5th Ryuo Title in a Row: Top Shogi Player Fujii Earns Another Lifetime Honor

Editorial

16:58 JST, November 16, 2025

Sota Fujii, the 23-year-old who is the strongest professional shogi player in the game, has claimed another honor. Rivals are steadily advancing, and young players are also rising. Even though he is now the one being chased, he continues to evolve and grow with experience.

Ryuo titleholder Fujii defeated eighth-dan challenger Yuki Sasaki by sweeping four straight matches to grab his fifth consecutive victory in the best-of-seven Ryuo series, for the most prestigious title in the shogi world. He is the third player in history to be eligible for the lifetime Ryuo honor.

He has also earned lifetime honors for the Kisei and Oi titles, so Fujii is now the youngest player ever to qualify for three lifetime honors.

Fujii also faced Sasaki in last year’s Ryuo series. Although he successfully defended his title, it was a struggle, with him winning four matches and losing two. This was because Sasaki deployed a wide variety of tactics derived from extensive research.

Before this year’s series, Fujii said, “I also want to deploy my own tactical strategies.” His words surely reflected how well prepared he was. In fact, he could be seen putting those words into action.

In the second match, Sasaki employed the same tactics he used in a match last year in which he trounced Fujii. Fujii has often responded to his opponents’ openings head-on, but this time he took an unexpected tactical approach, gaining control of the match from the beginning.

Fujii’s strength has long been attributed to fast and accurate calculations, especially in the endgame. This stems from his daily efforts to hone his skills by solving shogi checkmate puzzles and using artificial intelligence in his research. In the latest series, he broadened his strategic repertoire, which gave the impression that he has evolved further.

However, it is impossible to predict how long the Fujii era will last. This is because rivals from his generation and the next youngest generation are polishing their skills and conducting research that specifically targets Fujii.

The best-of-five Oza series, which concluded before the Ryuo series, went down to the wire in the final match, and Eio titleholder Takumi Ito defeated Fujii. Ito took a second title from Fujii, who once held all eight titles.

Fujii and dual-titleholder Ito are the same age and have been playing shogi with each other since elementary school. Ito has held the upper hand in their matches since April 2024. These two players locked in fierce competition are a must watch.

Younger players are also making their mark. This year, 17-year-old fourth-dan Kazuki Yamashita became the first member of Shoreikai — an institution that trains shogi players into professionals — to win a ranking match to qualify for the Ryuo tournament. Fourth-dan Rintaro Iwamura, 19, placed second behind Fujii in a shogi checkmate puzzle championship in March.

Fujii, who has broken youngest-ever records one after another, has primarily faced older players. Going forward, the question is how he will face the younger generation. With veteran players still going strong, heated battles between old and new generations are likely to continue for some time.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 16, 2025)