Aya Imai | |
---|---|
Native name | 今井 絢 |
Born | October 25, 2001 |
Hometown | Nagoya, Japan |
Career | |
Achieved professional status | February 1, 2023 | (aged 21)
Badge Number | W-83 |
Rank | Women's 1- dan |
Teacher | Masataka Sugimoto (8-dan) |
Websites | |
JSA profile page |
Aya Imai (今井 絢, Imai Aya, born October 25, 2001) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 1- dan. She is the first women's professional shogi player to come from Nagoya.
Imai was born in Nagoya on October 25, 2001. [1] She learned how to play shogi from her father when she was five years old. [2] [3] At first, she mainly played against her older brother and continued to improve to the point where she start attending a local shogi school. [4] As a second-grade elementary school student, she entered the Tokai branch of the Japan Shogi Association's training group system under the tutelage of shogi professional Masataka Sugimoto. [4] By June 2016, she had performed well enough in the training school system to qualify for women's professional status even though she was still a third-year junior high school student, but decided to enter the JSA's professional apprentice school instead to try and obtain regular professional status. [2] [4] [5] At the end of November 2022, she decided to formally leave the apprentice school at the rank of 1-kyū because she did not feel she would be able to achieve promotion to the next rank of 1-dan in accordance with JSA apprentice school's rules which require that apprentice professionals achieve said rank within one year of turning 21 years old. [3] [5] She decided to switch over to women's professional shogi, and formally requested to be allowed do so in January 2023. [5] The JSA accepted her request and awarded her the rank of women's professional 1-kyū since that rank she had achieved as an apprentice professional. [2] [3] [5]
Imai's promotion history is as follows. [6]
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
Imai is the first women's professional from Nagoya. [3] As of February 2023, [update] she is a third-year university student at Doshisha University. [2] [4]
Aya Imai | |
---|---|
Native name | 今井 絢 |
Born | October 25, 2001 |
Hometown | Nagoya, Japan |
Career | |
Achieved professional status | February 1, 2023 | (aged 21)
Badge Number | W-83 |
Rank | Women's 1- dan |
Teacher | Masataka Sugimoto (8-dan) |
Websites | |
JSA profile page |
Aya Imai (今井 絢, Imai Aya, born October 25, 2001) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 1- dan. She is the first women's professional shogi player to come from Nagoya.
Imai was born in Nagoya on October 25, 2001. [1] She learned how to play shogi from her father when she was five years old. [2] [3] At first, she mainly played against her older brother and continued to improve to the point where she start attending a local shogi school. [4] As a second-grade elementary school student, she entered the Tokai branch of the Japan Shogi Association's training group system under the tutelage of shogi professional Masataka Sugimoto. [4] By June 2016, she had performed well enough in the training school system to qualify for women's professional status even though she was still a third-year junior high school student, but decided to enter the JSA's professional apprentice school instead to try and obtain regular professional status. [2] [4] [5] At the end of November 2022, she decided to formally leave the apprentice school at the rank of 1-kyū because she did not feel she would be able to achieve promotion to the next rank of 1-dan in accordance with JSA apprentice school's rules which require that apprentice professionals achieve said rank within one year of turning 21 years old. [3] [5] She decided to switch over to women's professional shogi, and formally requested to be allowed do so in January 2023. [5] The JSA accepted her request and awarded her the rank of women's professional 1-kyū since that rank she had achieved as an apprentice professional. [2] [3] [5]
Imai's promotion history is as follows. [6]
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
Imai is the first women's professional from Nagoya. [3] As of February 2023, [update] she is a third-year university student at Doshisha University. [2] [4]