Kazushiza Horiguchi
Japanese shogi player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kazushiza Horiguchi (堀口 一史座, Horiguchi Kazushiza; born February 28, 1975) is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 8-dan.
| Kazushiza Horiguchi | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 堀口一史座 |
| Born | February 28, 1975 |
| Hometown | Tokyo Metropolis |
| Career | |
| Achieved professional status | April 1, 1996 (aged 21) |
| Badge number | 218 |
| Rank | 8-dan |
| Teacher | Hatasu Itō (8-dan) |
| Tournaments won | 1 |
| Meijin class | Free |
| Ryūō class | 6 |
| Websites | |
| JSA profile page | |
Early life and apprenticeship
Horiguchi was born in Tokyo Metropolis on February 28, 1975.[1] He learned shogi around the age of ten after seeing a shogi set at his grandparents' house.[2] Horiguchi entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school as a pupil of shogi professional Hatasu Itō at the rank of 6-kyū in 1988. He was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1991, and entered the 3-dan League in 1993.[2]
Horiguchi came close to obtaining full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in the 17th 3-dan League (April 1995 – September 1995), but lost his last round game to future fellow professional Kimura Kazuki to miss out on promotion. The following league season, however, Horiguchi finished with a record of 14 wins and 4 losses in the 18th 3-dan League (October 1995 – April 1996) to win the league and earn promotion to the rank of 4-dan.[2][3]
Shogi professional
Horiguchi finished runner up in the 48th NHK Cup TV Shogi Tournament (1998) and the 8th Ginga-sen (2000), losing in the finals both times to Yoshiharu Habu. He also finished runner up in the 30th Shinjin-Ō} (1999), losing to Takeshi Fujii 2 games to none.[2][3][4]
Horiguchi's only shogi championship to date came in 2002 when he defeated Masataka Sugimoto 3 games to 1 to win the 20th Asahi Open; he was, however, unable to defend his championship the following year, losing to Kōichi Fukaura by the same score in the finals of the 21st Asahi Open.[2][3][5][6]
Promotion history
Horiguchi's promotion history is as follows:[7]
- 6-kyū: 1989
- 1-dan: 1991
- 4-dan: April 1, 1996
- 5-dan: October 14, 1999
- 6-dan: October 1, 2002
- 7-dan: April 1, 2004
- 8-dan: December 15, 2022
Titles and other championships
Horiguchi has yet to appear in a major title match, but he has won one non-major title championship.[8]
Awards and honors
Horiguchi won the Japan Shogi Association's Annual Shogi Award for "Best New Player" in 1991.[9]
