Shogi players and their severe circumstance

For young Japanese men who want to be professional players, there is a club called Shoureikai. Its members are very competitive. And its law stipulate that young shogi players are to be promoted 1st dan (shogi rank) by the time they turn 23 and to be 4th dan by the time they are 24. If they cannot achieve that, they are expelled from the club.

They always feel pressure in this period, and they play shogi in an extream situation. It goes without saying that their daily life is quite different from ours because all of them have been playing shogi since their childhood. But most of them are forced to quit. Some of them know few things expect shogi. A young shogi player might not even know how to buy a train ticket for instance, but they have to begin new life.

Shouji Segawa,36, who is a professional shogi player was also expelled when he was 24. He began work as a system engineer. He had been out of shogi for a long time when he played in an amateur competition. As a result of that, he was given the unprecedented chance again in 2005. And now he is a conspicuous figure in the professional world.

I wonder where the strength of these players comes from. Some are betrayed by destiny. And their disappointment is long. Nevertheless, they do not abandon their enthusiasm. Consequently, something good will occur in their lives. Young shogi players show me this.