Nagase Defeats Fujii to Take Lead in Osho Title Match

The third game of the 75th Osho title match in professional Shogi took place over two days, February 3 and 4, in Tachikawa City, Tokyo. Challenger Takuya Nagase, 9-dan (age 33), defeated Sota Fujii, the reigning Ryuo, Meijin, Oi, Eio, Kisei, and Osho titleholder (age 23), after a 91-move battle. With this victory, Nagase now leads the seven-game series two wins to one.

For Nagase, this marks his first win in the Osho tournament’s title-deciding series. Fujii, who was aiming for his fifth consecutive Osho title, now faces pressure to even the score in the next match.

The fourth game of the best-of-seven series will be held in Wakayama City on February 17 and 18. Each game in the Osho title match is played over two days, with each competitor allotted eight hours of thinking time. The first player to claim four victories wins the prestigious Osho crown.