Yoshiharu Habu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yoshiharu Habu
羽生善治
Habu in 2018
Born	(1970-09-27) September 27, 1970 (age 54) Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
Career
Achieved professional status	December 18, 1985(1985-12-18) (aged 15)
Badge Number	175
Rank	9 dan
Teacher	Tatsuya Futakami
Lifetime titles	Lifetime Meijin Lifetime Ryūō Lifetime Kisei Lifetime Ōi Lifetime Ōza Lifetime Kiō Lifetime Ōshō
Major titles won	99
Tournaments won	45
Meijin class	B2
Ryūō class	2
Websites
JSA profile page
Chess career
Country	Japan
Title	FIDE Master (2004)
FIDE rating	2399 (February 2016)
Peak rating	2415 (February 2014)

Yoshiharu Habu (Japanese: 羽生 善治, Hepburn: Habu Yoshiharu, born September 27, 1970) is a famous professional shogi player and a chess FIDE Master. Shogi is a Japanese board game similar to chess.

Habu has held many important shogi titles, like the Ryūō, Meijin, Ōi, Ōza, Kiō, Ōshō, and Kisei. He was the first person ever to hold seven major shogi titles at the same time! He is also the only player to earn "lifetime" titles for all seven major titles. In January 2018, Habu received Japan's highest honor, the People's Honour Award. He also used to be the president of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA).

Early Life and Learning Shogi

Yoshiharu Habu was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, in 1970. He moved to Hachioji, Tokyo before he started kindergarten. Habu first learned about shogi in elementary school. His friends taught him how the pieces move. He loved the game so much that his mom signed him up for a shogi tournament in the summer of 1978.

Even though he didn't win that first tournament, his parents took him to the shogi club every weekend. Habu got better very quickly. By October 1981, when he was just eleven, he reached the rank of amateur 5-dan.

During his elementary school years, Habu played in many shogi tournaments for kids. He played against other children who also became professional players, like Toshiyuki Moriuchi and Yasumitsu Satō. These players, born around 1970, are now known as the Habu generation ^[ja]. They are famous for their amazing achievements in shogi.

In July 1981, Habu became the youngest person to play in the Amateur Meijin Tournament ^[ja]. The next August, he won four tournaments for elementary school children. In April 1982, Habu won the 7th Elementary School Meijin tournament ^[ja] (小学生将棋名人戦, Shōgakusei shōgi meijinsen). He decided he wanted to be a professional shogi player. He joined the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school in 1982, studying under Tatsuya Futakami.

Becoming a Shogi Professional

Habu became a professional shogi player (called a 4-dan professional) in 1985. He was only 14 years old! He was one of the youngest professional players in shogi history.

In 1989, when he was 19, Habu won the Ryūō championship. This was his first major title, and he became the youngest titleholder at that time. Even though he lost the Ryūō title the next year, he won the Kiō championship a few months later in 1991. Since then, he has held at least one major title every year. This means he has always been known by his title, not just his dan rank.

Habu won three major championships by 1992. This meant he could be promoted to 9-dan, the highest rank. However, the rules made him become an 8-dan first and then wait a year. He officially became a 9-dan on April 1, 1994.

In 1992, Habu won the Ōza championship. This meant he held two titles at once: Kiō and Ōza. He then held the Ōza title for an amazing 19 years in a row!

Holding Seven Major Titles

In 1996, Habu made history. He became the first professional shogi player to hold all seven major titles at the same time! These titles were Meijin, Ryūō, Kisei, Ōi, Ōza, Kiō, and Ōshō. This was a huge achievement in the shogi world.

In July 2012, Habu won his 81st shogi title overall. This made him the player with the most titles ever, passing Yasuharu Ōyama's record of 80 titles.

In June 2014, Habu won the Meijin title again, beating Toshiyuki Moriuchi. He had lost this title to Moriuchi in 2011 and couldn't get it back in 2012 or 2013. Winning it back made him the first person to recapture the Meijin title three times.

By November 2014, Habu had won his 1300th official game. He was the youngest and fastest player to reach this many wins. His winning percentage was 72.3%, which was the highest for any professional player with 1300 wins at that time.

In December 2017, Habu won his seventh Ryūō title. This earned him the special "Lifetime Ryūō" title. It also made him the first shogi professional to qualify for lifetime titles in all seven major titles!

On January 5, 2018, Habu received Japan's People's Honor Award. In November 2018, he also received the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

By November 21, 2018, Habu had played 2000 official games. He was the youngest and fastest player to reach this milestone. His overall winning percentage was 0.709, which was also the highest among players who reached 2000 games.

In December 2018, Habu lost the Ryūō title. This was the first time in 27 years that he didn't hold a major shogi title. After losing the title, Habu chose to be called "Habu 9-dan" instead of "Ex-Ryūō Habu."

On March 17, 2019, Habu won the 68th NHK Cup tournament. This was his eleventh time winning this tournament. It was also his 45th non-major title championship, breaking the record he shared with Ōyama.

