In 2009, the modern shogi title scene featured dramatic seven game finishes in the Meijin and Oi, and a dominant sweep in the Ryuo. Below is a compact English recap of the year, with Japanese sources for readers who want to dig deeper.
Shogi board pieces and komadai. Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Shogi_board_pieces_and_komadai.jpg. Author: Oliver Orschiedt. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
1. Major title matches (2009)
Meijin (第67期名人戦): Yoshiharu Habu (羽生善治) defended the Meijin title against Masataka Goda (郷田真隆), winning 4-3.
Ryuo (第22期竜王戦): Akira Watanabe (渡辺明) defeated Toshiyuki Moriuchi (森内俊之) 4-0 to defend the Ryuo title and extend his streak.
Oi (第50期王位戦): Koichi Fukaura (深浦康市) defended the Oi title against Kazuki Kimura (木村一基), winning 4-3.
2. A few notable notes
Watanabe’s 4-0 result in the Ryuo match stood out in a period where many other top title matches were close.
In the Ryuo class structure that year, Makoto Nakahara (中原誠) is noted as having taken leave and then retired, a reminder that the 2000s were also a generational turning point.
Sources (Japanese)
Japanese Wikipedia: 「第67期順位戦」 (oldid 84960242) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC67%E6%9C%9F%E9%A0%86%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6&oldid=84960242
Japanese Wikipedia: 「第22期竜王戦」 (oldid 99511043) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC22%E6%9C%9F%E7%AB%9C%E7%8E%8B%E6%88%A6&oldid=99511043
Japanese Wikipedia: 「第50期王位戦」 (oldid 98237351) https://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%AC%AC50%E6%9C%9F%E7%8E%8B%E4%BD%8D%E6%88%A6&oldid=98237351
A shogi board with pieces and komadai. Source: Wikimedia Commons, File:Shogi_board_pieces_and_komadai.jpg. Author: Oliver Orschiedt. License: CC BY-SA 3.0.
In the 2007 shogi season (April 2007 to March 2008), the title picture mixed long running dynasties with a few sharp turning points: Toshiyuki Moriuchi kept the Meijin, Akira Watanabe continued his early run as Ryuo, and Koichi Fukaura captured his first major title by taking the Oi from Yoshiharu Habu.
1. Major title matches (2007 season)
Meijin (65th): Toshiyuki Moriuchi defended 4-3 against Masataka Goda (Apr to Jun 2007).
Kisei (78th): Yasumitsu Sato defended 3-1 against Akira Watanabe (Jun to Jul 2007).
Oi (48th): Koichi Fukaura took the title 4-3 from Yoshiharu Habu (Jul to Sep 2007). This was Fukaura’s first major title.
Oza (55th): Yoshiharu Habu defended 3-0 against Toshiaki Kubo (Sep to Oct 2007).
Ryuo (20th): Akira Watanabe defended 4-2 against Yasumitsu Sato (Oct to Dec 2007).
2. Major tournaments and notable events
25th Asahi Open Shogi Championship: Yoshiharu Habu won, defeating Chikara Akutsu in the final (May 25, 2007).
1st Daiwa Securities Cup Net Shogi Saikyo-sen: the inaugural champion was Masataka Goda (final held July 8, 2007).
15th Ginga-sen: Akira Watanabe won his second Ginga title (final held Sep 27, 2007).
28th JT Shogi Nihon Series: Takashi Morishita won his first JT title (final held Nov 18, 2007).
1st Asahi Cup Shogi Open: the event began in 2007, with the first champion decided the following season (Naoki Namekata, final Feb 9, 2008).
3. New stars and promotions
The professional ranks gained several names who would later become central figures in the 2010s:
Masayuki Toyoshima turned professional (4-dan) on April 1, 2007 (40th Shoreikai 3-dan League, 1st place).
Kota Kanai turned professional (4-dan) on April 1, 2007 (40th Shoreikai 3-dan League, 2nd place).
Shingo Ito turned professional (4-dan) on April 1, 2007 (two “jiten” results in the Shoreikai 3-dan League).
4. Awards and a few statistical highlights
35th Shogi Awards: Yoshiharu Habu was named Most Outstanding Player; Yasumitsu Sato received the Outstanding Player award; Koichi Fukaura received the Fighting Spirit award; and Jiro Murayama received the Newcomer award.
Notable game (Meikyoku-sho): Fukaura vs Habu, 48th Oi title match game 7 (Sep 25 to 26, 2007) was selected for the Best Game award.
