Souta Fujii Dragon King, going to the draft meeting with "pole-and-line fishing"! ? ``I'm confident that I won't be a lottery,'' said Nikkori / Shogi / ABEMA Tournament | News

[Video]Sota Ryuo Fujii talks about his team concept with a smile »

Even in the draft nomination, you can see an unexpected “God’s move”! ?The draft meeting of the “ABEMA Tournament 2023”, a fast-moving group competition in the shogi world, will be broadcast on April 1st. Sota Ryuo Fujii (20), who is participating for the third time as a leader, is clearly ready to enjoy this day’s meeting from his expression. Unlike other leaders who dare to compete in the draft, he said, “I’m confident that it won’t be a lottery,” and showed confidence in the selection of members by “pole-and-line fishing.”

[Video]Souta Ryuo Fujii talks about his team concept with a smile

At the previous tournament, Toshiyuki Moriuchi (52), who had been a longing shogi player since childhood, won after competition. In the lottery with Tetsuro Itotani 8th Dan (34), Ryuo Fujii’s “doya face” when he drew the winning mark attracted a lot of attention. Furthermore, in the second round, he succeeded in nominating Takeshi Fujii 9-dan (52) as expected. “I was able to form a team with two people from the Hanyu generation, and I was able to hear a lot of stories from them, and I think I was able to spend a very enjoyable time. ”. However, the result was a failure in the qualifying round. “The only regret is that I couldn’t get results,” he said, looking back on the memorable tournament.

He is a great senior with a rich personality, and his unpredictable talk in the waiting room also attracted a lot of attention. “I haven’t had a chance to talk much so far, but I was able to hear a really fun story, and I think I had a good time in the waiting room. Content? I was out, but… (laughs).” The expression on Ryuo Fujii’s face, who remembered and laughed, told how he was able to spend a fulfilling time.

It was already the 6th time for the fisher rule fight, which has a time limit of 5 minutes and adds 5 seconds for each move. The number of shogi players who have participated in ABEMA tournaments has increased. However, Ryuo Fujii clearly stated that he “basically does not draw the lottery.” He said of his plans, “This year, I would like to choose from among those who have not yet competed.” This is the 4th time that the team competition has been held, and the leaders are more creative, and many commanders dare to say they are aiming for competition. If you choose a young shogi player who tends to be popular, you will inevitably be nominated. Still, “Well, I’m confident that I won’t be in the lottery this time, so I’m not thinking about when I become a competitor (laughs),” he said with a confident smile.

He won the 1st and 2nd individual competitions, the 3rd competition as a member of Team Nagase, and the 4th competition where he was the leader for the first time. Ryuo Fujii. The key to his strategy, he says, is, “After all, speed is important.” “In normal games, I tend to drink tea first before playing, but with this rule, I can’t make it in time, so I have to adapt to the speed of this rule. I think that’s what I’m talking about,” and seems to be ready to adapt to the Fisher rule.

To win the championship for the first time in two terms and for the fifth time, the fans’ expectations and attention are on their shoulders, but “Last year we didn’t qualify, so I don’t think they expect much this year (laughs),” says Kerori. “Last year, there were some things that ended before we got on the wave as a team, so I hope we can really get on the wave from the beginning this year, and I hope the team will have fun too. Take it easy. I want to do it, but of course I want to aim for the championship,” he seems to be prepared to enjoy draft meetings and tournaments more than anyone else.

Ryuo Fujii not only conveys the fun of shogi to fans, but also pursues his own “excitement” to the fullest. In addition to his success in this tournament, expectations are rising as to which player Ryuo Fujii has in mind at the draft meeting.

◆ ABEMA Tournament 2023 The 1st and 2nd rounds will be individual competitions, and the 3rd round will be group competitions, and this is the 6th time. 14 leader shogi players participate in the draft meeting, nominate 2 people each, and make a team of 3 people. The remaining 1 team will hold a tournament in which the players who have not been nominated will be divided into 3, and the 3 winners will participate as the “entry team”, making it a total of 15 teams. The qualifying league is divided into five leagues of three teams each, and the top two teams advance to the main tournament. All matches are played in 9 games with a best of 5 wins, with a time limit of 5 minutes and a Fisher rule that adds 5 seconds for each move. The winning prize is 10 million yen.
(From ABEMA/Shogi Channel)