On June 4, 2019, Habu became the shogi professional with the most victories of all time, with 1,434 wins. He had tied Ōyama's record a week earlier.

In 2022, Habu moved to the B1 class after being in the top A class for 29 years. On June 16, 2022, Habu won his 1,500th game. He was the first shogi professional to reach this many wins! For this, he received a special award called the Special Shogi Honor Fighting Spirit Award ^[ja].

In late 2022, Habu won all six of his games in the 72nd Ōshō Challenger League. This earned him the chance to challenge Sōta Fujii for the Ōshō title in early 2023. It was their first time playing each other in a major title match. Fujii won the match 4 games to 2.

How Habu Plays Shogi

Habu is excellent at playing Static Rook strategies, both for attacking and defending. He can play well in fast games or slow games. Sometimes, he also uses Ranging Rook openings. Another shogi professional, Kiyokazu Katsumata, said that Habu plays by using the best parts of many great masters' styles.

Habu's favorite shogi piece is the silver. He thinks it's very important for both attacking and defending. He is known for making amazing moves in difficult situations, especially at the end of a game. Many young players call his special moves "Habu's magic."

His long-time rival, Toshiyuki Moriuchi, said that Habu gets stronger as the players around him get stronger. Moriuchi said Habu is always trying to keep up with and even surpass other strong players.

Promotion History

Here's how Yoshiharu Habu moved up in rank in shogi:

• 6-kyu: December 2, 1982
• 5-kyu: February 2, 1983
• 4-kyu: March 28, 1983
• 3-kyu: May 11, 1983
• 2-kyu: July 7, 1983
• 1-kyu: August 24, 1983
• 1-dan: January 11, 1984
• 2-dan: September 10, 1984
• 3-dan: April 25, 1985
• 4-dan: December 12, 1985 (Became a professional)
• 5-dan: April 1, 1988 (Promoted to Class C1 in Meijin ranking leagues)
• 6-dan: October 1, 1989 (Became the Ryūō challenger)
• 7-dan: October 1, 1990 (Held the Ryūō title, but had to wait one year after 6-dan promotion)
• 8-dan: April 1, 1993 (Promoted to Class A in Meijin ranking leagues)
• 9-dan: April 1, 1994 (Qualified in 1993 after holding a major title for three years, but had to wait one year after 8-dan promotion)

Major Titles and Other Championships

Major Titles

There are eight major titles in shogi. Here's how many times Habu has won each one:

• Lifetime Titles: Habu has earned the right to be called "Lifetime Meijin," "Lifetime Ryūō," "Lifetime Kisei," "Lifetime Ōi," "Lifetime Ōza," "Lifetime Kiō," and "Lifetime Ōshō." These titles are usually given when a player retires. Because he has qualified for all seven, he can be called "Lifetime Seven Crown" (永世七冠 (Eisei Nanakan)) when he retires.
• Habu holds the record for the most title match wins in Kisei (tied with Ōyama and Nakahara), Ōi, Ōza, and Kiō.
• He also holds the record for the most consecutive title match wins in Kisei, Ōza, and Kiō.

Other Tournaments

Besides the major titles, Habu has won these other tournaments:

• Lifetime titles: Lifetime NHK Cup Champion

Note: Tournaments marked with an asterisk (*) are no longer held.

Awards and Honors

Habu has received many awards for his amazing shogi career. The Annual Shogi Awards are given by the Japan Shogi Association each year for performance. Other awards are for his overall career or contributions to Japanese society.

Annual Shogi Awards

• 14th Annual Awards (April 1986 — March 1987): Best Winning Percentage, Best New Player
• 15th Annual Awards (April 1987 — March 1988): Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Fighting-spirit
• 16th Annual Awards (April 1988 — March 1989): Player of the Year, Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Most Consecutive Games Won
• 17th Annual Awards (April 1989 — March 1990): Player of the Year, Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Most Consecutive Games Won
• 19th Annual Awards (April 1991 — March 1992): Fighting-spirit
• 20th Annual Awards (April 1992 — March 1993): Player of the Year, Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Most Consecutive Games Won
• 21st Annual Awards (April 1993 — March 1994): Player of the Year
• 22nd Annual Awards (April 1994 — March 1995): Player of the Year, Most Games Won
• 23rd Annual Awards (April 1995 — March 1996): Player of the Year, Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Special Award
• 24th Annual Awards (April 1996 — March 1997): Player of the Year
• 26th Annual Awards (April 1998 — March 1999): Player of the Year, Most Games Played
• 27th Annual Awards (April 1999 — March 2000): Player of the Year
• 28th Annual Awards (April 2000 — March 2001): Player of the Year, Best Winning Percentage, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Most Consecutive Games Won
• 29th Annual Awards (April 2001 — March 2002): Player of the Year
• 30th Annual Awards (April 2002 — March 2003): Player of the Year, Most Games Won, Most Games Played
• 32nd Annual Awards (April 2004 — March 2005): Player of the Year, Most Games Won, Most Games Played
• 33rd Annual Awards (April 2005 — March 2006): Player of the Year, Most Games Played, Most Consecutive Games Won
• 34th Annual Awards (April 2006 — March 2007): Excellent Player, Game of the Year
• 35th Annual Awards (April 2007 — March 2008): Player of the Year, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Game of the Year
• 36th Annual Awards (April 2008 — March 2009): Player of the Year, Game of the Year
• 37th Annual Awards (April 2009 — March 2010): Player of the Year
• 38th Annual Awards (April 2010 — March 2011): Player of the Year, Most Games Won
• 39th Annual Awards (April 2011 — March 2012): Player of the Year, Most Games Won, Most Games Played
• 40th Annual Awards (April 2012 — March 2013): Excellent Player, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Game of the Year, Special Award
• 41st Annual Awards (April 2013 — March 2014): Excellent Player, Most Games Won, Most Games Played, Game of the Year
• 42nd Annual Awards (April 2014 — March 2015): Player of the Year, Game of the Year
• 43rd Annual Awards (April 2015 — March 2016): Player of the Year, Special Game of the Year
• 44th Annual Awards (April 2016 — March 2017): Excellent Player
• 45th Annual Shogi Awards (April 2017 — March 2018): Player of the Year, Game of the Year
• 46th Annual Shogi Awards (April 2018 – March 2019): Game of the Year
• 50th Annual Shogi Awards (April 2022 – March 2023): Fighting-spirit, Game of the Year

