Kazuki Kimura

Kazuki Kimura (木村 一基, Kimura Kazuki, born June 23, 1973) is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is the current Ōi title holder. He is also the oldest player to win a major title for the first time.

Kazuki Kimura
Native name木村一基
Born (1973-06-23) June 23, 1973
HometownYotsukaidō
NationalityJapanese
Career
Achieved professional statusApril 1, 1997(1997-04-01) (aged 23)
Badge Number222
Rank9 dan
TeacherYūji Sase
Current titles heldŌi
Major titles won1
Tournaments won2
Meijin classB1
Ryūō class1
Notable studentsSatoshi Takano
Websites
JSA profile page

Early life

Kimura was born in Yotsukaidō, Chiba Prefecture on June 23, 1973.[1] He learned how to play shogi at a friend's house when he was in kindergarten, and started regularly going to a local shogi club when he was a second-grade elementary school student.[2]

Kimura first met his future mentor shogi professional Yūji Sase when the two played a 2-piece handicap game. Kimura soon began taking lessons from Sase at his house, where he occasionally played practice games against Hiroe Nakai, who was another one of Sase's students.[2] In 1985, he advanced to the quarterfinals of the 10th Elementary Student Meijin Tournament as sixth-grade elementary school student, and later that same year entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school under the guidance of Sase.[2][3]

At first, Kimura progressed fairly quickly and was promoted to the rank of 3-dan in the fall of 1990 when he was an eleventh-grade high school student, but it took more than six years before he was able to obtain professional status and the rank of 4-dan in April 1997.[2][3]

Shogi professional

In June 2019, Kimura defeated Yoshiharu Habu to earn the right to challenge Masayuki Toyoshima for the 60th Ōi title.[4] In the title match against Toyoshima, Kimura lost the first two games before coming back to tie the score at two wins apiece. Toyoshima won Game 5 and needed just one more win to defend his title; Kimura, however, won the last two games to win the match 4 games to 3. The victory not only gave Kimura his first major title, but it also made him the oldest first time winner of a major title at the age of 46 years and 3 months, breaking the record of 37 years and 6 months set by Michio Ariyoshi in 1973.[5]

Promotion history

The promotion history for kimura is as follows:[6]

  • 1985: 6-kyū
  • 1988: 1-dan
  • 1997, April 1: 4-dan
  • 1999, April 1: 5-dan
  • 2001, December 17: 6-dan
  • 2003, April 1: 7-dan
  • 2007, April 1: 8-dan
  • 2017, June 26: 9-dan

Titles and other championships

Kimura has been the challenger for a major title seven times, and has won one title;[7] he has also won two non-major-title championships during his career.[8]

Awards and honors

Kimura has received a number of Japan Shogi Association Annual Shogi Awards throughout his career. He won the ""Best New Player" award for 1997–1998; the "Best Winning Percentage" award for 1998–1999; the "Best Winning Percentage", "Most Games Won" and "Most games Played" awards for 2000–2001; the "Fighting-spirit" award for 2008–2009; and, the “Special Award” for 2019.[9][10]

Year-end prize money and game fee ranking

Kimura has finished in the "Top 10" of the JSA's year-end prize money and game fee rankings seven times since turning professional.

YearAmountRank
2005¥22,860,0008th[11]
2007¥23,840,0008th[12]
2008¥29,580,0006th[13]
2009¥29,420,0005th[14]
2011¥20,520,0007th[15]
2014¥16,340,00010th[16]
2019¥32,090,0007th[17]
  • Note: All amounts are given in Japanese yen and include prize money and fees earned from official tournaments and games held from January 1 to December 31.
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References
  1. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Kimura Kazuki" 棋士データベース: 木村一基 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kazuki Kimura] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  2. "Kimura Kazuki Shichidan ni Kiku Nebari wa Saizen no Gambari. ｢Korekara, Subete Kachitai｣" 木村一基七段に聞く 粘りは最善の頑張り。｢これからは, すべて勝ちたい」 [According to Kazuki Kimura 7d, never giving up is the best approach, "I want to win all my games from here on."]. Nikkei Net (Interview) (in Japanese). Nikkei Shimbun. 2005-06-08. Archived from the original on November 21, 2005. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  3. Geneki Purō Kishi DētaBukku 2016 [Jō] A-Ta Gyō 現役プロ棋士データブック2016 [上] あ-た [2016 Active Shogi Professional Databook [First volume] Letter "A" to Letter "Ta"] (in Japanese). MyNabi Publishing/Japan Shogi Association. 2015. p. 38 – via Google Books.
  4. Yamamura, Hideki (June 6, 2019). "Habu, Ōi Chōsen Nogasu　Ketteisen de Kimura ni Yabureru" 羽生, 王位挑戦逃す 決定戦で木村に敗れる [Habu lets chance to challenge for Ōi title slip away and is defeated by Kimura in the deciding game.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  5. "「Chūnensei no Hoshi」Yonjūrokusai・Kimura ga Shin Ōi Shōgi Sainenchō Hatsu Taitoru" 「中年の星」46歳・木村が新王位　将棋最年長初タイトル [’Middle-age star’: 46-year-old Kimura is the new Ōi title holder; becomes oldest player to win major title for first time.]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  6. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Kimura Kazuki Shōdan Rireki" 棋士データベース: 木村一基 昇段履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kazuki Kimura Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  7. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Kimura Kazuki Taitoru Rireki" 棋士データベース: 木村一基 タイトル履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kazuki Kimura Major Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  8. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Kimura Kazuki Yūshō Rireki" 棋士データベース: 木村一基 優勝履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kazuki Kimura Championship History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  9. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Kimura Kazuki Shōgi Taishō" 棋士データベース: 木村一基 将棋大賞 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kazuki Kimura Annual Shogi Awards] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  10. "Shōgi Taishō, Saiyūshūkishishō ni Watanabe Sankan...Nikaime" 将棋大賞, 最優秀棋士賞に渡辺明三冠...2回目 [Shogi Annual Awards: Watanabe 3-crown wins “Player of the year” for the second time.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  11. "2006nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 20" 2006年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト20 [2006 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 20] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2007-03-01. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  12. "2007nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 20" 2007年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト20 [2007 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 20] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2008-03-01. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  13. "2008nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 20" 2008年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト20 [2008 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 20] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2009-03-02. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  14. "2009nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 20" 2009年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト20 [2009 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 20] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2010-03-05. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  15. "2011nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 20" 2012年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト20 [2011 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 20] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2012-02-16. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  16. "2014nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 10" 2014年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト10 [2014 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 10] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2015-02-03. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  17. "2019nen Kakutoku Shōkin - Taikyokuryō Besuto 10" 2019年獲得賞金・対局料ベスト10 [2019 Prize Money/Game Fees Top 10] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
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