is a deceased 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 player ...

who achieved the rank of 8- dan and was awarded the rank of 9-dan after his death.

Early life

Yamada was born on December 11, 1933, in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most p ...

Aichi is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefecture ...

Shogi professional

Yamada died at the young age of 36 when he was still competing in the top A class of the Meijin ranking tournament system (順位戦 ''jun'isen''), which is generally indicative of a strong player. He had been in the A class for six years and died during his seventh year. He was a professional player for nineteen years. He influenced modern shogi players in his pioneering use of game databases, holding research study groups, and leading a serious ascetic lifestyle.

Promotion history

Kanai's promotion history is as follows: * 1949: entered as an apprentice * 1951: 4-dan * 1964: 8-dan * 1970, June 18: 9-dan (awarded posthumously)

Titles and other championships

Yamada won the Kisei title twice – both in 1967 when he defeated

Yasuharu Ōyama Yasuharu Ōyama (大山康晴 Ōyama Yasuharu, March 13, 1923 - July 26, 1992) was a professional shogi player, 15th Lifetime Meijin and president of Japan Shogi Association (1976 - 1989). He studied shogi under . He won 80 titles (2nd on record ...

and

Makoto Nakahara is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9- dan. He is one of the strongest shogi players of the Shōwa period (1926–1989) and holds the titles of Lifetime Kisei, Lifetime Meijin, , Lifetime Ōi, and Lifeti ...

, respectively, in the first and second tournament of that year. Besides these two wins, Yamada was a competitor in four other title matches (for a total of 6 title match appearances). He was unable to defend his Kisei title in 1968 losing to Nakahara and again challenged for the Kisei in 1969 also losing to Nakahara. He was a challenger for the

Meijin is one of the eight titles in Japanese professional shogi, and is the most prestigious title, along with Ryūō. The word ''meijin'' (名 ''mei'' "excellent, artful", 人 ''jin'' "person") refers to a highly skilled master of a certain field ( ...

and Ōshō titles both against Ōyama in 1965. He won a total of 9 non-title tournaments during his career.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamada, Michiyoshi 1933 births 1970 deaths Japanese shogi players Deceased professional shogi players People from Nagoya Professional shogi players from Aichi Prefecture Kisei (shogi)