Kenji Waki
Kenji Waki is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is also the senior managing director of the Japan Shogi Association, and has been as such since June 2019.
Early life and apprenticeship
Waki was born on August 10, 1960, in Osaka, Japan. He learned shogi at a shogi class taught by shogi professional, and in 1975 he was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school under the guidance of Takashima at the rank of 5-kyū. He was promoted to the rank of 1-dan in 1977, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in October 1978.Shogi professional
Waki became the 48th professional to win 600 official games when he defeated Masahiko Urano on February 3, 2015.In March 2019, Waki voluntarily declared himself as a free class player, thus leaving the Meijin tournament league.
Theoretical contributions
Waki is known for his innovations in the Yagura opening, and the Waki System is named after him.Promotion history
The promotion history for Waki is as follows:- 5-kyū: 1975
- 1-dan: 1977
- 4-dan: July 16, 1979
- 5-dan: April 1, 1983
- 6-dan: April 1, 1984
- 7-dan: October 1, 1990
- 8-dan: November 16, 2000
- 9-dan: April 1, 2021