is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

. He is currently an

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of 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 ...

Early life

Daisuke Suzuki was born in

Machida, Tokyo is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 428,851, and a population density of 6,000 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Machida is located in the T ...

on July 11, 1974. He won the 11th tournament in 1986, defeating fellow future shogi professional

Toshiaki Kubo is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9- dan. He is a former Ōshō and Kiō title holder.　 Early life Kubo was born in Kakogawa, Hyōgo on August 27, 1975. He learned shogi when he was about four years old, and at the encourageme ...

in the semi-final round. In June 1986, Suzuki entered the

's apprentice school at the rank of 6-

kyū is a Japanese term used in modern martial arts as well as in tea ceremony, flower arranging, Go, shogi, academic tests and other similar activities to designate various grades, levels or degrees of proficiency or experience. In Mandarin Chi ...

as a

protegee Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

of shogi professional

Nobuyuki Ōuchi is a deceased Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-Dan (rank)#Modern usage in shogi, dan.He won the first Kiō title in 1976, and also served as senior managing director of the Japan Shogi Association from 1993 to 1999. ...

. He was promoted to 1-dan in October 1988, and then obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 1994.

Shogi professional

Suzuki's first tournament victory as a professional came in 1996 when he defeated

Takashi Abe is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9- dan. Early life Takashi Abe was born in Osaka Prefecture on August 25, 1967. Although it was said that Abe was more passionate about " yakyū" than shogi as a young boy, he entered the Japan ...

to win the 15th tournament. In March 1999, he defeated

Masataka Gōda is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is a former major title holder, having won the Ōi, Kisei, Kiō and Ōshō titles throughout his career. Early life Gōda was born on March 17, 1971, in Suginami, Tokyo. He learned ho ...

to win the 49th NHK Shogi TV Tournament for his only other tournament victory. In October 1999, Suzuki made his first appearance in a major title match as the challenger to

Takeshi Fujii is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is a former Ryūō title holder, and a former non-executive director of the Japan Shogi Association. Fujii is known for developing the Fujii System, a class of strategies for Fourth Fi ...

for the 12th

Ryūō Ryūō (also Ryu-O, Ryu-oh, Ryuuou; in Japanese 龍王, 竜王, lit. "Dragon King") is an annual Japanese professional shogi tournament and the title of its winner. The current Ryūō title holder is Sōta Fujii. The Ryūō Tournament (''Ryūō-s ...

title, but lost the match 4 games to 1. In 2006, he defeated

Yoshiharu Habu is a professional shogi player and a chess FIDE Master. His master is Tatsuya Futakami. He is the only person to simultaneously hold seven major professional shogi titles at the same time and is also the only person to qualify as a lifetime tit ...

to earn the right to challenge defending champion

Yasumitsu Satō is a Japanese professional shogi player from Yawata City in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. He is currently the president of the Japan Shogi Association. He became a professional in 1987 and is ranked 9-dan. He has won 13 major titles, is a former M ...

for the 77th Kisei title, but ended up losing the match 3 games to none.

Playing style and theoretical contributions

Suzuki is considered to be one of the foremost specialists in the

Ranging Rook Ranging Rook or Swinging Rook (振り飛車 ''furibisha'') openings in shogi position the rook to the center or left of the player's board to support an attack there. Ranging Rook strategies used in Ranging Rook vs Static Rook are among the old ...

opening. Suzuki and fellow ranging rook specialists

and

are collectively referred to as the "Ranging Rook Big Three". Suzuki has also been recognized for his contributions to opening theory and received the 32nd Kōzō Masuda Award for the 20045 shogi year for his development of the New Quick Ishida attacking formation.

Promotion history

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

: 1986 * 4-dan: October 1, 1994 * 5-dan: April 1, 1997 * 6-dan: October 1, 1999 * 7-dan: April 1, 2002 * 8-dan: April 1, 2003 * 9-dan: March 1, 2017

Titles and other championships

Suzuki has appeared as a challenger in a major title match twice: the 12th

title (1999) and the 77th Kisei title (2006). He has won two non-major shogi championships during his career: the 15th (1996) and the 49th NHK Cup (1999).

Awards and honors

Suzuki has received a number of Japan Shogi Association Annual Shogi Awards throughout his career. He won the awards for "Best New Player", "Best Winning Percentage" and "Most Consecutive Games Won" in 1996; the "Fighting Spirit Award" in 1999; and the Kōzō Masuda Award in 2004.

Year-end prize money and game fee ranking

Suzuki has finished in the "Top 10" of the JSA's twice since 1993: he earned a total of JPY 21,600,000 to rank eighth in 2000, and JPY 22,770,000 to rank eighth in 2006.

JSA director

Suzuki was selected to be an

and serve on the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors for a two-year term at the association's 68th General Meeting on May 29, 2017. He was subsequently re-elected to additional two-year terms in June 2019 and June 2021.

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Suzuki, Daisuke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Daisuke 1974 births Japanese shogi players Living people People from Machida, Tokyo Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Tokyo Metropolis Recipients of the Kōzō Masuda Award