Official News Release

9-Dan Inoue wins the 7th Round of Ginga Tournament, Block G by default due to the contracting of influenza by the opponent 8-Dan Izumi.

3-Dan Taizou Ishikawa has withdrawn from Shourei-kai for personal reasons.
Defaulted official games due to this withdrawal are the following.

・The 47th Rookie Tournament　(opponent: 4-Dan Kenji Imaizumi)
・The 29th Ryu-ou Tournament, Class 5　(opponent: 4-Dan Yugo Takeuchi)

The winners of the 43rd Shogi Awards have been decided as the following, at the selection committee held on April 1st 2016 at "Sendagaya Social Education Center" in Shibuya-ward, Tokyo.

Winners of the 43rd Shogi Awards

Most Excellent Player

Meijin (Ou-i, Ouza, Kisei) Yoshiharu Habu　（2 consecutive years, 21 times in total)

Excellent Player

Ryuou (Ki-ou) Akira Watanabe　(first time in 4 years, 5 times in total)

Fighting-spirit Award

8-Dan Amahiko Satou　(first time)

Best Rookie

6-Dan Shintarou Saitou　(first time)

Most Games

8-Dan Amahiko Satou　59 games　（first time)

Most Wins

8-Dan Amahiko Satou　41 wins　（first time)

Highest Winning Percentage

6-Dan Shintarou Saitou　40 wins 12losses　76.9%　（first time)

Most Win-streak

8-Dan Amahiko Satou　15 win-streak　（first time in 5 years, 2 times in total）

Most Excellent Ladies Player

Ladies Meijin, Ladies Ou-i, Ladies Oushou, Kurashiki-Wisteria Kana Satomi　(first time in 2 years, 6 times in total)

Excellent Ladies Player

Ladies 2-Dan Yuki Muroya　(first time)

Ladies Most Games

Ladies 2-Dan Yuki Muroya　33 games

Tokyo Shogi Reporters' Award

9-Dan Hitoshige Awaji

The 22nd Kouzou Masuda Award

8-Dan Eisaku Tomioka (for Bishop-exchanged Reclining Silver, Tomioka Style)

The 10th Best Game Award

The 41st Kiou Title Match, Game 4　Ryu-ou Akira Watanabe vs 8-Dan Amahiko Satou

Best Game Award, Special Award

The 41st Kiou Challenger-deciding Tournament　Meijin Yoshiharu Haub vs 6-Dan Kenjirou Abe

Promoted players and retired players on April 1st 2016 are the following.

Promotion

Ryuma Tonari　　to 4-Dan (by the 58th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League)
Junpei Ide　　to 4-Dan (by the 58th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League)
Daichi Sasaki　　to 4-Dan (by the 58th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League)

Shouhei Takada　　to 7-Dan (by the regulation of Free Class)
Shinya Yamamoto　　to 6-Dan (by the regulation of Free Class)

Hatasu Itou　　　to 8-Dan (by the regulation for retired players)
Kouichi Kodama　　to 8-Dan (by the regulation for retired players)
Shouichi Anzai　　to 7-Dan (by the regulation for retired players)
Youichi Kushida　　to 7-Dan (by the regulation for retired players)

Beni Takemata　　to Ladies 1-Dan (by winning more than 50% and 7 games)
Saya Nakazawa　to Ladies 1-Dan (by winning more than 50% and 7 games)

Yoshiaki Kaneko　to Coaching Professional 7-Dan (by the regulation of Coaching Professionals)
Yukimichi Tanaka　to Coaching Professional 5-Dan (by the regulation of Coaching Professionals)
Satoshi Kawai　to Coaching Professional 5-Dan (by the regulation of Coaching Professionals)
Yousuke Okamoto　to Coaching Professional 4-Dan (by the regulation of Coaching Professionals)
Shinji Yamada　to Coaching Professional 2-Dan (by the regulation of Coaching Professionals)

Retirement

9-Dan Noboru Tamura (by the regulation of Free Class)

Ladies 3-kyu Karolina Styczynska will be "Ambassador of Kofu-city" at the request of Kofu-city.
Presentation ceremony of the commission letter will be held on Wednesday, March 30th at Kofu City Hall.

