By Galo S Mirth
Shogi in 2005 featured a successful defense of the Meijin by Toshiyuki Moriuchi, another Ryuo defense by Akira Watanabe, and an especially busy year for Yoshiharu Habu, who held or won several major titles. This article summarizes the headline results and a few notable storylines from the year.
Note on seasons: Professional shogi title matches often span two calendar years. For consistency, I cite each title by its numbered term (for example, “the 18th Ryuo”) and the official season label used by Japanese sources.
1. Major title matches (headline results)
| Title | Term | Champion (result) | Challenger | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryuo | 18th | Akira Watanabe (defended) | Kazuki Kimura | 4-0 |
| Meijin | 63rd | Toshiyuki Moriuchi (defended) | Yoshiharu Habu | 4-3 |
| Oi | 46th | Yoshiharu Habu (defended) | Yasumitsu Sato | 4-3 |
| Oza | 53rd | Yoshiharu Habu (defended) | Yasumitsu Sato | 3-0 |
| Kio | 30th | Yoshiharu Habu (won title) | Koji Tanigawa | 3-0 |
| Osho | 55th | Yoshiharu Habu (defended) | Yasumitsu Sato | 4-3 |
| Kisei | 76th | Yasumitsu Sato (defended) | Yoshiharu Habu | 3-2 |
2. A few 2005 storylines
Watanabe’s Ryuo defense and promotion
In the 18th Ryuo match, Akira Watanabe defeated Kazuki Kimura by four straight wins to defend the title. Japanese sources also note that this defense triggered Watanabe’s promotion to 9-dan.
Moriuchi holds the Meijin in a full seven-game match
The 63rd Meijin match went the distance. Toshiyuki Moriuchi defeated Yoshiharu Habu 4-3 to defend the Meijin title, underscoring just how narrow the margin at the very top can be even between long-time rivals.
Habu and Sato repeatedly collide in summer and autumn
Yoshiharu Habu defended both the 46th Oi and the 53rd Oza against Yasumitsu Sato, by 4-3 and 3-0 respectively. Earlier in the year, Sato defended the 76th Kisei against Habu 3-2. Their repeated high-stakes matches are one of the clearest through-lines of the 2005 season.
Sources (Japanese)
- Wikipedia (JA): 第18期竜王戦 (oldid 99511030) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC18%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=99511030
- Wikipedia (JA): 第63期名人戦 (将棋) (oldid 98430896) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC63%E6%9C%9F%E5%90%8D%E4%BA%BA%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98430896
- Wikipedia (JA): 第46期王位戦 (oldid 98237095) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC46%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6&oldid=98237095
- Wikipedia (JA): 第53期王座戦 (将棋) (oldid 98237441) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC53%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%BA%A7%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98237441
- Wikipedia (JA): 第30期棋王戦 (oldid 98236281) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC30%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=98236281
- Wikipedia (JA): 第55期王将戦 (oldid 103417159) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC55%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E5%B0%86%E6%88%A6&oldid=103417159
- Wikipedia (JA): 第76期棋聖戦 (将棋) (oldid 98238318) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC76%E6%9C%9F%E6%A3%8B%E8%81%96%E6%88%A6_(%E5%B0%86%E6%A3%8B)&oldid=98238318