday that included shogi, and although there were other board games such as chess and Othello, I naturally became obsessed with shogi. My father taught me the rules, and I got into shogi a little bit every day by watching NHK shogi programs and reading introductory books.

I participated in the J:COM Cup when I was in elementary school, and even made it to the top eight in the Tokyo tournament. I still remember playing against strong opponents and receiving instruction from professional teachers. I often got nervous during tournaments, to the point where I couldn't eat lunch, but I enjoyed playing shogi itself.

I joined Shoreikai at the age of 10 and remained there for about 11 years. I was in the 3rd Dan League for 5 and a half years in particular, and after missing out on two chances to be promoted, I had a tough time staying motivated. However, I started to try to lead a regular life and reviewed my lifestyle habits, such as going to bed early and getting up early, and I think this little by little led to better results.
I was also happy to be promoted at the same time as my friends from Shoreikai. I've known Iwamura-kun since the early years of elementary school, and we've had many conversations about shogi, so I hope we can continue to work hard together.

My future goal is to first get through the free class and participate in the ranking tournament. I would like to work hard to eventually become an A-class player and also aim to win the Ryuo tournament. I would be happy to win all the titles, but I would like to aim to do well in the Ryuo tournament, which suits my name "Shilong." By the way, my parents named me after Zhao Yun Zilong, a character from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who is their favorite character.

I personally feel that I have become stronger because I have enjoyed playing shogi. I would like children who enjoy shogi to continue having fun by playing shogi for at least 10 minutes a day, even if it's just for a little while, and to try new strategies.

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I first encountered shogi when I was in kindergarten, when I became obsessed with a shogi puzzle app on my iPad. At first, I only did shogi puzzles and didn't play shogi very often, but gradually I became drawn to shogi itself. In kindergarten and elementary school, I was an active child who liked not only shogi but also other physical activities such as climbing trees, playing soccer and dodgeball. Even in the upper grades, I would play in the schoolyard with my friends after school.

I joined Shoreikai in the fourth grade of elementary school. I had wanted to become a professional shogi player since kindergarten, so it was a natural progression. During my time Shoreikai, I was able to achieve results in the Ryuo Tournament ranking matches, but I struggled to get promoted from the 3rd Dan League. In the Ryuo Tournament, you have a time limit of 5 hours with breaks, so you can play tenaciously, but in the 3rd Dan League, each game is 90 minutes long with no breaks, so it was difficult to maintain concentration and I often couldn't break the flow and ended up losing.

Since becoming a professional, I have been given a variety of jobs, and it has really brought home to me that I am a professional shogi player. I am truly grateful to the people around me for all their consideration and support, allowing me to concentrate on shogi. From now on, I will be playing in the free classes, but my goal is to play each game carefully and improve the quality of my playing.

Recently, I've been using my hobby of programming to get involved in developing AI myself. It's fascinating to watch the AI grow without using game records. I'm still nowhere near the strength of AI, but I want to cherish the human-like appeal of shogi.

Finally, I have been thinking only about my own shogi at my own pace, but I hope that children who love shogi will also value their own style and grow by focusing not only on the results but also on the content. I also want to learn a lot and play each and every game with care.

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I started playing shogi when I was in the last year of nursery school, after playing against a classmate who was already a strong player. After that, I started attending classes that my grandmother found for me, and by reading introductory books, I gradually became drawn to the charm of shogi. I participated in J:COM Cup Children's Shogi Tournament in the friendly class when I was in the third grade of elementary school, and then in the national class when I was in the fourth and fifth grades. I lost in the deciding match and was unable to advance to the national tournament, but interacting with players my age was a good experience, and I still remember watching the national tournament on television.

My desire to become a professional shogi player began when I saw a human shogi match held in my hometown of Himeji when I was in the early grades of elementary school. I joined the Shogi Shoreikai in the fifth grade and spent five and a half years there. Although being a member of Shoreikai meant I couldn't compete in regular tournaments, the support of my parents and fellow students, as well as the encouragement of my school friends who kept an eye on my league results, was extremely encouraging. The Shogi Shoreikai was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult for me to play shogi. However, with my father's help, I was able to play online matches with various people and gain practice. Around this time, I began incorporating not only the Igo-Rook opening but also the Furigin-Rook opening. After being promoted to third dan, I began researching AI, but I use it not to memorize AI-based joseki (opening moves), but to improve my ability to read my opponent's moves and avoid making bad moves. I was also very encouraged when my master, 9th-dan Inoue Keita, sent me a letter looking at my game records. The Inoue school is home to many strong apprentices, which is also a great source of inspiration.

Now that I have finally achieved my dream of becoming a professional shogi player, I feel the joy of having my childhood dream come true. After my professional debut, I was also very happy to be able to play against my senior apprentice, Mr. Ueno. In the future, I would like to not only achieve success in shogi, but also aim to go on to university. Previously, I had thought about studying something completely unrelated to shogi at university, but as shogi is my favorite game, I have begun to think that it might be a good idea to study something related to shogi, such as game theory.

Apart from shogi, I also like music, and recently I've been going to karaoke with friends after school. On my days off, I also take walks in the park listening to my favorite music, which also helps me to get in shape for shogi.

I hope that all the elementary and junior high school students taking part in the tournament will think hard and enjoy playing shogi. It's important to feel frustrated when you lose, but I also hope that you will continue to cherish the feeling of enjoying shogi, not just winning or losing.

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I started playing shogi because of a shogi board that my grandfather, a carpenter, made as a hobby. As my house was close by, he taught me how to play shogi and little by little, I became fascinated with the game and started attending classes. At the time, I was a quiet child who would simply nod along to my teacher's advice, but it seemed that shogi, which I could immerse myself in in a quiet environment, suited me. I participated in a national tournament representing Hokkaido and while interacting with the other participants, I learned about the existence of Shoreikai, and with the support of those around me, I decided to take the exam. At first, I had little intention of becoming a professional, but the frustration of failing the first exam became my driving force to seriously pursue it.

I experienced many hardships in Shoreikai. I was depressed when I was demoted from 2-dan to 1-dan when I moved to Tokyo from Hokkaido and started living alone. I also found it difficult to enjoy things when I was on the verge of quitting due to the age limit. However, by participating in instruction meetings, I met people who supported me, and their cheers were a great encouragement that supported me in my lonely battle. And the friendships with my peers who shared the same goal were a great support, and enjoying playing shogi together encouraged me.

After being promoted to 4th dan, I feel happy to be able to play on the front stage, and I thoroughly enjoy playing shogi and interacting with my fans. My next goal is to enter the main tournament and express my gratitude to the fans who support me. Shogi is important to me, and I would like to continue working towards my goal in order to give back to those who have supported me. However, I also need to take a break, so I sometimes go on long trips to go hiking and get in touch with nature to forget about shogi. Recently I climbed Mount Takao and Mount Jinba, which is further in the distance.

I want to tell children who enjoy playing shogi that it's important to enjoy it without straining yourself, not just to focus on the results. If you keep going without giving up, you'll naturally get a chance to take the entrance exam for Shoreikai. It took me many years to achieve my dream. I hope they'll see themselves and gain confidence.