Photo/Illutration Sota Fujii, left, and Takuya Nagase during the Oza title match held in Kyoto on Oct. 11 (Provided by Japan Shogi Association)

In his book titled “Kuyashigaru Chikara” (The ability to feel regret), professional shogi player Masataka Sugimoto explains what makes the board game fascinating: “If I may oversimplify, you win a game of shogi if you can cause your opponent to make just one wrong move in the final stage.”

Game Four of a championship match on Oct. 11 was just such a hard-fought contest. Sota Fujii defeated Takuya Nagase, the Oza title holder, to win all eight major shogi titles.

In the final stage, both players switched to “ippun (one minute) shogi,” which means players had to make their move within 60 seconds.

Which of the two would perfectly read the game? Who would be the first to make a wrong move? Amid such enormous tension, Nagase had just made his 123rd move when he suddenly tore his hair out.

I was stunned by his audible sigh and upward gaze at the heavens in dismay, obviously in reaction to the mistake he realized he’d just made. He must have felt the blood drain from his face, or perhaps bitterly regretted what he’d done.

Fujii, meanwhile, remained completely expressionless as he kept his gaze fixed on the shogi board.

The scene made me see how frightening a game of shogi could be. Just one move can cost you the game you seemed to have been winning right up until that moment.

Some shogi players can hide their feelings by remaining expressionless.

Koji Tanigawa, ranked 9-dan, recalled an episode from 40 years ago in his book “Fujii Sota-ron” (My take on Sota Fujii).

Tanigawa was playing a match to win the Meijin title when he realized he’d made a mistake the moment he put his fork into a strawberry being served as a snack.

“I put the strawberry in my mouth as if nothing had happened, but I could not taste it at all,” he wrote.

I was really drawn to the Fujii-Nagase match mainly because of the broad appeal of shogi players. No matter how far AI technology advances, no AI player will ever be able to move and inspire fans the way human players do when they compete with all their might.

Even the best shogi players make mistakes and feel awful about it.

Nagase was on the verge of defending his Oza title for the fifth straight time when he went against Fujii. I cannot even begin to imagine the pressure he must have felt.

As for Fujii, his mental, technical and physical capabilities were so heightened that he was able to survive the brutal, rapid-fire exchanges near the end of the match. What an amazing 21-year-old he is.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Oct. 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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