Sakura Ishimoto

Sakura Ishimoto
Ishimoto at a human shogi [ja] event in November 2019
Native name石本さくら
Born (1999-01-27) January 27, 1999 (age 25)
HometownSuita, Osaka Prefecture
Career
Achieved professional statusSeptember 1, 2016(2016-09-01) (aged 17)
Badge NumberW-57
RankWomen's 2-dan
TeacherNobuo Mori [ja] (7-dan)
Tournaments won1
Websites
JSA profile page

Sakura Ishimoto (石本 さくら, Ishimoto Sakura, born January 27, 1999) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 2-dan.

Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship

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Ishimoto was born on January 27, 1999, in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.[1] She first became interested in shogi when she was a fourth-grade elementary school student after seeing some classmates playing the game. She decided that she wanted to learn how to play the game and started attending a local shogi school shortly thereafter.[2]

In 2010, she finished runner-up in the girl's division of the 4th Elementary School Student Girl's Meijin Tournament [ja] as well as in third place in the 3rd Elementary School Komehime Meijin [ja] tournaments as a sixth-grade elementary school student.[3][4] Two years later in 2012, she won the girl's division of the 33rd All Japan Juniro High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament [ja] as a second-year junior high school student.[5]

Ishimoto was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) Kansai Branch's training group system.[2] Although still an amateur player, she defeated a number of women's shogi professionals in the preliminary rounds of the 3rd (2013) and 4th (2014) Women's Ōza [ja] tournaments.[2][6][7][8][9] In 2016, she was promoted to Class B1 of the training group system when she was a 17-year-old third year senior high school student, thus meeting the criteria for the rank of provisional women's professional 3-kyū. She petitioned the JSA, with shogi professional Nobuo Mori [ja] as her sponsor, to be allowed to compete as a women's professional and was awarded the rank of 2-kyū and full professional status based on her prior performance in the 2013 and 2014 Women's Oza tournaments.[2][10]

Women's shogi professional

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Ishimoto defeated Kanna Suzuki in the finals of the 3rd Yamada Women's Professional Challenge Cup [ja] in August 2017 to win her first tournament as a professional.[11] She advanced to the finals of the same tournament the following year, but was unsuccessful in her attempt to repeat as tournament champion, losing to Saya Nakazawa.[12]

Promotion history

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Ishimoto's promotion history is as follows.[13]

  • 2-kyū: September 1, 2016
  • 1-kyū: February 20, 2017
  • 1-dan: March 9, 2017
  • 2-dan: December 14, 2020

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Major titles and other championships

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Ishimoto has yet to appear in a major title match, but she has won one official non-title women's professional shogi tournament.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Kugatsu kara Joryū Nikyū ni" 石本さくらさんが9月から女流2級に [Sakura Ishimoto to be Women's Professional 2-kyū from September] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association]. September 1, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: Nisenjūnen Zenkoku Taikai Kekka" LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010年全国大会結果 [LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010 national tournaments results] (in Japanese). The Ladies Professional Shogi Players' Association of Japan. August 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. ^ "Dai Sankai Shōgakusei Komahime Meijinsen" 第3回小学生駒姫名人戦 [3rd Elemnetary School Komahime Meijin Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "Dai Sanjūsankai Zenkoku Chūgakusei Senbatsu Shogi Senshuken Taikai [Joshi Kesshō Tōnamento]" 第33回全国中学生選抜将棋選手権大会 [女子決勝トーナメント] [33rd All Japan Junior High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament Girl's Championship Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen" 第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選 [3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. ^ "Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen" 第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選 [3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. ^ "Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen" 第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選 [4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  9. ^ "Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen" 第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選 [4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. ^ "Jūnanasai Kosan no Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Joryū Puro Kishi ni" 17歳高3の石本さくらさんが女流プロ棋士に [17-year-old, third-year senior high school student Sakura Ishimoto becomes women's professional shogi player]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Kyodo News. September 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Ishimoto Joryū Shodan･Sanmaidō Godan ga V Shōgi･Yamadahai" 石本女流初段･三枚堂五段がV 将棋･YAMADA杯 [Shogi Yamada Cup: Women's shogi professional Ishimoto 1-dan and Sanmaidō 5-dan each win first tournament as a professional.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 21, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "Shōgi no Yamadahai Ōhashi Yondan ga Hatsuyūshō" 将棋のYAMADA杯 大橋四段が初優勝 [Ōhashi 4d wins Yamada Cup for first championship as a professional]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). August 22, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  13. ^ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Shōdan Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 昇段履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  14. ^ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Yūshō Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 優勝履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Championship History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
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