IN THE NEWS / Niigata high school boy crowned 'dragon king'

Kazumasa Ikeda / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

"The beauty of shogi [Japanese chess] is you can climb higher, little by little, with continual effort, even if you don't have much talent," said Kaito Takahashi, 17, who became the 24th winner of the national Ryu-ou (dragon king) shogi title for high school students at a recent event held in Fukuoka.

In last year's event, Takahashi, a second-year student at Niigata High School in Niigata Prefecture, could reach only as high as the top eight.

Akira Watanabe, holder of shogi's supreme Ryu-ou title and the chief judge of the event, was impressed by the young champion, describing him as "playing the game coolly at all times," even when time was running out to take his turn.

Takahashi learned how to play shogi from his father at the age of 5 or 6. After entering the third grade of primary school, he started brushing up on his skills by attending a shogi dojo (training center) in Niigata from his home in Tagamimachi in the prefecture.

When he was a fifth-grader at the primary school, he won the Osho (king) title for amateur shogi players in the prefecture.

"Back then, I overestimated my ability," he recalled.

In his second year of middle school, Takahashi won admission to Shoreikai, a training organization for professional shogi players run by the Japan Shogi Association. It was at this time that he came to learn the toughness of the professional world of shogi.

Although he continued playing shogi at Shoreikai by traveling to Tokyo twice a month, Takahashi realized how hard it would be to become a professional. Putting priority on going on to high school, he left Shoreikai a year and a half later. "Realizing my lack of ability, I began working harder [at shogi]," he said.

At his high school, Takahashi belongs to a five-member shogi club. His best subject is social studies. When asked why he liked the subject, he said, "Because I like cramming my head with knowledge."

When Takahashi was feeling discouraged after his withdrawal from Shoreikai, members of a local circle of shogi players encouraged him greatly, he said.

"I may have been able to repay them by winning the Ryu-ou title for high school students."