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 player ...

ranked 6-

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'Ivoir ...

Early life

Watanabe was born in

Kōtō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 488,632, and a population density of 12,170 pers ...

, Japan on July 29, 1988. He learned how to play shogi when he was about five years old from his grandfather, and subsequently 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 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 Chin ...

as a student of shogi professional in 2001. Watanabe was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 2004, and 3-dan in 2006. He obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 2012 after finishing the 51st 3-dan League (April 2012September 2012) with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses. Although Watanabe's record actually placed him in a tie for second-place overall, his lower league seed meant he did not earn automatic promotion to the rank of 4-dan; his performance, however, was good enough to earn him a second promotion point, thus giving him the option to enter the professional ranks as a free class player, which he elected to do.

Promotion history

The promotion history for Watanabe is as follows. * 6-

: September 2001 * 1-dan: October 2006 * 4-dan: October 1, 2012 * 5-dan: October 27, 2016 * 6-dan: October 21, 2021

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Watanabe, Hiromu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabe, Hiromu Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Tokyo 1988 births People from Kōtō