Kanta Masegi
| Kanta Masegi | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 柵木幹太 |
| Born | February 18, 1998 |
| Hometown | Nishio, Aichi, Japan |
| Career | |
| Achieved professional status | April 1, 2023 (aged 25) |
| Badge number | 338 |
| Rank | 5-dan |
| Teacher | Yūji Masuda (7-dan) |
| Meijin class | C2 |
| Ryūō class | 5 |
| Websites | |
| JSA profile page | |
Kanta Masegi (柵木 幹太, Masegi Kanta; February 18, 1998) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 5-dan.
Early life and amateur shogi
[edit]Masegi was born in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture on February 18, 1998.[1] He learned how to play shogi from his father.[2]
Masegi entered the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) apprentice professional school at the rank of 6-kyū in September 2009 as a student of shogi professional Yūji Masuda.[2] He was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 3-dan in April 2016 and qualifed to play in the JSA's 59th 3-dan League (April–September 2016);[2] Masegi's first season in the 3-dan League, however, did not go well as he finished dead last out of 29 players with a record of 4 wins and 14 losses.[3][4] Masegi finished the 69th 3-dan League (April–September 2021) in third place with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses to earn a promotion point towards regular professional status.[5][a] Masegi earned a second promotion point after finishing 3rd in the 72nd 3-dan League (October 2022 – March 2023) with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses to earn a second promotion point;[6][b] this gave him the option to enter the professional ranks as a Free Class player which he elected to do.[7]
Shogi professional
[edit]Masegi was one of the five most recently promoted regular professionals selected to be the for women's professional shogi player Tomoka Nishiyama during her best-of-five Professional Admission Test.[8] Masegi was Nishiyama's opponent in Game 5 of the test played on January 22, 2025, at the JSA's Kansai Branch office. A win by Nishiyama would mean that she would become the first woman to be awarded regular professional status by the JSA, but Masegi won the game in 135 moves.[9] Masegi and Nishiyama faced each five times in apprentice professional 3-dan League play, with Masegi winning each game;[9] however, Masegi reviewed the game scores from those games as part of his preparation and found that he had gotten a bit lucky and could have easily lost each game.[9] He was impressed by how strong Nishiyama was in fighting back from disadvantageous positions.[9] At the post-game press conference, Masegi stated he felt some pressure and was nervous before the game started but settled down once the game began.[9] He also stated that moving first allowed him to steer the game into a long drawn out positional battle as he had planned, allowing to him to obtain an advantageous position in the early part of the game; however, he then made some bad moves and ended up in an endgame where both sides had chances to win.[9] Masegi told the Asahi Shimbun in January 2026 (almost a year after the game) that defeating Nishiyama in such an important game completely changed things for him as a shogi professional, and he began to play much better and achieve better results.[10][c]
Masegi was promoted to Class C2 of the Meijin Ranking League from the Free Class for the 85th Meijin League (April 2026 – March 2027) in April 2025 after defeating Yoshikazu Minami in a 38th Ryūō Tournament Class 6 game. The win allowed Masegi to meet the criteria for promotion from the Free Class by posting a winning percentage of 0.650 or greater over a span of 30 games. Masegi's win over Minami was his twentieth win over a span of 30 games and gave him a winning percentage of 0.667.[12][13][14]
