We interviewed Tobe sensei.
His aggressive ranging rook style has attracted a lot of shogi players.
We hope this article would help you to know about him more!
About Tobe sensei:
Profile: https://www.shogi.or.jp/player/pro/262.html
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tobe_channel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TobeMako
Q.
What is your favorite strategy and why?
A.
I like central rook and Ishida-style 3rd rook.
The high degree of freedom in the opening of the game when you play the ranging rook is very attractive for me.
When you play the ranging rook, the right side and left side clearly have separate roles: building a robust castle on the right side and attacking from the left side. These separate roles make the situation easier to think about.
Also, the reason why I particularly like the central rook and Ishida-style is their aggressiveness that might lead you to win against stronger players.
Q.
Please tell us how the professional shogi players spend their day.
A.
When I have an official game:
I get up around 7:00 in the morning.
I leave home around 8:30-9:00 and arrive at Shogi Kaikan (the official building of Japan Shogi Association) at 9:45.
The game starts at 10:00.
Many games take a whole day, so I usually return to my home at night.
If the game ends early and I happen to see a close player, I sometimes go out for dinner.
When I have a shogi practice meeting:
I leave home around 9:00 and the practice meeting starts at 10:00.
In the meeting, 2 or 4 people play and analyze shogi from 10:00 to 18:00.
After returning home, I analyzed the games with AI.
Other than these, I also have schedules such as
Shogi class to amateur shogi players/elementary school kids
Shogi event
Commentary on TV/newspaper
YouTube shooting
Book writing
Apprentice coaching (note: Apprenticeship is one of the major features of professional shogi players)
So, I usually have some schedules every day.
Q.
How do you usually spend your holidays? Do you play other board games?
A.
I have three children, and on my days off, I accompany my children to sports (baseball and dance).
I’m not very good at other board games, though many shogi professional players like board games, card games, mahjong, horse racing, and sports.
Q.
You have had a wonderful career as a professional player. Please tell us your next goal.
A.
I would like to play at the title match and win the title.
Q.
Which rook is recommended for amateur shogi players?
A.
For beginners, I recommend the strategies easy to understand, such as Bo-gin (Climbing silver) and the 4th rook.
Personally, I think it would be good to practice a lot of the ranging rook vs the static rook games since as I mentioned above, the roles of the left side and rights side are clearly separated.
If you ask, of course, I recommend the ranging rook since I play it!
Q.
We, AIS, are working hard to spread shogi in Italy, but we are still only halfway there. We would appreciate it if you could give us advice on how to play shogi and how to spread it.
A.
Thank you for spreading shogi in Italy.
When you learn shogi, having fun is always the key. You can find and improve your favorite strategy with your favorite study method such as imitating your favorite shogi players.
As for how to spread shogi, increasing the opportunities to get people, especially beginners, to know and become interested in shogi is important. When teaching, I try to imagine how the beginners feel and think.
In Italy, it might be interesting to compare shogi strategies to a soccer game and pieces to players!
Last but not least, thank you very much, Tobe sensei!
AIS thanks dear friend Nozomi.
Pictures:
https://www.shogi.or.jp/player/pro/262.html
https://www.shogi.or.jp/amp/column/2021/11/lawson_tobemakoto.htm
