Photo/Illutration Yoshiharu Habu, left, goes over his match against Takuya Nagase on Feb. 4. (Sayuri Ide)

Yoshiharu Habu, the only “shogi” player to receive the People’s Honor Award, finds himself not only without a title, but also the chance to challenge for one.

Habu, 51, was defeated Feb. 4 by Takuya Nagase, 29, in a match of the class A league to determine the challenger to the Meijin title holder. The defeat dropped Habu’s record to a 2-6 in league play, assuring his demotion to the class B, group 1 league in the next season.

Habu has held the Meijin title nine times and been in the top class A league over a period covering 29 straight years when he was not the title holder.

The People’s Honor Award went to Habu in 2018 for his string of shogi achievements, including holding simultaneously all seven major titles in 1996, the first time for that to happen in shogi. In total, he has won a range of titles on 99 occasions, another record.

The People’s Honor Award was established in 1977 to recognize individuals who through their outstanding achievements gained public acclaim and brought hope to society.

But Habu has fallen on harder times recently, in part due to the rise of a much younger cohort of shogi players, including teenager Sota Fujii, who now possesses four titles and is competing for number five.

In contrast, Habu not only has no titles at present, his winning record this past year fell below .500.

Belonging to the class A league to determine the Meijin title challenger is considered an honor in itself as only 10 shogi players are allowed in the league. But those who finish in the two lowest positions are automatically demoted for the next season.

Habu can return to the class A league by finishing in the top two positions of the class B, group 1 league.

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