Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

In April, Ten'i became a fourth grader. In the public eye, there was still buzz about how Kuzuryu had bowed down to Ai's parents during her training group exam, earning him nicknames like Loli King and Reverse Marriage Jackpot. At this rate, I might end up being called Loli King too. But no—this world doesn't need two Loli Kings. I'm sure Sora-san will keep Kuzuryu securely in that title.

I earned the Wise King title, but unlike Kuzuryu, no one calls me Wise King Oki. Well, it's not one of the seven major titles, so it can't be helped. But in a year or two, it'll likely become the eighth major title.

(Ah, a five-hour, head-to-head match against the strongest AI in the world... For an average pro, that's basically torture. And it's not just one game—it's a best-of-three match. There's no room for excuses.)

"I could beat the practice software even with a bishop handicap, but they've handed me a slightly weaker version."

(Can I still win without thinking?)

"Yes, I can. This software is stronger than the ones we've been using as punching bags, but I can still win without spending time on each move."

"Excuse me."

Before the match began, the developer of the shogi AI I was about to face entered my waiting room. Their name... I can't remember.

The conversation was fairly calm after that. They mentioned something about loading my match records into the software, but the number of public games I've played isn't even a hundredth of the matches I've played over the past two weeks.

There's public suspicion that I cheat with AI assistance during my games. But once I surpass the AI itself, no one will be able to say that anymore. Besides, how would I even have time to cheat when I'm playing entirely no-time moves?

By the way, Ten'i said she wouldn't come to cheer me on, but I caught a glimpse of her in disguise alongside Akira-san at the venue. So she did come after all. Well, we're at Mount Hiei—it's relatively close to Kobe. And despite appearances, she's quite the history buff. For a history enthusiast, Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei would be a must-visit.

"Alright, the opponent has arrived. The piece-tossing robot is Popper-kun. …Don't you think this ensures that the professional side will get the first move?"

(A human just tossed the pieces and dropped them. Well, as long as I'm going first, there's no chance I'll lose.)

After the Wise King award ceremony ended, the robot Popper-kun determined I would play first. With Ai as my partner and me playing first, there's no way I'll lose.

"It's now 10 o'clock. Please begin the match."

"Let's have a good game."

"Pawn to 1-6."

(…What?)

Ai's first move order was to advance a pawn to the edge file. What is she thinking?

The First Cyber Shogi Match: Oki had the first move, but for 30 minutes after the game began, he didn't make a move. Normally, he would play instantly without hesitation, yet now he was frozen in place.

"Wait, what's happening here?! This is practically a broadcast accident!"

Kuzuryu, already infamous on Niconico for his (in a negative sense) entertaining commentary, was panicking over the unmoving game board. Meanwhile, Oki was locked in a mental argument with Ai.

"I'll pass one move—no, two moves—and still win. This way, no one can say, 'He only won because he played first.'"

(This is such a hassle! You'll get to play second in the next match anyway! Nobody's going to complain!)

"I'm protecting Master's reputation until the second match. And I'll remind you, if you make any move other than pawn to 1-6, I will not help you in this match."

(Fine! Fine, I'll move! Happy now?)

"Finally, you're being obedient. That's the Master I know and love."

At 31 minutes and 40 seconds into the match, Oki finally made his first move. He advanced the edge pawn—an opening rarely seen outside of surprise tactics.

What had already been a shocking spectacle only escalated further with the following moves. Every time Oki made a move, the audience buzzed with excitement, the female commentator froze in confusion, and all responsibility for explaining the game was passed to Kuzuryu.

"…Can I even explain this?"

"P-Please try your best. If anyone can do it, it's you, Kuzuryu-sensei."

After his first move of Pawn to 1-6, Oki continued to play without hesitation. His third move was Pawn to 9-6, his fifth move Pawn to 5-6—a sequence of moves so baffling that explaining them was nearly impossible. The seventh move, Rook to 5-8, stirred a massive reaction from the crowd. Oki, a lifelong Static Rook player, had just switched to a Ranging Rook strategy—against an AI, where Static Rook is considered the ultimate strategy.

"Well, if I were to explain it… he's playing a Central Rook strategy while keeping his king on its starting square, completely nullifying the benefits of pushing both edge pawns. There's the option to move the bishop to 9-7, but… perhaps this is Oki's way of declaring that the first-move advantage is meaningless against AI. I've never seen him use Central Rook before, so this is uncharted territory."

Kuzuryu had never seen Oki play a Central Rook strategy. Nor had anyone else in the audience—except for one person: Oki's apprentice.

"…No one would ever imagine that, when playing against AI in even matches, Oki routinely handicaps himself by switching to Ranging Rook."

Naturally, such unconventional play caused the AI's evaluation value to drop dramatically. However, the first few moves alone weren't enough to fully collapse the evaluation. Strangely, as the game progressed, Oki's evaluation value began to recover. This was despite the AI always playing what it calculated to be the optimal moves.

By the 60th move, the AI's evaluation value finally dipped into the negatives. While the AI was consuming time reading deep into countless variations, Oki continued to play instantly, without hesitation.

Both sides had five hours of allotted time, but neither seemed particularly concerned about it. As the game reached the endgame, Oki had only used 32 minutes, while the AI had consumed 1 hour and 19 minutes. The five-hour time limit seemed almost irrelevant.

The match concluded just before noon. With a decisive move, Oki caused the AI's evaluation value to plummet by 150 points in one instant. The AI attempted a final assault on Oki's formation but couldn't even break through. In the final position, the difference in strength between the two sides was like heaven and earth.

Oki's victory made headlines. Many people mistakenly believed that humans could still defeat AI in shogi. In the second match, held a week later, Oki played as the second mover and achieved another overwhelming victory.

The Shogi Cyber Battle, which had captured the public's attention, ended with Oki securing a flawless 2-0 victory.

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