国際将棋フォーラム2024開催報告（レポート）の英語版を掲載します【International Shogi Forum 2024 Report（English version）】

The International Shogi Forum 2024, an event aimed at the international promotion and development of Shogi, one of the traditional Japanese cultures, as well as cultural exchange and international amity through Shogi, was held from Thursday, November 7 to Saturday, November 9, 2024, at the New Shogi Kaikan and the Former Shogi Kaikan in Sendagaya, Tokyo, and some other locations. The previous International Shogi Forum 2021 was held online. It was the first time in seven years since 2017 that the festival was held face-to-face.

Sponsorship

IGO & SHOGI CHANNEL INC.

Special Cooperation

THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN / SANKEI SHIMBUN CO., LTD. / Nikkei Inc.

Individual Sponsorship

Masashi Atsumi

Cooperation

International Shogi Popularization Society

Support

2024 Japan Expo 2.0 Project (Subsidized)
(Japan Arts Council / Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan)

■International Shogi Forum 2024 WEB site

https://isf.shogi.or.jp/

■Exchange Event at Sendagaya Elementary School

On Thursday, November 7, 30 foreign players and their companions interacted with 4th graders at Sendagaya Elementary School in Sendagaya, Tokyo, through the game of Shogi.

　
Left photo: Participating foreign players lined up in a row to be welcomed.
Right photo: Foreign players and elementary school students split up to play relay Shogi at several places.

　
Left photo: Elementary school students in a "Kinsho" costume in the representative game.
Right photo: A commemorative photo of all the participants at the end of the event.

■Eve party

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, a standing buffet-style eve party was held at a hotel in Ichigaya, Tokyo, with 119 participants.

　
Left photo: Mr. Yoshiharu Habu, the president of Japan Shogi Association, gave a speech on behalf of the organizer.
Right photo: Mr. Kenji Kuramoto, the president of IGO & SHOGI CHANNEL INC., gave a speech on behalf of the sponsors.

　
Left photo: Mr. Akira Yamada, the president of the International Shogi Popularization Society, gave a toast.
Right Photo: The preliminary league matchups were announced, and foreign players expressed their aspirations on the stage.

■The 9th International Shogi Tournament

From May to July 2024, qualifying tournaments were held in countries and regions around the world, and a total of 51 representative players from 45 countries and regions were selected. The main venue for this tournament was at the New Shogi Kaikan, which moved to a new location in front of Sendagaya Station in Shibuya, Tokyo. The players who came to Japan competed in the preliminary and final tournaments over two days to win the championship.

　
Left photo: Mr. Daisuke Katagami, the executive director, made an opening speech at the opening ceremony.
Right photo: Players were divided into 13 blocks of 4 people and competed in the preliminary league.

　
Left photo: The professional Shogi player, Taichi Nakamura 8-dan gave advice to the players after games
Right photo: On the second day, the best 4 players of the A tournament (winners of the 2 preliminary rounds) and the B tournament (losers of the 2 preliminary rounds) were held at a different place.

　
Left photo: Carlos Daniel Muñoz Guerra (Mexico, right) won the B tournament, defeated Eduard Panko (Slovakia, left).
Right photo: In the A Tournament, Xu Nuo (China, right) won the championship against MICHAEL WANG (USA, left).

　
Left photo: A commemorative game between Sota Fujii, Ryuou/Meijin and Xu Nuo, the winner of A tournament (Fujii, Ryuou/Meijin won).
Right photo: At the commentary session, Mr. Yoshiharu Habu, the president of Japan Shogi Association served as a commentator.

　
Left photo: At the award ceremony, Mr. Yoshiharu Habu, the president of Japan Shogi Association, awarded a gold medal to Mr. Xu Nuo.
Right photo: The tournament ended with a commemorative photo of the winners, Mr. Yoshiharu Habu, the president of Japan Shogi Association, and Sota Fujii, Ryuou/Meijin.

■International Shogi Dojo

On Friday, November 8, 2024, the "International Shogi Dojo" was held at the "Former Shogi Kaikan" in Sendagaya, Tokyo, for the purpose of promoting interaction with foreigners. 68 people participated in the event.

　
Left Photo: It was the last chance to play Shogi at the Former Shogi Kaikan, and the players enjoyed Shogi.
Right photo: Cross-border games unique to the International Shogi Dojo

■International Open Tournament

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, "Open Shogi Tournament" was held for foreign players at the "Former Shogi Kaikan" in Sendagaya, Tokyo. 61 people participated in the tournament.

　
Left photo: Players who lost in the International Shogi Tournament also participated in the tournament and played nice games.
Right photo: The scene was very intense, just like a serious Shogi match.

■Teaching Game

On November 8 and 9, 2024, 119 participants took part in teaching games at the "Former Shogi Kaikan" in Sendagaya, Tokyo.
The following professionals participated in the teaching games.
Teruichi Aono 9-dan, Hirotaka Nozuki 8-dan, Tetsuro Itodani 8-dan, Taichi Nakamura 8-dan, Yaichio Ohno 7-dan, Masakazu Kondo 7-dan, Yusuke Toyama 6-dan, Madoka Kitao Female 2-dan, Hana Wada Female 1-kyu, Kanade Sunahara Female 2-kyu

　　

■Shogi Piece Making Demonstration from Tendo City

In "Komorebi-no-Ma" of Ki-no-Ne, Tendo City, where Shogi pieces are produced, gave us a demonstration of piece making.

■Shogi Interpreter Volunteer Courses

Shogi Interpreter Volunteer Courses were held during the International Shogi Forum 2024 event.
The "Shogi Interpreter Volunteer Course" was held three times on September 21, 28 and October 12 for the students with the aim of nurturing staff who can take charge of Shogi interpretation activities during the International Shogi Forum 2024 event and beyond that period to spread the appeal of Shogi more widely throughout the world. The lecturer was Mr. Yasushi Ishikawa, a professional Shogi teacher 4-dan. The lecture consisted of (1) basic Shogi terminology, (2) interpretation of post-game discussion using Shogi records, and (3) lecture how to give advice in the handicapped games and shogi communication towards the questions. We appreciate your energetic participation during the International Shogi Forum 2024. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

　

The "International Shogi Forum 2024" has been successfully completed.
The next event will be held in 2027, three years from now. We would like to express our gratitude to all the players who participated from overseas, and all the people involved for their cooperation. Thank you very much.