Fujii Meijin Defeats Itodani 9-Dan for Fourth Consecutive Title Defense
Fujii's fourth consecutive defense solidifies his dominance in the Meijin title, a streak that began when he first won the championship three years ago.
Reporting from 1 sources: Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment).
Sota Fujii Meijin defeated challenger Tetsuro Itodani 9-dan in Game 4 of the Meijin Match, securing his fourth consecutive defense of the title. The match, held in Takatsuki, Osaka, resumed on May 17 after the opening of Itodani's sealed move from the previous day. Fujii's victory gave him a 3-1 series win, ending the best-of-seven match early. During the game, Fujii ordered a cream-heavy dessert that drew comments from fans and professional players. After the win, Fujii spoke at a press conference about his approach to the match. Itodani acknowledged his own shortcomings in the series, saying he "exposed lack of skill," but received encouragement from fans. The match also drew attention for Fujii's unorthodox moves, which some spectators compared to a dance. The Meijin Match is the most prestigious title in Japanese shogi, and Fujii has now held it since 2023.
During the game's morning break, Fujii ordered a parfait from the venue's menu. Female professional shogi player Mirei Ishimoto commented on social media that the dessert had "an amazing amount of cream." The meal service for both players also included Takatsuki's local specialty, udon gyoza.
Fujii's unorthodox moves in the middle game drew comparisons to a dance. Some spectators on social media said the sequence resembled "Flower Rock," a reference to a well-known dance move. After the game, Fujii said at a press conference that he "wanted to play interesting shogi" and that "there is no established theory for a master."
The match also highlighted a regional difference in shogi rules. Veteran title holders noted that the byoyomi countdown, the final time control where each move must be made within a set period, is announced differently in Kanto and Kansai. The Kansai style, used at the Takatsuki venue, counts the seconds aloud, while the Kanto style uses a silent clock. Several professional players said they had not noticed the difference before.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment) タイトル経験者のベテラン棋士も「気が付かなかった」…微妙に違う？関東・関西の“秒読み”反響続々「言われてみれば」「へーへーへー」（ABEMA TIMES）