May 2017, Day 15, Kotoshogiku v Ikioi

The first eight days of the tournament were a disaster for Kotoshogiku. He only earned one win against seven losses, meaning he needed to win the remaining seven days in a row to avoid a makekoshi losing record. I don’t think anyone expected him to come as close as he did, losing only once in the second half of the tournament to finish at 7-8. His opponent on the last day is the always tough Ikioi, but Kotoshogiku beats him handily, showing flashes of his former brilliance. Hopefully during the next tournament he can put together more performances like this one.