“Annual Awards” 2025 Recipients

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Annual Awards as follows.

For more details about the Annual Awards system, please visit the page below.

Award Categories of the Annual Awards System

 

Best Player Award: FM Shou Otsuka

Reason for Award: 

For actively pursuing the IM title through repeated overseas tournament participation and making significant progress toward its achievement.
Over the course of the year, he competed in 13 overseas tournaments and reached a peak rating of 2,362. In addition, he earned his first and second IM norms at the Asian Individual Chess Championship in May and the First Saturday tournament in December, respectively.

 

Comment from the Awardee: 

I am truly honored to receive the Best Player Award, and it fills me with a renewed sense of responsibility.
This past year once again made me keenly aware of both the difficulty of international tournaments and the excitement that comes with taking on new challenges. The more I challenge myself, the more clearly I can see my areas for improvement—and the more strongly I feel my own growth.
I will continue striving for higher goals and working diligently to turn these experiences into future results.

 

Most Games Played Award: Mr. Masaharu Tabe

Reason for Award: 

Actively participated in rated games, regardless of whether they were organized by the federation or clubs, and played the highest number of national standard rated games in the year, totaling 85 games.

 

Comment from the Awardee: 

Thank you very much for awarding me the Most Games Played Award.
Being able to enjoy so many games throughout the year was only possible thanks to the dedication of the Federation staffs who create and maintain such a wonderful environment, the registered clubs, the arbiters, and of course all the players who sat across the board from me. I am deeply grateful to all of you. As a club leader as well, with each game I played I was strongly reminded of how reassuring it is to have so many people supporting the realization of every single game. I feel that this award is one I share with these great companions.
I will continue to cherish each and every game, and I look forward to meeting you all over the board again in the future. Thank you very much.

 

Best Arbiter Award: FA Yoshihiro Hiratsuka

Reason for Award:

Based on the recommendation of the Arbiters’ Committee, this award recognizes his energetic and consistently high-quality tournament management at major Federation-organized events throughout the year.
He served as Chief Arbiter at the Japan Cadets Championship, the Rapid Championship, and the Team Championship, and as Deputy Chief Arbiter at the Japan Championship and the Japan Chess Classic. His number of assigned tournaments and overall workload during the year were outstanding. In addition, he obtained the FIDE Arbiter (FA) title in November, and his continuous professional development as an arbiter, as well as his strong potential for future contributions, were highly commended.

 

Comment from the Awardee: 

I am deeply honored to receive the Best Arbiter Award. Thank you very much for this prestigious recognition.
Thanks to the players, as well as the warm support of my fellow arbiters and the organizing staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes, I was able to stay highly motivated throughout the year. I am sincerely grateful to have my efforts recognized in this way.
Encouraged by this award, I will continue striving to be a trusted arbiter, and to contribute to the development of the chess community in Japan through fair, impartial, and stable tournament management, as well as through the training and mentoring of the next generation of arbiters.

 

Best Club Award: Sapporo Chess Club

Reason for Award: 

At the 15th Club Leaders Meeting held in January 2026, the club received the highest number of votes from the clubs in attendance.
In addition to hosting regional qualifiers for the Japan Championship, the club regularly organizes rated club events and tournaments. In July, it co-hosted the Japan Chess Classic with the Federation, and in November, it participated in the Japan Team Championship. Furthermore, the club has been actively engaged in the development of arbiters: through the NA Seminar and Examination held in November, three individuals affiliated with the club obtained the National Arbiter (NA) title.

 

Comment from Awardee: 

We are deeply honored to receive the Best Club Award.
Sapporo Chess Club was founded in 1987 by three members, and today we continue our activities through regular club meetings, the organization of three tournaments per year, and instruction for beginners. Our operations—such as venue reservations, accounting, results reporting, website management, and tournament organization—are supported by a small group of dedicated members who share these responsibilities. In response to the requirement that tournaments be overseen by National Arbiters (NA) starting in 2026, the club provided financial support for examination fees, and as a result, we now have three National Arbiters within the club.
We are also proud that GM Anish Giri was a member of our club during his childhood. We will continue our activities so that even more people can enjoy chess, and we sincerely appreciate your continued support.

 

Recognition

Each award recipient will receive a commemorative gift.

The Japan Chess Hall of Fame

Regarding the Japan Chess Hall of Fame, there will be no winner this year.

(Reference link) Overview of the Japan Chess Hall of Fame