Yuria Katō

Yuria Katō
Katō at a shogi festival in October 2019.
Native name加藤結李愛
Born (2003-02-15) February 15, 2003 (age 21)
HometownSendai, Miyagi Prefecture
Career
Achieved professional statusJuly 7, 2018(2018-07-07) (aged 15)
Badge NumberW-65
RankWomen's 2-dan
TeacherKazuo Ishida [ja] (9-dan)
Tournaments won1
Websites
JSA profile page

Yuria Katō (加藤 結李愛, Katō Yuria, born February 15, 2003 in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 2-dan.

Early life and becoming a women's shogi professional

[edit]

Katō was born on February 15, 2003, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.[1] She learned how to play shogi from her older brother when she was a second-grade elementary school student.[2] She started playing shogi at a local shogi club in Sendai and continued to improve saying she "enjoyed playing against older people because her age didn't matter" and that it was "fun trying to figure out how each game would develop".[3] She first thought about actually trying to become a women's professional shogi player after meeting shogi professional Akira Shima and women's shogi professional Kanna Suzuki at an shogi event for local children as part of the JSA's efforts to help those in Tōhoku region recover from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[3]

In April 2016, she was accepted into Class D1 of the Japan Shogi Association (JSA) training group system,[2] and she finished tied for third in the 48th Women's Amateur Meijin Tournament [ja] later that same year in October.[3][4]

Katō was promoted to Class C1 of the training group system in September 2017 after winning six games in a row, which meant she met the criteria for becoming a provisional women's professional shogi player ranked 3-kyū, and officially became a provisional women's professional, under the guidance of shogi professional Kazuo Ishida [ja], on April 1, 2018.[2][3] In July 2018, she advanced to the main tournament draw of the 12th Mynavi Open [ja], which meant that she qualified for promotion to the rank of women's professional 2-kyū and full women's professional status.[5]

Women's shogi professional

[edit]

Katō advanced to the finals of the 27th Kurashiki Tōka Cup  [ja] challenger tournament in September 2019, but lost to Sae Ito.[6][7]

Katō defeated Ayano Hori to win the 7th Women's Professional Yamada Challenge Cup [ja] in January 2023 for her first shogi tournament championship.

Promotion history

[edit]

Katō's promotion history is as follows:[8]

  • 3-kyū: April 1, 2018
  • 2-kyū: July 7, 2018
  • 1-kyū: June 13, 2019
  • 1-dan: August 25, 2019
  • 2-dan: July 13, 2024

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Personal life

[edit]

Katō is suffers from a congenital muscular disease and finds it difficult to sit in the seiza position required for some official games. As a result, the JSA announced in September 2019 that she can play all of her games seated in a chair at a table.[9][10]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Katō Yuria" 女流棋士データベース: 加藤結李愛 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Yuria Katō] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Katō Yuria Kenshūkaiin ga Joryū Kishi Sankyū ni" 加藤結李愛研修会員が女流棋士3級に [Training group member Yuria Katō awarded provisional women's professional rank of 3-kyū] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. March 30, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Takahashi, Masahiro (May 16, 2018). "Sendai no Kōkōsei ga Shōgi no Joryū Kishi ni" 仙台の高校生が将棋の女流棋士に [Sendai high school student becomes women's professional shogi player]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "Dai Yonjūhakki Joryū Ama Meijinsen Kaisai Hōkoku" 第48期女流アマ名人戦 開催報告 [48th Women's Amateur Meijin Tournament report] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. October 10, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2019.]
  5. ^ "Katō Yuria Joryū Sankyū ga Joryū Nikyū ni" 加藤結李愛女流3級が女流2級に [Yuria Katō women's professional 3-kyū promoted to 2-kyū] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. July 9, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  6. ^ "Shōgi・Kurashiki Tōkasen ni Itō Joryū Sandan ga Chōsenlanguage=ja" 将棋・倉敷藤花戦に伊藤女流三段が挑戦 [Women's shogi professional Itō 3-dan to challenge for the Kurashiki Tōka Cup title]. Asashi Shimbun. October 7, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  7. ^ "Kurashiki Tōkasen Itō Sandan Nidome Chōsenken Katō Shodan wo Kudasu" 倉敷藤花戦 伊藤三段2度目挑戦権 加藤初段を下す [Itō 3-dan defeats Katō 1-dan to challenge for the Kurashiki Tōka Cup title a second time.]. Sanyo Shimbun (in Japanese). September 24, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  8. ^ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Katō Yuria Shōdan Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 加藤結李愛 昇段履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Yuria Katō Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  9. ^ "Katō Joryū, Kongo no Taikyoku wa Isu de" 加藤女流,今後の対局はいすで [Women's professional Katō can use a chair for all future games]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 9, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "Katō Yuria Joryū ni Kansuru Oshirase" 加藤結李愛女流に関するお知らせ [Announcement regarding women's professional Yuria Katō] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. September 4, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
[edit]