Ryuo Tournament Semifinals: Takuya Nagase vs. Kanta Sakaki

Takuya Nagase 9-dan and Kanta Sakaki 5-dan faced off on July 27, 2026, in a semifinal match of the Ryuo tournament’s final tournament. The winner of this match advances to a three-game challenger playoff to determine who will challenge the current Ryuo, Sota Fujii, according to reports from Yomiuri Shimbun and Nico Nico News.

Sakaki Employs Aigakari Strategy in Semifinals

Kanta Sakaki 5-dan entered the match having drawn the first-move advantage for three consecutive games in the main tournament. To leverage this position, Sakaki utilized the Aigakari opening, a strategy described by Yomiuri Shimbun as his ace tactic.

The match developed into a mid-game struggle where Nagase 9-dan focused on maintaining balance. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, Nagase countered the thickness of Sakaki’s silver pieces at the 7-7 and 6-6 squares by maneuvering his gold piece to 5-2 and advancing a pawn to 3-5.

Tournament Stakes and Player Backgrounds

The outcome of this match determines which player moves forward to the challenger’s playoff. Sponichi Annex reports that the tournament’s final four include Nagase and Sakaki, alongside Shinichiro Hattori 7-dan and Yasuhiro Masuda 8-dan.

Sponichi Annex further notes a historical connection regarding Sakaki, mentioning his past as the lowest-ranked player in the 3-dan league, a league that recently saw the emergence of a middle-school student player.

Ryuo Tournament Structure

The Ryuo is one of the most prestigious titles in professional shogi. The current tournament structure requires players to navigate a final tournament bracket to earn the right to challenge Sota Fujii. The July 27 match serves as a critical gateway, as the victor earns a spot in the final three-game series to decide the official challenger.