Ōi (shogi)

Ōi (王位) is one of the eight major titles in professional shogi, and it means "the king's rank" (王 ō 'king' + 位 i 'rank, position').

The annual tournament started in 1960, sponsored by a group of local newspapers which has consisted of Shimbun Sansha Rengō (Three-Newspaper Association).

[1][a] With the addition of Ōi, there were four major shogi titles along with Meijin, Ninth Dan (Ryūō), and Ōshō.

The challenger for the title is determined by three-step preliminary round that comprises 1st heat, league competition and final playoff.

Top one of each league advances to final playoff, and the winner of one-game match becomes the challenger.

Shogi pieces used during the fourth game of the 56th Ōi sen in 2015.