Sakura Ishimoto

Sakura Ishimoto (石本 さくら, Ishimoto Sakura, born January 27, 1999) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 2-dan.

Sakura Ishimoto
Ishimoto at a human shogi event in November 2019
Native name石本さくら
Born (1999-01-27) January 27, 1999
HometownSuita, Osaka Prefecture
NationalityJapanese
Career
Achieved professional statusSeptember 1, 2016(2016-09-01) (aged 17)
Badge NumberW-57
RankWomen's 2-dan
TeacherNobuo Mori (7-dan)
Tournaments won1
Websites
JSA profile page

Early life

Ishimoto was born on January 27, 1999, in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.[1] She first became interested in shogi when she was a fourth-grade elementary school student after seeing some classmates playing the game. She decided that she wanted to learn how to play the game and started attending a local shogi school shortly thereafter.[2]

In 2010, She finished runner up in the girl's division of the 4th Elementary School Student Girl's Meijin Tournament as well as in third place in the 3rd Elementary School Komehime Meijin tournaments as a sixth-grade elementary school student.[3][4] Two years later in 2012, she won the girl's division of the 33rd All Japan Juniro High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament as a second-year junior high school student.[5]

Ishimoto was accepted into Japan Shogi Association (JSA) Kansai Branch's training group system.[2] Although still only an amateur player, she defeated a number of women's shogi professionals in the preliminary rounds of the 3rd (2013) and 4th (2014) Women's Ōza tournaments.[2][6][7][8][9] In 2016, she was promoted to Class B1 of the training group system when she was a 17-year-old third year senior high school student, thus meeting the criteria for the rank of provisional women's professional 3-kyū. She petitioned the JSA, with shogi professional Nobuo Mori as her sponsor, to be allowed to complete as a women's professional and was awarded the rank of 2-kyū and full professional status based upon her prior performance in the 2013 and 2014 Women's Oza tournaments.[2][10]

Shogi professional

Ishimoto defeated Kanna Suzuki in the finals of the 3rd Yamada Women's Professional Challenge Cup in August 2017 to win her first tournament as a professional.[11] She advanced to the finals of the same tournament the following year, but was unsuccessful in her attempt to repeat as tournament champion, losing to Saya Nakazawa.[12]

Promotion history

Ishimoto's promotion history is as follows.[13]

  • 2016, September 1: 2-kyū
  • 2017, February 20: 1-kyū
  • 2017, March 9: 1-dan
  • 2020, December 14: 2-dan

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Major titles and other championships

Ishimoto has yet to appear in a major title match, but she has won one official non-title women's professional shogi tournament.[14]

References
  1. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. "Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Kugatsu kara Joryū Nikyū ni" 石本さくらさんが9月から女流2級に [Sakura Ishimoto to be Women's Professional 2-kyū from September] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association]. September 1, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. "LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: Nisenjūnen Zenkoku Taikai Kekka" LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010年全国大会結果 [LSPA Girl's Shogi Project: 2010 national tournaments results] (in Japanese). The Ladies Professional Shogi Players' Association of Japan. August 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. "Dai Sankai Shōgakusei Komahime Meijinsen" 第3回小学生駒姫名人戦 [3rd Elemnetary School Komahime Meijin Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. "Dai Sanjūsankai Zenkoku Chūgakusei Senbatsu Shogi Senshuken Taikai [Joshi Kesshō Tōnamento]" 第33回全国中学生選抜将棋選手権大会 [女子決勝トーナメント] [33rd All Japan Junior High School Student Invitational Shogi Tournament Girl's Championship Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  6. "Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen" 第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選 [3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. "Dai Sanki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen" 第3期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選 [3rd Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  8. "Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Ichiji Yosen" 第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 一次予選 [4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 1st Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  9. "Dai Yonki Rikōhai Joryū Ōzasen Niji Yosen" 第4期リコー杯女流王座戦 二次予選 [4th Rico Cup Women's Ōza Tournament 2nd Preliminary Round] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. "Jūnanasai Kosan no Ishimoto Sakura-san ga Joryū Puro Kishi ni" 17歳高3の石本さくらさんが女流プロ棋士に [17-year-old, third-year senior high school student Sakura Ishimoto becomes women's professional shogi player]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Kyodo News. September 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  11. "Ishimoto Joryū Shodan･Sanmaidō Godan ga V Shōgi･Yamadahai" 石本女流初段･三枚堂五段がV 将棋･YAMADA杯 [Shogi Yamada Cup: Women's shogi professional Ishimoto 1-dan and Sanmaidō 5-dan each win first tournament as a professional.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 21, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. "Shōgi no Yamadahai Ōhashi Yondan ga Hatsuyūshō" 将棋のYAMADA杯 大橋四段が初優勝 [Ōhashi 4d wins Yamada Cup for first championship as a professional]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). August 22, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  13. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Shōdan Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 昇段履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  14. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishimoto Sakura Yūshō Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 石本さくら 優勝履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sakura Ishimoto Championship History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
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