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.

Early life

Chūza was born in

Wakkanai, Hokkaido ' meaning "cold water river" is a Cities of Japan, 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 ...

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 materi ...

'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 Ch ...

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 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