Ryuoo(竜王) Akira Watanabe

Akira watanabe is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9 dan(9段). He had won seven times of ryoo competion.

Akira was playing in ryoo competition

Early life

Akira Watanade was born in Katsuika city in the Tokyo prefecture. his father is a premature 4 dan player, who teaches he about the shogi.

What is shogi?

Shogi is the traditional chess of Japan. Modern shogi is approximately as old as modern western chess , about 500 years old. The game is probably derived primarily from Chinese chess, xiangqi, but also has interesting similarities to Thai chess, makruk.

Like other forms of chess, the object of shogi is to force capture of the opposing king — to put him in checkmate. The two players alternate, moving one piece in each turn, using the characteristic moves of the various pieces. Some of these moves are the same as those found in western chess — some are different.

Lifetime Ranking

Watanabe was promoted to the rank of professional 4-dan on April 1, 2000 at the age of 15 after winning the 26th 3-dan league with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses.

Watanabe made his first appearance in a major title match in October 2003 when he challenged Habu for the Ōza title.

Yoshiharu Habu(left) and Akira Watanabe(right)

Watanabe led the match 2 games to 1 before Habu won the last two games to defend his title. Even though he lost the match, Watanabe was called "The man who made Habu shake" because Habu's hand visibly shook when making the winning move during the deciding fifth game.

In 2005, Watanabe defended his Ryūō title for the first time when he defeated challenger Kazuki Kimura 4 games to 0. As a result, Watanabe became the youngest person ever to be promoted to the rank of 9-dan at the age of twenty-one years and seven months.

In March 2007, Watanabe defeated computer shogi program Bonanza to win the first JSA-sanctioned game between a computer shogi program and a top shogi professional. Bonanza was the reigning World Computer Shogi Champion, while Watanabe was the reigning Ryūō title holder.

Ranking History

• 1994年 6級（奨励会入会）

• 2000年4月1日 四段（プロ入り = 史上4人目の中学生棋士

• 2003年4月1日 五段（順位戦C級1組昇級）

• 2004年10月1日 六段（竜王挑戦）

• 2005年10月1日 七段[注 4]（竜王獲得）

• 2005年11月17日 八段[注 4]（竜王1期、昇段制度改正による）

• 2005年11月30日 九段（竜王2期、史上最年少九段）