Kana Satomi, first woman to compete in professional Shogi ranking

Shogi women’s champion Kana Satomi has been the first woman to meet the requirement to take the professional transfer exam of 10 or more wins in official tournaments and a winning percentage of 65 percent or more in Shogi also known as ” Japanese Chess “

Although he failed his historic challenge to compete among the best male professional shogi players, he ended up vowing to continue to improve his achievements in future competitions.

He needed a win to keep his hopes alive of joining the ranks of top professional Shogi players known as “Kishi”, having lost the first two games in the five-game transfer exam.

Satomi countered Kariyama’s moves with her favorite strategy, using the middle rook. But she lost in 103 moves.

“I think this is what I can do now. I will study more to do better,” he said.

Satomi needed three wins out of five matches to pass the exam and earn promotion to Kishi .

But she lost the first game in August and the second contest in September, putting her behind the eight ball.

Satomi is from Izumo, Shimane Prefecture. She is known as “Izumo no Inazuma” (Izumo lightning) for her sharp and aggressive play style.

Satomi holds five of the eight women’s titles and has the status of “joryu-kishi” (female kishi) .

These female shogi players are allowed to compete only with each other , in principle, except in some matches.

Regardless of gender , those who graduate from Shoreikai, the professional training school operated by the Japan Shogi Association , are eligible to become Kishi players.

However, the Kishi ranks have been dominated by men .

Satomi attended school and intended to join the top ranks, but had to leave school before graduating due to the 26-year-old age limit.

Another way to become a kishi player is to take the transfer exam.

Satomi participated in matches where female players can compete with kishi. She recorded 10 wins and four losses, which qualified her for the transfer exam.

She took the exam while competing in several title matches for female players.

“I can’t say I’m really strong as long as I can’t show my usual ability under any circumstances,” Satomi said at a post-match press conference on October 13.

She recalled her experiences from the exam in August and said, “I was able to have valuable experiences playing on such a big stage.”

“I think these losses will help me grow. I want to develop from my experiences,” he said.

If you pass the scores again, you can retake the exam. But she said, “I’m not planning for now (to take the test again).”