In October 2025, Masegi advanced to the finals of the 15th Kakogawa Seiryū Tournament against Ryūma Yoshiike but lost the best-of-three championship match 2 games to 1.[15][16]
In July 2026, Masegi defeated Takuya Nagase in the semi-finals of the 39th Ryūō Challenger Determination Tournament to advance the best-of-three final round against Shin'ichirō Hattori with the winner becoming the challenger to the reigning Ryūō Sōta Fujii.[11] Game 1 was played on August 4, 2026, at the JSA's Kansai Branch Office; Masegi won the game in 71 moves.[17] Hattori tied the match by winning Game 2 held at the JSA headquarters in Tokyo on August 13, 2026; Game 2 was actually two games: the "first" game, with Hattori as sente, ended in sennichite after 98 moves, and Hattori won the replay-game (with sente/gote reversed) in 113 moves.[18] Game 3 played on August 24, 2026, at the JSA Headquarters in Tokyo was won by Hattori in 129 moves, and the loss meant that Masegi not only failed to qualify as the 39th Ryūō challenger but also missed out on being "leapfrog" promoted from 5-dan to 7-dan since challengers for the Ryūō title satisfy the criteria for immediate promotion to the rank of 7-dan.[19][d]
Promotion history
[edit]The promotion history for Masegi is as follows.[21]
- 6-kyū: September 2009
- 3-dan: April 2016
- 4-dan: April 1, 2023
- 5-dan: May 20, 2026
Playing style
[edit]In the 39th Ryūō Tournament player profile of Masegi on its official website, The Yomiuri Shimbun, the main sponsor of the Ryūō Tournament, describes Masegi as having mastered a wide-range of opening strategies and possessing a deep knowledge of the opening. It also calls him a fighter-type of professional who plays with lots of intensity and plays boldly in the endgame.[22]
Awards and honors
[edit]Masegi's first book published as a shogi professional, Gendai Aiibisha no Kōzō (｢現代相居飛車の構造｣, Modern Symmetrical Static Rook Structures; Mynavi Publishing November 2024),[23] won the 37th Shōgi Pen Club Award for technical writing in July 2025.[24][25]
Personal life
[edit]Masegi graduated from Nagoya University's School of Engineering. He subsequently enrolled in Nagoya University's Graduate School of Engineering but decided to leave school before finishing his degree to focus on becoming a shogi professional.[3][26] He is the first professional shogi player to graduate from the university.[14]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ The first and second place finishers of the 69th 3-dan League also finished with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses but were awarded regular professional status due to being higher seeded.[5]
- ↑ As before, Masegi finished league play with the same record as the first and second place finishers but did not qualify for automatic promotion due to his lower seed.[6]
- ↑ Masegi had a winning percentage or around 0.500 prior to the Nishiyama game, but he had improved it to 0.735 by the time of the January 2026 Asahi Shimbun article.[10] By the end of July 2026, his winning percentage had improved to 0.769 (50 wins and 15 losses) since beating Nishiyama.[11]
- ↑ Had Masegi won the game and become the Ryūō challenger, he would have earned immediate promotion to the rank of 7-dan from 5-dan, thus "leapfrogging" over the rank of 6-dan. He would have been the first shogi professional to achieve such a feat since the JSA established its new promotion criteria in 2005.