Naohiro Ishida

Naohiro Ishida
Naohiro Ishida
Native name	石田直裕
Born	December 5, 1988 (age 35)
Hometown	Nayoro, Hokkaido
Career
Achieved professional status	October 1, 2012 (aged 23)
Badge Number	289
Rank	6-dan
Teacher	Kazuharu Shoshi (7-dan)
Tournaments won	1
Meijin class	C2
Ryūō class	5
Websites
	JSA profile page

Naohiro Ishida (石田直裕, Ishida Naohiro, born December 5, 1988) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 6-dan.

Early life and apprenticeship

Ishida was born in Nayoro, Hokkaido on December 5, 1988.^[1] He learned how to play shogi at school with friends, and entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū as a student of shogi professional Kazuharu Shoshi in 2001.^[2]

Early on, Ishida remained in at home in Nayoro, living with his mother and commuting twice monthly to Tokyo by plane to participate in the apprentice school.^[3] He would attend junior high school during the week, leave school early the day before his schedule games, and fly to Tokyo where he was met by his father. who was stationed in Tokyo as a member of the Japanese Self Defense Forces.^[3] After Ishida finished his games, his father would take him to the airport for the return trip back to Hokkaido.^[3]

At first, Ishida found the apprentice school quite difficult and actually was demoted from 6-kyū to 7-kyū because of poor results; eventually, however, he started to perform better and obtained promotion to 5-kyū.^[3] After graduating from junior high school, he and his mother moved from Hokkaido to Tokyo and he enrolled in a local senior high school; he continued to perform well as an apprentice professional and was promoted to the rank of 2-dan by the time he was a third-year high school student.^[3] After graduating from senior high school, Ishida decided to continue his education at university to not only please his mother, who felt that further education would help his job prospects if he did not become a professional shogi player, but also because he was really interested in mathematics.^[3] He passed the entrance exam for the Department of Mathematics for the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Chuo University and began living on his own after his mother moved back to Nayoro.^[3]

Nishida was promoted to the rank of 3-dan in 2008 while he was a second-year university student, but was still ranked at 3-dan as he entered his final year of university.^[3] Being around his fellow fourth-year students who were already going on job interviews and participating in other job-hunting activities made him wonder if he would ever become a professional shogi player.^[3] His mother even said he could come back to Nayoro and look for work if he wanted to after graduation if he still had not obtained professional status, but he decided to continue at the apprentice school,^[3] He finally obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 2012 after finishing second in the 51st 3-dan League (April 2012 – September 2012) with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses.^[2]^[4]

Shogi professional

Ishida defeated Tetsuya Fujimori 2 games to none to win the 4th Kakogawa Seiryū Tournament [ja] in 2014 for his only tournament championship.^[5]^[6]　

In 2016, Ishida advanced to the finals of the 47th Shinjin-Ō [ja] tournament, but was defeated by Yasuhiro Masuda 2 games to none.^[7]^[8]

Promotion history

The promotion history for Ishida is as follows:^[9]

6-kyū: September 2001
3-dan: October 2008
4-dan: October 1, 2012
5-dan: August 15, 2017
6-dan: July 18, 2024

Titles and other championships

Ishida has yet to appear in a major title match, but he has won one non-major title championship.^[10]

Personal life

Ishida is a graduate of Chuo University; he is the fourth alumnus of the school to become a professional shogi player.^[11]^[12]

References

^ "Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishida Naohiro" 棋士データベース: 石田直裕 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Naohiro Ishida] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Shinyondan Tanjo (San'nin) no Oshirase" 新四段誕生 (3人)のお知らせ [Announcing the three new 4-dans] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. September 8, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Murase, Shinya (January 5, 2018). "Kodomo ni ｢Puro Kishi ni Naritai｣ to Iwaretara Oya no Kokore" 子どもに｢プロ棋士になりたい｣と言われたら　親の心得 [Advice for parents whose children say "I want to become a professional shogi player"]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 5, 2019.
^ "Dai Gojūikkai Shōreikai Sandan Rīgusen" 第51回奨励会三段リーグ戦 [51st Apprentice School 3-dan League] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Ishida Yondan ga Yūshō Kakogawa Seiryūsen" 石田四段が優勝加古川青流戦 [Ishida 4d wins Kakogawa Seiryū Tournament]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). November 4, 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Daiyonki Kakogawa Seiryūsen" 第4期加古川青流戦 [4th kakogawa Seiryū Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. 2014. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Dai Yonjūnanaki Shinjin-Ō-sen Sanbanshōbu ... Masuda Yondan no Yūshō" 第47期新人王戦勝三番勝...増田四段の優勝 [47th Shinjin-Ō Best-of-three Match...Masuda 4d is the winner] (in Japanese). Igo & Shogi Channel. October 12, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Masuda Yondan ga Yūshō Shōgi･Shinjin-Ō-sen" 増田四段が優勝将棋･新人王戦 [Masuda 4d wins Shogi's Shinjin-Ō Tournament]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). October 13, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishida Naohiro Shōdan Rireki" 棋士データベース: 石田直裕昇段履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Naohiro Ishida Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
^ "Kishi Dētabēsu: Ishida Naohiro Yūshō Rireki" 棋士データベース: 石田直裕優勝履歴 [Professional Shogi Player Database: Naohiro Ishida Championship History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
^ "Gakusei Puro Kishi Tanjō" 学生プロ棋士誕生 [University student becomes professional shogi player] (PDF). Hakumon Chuo (in Japanese). Vol. Fall, no. 243. Chuo University. October 25, 2015. p. 23. Archived from the original (pdf) on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2019. 中大出身のプロ棋士は4人。米長邦雄永世棋聖 (中退), 大内延介九段, 横山泰明六段, 石田直裕四段 [Chuo University students who went on to become professional shogi players: Lifetime Kisei Kunio Yonenaga (did not graduate), Nobuyuki Ōuchi 9d, Hiroaki Yokoyama 6d, Naohiro Ishida 4d]
^ "Shakai wo Rīdosuru Chūō Daigaku OB･OG: Igo･Shōgi" 社会をリードする中央大学 OB･OG: 囲碁･将棋 [Prominent Chuo Alumni: Go and Shogi] (pdf) (in Japanese). Chuo University. June 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2019.