🚀 go-pugleaf

A short talk about Meijin title match of this year...

The Meijin title match between Yonenaga and Habu is now going on.  This is
not only a big title match but also an epoch-making match.
Mr. Yonenaga has been playing for 30 years or so, and has won many titles
except Meijin title.  He had become a challenger six times, which is the
record in Meijin title, but he lost every matches.  In his seventh
challenge of the last year in his age of 49, he won Meijin title.  This
news was quite encouraging for middle aged people in all over Japan.  Now
he appears on TV commercials, makes lectures writes books and so on.
Mr. Habu, 24-year-old, has become a professional just 10 years ago, though,
he has ever owned every major titles except Meijin.  At this moment he has
three major titles out of seven.  Not only he is a strong young player, but
also Sato (now having Ryuo title), Moriuch, Murayama and so on.  They were
called "child brand" or "the new human race", because they beat many older
players having longer careers.  The success of those young players are
encouraging for young people.
Mr. Dan Oniroku, a Shogi journalist, says "Meijin title match of this year
is a struggle between the generations.  If Habu wins, the era of our middle
ages ends".
I am in the young generation, (I believe), but I support Yonenaga because I
like his humorous and entertaining personality.  He has made funny things.
For example, he made a naked dance in a party to celebrate his winning of a
major title.  Mr. Senzaki had to dance in naked together as he saw his
master, Mr. Yonenaga, was dancing in front of him.
Before this Meijin match Habu has declared that he would not play the same
opening.  His games in this match remind me of a Shogi proverb, "Meijin
player needs no Joseki."  If he wins the sixth game on June 6 and 7, he
will win Meijin.  We will see it...

Cheers from a Shogi freak,




Hiroki Kawada                           *  "After being defeated,
Abt. GR, Fritz-Haber-Institut    *   valuable time starts.",
der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft,   *   Yonenaga, the Meijin
Faradayweg 4-6, Dahlem,          *
14195 Berlin Deutschland         *  "In Shogi, none of situations
E-mail adress:                           *   promises my win.",