Yasuaki Tsukada


Yasuaki Tsukada is a Japanese professional shogi player ranked 9-dan. He is a former Ōza title holder and the inventor of the influential Tsukada Special strategy, which he used to win numerous games in the 1980s, is named after him.

Early life, amateur shogi and apprenticeship

Tsukada was born in Tokyo Metropolis on November 16, 1964. In 1978, he finished runner-up in the and in November of that same year he entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 4-kyū under the guidance of Nobuyuki Ōuchi.

Shogi professional

Tsukada is a member of the so-called Shōwa 55 group, a group of eight strong players that become professional in 1980–1981 and won numerous shogi tournaments. Others in the group include Yoshikazu Minami, Osamu Nakamura, Michio Takahashi, Akira Shima, Hiroshi Kamiya, Masaki Izumi, and.
Tsukada became the 27th professional to win 800 official games when he defeated women's professional 2-crown Tomoka Nishiyama in a 74th Ōza tournament preliminary round game on September 8, 2025. He was awarded the "" as a result.

Promotion history

The promotion history for Tsukada is as follows:

Titles and other championships

Tsukada has appeared in major title matches twice. He won the 35th Ōza in 1987 for his only major title. In addition to major titles, Tsukada has won three other shogi championships during his career: the in 1986, and the now defunct in 1983 and 1987.

Awards and honors

Tsukada has received a number awards and honors throughout his career for his accomplishments both on an off the shogi board. These include awards given out annually by the JSA for performance in official games as well as other awards for achievement.

Annual Shogi Awards

Other awards

Personal life

Tsukada is married to retired women's shogi professional Sachiko Takamure. The couple's eldest daughter Erika is also a women's shogi professional.