■Nathan Shiga: December 17

Not Sota again? Yes, Sota once again, as this Shogi prodigy set another milestone in his professional career by beating a Class-A master for the first time. It’s like a high school ball player hitting the well-controlled ball of a Major League pitcher into the right field for a three-base hit. Class-A ranks the highest in the hierarchy of Shogi consisting of 11 leading players of master-class skill and record.

The victim of this rising genius is Nobuyuki Yashiki 9-dan of age 47. Yashiki is no ordinary Shogi master with the record of the youngest (18 years and 6 months) to win a tournament title – the record, by the way, about to be rewritten by Sota himself sooner or later.

Sota Fujii and Nobuyuki Yashiki met in Stage 2 of the Asahi Cup Tournament December 15. The match turned out a close one with 40 minutes each of pondering time. Sota managed to pull through in 102 moves. That was his first win over a Class-A master.

Sota registered another win right after with A. Matsuo, 8-dan, to qualify for the final – the youngest in history.

Following the crucial match against Yashiki, Sota Fujii commented:

“A win over a Class-A master gives me quite a confidence for sure.”

So, it’s another Sota, and he deserves it, wouldn’t you say?

—Sponsered Link—