[3][4] Kobayashi defeated Yasumitsu Satō to win the 11th Quick Play Young Professionals Tournament [ja] in 1992.
[3][4] The victory stopped Satō from winning the tournament three years in a row.
[5] Kobayashi finished the finished 69th Meijin Class C2 league play (April 2010 – March 2011) with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses, earning a second demotion point which meant he was only one point away from automatic demotion to "Free Class" play.
[6] As a result, he declared his intention to the Japan Shogi Association to become a Free Class player as of April 2011 rather than risk automatic demotion.
[9] Kobayashi has been an avid mountain climber since his junior high school days.