Kenji Kobayashi

Kenji Kobayashi (小林健二, Kobayashi Kenji, born March 31, 1957) is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 9-dan. He is also a former director of the Japanese Shogi Association.

Kenji Kobayashi
Native name	小林健二
Born	(1957-03-31) March 31, 1957 (age 68)
Hometown	Takamatsu, Kagawa
Career
Achieved professional status	December 20, 1975(1975-12-20) (aged 18)
Badge Number	123
Rank	9-dan
Retired	March 31, 2022(2022-03-31) (aged 65)
Teacher	Susumu Itaya [ja] (9-dan)
Tournaments won	2
Career record	699–775 (.474)
Notable students	Takashi Ikenaga Yūta Komori Ryō Shimamoto Seiya Tomita Akihiro Ida Kenshi Tokuda Saito Morimoto [ja] Shinobu Iwane Keika Kitamura Juri Kimura
Websites
JSA profile page

Early life and apprenticeship

Kobayashi was born in Takamatsu, Kagawa on March 31, 1957.^[1] He entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school in 1972 at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of professional shogi player Susumu Itaya [ja].^[2][3] At first, Kobayashi pursued his apprenticeship at the Japan Shogi Association's school in Tokyo; however, he soon began to have health problems, and moved to Nagoya to study under Itaya as a uchi-deshi (a live-in apprentice).^[3] He was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-dan in 1974 and obtained full-professional status and the rank of 4-dan in December 1975.^[2][3]

Shogi professional

Kobayashi became the 40th professional to win his 600th official game when he defeated Kaishū Tanaka [ja] in Meijin Class C1 tournament play on June 9, 2009.^[4]

In March 2018, Kobayashi finished the 76th Meijin Class C2 league (April 2017 – March 2018) with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses, earning a second consecutive demotion point which meant he was only one point away from automatic demotion to "Free Class" play.^[5] As a result, he declared his intention to the Japan Shogi Association to become a Free Class player as of April 2018 rather than risk automatic demotion.^[6][7]

Kobayashi retired from professional shogi on March 31, 2022. His career record was 699 wins and 774 losses.^[8]

Promotion history

The promotion history for Kobayashi is as follows:^[9]

• 6-kyū: 1972
• 1-dan: 1974
• 4-dan: December 20, 1975
• 5-dan: April 1, 1979
• 6-dan: April 1, 1981
• 7-dan: April 1, 1983
• 8-dan: April 1, 1986
• 9-dan: March 1, 2002

Titles and other championships

Kobayashi never appeared in a major title match, but he won two non-major shogi championships during his career: the Young Lions [ja] in 1977 and the Hayazashi Senshuken [ja] in 1994.^[10]

Awards and honors

Kobayashi received the Japan Shogi Association's "Best New Player" (1980) and "Technique Award" (1990) Annual Shogi Awards.^[11] He also received the association's "25 Years Service Award" in 2000 for being an active professional for twenty-five years and the "Shogi Honor Award" in 2009 for winning 600 official games.^[12]

Theoretical contributions

Together with Masataka Sugimoto he was well-known for systematizing Fourth File Rook josekis before the advent of the Fujii System, and also as the creator of the Super Fourth File Rook opening (スーパー四間飛車).^[2][13]

JSA director

Kobayashi served on the Japan Shogi Association's board of directors as a director from 1999 to 2004.^[14]