is a Japanese retired professional shogi player who achieved the rank of 7-dan.
Early life and apprenticeship Kobayashi was born on December 18, 1962, in Tamaki, Mie. He was accepted into the Japan Shogi Association's apprentice school as a student of shogi professional Kazuo Manabe at the rank of 6-kyū in 1978, was promoted to the rank of apprentice professional 1-dan in 1981, and obtained full professional status and the rank of 4-dan in 1983.
Shogi professional Kobayashi defeated Yasumitsu Satō to win the 11th in 1992. The victory stopped Satō from winning the tournament three years in a row.
Kobayashi finished the finished 69th Meijin Class C2 league play (April 2010March 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. 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.
Kobayashi retired from professional shogi on April 19, 2022. He retired with a career record of 435 wins and 564 losses for a winning percentage of 0.435.
Promotion history The promotion history for Kobayashi is as follows: 6-kyū: 1978 1-dan: 1981 4-dan: August 3, 1983 5-dan: May 19, 1989 6-dan: November 29, 1995 7-dan: November 25, 2009 Retired: April 19, 2022
Titles and other championships Kobayashi has never appeared in a major title match, but he has won one non-title shogi championships during his career.
Awards and honors Kobayashi received the JSA's "25 Years Service Award" in 2009 in recognition of being an active professional for twenty-five years.
Personal life Kobayashi has been an avid mountain climber since his junior high school days.
References
External links ShogiHub: Professional Player Info · Kobayashi, Hiroshi (167)