83rd Meijin Tournament, Best of Seven, Game 1 (Meijin Sota Fujii vs. 9-dan Takuya Nagase) Eve Party

I have had the opportunity to visit Chinzanso, the venue for the matches, several times, and for the first game of the 73rd Meijin Tournament, I spent the whole day studying the match between Mr. Habu and Mr. Namekata. I had the opportunity to watch the post-match analysis in the match room, so this is my second time entering the match room, but this time I will be taking on the challenge as a player rather than studying, so I feel the weight is different. The Meijin Tournament is a tournament with history, weight, and tradition. I was taught by Meijin Fujii in the O-sho tournament until March, and was able to gain many experiences that can only be had in a two-day tournament. The Meijin Tournament will have the longest time limit in the world of chess, nine hours, which I will never experience before. I hope to play as many games as possible.

Coming to Chinzanso, I realize that the Meijin Tournament is finally about to begin. I played against Nagase 9-dan in the O-sho tournament from January to March, and I feel that it was an experience that taught me a lot. I would like to put that experience to good use in this Meijin Tournament. Also, since the time limit for the matches will be nine hours, the longest of any official tournament, I will think deeply about each move and do my best to play interesting shogi throughout the series.