Shogi Reborn: Mind's Gambit

There exists a prestigious Elementary School Meijin Tournament, and those who go on to become professional chess players as middle schoolers often rise to prominence through this competition. Yaito Kuzuryu, for instance, became the youngest champion of this tournament in his third year of elementary school, defeating Ayumu Kaminabe in the semifinals and Ryo Tsukuyomizaka in the finals. Future professional players often distinguish themselves in chess tournaments as early as elementary school, or even before that.

However, there was one man who was different. His name was Haruo Oki. As a first-year middle schooler, he won the Middle School Meijin Tournament. Strangely, he had no prior record of participating in any chess competitions. The following August, Oki joined the Shoreikai (Professional Training League) at the first rank. He then went on an unprecedented 24-game winning streak, breezed through the third-rank league in a single term, and emerged victorious without losing a single match.

It didn't take long for people to start whispering about him as "unbeatable." After dominating the middle school tournament, Oki next appeared in the Shoreikai entrance exam. Initially thought to possess skills comparable to seasoned Shoreikai players, his evaluation skyrocketed. The minor mistakes he had made just a few months earlier vanished, replaced by precise and flawless play.

Watching him enter the third-rank league undefeated and continue his streak, someone dubbed him the "Invincible Meijin." The name stuck.

"Isn't it risky to call him the 'Invincible Meijin' already? And can he really beat that Meijin?"

"You have nothing to worry about, Master. It's a shame this isn't an official match."

"Still, a live-streamed企画 where the Meijin takes on me, Ayumu, and Kuzuryu in rapid games? How did they even convince the Meijin to agree to this?"

"Kuzuryu Yaito, who just won the sixth group of the Ryuou Tournament, Ayumu Kaminabe, the young player with the highest win rate among the up-and-comers, and the eerie 'Invincible Meijin,' Haruo Oki—all three of you are being spotlighted as the next generation of greats."

"Eerie?! Who are you calling eerie, huh?!"

In a live-stream企画 on a certain platform, I, fresh from clearing the third-rank league, Kuzuryu Yaito, who won the sixth group of the Ryuou Tournament, and Ayumu Kaminabe, blazing through the C-Class Ranking Tournament with an undefeated record, were set to challenge the reigning Meijin. Naturally, I was the first to step up. But if I won the opening match, wouldn't that ruin the企画?

I asked the staff repeatedly, "Are you sure it's okay if I win?" Right as I finished asking, the Meijin made his entrance. Overhearing the conversation, he simply smiled and said, "I'm looking forward to the game," before walking away. Seriously, can I even win this? My knees won't stop shaking.

Though it wasn't an official match, both sides were fully focused as we faced each other across the chessboard. Alright, I'm counting on you, AI.

"...Should I guide you from the first move? Or would you like to play freely up to a certain point?"

(Wow, thanks! I'll just build a Yagura and hand it over to you.)

"In that case, there's zero chance of an accident."

Since it was a rapid game, we followed the NHK rules: 30 seconds per move, with ten 1-minute thinking periods. To be honest, NHK-style games have quite short time controls. Just building a Yagura would be too dull, so I decided to make every move exactly in 10 seconds.

But then the Meijin moved his rook into a Ranging Rook position, making my Yagura impossible to construct. Seriously?! Fine. I shifted my king to the square next to the bishop and aimed for a Boat Castle transitioning into a Static Rook Anaguma.

The Ranging Rook strategy inherently sacrifices tempo, and I could use that extra move to complete my Anaguma defense with ease.

When I transitioned to an Anaguma structure, the Meijin launched an attack. I tried to ignore it, but AI called for a pause. Although the position was still balanced, ignoring this attack would slightly worsen my position, and against the Meijin, recovering would be difficult. So, I handed over the game. It was rare for AI to declare a recovery difficult. Does this mean even supercomputers struggle against the Meijin?

Well, it claims to be a "supercomputer," but it might actually be far weaker than real-world supercomputers. Just as I was thinking that, AI started dismantling the Meijin. Its strength in midgame clashes was absurd. With relentless aggression, AI tore through the Meijin's defensive pieces, employing brute force to an almost reckless degree.

The Meijin, unable to withstand the blunt force of AI's attacks, finally collapsed. Still seeking a way out, the Meijin launched a counterattack. However, the attempt was so sloppy that even I could easily handle it. It was merely a formality to save face, but AI mercilessly stripped away the Meijin's attacking pieces. AI was, without a doubt, ruthless.

On the 93rd move, 7-9 Gold Drop, the Meijin conceded. While the Meijin had exhausted all his thinking time, we hadn't used a single pause. That might have looked bad. Still, since this企画 was just for fun and I was told winning was fine, I think it was a good game overall.

During the post-game analysis with the Meijin, I played along with his thoughts. We concluded that his early rush attack was the problem. With that, my role was done. I cheered on Kuzuryu and Kaminabe next, but they both lost easily.

Watching their games, I realized something.

(Wait... has the Meijin ever played against Kuzuryu before Kuzuryu's Ryuou title defense match? This 企画(project)'s creator just broke the storyline, didn't they?)

"Don't worry. Both of them made uncharacteristic early blunders under the pressure of rapid play, so there's no issue."

(But does this loss mean Kuzuryu might fail to defend his Ryuou title?)

"No, Master. Rest assured, it won't affect that. If anything, the real divergence from the storyline is Kuzuryu Yaito potentially clearing the C-Class 2 Ranking Tournament in his first attempt."

(Hmm... I want this loss to hurt his rank in the Ranking Tournament, but I also want him to succeed in the Ryuou title defense. Such a dilemma. Then again, if he's progressing in the Ryuou Tournament, his resources should be focused there, so it's probably fine.)

The storyline might already be crumbling in several places, but the world of chess remains peaceful today. At least, it should be peaceful. My feelings after beating the Meijin? I have no idea. I was simply in awe of AI's moves the entire time.

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