Youngest pro shogi player, 14, extends own consecutive win record to 12 games

OSAKA -- Fourteen-year-old shogi prodigy Sota Fujii has extended his own consecutive win record to 12 straight victories, following a triumph here on April 13.

Fourth-dan Fujii, who turned professional in October 2016, managed to beat fellow fourth-dan player Yoshitaka Hoshino, 28, in the sixth group ranking match of the 30th Ryuo Tournament at Kansai shogi hall in Osaka's Fukushima Ward, in 127 moves. The win means that Fujii has now won 12 games in a row since his professional debut, which is a record.

However, the record for the highest number of consecutive shogi victories is held by eighth-dan Hiroshi Kamiya, 55, who managed to win 28 matches in a row between fiscal years 1986 and 1987, when he was a fifth-dan player.

Fujii's next match is against sixth-dan Shota Chida, 23, in the 67th NHK Cup TV Shogi Tournament on April 17, which is scheduled to be televised on May 14. Commenting on this match, Fujii stated, "Mr. Chida is a formidable opponent, but I will try my best."