This is the discussion forum for the Shougi Articles in March Comes in Like a Lion. It’s connected to the March Comes in Like a Lion Book Club.
Here is the Vocabulary Sheet for the Shougi Articles.
That being said, if you are a shougi fan or shougi Newbie, feel free to discuss or ask questions about the game here, even if you have no interest in the Manga.
Also, I made a guide to shougi pieces that might be useful.
- I stumbled onto this thread, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.
- I’m fine with skipping the Shougi parts in March Comes In Like a Lion.
- I just want to be able to understand what the characters are doing in the Shougi parts.
- I want to understand why the characters get excited/ depressed/shocked/ etc. during the shougi parts of the Manga.
- This Manga Got me really interested in the world of Shougi, and I want to learn more.
- I played shougi before the Manga made it cool.
0 voters
March Comes in Like A Lion has articles by the Shougi player, Senzaki Manabu (先崎学). In them, he teaches us Shougi basics, clarifies aspects of the Shougi world, and tells us about the historical games that Chica Umino sometimes borrows from.
Index (feel free to add your own summary, this is a wiki):
After Chapter 1 (Page 36):将棋界最高の晴れ舞台…名人戦に詰まったドラマ…
Summary
(In Progress)
After Chapter 5 (Page 102):将棋界一のビッグタイトル竜王戦…その優勝賞金は3200万円！！
Summary
(In Progress)
After Chapter 7 (Page 134):どうしたら将棋が強くなるのか？その答えは…
Summary
(In Progress)
After Chapter 7 (Page 134):どうしたら将棋が強くなるのか？その答えは…
Summary of article after chapter 16
The ranking matches are the most important matches to professional Shougi Players. They literally determine their rank. The highest rank is the 名人, who does not participate in ranking matches. Below the 名人 are 10 people of class A1 rank, who compete in 9 ranking matches each. The top player plays the 名人 for the title. Below A1 is B1, then B2, then C1, then C2
Until 3rd 段、 shougi players are in the training league called the 奨励会(しょうれいかい), similar to the third division in Sumo, or the minor storytellers of Rakugo. When they reach 4th 段, They are C2 tank- the bottom of the pro pyramid. At that level, the society is normal, but above that, a player rises or falls in rank according to their playing strength. Members of different ranks have different income and seed rights. For example, players at rank B1 and above automatically qualify for the NHK match (see column 2). Salaries go up (or down) about 30% per rank.
Matches are 6 hours long, but can be 12 hours long if the players are well matched. They start at 10am, and it’s not uncommon for them to last until 1am.
(The following part was hard to understand, so this is a guess):
Since it’s a league match, your opponent’s stars matter in the final match. If you can make yourself win, it’s called self-strentgh. If the other players must lose even if you win, it’s called other’s-strength.
The matches start in June, and continue at one match per month until March. The player who advances (or falls) a level at that last match in March becomes, just as the title of the Manga says, a lion.