[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Kishi Dētabēsu: Masegi Kanta" 棋士データベース: 柵木幹太 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kanta Masegi]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Shinyondan Tanjō no Oshirase" 新四段誕生のお知らせ [Announcing the new 4-dans]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). March 11, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Masegi Kata Godan Fujii Sōta Ryūō e no Chōsen Arasoi Yonkyō Chūgakuseikishi Tanjō no Sandan Rīgu de Saika'i no Inen" 柵木幹太五段 藤井聡太竜王への挑戦権争い4強 中学生棋士誕生の三段リーグで最下位の因縁 [Kanta Masegi 5-dan is one of the final four hopefuls looking to challenge the reigning Ryūō Sōta Fujii; Masegi and Fujii are connected in that Masegi finished dead last in the same apprentice professional 3-dan League won by Fujii as a junior high school to earn regular professional status]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). July 24, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Dai Gojūkyūkai Shōreikai Sandan Rīgusen Nisenjūrokunen Shigatsu kara Nisenjūrokunen Kugatsu" 第59回奨励会三段リーグ戦 2021年4月～2021年9月 [59th apprentice school 3-dan league: April 2016 to September 2016]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). 2016. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dai Rokujūkyūkai Shōreikai Sandan Rīgusen Nisennijūichinen Shigatsu kara Nisennijūichinen Kugatsu" 第69回奨励会三段リーグ戦 2021年4月～2021年9月 [69th apprentice school 3-dan league: April 2021 to September 2021]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). 2021. Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Dai Nanajūnikai Shōreikai Sandan Rīgusen Nisennijūninen Jūgatsu kara Nisennijūsannen Sangatsu" 第72回奨励会三段リーグ戦 2022年10月～2023年3月 [72nd apprentice school 3-dan league: October 2022 to March 2023]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). 2023. Archived from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Fujii Rokkan ga Puro Iri Kimeta Rīgusen de Saika'i...Onaji Aichi Shusshin no Puro Kishi･Masegi Shiyondan ga Tanjō Nijūgosai de Kurō Minoru" 藤井六冠がプロ入り決めたリーグ戦で最下位...同じ愛知出身のプロ棋士･柵木新四段が誕生 25歳で苦労実る [Even though he once finished last in the apprentice professional 3-dan league won by Fujii 6-crown to earn regular professional status, the hard work and persistence of new shogi professional 4-dan Kanta Masegi, who like Fujii is also from Aichi [Prefecture], finally pays off.]. Tōkai Television Broadcasting (in Japanese). March 31, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Nishiyama Tomoka Joryū Sankan, Kishi Hennyūshiken Juken e" 西山朋佳女流三冠, 棋士編入試験受験へ [Women's professional 3-crown Tomoka Nihiyama to take Professional Admission Test]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). August 9, 2024. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nishiyama Tomoka Joryū Sankan no Higan Habanda Masegi Kanta Yondan ｢Maketemo Okashikunai to Omotta Kyokumen mo｣" 西山朋佳女流三冠の悲願阻んだ柵木幹太四段 ｢負けてもおかしくないと思った局面も｣ [Kanta Masegi 4-dan who ended women's professional 3-crown Tomoka Nishiyama chance at obtaining regular professional status says "there were some positions where I thought I had a good chance to lose".]. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). January 22, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 Kitano, Arata (January 18, 2026). "Ano Meikyoku no Kioku to Nagoya Dai Gōkau e no Benkyōhō Kyūshin no Kishi ‣ Masegi Kanta Yondan" あの名局の記憶と名古屋大合格への勉強法 急伸の棋士 ‣ 柵木幹太四段 [Rising star Kanta Masegi: Memories of that one important game and the study habits used to get into Nagoya University]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 Kitano, Arata (July 27, 2026). "Shōgi no Masegi Kanta Godan ga Ryūō Chōsen ni Ōte Meidai Kōgakubusotsu, Henshoku no Keireki" 将棋の柵木幹太五段が竜王挑戦に王手 名大工学部卒, 異色の経歴 [Shogi's Kanta Masegi 5-dan is one step away from challenging for the Ryūō title; the graduate from Nagoya Univeristy's School of Engineering has an unusual background]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Masegi Kanta Yondan, Furīkurasu kara Shīnikumi e Shōkyū" 柵木幹太四段, フリークラスからC2組へ昇級 [Kanta Masegi 4-dan promoted to Class C2 from Free Class]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). April 28, 2025. Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Masegi Kanta Yondan ｢Hottoshiteiru｣ Intai no Shishō no Kotoba wo Mune ni Jun'isen Shīkyū Nikumi e Shōkyū wo Kimeru" 柵木幹太四段 ｢ホッとしている｣ 引退の師匠の言葉を胸に順位戦C級2組へ昇級を決める [Kanta Masegi says he is relieved after being promoted to Class C2, remembering what his recently retired teacher [Yūji Masuda] once told him about becoming a professional shogi player.]