Nishiyama to become 1st female "kishi" in shogi main ranks

Shogi player Tomoka Nishiyama said Monday she will exercise her right to join the game's main professional "kishi" ranks as the first woman to do so.The 31-year-old will be promoted to "yodan," the entry-level rank in the kishi system, on April 1.Under a new Japan Shogi Association rule, Nishiyama became the first woman to qualify for kishi status earlier this month by winning her fifth Hakurei title, the most prestigious championship in women's professional shogi.Shogi, a traditional board game similar to chess, has two separate professional systems for kishi and "joryu kishi," or female p…READ FULL ARTICLE