Hiroe Nakai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hiroe Nakai |
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Nakai in 2009
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| Native name | 中井広恵 |
| Born | June 24, 1969 |
| Hometown | Wakkanai, Hokkaido |
| Career | |
| Achieved professional status | April 1, 1981 (aged 11) |
| Badge Number |
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| Rank | Women's 6-dan |
| Teacher | Yūji Sase (9-dan) |
| Lifetime titles | Queen Meijin |
| Major titles won | 19 |
| Tournaments won | 12 |
Hiroe Nakai (中井 広恵, Nakai Hiroe) was born on June 24, 1969, in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan. She is a Japanese women's professional shogi player who holds the rank of 6-dan.
Nakai is known for winning many major shogi titles. She has won 19 major titles during her career. She also earned the special lifetime title of Queen Meijin. She made history as the first woman professional to beat a regular shogi professional in an official game. She was also the first woman to win against a top-ranked "Class A" professional. Additionally, she was the first woman to win a game in the NHK Cup TV Shogi Tournament.
Nakai also served as the first leader of the Ladies Professional Shogi-player's Association of Japan (LPSA).
Contents
Early Life and Shogi Start
Hiroe Nakai started playing shogi when she was only four years old. Shogi is a Japanese board game similar to chess.
When she was 11, in 1981, she came in second place in the Elementary Student Meijin Tournament. This was a big achievement for a young player.
In 1983, she joined the Japan Shogi Association's training program. This program helps young players become professionals. She reached the rank of 2-kyū before leaving the program in 1990.
Becoming a Women's Shogi Professional
Nakai became a women's professional at the age of 11. This happened in April 1981. She was given the rank of 2-kyū by the Japan Shogi Association. She was a student of Yūji Satō, who helped her learn and grow.
Breaking Records
In 1993, Nakai made history. She became the first woman professional to beat a regular professional male player. She won against Shūichi Ikeda in a Ryūō tournament game.
Nakai won her first major title in 1985 when she was 16 years old. She defeated Naoko Hayashiba to win the Women's Meijin title. She successfully defended her title the next year.
In 2003, Nakai became the first woman professional to win a game in the NHK Cup TV Shogi Tournament. This is a very famous tournament. She won her first-round game against Mamoru Hatakeyama. Then, she won against Teruichi Aono, who was a top-ranked player at the time. She is still the only woman professional to have won an NHK Cup game.
Nakai also set records for the most official wins by a woman professional.
- In April 2009, she became the first woman to win 500 official games.
- In January 2015, she became the first woman to win 600 official games.
In August 2010, Nakai set a new record for consecutive wins. She won her nineteenth game in a row in the Kurashiki Tōka Cup.
In October 2020, Nakai became the oldest challenger for a women's major title. She was 51 years and 3 months old. She reached the finals of the challenger tournament for the 28th Kurashiki Tōka Cup. This was her first major title match in 16 years. However, she lost the final match against Kana Satomi.
Promotion History
Nakai has moved up in rank many times. Here is how she was promoted:
- April 1, 1981: 2-kyū
- March 10, 1983: 1-dan
- April 1, 1983: 2-dan
- April 1, 1986: 3-dan
- April 1, 1989: 4-dan
- April 1, 1992: 5-dan
- November 25, 2002: 6-dan
These are all women's professional ranks.
Titles and Championships
Nakai has played in major title matches 44 times. She has won a total of 19 titles.
Major Titles Won
| Title | Years Won | Total Wins |
|---|---|---|
| Women's Meijin | 1985-86, 1988, 1991–93, 1999, 2001–02 | 9 |
| Women's Ōshō | 1995, 2002–04 | 4 |
| Women's Ōi | 1990-92 | 3 |
| Kurashiki Tōka Cup | 2000-03 | 3 |
Other Championships Won
Nakai has also won 17 other shogi championships. Some of these include:
| Tournament | Years Won | Total Wins |
|---|---|---|
| *Daiwa Securities Strongest Women's Professional Cup | 2008-10 | 3 |
| *Ladies Open Tournament | 1988, 1990, 1994, 1996 | 4 |
| *Kajima Cup | 1998, 2001, 2003 | 3 |
| *Tenga Cup | 2008, 2010 | 2 |
| *Ladies Invitation Cup | 2007-08, 2010–12 | 5 |
Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held or are currently paused.
Awards and Honors
Nakai has received many awards for her shogi skills and her contributions to Japanese society.
Annual Shogi Awards
She has won the Women's Professional Award multiple times:
- 1985–1986
- 1986–1987
- 1988–1989
- 1992–1993
- 1999–2000
- 2003–2004
- 2004–2005
She was also named Women's Professional of the Year:
- 2001–2002
- 2002–2003
And she won the Women's Professional Most Games Played award:
- 2010–2011
- 2012–2013
Other Awards
- February 1986: She received the Meritorious Citizen Award from her hometown, Wakkanai, Hokkaido.
LPSA Representative Director
In 2007, The Ladies Professional Shogi-player's Association of Japan (LPSA) was created. Hiroe Nakai was chosen to be its first leader, called a representative director. She held this position until 2010.
Personal Life
Hiroe Nakai is married to Yoshiyuki Ueyama, who is also a retired shogi professional. They have three daughters.
From 2003 to 2015, she was a member of the Warabi, Saitama board of education. This group helps make decisions about schools in the city. In May 2016, she was named a "Warabi City PR Ambassador." This means she helps promote her city.
Images for kids
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Nakai in February 2013
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Nakai at the European/World Open Shogi Championships in July 2013
See also
In Spanish: Hiroe Nakai para niños
