Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

On the night of the first match between Ten'i, the disciple of the Great Tree, and Ai, the disciple of the Nine-Headed Dragon, the Nine-Headed Dragon sat across from Ai, replaying the moves of their game. It was the match where Ten'i had lost due to an illegal move.

"Here, Ai would use the knight as a blocking piece, right? There are several ways to capture this knight, but in Ten'i's mind, the game probably unfolded like this... and with that illegal knight drop, Ai's attack was completely halted."

"Incredible... Did Ten-chan really read that far ahead?"

"Yes... I've seen a similar illegal move before."

"Huh?"

The Nine-Headed Dragon explained to Ai the progression Ten'i had envisioned and then mentioned a similar illegal move. It was a match between his senior disciple, Sora Ginko, and Saijin Rai, where a captured piece was mistakenly added to the opponent's reserve.

"In that match, Saijin Rai made the illegal move only a few turns ahead. In comparison, Ten'i's mistake happened over ten moves later. Even though it was a straightforward path, Ten'i demonstrated deeper calculation."

"So... does that mean Ten-chan might have more talent than even someone like that?"

"Talent is still uncertain. In terms of skill, she's not yet on par with her senior. However, her master is the Great Tree..."

"Um... Is the Great Tree really that strong? He always seems to struggle in the opening, but it's impressive how he doesn't use up his allotted time."

"...That's because he's enjoying the performance. To keep the audience entertained."

There's nothing more boring than a match where the outcome is already decided. Even the current Meijin (Grandmaster) has a winning rate of 70%, peaking at 80% in his prime. But the Great Tree's record this year stands at 63 wins and 3 losses—a winning rate exceeding 95%.

The Nine-Headed Dragon had played against the Great Tree multiple times during their Shōreikai (Professional Training League) days. In every match, he was utterly defeated. At the time, he felt the Great Tree's playstyle was akin to an advanced AI. But after observing Ten'i's matches, the Nine-Headed Dragon reached a conclusion:

The Great Tree didn't become strong by coexisting with AI; he became strong by overcoming it.

Only a handful of people, including the Nine-Headed Dragon and Ayumu, were aware of this truth. And now, he shared it with Ai.

"The Great Tree's reputation will rise even further in the upcoming Den-noh Battle. If you're curious, it'll be streamed live online. You should watch it."

"Um... Can humans really be stronger than AI?"

"Aside from the Great Tree, no human is stronger than AI. But the Great Tree... he might win. That's how vast the gap is between him and other professional players."

Here, the Nine-Headed Dragon made it clear to Ai that the Great Tree was on a level above himself. For Ai, who had believed her master, the Dragon King, was the strongest, this was a shocking revelation. But the Nine-Headed Dragon continued:

"But he's still human. No matter how strong he is, I will catch up to him—and surpass him."

"Master...! I will definitely defeat Ten-chan, too! I want to win! I want to become so much stronger...!"

The two made a promise to grow stronger together. They continued to play game after game until dawn. Naturally, their schedule for the next day was completely disrupted.

Ten'i's Immersion in Online Shogi

After playing shogi with Ai, Ten'i became even more engrossed in online shogi. She enjoyed the omnipotent feeling of being able to read the board effortlessly, yet even with that power fully utilized, she still tasted defeat.

Shogi, even when played over the internet, has a way of letting players sense their opponent's emotions. Naturally, Ten'i could also faintly hear the inner voices of her online opponents.

"Lose on time, lose on time, lose on time... just let your time run out..."

"Make a mistake, make a mistake... oh yes, a tapping error! Victory is mine!"

"Are you an AI or something? Just die."

"Hahaha, falling for such a move? You're definitely an easy target. Adding you to my prey list."

"Shut up. Just drop dead, loser."

...Well, online shogi tends to be a swirling vortex of negative emotions. Despite reaching 6-dan and managing eight simultaneous games, Ten'i could barely maintain her rank. More often than not, she ended up with a losing record.

After advancing from 5-dan to 6-dan, Ten'i found herself facing more opponents drenched in toxicity. These players kept lists of beatable opponents, played stubbornly to win on time, and generally displayed behavior far worse than in the Shōreikai. However, they pursued victory with the same relentless focus.

Up to 4-dan, winning against an opponent of the same rank earned +15 points, and losing cost -15 points. At 5-dan, a win gave +12 points, but a loss deducted -18 points. At 6-dan, the numbers became even harsher: +10 points for a win and -20 for a loss. Essentially, you had to win two out of every three matches to avoid slipping down in rank. Naturally, Ten'i had fallen back to 5-dan several times.

At 8-dan, the situation was downright brutal. A win gave +5 points, but a loss cost -20 points. Even professional players struggled to maintain 8-dan. At 7-dan and 6-dan, the ranks teemed with amateur powerhouses and Shōreikai dropouts.

These players were risking everything for points that had no real-world value. What drove them? Ten'i couldn't fully understand. But this was the environment she played in.

"Ugh... I lost again! I'm back to 5-dan! Seriously, where do these ridiculously strong players even come from?"

"There are former Shōreikai members, underground shogi hustlers, active pros, and geniuses who discovered shogi too late in life."

"Geniuses who discovered shogi too late?"

"Plenty of people start shogi in high school or college. They're often told, 'It's too late for you to become a professional.'

But talent doesn't just vanish. They keep getting stronger, and eventually, they end up here."

'Master, you also discovered shogi too late in your past life, didn't you?'

(...Yeah, I did.)

Professional players are strong because they are all shogi prodigies. But shogi prodigies exist outside the professional world, too. Some were denied their path by their parents. Others discovered shogi too late. Some failed to escape the 3-dan league. Some gave up on becoming professionals from the start.

These are people who love shogi but couldn't become professional players. For many, their final refuge is online shogi. Here, no one stops them from playing, and they can pour their lives into earning meaningless points.

It's precisely because these players are Ten'i's opponents in simultaneous matches that the experience is so valuable. Facing players stronger than herself repeatedly—this is the path forward. The second barrier will eventually be overcome. But for now, all she can do is keep playing match after match.

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