Young Shogi Wiz Achieves Crowning Victory

The world of shogi, a Japanese board game resembling chess, recently witnessed the crowing of a young superstar. At the age of 25, Yoshiharu Habu succeeded in clinching all seven top championship titles, an unparalleled feat in the history of the game.

Second Challenge
Habu's sweep to victory began in December 1994, when he won the sixth title and made a bid for the final Osho crown. Between January and March 1995 he played against titleholder Koji Tanigawa, 33, but was edged out four games to three in a best-of-seven contest. Nevertheless, he defended the other six titles in subsequent championships and ultimately succeeded in stripping the elusive Osho title from Tanigawa in February this year by winning the first four games of the series, which began in January.
Habu was born in 1970 into a family of an ordinary white-collar worker. His first encounter with shogi came in elementary school, when a friend taught him the game. He began to play professionally at the age of 12, and he won his first title at the age of 19.
Habu's success as a professional player has been extraordinary. Not only has he emerged victorious in 24 championship contests, including those in which he was defending a title, but he has also won an unprecedented 76% of the games he played. His yearly earnings from prize money have topped 100 million yen for three straight years since 1993.

The Complexities of Shogi
Shogi is believed to have been brought to Japan from India and China in the eighth century. Modifications to the rules were made over time, and the game evolved into its present form. Shogi differs from chess in one important respect: captured pieces are not dead but can be used again by the captor. For this reason many find shogi an intriguing game unrivaled in the complexity of its tactics.
The seven top titles are sponsored by Japan's major newspapers and television stations. Numerous amateur tournaments are also held throughout the country, where enthusiasts numbering about 20 million pit their skills against each other.

(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)