Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

Training matches with Ten'i happen three times a week, so we see each other fairly often. With every match, Ten'i gets stronger. She managed to clear the six-board simultaneous matches at fourth-dan level, seemingly with some luck. Now she's struggling to create a fifth-dan account. Even during this process, she's playing seven-board matches, which must be an incredibly grueling task.

"Master, how many simultaneous matches can you play?"

"I can handle fifty-board matches. Lately, my opponents are mostly AI programs."

"Fifty-board matches against AI…? And you can win?"

"I used to play with a handicap of dropping a lance, but recently I switched to dropping a bishop, and it's gotten much harder to win."

Ten'i looked skeptical at my claim, so I decided to show her in practice. I only had enough devices for ten boards, but starting with a bishop handicap should suffice.

"Your win rate with a bishop handicap has reached 80% recently. Ten boards should be no problem."(Alright, let's do this.)

AI programs move quickly, and with Ai assisting by instantly relaying moves, the matches progressed at a dizzying pace. It felt almost like a circus act, though with fifty boards, my arms and hands start to tire midway. Ten boards, however, is a manageable number, and Ten'i should be able to follow at that scale.

At first, Yashajin Ten'i couldn't believe what she was seeing. Every game began with me playing from a bishop handicap, and the AI programs all launched similar attacks against me.

But it was my moves that introduced variation. Subtle changes disrupted the flow of each game, creating ripples that transformed into chaos. While the AI responded in real time, I matched their speed, making my moves without hesitation. For Ten'i, just keeping her eyes on all the boards was an overwhelming task.

Gradually, the tide of every game turned in my favor. Once the balance shifted, I didn't miss a single opportunity. One by one, the matches ended, all with me as the victor. I won every single game.

"…Amazing."

If the rating of the strongest active professional players is around 2000, the rating of these AI programs is said to be 3000 or even 4000. Winning against such programs in a bishop-handicap ten-board match was so surreal that it left Ten'i speechless with admiration.

"You still can't see it, can you, Ten'i?"

"See what?"

"Things like the pieces' movements unfolding on their own, or the sequence of moves leading to a checkmate appearing in your mind.

From the looks of it, not yet. Then the first step is making sure you can see those things."

Abruptly, I checked Ten'i's state. What I was referring to was a talent often associated with shogi—a gift that allows some people to grasp sequences without calculation. Since Ten'i lacked that ability, she nervously asked me, her voice trembling.

"…Is that something I can really learn to do?"

"Every phenomenon in the world has a logic behind it. The essence of what people call shogi talent, and how to develop it, are things I know—and things I intend to teach you."

Ten'i's question was met with Daiki's confident response. It was essentially the same as saying, "I know everything about shogi," yet strangely enough, Ten'i found herself convinced.

"Alright, let me teach you part of the method."

"Is it really okay to share it so easily?"

"Of course. Hardly anyone can replicate it anyway."

"…Then isn't it pointless?"

"No, it's not pointless. Even if they can't replicate it, it might serve as a clue."

Daiki paused here before asking Ten'i a question.

"Do you know what perfect memory is?"

"That's where you can remember the contents of a book or a string of text at a glance, right? I know about it. What about it?"

"Perfect memory is something all humans are inherently capable of. Humans naturally don't forget. Anything seen once is imprinted on the brain."

"…Oh? Then why do people forget things?"

The topic turned to perfect memory. Humans, by nature, are not supposed to forget things. Simply put, everyone possesses the ability to recall memories etched into their brain. However, it's also an ability that gradually deteriorates.

This explains phenomena such as elderly individuals with dementia suddenly recalling seemingly forgotten memories or those with memory impairments recovering lost recollections over time.

"The phrase 'humans are creatures that forget' isn't accurate. More precisely, we're creatures that can no longer recall."

"…I see. So, that means I could theoretically recall every shogi match I've ever played?"

"In a sense, yes. What I'm trying to convey here is how to simplify the process of retrieving those memories from the ocean of your brain…"

"????"

"Master, your explanation is so bad that you're leaving Ten'i-chan completely confused. What you're ultimately trying to say is about dividing cognitive tasks, parallel processing, and automating those processes. Isn't that correct?"

(Yes, but telling her to create another version of herself in her mind would just make me sound like a lunatic.)

"You're already in that lunatic state, Master."

(Shut up. You've been around since the beginning, you know.)

Daiki's attempt to explain left Ten'i struggling to understand, and midway through, he got sidetracked into a mental argument with Ai. Incidentally, Daiki's claim that Ai had always been part of his mind wasn't entirely accurate.

When he was reincarnated and endured the infant stage of endless emptiness, Daiki couldn't take it. He created another persona within his mind—a shogi opponent slightly stronger than himself. That was Ai.

"Strong professional players, for instance, seem to see the pieces' movements on their own because their brains are subconsciously processing everything. Giving that subconscious process a personality and offloading tasks onto it is something you can also try."

"I don't really get it, but I understand that you're trying to teach me something that's hard to put into words. And this isn't something just anyone can do, right?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe anyone could do it."

"…Why did I choose you as my master, again? Anyway, I'll keep working on simultaneous matches. That's fine, right?"

"Yeah. The ability to process tasks in parallel is something anyone can improve. In fact, it's said that women are better suited for it. Aim for eight-dan, ten-board simultaneous matches. For now, just keep playing."

Daiki resolved to better articulate his thoughts by their next session, while Ten'i returned to creating her fifth-dan accounts.

…Two days later, three of Ten'i's seven accounts had reached fifth-dan.

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09