Extraordinary success for the 19th edition of the Italian Shogi Championship held in Milan May 6-7, 2023. Let’s take a look at the numbers together.

Organized by the Italian Shogi Association with the valuable patronage of the Institute of Japanese Culture in Rome, this 19th edition of the Italian Shogi Championship presented record numbers reconfirming itself as an indispensable reference point for the community of Italian players and many foreign players from different nationalities.

Visibly satisfied although fatigued by the organizational and coordinative effort that the event required, AIS President Giuseppe Baggio, in his second elective term and with the experience and overall vision guaranteed by decades of true and passionate dissemination of Shogi in Italy behind him, prefers not to make statements, letting the numbers speak for themselves. Numbers that attest to an indisputable success and that mark a new record for the growing and increasingly passionate community of Italian shogists. Let’s look at them together:

  • More than 50 games played from 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 7.
  • 20: total number of registrants, a record number for Italian shogi played in attendance.
  • 10: the number of game stations set up by AIS at the “House of Games in Milan”
  • 9: the different nationalities represented by the players who participated in the Championship i.e. Italy, Colombia, Germany, France, England, Poland, Belarus, Hong Kong, Japan.
  • From 15th Kyu to 4th Dan, the rating scale covered by the various players.

Let’s come to the podiums. Regarding the ranking of Italian players, the podium is as follows:

  1. Luca Filighera (Vigevano), first place and new Italian champion for 2023
  2. Francesco Calemi (Perugia), second place
  3. Michele Riondino (Rome), third place
Luca Filighera (sx) Vs Giuseppe Baggio (dx)
Luca Filighera (sx) Vs Giuseppe Baggio (dx)
Michele Riondino (sx) Vs Francesco Calemi (dx)

Below is the podium of the overall ranking:

  1. Shcheslionok Peter (Belarus), first place
  2. Watanabe Fumihiro (Japan), second place
  3. Stanaszek Mariusz (Poland), third place
  • Chag Chung Man, Hong Kong (sx) Vs Shcheslionok Peter, Bielorussia (dx)
  • Rodel Richard, Germania (sx) vs Watanabe Fumihiro, Giappone (dx)
  • Stanaszek Mariusz, Polonia (sx) Vs Shcheslionok Peter, Bielorussia (dx)

We will soon publish various in-depth reports bringing back the complete standings, a photo report on all participants, and, last but not least, video footage of the matches held in the first chess board.