The long-awaited "Shogi Japan Series JT Pro Official Tournament" will see 12 top players compete for the "JT Cup" title in an open match. This year's Hokkaido tournament will be held on Saturday, July 26th, and will feature a match between 9th Dan Hirose Akito and 9th Dan Toyoshima Masayuki. In addition, on the eve of the match, on Friday, July 25th, the "Shogi Japan Series Hokkaido Tournament Commemorative Player Talk Event Supported by Domingo" will be held.

Highly anticipated match! Hirose 9-dan vs Toyoshima 9-dan to be held in Sapporo

On Saturday, July 26, 2025, the "Shogi Japan Series JT Pro Official Tournament Hokkaido Tournament" will be held at the Sapporo Convention Center. In this tournament, where 12 top players compete in a public match, local Hokkaido native Akito Hirose 9-dan and talented 9-dan player Masayuki Toyoshima clash in the third game of the first round. Attention will be focused on the heated battle of wits that will unfold on the board.

The real faces of the players! The commemorative talk event will be posted on YouTube at a later date.

Last year's appearance of Ryuo/Meijin Fujii Souta and 7th Dan Sasaki Daichi

In commemoration of the Hokkaido Tournament, a talk event with shogi players will be held on the night before the match, called "Shogi Japan Series Hokkaido Tournament Commemoration Talk Event with shogi players Supported by Domingo." Domingo will also be supporting the Hokkaido Tournament! Following on from last year, this year's event will be released on YouTube after the event! It will be a rare opportunity to see the shogi players in their everyday lives, different from when they are playing.

We will announce the video on Domingo as soon as it is released!

Even beginners can enjoy shogi! "Table Mark Children's Tournament" will be held at the same time

In addition, on Saturday, July 26th, the "Table Mark Children's Tournament" will be held in the Sapporo Convention Center Large Hall along with the "Shogi Japan Series JT Pro Official Tournament". The "Table Mark Children's Tournament" is the largest children's shogi tournament in Japan, which aims to teach children the fun of shogi. On the day, various events will be held, such as skill test matches, enjoyable matches, piece catching challenges, piece arrangement challenges, shogi quizzes, shogi school, and instructional matches. Participants in the children's tournament will also be able to watch the subsequent JT Pro official matches. (Applications for the "Table Mark Children's Tournament 2025 Hokkaido Tournament" have already closed.)

A test match

Watching official JT Pro matches

"Table Mark Children's Tournament" Final Stage

The venue was filled with children's smiling faces!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the excitement of professional games, children's matches, and the fun of shogi. I can't wait for the event to begin!