Fujii becomes 1st junior high shogi player with rank of fifth dan
Jiji -- Feb 03
Sota Fujii, the youngest professional shogi player, won a key match on Thursday and was promoted to fifth dan from fourth dan, becoming the first to hold the higher rank while being a junior high school student.

Fujii beat fourth-dan Hirotaka Kajiura, 22, in his ninth match in class C2 in the qualifying round for the right to challenge the Meijin title holder, after winning all of his previous eight matches in the class. With Thursday's victory, Fujii was also promoted to class C1 in the qualifying system.

Fujii, now 15 years and six months old, became the second youngest to join class C1 and hold the rank of fifth dan, after ninth-dan Hifumi Kato, 78, who made such achievements in 1955 at the age of 15 years and three months.

But as the date of Kato's promotion to C1 and fifth dan was April 1 in the year, when he became a high school student, based on rules at the time, Fujii is the first to win the promotions while attending a junior high school.

将棋の藤井聡太四段(15)が順位戦の9回戦で勝利し、史上初めて中学生で五段になりました。
News sources: Jiji, ANNnewsCH