Shogi whiz kid Fujii, 16, breaks 31-year record for youngest rookie of year

OSAKA -- Shogi phenomenon Sota Fujii, 16, broke the age record for winning the rookie of the year title for Japanese chess on Oct. 17, beating his opponent Wakamu Deguchi in a best-of-three contest here at the Kansai Shogi Kaikan building.

Fujii, ranked 7-dan, is 16 years and two months old and claimed the rookie king title faster than the previous record holder Toshiyuki Moriuchi, a 48-year-old 9-dan shogi master who won the honor when he was aged 17 some 31 years ago.

Fujii won two matches in a row in the three-match contest, overwhelming Deguchi, 23, from the beginning to the end.

(Japanese original Hiroaki Niidoi, Osaka Cultural News Department)