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.

Early life and apprenticeship

Yamasaki was born in

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...

, Japan on February 14, 1981. He 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 in 1992 at the rank 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 student of shogi professional . He was promoted to 1-dan in 1994 and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in April 1998 after finishing second in the 22nd 3-dan League (October 1997March 1998) with a record of 12 wins and 6 losses.

Shogi professional

Yamasaki became the 56th shogi professional to reach 600 career wins on April 12, 2019.

Promotion history

The promotion history for Yamasaki is as follows: * 6-

: 1992 * 1-dan: 1994 * 4-dan: April 1, 1998 * 5-dan: August 28, 2001 * 6-dan: November 18, 2004 * 7-dan: August 10, 2006 * 8-dan: July 27, 2013 * 9-dan: February 6, 2025

Titles and other championships

Yamasaki has been the challenger for a major title twice, but lost both times; he has, however, won eight non-major-title championships during his career.

Other championships

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

Awards and honors

Yamasaki has received a number of 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 ...

throughout his career. He won the ""Best New Player" Award for 19992000, the "Best Winning Percentage" and "Most Consecutive Games Won" awards for 20012002, the "Most Consecutive Games Won" award for 20022003, the "Fighting-spirit" award for 20032004, and the Kōzō Masuda Award for 20102011. He also received the association's "Shogi Honor Award" in April 2019 in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional.

Year-end prize money and game fee ranking

Yamasaki has finished in the "Top 10" of the JSA's six times since turning professional: seventh in 2005 with JPY 22,990,000 in earnings; tenth in 2009 with JPY 22,710,000 in earnings; tenth in 2012 with JPY 16,430,000 in earnings; fifth in 2016 with JPY 32,060,000 in earnings; ninth in 2022 with JPY 17,700,000 in earnings; and eight in 2024 with JPY 21,240,000 in earnings.

Notes

References

External links

* ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Yamasaki, Takayuki
* Yamasaki's blog
takoyakihonpo.blogspot.com
1981 births Japanese shogi players Japan Shogi Association players Living people People from Hiroshima Shogi players from Hiroshima Prefecture Recipients of the Kōzō Masuda Award Shinjin-Ō NHK Cup (shogi) {{shogi-stub