Sae Itō

Sae Itō
Itō at an event in October 2016.
Native name	伊藤 沙恵
Born	(1993-10-06) October 6, 1993 (age 31)
Hometown	Musashino, Tokyo
Career
Achieved professional status	October 1, 2014(2014-10-01) (aged 20)
Badge Number	W-52
Rank	Women's 4-dan
Teacher	Nobuyuki Yashiki (9-dan)
Major titles won	1
Websites
JSA profile page

Sae Itō (伊藤 沙恵, Itō Sae, born October 6, 1993) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4-dan. She is a former holder of the Women's Meijin title.

Early life and amateur shogi

Itō was born in Musashino, Tokyo on October 6, 1993,^[1] and learned how to play shogi from her older brother.^[2]

As a fifth-grade elementary school student, Itō finished third in the 29th Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament [ja] in April 2004. Itō defeated future shogi professional and major title holder Takuya Nagase in her Round 1 game of the Championship Tournament and won two more games to advance to the semi-finals where she lost to another future shogi professional and eventual tournament winner Yūki Sasaki. Itō was the only girl to qualify for the Championship Tournament, and the field included seven boys who would eventually become professional shogi players, including three who would also become major title holders.^[3][4][a] In September 2004, Itō was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū under the guidance of shogi professional Nobuyuki Yashiki.^[2]

Women's professional shogi

In February 2022, Itō defeated Kana Satomi 3 games to 1 in the 48th Women's Meijin title match (January – February 2022) to capture her first women's major title.^[5] In February of the following year, however, she was unable to successfully defend her Meijin title, losing the 49th Women's Meijin title match to Tomoka Nishiyama 3 games to 1.^[6]

In April – June 2023, Ito challenged Satomi for the latter's Women's Ōi title, but lost the 34th Women's Ōi title match 3 games to 1.^[7]

Promotion history

Ito's promotion history is as follows.^[8]

• 1-dan: October 1, 2014^[9]
• 2-dan: September 11, 2015^[10]
• 3-dan: April 26, 2019^[2]
• 4-dan: April 18, 2023

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Major titles

Itō has appeared in a women's professional shogi major title eleven times and has won one title.^[11]

Awards and honors

Itō received the Japan Shogi Association's Annual Shogi Awards for "Excellent Women's Professional" twice (2017 and 2019), "Most Games Played by a Women's Professional" four times (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022) and "Women's Professional Game of the Year" once (2022).^[12][13][14]

Notes

1. The seven were Yūki Sasaki (the tournament winner), Tatsuya Sugai (who finished runner up), Tatsuya Sanmaidō, Takuya Nagase, Shintarō Saitō, Daichi Sasaki and Kōhei Hasabe.^[3]

References

1. "Kishi Dētabēsu" 女流棋士データベース [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
2. "Itō Sae Nidan ga Sandan ni Shōdan" 伊藤沙恵女流二段が女流三段に昇段 [Sae Itō 2-dan promoted to 3-dan] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. May 7, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
3. "Dai Nijūkyūkai Shōgakusei Shōgi Meijinsen: Daihyō Senshu no Ichiran" 第29回小学生名人戦: 代表選手一覧 [29th Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament: Participant's List] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
4. "Dai Nijūkyūkai Shōgakusei Shōgi Meijinsen: Kesshō Tonamentō/Kessho Taikai" 第29回小学生名人戦: 決勝トーナメント／決勝大会 [29th Elementary School Student Meijin Tournament: Championship Tournament] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
5. Niidoi, Hiroaki (February 24, 2022). "Itō Sae ga Joryū Meijin Dasshu, Hatsu Taitoru; Satomi Kana wa Jūsan Renpa Narazu" 伊藤沙恵が女流名人奪取, 初タイトル 里見香奈は13連覇ならず [Sae Itō captures Women's Meijin for first major title, Kana Satomi unable to win the title for the 13th consecutive time]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved February 25, 2022.
6. "[Shōgi] Nishiyama Tomoka Jo-Ō ga Hatsuchōsen de Joryū Meijin Kakutoku Itō Sae Joryū Meijin Bōei Narazu Joryū Meijinsen" [将棋] 西山朋佳女王が初挑戦で女流名人獲得　伊藤沙恵女流名人は初防衛ならず 女流名人戦 [[Shogi] Women's Meijin Tournament: Sae Itō loses Meijin title to first-time challenger Tomoka Nishiyama Jo-Ō]. Nikkan Sports (in Japanese). February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
7. "Satomi Kana ga Joryū Ōi Gorenpa Itō Sae ni Dai Nikyoku kara Sanrenshō" 里見香奈が女流王位5連覇 伊藤沙恵に第2局から3連勝 [Kana Satomi wins three consecutive games after losing Game 1 to defeat Sae Itō and win the Ōi title for the fifth year in a row]. Nishinippon Shimbun (in Japanese). June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
8. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Itō Sae Shōdan Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 伊藤沙恵 昇段履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sae Itō Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
9. "Itō Sae Shōreikai Ikkyū ga Jūgatsu yori Joryū Shodan ni" 伊藤沙恵奨励会1級が10月より女流初段に [Apprentice shogi professional Sae Itō 1-kyū to be a women's professional 1-dan from October] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. September 30, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
10. "Itō Sae Shodan ga Nidan ni Shōdan" 伊藤沙恵女流初段が二段に昇段 [Sae Itō 1-dan promoted to 2-dan] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. September 11, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
11. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Itō Sae Taitoru Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 伊藤 沙恵 タイトル履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sae Itō Major Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
12. "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Itō Sae Shōgi Taishō" 女流棋士データベース: 伊藤沙恵 将棋大賞 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Sae Itō Annual Shogi Awards] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
13. "Shōgi Taishō, Saiyūshūkishishō ni Watanabe Sankan...Nikaime" 将棋大賞, 最優秀棋士賞に渡辺明三冠...2回目 [Shogi Annual Awards: Watanabe 3-crown wins “Player of the year” for the second time.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
14. "Dai Yonjūkūkai Shōgi Taishō Jushōsha no Oshirase" 第49回将棋大賞受賞者のお知らせ [49th Annual Shogi Awards Winners] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.

External links

• ShogiHub: Ito, Sae