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). April 25, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- 1 2 "Masegi Yondan Puro Ninen de Furīkurasu Sotsugyō Nagoya Dai kara Hatsu no Jun'isen e Chokkin Sanjūkyoku no Shōritsu Rokūjugo Pasento wo Mitasu" 柵木四段 プロ2年でフリークラス卒業 名古屋大から初の順位戦へ 直近30局の勝率65％を満たす [Second-year-pro Masegi 4-dan graduates from the Free Class, the Nagoya University graduate will enter Meijin Ranking League play for the first time due to achieving a winning precentage of 65% over a span of 30 games]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). April 25, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Kobayashi, Shinya (October 13, 2025). "Kakogawa Seiryusen, Hatachi no Yoshiike Ryūma Yondan ga Hatsuyūshō Masegi Kanta Yondan wo Yaburi Ninenmae no Setsujoku Hatasu" 加古川青流戦, 20歳の吉池隆真四段が初優勝 柵木幹太四段を破り2年前の雪辱果たす [Kakogowa Seiryū Tournament:20-year-old Ryūma Yoshiike 4-dan defeats Kanta Masegi 4-dan to win his first tournament as a professional and ease the sting of losing in the finals of the same tournament two years ago.]. Kobe Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Satō, Keiji (October 10, 2025). "Ninenmae Nirenpai no Setsujoku Shōgi Kakogawa Seiryūsen, Hatachi no Yoshiike Ryūma Yondan ga Yūshō" 2年前2連敗の雪辱 将棋加古川青流戦, 20歳の吉池隆真四段が優勝 [Twenty-year-old Ryūma Yoshiike 4-dan wins Kakogawa Seiryū Tournament to "avenge" losing in the same finals two years earlier without winning even a single game.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Satō, Keiji (August 4, 2026). "Masegi Kanta Godan, Ryūō Chōsen ni Ato Isshō Fujii Sōta Ryūō wo Nuku Jūgorensho" 柵木幹太五段,, 竜王挑戦にあと1勝 藤井聡太竜王を抜く15連勝 [Kanta Masegi wins his 15 consecutive game to pass Sōta Fujii Ryūō for most consecutive games won this season and also move within one win of becoming the challenger for the Ryūō Title.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Yoshida, Yūya (August 13, 2026). "[Ryūōsen Kifu Sokuhō] Hattori Shin'ichirō Nanadan-Masegi Kanta Godan･Chōsensha Kettei Sanbanshōbu Dainikyoku...Sennichite Sashinaoshikyoku wa Shūban de Ukenimawate Hattori Nanadan ga Shōri, Isshō Ippai ni" [竜王戦棋譜速報] 服部慎一郎七段-柵木幹太五段‣挑戦者決定三番勝負第2局...千日手指し直し局は終盤で受けに回った服部七段が勝利,1勝1敗に [[Ryūō Tournament Game Score Live Update] Shin'ichirō Hattori 7-dan vs. Kanta Masegi 5-dan: Hattori's successful defense in the endgame of the sennichite replay-game leads to Game 2 win and ties the best-of-three challenger determination match at one win apiece.]. The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Yoshida, Yūya (August 24, 2026). "[Ryūōsen Kifu Sokuhō] Hattori Shin'ichirō Nanadan-Masegi Kanta Godan･Chōsensha Kettei Sanbanshōbu Daisankyoku...Shōrishita Hattori Nanadan ga Fujii Sōta Ryōō ni Chōsen, Masegi Godan wa ｢Tobitsuki」Shōdan Narazu" [竜王戦棋譜速報] 服部慎一郎七段-柵木幹太五段‣挑戦者決定三番勝負第3局...勝利した服部七段が藤井聡太竜王に挑戦, 柵木五段は ｢飛付｣ 昇段ならず [[Ryūō Tournament Game Score Live Update] Shin'ichirō Hattori 7-dan vs. Kanta Masegi 5-dan: Winner Hattori 7-dan to challenge Sōta Fujii Ryūō, while Masegi 5-dan misses out on "leapfrog" promotion.]. The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Kishi Hatsu no ｢Tobikyū｣ Nanadan Shōdan & Fujii Sōta Ryūō e no Chōsen ni Ōte! Gogatsu ni Yodan kara Shōdanshitabakari no Masegi Kanta Godan" 棋士初の｢飛び級｣七段昇段＆藤井聡太竜王への挑戦に王手! 5月に四段から昇段したばかりの柵木幹太五段 [Only just promoted from 4-dan this past April. Kanta Masegi is a win away from becoming the challenger to Sota Fujii Ryūō and also earning promotion to 7-dan; he would be the first shogi professional to earn a "leapfrog" promotion.]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Kishi Dētabēsu: Masegi Kanta Shōdan Rireki" 棋士データベース: 柵木幹太 昇段履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Kanta Masegi Promotion History]. Japan Shogi Association (in Japanese). Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "[Masegi Kanata Godan] Gokumi Yūshō ‣ Purofiru: Kifū" [柵木幹太五段] 5組優勝‣プロフィル: 棋風 [Profile of Group 5 winner Kanta Masegi 5-dan: Playing style]. The Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ Masegi, Kanta (November 27, 2024). Gendai Aiibisha no Kōzō [-Kifu Dētatsuki-] 現代相居飛車の構造 [-棋譜データ付き-] [Modern Symmetrical Static Rook Structures [with game score data]] (in Japanese). Tokyo, Japan: Mynavi Publishing. ISBN 978-4-8399-8808-1. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Masegi Kanta Yondan, Rikei no Kenkyū Ikashita! Shochosaku ｢Gendai Aiibisha no Kōzō｣ Shōgi Penkurabu Taishō Jushō" 柵木幹太四段, 理系の研究生かした! 初著作 ｢現代相居飛車の構造｣ 将棋ペンクラブ大賞受賞 [Kanta Masegi 4-dan makes the most of his research! His first book "Gendai Aiibisha Kōzō" wins Shōgi Pen Club Award.]. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 22, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Dai Sanjūnanakai Shōgi Penkurabu Taishō: Gijutsubumon" 第37回将棋ペンクラブ大賞: 技術部門 [37th Shōgi Pen Club Awards: Technical writing] (in Japanese). July 28, 2025. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
- ↑ "Shōreikai Jidai no Jūatsu no Chikara ni Kaete ... Masegi Kanata Godan wo Kakusei Saseta "Ningengoe" no Icchaku "Nobinobi Sasete Seiseki ga Deru Kikkake ni"" 奨励会時代の重圧を力に変えて ... 柵木幹太五段を覚醒させた "人間超え" の一着 ｢のびのび指せて成績が出るきっかけに｣ [Making the most of his experience in the high-pressure apprentice professional school, Kanta Masegi says one "superhuman move" completely changed his professional shogi career, "I began to play more freely and achieve better results since that one move"]. Abema News (in Japanese). June 11, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026 – via Yahoo! Japan News.
External links
[edit]- Masegi, Kanta (March 11, 2023). Tomodachi ga ｢Asa, Fujii-kun Mitayotte｣ Hatsu no Nagoya Daigaku Susshin Kishi Tanjō 友達が｢朝, 藤井くん見たよって｣ 初の名古屋大学出身棋士誕生 [Nagoya University's first professional shogi player says a friend told him "I saw [Sōta] Fujii this morning".] (Press conference interview) (in Japanese). Chūnichi Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun official shogi channel – via YouTube.
- Tamaru, Noburu [in Japanese] (August 22, 2026). "Tensai･Fujii Sōta wo Yokome ni "Shōreikai Jūsannenhan no Kurōnin" Nijūhassai...Ryūōsen made Ato Isshō ｢Yokei na Kinchō wo Shinakunatta｣ Nishiyama Tomoka to no Ikkyoku de Masegi Kanta Kaisei no Naze" 天才･藤井聡太を横目に "奨励会13年半の苦労人" 28歳が...竜王戦まであと1勝 ｢余計な緊張をしなくなった｣ 西山朋佳との一局で柵木幹太覚醒のナゼ [The reason behind Kanta Masegi, a 28-year-old who toiled in the apprentice professional school for 13 and a half years, "coming alive" and now having "genius" Sōta Fuji in his sights and being one win away from challenging for the Ryūō Title; Masegi says he "doesn't get excessively nervous anymore" since his game against Tomoka Nishiyama.]. Number (in Japanese). Bungeishunjū. (Part 1 of an August 2026 article in Number by retired professional shogi player Noburo Tamaru on Kanta Masegi and his attempt to challenge for the Ryūō Title.)
- Tamaru, Noburu (August 22, 2026). "Habu Yoshiharu Jūkyūsai mo Watanabe Akira Hatchi mo Jitsugen ｢Ryūō Dorīmu｣ ga Nisennijūrokunen ni ... "Zettai Rokkan" Fujii Sōta Nijūyonsai e no Chōsenken wo Tsukamu no wa Hattori Shin'ichirō Nijūnanasai ka Kanata Masegi Nijūhassai ka" 羽生善治19歳も渡辺明20歳も実現 ｢竜王ドリーム｣ が2026年に... "絶対六冠" 藤井聡太24歳への挑戦権を掴むのは服部慎一郎27歳か柵木幹太28歳か [Will someone achieve the same "Ryūō dream" in 2026 that Yoshiharu Habu and Akira Watanabe realized at ages 19 and 20, resepctively. Will the challengef for undisputed 6-crown title holder 24-year old Sōta Fujii be 27-year-old Shin'ichirō Hattori or 28-year-old Kanta Masegi?]. Number (in Japanese). Bungeishunjū. (Part 2 of an August 2026 article in Number by retired professional shogi player Noburo Tamaru on Kanta Masegi and his attempt to challenge for the Ryūō Title.)