Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

Having advanced through the preliminary rounds of the Wise King Tournament, I was now competing in the title match. Although it isn't one of the seven major titles, it's broadcast live on NicoNico Douga. Winning the Wise King title means participating in a special match known as the Shogi Cyber Battle, where you face off against the champion software from a computer shogi competition.

...The Wise King title carries a certain stigma since it essentially involves being "exposed" to public scrutiny by competing against an AI. As a result, many professional players avoid the tournament. For me, that just meant less competition, so I stormed through the matches undefeated. While Kuzyuryu Yaichi beat Yamatobari, an eighth-dan, in the preliminaries with three consecutive limited moves, that was a story from this year's preliminaries and posed no issue for me.

The title match consisted of three games, with victory going to the first to win two. Since I had already won the previous match, a win today would secure the Wise King title. My opponent, Kawabata Eighth-Dan, was a solid player who favored static rook openings, belonged to the first group in the Dragon King Ranking Tournament, and had even challenged for a major title before. A formidable opponent.

However, Ai assured me that she could easily secure a landslide victory.

"Is there something dissatisfying about winning easily?"(Not dissatisfied exactly, but it's just no fun for me.)

"Is that really important?"

(Very important. So, I'll handle the opening moves myself.)

"...Please hand over control before it's too late."

(Got it.)

Today, I decided to handle the opening pawn formations. Since we both favor static rook strategies, it would naturally transition into a Yagura formation. But opting for something so standard seemed dull, so I chose the aggressive Bougin strategy and initiated an attack while leaving my king exposed.

Aggression is my style. However, as expected, my overly forceful tactics backfired, leaving me in a slightly disadvantaged position. That's when I handed the reins over to Ai.

...As usual, she sighed and launched a full-scale counterattack. My bad. I figured I could handle it since I was feeling great today, even against a strong B-class player.

"This time, your moves were salvageable, so it's fine. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't push until defeat is certain."

(Yeah, but winning all the time is boring. If I keep sweeping every title and holding seven crowns, sponsors might lose interest. And then I'd lose my income.)

"I'm well aware. That's why I sometimes deliberately miss opportunities, and I ensure the story progresses somewhat according to the original script. It's just a shame my master happens to be a four-dimensional loser—baby-faced, virgin, unfashionable, and hopeless."

(Shut up.)

By the endgame, Ai had restored balance to the board and proceeded to deliver a decisive checkmate to Kawabata Eighth-Dan. With two consecutive wins in the best-of-three series, I claimed the Wise King title. Next up was the Shogi Cyber Battle, where I'd face off against the champion software from the shogi tournament. Chances were overwhelmingly in Ai's favor to win that one too.

Every year, shogi AI grows stronger by about the equivalent of one major piece. But Ai also improves every year—or at least she should. This year, we should be fine. As for next year... who knows?

"…Congratulations. I'll at least say that much."

Even my disciple, who typically speaks only in insults or provocations, offered sincere congratulations today. Currently, Ten'i was climbing and falling repeatedly at the fifth-dan level in online shogi, seemingly hitting her limit. But even so, managing simultaneous matches on seven boards at her level was more than enough to succeed in the training league.

Adding the Cyber Battle schedule to my planner, my eyes landed on a note about the Imperial League match between Ayumu and Kuzyuryu that took place two days ago in the original story. If I recall correctly, this was the day Kuzyuryu brought Ai-chan to the Kansai Shogi Hall for the first time. Maybe it's time for Ten'i to visit too. She's probably itching to test her skills.

"Can you come to the Shogi Hall tomorrow morning?"

"What? Why the sudden invitation?"

"I just contacted Kuzyuryu, and it seems his disciple made their debut at the shogi dojo recently. He's bringing them tomorrow, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to introduce my disciple as well. You'd like to play against kids your age, wouldn't you?"

When I once asked Ten'i what she found most enjoyable about shogi, her answer was simple: "Winning." We'd had this conversation back in the new world, and I couldn't agree more.

But Recently...

Recently, Ten'i has been feeling a bit worn out, having been engaged in multi-board matches against the fierce and skilled players lurking on the internet. It's time for her to reassess her own strength.

Also, I wanted to see Ai-chan, the monstrous prodigy, in action for myself. But visiting the shogi hall solely to see someone else's disciple felt wrong, so I used Ten'i's introduction as a pretext.

On the appointed day, we agreed to meet at the shogi dojo on the second floor of the Kansai Shogi Hall. A group of kids gathered around me, so I gave out autographs as a gesture of goodwill. While Kuzyuryu has greater popularity among children, I secretly hope that I, too, hold some appeal.

Meanwhile, Ten'i was already surrounded by other children. Since Ai-chan had already made her debut at the dojo, the shared name sparked some curiosity. There was no need to hide that Ten'i was my disciple, so I introduced her openly. Showered with compliments on how cute she was, Ten'i seemed to be in high spirits and boldly declared:

"Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll take on everyone here at once if you'd like."

...Clearly, she's been overdoing the multi-board games. Her challenge to take on everyone present might seem provocative, but this is her being in a good mood. She's not saying it out of malice—she's not a bad kid.

Naturally, some of the children were annoyed, and the strongest among them stepped forward to challenge her. Judging by their skill levels, there were two amateur first-dans and three amateur second-dans—quite a promising group of kids. By next year or the year after, some of them might reach amateur fourth-dan and enter the training league. Perhaps some were already in the preparatory league.

But they were no match for Ten'i. In her simultaneous five-board match, with only 30 seconds per move, she had already gained a commanding advantage on all boards.

As I stood off to the side, arms crossed, pretending to be the wise and composed mentor, someone approached me.

It was Kuzyuryu Yaichi, bringing along the disciple I'd been looking forward to meeting.

"Long time no see. Is that Ten'i-chan over there?"

"Yeah. She's playing blitz games with the kids from the dojo. So far, none of them are much of a challenge for her."

"...You're telling me she's doing that with five boards at once?"

"Of course. She's used to it."

I looked around for Ai-chan and found her hiding behind Kuzyuryu. She seemed shyer than I expected, but on second thought, maybe she just wanted to stick close to her master.

After finishing all five of her games simultaneously, Ten'i stood up.

"So, that's the Dragon King's disciple?"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yashajin Ten'i, a disciple of Oak Tree Sixth-Dan."

"I'm Hina Tsuru Ai, a disciple of Kuzyuryu Dragon King!"

When Ten'i and Ai-chan faced each other, something sparked between them. Shogi players have an instinct for these things. Normally, the exchange would go, "Nice to meet you" followed by "Please take care of me," but instead, they silently seated themselves across a shogi board. It was as if each had sensed something profound in the other.

"Their playing styles reflect their mentors quite a bit."

"Shut up. Ten'i's a natural defender—it's how she's always played. Self-taught, too."

The masters observed the match quietly from behind their respective disciples. Well, I didn't mind, but wasn't Kuzyuryu supposed to have a study group after this? Watching this game first? He's quite the dedicated mentor when it comes to his disciple's development.

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09