Commemorative photo with Mr. Yuichi Higuchi, mayor of Kofu-city

Tokyo (HEROZ, inc.) - HEROZ, inc. ("HEROZ") providing mobile applications with Artificial Intelligence (AI), is proud to announce that the English version of "Shogi Wars", an application officially approved by Japan Shogi Association, has been released.

From today's updated version, players can switch language from Japanese to English at the bottom right of the main page. A part of the sounds and graphics in the application remain Japanese, however, the English version allows everyone to enjoy Shogi, indicating buttons, tutorials, and Shogi pieces in English. Players can also apply and receive certification of diploma with no circumstance.

Shogi Wars will continue to strive for making contributions to the popularization of Shogi around the world.

"We have finally been able to release the English version, receiving much demand from users and people involved in Shogi. We strongly hope that this application will contribute to increase Shogi fans, enjoying playing against users from all around the world" comments Takahiro Hayashi, CEO of HEROZ.

"Japan Shogi Association has been putting effort into spreading Shogi worldwide for over 30 years; however, there has not been a perfect environment for foreign players to lightly enjoy the game. But now this English version of Shogi Wars will become a gathering spot for anyone to enjoy Shogi regardless of race. I can't be any happier if all fans and players in the world will find the excitement of playing Shogi through this application" says Teruichi Aono Kudan, the executive director of Japan Shogi Association and a professional Shogi player in Japan.

【About HEROZ, inc】
HEROZ is a company providing mobile apps using Artificial Intelligence (AI), which aims at offering services in the world with the concept "Surprising in mind". It is one of the biggest service providers in Japan today, and will keep on offering services and collaboration activities actively to create a paradigm shift with the key word, AI x mobile.

【Contact Information】
HEROZ, inc. public relations
Web: http://heroz.co.jp/
Email: press@heroz.co.jp
Please contact us to the above, if you have any inquiries about this release.

5-Dan Kouta Kanai (29 years old) has been promoted to 6-Dan, winning the game described below.

Date of promotion

March 9th 2016

Game

The 66th Oushou Tournament, 1st Qualify（opponent: 7-Dan Hiroshi Kobabyashi)

Ground of promotion

Winning 120 official games since the promotion to 5-Dan

9-Dan Hifumi Katou (76 years old) will receive a citizens special commendation from his hometown Kama-city, Fukuoka.
The commendation ceremony will be included in the Kama-city Combined Memorial Ceremonies held on Sunday, March 27th at Yamada Salvia Park.

Notification of absence has been submitted by the following Ladies Professional players. We appreciat the understanding of the sponsors and related parties of the tournaments held in their absence period.

・Ladies 3-Dan Chisa Hayamizu (33 years old): for personal reasons
Period of absence:　April 1st 2016 ~ March 31st 2017 (continued from the previous)

・Ladies 1-Dan Manaka Inagawa (24 years old): for personal reasons
Period of absence:　April 1st 2016 ~ March 31st 2018

・Ladies 1-kyu Beni Takemata (17 years old): for personal reasons
Period of absence:　April 1st 2016 ~ March 31st 2017

On Saturday, March 5th, 3-Dan Daichi Sasaki has been ranked 3rd place in the 58th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League (October 2015 ~ March 2016) with the game count of 12 wins and 6 losses. This is the second time he was ranked 3rd following the 55th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League (April 2014 ~ September 2014), which gives him the right to enter Free Class. 3-Dan Sasaki has exercised this right and will become Professional 4-Dan on April 1st 2016, as the third new professional player together with Ryuma Tonari, Junpei Ide.

Daichi Sasaki,　professional player ID = 306

Date of birth

May 30th, 1995 (20 years old)

Hometown

Tsushima-city, Nagasaki

Currently resides in

Yokohama, Kanagawa

Pupil of

9-Dan Kouichi Fukaura

Enrollment in Shourei-kai

September 2008

Enrollment in 3-Dan League

October 2013 (since the 54th Shourei-kai 3-Dan League)

Favorite strategy

Side Pawn Picker

Background of starting playing shogi

Being taught by his father at the age of three

Comment

When I lost the first game on the final day, I thought I had lost all chances of promotion. It was unexpected for me that I could obtain the right to Free Class. I am going to do my best in every single game so that I will be able to enter Ranking League.