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Masataka SugimotoChoose better, not best: The pride of a shogi master
First Published in Japanese in April 2025 [4 parts]
Still advancing through the ranks in his fifties, Masataka Sugimoto (8th dan) is a professional shogi player who has never lost his ambition to keep improving. Outside of the shogi fan community, he is best known for mentoring a shogi prodigy called Sōta Fujii. Here, he talks about how to maintain the desire to better yourself, as well as his thoughts on cultivating talent in others.
Summary
In 2016, Japan was hit by “Fujii fever” when a young prodigy named Sōta Fujii burst onto the shogi scene, sparking a renewed interest in the game of shogi (Japanese chess) across the country. As well as the young hero, another shogi player was thrust into the limelight: Fujii’s mentor, Masataka Sugimoto.
Having started to take on apprentices from his early thirties – an unusually young age for a shogi master – Sugimoto is successful both as a professional player and as a mentor. From his experience of teaching many apprentices, he knew at once that Fujii had a talent on a par with shogi legend Yoshiharu Habu . Like Habu, Fujii would go on to hold all seven major professional shogi titles at the same time.
Here, Sugimoto shares his tips for “reading ahead” as only a shogi player can, striking a balance between self-improvement and fostering the next generation, as well as the best way to engage with AI – now commonly used in the world of shogi.
Masataka Sugimoto: Profile
Born in 1968 in the city of Nagoya, Masataka Sugimoto started playing shogi with his father around the age of eight, and quickly became fascinated by the moves the different pieces could make. He entered the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) apprentice school in 1980 and made his professional debut in 1990.
In terms of playing style, he is an orthodox ‘Ranging Rook’ player and is a leading researcher of the Double Ranging Rook opening. At the age of 50 – when many professionals are struggling to stay competitive – he delivered an outstanding 9-1 record in a major ranking tournament and became the fourth oldest player in history to be promoted to the prestigious B2 class.
Sugimoto runs his own shogi research institute and is committed to nurturing the next generation of players. His students include both Sōta Fujii, who at time of writing holds seven major titles, and Io Murota (3rd dan), who is a rising star in the world of women’s professional shogi. As well as playing professionally in tournaments, Sugimoto is actively involved in writing, media appearances, lectures and more.
Boxout: What is Shogi?
Often referred to as "Japanese chess," shogi is a strategic board game played by two opponents, each commanding 20 pieces. While it shares similarities with Western chess, shogi has several unique features. Most notably, captured pieces can be returned to the board as your own. This creates a dynamic, fast-paced game full of reversals and surprises.
Shogi players advance through a ranking system starting from the kyū levels, progressing to dan levels. Becoming a professional requires reaching 4th dan – an achievement that can take years of intense training in the apprentice school system.
Among the pieces, the rook (hisha) stands out as especially powerful. It can move across the board in straight lines and, when promoted, gains additional diagonal movement. Because of its strength and versatility, many players build their strategies around it, making the rook a key focus for both offence and defence.
This is the rook piece in shogi.