TOKYO, Apr 12 (News On Japan) –
In the primary recreation of the best-of-seven title match for the celebrated “Meijin” title, probably the most historic of the eight main shogi titles, titleholder Sota Fujii, holding eight crowns on the age of 21, claimed victory over challenger Yoshiharu Toyoshima, a 33-year-old 9-dan participant.
Fujii began the collection with a win in Tokyo. The opening recreation of the Meijin match started on April tenth in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, and on the second day, the eleventh, resumed with Toyoshima, taking part in black, opening with the “sealed move” he had written on the finish of the day before today’s session. As each Fujii and Toyoshima rigorously constructed their formations, eyeing for alternatives, the sport progressed tensely till Toyoshima initiated an assault, resulting in a fierce battle. At one level, Fujii was on the defensive, however as time ran quick, Toyoshima made a important error. Fujii didn’t miss the prospect, turning the tables by successfully utilizing his “knight” and “silver” items. At 9:22 PM, Toyoshima resigned after 141 strikes, giving Fujii a victorious begin to the collection.
Fujii has been on a successful streak in title matches because the second recreation of the “Oza” title match final September, and with the victory on the eleventh, he prolonged his streak to 16 consecutive wins, only one shy of the file held by the legendary fifteenth Meijin, Yasuharu Oyama. After attaining an unprecedented monopoly of all eight main titles final yr, Fujii has already defended his “Osho” and “Kio” titles this yr and is at the moment additionally defending his “Eio” title. The Meijin title match is scheduled to run via June this yr, with the primary participant to achieve 4 wins claiming the title. The second recreation of the collection will likely be held on the twenty third and twenty fourth of this month in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture.
After the match, Fujii remarked, “It was a game where I felt under pressure for a long time. The opening wasn’t quite what I expected, and I had to play each move with difficulty. In the endgame, it was about how I could persevere, but once I was able to utilize the ‘knight’ to create an attacking formation, I felt for the first time that the game was turning in my favor. I think it was a game where I was being pushed for a long time, so I want to thoroughly review it and carry that into the next game.”
On the opposite hand, Toyoshima commented, “I wanted to play the opening as it unfolded, but I found the ‘sealed move’ phase challenging. I think there were moments where I had a chance, but I should have taken more time to think when I played the ‘lance.’ It’s been a while since I played a match with a 9-hour time limit, so it was good to have that experience. I’ll prepare thoroughly and do my best again.”
Source: NHK