A Taiwanese self-taught shogi player on Sunday defeated a Chinese opponent to win the Eighth International Shogi Tournament, which was held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shogi, also known as Japanese chess or the “Game of Generals,” is a two-player strategy board game that is a variant of chess.
Chang Ching-ting’s (張京鼎) victory meant that Xu Kanyun (許衎昀) of China came second, while third place was shared by Munkhzul Turmunkh of Mongolia and Joost Berkvens of the Netherlands.
Photo courtesy of Chang Ching-ting via CNA
The virtual tournament was part of this year’s International Shogi Festival, which also consisted of an introduction to the Japanese game, online coaching sessions by professional players and how-to-play videos for beginners.
“I thank everyone for the support,” 16-year-old Chang wrote on Facebook, after receiving numerous mobile phone alerts notifying him of messages from fans who wanted to congratulate him on the victory.
The win over Xu also entitled Chang to an exhibition match against 19-year-old Sota Fujii, who is currently ranked 9-dan in shogi and holds three of Japan’s eight major professional shogi titles — Kisei, Eio and Oi.
Shogi players are ranked in the dan system, with nine being the highest in the professional rankings.
Although Chang ultimately lost to Fujii, he yesterday wrote on Facebook that it was an honor to face Japan’s top player.
Chang is currently a 4-dan, the event’s Web site says.
In an interview with the Central News Agency yesterday, Chang said he taught himself by watching other players on YouTube.
He said he tries to emulate the style of his favorite shogi player, Takuya Nagase of Japan, and hopes to have the chance to face him in the future.
Many Taiwanese have learned about shogi through manga, and it was because of manga that Chang and several friends eventually formed a shogi club in Taiwan, where they play every Saturday at a coffee shop, Chang said.
He said he wants to form a shogi club and hold tournaments once he is in university to promote the game in Taiwan.
The tournament was first held in 1999 as the International Shogi Forum and is organized every three years. It was later renamed the International Shogi Festival, with the tournament held online this year due to COVID-19 from Friday to Sunday.
The event hosted 38 players from 35 countries, who first participated in qualifiers in August, after which 16 finalists were selected to participate in the tournament.
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