Masataka SugimotoChoose better, not best: The pride of a shogi master

Part 1: When faced with difficulties, think back to why you started

── How did you first get into shogi and set your sights on becoming a professional player?

My father taught me to play all kinds of games when I was young: card games, Othello, five in a row, and so on. One of the games he taught me was shogi.

There are eight different playing pieces in shogi, each with their own abilities and moves. I was particularly fascinated by the three-dimensional movement of the knight, which can jump over other pieces, and I became completely absorbed in the game.

I started playing in the second grade of elementary school, and by the fourth grade, I knew I wanted to become a professional player, so I started attending children’s shogi classes. Then when I was eleven years old I entered the JSA apprentice school – the gateway to a professional career. That’s when my dream turned into a resolution to succeed. But after being hailed as a shogi prodigy at my local classes, I had my first taste of failure at the apprentice school.

── What kind of setbacks did you experience?

At that time, I was almost the youngest person in the apprentice school and I struggled to win against more senior players. In retrospect, it’s clear that I didn’t have enough skill – in fact, people who knew me back then have told me they didn’t think I would become a professional. At the time, I thought it couldn’t be helped if I lost to an older opponent, but then something happened that knocked that idea on its head.

After two years at the apprentice school, when I was in the second grade of junior high, Yasumitsu Sato, who would later become JSA president, came to take the entrance test. Although he was a year younger than me, he was an incredibly strong player and when I played against him, I lost miserably. Up until then, I had never lost to a younger player, so I felt crushing disappointment. But this prompted me to reexamine myself.

After starting the apprentice school, it took me two years and seven months to be promoted to the next rank, with the disappointment from losing to Sato finally spurring me to improve my game. I had further setbacks, too; when I was 2nd dan, at the age of 16 I came close to being demoted to a lower rank, and then I spent about three years stuck in the 3rd dan league – the final level of apprentice school before gaining professional status. So, I experienced three major slumps and ended up spending almost a decade at the apprentice school.

── How did you overcome these frustrations and slumps?

I gained professional status in 1990 at the age of 21. Although I was nowhere near the JSA’s age limit, I was starting to panic as the years went by. To be honest, several times I almost gave up hope, thinking “maybe I don’t have what it takes to make it as a professional player.” But I think what helped me bounce back was my love of shogi.

“I love shogi,” I used to say to myself. “I don’t want to give up, so I will not quit.”

When times get tough, it’s important to think back to the original reason you started playing shogi. I give the same advice to my apprentices now.

── Does the JSA have a very strict age limit?

In my day, if you did not reach the rank of 4th dan by the age of 31, you were out. Nowadays, the age limit is 26 as a rule. Members who reach this age without qualifying as a professional player must leave the JSA.

On paper, it looks as if the rule is stricter than it used to be, but it is supposed to be for the benefit of the person themselves – to give them more of a chance to find new direction in life. In truth, most of my apprentices quit without becoming professional players. If they do not reach the required rank by the end of the league season after they turn 26, they must leave – although this can be extended if the payer has a win rate over 50%.

For that very reason, it’s a waste of time to set yourself your own limits before that. If my apprentices ever lose confidence, I always tell them to remember the original reason they set their sights on becoming a professional player and never give up until the very end. Although, if they have found something they want to do in life more than shogi, then that’s a different story.

Sugimoto around the time he gained professional status. When times were tough, his love of shogi was the driving force that motivated him.
Photo: Japan Shogi Association

── It’s similar to changing jobs in business, isn’t it.

Exactly. If an apprentice finds something else they would rather do, even before they reach the age limit, then I would not stop them. I just say: “It’s wonderful that you have found something you want to do in life more than shogi. Best of luck in your new path.”

But if an apprentice says they do not want to play shogi any more for negative reasons – they are not winning, or they have lost confidence – then I try to encourage them by saying: “If you love shogi so much you set your sights on a professional career, can’t you keep trying a bit more?”

From my own experience, I know that hard work is never wasted. Even if my apprentices decide to quit shogi, I want them to embark on new paths with confidence and a positive mindset.

── Shogi players need to have the ability to “read ahead”. Do you have any advice for how to cultivate this ability?

In my opinion, it’s about seeing yourself objectively. I believe it’s important to think about how someone else would see you and take an overview of the situation you are in.