[Japanese Side] Youngest Janggi Master Born... "20-Year-Old Generation Z Practicing with AI"

Sota Fujii Born in 2002
'New Generation' Meijin Using AI for Game Analysis

"It's neat. Both for fun and aesthetically."

In the Netflix drama "The Glory," which gained tremendous popularity, there is a scene where the main characters play Baduk (Go) as they unfold the story. The protagonist goes around challenging elders who gather to play Baduk at Tapgol Park, and videos analyzing his skills also became a hot topic.

In Japan, there is a sport that has consistently maintained popularity similar to Korean Baduk. It is the Japanese chess called "Shogi" (?棋). Recently, a story about a 20-year-old young man who became the youngest ever to win the number one Shogi player title "Meijin" in Japan has attracted attention. He surpassed renowned professional players and quickly rose to the top. Born in 2002, this young man gained even more attention by combining his efforts with the advantages of Generation Z, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze matches. Today, we bring you the story of Sota Fujii, a 9-dan Japanese Shogi player who stirred up Japan.

Sota Fujii, who earned the title of Meijin. (Photo by NHK)

Last month, Fujii defeated Akira Watanabe in the Meijin tournament and took the Meijin title. The Meijin tournament, which started in 1935, awards the title "Meijin" to the final winner. Since it is a prestigious competition, becoming a Meijin is practically equivalent to becoming the number one ranked professional Shogi player. Watanabe, 39, was a legendary figure who had won the Meijin title three times in a row, but Fujii defeated him. This record was broken for the first time in 40 years, and previously the youngest record was held by a 21-year-old.

Fujii started playing Shogi when he was five after his grandmother gave him a Japanese chess set as a gift. On his sixth birthday card, he wrote, "I want to become a Shogi Meijin when I grow up." He attracted more attention as he fulfilled the dream he admired as a child.

In this Meijin tournament, Fujii spent 1 hour and 47 minutes contemplating his 50th move before making it. At that time, he was reportedly reading 32 moves ahead. The number of possible positions that can occur in 32 moves is probabilistically about one billion. He demonstrated tremendous concentration and patience.

Watanabe Akira (right) playing a match against Fujii Sota. (Photo by NHK)

His mentor said in an interview after the victory, "Fujii's notebook is densely filled with traces of solving over 10,000 moves," and added, "His situational judgment is thanks to this deep analysis." Even though he knows the correct move, his habit of spending time to find a better move made him the Meijin he is today.

Additionally, Fujii's success was attributed to "thinking outside conventional wisdom" and "flexibility to respond to all changes." This was mentioned as a part created by the use of AI, which became a hot topic. Fujii used Shogi software equipped with AI to thoroughly analyze matches he lost. He studies with AI to compare his judgment during his matches and identify where he started to lose.

Mr. Sota Fujii analyzing the game with artificial intelligence (AI). (Photo by NHK)

This had a significant impact on catching up with the experience gap. Since Shogi cannot ignore the experience that comes with years, when Fujii first became a professional player, he lost quite a few games where he lost the advantage early and could not make a comeback. By practicing various moves using AI, he was able to quickly catch up with the experience of his seniors.

Utilizing the strengths of the new generation, Fujii rose to number one in one go. He has matches scheduled next month and in July, so the pressure is inevitably high. Fujii calmly stated, "Since I was young, I admired the word 'Meijin,' and I am very moved to have obtained it this time. But this is not the end. I want to proceed while remembering that the journey ahead still remains."

Shogi players kneel throughout their matches. Although it can be physically demanding, it is truly amazing how they can concentrate enough to see 32 moves ahead. As Fujii uses AI and reads moves that surpass AI, we look forward to seeing what kind of achievements this human professional player will show in the future.