Nguyễn Xuân Tuấn An (left) plays Dương Bảo Thạch in the final match of a shoji tournament on May 31 in Hà Nội. Photo of ChuraChura

The two-day competition is one of activities of the International Shogi Forum (ISF) to be held in November in Tokyo. Approximately 58 representatives from over 50 countries will participate in the tournament which is organised every three years.

An from HCM City defeated Dương Thạch Bảo of Hà Nội in the final match of a shoji tournament, on May 31 at the Hà Nội's Embassy of Japan.

It was the largest competition ever held in Việt Nam by the Việt Nam Shogi Club authorised by the Japan Shogi Federation, in collaboration with the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association.

An will be the sole Vietnamese competitor in the Tokyo event.

Yonemori Shinsuke, second culture and press secretary at the Japanese embassy, said over the three days of competition (May 29-31), the tournament took place successfully.

He believed that events like this would promote Japanese shogi and culture to the Vietnamese people. He hoped that the Vietnamese player participating in the International Shogi Tournament would help improve the connection between the two countries and promote shogi in Việt Nam.

Shogi is a strategy board game for two players. It is one of the most popular board games in Japan and is in the same family of games as Western chess.

The 400-year-old chess has been played by dozens of millions of people in Japan. It has been gradually spread to many other countries including Việt Nam.

Originating from a group of young people passionate about shogi, the Việt Nam Shogi Club was established in 2021 in Hà Nội with the purpose of popularising the mind sport to the Vietnamese public. The club was recognised as a branch of the Japan Shogi Federation on May 30, 2023. VNS