Fujii Wins Again, Nears Seventh Straight Oi Title
Listen to the story
Sota Fujii, one of Japan's top shogi players, has moved closer to another major title win. Fujii currently holds six major titles, earning him the nickname "six-crown."
He is competing in the Oi title match against Sho Ito, a strong player who holds two other major titles. The two are playing a best-of-seven series, meaning the first player to win four games becomes champion.
Fujii won the fifth game of the series, giving him four wins overall. This means he now needs only one more victory to officially retain the Oi title.
If he wins the next game, Fujii will have held the Oi championship for seven years in a row, an impressive achievement in the world of shogi.
Reports say that Fujii played very well in this latest game. He used his rook, an important piece in shogi, to create a strong attacking position. This move is being seen as the key moment that decided the game.
Ito, his opponent, has also had success recently, but he was unable to stop Fujii's strong strategy this time. The next game will determine whether Fujii extends his winning streak even further.
Fans and experts in Japan are closely following the match, since a seventh consecutive title win would add to Fujii's already impressive list of shogi records.
Vocabulary8 words
- shogi
- a Japanese strategy board game similar to chess
- six-crown
- a nickname meaning someone holds six major titles
- Oi title
- the name of an important shogi championship
- best-of-seven series
- a competition won by whoever wins four games first
- achievement
- a great result someone has worked hard to reach
- rook
- an important piece used in the game of shogi
- retain
- to keep something you already have
- strategy
- a smart plan used to win
Quiz
Answer key
1. Six 2. Win one more game 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Sota Fujii, one of Japan's top _____ players, has moved closer to another major title win.
Fujii currently holds six major titles, earning him the nickname _____.
He is competing in the _____ match against Sho Ito.
The two are playing a _____, meaning the first player to win four games becomes champion.
Fujii won the fifth game of the series, giving him four wins overall.
If he wins the next game, Fujii will have held the Oi championship for seven years in a row, an impressive _____.
He used his _____, an important piece in shogi, to create a strong attacking position.
The next game will determine whether Fujii extends his winning _____ even further.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think winning a title seven times in a row is difficult?
- What skills do you think are important for shogi players?
- Do you follow any board game competitions? Why or why not?
- How do you think Ito feels after losing this game?