Other Awards

• 1994: Tokyo Resident Culture Honor Award (for cultural achievements)
• 1996: Prime Minister's Award (for holding all seven major shogi titles at once)
• 1999: Shogi Honor Award (for winning 600 official games)
• 2003: Shogi Honor Fighting-spirit Award (for winning 800 official games)
• 2007: Special Shogi Honor Award (for winning 1,000 official games)
• 2008: 56th Kikuchi Kan Prize (for cultural achievements)
• 2010: 25 Years Service Award (for being a professional for twenty-five years)
• 2018: People's Honor Award
• 2018: Medal with Purple Ribbon
• 2022: Special Shogi Honor Fighting Spirit Award (for winning 1,500 official games)

Shogi Prize Money Rankings

Since 1993, Habu has often been at the top of the prize money rankings. He finished first 23 times, second twice, third once, fifth three times, sixth once, and tenth once. The amounts are in Japanese yen and include money from tournaments and other game fees. In 2022, he was not in the Top Ten for the first time since 1993.

• 1993: ¥100,630,000
• 1994: ¥112,970,000
• 1995: ¥165,970,000
• 1996: ¥161,450,000
• 1997: ¥101,820,000
• 1998: ¥114,660,000
• 1999: ¥78,720,000
• 2000: ¥105,950,000
• 2001: ¥115,190,000
• 2002: ¥110,480,000
• 2003: ¥129,100,000
• 2004: ¥112,720,000
• 2005: ¥103,910,000
• 2006: ¥93,760,000
• 2007: ¥81,320,000
• 2008: ¥107,110,000
• 2009: ¥112,780,000
• 2010: ¥115,760,000
• 2011: ¥98,860,000
• 2012: ¥91,750,000
• 2013: ¥72,810,000
• 2014: ¥114,990,000
• 2015: ¥119,000,000
• 2016: ¥91,500,000
• 2017: ¥50,070,000
• 2018: ¥75,520,000
• 2019: ¥39,990,000
• 2020: ¥24,910,000
• 2021: ¥32,360,000
• 2023: ¥26,040,000
• 2024: ¥16,220,000

JSA President

On April 4, 2023, the president of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) said he would not run for re-election. Later that day, Habu announced he wanted to be a candidate for the JSA board of directors. He said he wanted to help the JSA as it got ready to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2024. Habu was elected to the board and then chosen as JSA president on June 9, 2023.

On April 1, 2025, Habu decided not to run for re-election as JSA president. He said he had achieved his goals during his two years in the role. These goals included opening new JSA offices and celebrating the 100th anniversary. Now, he wants to focus only on playing shogi.

Chess Career

Habu playing chess with Peter Heine Nielsen (2014)

Habu is also one of the best chess players in Japan. He earned the title of FIDE Master in 2004. His highest chess rating was 2415 in February 2014.

In November 2014, he played an exhibition match against former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. They played two fast games, and Habu lost both.

Personal Life

In March 1996, Habu married actress and singer Rie Hatada ^[ja]. They met in September 1994 and announced their engagement in July 1995. Their wedding was a big event, with many police officers there because they were so popular. They have two daughters.

Video Games

• Habu Meijin no Omoshiro Shōgi - A Super Famicom video game
• Saikyō Habu Shōgi - A Nintendo 64 video game
• Habu Yoshiharu Shogi de Kitaeru: Ketsudanryoku DS - A Nintendo DS video game
• i HABU Shogi - An iPhone/iPod game

See also

In Spanish: Yoshiharu Habu para niños