Momoko Katō | |
---|---|
Native name | 加藤 桃子 |
Born | October 6, 1993 |
Hometown | Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture |
Career | |
Achieved professional status | April 1, 2019 | (aged 25)
Badge Number | W-67 |
Rank | Women's 4- dan |
Teacher | Terutaka Yasue (8-dan) |
Major titles won | 9 |
Websites | |
JSA profile page |
Momoko Katō (加藤 桃子, Katō Momoko, born October 6, 1993) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4- dan. She is a former holder of the Seirei , Women's Ōza and Jo-Ō titles.
Katō was born in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture on October 6, 1993. [1] She started playing shogi when she was about five years old. [2] [3] She started taking shogi lessons and was traveling outside of Shizuoka Prefecture to play in shogi tournaments by the time she was a third-grade elementary school student, and won a national shogi championship when she was a fifth-grade elementary school student. [4]
Katō entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6- kyū as a student of shogi professional Terutaka Yasue in 2006 when she was eleven years old. [3] She was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-kyū in 2011 [4] and then apprentice professional 1-dan in May 2014, becoming just the third woman to achieve that rank after Kana Satomi and Tomoka Nishiyama. [5]
In March 2019, Katō decided to leave the apprentice school and petitioned the JSA to become a women's professional shogi player instead. In consideration of her past success in women's professional shogi tournaments, the JSA decided to award Katō the rank of 3-dan instead of her last rank as an apprentice professional which is the common practice for women apprentice professionals ranked 2-kyū or higher. [2] [6]
In November 2021, Katō won the 3rd Seirei title (September – November 2021) by defeating the defending champion Kana Satomi 3 games to 2. [7] Katō, however, was unable to successfully defend her Seirei title the following year, losing a rematch against Satomi 3 games to none in the 4th Seirei Title Match (July – August 2022). [8] The pair faced each other again in major title match later in 2022 when Katō challenged Satomi for the 12th Women's Ōza title (October – December 2022). Satomi successfully defended her Women's Ōza title 3 games to 2. [9]
Katō advanced to Women's Ōza title match against Satomi for the second year in a row, but once again was unsuccessful, losing the 13th Women's Ōza title match 3 games to 1. [10]
In April – May 2024, Katō challenged Satomi (now playing under her married name "Fukuma") for the Women's Ōi title, but lost the 35th Women's Ōi Title Match 3 games to 0. [11]
Katō's promotion history is as follows. [12]
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
Katō has appeared in women's major title matches twenty-two times and has won a total of nine titles. She has won the Women's Ōza and the Jo-Ō titles four times each, and the Seirei title once. [13]
Momoko Katō | |
---|---|
Native name | 加藤 桃子 |
Born | October 6, 1993 |
Hometown | Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture |
Career | |
Achieved professional status | April 1, 2019 | (aged 25)
Badge Number | W-67 |
Rank | Women's 4- dan |
Teacher | Terutaka Yasue (8-dan) |
Major titles won | 9 |
Websites | |
JSA profile page |
Momoko Katō (加藤 桃子, Katō Momoko, born October 6, 1993) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4- dan. She is a former holder of the Seirei , Women's Ōza and Jo-Ō titles.
Katō was born in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture on October 6, 1993. [1] She started playing shogi when she was about five years old. [2] [3] She started taking shogi lessons and was traveling outside of Shizuoka Prefecture to play in shogi tournaments by the time she was a third-grade elementary school student, and won a national shogi championship when she was a fifth-grade elementary school student. [4]
Katō entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6- kyū as a student of shogi professional Terutaka Yasue in 2006 when she was eleven years old. [3] She was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-kyū in 2011 [4] and then apprentice professional 1-dan in May 2014, becoming just the third woman to achieve that rank after Kana Satomi and Tomoka Nishiyama. [5]
In March 2019, Katō decided to leave the apprentice school and petitioned the JSA to become a women's professional shogi player instead. In consideration of her past success in women's professional shogi tournaments, the JSA decided to award Katō the rank of 3-dan instead of her last rank as an apprentice professional which is the common practice for women apprentice professionals ranked 2-kyū or higher. [2] [6]
In November 2021, Katō won the 3rd Seirei title (September – November 2021) by defeating the defending champion Kana Satomi 3 games to 2. [7] Katō, however, was unable to successfully defend her Seirei title the following year, losing a rematch against Satomi 3 games to none in the 4th Seirei Title Match (July – August 2022). [8] The pair faced each other again in major title match later in 2022 when Katō challenged Satomi for the 12th Women's Ōza title (October – December 2022). Satomi successfully defended her Women's Ōza title 3 games to 2. [9]
Katō advanced to Women's Ōza title match against Satomi for the second year in a row, but once again was unsuccessful, losing the 13th Women's Ōza title match 3 games to 1. [10]
In April – May 2024, Katō challenged Satomi (now playing under her married name "Fukuma") for the Women's Ōi title, but lost the 35th Women's Ōi Title Match 3 games to 0. [11]
Katō's promotion history is as follows. [12]
Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.
Katō has appeared in women's major title matches twenty-two times and has won a total of nine titles. She has won the Women's Ōza and the Jo-Ō titles four times each, and the Seirei title once. [13]