段級位について -About Shogi Rankings

Introduction to the World of Shogi Rankings

Have you ever wondered about how strong your shogi skills are compared to other players?

Like other Japanese martial arts, a shogi player’s strength can be measured by the ranking that they receive! Shogi ranking consists of kyu (intermediate level) and dan (advance level). In fact, there are several ways for you to receive an official rank certification from the Japan Shogi Association (JSA), based on your performance in online matches! In this blogpost, we will give a quick overview of the ranking system in shogi for both professional and amateur players!

Professional Players

For a prospective professional shogi player, a player must become an apprentice professional player in the JSA Apprentice School. They are ranked from 6-kyu (lowest) to 3-dan (highest). To become a professional shogi player, a player must pass the Professional Admission Test by the age of 26.

The Professional Admission Test is an annual tournament consisting of 3-dan players, where the top-2 finisher will be conferred the 4-dan rank. Once a player receives the 4-dan rank, they become a professional shogi player. A similar system is also used to promote women professional shogi players. However, women professional players have their own ranking system. A women player will be granted professional status once they achieve the rank of 2-kyu. Any players who do not qualify in the Professional Admission Test by the age of 26 must leave the Apprentice School.

From 4-dan, a professional player can achieve the highest rank of 9-dan based on their performance. For a women professional player, if they stay in the women’s professional league, they can achieve the highest rank of 6-dan.

Amateur and Online Amateur Rankings

It takes great dedication and skills to become a professional shogi player. Amateur shogi players can also receive a ranking based on their performance and skills they demonstrate in competitions.

For amateur players, the amateur ranking system also consists of kyu (intermediate level) and dan (advance level). A player who receives the rank of 10-kyu from JSA means this player is an intermediate player. Once this player qualifies for the rank of 1-dan, they become an advance player. The highest rank an amateur player can achieve is 8-dan. Usually, a player with this rank has comparable playing strength as a 4-dan professional player.

For international shogi players, the easiest way to receive rank certification from JSA is by playing against opponents from around the world online. The most popular JSA-accredited online app is Shogi Wars, with over 6.5 million players internationally.

In Shogi Wars, a player must start at the lowest rank of 30-kyu. Based on their performance in ranked games, they can work their way up to the rank of 5-kyu, where they can receive a certification from JSA indicating that they become an intermediate player. Through promotion & relegation, they can eventually earn a dan-level (1-dan) certification, meaning they have become an advance shogi player!