Jun 21 (Japan Times) - The nation's youngest professional shogi player, 14-year-old Sota Fujii, won his 28th straight match on Wednesday to equal the all-time winning streak in official matches of the traditional chess-like game.
Fujii, a junior high school student who holds the rank of fourth dan, has gone undefeated since December. The shogi star is now on a par with Hiroshi Kamiya, a 56-year-old eighth-dan player who set the record for consecutive wins in 1987. "I know that many people, including those from my hometown, are supporting me. It helped motivate me, and I'm thankful for their support," Fujii said at a news conference after the match. "I'm glad that I was able to meet their expectations today." Ahead of the match, he said: "It's a big stage, and the opponent is formidable. I want to stay focused and do my best." In his latest make-or-break match during a preliminary round of a tournament played in Osaka, Fujii defeated 25-year-old Shingo Sawada, ranked a sixth dan. It was their second match, following a close game that ended with a win by Fujii. Fujii has not lost a match since his professional debut in December against 77-year-old Hifumi Kato, a ninth-dan player. His win came two months after he became the youngest professional player ever at the age of 14 years and 2 months.
Source: ANNnewsCH
