is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 7-

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 ...

Early life

Chūza was born in

Wakkanai, Hokkaido ' meaning "cold water river" is a city located in Sōya Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sōya Subprefecture. It contains Japan's northernmost point, Cape Sōya, from which the Russian island of Sakhalin can be seen. As of ...

on February 3, 1970. He was accepted into 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 ...

in November 1981 under the tutelage of shogi professional , was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1988, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in April 1996.

Theoretical contributions

The

Side Pawn Capture In shogi, Side Pawn Capture (横歩取り ''yokofudori,'' also translated as ''Side Pawn Picker, Side Pawn Piker'' or simply 横歩 ''yokofu'' ''Side Pawn'') is a Double Static Rook opening. The ''side pawns'' referred to are the pawns that are a ...

variation ''Chūza's Rook'' (中座飛車 ''chūza hisha,'' also known the R-85 variation 横歩取り8五飛), which became a very popular strategy, is named after him.

Personal life

Chuza is married to retired female shogi professional Akiko Nakakura. The couple married in November 2003, and have three children.

Promotion history

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

: 1981 * 1-dan: 1988 * 4-dan: April 1, 1996 * 5-dan: August 17, 2001 * 6-dan: April 11, 2007 * 7-dan: September 20, 2007

Awards and honors

Chūza received the Japan Shogi Association's Masuda Award for his "Chūza's Rook" opening variation in 1998.

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Chuza, Makoto
1970 births Japanese shogi players Living people Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Hokkaido Recipients of the Kōzō Masuda Award {{Shogi-stub