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 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'Ivoir ...

Early life

Yasuaki Murayama was born on May 9, 1984, in

Hino, Tokyo 250px, Takahata Fudō in Hino is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 187,048, and a population density of 6800 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography ...

. He learned how to play shogi from his grandfather when he was 5 years old, and won the 20th in 1995. Murayama 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 ...

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 in September 1995 and was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in July 1998. Murayama obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 2003 for winning the 33rd 3-dan League (April 2003September 2003) with a record of 15 wins and 3 losses.

Shogi professional

Murayama won his first tournament as a professional in October 2007 when he defeated Ryōsuke Nakamura 2 games to none to win the 38th title. In March 2016, Murayama defeated

Shōta Chida is a Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 7-dan. Chida is known for his novel research into shogi opening theory using computer shogi engines. Early life Shōta Chida was born on April 10, 1994, in Minoh, Osaka. He learned how to play sh ...

to win the 65th NHK Cup Shogi TV Tournament. In 2015, Murayama was one of five shogi professional selected to play a match against the five top shogi computers in the "Shogi Denousen Final", the final part of the Denou series of matches. Murayama lost Game 4 in 97 moves to Ponanza.

Promotion history

The promotion history for Murayama is as follows: *1995: 6-

*1998: 1-dan *2003, October 1: 4-dan *2007, December 14: 5-dan *2012, May 17: 6-dan *2014, March 13: 7-dan

Titles and other championships

Murayama has won two non-major shogi championships during his career: the in 2007 and NHK Cup Shogi TV Tournament in 2015.

Awards and honors

Murayama received the Japan Shogi Association

Annual Shogi Awards 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 New Player" (2007) and "Best Winning Percentage" (2007 and 2013).

References

External links

*ShogiHub
Professional Player Info · Murayama, Yasuaki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murayama, Yasuaki 1984 births Japanese shogi players Living people People from Hino, Tokyo Professional shogi players Professional shogi players from Tokyo Metropolis Shinjin-Ō