is a Japanese

professional shogi player A professional shogi player (将棋棋士 ''shōgi kishi'' or プロ棋士 ''puro kishi'' "professional player") is a shogi player who is usually a member of a professional guild of shogi players. There are two categories of professional playe ...

ranked 9- dan. He is a former holder of the

Tenth Dan Tenth may refer to: Numbers * 10th, the ordinal form of the number ten * One tenth, , or 0.1, a fraction, one part of a unit divided equally into ten parts. ** the SI prefix deci- ** tithe, a one-tenth part of something * 1/10 of any unit of me ...

, Ōi, and

Kiō is one of the eight major title tournaments in professional shogi. The word means the " king of the board" (i.e. it is a combination of the kanji characters for and ). Overview The tournament started in 1974 as a continuation of the () held ...

titles.

Early life and apprenticeship

Takahashi was born on April 23, 1960, in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. He learned how to play shogi when he was twelve years old, and entered the

Japan Shogi Association The , or JSA, is the primary organizing body for professional shogi in Japan. The JSA sets the professional calendar, negotiates sponsorship and media promotion deals, helps organize tournaments and title matches, publishes shogi-related materia ...

's apprentice school when he was fifteen years old at the rank of 6-

kyū is a Japanese language, Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremony, ikebana, flower arranging, Go (game), Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, leve ...

as a protegee of shogi professional in 1975. Takahashi was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1977 and then 3-dan in 1979 before obtaining full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in June 1980.

Shogi professional

Takahashi is a member of the so-called ''Shōwa 55'' group (), a group of eight strong players that became professionals between April 1, 1980, and March 31, 1981, ( Year 55 of the

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

) and won numerous shogi tournaments. Others in the group include Yoshikazu Minami,

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Masaki Izumi is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8- dan. Early life and apprenticeship Izumi was born on January 11, 1961, in Nerima, Tokyo. He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school under the guidance of shogi professional at ...

, and .

Promotion history

Takahashi's promotion history is as follows: * 6-

: 1975 * 1-dan: 1977 * 4-dan: June 4, 1980 * 5-dan: April 1, 1982 * 6-dan: April 1, 1984 * 7-dan: November 17, 1986 * 8-dan: April 1, 1989 * 9-dan: April 1, 1990

Titles and other championships

Takahashi has appeared in major title matches a total of ten times and has won five titles. In addition to major titles, he has won three other shogi championships during his career.

Major titles

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.

Other championships

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.

Awards and honors

Takahashi received the Japan Shogi Association

Annual Shogi Awards The Annual Shogi Awards (将棋大賞 ''shōgi taishō'') are a number of prizes awarded yearly by the Japan Shogi Association to professional and amateur shogi players who have achieved particular success. The first Annual Shogi Awards were pre ...

for "Best New Player" (1983), the "Technique Award" (1985), "Player of the Year" (1986) and "Most Games Played" (1987). He also received the association's "Shogi Honor Award" in 2000 for winning 600 official games, the "25 Years Service Award" in 2005 for being an active professional for twenty-five years, and the "Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award" in 2014 for winning 800 official games.

Year-end prize money and game fee ranking

Takahashi has finished in the "Top 10" of the JSA's four times since 1993. His highest finish came in 1996 when he finished fourth. *Note: All amounts are given in

Japanese yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. Th ...

and include prize money and fees earned from official tournaments and games held from January 1 to December 31.

Notes

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Takahashi, Michio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Michio 1960 births Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Living people Shogi players from Tokyo Metropolis Tenth Dan Ōi (shogi) Kiō