{"rewrite":{"id":"r_2a67c6f4707040e090eb7447","clusterId":"c_1801e5696e594c4b9c03418b","slug":"fujii-meijin-defeats-itodani-9-dan-for-fourth-consecutive-title-defense","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Fujii Meijin Defeats Itodani 9-Dan for Fourth Consecutive Title Defense","summary":"Sota Fujii Meijin defeated challenger Tetsuro Itodani 9-dan in Game 4 of the Meijin Match, securing his fourth consecutive defense of the title. The match, held in Takatsuki, Osaka, resumed on May 17 after the opening of Itodani's sealed move from the previous day. Fujii's victory gave him a 3-1 series win, ending the best-of-seven match early. During the game, Fujii ordered a cream-heavy dessert that drew comments from fans and professional players. After the win, Fujii spoke at a press conference about his approach to the match. Itodani acknowledged his own shortcomings in the series, saying he \"exposed lack of skill,\" but received encouragement from fans. The match also drew attention for Fujii's unorthodox moves, which some spectators compared to a dance. The Meijin Match is the most prestigious title in Japanese shogi, and Fujii has now held it since 2023.","whyItMatters":"Fujii's fourth consecutive defense solidifies his dominance in the Meijin title, a streak that began when he first won the championship three years ago.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDuring the game's morning break, Fujii ordered a parfait from the venue's menu. Female professional shogi player Mirei Ishimoto commented on social media that the dessert had \"an amazing amount of cream.\" The meal service for both players also included Takatsuki's local specialty, udon gyoza.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFujii's unorthodox moves in the middle game drew comparisons to a dance. Some spectators on social media said the sequence resembled \"Flower Rock,\" a reference to a well-known dance move. After the game, Fujii said at a press conference that he \"wanted to play interesting shogi\" and that \"there is no established theory for a master.\"\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe match also highlighted a regional difference in shogi rules. Veteran title holders noted that the byoyomi countdown, the final time control where each move must be made within a set period, is announced differently in Kanto and Kansai. The Kansai style, used at the Takatsuki venue, counts the seconds aloud, while the Kanto style uses a silent clock. Several professional players said they had not noticed the difference before.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Fujii Meijin secured his fourth consecutive title defense by beating Itodani 9-dan 3-1 in the Meijin Match, ending the series in Game 4.","twitterPost":"Fujii's cream-heavy dessert order during the Meijin Match became a talking point among fans and pros, alongside his fourth straight title defense.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Sota Fujii Meijin defeated challenger Tetsuro Itodani 9-dan in Game 4 of the Meijin Match, securing his fourth consecutive defense of the title. The match, held in Takatsuki, Osaka, resumed on May 17 after the opening of Itodani's sealed move from the previous day. Fujii's victory gave him a 3-1 series win, ending the best-of-seven match early. During the game, Fujii ordered a cream-heavy dessert that drew comments from fans and professional players. After the win, Fujii spoke at a press conference about his approach to the match. Itodani acknowledged his own shortcomings in the series, saying he \"exposed lack of skill,\" but received encouragement from fans. The match also drew attention for Fujii's unorthodox moves, which some spectators compared to a dance. The Meijin Match is the most prestigious title in Japanese shogi, and Fujii has now held it since 2023.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)\",\"url\":\"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a0fd8d9ec0d8b92b81965f9b44fec54dfa206712?source=rss\",\"title\":\"Challenger Tetsuro Itodani 9-dan's sealed move opened, \\\"Takatsuki match\\\" resumes: Will Sota Fujii Meijin achieve his fourth consecutive defense? / Shogi Meijin Match Game 4 (ABEMA TIMES)\"},{\"source\":\"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)\",\"url\":\"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/455b85cd645aecd13926135aeda1805ed8b00fc1?source=rss\",\"title\":\"\\\"The cream is bursting!\\\" Meijin Sota Fujii orders a powerful dessert that excites female professional shogi players and fans: \\\"Amazing amount of cream\\\" \\\"This must be delicious\\\" (ABEMA TIMES)\"},{\"source\":\"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)\",\"url\":\"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/6067d17c52b8c06c13085a19d901246695af6c89?source=rss\",\"title\":\"What in the world!? Sota Fujii Meijin \\\"started dancing!!\\\" Fans in an uproar over moves that look like \\\"Flower Rock\\\" (ABEMA TIMES)\"},{\"source\":\"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)\",\"url\":\"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ecac5fe34f328e68083a027e16905d1ec5d174d3?source=rss\",\"title\":\"Why does Sota Fujii aim for 'interesting shogi'? The image of a champion as a top runner: 'There is no established theory for a master' (ABEMA TIMES)\"},{\"source\":\"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)\",\"url\":\"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/dfac3ef831ed754e3e649a190726f65e80c82607?source=rss\",\"title\":\"Even veteran title-holding shogi players 'didn't notice'... Slightly different? Kanto and Kansai 'byoyomi' reactions pour in: 'Now that you mention it', 'Heh-heh-heh' (ABEMA TIMES)\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":9335,"outputTokens":1405,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779827132,"createdAt":"2026-05-18T10:34:07.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-18T10:46:20.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T10:46:20.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_1801e5696e594c4b9c03418b","canonicalTitle":"挑戦者・糸谷哲郎九段の封じ手開封で“高槻対局”再開 藤井聡太名人は防衛4連覇決めるか！/将棋・名人戦第4局（ABEMA TIMES）","representativeArticleId":"a_ae5a1e7357e8de07aec77ce6","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"藤井聡太\",\"糸谷哲郎\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-17T00:09:14.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-17T22:30:36.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-18T15:40:14.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Yahoo! News Japan (Entertainment)","url":"https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/dfac3ef831ed754e3e649a190726f65e80c82607?source=rss","title":"タイトル経験者のベテラン棋士も「気が付かなかった」…微妙に違う？関東・関西の“秒読み”反響続々「言われてみれば」「へーへーへー」（ABEMA TIMES）"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["藤井聡太","糸谷哲郎"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Sota Fujii Meijin defeated challenger Tetsuro Itodani 9-dan 3-1 in the Meijin Match, securing his fourth consecutive title defense.","The match resumed on May 17 in Takatsuki, Osaka, after the opening of Itodani's sealed move from the previous day.","During the game, Fujii ordered a parfait with 'an amazing amount of cream,' drawing comments from female professional shogi player Mirei Ishimoto.","Fujii's unorthodox middle-game moves drew comparisons to the dance move 'Flower Rock' on social media.","The match highlighted a regional difference in shogi rules: the Kansai style counts the byoyomi countdown aloud, while the Kanto style uses a silent clock."]}