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Ōi (王位) is one of the eight major titles in professional shogi, and it means "the king's rank" (王 ō 'king' + 位 i 'rank, position').

Background

The annual tournament started in 1960, sponsored by a group of local newspapers which has consisted of Shimbun Sansha Rengō (Three-Newspaper Association). With the addition of Ōi, there were four major shogi titles along with Meijin, Ninth Dan (Ryūō), and Ōshō.

Format

The challenger for the title is determined by three-step preliminary round that comprises 1st heat, league competition and final playoff. Top eight players in 1st heat and top four players of previous year are divided into two six-player leagues. Top one of each league advances to final playoff, and the winner of one-game match becomes the challenger.

The player that wins four games out of seven first in the championship will become the new Ōi title holder. Each championship games assign players a six-hour playtime during two days.

Lifetime Ōi

Lifetime Ōi (永世王位, Eisei Ōi) is the title awarded to a player who won the championship five times in a row or ten times in total. Active players may qualify for this title, but it is only officially awarded upon their retirement or death.

Only four professionals have qualified for the Lifetime Oi. They are as follows:

• Yasuharu Ōyama (deceased)
• Makoto Nakahara (retired)
• Yoshiharu Habu (active)
• Sōta Fujii (active)

Winners

Records

• Most titles overall: Yoshiharu Habu, 18
• Most consecutive titles: Yasuharu Ōyama, 12 (1960–1971)

Notes

1. Despite its name, Shimbun Sansha Rengō is currently formed by six newspapers: Hokkaido Shimbun, Tokyo Shimbun, Chunichi Shimbun, Kobe Shimbun, Tokushima Shimbun and Nishinippon Shimbun.
2. Game three ended in impasse after 178 moves and was officially recorded as a draw. This was the first drawn championship-round game in the history of the tournament. It was also the first time in 22 years that a championship-round game in one of the seven major title matches ended in impasse.

References

1. ^ 王位戦について [About the Oi Tournament] (in Japanese). 新聞三社連合. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
2. ^ "Eisei Shōgō no Kitei wa Dō Natteirunodeshōka" 永世称号の規定はどうなっているのでしょうか。 [What are the requirements for lifetime titles?] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
3. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Ōyama Yasuharu Taitoru Rireki" 棋士データベース: 大山康晴 タイトル履歴 [Player database: Yasuharu Ōyama Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
4. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Nakahara Makoto Taitoru Rireki" 棋士データベース: 中原誠 タイトル履歴 [Player Database: Makoto Nakahara Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
5. "Kishi Dētabēsu: Habu Yoshiharu Taitoru Rireki" 棋士データベース: 羽生善治 タイトル履歴 [Player database: Yoshiharu Habu Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
6. ^ "Shōgi Fujii Sōta Nanakan ｢Eisei Ōi｣ Kakutoku Taitoru Bōei" 将棋 藤井聡太七冠 ｢永世王位｣ 獲得 タイトル防衛 [Sōta Fujii 7-crown defends Ōi title and qualifies for "Lifetime Ōi" status]. NHK (in Japanese). August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
7. "Shōgi･Dai Gojūsanki Ōisen Fujii Shisutemu, Habu ni Oyobazu" 将棋･第53期王位戦 藤井システム, 羽生に及ばず [Shogi-53rd Ōi Match: Fujii System no match for Habu]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 28, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
8. "Habu Ōi Sanrenpa Tsūsan Jūgoki" 羽生王位3連覇 通算15期 [Habu Ōi wins title for 3rd consecutive time and 15th time overall]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
9. "Dai Gojugoki Oisen Habu ga Kachi Boei" 第55期王位戦 羽生が勝ち防衛 [55th Oisen: Habu wins and defends title]. Hokkaido Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved September 7, 2015.
10. "Ōisen Daisankyoku wa Jishōgi ni Hisei no Kimura, Nebatte Seiritsu" 王位戦第3局は持将棋に 非勢の木村, 粘って成立 [Kimura hangs on in an inferior position as game three of the Ōi match ends in impasse.]. Kobe Shimbun (in Japanese). August 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
11. "Habu Ōi ga Bōei, Gonen Renzoku Tsūsan Jūnanakime" 羽生王位が防衛, 5年連続通算17期目 [Habu Ōi defends title for 5th consecutive year and 17th time overall]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). August 27, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
12. "Habu ga Taitoru Bōei, Kimura Hachidan Yaburu, Shōgi Ōisen Dai Nana-kyoku" 羽生がタイトル防衛 木村八段破る 将棋王位戦第7局 [Shogi Ōi Match Game 7: Habu defends title by defeating Kimura 8d]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). September 27, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
13. Yamamura, Hideki (August 30, 2017). "Sugai, Hatsu Taitoru no Ōi Kakutoku, Shikkan no Habu wa Nikan ni" 菅井, 初タイトルの王位獲得 失冠の羽生は2冠に [Sugai wins Oi match for first title, Habu defeated and loses title to become 2 crown]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 31, 2017.
14. "Ōi Dashu de Toyoshima Nikan ni; Shōgi, Hitori Ichi Taitoru Kuzureru" 王位奪取で豊島二冠に 将棋, 1人1タイトル崩れる [Toyoshima captures Ōi title to become 2-crown, and ends period of each major title being held by different person]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
15. "「Chūnensei no Hoshi」Yonjūrokusai・Kimura ga Shin Ōi Shōgi Sainenchō Hatsu Taitoru" 「中年の星」46歳・木村が新王位　将棋最年長初タイトル [’Middle-age star’: 46-year-old Kimura is the new Ōi title holder; becomes oldest player to win major title for first time.]. The Nikkei (in Japanese). September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
16. "Sota Fujii becomes youngest shogi player with two major titles". Japan Times. JiJi Press. August 20, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
17. "Fujii Ōi ga Taitoru Bōei Toyoshima Nikan ni Yonshō Ippai" 藤井王位がタイトル防衛 豊島二冠に4勝1敗 [Fujii Ōi defends title by defeating Toyoshima 2-crown 4 games to 1]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). August 25, 2021. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
18. Maruyama, Susumu (September 6, 2022). "Fujii Sōta Gokan ga Ōisen Sanrenpa Tsūsan Taitoru Jikki, Reikidai Sainenshō" 藤井聡太5冠が王位戦3連覇　通算タイトル10期, 歴代最年少 [Sōta Fujii 5-crown defends Ōi title to win the title for the third consecutive year; Fujii also becomes the youngest person to win 10 major titles overall]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved September 7, 2022.
19. Satō, Keiji (August 23, 2023). "Fujii Sōta Ōi ga Yonrenpa Sasaki Daichi Nanadan to no Rikisen Seishi, Yonshō Ippai de Bōei" 藤井聡太王位が4連覇 佐々木大地七段との力戦制し, 4勝1敗で防衛 [Sōta Fujii Ōi beats Daichi Sasaki 7-dan in a hard-fought game to defend Ōi　title 4 games to 1 and win the title for the fourth year in a row.]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved May 9, 2024.

External links

• Japan Shogi Association, Tournament information: Oi Tournament (in Japanese)

• Shogi tournaments
• Ōi (shogi)