Sota Fujii Becomes 1st Shogi Player to Secure All 8 Titles

The Yomiuri Shimbun

10:38 JST, October 12, 2023

KYOTO, Oct. 11 (Jiji Press)—Shogi sensation Sota Fujii on Wednesday became the first-ever player to secure all eight major titles, after clinching the Oza title.

Fujii, 21, defeated titleholder Takuya Nagase, 31, in the fourth game of the Oza title match held in the western Japan city of Kyoto, winning the series 3-1.

With the addition of the Eio title, the number of major shogi titles increased from seven to eight in 2017. Yoshiharu Habu, 53, was the last shogi player to win all the available major titles, in 1996, with seven.

After Wednesday’s victory, Fujii now holds the Oza, Ryuo, Meijin, Oi, Eio, Kio, Osho and Kisei titles.

In 2020, Fujii clinched the Kisei title, his first, becoming the youngest-ever shogi player to clinch a major title.

Fujii became the youngest player to gain the Meijin title, his seventh, in June this year.

Speaking after Wednesday’s game, he said, “I still don’t think I have the fitting skills (to be the holder of the eight titles), so I need to continue improving.”

Sota Fujii Wins Historic 8th Major Shogi Title; ‘Slept as Usual’ After Grueling 10-Hour Game