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 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'Ivoir ...

. He is currently serving as 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

Keita Inoue was born on January 17, 1964, in

Ashiya, Hyōgo 270px, Ashiya City Hall 270px, Tanizaki Junichiro Memorial Museum 270px, Ashiya seen from Ashiya Station is a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 95,485 in 45562 households and a population density of 5 ...

. In October 1979, he 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 Chin ...

under the sponsorship of shogi professional . He was promoted to 1-dan in 1981, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in February 1983.

Shogi professional

Inoue's first tournament victory as a professional came in October 1985 when he defeated

Taku Morishita is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 9-dan. He is a former director of the Japanese Shogi Association, and is currently serving as an executive director. He was the challenger for the Meijin title in 1995 against Yoshiharu Habu. Habu ...

2 games to 1 to win the 16th tournament. The following year, he also won the 9th tournament. On October 28, 2008, Inoue defeated

Kunio Naitō is a retired Japanese professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. Promotion history The promotion history for Naitō is as follows: *1954: 6-kyū *1956: 1-dan *1958, October 1: 4-dan *1961, April 1: 5-Dan *1962, April 1: 6-dan *1 ...

in an Ōi tournament preliminary round game to become the 37th professional to win 600 official games. On March 28, 2018, Inoue defeated

Sōta Fujii is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is the current holder of the Eiō, Kisei, Ōi, Ōshō and Ryūō titles. He is the youngest person to be awarded professional status by the Japan Shogi Association and one of only five ...

in a third round preliminary round game for the 68th Ōshō Tournament. The game was broadcast live by the ''Igo & Shogi Channel'' as part of its "Shogi Premium" service. Inoue's victory not only made him the first player aged 50 or older to defeat Fujii in an official game, but also stopped Fujii's 16 game winning streak.

Promotion history

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

: 1979 * 1-dan: 1981 * 4-dan: February 4, 1983 * 5-dan: March 27, 1987 * 6-dan: July 12, 1991 * 7-dan: April 1, 1996 * 8-dan: April 1, 1997 * 9-dan: March 3, 2011

Titles and other championships

Inoue has yet to make an appearance in a major title match, but he has won two non-major shogi championships during his career: the in 1985 and the in 1986.

Awards and honors

Inoue received the Japan Shogi Association

Annual Shogi Award 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 ...

for "Best Winning Percentage" in 1993. He also received the association's "Shogi Honor Award" in 2008 in recognition of winning 600 official games as a professional.

JSA director and other offices

Inoue has served on the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors since 2015. From June 2015 until June 2017, he served as a

non-executive director A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of the ...

. He was re-elected to the board for another two-year term in June 2017, but this time as an

. He was re-elected for another two-year term as executive director in June 2019. Inoue served as a vice-president of the from April 2011 until June 2015, and also as the manager of the Kansai branch of the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school from April 2001 until March 2004.

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Inoue, Keita
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Keita 1964 births Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Hyōgo Prefecture Shinjin-Ō