Kakogawa, the City of Shogi Players, to Host the 16th Kakogawa Seiryu-sen, a Gateway Tournament for Young Players, Opening in Kakogawa City on Saturday, May 16

Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture (Mayor: Yasuhiro Okada), together with the Kakogawa Wellness Association and the Japan Shogi Association, is hosting the official Japan Shogi Association tournament, the "16th Kakogawa Seiryu-sen."

With seven active professional shogi players hailing from the city, Kakogawa City is promoting itself nationwide as the "City of Shogi Players, Kakogawa." This tournament was launched in 2011 as a gateway for young players to further invigorate this momentum and support the shogi world, now celebrating its 16th term.

The opening match will be held on Saturday, May 16, with 4-dan Saito Morimoto and 4-dan Hiroto Ikegaki facing off at the Kakogawa Machizukuri Center. This marks the fourth time since the 13th term that the opening match will be held in Kakogawa City.

The final match is scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 11, and Monday (holiday), October 12, at the ancient temple "Totasan Kakurinji" in Kakogawa City.

【Details of the "16th Kakogawa Seiryu-sen"】

◆ Tournament Name: 16th Kakogawa Seiryu-sen

◆ Opening Match: Saturday, May 16, from 10:00 AM Held at Kakogawa Machizukuri Center (Sunrise Kakogawa Bldg. 5F, 507 Mizunokuchi, Kakogawa-cho, Kakogawa-shi)

◆ Opening Match Games:

【Game 1 / 10:00 AM～】

Saito Morimoto 4-dan (Saito Morimoto, disciple of Kenji Kobayashi 9-dan, from Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, 24 years old)

vs

Hiroto Ikegaki 4-dan (Hiroto Ikegaki, disciple of Keita Inoue 9-dan, from Kobe City, Hyogo, 22 years old)

*Hiroto Ikegaki 4-dan is a disciple of Keita Inoue 9-dan, who resides in Kakogawa City, and made his professional debut last October.

【Game 2 / 2:00 PM～】

Yuya Saito 4-dan (Yuya Saito, disciple of Masataka Sugimoto 8-dan, from Kuwana City, Mie, 28 years old)

vs

Toshiki Sumisaki 4-dan (Toshiki Sumisaki, disciple of Keita Inoue 9-dan, from Himeji City, Hyogo, 17 years old)

*Toshiki Sumisaki 4-dan is a disciple of Keita Inoue 9-dan, who resides in Kakogawa City, and made his professional debut last April. He is currently a third-year high school student shogi player and the first professional shogi player from Himeji City.

*A large-board commentary session by Keita Inoue 9-dan, Tatsuya Sugai 8-dan, and Iо Murota Women's 3-dan will also be held concurrently.

◆ Large-Board Commentary Session

Free admission, held at Kakogawa Machizukuri Center (Sunrise Kakogawa Bldg. 5F, 507 Mizunokuchi, Kakogawa-cho, Kakogawa-shi). There will also be a prize lottery for attendees.

◆ Final Match (Best-of-three)

Held on Sunday, October 11, and Monday (holiday), October 12, at "Totasan Kakurinji"

◆ Participants

40 players (Breakdown: 20 4-dan, 15 3-dan, 2 female players, 3 amateurs)

◆ Tournament Bracket: