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

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:07 JST, October 12, 2023

Shogi star Sota Fujii held a press conference in Kyoto on Thursday, the day after winning the Oza title Wednesday night to become the first-ever holder of all eight major shogi titles.

Fujii said, “I am happy to have won the eighth title, but I think from now on, an even higher level of shogi will be expected of me.”

Fujii, 21, did not look tired after spending over 10 hours to win the fourth game of the Oza title match against titleholder Takuya Nagase, 31, the previous day. “At night, I looked back over the game and had various thoughts, but I was able to sleep as usual,” he said.

When asked how he intends to reward himself, he said, “I haven’t thought about it much.” He went on to say, “It is important to stay motivated, so I have been conscious about how to improve my mood when I lose.”

Although he became the holder of all eight major titles, Fujii said, “That makes no difference when sitting across the board [for a match]. I want to make the content of future matches as good as possible.”

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