On Thursday, August 21st, our university held a special public lecture event, "Summer Vacation Children's Shogi Class," for elementary and junior high school students from the surrounding area.
The open lecture was held with the cooperation of the QTnet Shogi Center, and was attended by 86 students ranging from first grade elementary school students to third grade junior high school students, with Takeshi Sekiguchi, a 6th dan instructor from the Japan Shogi Association, as the chief referee.
Participants were divided into two groups: "Zero to Beginner" and "Karyu Tournament". In the "Zero to Beginner" event, participants were introduced to shogi through pincer shogi and circling shogi, while in the kyu rank tournament, participants were divided into three classes: kyu 1 to kyu 5, kyu 6 to kyu 10, and kyu 11 to kyu 15, and played tournament games. A total of 20 members of the university's Shogi Club and the Kyushu Sangyo High School Shogi Club (Kyushu Sangyo University) joined the event as staff members and provided careful support for the children.
In addition, seven-time shogi champion Sota Fujii, who had finished a game in Munakata City the previous day, stopped by the event, drawing thunderous applause from the audience. As he walked slowly through the venue, Fujii watched all of the children's games evenly, and commented, "Once you learn the rules of shogi, it's a game you can enjoy for the rest of your life. I hope you all enjoy this opportunity."
Takahiro Tateo (3rd year student, Department Faculty of Economics, Department of Economics / Kyushu Sangyo University Kyushu High School), leader of our university's Shogi Enthusiasts Club, reflected on the event, saying, "This was the first time our club was involved in supporting a game. We were surprised by the large number of people who took part, but we focused on making sure the children had fun and did our best to ensure the event ran smoothly. We are grateful to the cooperating organizations who gave us this opportunity today and to the children who participated."
The children who participated commented, "It was my first time playing shogi, but it was a lot of fun!" and "I got to play against a lot of different people, and I want to come again!"
Our university offers open lectures throughout the year for a wide range of age groups, from children to the elderly, in order to give back to society the intellectual property gained from the university's education and research. Anyone can participate, so please feel free to apply.
[Industry-Academia Co-innovation and Research Promotion Headquarters, Student Affairs Department]
