Momoko Katō
Katō at an event in 2019.
Native name加藤 桃子
Born (1993-10-06) October 6, 1993
HometownMakinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture
Career
Achieved professional statusApril 1, 2019(2019-04-01) (aged 25)
Badge NumberW-67
RankWomen's 4-dan
TeacherTerutaka Yasue (8-dan)
Major titles won9
Websites
JSA profile page

Momoko Katō (加藤 桃子, Katō Momoko, born October 6, 1993) is a Japanese women's professional shogi player ranked 4-dan. She is a former holder of the Seirei, Women's Ōza and Jo-Ō titles.

Early life and amateur shogi

Katō was born in Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture on October 6, 1993.[1] She started playing shogi when she was about five years old.[2][3] She started taking shogi lessons and was traveling outside of Shizuoka Prefecture to play in shogi tournaments by the time she was a third-grade elementary school student, and won a national shogi championship when she was a fifth-grade elementary school student.[4]

Apprentice shogi professional

Katō entered the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school at the rank of 6-kyū as a student of shogi professional Terutaka Yasue in 2006 when she was eleven years old.[3] She was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-kyū in 2011[4] and then apprentice professional 1-dan in May 2014, becoming just the third woman to achieve that rank after Kana Satomi and Tomoka Nishiyama.[5]

In March 2019, Katō decided to leave the apprentice school and petitioned the JSA to become a women's professional shogi player instead. In consideration of her past success in women's professional shogi tournaments, the JSA decided to award Katō the rank of 3-dan instead of her last rank as an apprentice professional which is the common practice for women apprentice professionals ranked 2-kyū or higher.[2][6]

Women's shogi professional

In November 2021, Katō won the 3rd Seirei title (September – November 2021) by defeating the defending champion Kana Satomi 3 games to 2.[7] Katō, however, was unable to successfully defend her Seirei title the following year, losing a rematch against Satomi 3 games to none in the 4th Seirei Title Match (July – August 2022).[8] The pair faced each other again in major title match later in 2022 when Katō challenged Satomi for the 12th Women's Oza title (October – December 2022). Satomi successfully defended her Women's Ōza title 3 games to 2.[9]

Katō advanced to Women's Ōza title match against Satomi for the second year in a row, but once again was unsuccessful, losing the 13th Women's Ōza title match 3 games to 1.[10]

Promotion history

Katō's promotion history is as follows.[11]

  • 3-dan: April 1, 2019[2][6]
  • 4-dan: July 3, 2023

Note: All ranks are women's professional ranks.

Major titles

Katō has appeared in women's major title matches twenty-one times and has won a total of nine titles. She has won the Women's Ōza and the Jo-Ō titles four times each, and the Seirei title once.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Kishi Dētabēsu" 女流棋士データベース [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Shōgi no Katō Momoko Shodan ga Shōreikai Taikai Joryū Kishi Sandan ni" 将棋の加藤桃子初段が奨励会退会 女流棋士三段に [Shogi's Momoko Katō 1-dan leaves apprentice school to become a women's professional 3-dan]. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). March 27, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Shōgi･Shodai Joryū Ōza ni Jūrokusai ｢Kishi｣ Mezasu Shōreikai Ikkyū" 将棋･初代女流王座に16歳 ｢棋士｣ めざす奨励会1級 [Shogi: Apprentice professional 1-kyū aiming for "regular professional status" wins the first Women's Ōza title]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). December 13, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Kaikyo! Honshi Shusshin no Jūrokusai Shōreikaiin ga Joryū Ōza ni Katō Momoko-san" 快挙! 本市出身の16歳奨励会員が女流王座に加藤桃子さん [Hometown girl 16-year-old apprentice shogi professional Momoko Katō wins Women's Ōza title] (pdf). Kōhō Makinohara (in Japanese). Vol. 125. Makinohara City. February 2012. pp. 2–3. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  5. ↑ "｢Jo-O｣ Katō-san, Sanninme no Shōreikai Shodan" ｢女王｣ 加藤さん, 3人目の奨励会初段. The Nikkei (in Japanese). May 11, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Katō Momoko Shōreikai Shodan ga Shigatsu yori Joryū Sandan ni" 加藤桃子奨励会初段が4月より女流三段に [Apprentice professional 1-dan Momoko Katō will become a women's professional 3-dan from April] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. March 27, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ Murase, Shinya (November 17, 2021). "Shōgi･Katō Momoko Joryū Sandan ga Seirei Kakutoku Satomi Kana Zen-Seirei wa Joryū Yonkan ni Kōtai" 将棋･加藤桃子女流三段が清麗獲得 里見香奈前清麗は女流四冠に後退 [Momoko Katō women's professional 3-dan captures Seirei title by defeating Seirei Kana Satomi; Satomi drops back to 4-crown status]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  8. ↑ Satō, Keiji (August 3, 2022). "Shōgi no Satomi Kana Joryū Yonkan, ｢Seirei｣ Dashu de Joryū Gokan ni Katō Seirei ni Shōri" 将棋の里見香奈女流四冠, ｢清麗｣ 奪取で女流五冠に 加藤清麗に勝利 [Kana Satomi 4-crown defeats Katō Seirei to recapture the Seiri title and return to 5-crown status]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Satomi ga Gekisen Sesshi, Bōei ni Seikō Joryū Ōzasen" 里見が激戦制し, 防衛に成功 女流王座戦 [Satomi wins a close game to successfully defend Women's Ōza title]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ Maruyama, Susumu (December 11, 2023). "Satomi Kana Joryū Ōza ga Sanshō Ippai de Bōei, Sanrenpa Shōgi･Joryū Ōzasen" 里見香奈女流王座が3勝1敗で防衛, 3連覇 将棋･女流王座戦 [Shogi･Women's Ōza: Kana Satomi Women's Ōza successfully defends her title 3 games to 1, to win the title for the third consecutive year]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Katō Momoko Shōdan Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 加藤桃子 昇段履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Momoko Katō Promotion History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Joryū Kishi Dētabēsu: Katō Momoko Taitoru Rireki" 女流棋士データベース: 加藤桃子 タイトル履歴 [Women's Professional Shogi Player Database: Momoko Katō Major Title History] (in Japanese). Japan Shogi Association. Retrieved December 26, 2022.



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